#if I get 1 (one) compliment I'll post here too
Explore tagged Tumblr posts
Text
AITA for complimenting my colleague - Final Update
Blade x Fem!Reader- Reddit exists AU
lol would love to do a tifu with someone else after this
Original Post - Update 1
r/AmItheAsshole ~ 3 system hr. ago
easternskiesonamoonlitnight
Great news, I'm not dead. Dao did not in fact take me to some secluded star system to put me down.
Bad news, I am very, very sore.
Tldr for those with ass reading ; my colleague and I guess now partner, was somehow under the impression that the both of us have been in a relationship since the day I kissed him. Apparently none of my other colleagues except for Franz were aware of this and just thought I was being shy about our new relationship.
The really cryptic note and telling me to get ready was apparently everyone's combined attempt to get the both of us to go on a proper date. At the time, I yapped Dao's ears off out of anxiety and maybe in hopes that he'd change his mind about killing me. I remember eventually shutting up when I realised he was staring at me. And I guess he didn't really like the lack of yapping so he just asked why I wasn't talking and then everything just kind of happened...?
Yeah, uhm. Not great telling a person you're both afraid of and attracted to that you're about 90% sure he's going to turn you into a human hedgehog. Also maybe not great accidentally mentioning your sexual awakening in that alley.
Basically, Dao thought that the both of us were already in a relationship and that everything leading up to that day was just some cat-and-mouse that was confirmed with my kiss. And since Franz was too amused to say otherwise and the other two were equally in the dark, the whole charade just played on.
And to the person who asked about our boss, he does not care what kind of drama happens so. He's just here to enjoy the show.
Anyways, alls well ends well. I'm currently in the middle of another task and it's definitely way less stressful than that one. We're resting and just about done with the icky grimey physically painful bits, so we're just taking it easy now. Dao is finally knocked out next to me after maybe 6 days (???) of no sleep so that's great. The only problem is that I think he's crushing my lungs so note to self, go to the gym because wow is he heavy.
On the bright side, we're saving way more money now since we only have to get one room, and one bed.
Also Grey Dog has found my posts, so if you see this, please tell Glow worm that I'll handle our laundry when we return so don't worry about it. Or you can just send this post to her, I don't care.
SnowyRaven__ ~ 1 system hr. ago ~ Got my hopes up with that second paragraph, I thought op was going to tell us she got her guts rearranged by dao user0763013 ~ 1 system hr. ago ~ HELLO??????????
Theyearspasson ~ 3 system hr. ago ~ can someone tag quietondeck, i need to see their reaction to this neow
TileGamer4ever ~ 2 system hr. ago ~ OP, you should've listened to me smh. easternskiesonamoonlitnight OP ~ 9 system hr.ago ~ You're right but to be fair, I'm stupid
GalacticBaseballer069 ~ 3 system hr. ago ~ OP IM BEGGING ILL LICK THE TOILETS CLEAN ILL TAKE OUT THE TRASH PLEASE TAKE ME IN
82 notes
·
View notes
Note
Do you have any like relationship personality dynamics? Like flirty and grumpy but a bit more specific? Or general. Thanks
List of Dating Styles for Your Romance Novel
Here's a list of popular romance tropes I made! If you're looking for specific dynamics between characters, I think that post would help.
I'll focus on various dating styles your characters can have. You can have fun matching one style to another to create various relationship dynamics!
Flirty: Throwing cheezy comments without batting an eyelash, teasing, having fun watching the other turn into a tomato
Mother/Father: always nagging their partner, giving advice, putting up with their bad days with patience (not in a toxic way, please run from people who actually tries to be a parent rather than a lover)
Grumpy: Someone who always complains about what their partner does/tries to make them do...but does it anyway with actual effort.
Sunshine: Generally naive, upbeat characters who makes their partners smile.
Nerdy: Lost in their own thoughts, can talk about their interest for hours on end but will listen to you also, you can never be confused about what they want for their birthday.
People Pleaser: Someone who believes they need to adapt themselve to the other person to make the relationship work. They're nice, funny, comfortable to be around but once you try to unveil their true self, things will get complicated fast.
The Committed Robot: Look, they might be a little slow to picking up the subtle cues, but if you program them right, a reliable output for each input is assured... They WILL cry with you, even though they're acting with a mindful of question marks.
Independent: They don't believe in relying on their partners and prefer to be given time to sort through their problems. Sometimes, maybe a little too compulsively.
The No. 1 Fan: They will love and cheer you like a fan would love their favorite artist. Compliments and support during the hard times, trusts more in you than you do in yourself.
The Wolf: Sexual innuendo? Check. Romantic moods and open to talk about sex? Check. Respect? Check.
Hope this helps!
─── ・ 。゚☆: *.☽ .* . ───
💎If you like my blog, buy me a coffee☕ and find me on instagram!
💎Before you ask, check out my masterpost part 1 and part 2
💎For early access to my content, become a Writing Wizard
#writing#writers and poets#writeblr#let's write#helping writers#poets and writers#creative writers#writers on tumblr#creative writing#resources for writers#writing process#writing prompt#writing community#writing inspiration#writing advice#writing ideas#writer#on writing#writer stuff#writer on tumblr#writer things#writer community#writer problems#writerscommunity#writblr#writing practice#romance#romance tropes#romance novels#writers life
168 notes
·
View notes
Text
FIC RECS: TOP GUN: MAVERICK - 2!
Okay, so there was shit I forgot in my year in review rec list. I posted it and a minimum of about 10 other fics immediately came to mind. so, part 2! I also didn't put many WIPs on the first one, but I think currently in progress fics should get some love too. I'll be marking them with an asterisk.
If I made a little comment about every single fic or series here, it would be inhumanely long, so I've refrained from doing so and have just put the summaries for each.
I hope that anyone who reads this list finds something that they love on it just as much as I do! Happy reading!
P.S. If I missed anyone, I'm sorry, there was a lot to sort through!
(P.S.S. reblog the fics you like, it makes writers happy.)
part 1, if you missed it.
SOME OF THESE ARE 18+, PLEASE HEED THE INDIVIDUAL WARNINGS!
JAKE SERESIN
Parking Lots and Matcha Lattes by @withahappyrefrain
In an attempt to get coffee, you meet a grade A asshole whose head you want to rip off. Meanwhile, Jake Seresin is pretty certain he just met his future wife in the parking lot of a coffee shop. AKA Jake Seresin likes mean women, pass it on.
The Hangman Special by @hangmanssunnies
On a night out with your friends at a fancy cocktail bar, you are just trying to keep your head down and ignore the girl that your ex cheated on you with. The night only seems like it's going to get worse when you are dared to kiss a stranger at the bar. However, it seems like the odds might finally be in your favor when you notice a familiar set of broad shoulders. If you can be convincing, you think you might just be able to get your brother's friend Jake "Hangman" Seresin to help you out with your little problem.
*she is both hellfire and holy water by @chemistryread
you should take it as a compliment, that I'm talking to everyone here but you.
Birds Away by @wombtotombx
You’d known Jake since you were kids, bonding over the shared experience of being military brats overseas. You were the perfect pair - he was reckless, you followed the rules; he didn’t care what others thought, you were a people-pleaser. You both became the best of the best in your field - he through sheer talent and skill, you from demonstrated grit and determination. For over two decades, everyone around you - parents, friends, even teachers - had assumed you’d both end up together, despite the fact that somehow, you never did. The Navy always had its way of keeping you two apart. Whatever possibilities there might have been, it was just never in the cards. Until you got to Fallon.
*The Backup by @ereardon
No strings attached sex never works, right? You and Jake Seresin have fallen into a bad pattern of seeking each other out for sex after dates go awry, but a year of being friends with benefits with Jake hasn’t been good for your dating life. Especially when the two of you are hiding your antics from your lifelong best friend Coyote and the rest of your tightly knit friend group. But what happens when you decide to take a step back and end the cycle with Jake to focus on your dating life? And why is it that all of the sudden Jake looks more irresistible than ever when you know he’s off limits?
Take Care of Business by @honkytonk-hangman
The last time you met Lieutenant Jake Seresin, the war was still ongoing and you’d been in a floundering engagement. Back then you’d seen the possibility for more in his eyes, and now? Well, now you could explore it.
When Jake Met Polly by @/honkytonk-hangman
Jake likes to flirt with his Air Traffic Controller or Jake Seresin has never seen When Harry Met Sally.
How It's Done (Oneshot Version) by @/honkytonk-hangman
“Like me? I didn’t even think you wanted me as a squadmate, let alone–” you stop speaking, but only because Hangman cuts his eyes sharply away from you to glare out at the ocean. “Well, I do.” He says kind of indignantly, all things considered, and eyes you almost sourly. “You can just say no if you don’t–” “–No, I do!” you quickly cut him off, because at the end of it all, you’re a little too much of a hopeless romantic to let this moment pass you by.
Twenty-Five Going on Forty-Seven by @sehnsuchts-trunken
Flirting with the guy who fixed your car turns out to lead to much, much more when you find out he’s actually not just some random guy, but your new neighbour and father’s new best friend, Jake Seresin.
BRADLEY BRADSHAW
*fever pitch by @greenorangevioletgrass
Arsenal and USMNT captain Bradley Bradshaw attends the mononymous music sensation Y/N's concert with a friendship bracelet and a dream. Little did he know that they soon embark on an epic love story fit for pop royalty...
This Love Came Back to Me by @beyondthesefourwalls
You and Bradley hadn’t ended on bad terms; really, you stopped before the two of you could even truly begin. Still, in the last seven months, you had never completely left his mind. So when you suddenly appeared in front of him at the bar, asking for a favor and pulling him into a kiss, he thought maybe it was the perfect opportunity to see if this time, things could be different. But what neither of you realized was that there’s more going on than just rekindling a lost romance, and it might not be as easy as simply just wanting it.
I Like Your Cinema by @sometimesanalice
Bradley wasn’t sure why you wanted to see the movie again, especially when neither one of you had particularly liked it the first time you’d seen it together. But when you’re tugging down his zipper, things start to make a lot more sense.
‘cause no one breaks my heart like you by @heartsofminds
“Last times always make him uneasy. He thinks that he should be used to it by now from his track record of being abandoned (willfully or “out of their control” situations alike). None of this should hurt him as deeply anymore.” or Bradley Bradshaw is terrified of commitment and he decides to stop being selfish (even though it’s hard to see).
the periphery by @youvebeenlivingfictional
You’d met Bradley a few times before the happy couple had announced their nuptials, and you’d always gotten a pretty good vibe from him. He was sweet, he was easy to talk to—and it helped that he was easy on the eyes. In fact, as soon as you’d been told that Bradley Bradshaw was going to be the Best Man, you were well on your way to having a crush on the guy.
*Hotter Than Texas by @tongue-like-a-razor
Bradley Bradshaw is tasked with transporting a not-so-delicate package in the form of Jake Seresin’s baby sister, who turns out to be Bradley’s dream girl worst nightmare.
*flight risk by @ofstoriesandstardust
In which you and Rooster got married while at UVA for the military benefits. What started out as a mutually beneficial deal between friends years ago turns into a point of interest for Maverick, causing Rooster to have to haul you out to Fightertown to get him to shut up. While Maverick’s fussing over a marriage he didn’t know existed, Rooster’s focused on getting the ball rolling on divorce papers because really, the Navy does not need to be calling some poor girl from his college that he’s died in a horrendous accident. It’s proving to be more difficult than he expected, especially when Hangman and Phoenix take it upon themselves to encourage a friendship to become more.
How You Play the Game by @roosterforme
Bradley always loved October because of the World Series. He never expected a mix-up with the ticket he won to bring something as spectacular as you into his life. But time is fleeting, and now baseball is the last thing on his mind.
*The Intern by @/roosterforme
You barely have a minute to yourself after graduating at the top of your Ivy League class before your father insists you find an internship. Your days of lounging by the pool and partying are numbered as he has an endless parade of his colleagues visiting the house. But one of them is familiar to you in a way that warms your skin just like the San Diego sun. And it turns out, Bradley Bradshaw may just have the answers to all your problems. And those answers might be waiting for you on a yacht in the Mediterranean Sea.
there was something 'bout you by @bussyslayer333
bradley bradshaw didn’t fall in love, especially not with uptight girls in his english lit class and especially not the ones being forced into tutoring him.
*Ultraviolence by @babyonboard
You and Bradley loved each other, and Jake was just your old friend from high school who you tried to pay no mind to. At least that's how it used to be.
All Too Well by @bradleyfuckingbradshaw
You’re at dinner with your boyfriend and some of his colleagues at a restaurant he chose when you look over the menu and realize there’s no vegetarian option, but he’s too busy with his friends to realize that. Bradley isn’t.
October 3rd Promptober by @familyvideostevie
you go to a tailgate with your friend bradley.
If You Met Me First by @tip-top-cloud-surfer
Rooster confessed to Echo that he was in love with her before the mission. One minor problem: she has a boyfriend.
Home for the Holidays by @mothdruid
Bradley might have lied about having a girlfriend. His best friend, you, decide to help him out and go home for the holidays with him. As the trip unfolds, so does your and Bradley’s feelings for one another.
BOB FLOYD
*I bet this would look beautiful on film by @coridotmp3
Honey desperately needs a photographer, and Bob desperately needs a break.
Robert from Next Door by @attapullman
You've lucked out with the perfect neighbor, a kind and overly helpful WSO. He puts up Christmas lights, lends his lawn mower, and grabs your morning paper. But what happens when he's out of peppermint tea one night?
If Only the Neighbors Knew by @/attapullman
A month of stolen kisses culminates in Robert hosting the HOA meeting and getting you on his couch. The ladies of the neighborhood may make him blush, but only you can make your sweet neighbor weak in the knees.
*Golden Hour by @/ereardon
Willow, Georgia. Barely even a town, just a speck on a map that you tried to wipe off, mistaking it for a crumb. You’re the outsider: a fancy New York doctor, fresh out of a failed engagement, with zero primary care experience. You’re also the new town doctor, taking over for a recent retiree who was beloved. His son, Bob Floyd, is the other physician at the practice, and takes an immediate dislike to you. But you were looking for a fresh start, and Willow doesn’t seem all that bad if you can get past the fact that there's only one restaurant in town. It helps that you've caught the eye of Bradley Bradshaw, the town attorney, despite the fact that you vowed to take a break from dating. How long until you start to make friends in a town where social circles have been set in stone since elementary school? And what will it take to make Bob Floyd see you’re not as bad as he wants to believe you are?
Ruin the Friendship by @withahappyrefrain
The night before Bob leaves for Boot Camp, he’s learned no one has gone down on his best friend. He’s determined to fix that.
International Bob Floyd Fucks Month Masterlist
a january writing event hosted by @/attapullman
Bob from Stats by @/attapullman
College is a wild time, but absolutely nothing could prepare you for the quiet guy from Stats riding around campus as a cowboy. Or what a good kisser he is.
#jake seresin x reader#bradley bradshaw x reader#bob floyd x reader#jake seresin#bradley bradshaw#bob floyd#tgm fanfiction#fic rec#fic rec list#queue
279 notes
·
View notes
Note
Hey, been loving the Nayuta Makima posts! Could I request one of reader and Makima taking Nayuta to the fair or a theme park for the first time?
You and makima taking nayuta to a theme park
A/n:we're back again with my favorite au. Thanks for the request
(Here are Part 1 and 2)
Recently, nayuta had been constantly asking you and her mom to bring her to a theme park after hearing from some of her friends at school how cool it was. So when your day off arrived, you knew exactly how to spend it.
"*gasp* it's so huge, mommy, daddy look, everything looks so cool, it's gonna be so fun"
"*giggle* I'm sure it will, sweetie, so what would you like to do first?"
"Look! There's cotton candy, I wanna eat all of it"
"I'll get you one but you can't eat all of it yuty"
"Eh? But it's so good"
"I know, but then you're gonna get sick, and you don't want that again don't you?"
".......no"
"Good girl, don't worry though, I'll make sure to buy you the biggest one there is"
"Really? Thanks daddy, you're the best"
You indeed brought nayuta cotton candy and helped her eat it since it was a bit too big even for her. You continued to walk around the park until your daughter gasped again and pointed to a booth
"Oh do you want a prize from that nayuta?"
"Yes, please, pretty please, that puppy plushie is adooooorable, I want it, pretty please"
"Well how could I say no to such a polite little girl? I'll win it for you right now"
"Yay! Thanks, Mommy. I love you"
"I love you too, sweetie, now let's see, what do I have to do?"
"I'm sure you can do it love, you just have to hit the target with gun"
"Oh, I don't need a plastic gun for that"
"Uh?"
"There's no one around, so I think it's OK if I show off a bit, I'm sure nayuta would love that"
"*giggle* alright, I wouldn't mind seeing that either"
Makima smiled at you and got a few feet in front of the booth while you took nayuta's hand and led her away from her. Your wife got into position and raised her hand in a finger gun position
"Bang"
An invincible force hit the target right in the middle, piercing it directly
"Oh, lucky me, I got the highest score"
You could practically see stars in nayuta's eyes as she started up at her mom in awe
"That was awesome! You're so cool mommy"
"Please, it's nothing, I'd do anything for you, sweetheart. Take this, it's yours now"
The half devil immediately hugged the plushie while giggling a lot as you pressed a kiss to makima's cheek. She then grabbed yours and nayuta's hands and continued walking
"What? That's no fair, I can't go?"
You reached a roller coaster that nayuta wanted to ride, but unfortunately, you found a sign with a height requirement needed to enter, one that nayuta didn't pass.
"Sorry, but it seems you're too short"
"B-but I'm tall, I........ah! yes, i can get on daddy's shoulders and then I'll be tall enough"
"I don't think that counts, if you get on that, yo could get hurt yuta"
"But-but-"
"I promise we'll find another attraction. In the meantime, I'll get you some ice cream to make it up to you, ok?"
"Cotton candy"
"But....you already had one"
"I want more!"
"*sighs* All right, I guess I can get you another because of this, but no more"
Nayuta nodded rapidly, and you hugged her to cheer her up. You then brought her another cotton candy that she ate while on a safer ride. After she had more fun and was happier, you decided to end the day by going to a ferris wheel
"Wow! I can see everything from here"
"Yeah, it is really pretty isn't it?"
"Oh! Oh! Look! That's my friend, hiiiiiii"
You giggled at how adorable she looked, waving while she was in your arms
"I don't think he can hear you yuta, you can talk to him when we get down"
"OK daddy"
You pulled her away from the window, and in your lap where she started to play with the plushie you brought her, you turned around to see makima holding her phone to take a picture of the scenery
"The view from here is beautiful"
"Not as beautiful as you"
"Hehe, such a charmer, you don't need to compliment me anymore, we're married now"
"Well, I'm just telling the truth"
"Oh really? Then I suppose there's nothing wrong with me calling you the most beautiful and handsome person on this world"
"I think you're kinda exaggerating now"
"Oh I'm most certainly not, and I'll prove it to you"
She leaned closer to you and kissed your lips passionately. You got lost in the moment until you heard nayuta make a disgusted sound from under you
"Yeeeew, that's so yucky"
"It's not, we were just kissing"
"It's still yucky"
"Whatever you say"
You rolled your eyes and looked back at makima, who was now giggling, she pet your head for reassurance and whispered in your ear
"Don't worry, your kisses aren't yucky. She's just still young"
"Yes I know, you're the best kisser I know"
"The same goes for you"
#chainsaw man x reader#chainsaw man#x reader#csm x reader#csm#makima x male reader#makima x reader#makima#makima csm#makima chainsaw man#nayuta chainsaw man#nayuta#nayuta csm#x male reader#male reader#soft makima#makima x you
85 notes
·
View notes
Text
Bi-Han is an honorable man
I can't believe that I'm making yet another post pointing out the obvious but every time I go into a Youtube comment section I'm starting to question whether me and the rest of the Mortal Kombat fandom have even played the same game.
1. He shows opponents mercy
Sub-Zero: You want peace? Let us be. Liu Kang: The Lin Kuei's sins aren't easily forgiven.
Sub-Zero: Surrender and Shao will show mercy. Mileena: If you believe that, you're a fool.
Sub-Zero: Walk away while you can. Raiden: I'll never give up, never surrender.
Sub-Zero: I won't hold back, Brother. Scorpion: Do your worst.
Sub-Zero: We have no cause for dispute. Kitana: You aided Shao's attempt to steal the throne!
These dialogues honestly speak for themselves already, they don't even need explaining. Compare that to actual villains like General Shao who sends Reiko after Bi-Han to kill him simply because he "doesn't like loose ends" even after Bi-Han saved him or Shang Tsung who killed Reptile's family out of nothing but sheer cruelty.
The fact that Bi-Han is willing to let people walk away from a fight, that he gives them a chance to walk away alive, speaks volumes about his personality. He warns his opponents in his intros and even during his end of round taunts ("Flee now and live."), he tries to solve things peacefully and without violence if possible. He's not bloodthirsty, malicious or eager to kill anyone, but will do so if given no other choice.
Despite Bi-Han's flaws, a man willing to show an opponent mercy is an honorable man. SPOILERS AHEAD: May I again remind you that Kuai Liang is not willing to show a defeated and dying Bi-Han mercy when he gets turned into Noob against his will? Not only that, but Kuai Liang wouldn't have hesitated to kill Frost who is probably around Hanzo's age at his own wedding if Harumi hadn't stepped in to save her. Harumi had to beg Kuai Liang to show someone mercy, while Bi-Han grants it without a second thought. Like it or not, at least in that one aspect, Bi-Han is the better man.
I don't know why some people think of him as this aggressive guy going around trying to pick fights with everyone when all he wants is to be left alone? It's wild to me how people think he's the problem here.
2. He respects/admires their fighting skills
Sub-Zero: You will surely test my might. Ashrah: I will overwhelm it, Sub-Zero.
Sub-Zero: This fight I will long remember. General Shao: Who says you will survive it?
Sub-Zero: I'm pleased to fight Outworld's foremost mage. Rain: Will it also please you to lose?
Sub-Zero: I hear your skills are formidable. Li Mei: As are those of all who have been Umgadi.
Can we also talk about how respectful Bi-Han is towards his opponents? He compliments them on their skills as opposed to Kuai Liang who even talks down to his own allies. Yes, Bi-Han is arrogant, but he can still acknowledge other people's strengths and respect them, even if they are his foes.
3. He admits when he's wrong
Sub-Zero: I was wrong to trust you. General Shao: Yes, Earthrealmer. You were.
Sub-Zero: I wasn't aware of Shang Tsung's experiments. Liu Kang: Had you known, would your choice have been different?
Sub-Zero: Your mother's death is regrettable. Kitana: I consider you complicit, Bi-Han.
You can say what you want about him, but he certainly takes responsibility for his actions and even shows regret over some of them. Bi-Han might not be the most compassionate character, but he does express some sympathy towards others. Compare that to Kuai Liang who tells Havik it's his own fault that his face was burned off as if he had nothing to do with it. Yes, Bi-Han doesn't show much sympathy towards Baraka for his condition, but neither does Kuai Liang. Why Kuai Liang is still considered the more honorable brother regardless of that and his very obvious ableism, is beyond me.
Bi-Han's good traits are all too often overlooked. I don't know if it's because people don't pay attention to intros, but it's so easy to see he's not a bad person deep down. It's just the media comprehension skills of most MK fans that are seriously lacking.
#bi han#bi-han#bi han sub zero#mk sub zero#mk bi han#kuai liang#mk scorpion#mk kitana#mk li mei#mk ashrah#mk liu kang#mortal kombat 1#mk1 2023
233 notes
·
View notes
Text
you're the only thing that's going on in my mind (d word matty x reader smut)
cocky mean d word matty post-show on glasgow night 1 because i left that gig Fucked Up (see below pic that i took). canon, so girly is pregnant at this point. he goes a bit simpy at the end, but... fork found in kitchen. VERY slutty. enjoy! <3
“what the fuck are you two doing here?” matty's voice - loud, so as to be heard over the people outro - and face are aghast as he exits b stage to find you and mrs mac, the two of you standing in front of the security line at the back. “couldn't believe my eyes when i saw you lurking from up there.”
“well, we do work here,” comes the reply from beside you.
you laugh, leaning back to stretch slightly before cradling your bump. “and the baby wanted to be up close and personal for the final song. she’s her father's daughter, after all.”
“jesus christ,” matty shakes his head, but the little smile on his face is unmissable. he steps close to you so ross and adam can get out, pressing a quick kiss to the bump before pulling you into his bare chest. “wasn't just the baba that wanted to see me there, though, was it?”
“hmm?” you look up at your boyfriend, a smirk on his pretty face.
“don't act clueless, sweetheart,” matty slings an arm around your shoulders as you both start walking back to the main stage, leaning to speak in your ear. “saw the way you were looking at me the whole time. and the way you crossed your legs when i opened my shirt - that was for you, by the way. wanted to see how you'd react.”
you can feel your cheeks burning. “was it… a good reaction?”
matty laughs, not unkindly, and kisses your cheek. “oh, baby, you're such a fucking sub,” he coos in your ear. “of course it was a good reaction; the sexiest woman in the world’s all turned on and needy for me. s'hot as fuck.”
“you're hot as fuck.”
“too fucking right,” your boyfriend holds out his free hand and brushes it against some of the waiting palms of the crowd, still leaning in to talk to you. “look at them, how excited they are, how happy. look what i fucking did to them, did for them. me.”
“no one else,” you all but breathe, shuffling even closer to him. “just you.”
matty hums, leading you through behind the stage and pulling you into a darkened alcove. his lips are on yours almost immediately, tongue slipping into your mouth and making you whine. “you're fucking desperate for me, aren't you, princess?”
fuck.
“yeah,” you whimper against him. “want you to fuck me.”
matty groans into your mouth, pulling back to hold your jaw. he smirks. “nah.”
you blanch. “what?”
“you don't understand? fuck's sake,” matty rolls his eyes. “no. i don't want to fuck you right now.”
“but…” you feel your lip trembling.
“good girls don’t say but, do they?”
you blink, looking sheepishly at the ground. “no, daddy. m'sorry.”
“that's better,” matty strokes your cheek. “now, instead of us running off because you're needy, i want us to go and celebrate with everyone, because i think i deserve to be celebrated - you agree, don’t you?”
you nod.
“good girl,” matty smiles, a smile that widens when you perk up at the praise. “if you're good enough at the afterparty, then i'll fuck you. understand?”
you nod again.
“words, princess.”
“yes, daddy. i understand.”
matty kisses you again. “let's go, then, gorgeous.”
and thus begins the most tedious ninety minutes of your life.
it wouldn't actually be a bad night if you weren't so worked up, you think - everyone's in good spirits, pleased with how well the show went, and the room is soundtracked by a cacophony of laughs and excited tones. you try your best to get involved in the conversations with your friends, all of them interjecting with their favourite moments of the show, but your focus is so elsewhere that you end up just sitting back and nursing your soda and lime.
elsewhere being your boyfriend, working his way around the conversations in the room and soaking up the compliments like a cat in a patch of sunlight. he's too busy preening to have made a dent in his pint, but he's as animated as he is when he's tipsy; there's a permanent smirk etched on his face as he incessantly talks, and the combination of that and his almost-unbuttoned shirt has you clenching. you don't want to look away from him at all, but god knows what else might happen if he catches you staring at him so openly, so lustfully, teeth biting your straw to beyond the point of use just to stay sane. best to keep your head down every time he turns his in your direction.
it shoots straight up when he speaks from right beside you, though, squatting to take your hand and talk to you. “fancy some air, darling?”
finally.
“yes please,” you reply, biting your tongue to stop yourself grinning too widely.
matty knows how excited you are, though. as soon as you get into the empty hallway, he pulls you in for a sweet hug, but the relief you feel from him touching you is somewhat overshadowed by the way he laughs in your ear.
“what is it?” you lean back just enough to look at him, your brow furrowed.
“you're just so fucking needy,” matty shakes his head, still giggling. “you thought i was getting you alone so we could get each other off, didn't you?”
“i- no.”
“well, good. because that's not what's happening.”
you feel your shoulders slump slightly. “okay.”
“i'll tell you why, but i need to ask you something serious first,” one of his hands caresses the bump. “you're not tired, are you? or sore at all?”
“no, i'm alright.”
matty tuts. “so why are you sitting in there moping, princess?”
your jaw drops. “i am not fucking moping.”
“less of the backchat,” your boyfriend says sternly. “and yes, you are, sitting there looking at the floor and not talking to anybody. told you to be good, remember?”
“i am being good!”
“what did i just say, princess?” matty holds your jaw; not painfully, but firmly enough that you can't look away from him. he looks fuming. “keep answering back like that, and you won't cum for a week. you're already on thin fucking ice as it is, after the way you acted in there. sitting silently just waiting for me to stop celebrating my night so i can fuck you - what a brat you are. a needy little brat.”
you'd be lying if you said his words didn't send a burst of heat straight between your legs. but still, you're curious as to where matty's newfound dominance has come from. “why are you being so mean to me tonight?”
he smirks. “because, darling, you asked me to. remember?”
oh, fuck. a memory crosses your mind, hazy with post-sex fog, matty's jaw dropping when you shyly say you wouldn't mind him being meaner in bed with you, whenever he felt up to it. “ah…”
“you do remember!,” matty looks satisfied. “that's good, because i'm feeling very selfish tonight. in the mood to be… worshipped, i'd say. have someone else do all the work. how's that sound, princess?”
“so good,” you whine. and it does - you'd do anything to touch him right now. “i'll do it now, daddy, if s’what you want.”
“bet you fucking would, gorgeous,” matty's hands trail down your body, across the bump, and back up over your tits. “so desperate for daddy to fill you up again, even though i've already done it. never enough for you, is it?”
you shake your head. “never. need you all the time.”
“greedy girl,” matty grins. “but it's actually hot that you need me so much. just wish you were better behaved about it.”
you nod. “i will be, daddy, promise.”
“prove it,” his thumb pulls your lower lip down. “take what i give you, and you'll get what you want if you keep being good while i finish my pint, yeah?”
“yes, daddy.”
“there's my girl,” matty smiles, and you glow. “now - open.”
you oblige, dropping your jaw so your boyfriend can spit into your open mouth; he opens his to tell you to swallow, but you've already done it before he takes a breath to speak. he groans, rubbing his thumb over your lips and smiling when you suck the tip. “that's more like it. good.”
“thank you, daddy.”
“you're welcome, princess,” matty presses a quick kiss to your lips before pulling you into a hug and murmuring in your ear. “colours still apply tonight, sweetheart, as always - you want to stop at any point, just say the word. you're alright now, though, aren't you?”
“yeah. all green here,” you whisper into matty's ear in return. “i love you.”
“i love you, too,” a kiss to your cheek, and matty leans back. the smirk has reappeared on his pretty face. “m'excited to fucking ruin you later.”
“please.”
your boyfriend kisses you again, taking your bottom lip between his teeth and dragging it to release. “half an hour. best behaviour, you hear me?”
you nod enthusiastically. “i hear you, daddy.”
“alright. let's go back in, then.”
matty takes your hand and leads you back into the room of your friends, helping you to get comfy on one of the sofas before slotting in beside you. he's as self-assured as he was earlier, but your attraction to that is more manageable now that he's actually touching you - a hand on your thigh, lazily drawing patterns into your trouser leg - and you know you only have to endure another thirty minutes until he takes you back to the hotel.
as it turns out, that time flies by, so much so that you're almost surprised by matty leaning in to tell you it's time to go. you nod, and he kisses your head before standing and helping you up.
“is that the two of you on your way?” mrs mac jumps up to hug you, patting the bump affectionately. “take it easy tonight, love. s'been a long day.”
“yeah, i will,” you smile. liar.
“take care of her, healy.”
“oh, i will,” matty smiles. not a lie. “night, everyone.”
after the chorus of well done agains and goodbyes dies down, matty leads you to the waiting car. the journey back is quick, and quiet, the only sounds the humming of the engine and the noises from the late-night glasgow revellers you pass. in fact, aside from thanking the driver, matty's silent the whole time until you get into the room; only once the door closes behind you does he speak, leaning down to whisper in your ear as he takes your coat from you. “colour?”
“green.”
“good. in that case - clothes off, on the bed, legs open. now. and don't even think about touching yourself.”
you're actually thankful of the order, because you're so wet that your underwear is starting to become uncomfortable. with a “yes, daddy” and a sloppy kiss, you practically sprint to the bedroom of the suite, kicking off your trainers as soon as you open the door and pulling down your jumpsuit so quickly you wouldn't be surprised if you ripped it. you chuck it onto the chair in the corner of the room, and your lingerie follows suit before you climb onto the bed as instructed, waiting as patiently as possible for matty.
he wanders in a couple of minutes later, can of coke in hand, and leans against the doorframe. the shirt he was wearing has disappeared, and you can't quite decide if you'd rather look at his chest or his smirking face. “can see how fucking wet you are from here, princess. jesus,” matty says, wandering over to you and looking hungrily at your soaked cunt. without warning, he brings his hand down harshly onto it; you yelp, and feel another gush to your core. matty giggles and repeats the motion, and the same thing happens. “you little slut, liking when i slap your pussy. dirty, dirty girl.”
slightly sickeningly, you don't think you've ever been so turned on in your life. all you can do is whimper as your boyfriend continues to slap your cunt, the noises turning to cries whenever he makes contact with your clit, and then to little mewls as he drags his fingers up and down your slit with a “so messy, princess, i think we need to clean you up.”
sighing with relief, you spread your legs even wider so that matty can comfortably get his head between them - you're surprised (and disappointed), then, when he holds a hand out and says “get up, and follow me”. but you oblige, of course, like the good girl you know you are despite what matty says and thinks. when he nudges you into the shower and takes the rest of his clothes off, you perk up slightly, and even more so when he removes the showerhead from the wall and kneels. “spread your pussy for me.”
fuck.
you oblige, but you must look terrified, because matty's eyes fill with concern. he strokes your thigh comfortingly. “colour, sweetheart?”
taking a deep breath, you reply in a shaky voice. “green.”
he doesn't seem convinced. “you're sure?”
“yeah. honest.”
“well, alright,” he presses a kiss to your thigh. “hold onto me if you need, yeah?”
“okay, daddy. thank you.”
“of course,” matty sits back on his knees. his face changes again. “now… let me clean my dirty girl up.”
aiming the showerhead at the floor, he reaches up to turn the water on, testing it with his free hand and adjusting the temperature dial accordingly. suddenly, with no warning, warm streams of water hit your clit; your jaw drops, and it takes everything in you to stop your legs doing the same. “oh my god.”
“tell me how it feels.”
“it's - shit - so fucking good, daddy,” you pant, eyes rolling back with pleasure, jaw shaking slightly. matty turns the water pressure up a notch, and you gasp. “fuck!”
matty hums. “d'you wanna cum?”
“yeah.”
“well, too bad,” all of a sudden, the water stops. you wail at the loss of stimulation on your clit, and matty scoffs. “what are you being like that for? thought you wanted me to fill you up again. you're telling me you don't want to cum on my dick?”
your legs nearly give out. “no, i do,” you whimper. “please, daddy, need you inside me.”
“hmm,” matty tilts his head, squinting at you. he sighs. “alright. you're doing all the work, mind you,” he stands and takes your hand again, before leading you to stand in front of the sink. “come on, princess. hands on the counter - wanna look at myself while you get me off.”
it's infuriating how hot you find your boyfriend’s arrogance - or, it would be, if you could think about anything other than the feeling of him brushing up against your waiting cunt. the desire spilling out of you isn’t helped in the slightest by the way matty’s eyes are locked onto his own reflection, as he moves and flexes and runs his hands through his hair and across his face.
god, he's fucking gorgeous.
and he knows it. “fucking look at me,” matty says - to nobody in particular, given that you're both already staring at his reflection. “no fucking wonder the crowd reacted the way they did tonight,” he laughs, tilting his head and opening his mouth slightly. “could've had any one of them, i reckon. bet everyone wished they could have me, just like this.”
envy draws your cheeks in. the thought of matty fucking someone else in your place sends a bolt of rage into your stomach, firing up your throat and shooting from your lips as a snarl. good girl be damned. “well, they fucking can't.”
matty meets your eyes in the mirror and smirks. “no?”
“no,” you grip the counter so hard your knuckles go white. “you're mine. besides, none of them could fucking take you like i do.”
he laughs. “oh, you're being a bitch. i like it.”
“just being honest, daddy.”
“well, show me how you take it, then,” with one hand, matty lines himself up with your hole; the other weaves itself into your hair, forcing you to keep looking in the mirror. “give me all you've got, you fucking bitch.”
you smile, saccharine. “yes, daddy,” slowly straightening your arms, you moan in harmony with your boyfriend as he fills you up. “fuck.”
once you've taken a second to get used to the feeling of matty inside you, you bend your arms and pull yourself almost completely off him, before slamming back with no warning and watching in satisfaction as matty's jaw drops. “shit, princess,” he groans, steadying himself against the wall with his free hand as you repeat the movement, over and over. “yeah, you're fucking right - only you, my girl, only you can take me so fucking well. perfect fucking pussy, perfect fucking girl.”
you beam at the praise - matty notices, and laughs. “you like it when i tell you how good you are at taking my dick? little slut. but it's true. fucking built for this, weren't you? for me to fuck you and fill you up? you must be, to be so fucking greedy - already knocked you up and you still want my cum. fucking desperate,” he pulls you by the hair so your back is against his chest, bringing his other hand to your hip to use as leverage to fuck you even faster than you were already moving. “but i fucking love it. i fucking love you.”
“love you so much,” you whine, throwing an arm back and hooking it around matty's neck. “fuck, look at you. so fucking hot.”
“and all yours,” matty whispers in your ear, making you smile. his lips drop to your neck as he speeds up his thrusts, but his eyes never leave your reflection. he groans. “look at you, princess, my beautiful girl. all full of me. and those fucking tits - love them always, but i'm gonna fuckin miss the way they look right now when you're not pregnant anymore.”
“easy fix,” you giggle. “you'll just have to knock me up again.”
even if matty's hips didn't speed up impossibly more at your words, the noise he makes in response is almost enough to get you off. “i'll fucking do it, princess, if that's what you want. i'd do anything for you.”
“make me cum?”
“if you say the magic word.”
“please, daddy?”
he smiles, pressing a kiss to the side of your head and his fingers onto your clit; you moan as soon as they make contact, which only spurs matty on. “do it, then, princess. cum all over my fucking cock.”
your body reacts immediately to his command - all your muscles tighten and release, pleasure flowing through your nervous system and forcing a scream from your throat. matty groans as you grab hold of the counter again, the new angle letting him grab your hips and fuck recklessly into you, the syncopated rhythm a sure sign of his own imminent orgasm. “oh, fuck,” he whines, pulsing heat deep into your cunt and continuing to thrust into you. “fucking take it, princess, take it like the good little cumslut you are,” he stills inside you, still shaking from the aftershocks, resting his head on your shoulder.
after a minute of mutual heavy breathing, matty looks up, meeting your eyes and beaming at you in the mirror. “i'm fucking knackered. worth it, though.”
“mmm,” you lean on your elbow. “thank you for indulging me, baby.”
“of course,” matty kisses your shoulder. “and you're unbelievably sexy when you're possessive, by the way. i'm getting turned on just thinking about it.”
you put your head in your hands. “oh my god, no, i cannot go for another round right now. i love you, but i need to go to sleep.”
“no, i agree, don’t worry,” your boyfriend laughs. “can you reach the tap, sweetheart?”
“yeah.”
“run that blue washcloth under the water and chuck us it, then, please?” matty inches out of you carefully, taking the flannel from you with a kiss and kneeling behind you with a moan. “christ, i'll never get over this sight.”
you huff out a laugh, hissing when matty gently wipes the flannel over your core with an “i know, baby, i'm sorry”; you perk up a bit when he stands and helps you straighten up, cradling the bump from behind you. “i love you, darling,” he kisses you. “both my darlings, actually. you feeling alright?”
“just sleepy. s'been a long day,” you snuggle into him. “proud of you. grateful for you. love you.”
“back at you, sweetheart.”
#mads does writing#d word matty#matty healy fanfiction#matty healy fanfic#matty healy fic#matty healy smut#matty healy x reader#matty x reader#mads muses
207 notes
·
View notes
Note
hi hi hi hi I found out about Hal Jordan TODAY and am going so autistic over him it’s insane can you please give me a rundown on what his deal is I think you’re the Tumblr Green Lantern guy
omg hi, insane compliment btw, tysm! i'm glad to give you a rundown!! also definitely check out @katmaatui for more hal info, red is SUPER knowledgable abt him. @rillette, @catboyollie, @halcarols, @starsapphire and @yellowcorps (along with so many others that i cant think to tag off the top of my head) have some great hal takes too! (edited the post just to tag more ppl)
apologies if this is a bit rushed/messy, i'm doing this while i smelt stone in minecraft LMAO
that being said... i think this will be a long one, so more below the cut :3
(cw for light mentions of pedophilia, abuse, canon typical violence)
okay, so hal jordan is the first human green lantern of the GREEN LANTERN CORPS. it's important to note that there was technically a human green lantern before him (alan scott, originally from earth two/the justice society, but integrated into main DC canon after crisis), but his power comes from a different source- which is a whole different ballpark that would take ages to explain, lol, so i'll move on from that.
hal was originally introduced in a showcase issue in 1959, but ended up getting a solo run in the mid 60s because of his showcase issues doing well. he's been a test pilot, middle brother, compassionate, rule follower (although being surprisingly liberal for the time) with an interesting relationship with star sapphire carol ferris since those first appearances. for the first 20 odd years of his appearances we had no information on his parents, but we got a lot from other family members, such as uncle titus, cousin hal jr (aka airwave), younger brother jim jordan and older brother jack jordan. through the 60s and 70s those members of his family were developed along with him; with the audience learning that jim's wife sue thought jim was green lantern, rather than hal, and hal himself training his cousin, hal jr.
the most known version of how hal got the ring in the first place is probably based off of geoff john's rewrite in the mid 00s, reiterating the original story of abin sur crashing onto earth and dying, leaving hal with his ring to be trained by sinestro and the rest of the glc, while also changing miniscule details that had been developed in emerald dawn 1 & 2 (which was released in the 90s, more on that later). the main premise of abin sur's crash has stayed the same, but the story around hal's current life, job, family and stability keep changing. for instance, the original comic with abin sur in showcase only showed hal getting the ring, the guardians choosing him. the first rewrite i can think of was emerald dawn volume 1, published in 1989 and continued in emerald dawn v2 (1991). here we get the classic hal watches his father die in a plane crash with carol ferris beside him as a pre adolescent, and some of the biggest implications of the mistreatment from his father. we also get introduced to hal, despite his stick to the rules, straight edge attitude, making some serious mistakes and putting people in danger and even death- with the implication of alcohol abuse. the audience HAS known hal used to be in the air force since sometime in the late 60s or early 70s (sorry, i don't remember the exact issue!), but emerald dawn shows us that hal's moved on from the air force and into test piloting, and that his mother keeps having to bail him out for making mistakes. emerald dawn vol 1 shows the abin sur moment, followed by fights that cost hal's friends life, and is followed up by sinestro training hal in emerald dawn vol 2, where we get to see the iconic scenes of hal finding out about sinestro and his... dictatorship.
along with that; how the guardians and rings are treated and hal and the glc's perception of them is vastly changed over time. in the early days of gl in the 60s, the guardians were really never to be seen. hal was repeatedly summoned to them and then had his memory almost fully wiped- only leaving a vague notion of his orders. the guardian's called hal to them at seemingly the worst times, ending up with him almost getting injured, getting in trouble at work, and even ending up jobless and homeless. the chaos of being a green lantern has been around the WHOLE time, but originally, the green lanterns didnt really... fight it. the guardian's were their masters (and even father figures, to hal) and not to be questioned. the rings in the 60s were also much more powerful, despite the yellow weakness (the yellow weakness is the notion that from about the 60s to the mid 90s the green lantern rings were completely unable to be used against anything yellow). time travel, phasing, teleporting, etc were all very viable and common things- as well as forceful shapeshifting, invisibility, mind control, mind reading, etc etc. these days, writers have dampened these powers down to mostly shooting light and constructs.
okay, it's parallax time. the emerald twilight arc from the mid 90s wasn't an arc that was as thoroughly planned out over a long period of time as it probably should have been. a lot of fans at the time (and even now) hated what happened there, and claimed it ruined hal's character entirely. i can understand why! but, at it's core, the parallax arc is a story about a broken man pushed to the limit, fully grieving his home and family (originally, he lost his brother jim in the destruction of coast city, along with a lot of other family members) and being goddamn fed up with how his "masters" treated him and the rest of the corps. the so called "perfect lantern" (no, he wasn't that much of a rebel, despite what johns wants you to think) snapped and essentially tried to gain as much power as he could to bring back coast city. when the guardians stripped him of his powers so he couldn't, hal became enraged and took down every lantern in his path, just to get to the guardians and that power. long story short, he kills the guardians and absorbs all the energy from the central power battery on oa, becoming parallax- essentially a god. this marks the start of zero hour, an event made by dc to restructure and reset; giving the comics a new generation of heroes. hal destroys the world and remakes it, but is ultimately taken down by kyle rayner, the new green lantern, with the help of the jla, jsa and associates. there are a few more run ins with parallax after this, before kyle convinces parallax/hal that he can make up for all of this by reigniting the sun after it went out- aka killing himself. hal does it, is stuck in limbo for awhile and then becomes the spectre to continue to make up for the horrible things he did as parallax. the spectre is the spirit of god's wrath and vengeance, a weapon used to drag sinners to their very own, self made hells, and scare the shit out of people. the spectre, from it's very first appearance, is a ghost like spirit that takes on a host, and is primarily described using christian terms and is used in a very... christian ideology. HOWEVER, the spectre 2001 confirms that hal is jewish (jewish mom, catholic dad) and that belief system, plus his personality as a whole, literally makes him change the spirit of vengeance into the spirit of redemption, for at least as long as they are bonded. the whole parallax to spectre arc is about grief, pain, cycles of abuse and terror, redemption and guilt. it is NOT about a fear bug that possess hal. (im so serious though, the spectre 2001 is one of the best comics ive ever read. amazing. changed my world view) but... geoff johns changed all of it, decanonized the spectre, and ruined the legacy of parallax and hal's growth as a person by releasing green lantern: rebirth in 2004/2005. this retcons hal's breakdown and journey through grief into him BEING POSSESSED BY AN ENTITY CONTROLLED BY SINESTRO THAT FULLY CHANGES PREVIOUS GREEN LANTERN CANON AND IMPLICATIONS. also, fucks up the importance of kyle becoming ion, but whatever. geoff johns writes hal (and even more so, carol) so very wrong, and change their stories so vastly in ways that go against the stories very meanings.
SIGH.
now... time to get started on some rougher stuff. hal jordan misconceptions. i'm saving that arc for last.
- hal jordan wasn't much of a rule breaker or rebel until the 70s/80s, where he BEGAN (very slowly, mind you) to be radicalized by oliver queen during denny o'neil's green lantern/green arrow. hal was painted as more of a conservative during this period (which, admittedly, kind of goes against previous canon... he's always been relatively central to liberal, not to any extremes like ollie though, lol) but gets more and more understanding of how power structures work and how lower classes are mistreated during this time- which ends up opening his eyes a bit to how shitty the guardians are. (this is helped by the guardians literally just. leaving. the green lanterns and kind of disbanding them so they can go fuck the zamarons, lmao). geoff johns tried to change this narrative into making hal a very... maverick-from-top-gun type of character, who punched his way out of the military (when, in reality, the original story during emerald knights in the late 90s was that hal had been framed for stealing a jet and was dishonorably discharged, which he took the punishment for because he knew someone had to) and hits on women constantly and gets ladies and allat (which, funnily enough hal was awful at getting carol to like him for a long time, since carol fell for green lantern rather than hal. not to mention the awkwardness of carol's proposals or hal's many, many failed relationships). hal has always been insecure and lowkey boyfailure, he is NOT a top gun maverick tom cruise sorta guy! fuck you jeremy adams!
- hes not that much of an idiot asshole. hal can be a real dick, he's had that going for him since the beginning, but he isn't what you read in batfam fics. he's not stupid and shouldn't be the laughingstock of the justice league. i assume this idea started from the obsession with batfam and the fact that the jla has quite the history of ignoring hal and his issues (as well as. all of their issues. theyre not so great at work life balance), but it's gone too far. hal isn't making fun of the robins and pissing bruce off bc of that. hal isnt fooling around on the job 24/7 (he takes being a gl and pilot VERY seriously, although he does enjoy some danger and high stakes) or slacking off to get girls. again. not top gun maverick.
- hal has not been a creep since the beginnings. hal was not weird with carol in the 60s. things were weird between them, yeah, but that's based off circumstance and the craziness of star sapphire and green lantern. he was NOT being horribly sleazy! i hate that i even need to say this, but i see this take too much not to
- going off of what was said above, lets discuss the arisia arc. if you want to be a real hal fan, this is unfortunately something you need to know about. in action comics, after crisis and the guardians left to go fuck the zamarons, most of the green lanterns fell apart and seperated. a small group went to earth- led by hal and consisting of hal, john stewart, katma tui, kilowog, salaakk, ch'p and arisia rrab. (also sometimes guy gardner, but that's complicated) previously to this arc, hal treated 14 year old arisia like a beloved little sister, welcoming her and leading her into the corps just like everyone else. things started to change once the timeline gets closer and closer to crisis, where arisia starts showing that she has a crush on hal (who is roughly 30s at this point). any advances made by arisia are shut down by hal at the beginning, because she's a child. now, it's unfortunately a common thing to just call hal a "pedophile" because of what happens in this arc- but it really isn't that simple. still weird and icky, but definitely not to the degree of which some fans like to act like it is- esp to attack hal fans for, which is... an odd choice regarding how many fucked up things every character (esp male characters) did back in the day. arisia ends up using her power ring to artifically age herself up, making her body AND MIND into that of a young adult (the comic makes this very clear). once this happens... hal stops rejecting her. they get together, they kiss. the only person in the group of green latnerns who actually has an issue with it is john (salaakk is meh about it, but he just doesn't like human-esque romance no matter what), and katma even directly encourages their relationship. kilowog ends up crushing on arisia as well, and guy gardner hits on her repeatedly throughout the whole period. eventually, hal and arisia break up, but this legacy (thank so much englehart, for wrtiting this. /sarc) is a big controversy among the comics crowd. "is hal jordan a predator?" personally, and i know a lot of friends/mutuals/other gl fans choose to erase the arisia arc entirely (versus how canon ended up retconning it to be 14 earth years is equal to that of an adult and she didn't really get super ages up, or whatever) and go with the familial relationship between hal and her. that's my preferred version! i know red (@katmaatui) has explored that version as well as an alternate version where the arisia arc did happen, and how it affects arisia in particular, which is really depressing but super interesting. anyway, it's complicated and weird and nuanced, but that whole occurence doesn't mean hal's a bad character or person (cause yk. retcons) and it's certainly not bad to like his character. (definitely ignore any guy gardner fans who try to bitch about this arc. cough cough. guy was ALSO into her and hit on her repeatedly. smfh) most people who bring this up to demonize fans didn't even read the arc, and don't know the nuance or the other weird shit that happens in it. (hal is not a horse, sigh)
OVERALL NOTES!
hal jordan is a super complicated character with an extensive history spanning from the 60s to his worse written appearances in modern age. it's okay to like any version of the character, but it is important to note the changes that have been made, the storylines butchered and lost, and more. he has quite the legacy, and he's particularly interesting as from a moral standpoint. hal's a real sweetie though, when it gets down to it! he's neurodivergent coded (imo at least.. his dad very much gets onto him for being disrtracted, hes kinda shit at social interaction (and then amazing at it the other half of the time) etc etc. "spacecase") and his dad is an abusive asshole, who he desperately doesnt want to be like but thinks he NEEDS to be like!
#i really dont know how to fit this last stuff in so its going in the tags#hal has quite the homoerotic tension relationship with his nemesis (but also close friend) sinestro#they repeatedly come back to each other and long to be alongside eachother#despite all the shit they hate about one another and their respective organizations#check out more of red's stuff for sinhal for sure lmao#for other hal relationships...#hal has a complicated relationship with his brothers and mother (at least when they were all alive)#hes very close friends with oliver queen (and dinah lance by proxy) and quite a lot of fans (me included) think theres some tension there.#homos!#he has a niece (helen jordan!) who is featured in the spectre and who he loves very much#hal and john are proclaimed best friends and care deeply for each other#hal and guy fight a lot but theyre in a similar boat#kyle looks up to hal quite a lot and hal is.... complicated about kylre#a lot of people ship hal and barry and i get why. its cute#not my fav though i think its overdone#hal jordan and carol ferris are so fucking important to eachother its SO important.#they need eachother in a wya thats confusing and sometimes toxic#idk what else to say feel free to ask more questions#sorry for the rant#and sorry that i mostly focused on 60s to early ish 00s thats my expertise#mordie answers#mordie speaks#hal jordan#green lantern#ch: who has time for heavenly things#uhhh#hal explanation#ok bye#hal jordan analysis#gl
94 notes
·
View notes
Text
Green Gloves (Part 1)
Ada Shelby & OC (Irene Robinson)
Summary: In the last months of 1917, a shy newcomer named Irene meets unruly Ada Shelby, forming a bond that only deepens with time.
Author's Note: I realized this would be too long to post as a one shot so I'll be posting 2-3 parts of this mini series.
WINTER 1917
The crowded church hall was quiet save for the clinking of knitting needles and a few scattered whispers. Ada quickly noted that every girl from school seemed to be in attendance and it was clear they’d all been kept away from home for the same purpose. That and, of course, the ever present need for socks and mittens for their fathers and brothers away at war.
Losing interest in her project, Ada began to search for a diversion. Looking up from her work, her gaze drifted toward a ginger haired girl opposite her. She watched at the skillful way the girl’s hands worked, quickly looping over one another in a satisfying rhythm. It was a talent Ada sadly didn’t possess, a shortcoming she was well aware of thanks to Polly’s frequent complaints about leaving all the mending to her.
Head dropping toward the ball of yarn in her lap to pick at the tangled mess, Ada let out an heavy sigh. This would be surely be another wasted effort, she thought as she picked the strands apart to use them for a game of cat’s cradle. That too came to an abrupt halt when her clumsy fingers betrayed her once more, ring finger stuck tightly in the intricate web strung between her palms.
“Bloody hell,” she exclaimed while tugging at the ends helplessly, a giggle erupting at her pathetic plight.
Several young women looked up from their knitting, needles poised in the air along with their eyebrows at her language. Only one girl at the table remained unphased by the disturbance, which intrigued Ada.
“Has your mum sent you to stay out trouble on baking day as well?" Ada whispered hoarsely, earning her a sharp hush from the corner.
“Something like that…” the shy girl noted with a giggle, missing a stitch as she stared into the brightest blue eyes she’d ever seen.
“I’m Ada. What’s your name?”
“Irene,” the girl mumbled as she diligently worked to repair her mistake.
“That’s a lovely scarf,” Ada remarked, voice full of hushed awe at the intricate detail in the pattern which had obviously been crafted with a great deal of love.
Smiling to herself at her progress, Irene folded the scarf in her lap before glancing up slowly. Her face tilted at an angle which hid her blushing cheeks, making it obvious to Ada she wasn’t the kind of person who took a compliment easily. In fact, she wondered if the girl would even answer.
“Thank you,” Irene eventually acknowledged before turning the attention back to Ada. “What are you knitting?”
“A disaster,” Ada snorted, holding up the knotted yarn she’d balled in her fist.
The unexpected candor made Irene laugh out loud, clamping a hand over her mouth to stay out of trouble and spare Ada’s feelings. “I can help if you’d like,” she offered sweetly.
“Need all the help I can get, don’t I?” Ada remarked, mouth quirked in playful smile.
“I think you might,” Irene conceded with a giggle.
——————————
SPRING 1918
“Why are we here?” Ada asked as she fidgeted in her seat. She knew why. Her best friend’s interest in medicine and a desire to help those in need, but it didn’t make the time pass any more quickly.
“To help the war effort. Try and pay attention. Won’t you?” Irene urged, focusing her full attention to the first aid lecture. A humorless and frightfully boring woman was demonstrating how to stop someone from choking, a topic which didn’t interest Ada in the least.
Besides, she simply couldn’t understand why Irene could be so attentive to a woman who’d humiliated her as they volunteered last month, calling Irene an “ignorant little fool” because she’d mixed up items in the care packages.
“But we’ve already spent hours rolling bandages. My fingers are going to fall off, do they want it to be our bloody ears next!” Ada whined, hoping Irene would be swayed by her suffering.
A swift jerk of her head indicated the dowdy looking nurse had heard the commotion at the back of the room and she fired a quick reprimand. “Is there something you’d like to share with the class Miss Shelby?”
“No ma’am” Ada mumbled, chewing her lip as she slid down into her chair. She crossed her arms, a sulky pout settling over her brow as the woman turned her back to address the other ladies.
“As I was saying, the next step is to check the airway…” she lectured, turning toward a small diagram to gesture in a wooden manner.
Moments later a long, low sigh echoed across the table.“Can’t we leave?” Ada begged. Without a response from Irene, she began tugging on her friend’s sleeve like an impatient child. “She’s putting me to sleep!” she argued.
“Then sleep!” Irene hissed, wishing her new friend would take a nap.
“I would, but she smells of anchovies! ” Ada protested before she began to giggle uncontrollably.
At that moment the nurse spun around on her heel, charging toward Irene, a deep V carved in her forehead as she bent down to confront her. “What did you say, girl?” The nurse fumed, the fact that she was unable to recall Irene’s name infuriating Ada.
“Nothing,” Irene denied with a quick shake of her head. “Sh-she was asking for my notes, that’s, erm…that’s all,” she stumbled, shuffling some papers as she avoided eye contact.
Grasping the blank page from Irene’s fingertips, the nurse exclaimed, “You little liar!”
“And you’re a stupid cunt!” Ada shouted, standing from her chair defiantly. “It was me who called you boring and smelly!” she confessed, hands on her hips.
Irene’s eyes shot to the nurse’s face which was rapidly turning a bright shade of red as she sputtered with indignation. Irene gulped as the woman swung toward her, face inches from her nose as she seethed, “Now I remember you! You’re that stupid, worthless girl who cost us two extra days of packing last month!”
Irene’s body trembled, eyes flooding with unshed tears as the woman wagged her finger. “You should be ashamed of yourself wasting the precious time of professionals. Don’t you have anything you’d like to say to me?”
If Irene hadn’t stood up at that moment, Ada might have started swinging, her fierce protectiveness for gentle Irene always at the ready. However, she stopped herself as she watched her friend’s chest expand with a deep breath, her lips quivering slightly as she eeked out a brave, “Cunt!”
All the girls in the room gasped as they heard the quiet, mouse like girl defend herself. A brief moment of silence echoed like the calm before a mighty storm before they heard a thunderous roar of anger, “Out! I want both of you out!”
Irene despaired, tearfully gathering her belongings as Ada glared at the woman who had insulted her best friend.
They soon found themselves standing in the alley behind the church, Ada smoking a cigarette as Irene looked on in disbelief.
“What do we do?” she panicked, fingertips tracing her forehead in thought.
Ada took another drag and Irene began to pace, silence lingering between them until she suddenly stopped face to face with her friend. “Now you’re quiet,” she observed in annoyance. “Why couldn’t you have just done what she asked?”
Ada gulped, an uncomfortable pit forming in her stomach as she watched her friend’s large hazel eyes turn from their usual honeyed brown to cool emerald. It was only a trick of the light, but that was difficult to remember as she endured a wave of anxiety fueled by dread.
Dropping the cigarette from her fingertips, she watched it tumble onto the cobblestones and toed it half heartedly with the tip of her boot.
“I’m sorry,” she mumbled.
“What am I going to tell my mum?” Irene asked, her voice quivering slightly.
Ada’s eyes rose to meet Irene’s, recognizing the note of fear she was so desperately trying to conceal. Then an idea came to her, the certainty of it allowing her insides to slowly unclench.
“We’ll go to the pictures,” Ada declared brightly. “If we stay until supper, your mum won’t know,” she reasoned, hooking her arm over Irene’s.
“What about that awful nurse? What if she visits my house?” Irene despaired, dropping her head to her chest.
Ada waited and wondered if she could betray family confidence. She’d known all afternoon that a certain gambling debt would be settled by Shelby Company Limited, Scudboat sent to drive husband and wife from town before nightfall. Irene didn’t need to hear all of this though.
“She won’t be here tonight to talk to anyone,” Ada said confidently.
“H-how do you know?” Irene sniffed.
Pursing her lips for a moment of careful thought, Ada decided a simple explanation best. “Because her husband’s in a lot of trouble and they have to leave town. My aunt told me so.”
She tugged at her friend as she whispered enticingly, “I think we should see the new Rudolph Valentino.” Giving Irene a nudge with her elbow she added, “Come on, he’s your favorite!”
Irene sighed in defeat as she allowed Ada to pull her along. “Why are you always the one getting us into trouble, but you want me to thank you for it?” she shook her head as though she were still trying to unravel the mystery of Ada’s charm.
“Because you love it,” Ada said, casting a mischievous glance at Irene, blue eyes twinkling with glee.
“Maybe too much,” Irene conceded with a little smile.
Cont reading Part 2
-----------
TAG LIST:
@peakyswritings
@evita-shelby
@shelbydelrey
@alanadetigy
@severewobblerlightdragon
@lovemissyhoneybee
@theshelbyslimited
@kittycatcait219
@callsign-fangirl
@notyour-valentine
@theshelbyclan
@red-riding-wood
@polishcrazyone
@elenavampire21
@little-diable
@lyarr24
@the-fangirl-diaries
@kmc1989
@stilestotherescue
@helen06dreamer
@chaosinkest1996
@pietroxreader
@galactict3a
@ietss
@mostly-marvel-musings
@writeroutoftime
@yolobloggers
@outlanderuniverse
@anilovessadbooks
@tremendousstarlighttragedy
@elliaze
@leenieweenie
@snickersmee
@niktwazny303
@thomashelbyswife
@brummiereader
@cillmequick
@justrainandcoffee
@dream-this-nightmare-over
@emotionalcadaver
@peakyltd
@look-at-the-soul
@toms-cherry-trees
@copinghex
@call-sign-shark
#Peaky Blinders fanfiction#Peaky Blinders imagine#Ada Shelby fanfiction#Ada Shelby imagine#Ada Shelby#Ada Shelby x OC
55 notes
·
View notes
Text
Why Maka and Crona works so well together
Probably my favorite part about any series is relationships between characters, what dynamics they have, how shared history drastically affects how they act together, and one of the reasons i love shonen so much, is how great the genre is at taking a relationship of mutual enemies, and flipping it on its head through two very disconnected souls suddenly developing a shared understanding, and a new and powerful bond blossoming from that.
Naruto and Gaara, Luffy and... Everyone, Izuku and Todoroki, heck series like Hajime no Ippo pretty much runs on this kinda dynamic. Even Fairy Tail, which didnt exactly start off great, and only got worse, managed to squeeze out one absolutely excellent character using this dynamic in the form of Gajeel and his relationship with the rest of the fairy tail crew.
In Soul Eater, this method of storytelling is used, speciffically to create the single best relationship between characters that the franchise ever made, in the form of Maka and her rival turned bestie Crona.
I'll leave a full analysis of why the actual fight that formed this relationhip was the series highlight for another day, as what i wanna focus on here is analysing what it is that makes this relationship so great post Crona's heelturn.
What makes Maka and Crona's relationship such a special thing, both in universe and from a storytelling perspective, is that both of them compliment the other perfectly, and helps them to grow... But it's not really spelled out the way that a less talented series might do.
Now with Crona, the way Maka helps in development and growth for the demon swordmaster is pretty obvious.
Timid, shy, afraid, and would much rather stay inside a dark safe, dark shell. That is how Crona starts the series, and doesnt exactly lose these qualities once Medusa's direct influence is lifted.
But that is not what Crona actually wants.
What Crona wants is to connect with people, but is way too terrified to try, as well as risking failing while doing so.
Crona needs someone who is willing to prod and poke, but also to show gentleness while doing so.
What makes their relationship hit so hard from day 1 is how Maka understands Crona completely, and is willing, and wants to give Crona the help and support to break the hold of Medusa. But not only that, Maka WANTS to be around Crona, valuing their relationahip enough that she is willing to stand up to Shinigami to defend Crona if necessary.
Maka thusly serves as Crona's anchorpoint, the center of all character growth and developments. She brings out all the best qualities out of Crona.
But the thing is that this goes both ways, because while the way Maka brings Crona out of the dark shell and into the Light, Crona does the exact same, just in a more subtle manner.
Maka at the start of the series, is a girl that is absolutely defined by her flaws, and all of those flaws are rooted in, not too dissimilar from Crona, fear.
"I wish all of you would just die!"
The total breakdown of her parents relationship, personally witnessing her father's many affairs, and not at all having come to terms with her mother abandoning her, has left Maka with a fear of many, many things.
At the start of the series, that fear manifests itself as being terrified at Soul abandoning her, her being completely unable to find it in herself to try to make up with her father, and her inability to confront the fact her mother abandoned her.
All of it comes together and it brings out all of her worst qualities.
Her hyper agressiveness, her short temper, her complete and total inability of giving her partner and friend soul the benefit of the doubt, and so on.
It also manifests itself in several moments where Maka's fear of danger hamstrings her, like when the sheer power of Stein's soul brings her to her knees, or when her hesitation to using Soul as a weapon(out of fear that he would get hurt) during her first fight with Crona ended up with him having to block an attack in human form, which drastically inreased the actual damage he would have taken as opposed to if she had just blocked the standard way.
Even when Soul was gravely injured, this fear also manifested itself as her being completely unable to really show how devastated she was over how badly he was hurt on her behalf before she was alone with the unconcious Soul.
She was afraid of her father, of stein, of anyone else seeing just how hard things could hit her.
This is not to say that Soul and Maka had an absolute trainwreck of a relationship at the beginning of the series, quite on the contrary.
They have a relatively functioning relationship, where they act as nagging siblings, or a bickering old married couple, but there is always that ugly side of their relationship hiding just under the surface, all fueled by Maka's flaws and fears.
But there is also the opposite, moments where the two strengthen each other, or take the bullet for the other if need be.
But what their relationship does not have, is Soul helping Maka truly grow past her flaws.
Maka at the start of the series and the person she was when she faced Crona a second time was a braver soul than she was in episode 1, but she had not grown past her flaws, merely become hardened, strengthened by expiriences.
Her truly changing from the girl dealing with the aftermath of her parents divorce, into the young woman that would defeat Asura, began in that basement surrounded by pillars.
After their shared experience of connecting to the other's souls, and understanding who Crona was deep down, Maka does something she hasn't truly been able to do since her parents divorce.
She shows genuine, honest compassion and kindness withouth the fear of rejection.
Compassion, understanding, and giving someone the benefit of the doubt.
It all begins here.
This is the point where Maka really begins healing from her parents divorce, where she is finally able to truly bare her heart to another person again withouth the nagging feeling in the back of her mind that she is setting herself up for failure, that was always the big problem with her and Soul's relationship.
Crona is not the only source of Maka's development in the latter half of the series, but it all began here, and Crona keeps bringing out all of Maka's best qualities just by being close to her.
Maka brings out Crona's kidness, bravery, and a deep, deep wish to connect with everyone else, while Crona in turn brings out Maka's compassionate side, her kidness, her understanding side, all of which she had very deliberately buried at the beginning of the series.
And it all culminates in the sand pit, where Maka discovers that her faith in Crona ultimately was misplaced, and she got backstabbed, just as she always feared... And rather than fly off the handle, she reacts with a display of tough love... That is rooted in understanding, and compassion.
She forgives Crona, because she understands. She knows Crona, and she knows just how deep down the scars Medusa gave bites, and so she reacts with understanding, she gives Crona the benefit of the doubt, and her support, a far, far cry from the impulsive and angry girl who screamed that All men should just die in epsiode 1 after feeling hurt by Soul's seeming betrayal.
And when she thinks Crona is about to die, the girl who was once absolutely terrified of showing anyone around her how she felt when she tought Soul might be about to die in a similar situation, and kept it all in, no longer does so, because such display of stoicism to keep face, rather than show the people you care abouy you actually love them, wasn't really worth much to begin with.
Maka Grows a lot over the course of Soul Eater, but the development that really, truly matters, is all rooted in her relationship to Crona.
Understanding, forgiveness, the bravery to take the moral high ground, to show how you truly feel rather than keep up a facade that isnt really you... To happily take the risk of being hurt by opening your heart because you know the warmth and joy that only comes by opening yourself to another person... It's a side of her that only Crona was able to bring out, the same way that only Maka was able to bring out the best aspects of Crona.
And that, is why they have the best relationship in Soul Eater.
#soul eater#maka albarn#crona gorgon#meta#croma#cromaka#soul eater evans#relationships#character development
189 notes
·
View notes
Text
BL meta master post
I've had an Utsukushii Kare master post as my pinned post for a while now, since I've posted so much about it. But I think it's time I do a general BL meta post instead. All of the links and information from the Utsukare post are here, too, but so are links to my other BL meta posts.
It's going to take a while to get everything in here so I'm going to go ahead and publish it even though it isn't entirely complete. I'll continue updating it until it is complete, and I'll add newer posts as they come.
Posts covering multiple BLs
The pursuer-distancer dyad & how it applies to the world of BL - a primer on this psychological concept and how it applies to BL generally, touching on how it applies to Utsukushii Kare, Semantic Error, and To My Star 2
BL ask game: Long-term pining and grumpy/sunshine
My top 5 rewatched BL scenes, responding to an ask by @wen-kexing-apologist (Spoiler: it's still mostly Utsukare)
Zettai BL season 3
What's different about Hatano, part 1 - In short, Hatano isn't fucking around.
Part 2 - Hatano's awareness of Mob's fourth wall-breaking and other ways he sometimes senses Mob's reality in a way no one else has
Part 3 - Hatano's perseverance, his strategy of hitting Mob with a flag and immediately heading for the hills, and the way he uses the age gap to his advantage
Part 4 (the final installment) - The way that Hatano treats Mob like a specific human being and has specific reasons for liking him, unlike the vast majority of his suitors, and the way the BL-within-a-BL storyline changes not only the way Mob relates to him but the way the audience does
25 ji Akasaka de
Prying off the shell - In episode 7, Hayama's friend Mihara makes a an interesting observation. He says that Shirasaki doesn't seem to have a "shell"--his way of talking about a social self, a persona that a person experiences as separate from their core self. Then he points out that Hayama not only has a "shell," he has multiple layers of shell, so many that it's essentially impenetrable, like a neverending set of matryoshka dolls. I wrote here about what these shell metaphors really mean psychologicaly, how Hayama's family of origin played into his multilayered shell, and the implications of both their personalities on how they relate to each other.
Nominating a runner for 25 ji - If someone has to do the traditional JBL thing of running through the streets to get to the other person, who should run? That's a question @my-rose-tinted-glasses and @lurkingshan discussed, and it got me thinking.
Hayama's mask finally slips - Looking closely at Hayama's affect in the opening scene of episode 9--and trying to process the level of blorbo distress that entails
Over-analyzing the finale trailer in a vain attempt to try to manage my pre-finale angst
The Eighth Sense
The Eighth Sense e5 & e6: Portraying trauma with nuance
On The Eighth Sense episodes 7 & 8
The Eighth Sense episodes 9 and 10: All we can do is try
Bokura no Shokutaku/Our Dining Table
Thoughts on the "spinoff" (bonus episode) and how it's a logical extension of the leads' character arcs
Old Fashion Cupcake
I had a realization about Nozue's constant, somewhat inappropriate complimenting of Togawa while looking at a gifset and reblogged it with my thoughts
To My Star
Notes on a gifset by @jimmysea - Nerding out big time on that one season 2 kiss
Only Friends
Sand, compulsive caregiver - On Sand's documented history of parentification and how it relates to his relationship with Ray
Only Friends characters' fragrance preferences - Assigning each of the lead characters a favorite fragrance based on their personalities, with some made-up backstory
Minato's Laundromat
About that Minato's Laundromat season 2 storyline... - Commenting on a certain character's traumatic brain injury and its effects from a psychology perspective
Kiseki: Dear to Me
Chu chu chu; or, intimate scene tips from the Kiseki cast
Brief commentary on a reblog of some behind-the-scenes footage
HIStory 3: Trapped
A reblog of the "chu chu chu" post about Kiseki that adds similar information about how intimacy was handled on the set of HIStory 3: Trapped - featuring a helpful linguistic note from @nibupei
and, last but not least...
Utsukushii Kare meta
The psychological paradoxes of Utsukushii Kare
This is a series of posts (the current plan is to write three installments) about what it says on the tin: paradoxical psychological dynamics in Utsukushii Kare. These are things about the characters that may seem contradictory at first but can be accounted for by digging deeper into some psychological concepts. These posts are focused on the series (both seasons) but will draw from the movie and from the novel and related stories when they illustrate points about the series.
Part 1: Covert grandiosity and finding status through idealization - A pretty deep dive into 1) the subtle ways Hira shows that while his self-image can be highly negative in some ways, in other respects he feels superior to others and 2) how by elevating Kiyoi’s status and humbling himself in comparison, Hira attains a different kind of status.
An addendum of sorts to part 1: Hira's parents and his self-defeating tendencies - Some guesswork about how Hira's parents could have contributed to his self-defeating personality, with some further discussion of specific self-defeating strategies he uses in his relationship with Kiyoi and elsewhere.
Utsukushii Kare through the lens of pursuer-distancer dynamics and related psychological concepts:
The pursuer-distancer dyad & how it applies to the world of BL - a primer on this psychological concept and how it applies to BL generally, with a brief reference to how this concept applies to Utsukare (also touches on Semantic Error and talks in detail about an example from To My Star 2). This one isn't super focused on Utsukushii Kare but is pretty de rigeur for understanding my UK posts on this topic.
Paradoxical roles; or, I think I finally figured out the pursuer-distancer dynamic in Utsukushii Kare - This post comes after some of the posts listed below but I recommend reading it first as this is really where (I think) I cracked the code on this aspect of the story.
Pursuer-distancer roles & attachment style in Utsukushii Kare, Part 1: Hira - In-depth discussion of Hira's role in the pursuer-distancer dyad, his attachment style, and his personality
Pursuer-distancer roles and attachment style in Utsukushii Kare Part 2: Kiyoi - In-depth discussion of Kiyoi's role in the pursuer-distancer dyad, his attachment style, and his personality
Re-evaluating pursuing & distancing in Utsukushii Kare season 1 - super detailed post working out my thoughts about pursuing and distancing in season 1
On the way Sakai Mai (the series' director) uses seme left, uke right framing and its significance in BL and other Japanese media:
Using an example from the s2e1 with the girl who hits on Hira at a party (via a reblog of a gifset from @nanons)
On the way Sakai flips Hira's and Kiyoi's position in the frame in two versions of the same scene and what it tells us about its significance
How the persistent/cute trope plays out in Utsukushii Kare season 2, plus related overanalyses of the big season 2 finale kiss:
The persistent and the cute (how "persistent" and "cute" are code words with specific meanings in BL/yaoi/other drama and manga genres/Japanese culture more broadly)
Analyzing the season 2 finale kiss in light of seme left/uke right framing and the persistent/cute trope (in a reblog of a gif post by @nanons)
Reblogging @bl-bracket to lobby for the season 2 finale kiss, with more overanalysis
Fragrance nerd discussion:
This bittersweet fragrance - on the significance of osmanthus/tea olive in Utsukushii Kare season 2, with additional information on the possible significance of the fragrance of osmanthus and perfumes that are either osmanthus soliflores or feature prominent osmanthus notes
Posts on specific season 2 episodes:
initial thoughts about S2e1
Additional (informal) thoughts on s2e1
S2e1 rundown
Hira's incongruous/misaligned affect at the end of s2e1
S2e2 rundown
on S2e2, including pursuer-distancer dynamics and seme left, uke right
Utsukushii Kare S2E4: “face me straight on” (mostly discussing relationship dynamics pointed out in topic-specific metas)
on Utsukushii Kare: Eternal:
Kiyoi and Anna: on Kiyoi’s friendship with Anna and its significance for his personal growth
#bl meta#psychology of bl#japanese bl#utsukushii kare#utsukare#to my star#to my star 2#kiseki: dear to me#minato's laundromat#only friends the series#the eighth sense#25 ji akasaka de
70 notes
·
View notes
Text
"Haven't you ever seen skin like mine?" A vault
Skin clarity + glow | Skin tone | skin clarity
∘₊ ✧───────────────────✧₊∘
⋆.˚ Skin clarity .𖥔˚
My skin is just so clear and beautiful, I can't help staring and feeling it. I am just in awe at how wonderfully blessed I am to be born with such perfect ideal skin. It is so gorgeously smooth, and while its firmness keeps me looking young and perfect, it is still supple and has a slight bounce to the touch.
I mean my skin is so perfect some friends ask me what brand of skin care I use to get my skin so even and glowing like it does, but truth be told.. genetics and positive assumptions about myself I guess😭?? I've never had any reason to use skin products because my skin has always been naturally flawless, and ive never had any reason to doubt myself because literally look at me- i am the proof. That's just my nature. But every now and then, I'll get gifted high-quality skin korean care sets and expensive most wanted skin moisturisers with the most delicious and entising scents by my mum "just in case" but also because the process is fun😋
It's also so fun being able to eat whatever I want without ever having to worry about my skin because nothing could ever affect its perfectness. I just eat what I want, and the after-effects are like a couple of crumbs on my lips and still looking pretty😭
But some people do be jealous tho🙄. "There is no way she can eat what she likes and still look that good" one says and "what about the acne? Has she even gotten a spot once?" another says. And it's even better when I post pictures or videos cus haters really be out here doing there best to convince themselves and everyone around them (like the clowns they are) that skin is impossible to look that perfect and it HAS to be makeup or it HAS to be a filter or she MUST have gotten some surgery of a kind and they all couldn't be more wrong lmao. I just be existing and nothing else and i am just that naturally radiant😂
∘₊ ✧───────────────────✧₊∘
⋆.˚ Skin colour.𖥔˚
I've had people pointing out how dewy and golden like my skin is like all my life and I never even thought about it until now. Well, I kind of always knew that I have the most gorgeous, jaw dropping skin colour that ranged between a deep caramel tan in the light and like a golden brown in the dark; I've even been accused of bleaching my skin to get a lighter tone once but how would that even make any sense when my tone changes slightly due to lighting?😭😭 But anyway other than that one person I've been getting remarkable amounts of compliments both in person and on social media about how glorious my skin colour looks. It's kind of overwhelming but ive been fighting though it.
skin colour in the dark | skin colour in bright lightings
∘₊ ✧───────────────────✧₊∘
1 dimple is ♡shaped | I sweat= I shimmer | cutest mole marks
⋆.˚ Unique features.𖥔˚
— Glittery skin when I sweat
I have a rare phenomenon that only 0.0001 in the entire human population have, with my skin where if I am to sweat, my skin will have a light glittery coat. Scientists have recently come to find out that the glittery coat left behind by the sweat is a natural skin protecting barrier. This is incredibly useful for preventing skin problems like rashes, strawberry skin, and uneven skin texture. Scientists have not found a name for this yet (im scientists and don't know what to call it)
— ♡Shaped Dimple
Another rare phenomenon for people to get is dimples. Only 0.01 of the entire human population have dimples, and an even smaller number of people (me) have a heart-shaped dimple. There is nothing scientific about this tho, it's just fun to look at
— Beauty marks / moles
I have a couple of cute beauty marks on my body and face. Also somewhat rare, somewhat not lol. Nothing more to add😊
@theshifterbear @livingmydreamlife5555 @4ellieluv
This was lowkey entertaining to script especially the unique features one too. ONTO THE NEXT!
#loa advice#loassumption#loa tumblr#loa blog#loa#4d reality#law of assumption#master manifestor#desired reality#drself#desired appearance#desired self#desired life#desired face#shiftblr#shifters#shifting#self concept#reality shift#shifted#reality shifting#shifting community#shifting antis dni#law of manifestation
122 notes
·
View notes
Note
Oooh since you're on a Sukuita streak, I'm dying to know how you think Yuuji and Sukuna feel about each other in chapter 271 👀 that's a question that's been nagging at me since we don't see this new and enlightened Sukuna interact with or mention Yuuji (unfortunately 😔) But I can't help but feel there's some fondness there on both sides
Hi anon! I'm on a sukuita streak bc I'm currently trying to complete my re-read of jjk for my skit analysis but failing terribly because I'm busy as hell (+ they're on my mind a lot these days). Thank you for allowing me to yap a bit more about them in the meantime tho!
I'll start everything off with this: Everything's very subtle in these few last chapters and it's so subtle that some still think nothing's changed. It's there if you care but if you don't, it can easily go over your head.
Now, to answer your question, I'll have to state that my personal opinion is that the moment of Sukuna's change had started since the day of his reincarnation into Yuuji's body, but that he only acknowledged it in Chapter 271- when he finally called him by his full name. I'll keep it brief here but will offer a more proper explanation in my analysis. For now, I'll just put it like this: Sukuna was changing but wasn't admitting it to himself. He was fighting that and lost because of that. If he was still as unhinged as he was back in the Heian era and didn't give two fucks, trust me, the ending (and his relationship with Yuuji) would've been waaaaay different that it is now.
This opinion of mine has affected how I view canon in some aspects and hence, to me, it makes it plausible that their relationship would've been the same whether at Chapter 1 or post-embraced "change" (Chapter 268 and 271).
It would not be a total "change" with them skipping rocks and laughing and being all lovey dovey but rather... no longer extreme but sort of reluctant, awkward and competitive (with lots of teasing) friendship??? There would be similar vibe they had when we first grew to love them. I do think there would've been more pronounced fondness there after the acceptance.
The reason for all of this up above is that this is a shonen work and that they're labeled as enemies (meaning that if it was a different genre, you know damn well they'd be lovers...).
Anyway, Yuuji had officially joined the "favored by Sukuna" club when Sukuna called him by his full name and was "surprised" he'd take this "farce" so far. One thing that's known about Sukuna is that he tends to compliment his opponents and then say their name and Yuuji seemingly joins the trend... with an insult (but I'd call it a disguised compliment).
and yeah, I know, "How can I claim that it means something when he didn't compliment him nor his abilities?"
Well, that's the thing. There's always something different.
If there's one thing unique to these two, it's the fact that they're stubborn shits whose relationship is like a locked room mystery. The key is to pay close attention. Don't trust the words, look at the actions because it isn't that simple. That's where usually those who don't care fail to see the relevance and why they're confused with, for example, why Yuuji told Sukuna that he is him. It's because it's not directly stated, but rather hinted at, time and time again. These two have that sort of relationship, one extremely layered, with lies and deceit, and haunted by double meaning and subtext.
Yuuji was always the one (and I cannot stress that enough). If you've read this manga then you know just how yappy and weird Sukuna tends to get about this "insignificant brat" who he relentlessly mocks and teases and argues with and then claims he's boring. He's constantly doing the opposite of what he says when it comes to Yuuji, and as it happens, so does Yuuji too.
Yuuji is always singled out. Even if he blended into the surroundings and disappeared, Sukuna would still manage to find a trace of him because that's totally a normal way to think about someone you deem "insignificant". The same goes with Yuuji, who in his intent in stopping Sukuna, forgets about his act of being the embodiment of good (and claiming moral superiority to Sukuna) and goes on to cannibalize his half-brothers (which is... very Sukuna of him). This is even given more relevance when you remember Sukuna never ate someone in the story despite being proclaimed "a cannibal".
Still, this is why Yuuji no longer argues about morals with him and why his talk with him in 265 appeals to the fact that they are similar, more than they can even seem to admit and that arguing against who's right and wrong is pointless.
The reason why Yuuji is singled out is because he is the closest we'll ever know of Sukuna who doesn't talk about himself much. They may seem vastly different at first, but as you go deeper and deeper into the story, the lines between them start to blur and at times, even Yuuji's behavior is unexplainable because even he, too, doesn't act accordingly at times. They're both the same (said by Yuuji himself) and hence via them interacting with each other is how we learn more and more about them individually. Because, even if they are "the same", they are still different because their choices are what shaped them as well as how they view life (again, stated by Yuuji himself).
They're not your "everything is right there", but rather "everything is there if you know how to look". In my revisiting of Chapter 271, I realized that Sukuna had already stated everything there is to state. The fact that he's open with others, that he's capable of being weak, finding weak opponents "worthy", being killed, being defeated, being treated as a human being... all of that goes to Yuuji.
He doesn't need to state anything directly because he's quite a skilled liar:
Sukuna had lived for years. He wasn't defeated, instead, he accepted Kenjaku's proposal and sealed himself into fingers for a different purpose. That purpose was participation in the Culling Games. Why did he do that? Well he didn't give any explanation so we have figure it out.
Back then, there was no Itadori Yuuji and back then Sukuna was hailed as the strongest with no one there to equal him. He was feared, revered, loved, hated, but ultimately never defeated. Also, he was cursed. If this curse (as he calls himself) lived according to his principles, he'd be enjoying every second of his life, but in the Yorozu flashback he appears... very bored. That's the first contradiction that we have with Sukuna. The fact that he lives according to his own whims yet never appears satisfied nor happy. Hell the happiest he seems is in modern times, when he awakens in Yuuji's body and excitedly shouts about how much things have changed.
Now was Kenjaku's proposal just giving Sukuna more people to slaughter in the future? No. Seems pointless. Could it be that they were offering Sukuna a way out from the curse that he was carrying? Seems way more probable. After all, Kenjaku would go on to create Yuuji, and curiously, he'd be the one to take everything away- liberate Sukuna from his curse and offer him a different perspective, even offer to be there for him no matter what (which again, I cannot fucking imagine is actual reality... I still think 268 is a fever dream).
The truth comes out in the end, after Yuuji looks at his torn fingers, calls Sukuna's fingers harmless and smiles at the sky. Sukuna isn't even alive and yet Yuuji predicts correctly that he's harmless- as Sukuna would go on to say that he lost and that it'll be nice to take a different path in life. It's just confirmation that the fondness he has for him is there because he doesn't belittle him, doesn't make any negative comments but just... says it's all good and smiles. The same is true for Sukuna because he's no longer stubbornly clinging on to his way of "contradictory living" and is actually considering doing what Yuuji told him. He doesn't vehemently reject the idea (as would be expected), but rather embraces it.
Courtesy of Itadori Yuuji.
Again, to quote myself:
Sukuna had stated everything there is to state. The fact that he's open with others, that he's capable of being weak, finding weak opponents "worthy", being killed, being defeated, being treated as a human being... all of that goes to Yuuji.
This is what Sukuna had learned via Yuuji, something that he had no way of experiencing before, otherwise he would've changed a long time ago and wouldn't stubbornly cling to life nor make deals with Kenjaku who also longed for fulfillment (which they had found ;) ). It seems pointless to trap yourself just to kill more people in the future or cause "mass chaos" via the Merger, just because "the humans have different flavors". I bet he also had a great share of amazing battles and "unique flavors" even back then and besides, doing grand schemes for shits and giggles is a bit boring. Hence why "looking for a way out of his cursed state" / "change" is a more better explanation imo.
So! I went off track here a bit lmfao. But yep, Sukuna is quite a good liar. The change he was looking for- something which didn't bring him fulfillment back in the Heian era- was found in the modern era, where he shared a body with this brat who will ultimately "change the trajectory of his life".
Sukuna lived within Yuuji and even if he likes to pretend that he doesn't know him, he does. He knows him just as well as Yuuji knows him in return. The narrative spells it out. Both of them are extremely strong and quite perceptive about others so why in the hell's name would they not be about each other? It appears like they've just been blind or ignoring the truth until they had to face it.
Still, anon, I understand the feeling and I know it seems weird and off to just end it like that without discussing it in greater detail, especially after what I ranted about above. Their relationship is a clusterfuck and that's why I love them a lot because you can't exactly place where it lies exactly. It's ambiguous as hell, with both romantic, sexual, familial, hell all undertones there are. Are they enemies? Are they lovers? Are they just misunderstood friends? Nephew and uncle? Who knows (do not ask Gege).
Even if jjk has ended, it still feels like something's missing. The question and the definite answer. Here, the question is posed and has seemingly remained unanswered because Sukuna's dead and Yuuji alive. They've been separated.
So how will we ever know what enlightened Sukuna thinks about Yuuji? How do they truly feel about each other?
I talked about it briefly here (regarding Chapter 271 and how valuable it is) and I already discussed up above how I view them. How even if nothing's there, there's still something there and that something is a lot. It seems confusing as hell but it's the best explanation I can give you.
In short: Yes, there is fondness there post-Chapter 271 due to just how much these two had impacted each other and how the ending played out and I bet there's a lot of suppressed love which couldn't get out due to Sukuna being lowkey put off by emotional conversations and quite stubborn in his view of life and being "misunderstood". Yuuji is way more open emotionally and hence why he's all "sunshine and rainbows about it" while Sukuna is still being subdued about it... but not totally because even he admitted that he lost to Yuuji and that his "farce" got him good in the end (so much so that he'd love to meet him again if there is life again).
In true tragic romance cliche fashion, our fated lovers enemies do not make it but alas, it isn't that dark and the send off is extremely pretty imo. Sure, like I said, it's confusing if you don't know the details nor dwell on it but yeah. They are... just being them. I love them lol.
23 notes
·
View notes
Text
✦Yan Tartaglia Hcs✦
I have not posted on here in so fucking long- then again managing 2 other busy blogs is not easily adaptable hurgh- I don't know if I'll be consistent on here, but eh- we'll see. {More like I'll try.}
Tw: Power difference, controlling, somewhat isolating, some brief mentions of violence and murder
Type: Unhinged + Isolating
He's the type person to literally drink bleach if you asked him to. Sir Ginger has no self-control. If he wants to do something, he will. That being said, he'll truly go to any length to keep you with him.
I really don't know why, but something tells me that he would want to make you see yourself as weaker than him. Any form of weakness, whatever gives him an ounce of control.
And he won't just leave you there, he'll use that weakness to make yourself dependent on him. You're poor? Oh don't worry, he's an extremely wealthy man who can pay all your bills with ease. You're socially inept? He's got that covered too! He can talk to people easily without any awkwardness.
Physically, he will show off his muscles like an idiot. Even if it's to annoy you. He has establish his strength before, and he's working everyday at getting stronger. So please, see him as the monstrosity of a power he is.
He likes to isolate you in a more subtle way. Instead of literally caging yourself within a mansion, he tends to just get rid of any influences he doesn't like. This can be family, friends, anyone you're close with. Instead, he introduces his trusted close ones and tries to get yourself to associate with them.
Speaking of trusted close ones, he's going to try everything in his ability to get you registered within his family. He loves his little siblings dearly, and you should love them too! You're basically apart of them now, so why bother leaving all heartbroken and sad?
He's affectionate...in an odd way. Sure he likes kissing and complimenting you, but his favourite way is- really weird. What is this weird way, you ask? Killing enemies for you. (It doesn't matter if MC is someone who fights or not) He will just go running out to the woods and slaying as many enemies possible, coming back like some feral child who was let outside to play.
His reasoning for why he likes killing enemies is 1. To prove himself you can be dependent on him. 2. Killing enemies is fun, and in the end, leaves your attention more focused on him 3. Gets rid of bad influences. 4. Establishes his alpha male dominance- /JOKE/ABSOLUTE JOKE
If you want to be kind to the world, please, put this man on a leash and make him have timeouts. He needs them.
——————————————————
I loved him back when I played omg- He's just a goofy little ginger man needing to be put on house arrest
- Seriko
#yandere genshin#yandere#yandere genshin impact#yandere x reader#genshin x reader#genshin impact x reader#childe#childe genshin impact#tartaglia#tartaglia x reader#childe x reader#yandere childe#yandere tartaglia
174 notes
·
View notes
Text
CC's Masterlist
This masterlist is a work in progress!! I'm doing my best to make sure it's pretty, but I am in fact, a grandma with a laptop!
updated : Aug 17, 2024
banner by @/cafekitsune
John Price x reader
Signal Lost - finished - 101k words/29 chapters - link to AO3 here
returning to the military to hunt Makarov is hard enough, to do it with your past lover is even harder. a "friends to lovers to enemies to friends and back to lovers" story or, a story I started writing when AO3 was down for I believe 2-3 days or so last summer, and for some reason I decided I need to pour some words into a google docs. the result was a 100k word x reader adventure/thinly-veiled plot required for porn I wanted to write, with too many self-insert moments, but of which I am proud to have finished. I will accept no criticism.
John "Soap" MacTavish x reader
Chokehold - finished - 6.5k words/one-shot - link to tumblr post here and to AO3 here.
6.4 words of Soap being an absolute pussy eating freak but you know you love him. an open love letter to early @/391780 and to other fat broads out there self-conscious about their bodies
it's a compliment, I swear - in progress - 10k-ish words so far - link to ao3 here
part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4...
me simply thinking about freak!Soap and getting the brain worms wiggling with two sentences: "I can make him better--" "Not if he makes you worse first." a dash of dub/non-con here, a drizzle of puppy vocabulary-verging-into-puppy-play there. no idea where I'll get with this, just vibes and a vague plot. this will progressively get darker, mind the tags when I add them.
Simon "Ghost" Riley x reader
Honey, don't feed me, I will come back - finished - 11.7k words/one-shot - link to tumblr post here and to AO3 here.
Based on this post I made a while ago that has been haunting me ever since or recently-dumped simon riley joins a cooking class chef!reader teaches. you get more than you bargained for.
ask box open for and requests / ideas. Currently planning to write more gaz x reader, though I might be convinced to write ghostsoap. no promises.
#masterlist#cc talks#cc's masterlist#cod#141#john soap mactavish x reader#captain john price#simon ghost riley#kyle gaz garrick#writing#writing tag
48 notes
·
View notes
Text
Helga Sinclair x fem! reader
(part 1??)
this is literally my first time writing something and posting it,and it's not too good (+, English is not my first language).And nothing much happens,sorry 😭 . I can make a part 2 tho! Also,very ooc.
` When you accepted joining a mission on discovering the lost city of Atlantis and getting a bunch of money for simply doing what you know best,you couldn't be happier. Of course,you didn't expect to actually find living atlantians in there,but that's a story for another day. Now you were busy trying to get out of an active volcano.
"Milo!" you all desperately screamed,as the linguist tried to attach a crystallized Kida to our vehicle. You turned around in a hurry, wanting to see if there was anyone left. You felt your breath get stuck in your throat at the sight of the woman who betrayed you all,the cold hearted mercenary that was willing to wipe out an entire society for some money. The woman you unfortunately fell in love with, bleeding out in the crater of an active volcano that was about to erupt.
You stopped dead in your tracks, considering your options . In a moment of desperation,you jumped out of the vehicle,despite everyone telling you to get back and drive away. You ran to Helga as quickly as you could, struggling to pick her up over her shoulders. The blonde woman looked like she was trying to say something, presumably some snarky remark,but she only managed to let out a few painful sounding coughs and whimpers
Her eyes opened and widened momentarily, her face turned from an unreadable expression into a grimace. She was visibly uncomfortable, her teeth gritting painfully and her eyes closed in pain. She gave a sharp intake of air, which triggerd a deep, harsh cough. The red blood which stained her lips made her look almost demonic as she opend her eyes again and fixated your gaze for a moment. She did not appear to recognize you at first, but then the color began to slowly return to her face.
"Get me...out of here.. I'll be fine." she mumbled , trying to avoid your gaze
You immediately panicked and rushed to your vehicle, quickly pushing Helga inside while you put on your seat belt. Even as she laid hurt and half unconscious next to you,she was still very intimidating.
A few days passed by quickly,and everything was going pretty well. You and the crew returned from the Atlantis mission with more treasures than you've ever seen before,and an incredible discovery. While the others were busy trying to forget about everything Rourke did to the entire Atlantian civilisation,you spent most of your time in the hospital with Helga.
"I got you some stuff....check this out, it's an Atlantian dress! This would look beautiful on you!" you said excitedly, showing Helga the beautiful item of clothing. She scoffed and closed her eyes.
"Not my style. How long 'till I get out of this nightmare?" she asked, clearly done with everything that has happened in the past days
"A few days, don't worry... it's a miracle how you managed to survive that fall. The doctors are super shocked about your recovery." She chuckled,which was surprisingly attractive.
"I'm a tough gal,eh?...." she chuckled,then paused, looking like she wanted to ask something. Before she could open her mouth,you interrupted her.
"Yes,Rourke is dead. Yes, you're the one that finished him off,more or less" you smiled softly as you saw the corners of her mouth turn upwards. You haven't seen her actually smile in a while,it was a beautiful sight.
"Is that so?" she mumbled softly, clearly trying not to grin but failing miserably. Yeah,no one liked Rourke. You let your hand fall by your side,not noticing Helga's hand resting against the side of the hospital bed. Your hands brushed against eachother,and your touch starved ass immediately started sweating nervously. Yet no one moved.
"I...really like you, y'know... you're very strong. Emotionally and physically." you felt the urge to compliment her,and couldn't help yourself as you saw a literal goddess in front of you.
"Thank you,little girl" she smirked, teasing you.
"Hey now, I'm only a couple years younger!"
"Mhm..."
You couldn't help but look at the way her muscles flexed against the thin material of the hospital clothes. In fact,you looked so much you forgot you were even having a conversation with her.
"Getting quite distracted,I see. Just wait until I get out of here, sweetheart" she knew how much her teasing was affecting you,yet she continued. How awfully cruel... You felt your face getting red,and ignored your heart beating faster and faster.
You kept awkwardly chatting,until...
"They hate me, don't they?" Helga blurted out suddenly,as you bit you lip. She probably won't care less,so you decided to tell her the truth.
"They haven't forgiven you for betraying us... neither have I. You're lucky I get attached too easily. They got a bunch of treasures and valuable junk from Atlantis while I was busy getting Joshua to treat you...but I can't say I regret it" her emotions visibly changed all throughout your small explanation,but she finally looked at you with some sort of appreciation. She would never admit it though.
"If I knew you'd be here to annoy me all day before that motherfucker threw me out of the air balloon,I would've thrown myself" she joked with a smirk on her face. She was still cold... alright...you could work with it. It was getting pretty late,and you felt a bit nervous about sending more time with her. Even if you wanted to.
"I'll think I'll go home... goodbye,Helga. I really hope your recovering goes well."
The second the word "goodbye" came out of your mouth,she wanted to jump off the hospital bed and push you back on the chair (or in bed with her). She wasn't used to so much loneliness,she could usually get men at her feet whenever she wanted (either wanting to kiss her,or begging for help). Even if she did prefer being alone ,not having anyone to talk to was different. Especially if that someone was you. She hated it,but she was starting to get attached.
"... goodbye. You'll come visit,yes?" she asked trying to cover her nervous tone .You chuckled. Obviously you would.
"Yes."
#helga sinclair#atlantis the lost empire#x reader#helga sinclair x reader#lesbian#wlw#i love her#unfortunately ooc#and poorly written#disney villains
106 notes
·
View notes
Note
Hi there, Love your work! I'm also doing stuff in Unreal and it feels like it's rarer to find other indie devs using it. I love how clean all your UI feels, and UI is something I seem to really struggle with.
Do you have any recommendations for workflows / tips / sources etc for getting better at UI?
Also I'd love to know more about the material / shader workflow for your latest post if you have more information anywhere.
Thanks :)
Hello there! Thank you!! I hope you don't mind me answering publicly as I feel like some people might be interested in the answer!
I really appreciate your UI (User Interface for those not knowing the acronym) compliment as it's something I've spent a long time working on and specializing in, in my career as a software engineer. UI/UX often goes completely unacknowledged or taken for granted even though it takes a lot of time and hard work to create and develop. In the engineering world I frequently had to advocate for and explain user experiences to those who didn't have as deep of an appreciation for UI or a very sophisticated understanding of why a good, visually appealing user experience makes, or on the flip side, can break everything. I think it's a very challenging, overwhelming topic to grasp and communicate, but just by being interested in it you're already way ahead!
There's a lot going on with UI. From visuals to knowing common design elements to successfully conveying a story to the user to implementation to testing to designing for accessibility to animation and I probably didn't cover everything with that run-on sentence. There's frontend engineers out there whose role is solely to maintain and improve UI component libraries for companies. And that's without throwing games, whose UIs are all uniquely visually tailored to their experiences, into the mix... I could keep going on about this honestly, but I'll get to what I think you can do personally! 1. Learn about common design patterns. What's a toast? What's pagination? What's a card? Little things like that. These apply to all software UI/UX, including video games- and knowing these off the top of your head will make it so much easier for you to invent your own UI designs and patterns.
2. Study the UI in the everyday applications you interact with. Step through menus and think about how you got from point A to point B. Take a moment to think about the why someone put a button where they did. Study the UI in your favorite video games, too! Take a lot of notes on what you think works really well and what you think doesn't. And also there's online resources that are great for inspiration. I personally spend a lot of time on the Game UI Database. - https://dribbble.com/ - https://www.gameuidatabase.com/ 3. Don't be afraid to start with basic sketches or even just simply representing everything with grey boxes. All my UI starts out as really crappy sketches on paper, or tablet sketches on top of screenshots. Visualize your ideas and then keep iterating on them until you've got something. For example, I went from this:
To this. (And come to think of it I might actually still want to make those cooler looking buttons in my sketch) 4. Break everything out into pieces and individual components. A good UI is made up of building blocks that you can reuse all over the place. That's how it stays consistent and also saves you a lot of stress when you need to go in and update components. Instead of a million different looking UI pieces, you just have to update the one! These individual components will make up your very own UI Component Library, which will be the standardized design system and source of reusable components for your project. This also applies to your visual elements that don't do anything (like I personally have a whole mini library of diamond and star shapes that I reuse everywhere).
For reference, here's a breakdown I made of my Inventory UI. On the right, I've labeled most of the individual components, and you might be able to see how I'm reusing them over and over again in multiple places.
5. Spend some time listening to designers talk, maybe befriend some designers! Many of them have an unique, interesting view of the world and how we interact with it even beyond just software. Their perspectives will inform yours.
6. Test your UI on users whenever you can. Get feedback from others. This is the best way for you to see what works and what doesn't. As game devs we spend so much time with our games it's easy for us to lose sight of the full picture.
7. Be patient and don't give up. Continue to be open to expanding your knowledge. These UI skills take time to develop. I personally am still learning even after like 10 years of doing it. Coming up with the visual elements is very challenging for me and I spend a lot of time rearranging things in photoshop before I actually start coding anything at all in Unreal.
Whew, that was a lot, but I hope that gives you some thoughts and a place to start!
I don't have any posts out there about Blender/Unreal shader workflows right now, but I'll consider making another post sometime soonish. I appreciate you asking and you're welcome! :)
20 notes
·
View notes