#if i do read it it needs to be something i'm not required to do

[hanniebaeee]

Tied Up

Hyunjin x fem!reader

Warnings: SMUT MDNI

Genre: established relationship, fluff, smut

Summary: You ask your boyfriend to come home immediately after you read something spicy in a dark romance novel, and he's only too excited to help you.

a/n: Jinnie's 'Unfair' triggered something in me 🙏

You were curled up on your couch, wrapped in your fluffiest blanket, sipping on coffee and reading your newest obsession - a dark romance novel. It was supposed to be a casual read to pass the time while Hyunjin was busy with rehearsals.

But by chapter ten… well, let’s just say your face was burning, and it had nothing to do with the heater running. You pressed your thighs together as your eyes widened. You've never read such filth in your entire life, and now you missed your boyfriend. Way too much. 

So here you were, phone in hand, thumb hovering over Hyunjin’s contact. Would he mind? Of course he wouldn't. 

---

You: Hey, you busy?

---

You watched the little typing dots blink in and out before his reply appeared.

---

Hyunjin: Hey, baby! Yeah, still at practice, what’s up? Miss me? 

---

Your hands shook in excitement as you typed back. 

---

You: Well, yeah. That too. But also… you gotta come home. Now.

Hyunjin: What happened? Are you ok? 

---

You chewed on your lip thoughtfully. How do you even explain this without sounding completely unhinged?

---

Me: Nothing, everythings fine. Just… I’ve got a request.

Hyunjin: Okay?

Me: Listen. I need you to come tie me up.

---

The three dots blinked… and blinked… and disappeared. Then they came back. Finally, a reply.

---

Hyunjin: Excuse me, what? Did I read that right?

You: Yes. You did. I need you here. Now. With something to tie me up with.

---

Another long pause.

---

Hyunjin: Tie you up?! What's happening? 

You: No! I was reading this book, and… look, I’ll explain everything when you get here, just please, please come home right now.

Hyunjin: Baby, I'm so confused.

You: I'm giving you a chance to kidnap me and tie me up and… 

Hyunjin: 😳

---

You couldn't help but laugh at that. You could just imagine his sweet face in all that confusion. 

---

Me: Pretty please??? 

---

Another moment of silence, and then…

---

Hyunjin: So… I’m supposed to be like this hot, dark, mysterious kidnapper and just… do whatever I want with you?

Me: Exactly.

Hyunjin: Oh 👀

Hyunjin: I mean… okay, but this is kinda new territory. Let me… strategize.

---

You raised an eyebrow. Strategize?

---

Me: Strategize? What are you, plotting world domination?

Hyunjin: Look, if you’re asking me to show up and just go full mystery man, I have to commit, okay? This requires preparation.

Me: So… how long is this prep going to take?

Hyunjin: Give me an hour.

You had absolutely no idea what he was talking about, but his commitment to the role was kind of endearing, and you decided to trust the process.

An hour later, you heard the faint sound of a key in the lock, and your heart did a little flip. You tried to compose yourself on the couch and waited as he walked in.

When you looked up, you were not disappointed. There he stood in his black jeans and a leather jacket, and dark sunglasses - looking absolutely hot. Holding a silk tie in hand. Oh. 

You burst out laughing.

“Oh, you’re laughing now?” He smirked, raising an eyebrow. “I thought you wanted to be kidnapped?”

“Yes I did? But…” You covered your mouth with your hand as you laughed. “Oh my God.”

“Hey, you wanted ‘dark and mysterious’ -” he stepped toward you, dropping his sunglasses down a notch, “and I… delivered.”

Biting back your laughter, you pulled him closer by his collar. “So… are you going to tie me up, or just… stand there and look pretty?”

“Oh, I’m tying you up, don’t you worry.” He leaned in close, his voice low. “Only problem is… I’m not sure I know how.”

You blinked up at him, surprised by his sudden shift from confidence to innocence.

“You don’t know how to…?”

“I mean, I can figure it out,” he said quickly, looking down at the tie. “I did watch a tutorial… briefly…”

You were laughing again, but this time you couldn’t resist wrapping your arms around him and pressing a kiss to the corner of his mouth.

“You’re so adorable.” you mumbled. 

“Hey! I can be dark and mysterious! I’m literally here to kidnap you, aren’t I?”

“Then what are you waiting for?” you whispered, challenging him.

His eyes narrowed, and with an unexpected quickness, he swooped down, swept you off the couch, and carried you into the bedroom, kicking the door shut. He tossed you onto the bed and pulled out the silk tie, holding it up triumphantly. 

“Alright,” he said, climbing over you, grinning. “Where do we begin?”

Your grin widened, and you nodded toward the bedpost. “Over there.”

A little clumsily, he tied your wrist to the bedpost, muttering to himself as he made sure it was secure. When he was done, he gave your wrist a gentle tug.

“How does that feel?”

You tugged against it, pretending to be trapped. “Oh no, what am I going to do?”

He chuckled, leaning down to brush his lips against yours. “Well, you’re going to have to stay here, I’m afraid. Completely at my mercy.”

You could barely keep a straight face, but he was so ridiculously, heart-meltingly sincere in his little roleplay.

“What are you going to do to me?” you whispered, batting your eyes. 

Hyunjin cocked his head, trying to look diabolical.

“First, I’ll kiss you. And then… hmm…” His eyes met yours, and slipped down tk your lips. You were biting your bottom lip, gazing at him.

“Uh…”

You laughed, pulling him down with your free hand, until his forehead rested on yours. “How about we start with the kiss, and see where it goes?"

His eyes sparkled with mischief, and he leaned in, his lips brushing against yours softly. The world faded as he kissed you slowly, his tongue slipping into your mouth as he deepened the kiss. 

His hands found their way to your face, cupping your cheeks, as you wrapped your legs around his waist.

The whole "kidnapper" act dissolved into giggles as you helped him out of his jacket. 

Hyunjin claimed your lips again in a fierce kiss. His tongue invaded your mouth, demanding and rough leaving you breathless. Breaking the kiss, Hyunjin trailed hot, open-mouthed kisses down your neck, his hands roaming freely over your body. 

He cupped your breasts through the thin fabric of your t-shirt, his thumbs teasing your hardened nipples. You arched into his touch, a soft moan escaping your lips.

"You like that, don't you, baby?" Hyunjin whispered, his breath hot against your skin. "You like it when I touch you like this."

"Y-yes," you managed to whisper, your voice trembling. "I love it..."

Hyunjin pulled away, his eyes dark with passion. 

With gentle yet firm hands, he lifted the t-shirt over your head, his eyes taking in your breasts, your nipples pebbled with desire.

Leaning forward, he took one of your nipples into his mouth, sucking gently at first, then increasing the pressure. Your breath hitched as pleasure radiated through your body. Hyunjin's tongue teased and flicked, driving you absolutely insane. He switched to the other breast, lavishing it with the same attention

As his fingers trailed lower, into your shorts, and your breath quickened. You could feel his touch getting closer to your aching core, your body throbbing with anticipation.

Hyunjin’s eyes locked with yours as his fingers delved into the wetness between your thighs, earning a soft cry from your lips.

"You're so wet, baby," he murmured, his voice thick with need. "I can't wait to feel you around me."

He smirked as he slid a finger inside you and your body trembled with the pleasure of his touch. He added another finger, stretching you, filling you, as his thumb found you clit.

Your hips bucked against his hand, and you tried to free your tied up hand because you needed to touch him. But Hyunjin tsk-tsked, shaking his head gently.

“Be a good girl now, you don't want me to punish you, do you?” 

Ok. Now you were so utterly shocked. There was no smile on his face. Just a deep dark look - his pupils blown and his lips swollen from the kiss. You swallowed nervously, but moaned almost involuntarily as his fingers moved faster inside you, your body quickly approaching a climax. 

"Jinnie, I'm close," you panted, your voice laced with desperation. "Please, don't stop."

Hyunjin quickened his pace, his fingers moving in and out of you, his thumb rubbing your clit in  circles. Your body tensed, every muscle taut as you teetered on the edge of release. With one final stroke, your body quaked as your orgasm hit you.

"Hyunjin!" you cried out, your body convulsing as waves of pleasure washed over you. He watched in silence as your eyes shut tightly, your soft walls throbbing around his fingers, still buried deep within you. 

“Ready for more, princess?” His voice was low and menacing.

You opened your eyes, and whispered breathlessly, "More?"

"Much more," he promised, brushing the tip of his nose against yours. "But first, I want to taste you."

He gently pulled your shorts and panties down, before pushing your thighs apart, exposing your glistening folds. Your heart raced as you watched him lower his head, his breath hot against your sensitive skin. He kissed your inner thighs, his lips moving slowly towards your aching core. 

When his tongue finally made contact with your swollen clit, you gasped, your body arching off the bed. Hyunjin lapped at you, his tongue teasing and flicking, sending sparks of pleasure through your  body. HUs tongue slipped through your folds as he tasted you, and his fingers continued to stroke and tease your opening.

Your free hand was on his head, stroking the short strands of his hair. You were on the edge again, teetering towards another climax, when Hyunjin suddenly stopped.

"Please, Jinnie," you begged, your voice hoarse.

Hyunjin smiled against your skin, and said, "I'm not done with you yet, angel. I want to feel you cum on my dick.”

With that, he rose to his knees. You watched him strip, his eyes never leaving yours. He positioned himself between your thighs, his length hovering at your entrance. With one smooth thrust, he filled you up completely. You let out a whimper, your hand gripping his shoulder tightly.

You were so tight around him, your inner walls gripping his shaft as he began to move. Hyunjin set a slow pace, his eyes never leaving your face as he watched your reaction to his every stroke. Your breath came in gasps, your eyes fluttering shut as you savored the feeling of being filled by him.

"Open your eyes, baby," he commanded, his voice sharp enough to make you obey. "Look at me while I fuck you."

Your eyes met his as you felt him thrust deeper, hitting that sweet spot within you. Your hand grasped his shoulder tightly, as he pounded into you harder. 

"I'm gonna cum, baby," Hyunjin growled, his jaw clenched as he fought for control. "I want you to let go now."

Your body felt like it's every nerve ending was alive with pleasure. And your orgasm was building, an intense pressure coiling deep within you.

You nodded, a soft whine leaving your lips, and Hyunjin thrust into you one last time, his body shuddering as he spilled inside you with a loud groan. You cried out, your climax crashing over you like a tidal wave. 

You both lay entangled, hearts racing and bodies glistening with sweat. Hyunjin grinned down at you, his eyes filled with love and mischief.

"So, how did I do?" He asked, propping himself up on one elbow. “Dark enough?”

“You were okay,” You breathed, and Hyunjin raised an eyebrow at you. 

“Only okay, huh,”

He said, slowly pulling your free hand up and trying to tie it to the bedpost. 

“Jinnie what-”

“Shush. You asked for it. I don't do okay. So let's work on it, yeah?”

You asked for it, didn't you? 

Divider: @saradika-graphics

Tags: @moonchild9350 @velvetmoonlght @eastjonowhere @pixie-felix @sailor--sun @chancloud8 @captainchrisstan @hansmic @emilyywhyy @inlovewithstraykids @my-neurodivergent-world @nightmarenyxx

[theotherchaospixel]

Her voice boomed, echoed, reverberated across time.

Truth be told, it was really boring. Infinity is just one of those things humans don't understand right. Before I did anything, there was nothing. Nothing, nothing, & more nothing. An infinite nothing. A lot of it. I'm sure you've written before.

Yeah? So what if I have? I could feel Her invisible hand pointing my head down, toward the rock at my feet. A pebble, really, and that was an overstatement.

I'm sure you're aware of the pit in your stomach that grows as you stare at an empty page. Imagine that feeling, multiplied by 6.

I stifled a laugh. Why 6? I could feel Her roll their eyes, if She had eyes, if there were eyes to speak of anywhere, and after a moment, the rock looked at me. With the eyes it didn't have.

It took 6 days before I even started thinking about doing anything, obviously! On the 7th, just before I resolved to spend the next week making life, time, space, the void, stars, nebulae, galaxies, & of course, Saturn, I looked at my clock & panicked, realizing how close to the date I was.

I couldn't quite make sense of what She was telling me. Days? Clock? Date? I thought time didn't exist before that week.

It didn't.

That was where Her thought ended. Silence fell across the plane, across the gaping canyon before me, after me, around me. Minutes passed, centuries passed, empires fell to dust; the rock at my feet wore away into nothing then reconstituted itself. It had been about 5 seconds.

Confusing, I know. That's how the art of creation tends to be. It gets hard to know where you end & the art begins.

None of this really answered my question. What was the nothing like? I could feel the inferno in Her heart, the tsunamis in Her eyes, the earthquakes in Her feet, the tornados in Her hands, as she fidgeted. I'm getting on Her nerves. Not great. I know She's my friend, but making a friend mad was always the last thing I wanted.

The first 6 days were boring, the 7th was stressful, what you want from me, Larry?!?

What was it like though?!? Were you hungry? Did you do it because you wanted to, or because you had to? Her voice echoed again. It was my voice. The rock nudged my feet a bit.

Why do you do anything? Because you have to, or because you want to, or because you need to?

The rock looked up at me again. It wasn't mine before, but somehow, it was now. It was always Hers, but there was something else there now, something ineffable. A love, almost. She sighed. The clouds parted & danced.

On the first day, before time began, there was nothing. It was dark. Second day, same as the first. You get the idea. A whole lot of nothing, but not like when you look up into the night sky and see the spaces between stars nothing; more like when you go to sleep and dream sweet nothings, that kind of nothing. It was like that all seven days, really.

I didn't understand. Things happened in dreams, after all; they were far from nothing. And reading my mind like a book, She continued.

You know how, when you stare at a blank page for long enough, you can see small designs, patterns in the pulp that made it? How if you stare at the floor for long enough, you can see pictures, stories that never happened? How when you look up at the clouds, you see things within them, even though you know that they're just random formations of dust & water vapor? Imagine the page, the patterns, the clouds required in order to see everything that ever was, ever is, & ever will be. Imagine the detail & size of the floor required in order to see all that ever might be. Now, take a step back. It's a blank canvas again. Focus on any part, and you could see everything. People come & go. Empires rise & fall. Seasons change. Time goes on. Step back again, and it's still a blank canvas. Infinite possibility, if you can only bring yourself to paint. Once I had the canvas, it took me several days just gather up the gall to do anything with it, and a whole other day to figure out what. An infinity of possibility, a true, endless ocean of choices.

And this is what you came up with?

Yeah. Pretty cool, right?

I wasn't impressed. And as if She knew it, Her deft, invisible hand pushed my head down to the rock once more.

Look at this pebble. Not impressive, right? Hardly bigger than an eraser. But it's been around the world three separate times. And inside it once. I mean, if you count all of it as one thing, and I know you do. A bit of sand off the coast of what you know now as California, 40 billion years ago, drifted off to sea. Decades later, it washed up on the shore of what is currently Japan. It sat there for a while, as more bits of sand slowly built on top of it. Just a couple million years. Then slowly, over several million more years, the winds carried it across the continent, inch by inch, molecule by molecule. It ended up inside a volcano for a few millennia. And now it's here. Really, it's basically a whole different rock than it started, but it never changed in big swathes. So, that's neat. Billions of years, all to get here, to be in the same room as you & me.

But what was Her point?

My point is that I really can't explain to you what it was like before I made everything. I could swarm you with half a trillion analogies & metaphors & anecdotes & stories, but I'll never be able to explain it to you in full. But if you've written - & I know you have, Larry, you scoundrel, writing things like that - but if you've written, I think you get it. If you've painted, or knit, or drawn, or coded, or sewn, or sung, or played or danced or thrashed or cooked, you get it. Before there is anything, there is love & a dream, and you'd be amazed how far that can take you.

.

.

.

.

.

So it was kinda boring?

Yeah it was kinda boring.

"Hey god?" "Yes, Larry?" "You existed before the universe, right? And supposedly always existed?" "Yes, that's true." "What was infinity like, before you made the universe?" "Ah. Not one human has asked me that before. Well, I guess it's time I tell someone about before the first 7 days."

[preciouslittle-bhaalbabe]

If you could write Raphael in as a companion, how would be be recruited? What would his approvals/dissaprovals be? What is his personal quest? Would he be romancable?

That's alot of questions!

Ok settle in because this is going to be a big read. I put way more thought into this than I should have lol

Disclaimer: Obviously this isn't going to align with canon and will require a disregard for most of the story beats involving Raphael as an NPC, like the entire House of Hope quest. This is just a fun little "what if" and isn't to be taken seriously.

Recruiting Raphael:

He will find you. Either one night in camp or in one of many spawn triggers on the map in the wilds. His conversation about the tadpole and offering his deal will be mostly the same. In order to recruit him, you must express interest in the deal. Either by agreeing right away, or saying you'll consider it. Raphael's responses are basically all the same even if you agree to the deal, he won't actually make you sign a contract. He'll tell you to "shop around".

Then, you must ask "if I do want to take this deal, where would I find you?"

Raphael's response will be something along the lines of:

"I'll be around. In fact, maybe I could join you in this little misadventure. I'll lounge about in your camp while you run around looking for answers. I could offer sage advice, experience, or even be a confidant."

DIALOGUE TREE:

"If you'd like to join us, by all means. We could use all the help we can get."  ←

"No, no way."

"Why would you want to run around with a bunch of mortals like us?"

"Fine, but I'll be keeping an eye on you."

"It's settled then, I'm sure I will be a very valuable asset. This is going to be fun."

"If you'd like to join us, by all means"

"No, no way." ←

"Why would you want to run around with a bunch of mortals like us?"

"Fine, but I'll be keeping an eye on you"

"As you wish. You'll change your mind. Of that, I am certain. And at that time. It will be too late. Best of luck."

The party will be transported back to camp/where Raphael spawned.

"If you'd like to join us, by all means"

"No, no way."

"Why would you want to run around with a bunch of mortals like us?" ←

"Fine, but I'll be keeping an eye on you"

"There's something about you that I find fascinating. I think it would be to our mutual benefit, should I join your merry little band." (back to dialogue tree)

"If you'd like to join us, by all means"

"No, no way."

"Why would you want to run around with a bunch of mortals like us?"

"Fine, but I'll be keeping an eye on you" ←

"Oh, I am counting on it. I'll be keeping mine, on you. I'll see you soon."

All dialogues except the outright refusal will result in the party being teleported back to the spawn, or back to camp, where Raphael will be waiting.

If you refuse to recruit Raphael, he will be seen again at Last Light, talking to Mol. You only get that once chance though to recruit him. After that, he operates similarly as he does in game as an NPC for Astarion's personal quest. He will be present again in act III in The Devils Den as set dressing for Sharess' Caress. In which case you can talk to him about what he's doing there. He will say he's just enjoying the show, watching the group run around trying to save themselves. You can ask if he would still join the group, at which he will laugh and say.

"Oh no my dear, that ship sailed long ago. Now, I'm just here to witness the carnage, and benefit from all this tragedy."

If you do let him join, he will remain in camp for all of act I and act as a giver of advice/merchant for rare items. He accepts soul coins as currency. In act II, he will leave for a few long rests to get information regarding Astarion's scars, once that event is triggered.

If Raphael does join the party, you will need to do a skill check to keep both Wyll and Karlach. If you fail to convince them to stay, they will leave the party or even become hostile, by some dialogues.

Raphael's Personal Quest:

His personal quest will align with his desires in the base game. He will have much to say that provides context to certain story beats he was previously involved in. Such as the Shar stronghold in the Underdark. If Halsin is not alive, Raphael can be a means to get information regarding Moonrise, the shadow curse, and the Shar stronghold. He will not have a romance scene at the party. Though much flirting can be exchanged and you can choose to think about him as you go to rest for the night.

The first thing he will ask you to do is help him kill Yurgir in The Shadowlands. If you do kill Yurgir, he will help Astarion with his scars. If you don't he will greatly disapprove and you will need to "convince" him to stay. He's messing with you. The skill checks don't actually matter, though they will have different dialogue responses depending on success/failure, and start the player off on lower approval than if you did kill the orthon. Though if you do refuse to kill Yurgir, his romance arc is locked and you cannot romance him later.

This is when he will officially join the party. I think he'd be a bard, so that's what his class is in this little "what if".

His personal quest then involves the crown of Karsus in act III. His arc will include "Archdevil Supreme" or convincing him to give up the crown. With resulting romance/platonic cutscenes for both.

Approvals:

Prioritising yourselves over the problems of others.

Agreeing to help others, for a price.

Exploiting people.

Anything he finds entertaining, like interrupting the bugbear and ogre.

Disapprovals:

Being kind/taking on quests for nothing in return.

Siding with the Absolute cult.

Using illithid powers.

Raphael Romance:

This is a tricky one. I think his romance would be mostly backloaded and starts in act II. If you talk with him at the party and express interest, you two can exchange some steamy words as he recites a poem he wrote for you. You can then either laugh at him and reject his advances, or say you like his way with words. He will then express a very primal interest in you, and say it's best if he let it fester a while. He wants to string you along a little. His greetings won't change, and there won't really be anything to indicate that the dating flag has been set. But if you flirt with him and express your own interest, it will be flagged. You will also have the option to tell him you just don't see him in that way, that you prefer to keep the relationship 'professional'.

In act II, (if you expressed interest previously) after you kill Yurgir, and Raphael joins the party officially. Raphael will have started off with more approval than the other companions, if the romance dialogues were met in act I and you asked him questions about himself/expressed gratitude for his advice when speaking with him in camp. If his approval is lower, you will have chances to get it up around the shadowlands. After approval is high enough, he will approach you and say he has enjoyed his time with you with an odd amount of sincerity. He will say he sees the potential in you and what you and him can accomplish together. That he has been watching the way you lead and handle yourself. And that, oddly enough, he has admiration for you. (side note, there would probably be more dialogue if the player is a dark urge/raided the grove. But I don't have enough brain juice for that currently.)

DIALOGUE TREE (there's lead up of course but I can't be bothered lol so here's the lock in dialogue):

"I spend most of my time categorising people by what use they have to me. And you have proven yourself very useful. But there's something else. Something I haven't experienced in another person for...A long time. I have grown quite fond of you, you know- in my way. Unexpected, but not repulsive. I very much enjoy you and your company."

What are you saying? ←

So I've just been your pawn this entire time?

I'm quite fond of you as well, I'm sure you know that.

I'm sorry but, I just don't feel the same way.

If I wanted to bed with a fiend, I would summon an incubus. Not some pompous arsehole.

"I'm saying, I would like to be something more. Something other than the professional relationship between future client and patron. I would like you to be my paramour, my flame, my right hand. I would like to discuss my plans with you, and lie with you at night."

What are you saying?

So I've just been your pawn this entire time? ←

I'm quite fond of you as well, I'm sure you know that.

I'm sorry but, I just don't feel the same way.

If I wanted to bed with a fiend, I would summon an incubus. Not some pompous arsehole.

*laughs* "Well, yes. I thought that was obvious, dear. But I would like to be something more than that. You have impressed me in many ways. You're ruthless, you're determined, and most of all, you seem to also be interested in me. I would like you to be my paramour. My right hand. Someone to discuss my plans with, and lie with at night."

What are you saying?

So I've just been your pawn this entire time?

I'm quite fond of you as well, I'm sure you know that. ←

I'm sorry but, I just don't feel the same way.

If I wanted to bed with a fiend, I would summon an incubus. Not some pompous arsehole.

"You've made it quite obvious, my dear. I'm flattered, really. But if flattery is not the limit of your intentions, I would very much like to explore something more. I would like you to be my paramour. My right hand. Someone to discuss my plans with, and lie with at night."

What are you saying?

So I've just been your pawn this entire time?

I'm quite fond of you as well, I'm sure you know that.

I'm sorry but, I just don't feel the same way. ←

If I wanted to bed with a fiend, I would summon an incubus. Not some pompous arsehole.

"How interesting. I was sure- No matter. If that is how you feel, that is how it is. I may have overestimated you. That's it then, no more has to be said. Have a wonderful evening, dear."

What are you saying?

So I've just been your pawn this entire time?

I'm quite fond of you as well, I'm sure you know that.

I'm sorry but, I just don't feel the same way.

If I wanted to bed with a fiend, I would summon an incubus. Not some pompous arsehole. ←

*laughs* "Well well, I seems to me that I have given you entirely too much credit. So be it. You will continue to be my puppet, and I will continue to enjoy watching you squirm for your worthness, pathetic life."

Every option besides the rejection one has that similar dialogue. If you agree to the romance, being the one he lies with, he will smile and take the players hand to kiss the back of it. Raphael will then snap his fingers and the two will be transported to a very cozy room with candles and a very large bed. After some more dialogue, the player can choose to have sex with Raphael in either his human or cambion form. Maybe I'll write that section in more detail in a smut or something but for now just use your imagination lol

In act III, Raphael will express a similar interest in the crown of Karsus as Gale does. His iconic monologue about Karsus will still exist. You can either encourage this in a similar fashion, or convince him that uniting the hells would be an impossible task and a death sentence. If you go Archdevil Supreme route, Raphael will become the ruler of the nine hells and you will live there with him as his infernal spouse. He will be loving but distant, and busy. Running all nine hells takes alot of work. The player will want for nothing though. They will have access to every outlet of pleasure and luxury possible. The player will also go through a subtle but apparent transformation to be a little more fiendish, so they can tolerate the environment of the hells. If convinced to give up the crown, he will continue as he is. He will go from between the House of Hope and wherever the player is. He will spoil the player as much as he can and visit often. Sometimes the player will visit him as well. But they still lead their own lives.

I'm sure I could refine the romance arc but I think these are good bones for now.

Thank you for the question! I spent like three days thinking about this lmao.

[rottenpumpkin13]

In honor of the baby delivery question that was in honor of the menstrual pad question, how would AGSZC (+ the Turks and Rufus, ifyw) react if they were asked how babies are made?

Assuming a child asks?

Sephiroth: Pulls up a powerpoint presentation he claims to be kid friendly purely because he included a rainbow title with fun lettering. "When genetic material from two compatible donors combines through sexual intercourse *next slide is detailed medical diagrams* "The male reproductive organ releases sperm cells which propel through the vaginal canal at speeds of 0.2 to 0.3 meters per hour." *more infuriatingly anatomically correct diagrams* "Please, do not cry. This is a perfectly healthy and normal depiction of human birth. Look, the mother even appears happy. Perhaps she won't abandon her child."

Angeal: *sits down with a warm smile* "When two people love each other very much, they share a special kind of hug and decide to express that love in a physical way! Just like how a seed needs rich soil and tender care to grow into a beautiful flower, new life needs—*gasp*—"NO SEPHIROTH, PUT THOSE DIAGRAMS AWAY!"

Genesis: "Ah, like the goddess's tender embrace of morning dew upon spring flowers, two souls entwine in passion's dance, the sacred union of dawn and dusk, where heaven meets earth in passionate embrace. Shall I recite the poetry of the Kamasutra?" *Pulls out an actual book* *gets tackled by Angeal*

Reno: *takes a drag from his cigarette* "When two idiots forget to wrap it up, a screaming hell-spawn is born and they have to deal with it for 18 years."

Zack: "Okay buddy, let uncle Zack break it down for you nice and simple! So there's this thing that happens... like when you... uh... you know how when chocobos... and then they... but with people it's... and then... CLOUD HELP ME OUT HERE!"

Cloud: *turns bright red* "Well... um... so... there's this... thing? That happens? With... parts? And... uh....and then somehow the cells do something with other cells and....Oh! I know! My mom said something about the dragons bringing the babies down from the mountain caves, but only if you leave out a bowl of Nibel stew every full moon for nine months! And you can't forget to hang wolf fangs over your door or the mountain spirits might swap the baby with an evil entity which—" *Zack covers his mouth because the child is now crying*

Tseng: Is cheerful and sweet but makes no sense. "Much like how Shinra absorbs smaller companies, there's a delicate negotiation between two interested parties. When the proper paperwork—by which I mean copulation—is filed correctly, a new subsidiary—that is, a baby—begins development. Think of it as a very complex tea ceremony, where timing and precision are everything!"

Rufus: *stroking Darkstar while reading reports* "A specialized delivery service employs large storks to distribute infants to suitable households. The process is quite straightforward and requires no further elaboration."

*Tseng whispers urgently in his ear*

"...I'm being informed that sex is involved."

[letstalkaboutvids]

Submissions open for Issue 2 of Let's Talk About Vids!

Let's Talk About Vids is a zine for talking about vids - otherwise known as fanvids, AMVs, edits, etc.

It was partially inspired by the regular Anatomy of a Vid panel at the VidUKon convention, in which vid watchers choose a vid they enjoy to analyse in depth.

I felt like there was an appetite for more analysis of vids, more detailed discussion about the artistic process of making vids, and more places to share vid recommendations. This zine is focused more on the artistic side than the technical side of vidding, but of course sometimes the latter will come up as part of the conversation!

The first issue of Let's Talk About Vids is available HERE.

The second issue of Let's Talk About Vids will come out sometime in the next few months. It will be a PDF e-zine!

The content of the zine will be made up of submissions from folks who want to talk about vids! The zine is seeking:

quick vid recommendations, for vids both new and old (from 1 sentence up to 100 words)

responses to a discussion prompt (1 sentence to a few paragraphs)

longer pieces that explore a specific vid in depth, whether a close reading or something else (200-1000 words)

vidders' reflections on their artistic process for a specific vid they made (200-1000 words)

longer pieces that explore a specific vidshow in depth, either by the VJ or by someone else (200-1000 words)

If you have an idea for something else not listed here, get in touch! Also these word counts are guidelines to give a rough idea for folks who prefer to have parameters, definitely not a hard and fast rule.

Before you make your submission, a couple of things to note:

1) If you are writing an in-depth piece about a specific vid or vidshow, please do your best to get in touch with the vidder or VJ to ensure they're comfortable with it first.

2) While this zine is a space to talk in detail about vids, right now I'm not up for hosting and moderating conversations about what vids got wrong or could have done better. Submissions should be focused on what you think the vid/vidshow does well, what is interesting to you about it, and how it gets its point across.

3) There's no requirement for any particular level of: formality/structure, vidding experience/knowledge, spelling/grammar, etc - if you've got something to say about vids, say it in whatever way works for you! I may lightly edit for spelling and grammar if needed.

4) You can submit ONE longer piece, ONE discussion prompt response, and UP TO THREE quick recs.

You can make submissions HERE until 30 March.

[dwarf-vader-of-middle-earth]

"They need to have a safe adult to process this stuff with." YES!! A MILLION TIMES YES!!!

So story time!! When I was a kid, my middle school was weird. It was 4th grade through 8th grade. That meant you had kids ages like 8 to 14 in there. And that is a HUGE broad range of ages and developments! Immensely huge!!

But as a result, you had literal children exposed to swearing, sex jokes, puberty, reproductive talks, mentions and even sights of drugs.

That was a TON to handle!! For a child to see that and hear that all?! It was too much to handle alone. And the sad part is a lot of the kids did end up handling it alone. And they became fucked over trying to make sense of it all. Some, in late high school, sorted that out, but many didn't.

I was lucky to have a mother who talked with me about it all. She sat me down if I had questions or concerns, she spoke to me and my brother about these very adult topics, and from a young age, I'm talking like at age 10, she trusted me enough to understand what the word cock could be, aka either a chicken or a dick.

She helped me to process this all. Make it less scary and intimidating.

My mother even helped me learn what consent was when I was 9, and how to say no if someone did something I didn't want.

And when I was a little kid, she took me on shopping trips and sometimes she stopped in the liquor store, and I'd go in, and I didn't care or mind. She didn't mind. She was exposing me so I understood it, and she knew I wouldn't be tempted later on when I could legally drink. Hell, as a teen if I wanted a beer, or a glass of champagne, she didn't deny me, but I also never did want that because I just wasn't interested.

Even now, as an adult, I don't really like alcohol. The taste is weird, and all I would drink is mead and maybe a beer.

But it's because my mother exposed me safely with her guidance at a young age that I understood and knew my limits and grew up to not be tempted by adult things that so many are sheltered from to "protect" them.

Those kids aren't protected. They're endangered. Because they do not know the limits and dangers of themselves or what they are imbibing as adults the way they would know if they grew up with someone to guide and help them know these things.

Now when I did reach high school, our freshman year was sex ed in health class. And the thing is, our state legally requires to offer parents/guardians the option offered to opt their child out.

These people were notified by email, and they could opt their children out. They had to sign a document to allow the kids to learn, and if the kid showed up without that document for the day?

That kid got opted out.

So many parents did this. Most for religious excuses, but I say "excuses" because that's what it is. Everyone should be made to learn sex ed and properly, not with just abstinence only, or religious-based sex ed.

And so many of those same parents who opted their children out, I knew them. Because it's a tiny town where you know everyone first, middle, last name, probably even deepest darkest secret.

And those parents were the exact ones who tried so damn hard to shelter their children, teens, even, from adult subjects and environments. Didn't let them even so much as look at alcohol. Wouldn't let them even hear a single swear or the word "sex" lest that parent shame you half to fucking death for exposing their child to inappropriate subjects. Prevented their kids from playing videogames at all or from listening to so many musical genres and artists, reading most books or watching most shows and movies. They did everything to shelter those kids. And I mean EVERYTHING.

But many of those same kids grew into adults and, underexposed or entirely unexposed to adult things and subjects, they went off the rails once on their own. OD'ed or had kids at 18 by accident, got arrested for stupid shit and having illegal weapons, got caught in domestic violence situations, you name it. Some went on to advocate the same way their parents taught them and try to do what they experienced, doing away with sex ed and fighting tooth and nail to "cleanse" the internet and media for children to be "safe" from the "horrors" of adulthood.

But do you know what happens when a person who's been through tough things hides those behind a wall and refuses to engage with and process those tough things? What happens when said person protects themselves from trauma without confronting it?

That can outright cause a psychological break.

It did for me. I put my trauma behind a wall, hid it, never confronted it, and wound up fucked in the head for years and I'm still trying to recover as an adult. Granted it was unrelated trauma to the subject, but point is:

These parents trying to protect their kids are walling them up. They are shoving them behind that wall hard, and when it comes crashing down once that kid is an adult, they're left to their own devices as they try figuring out how to navigate this world put up to them as so horrifying and terrifying and evil.

But they're adults. So many of their parents expect them to just figure it out on their own. No help.

And that, in my eyes, is the equivalent of a psychological break. Being suddenly exposed to the "trauma" of the world and left to handle it alone does no one any good, and everyone I've known that had to endure such an ordeal is either screwed over even worse than I am, or they're dead. Outright dead by terrible circumstances.

Yet those of us who were lucky enough to have adults that, from a young age, helped us understand these adult things?

We were better able to understand how to avoid the dangers of them, regulate ourselves, and keep safe from terrible circumstances which, quite sadly, killed a good few people I used to know.

Understanding the limits, the dangers, the subjects of adult situations and things, does not prevent the individual from being safe from them entirely. But it does help them understand what they're getting into and how to get out if caught.

You cannot stop your children from doing bad things, but you can prepare them to know the full range of what they're getting into so that, if they do said things, at least they can be safe about it.

Maybe instead of asking what if a kid sees/hears this adult thing, we ask why is that kid in an adult space and get them to leave, instead of forcing all the adults to change and cater to the child who wandered into THEIR SPACE.

[gloomwitchwrites]

Not a request I just would really love to know how you come up with your ideas? You put out a lot of content and it always unique! How do you do it??

Oh my gosh! Hi! Yes! Of course! I'd love to answer this question.

Ha. Okay. This is going to take some explaining, so hang in there as I ramble (because I will ramble.)

If you were to crack open my skull and peer inside, you'd find a nest of noise. It's loud in my head (it's anxiety and likely something undiagnosed) and I am thinking about anything and everything all at once. Really, I should be medicated, but since I'm not, I channel all that energy into being productive because I literally cannot be alone with my thoughts. I require constant distraction.

Writing is that distraction for me. It's very soothing for my brain when I take all that noise and focus it on something I really love, and it always produces productivity and creativity as a result.

My best friend is always like "how the fuck do you write so much??" and it's because it's a coping mechanism. It's a bit like therapy in a way.

When it comes to the What If & Imagines series, I cannot take all the credit. All except a handful of prompts have come directly from reader requests. While those specifically don't come from my head, they do act as a great starting point. I think about possible angles by considering how I believe the characters would act in those scenarios. I start small, and then expand if I think I need to. I also go into them knowing that I do not want to rehash the same thing four times, and I go out of my way to make sure each is different.

But beyond that, I'm always thinking and questioning and considering how I can turn something on its head. And I don't mean that just for my CoD work. I take that mentality with all the fandoms I write for. I carry a little notebook with me, my iphone's notes app is a literal jungle, the Google Docs app on my phone is also abused, and I write down anything that I'm like "I need to keep that." Sometimes if all I can grab is a sticky note, I'll use that and then shove it in my purse. And if I'm in the car, I'll dictate my thoughts through Siri to add them into my notes app or send an email to myself (through Bluetooth y'all; don't text and drive.)

I also schedule time to write, and I make a to-do list of what I want to accomplish during that writing session. It helps focus my brain.

I also stay heavily organized. Like heavily organized. I have lots of spreadsheets that are color-coded, and I purposefully assign "due dates" because it tricks my brain into thinking "you must get this done because it is assigned" and WHAM, I'm plugging away at the keyboard.

When I get stuck, I only ever reach out to my bestie. Sometimes I just need a fresh pair of eyes when I'm rolling ideas around in my head but something is missing and I have no idea what it might be. She's great about throwing a few suggestions my way that has me looking at the story differently, or considering a prompt from another angle.

But it's important to note that what works for me isn't going to work for everyone. I'm sure one of you reading this right now is thinking "Poppy, you need to fucking chill." And friend, I wholeheartedly agree. But if I'm not being productive through managing my anxiety-induced head noise, then I'm running on pure rage and spite.

Anyway! I hope that answered your question! Thank you so much for sending it in, and also kudos to y'all who read through all that. <3

~ Poppy

[aandvarchaeology]

I’m studying archaeology at the moment and I didn’t get into my university’s field school this year as I have not super good grades from being chronically ill and having three knee surgeries while at university so far and its just mentally upsetting. But I’m still dedicated to doing archaeology and I was wondering what advise the two of you had for students? Love reading about what you both do btw

Hi Anon, Mod V answering here :D. Mod A is currently on sick leave and will add his thoughts as soon as he is better. First of all - thank you for the compliment! And second of all - that really sucks, and I'm so sorry for you. Also, I hope I can even give you any good tips, because I have to preface the following advice segment by saying that I don't have any experience with university systems outside of Germany (besides what I learned from tumblr osmosis, which is not a lot), and the fact that you mentioned that you have a MINIMUM GRADE REQUIREMENT to get into a FIELD SCHOOL is a pretty big clue that you're not based in Germany. Because we don't do either of that shit here.

(click on read more for advice I hope is maybe a little bit relevant to your situation)

If you were in Germany, my advice would be pretty simple: Go to your university's disability rep (because you qualify for accomodations [I hope that's the correct word, in German "Nachteilsausgleich", literally compensation for disadvantages] both for the chronic illness and the bum knee), milk your situation for all it's worth, then put in a request for a semester off due to health reasons, during that semester do everything you can to heal up your knee and maybe revise some of your notes and do some reading, come back in 6 months stronger and with better grades. Which you wouldn't need to get into a German field school, because field basics are part of your university curriculum here and your uni organizes teaching excavations that you maybe need a passing grade in Grabungstechnik [lit. excavation technique, I'm sorry I don't know what the subject equivalent in English would be] for, but that's usually it. Also, take advantage of university mental health counseling.

But, I'm guessing (because most Engish speaking countries have MUCH higher tuition costs that here) that taking a semester off isn't an option. Regardless, some of my advice stays the same, starting with: Know your rights. Here in Germany, if you have a disability (defined as any sort of illness or condition that keeps you from functioning at average person levels for longer than 6 months), universities are legally obligated to get you some kind of help for that. If you have dyslexia, you're entitled to more time on exams. If you're a wheelchair user, you're entitled to lectures in rooms that you can actually reach. If you have migraines, you're exempt from compulsory attendance. You get it. I would very very strongly recommend finding out if your country and/or your university have something similar.

Even if there isn't - tell your profs that you're having difficulties. You don't have to go into detail, you don't have to reveal anything personal, but showing up to office hours, saying something along the lines of "due to illness that makes it hard for me to do X I struggle with Y aspect of the coursework", and asking for help (I would recommend going into the conversation with some reasonable idea what that help could look like, for example if you're hard of hearing asking the prof to speak facing the classroom and keep a seat near the front free for you) will often either get you an accomodation or an extra assignment to boost your grade (if you struggle with something like chronic fatigue or depression and extra assignments would make your grade worse, tell them if they offer you any). If there is a such thing as a Fachstudienberatung [lit. Subject-specific advisor, basically someone who you can go to who will help you with admin stuff like exam credit and your schedule but not a secretary, again, I really don't know how universities outside of Germany work] at your university, that may also be someone worth talking to.

My personal, subjective advice for studying with chronic illness and/or disability in general: Make peace with the fact that it will most likely take you a lot longer than your peers to reach the same degrees. I've been studying for my bachelor's for five years (not joking). That doesn't mean I'm going to be or am a worse archaeologist than anybody else. It simply means it took me longer. And once you have your degree, I promise no employer on earth will care. (How do I know this? I spent 3 days at the beginning of October last year being repeatedly told by about 50 professionals from any and every field imaginable that nobody cared that THEY took 2-7 years longer than they should have to get their bachelor's/master's/doctorate.) It's also important not to compare yourself to others doing it faster. I know this is hard, but again, it really doesn't matter (except on a financial level) (which, I realize, may be a lot bigger thing for you than it was/is for me).

Try to take advantage of any accomodations offered to you, even if you're embarrased to do so. Try to make as many friends as you can, involve yourself in as many clubs and organizations as you can. University contacts can become business contacts in a few years, and even if not - in Germany we say "geteiltes Leid ist halbes Leid". Dealing with hard things, as studying with a chronic illness is, is easier when you're not alone. Also: Do everything you can to show your profs that you're trying. Go to office hours, take part in class discussions, ask questions even if you think they're dumb, do your absolute best for assignments. Even if your grades are bad, if you show you're trying your absolute hardest, your profs will want to give you a leg up. I know you're probably already doing all that you can. The key word is "show" - literally go to office hours and say that you are. Make yourself visible.

Now, for my advice for field work with chronic illness, a knee that you needed multiple surgeries on, and grades so bad you didn't get into field school. First of all, unless you're literally on your last semester and you won't graduate if you don't do it, I wouldn't even think about field school at the moment. I hope I'm not ripping the proverbial bandaid off too harshly when I say that, for excavating, a knee that is in any way not healthy is bad. There is a lot of kneeling involved in digging. That is NOT to say that you should give up your field ambitions, but it IS to say that, when you do go into the field, you should a) be VERY sure your knee is healed, and b) be EXTREMELY careful not to hurt yourself again while working. Where- and whenever you do your field work qualifications, make sure the person in charge knows about your knee condition and lets you take breaks. If they don't do that, leave.

That being said, field work, even commercial field work, isn't all digging. If you do your field school and find that digging is something that just isn't sustainable long term, there are options. Archaeology is steadily working toward integrating more and more geophysical prospecting methods, like geoelectrics and geomagnetics, and lots (if not most) of commercial archaeological companies (at least here in Germany) are integrating them as well. 3D scanning technologies for heritage conservation are gaining more and more importance. So are mapping techniques with ArcGIS, QGIS and CAD-programms. Just to name a few things. And even outside of field work, archaeology is a pretty broad field. My advice for digging would be - make sure your knee is as healed as possible, try it, but don't "hang your heart on it", as we say in Germany.

Beside digging, I would STRONGLY encourage you to do a little bit of career orientation. I'm not saying this because I think you "won't make it" digging (also I do not think that), this is not "just" advice for you or any other chronically ill or disabled student of archaeology reading this, I truly believe this is one of the most important things you can possibly do during your university career. In Germany, you have to do you career orientation yourself unless you're really lucky and your university offers a seminar on structures in archaeological work and teaching or something, I don't know how it is at your university - if they have a service or a job fair or anything like that, USE IT. If not, there may be conferences - in Germany we have ARCHAEOworks and ARCHAEOskills. (ANY GERMAN ARCHAEOLOGY STUDENTS READING THIS: GEH DA HIN UND NIMM DEINE KOMMILITON*INNEN MIT.) Google them, find them, go there, talk to people. I cannot overstate how important this is.

Another thing to consider is that you can get field work experience through other means than a field school. (I'm talking about internships.) (I'm also really hoping that there isn't some sort of law against interning on archaeological excavations where you live.) The pros of internships are, of course:

You don't have to pay for them.

In fact, YOU might get paid!

Most archaeological firms don't care about your grades, they care about cheap labour and that's what you are as an intern.

You're much more likely to get insights into what actual day-to-day work looks like than at a field school or a teaching excavation.

You have an opportunity to establish first business contacts.

If you do a good job a company might make you a job offer, whether that be now or for when you graduate.

There is a lot more variety to choose from than there is in field schools (Do an internship at a museum! Do an internship at a conservation lab! Whatever takes your fancy!).

Depending on your university, an internship might count towards your degree as an alternative to field school.

In Germany, there is also the option to just...work at an archaeological excavation, either as a volunteer or as a working student. Both ways, you even get paid. I've heard through the grape vine that this may not be an option in some other countries, but hey - asking doesn't hurt!

Lastly, I'm going to take a wild stab in the dark and guess that you might be...U.S. American? and tag @chaotic-archaeologist, who can surely tell you much more about managing field schools and disability in the U.S. than I can, and might be so friendly as to correct me if I advised you to do anything illegal above. Any archaeologists from other English-speaking countries who have experience with these problems, please also feel free to add on! I wish you the best of luck, Anon, and I truly hope Archaeology will work out for you. Keep us updated if you want, we would love to hear how it's going from time to time!

[flowering-darkness]

Lorenza: "Had I been at Laxan Loft that fateful day, then perhaps.. You whom the Ascians kept in the shadows might yet have had an ally for that last sacrifice. ..Ah, but who are we two of the void to dwell on a hundred years past?"

(comments/reblogs are appreciated but never required. further context is under the readmore!)

A little idea I had earlier and was successfully able to get a friend to queue into E10 with me to access the location for! This is actually technically my first thing made for my selfship with the Shadowkeeper (or to use her truer name Cylva), so it's perhaps a bit too context-heavy of a piece to start things off with, but.. oh well! I hope that it's still alright/people like it, even without everyone being aware of the full background ;w;

(If you are curious what's actually being depicted here: it's just a hypothetical musing about "if Lorenza had been present at the Battle of Laxan Loft a hundred years ago, where Cylva turned into the Shadowkeeper and forced Ardbert and the Warriors of Light to fight her (but they refused to kill her like she asked), then maybe that whole event could have been a bit less emotionally harrowing for Cylva". There was no way Lorenza could have been there, of course - she didn't even know Cylva at that time, as the two only met at the start of Shadowbringers despite both originating from the Thirteenth - but.. it's still something she idly muses after learning about Cylva's past. For more background context, feel free to have a read of this other post!)

When it came to putting this together, I was limited by what remained of the duty timer (since we had to do the whole boss fight against the Shadowkeeper and then I had to wait for everyone else to leave), as well as my own inexperience with manipulating reshade parameters like colour curves and brightness (so I apologise if this is a bit all-the-same-value - I tried to mess with the background vs. foreground a bit, but that was about all I could muster). To put things into perspective, this is how the arena looked before I went in and started the posing process - so as you can see, a lot of processing needed to be done to get the final vibes!

I'm also still not really adept at posing within FFXIV, which is why Lorenza is incorrectly using her right hand to reach out to Cylva; the day I learn how to flip/invert poses derived from paused animations will be a very advantageous one indeed! There's probably a better workflow than the one I currently use, but.. like when I was first starting out with MMD, it takes a while to get properly familiar with the tools involved and how to do what you're aiming for with them. I'd meant to get some alternate/closeup camera angles, but exited out of /gpose instead after taking the initial one, which meant I lost everything I'd loaded in .w.

In any case, though - I like how the final product turned out (even if the composition is almost identical to my January render..), and I hope that some of my thought process in making it could come through! I did finish making this at one minute to midnight on Valentine's Day, but I'm aware it isn't really a very Valentine's Day selfship thing.. so, I suppose it's more fitting that I wasn't able to get around to posting it until after the date had changed here! =P

Thank you kindly for taking the time to read this! I hope it all makes sense ^-^

[fictionadventurer]

Potential September Reading

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien (ideally in audio)

An English Squire by Christabel R. Coleridge

A Sherlock Holmes story (and/or a screen adaptation)

C.S. Lewis nonfiction

A sensation or mystery novel

A piece of one of the Psmith stories

Some kind of nonfiction book

[fondfamilies]

love final season(s?) therapised-reid talking about who he is or could be outside of his job - the farm with cows, the fungi talk about how he grows, going out to meet someone unrelated to his work :') GOOD he needed that

[glimblshanks]

It's so difficult, because I genuinely do want to understand what the whole deal with Christianity is, but Christians are so apposed to any line of questioning about their belief system (in a way that no other religion is) that if you say anything they don't like they shut down and accuse you of being a sinner.

And it's like bro, I'm not trying to be insulting, I'm trying to understand why this religion is even appealing to you. How do you manage to get so many converts when you're not even willing to answer basic questions about your theology?

Everyone I've found who's actually willing to discuss Christian theology with me is an ex-Christian which is super unhelpful, because ex-Christians are people who have deconstructed Christian belief and come to the conclusion that it doesn't work for them. They're always very cynical about the whole situation. That's not what I'm looking for.

I want to talk to someone who's still into it. I want to understand what actually draws people to this religion ( I do not want to be trauma dumped at - I don't know what aspect of Christian belief confuses y'all into thinking that trauma dumping is an appropriate substitute for theological discussion, but it absolutely isn't).

Like you would really think for one of the most popular religions in the world finding answers to this stuff would be easier. Why can't you guys just talk about your beliefs?

[dollsandmasks]

You know that moment where you have a crumb of free time and you could be writing, you could be finishing that fic, you could be catching up with your friends, you could take out your sketchbook and draw the most self-indulgent things, you could at least be reading or watching something interesting, but you happen to have a minor task that you don't want to do, your body is slightly uncomfortable from typical body things and your work has been a bit stressful today, so now you are in a restless scrolling more and opening the same three social media apps hoping that something will give you that hit and send your brain in motion and make you either work on tasks or do something fun.

Why am I procrastinating making a single phone call, and then doing fun things forever.

[bereft-of-frogs]

‘write the fic you want to see in the fandom’ becomes somewhat of a problem when the fic you want to see in the fandom is long, plot-heavy gen!fic because it takes FOREVER TO WRITE

I can’t believe I’ve done this to myself.

[ebitenpura]

maplestory is such a dumb (brilliant) game because the unironic furry classes are top bossing meta

[carbonateddelusion]

socializing can be fun sometimes but it has never stopped being stressful JEHKSBSJSJS