#lmao i worked out commas

[ieatwormsandtheytasteverygood]

Guess which bitch now has room on its phone for instagram for the first time in like 3 years. This is only good bc now we can post art there again.

Not that instagram is nice to artists or anything. Just that our art tumblr is so very tiny and unused. Gonna probably have to clear it out somewhat when I finally get around to posting art.

[austenpoppy]

Dick and Bette Kane - part 2

Edited to add new panels

Part 1 :

Dick and Bette didn't really run across one another for years after Titans West disbanded. Dick was leader of the New Titans then carried on his solo hero career, while Bette remained at the periphery of the superhero community without truly accomplishing anything, though she put herself in the spotlight. In Guy Gardner : warrior #29, she's seen by other heroes on television as she apparently thanks adoring fans (you'll understand the importance of this later).

Guy Gardner : warrior #29

"He" put them into podes showing them virtual realities that were supposed to be about what they wanted most, according to Dick's files. Dick freed himself, Wally did too, and Dick freed Gar. Then they, along with the soul of Raven, inspected their environment and deduced that all former Titans had been captured.

It's interesting to note, though, that during all that time Bette was still trying to impress Dick, and was still somewhat in contact with the Titans. In "Hawk and Dove - Annual 1", she tried to call Dick to tell her about a tennis match she'd just won. Kory was the one who answered, and though Bette called Kory by her name she had to repeat her name and even spell it for Kory (and she thought of Kory as a bimbo, so I suppose she was jealous).

Dick was apparently "not there" (was he really not there or did he not want to talk to Bette ?), and Bette said it was a shame because she "knew" he liked to follow her matches/career (she was deluding herself).

The call ended when someone knocked at her door. Bette wanted it to be someone "tall, dark and famous", and she couldn't help but fantasize that Dick was there. Later on, after an adventure with former members of Titans West and people like Dove, Dove complimented Bette on her skills, and Bette said "Now if I could only convince a certain Titan !" (meaning Dick).

Months or years after, Dick and Bette were both at a Christmas party thrown by Guy Gardner after Dick left the Titans, but the next time Dick truly saw Bette was in the JLA/Titans crossover. Vic had become this almost thoughtless technological being, and captured anyone who'd ever been a Titan in a misguided quest to find his family again.

Dick saw Bette in her pode, and immediately said : "Bette ? Man...Somedoby was thorough." And the "thorough" isn't just in italics, it's underlined. The level of derision and distaste hidden in that comment is unreal. There are other people who didn't spend much time among the Titans, like Pantha, Leonid (Red Star), or Terra II. But the one whose importance to the Titans Dick decided to undermine was Bette.

"Even her ?... Wow..."

JLA/Titans #2

Dick stayed behind to help free the others from their virtual realities. He was very sympathetic to the people and friends he helped, except for Bette.

It's very funny and a bit creepy that "Vic"'s file for Bette and what was important to her basically had two items : "she's very good at tennis" and "she's obsessed with Dick", so the pode had her playing a tennis match against a rather fawning Dick (in his short pants, since she'd mostly known him as Robin) at her beck and call. I mean, it's truly weird. It could have just shown Dick being interested in her - but no, he had to be at her feet, too.

Even weirder is that Bette was actually engrossed by the virtual fantasy. Like, it'd been years. She could've, should've outgrown her attraction/obsession with him at that point. But nope, instead she was playing along and asking the virtual Dick to "bend over" more so that she could ogle his butt.

Dick came right in the middle of it, and he wasn't impressed. He just deadpanned "Flamebird. Sorry to interrupt your game...". Was Dick chanelling Alfred there ? This is exactly the kind of sarcastic and snide remarks Alfred could've come up with - not that Dick can't do it on his own. Obviously, the point was that there was no true game to interrupt, and that Dick wasn't sorry at all for preventing Bette from enjoying the fawning virtual Dick.

JLA/Titans #2

After the crisis was aborted, Bette was seen talking with Toni and Helena (with whom he'd already slept with and been manipulated by) about what made Dick so physically attractive. Bette was the one who mentioned his butt. Dick passed them by and was uncomfortable again.

JLA/Titans #2

Weeks later, Gar was framed by Madame Rouge's daughter for crimes she'd committed, and was arrested. Bette, arguably at her most likable, wanted to help him (using her "Titans" card to get to him) and tried to bail him out, though to no avail.

Unbeknownst to Bette and Gar, Dick went to L.A. to investigate himself. He deduced who the next victim would be, and went to their address, only to be faced with someone impersonating Gar. A fight erupted, and Dick quickly deduced that it was indeed an impersonator. In the chaos, Bette, who'd just understand with Gar what exactly was going on, had heard that a fight had started at Dick Dickerson's house, and had decided to come over to help (knowing Dick was there mind you), barged in and kicked the impersonator in the face.

I don't know what's funnier. The fact that after all those years Bette couldn't help but still call Dick "handsome" as soon as she saw him, her goofy entrance with the corny line "Flamebird to the rescue!", or Dick's open displeasure at seeing her ("Oh no. Not her..."). The fact that Dick, who values teamwork and is usually the one telling people to let aside their personal conflicts while working with other people would take the time to openly express his distaste for someone in the middle of a fight is hilarious.

Beast Boy #3

When Bette came to land in front of Dick, he begrudgingly acknowledged her (as you can guess from the use of the ellipsis before her name and the discontent look on his face).

Bette started cheerfully explaining the situation to Dick, but he'd already found out all of it on his own, so he tried to tell her that he knew everything already, but she kept going. So he repeated that he did know what was going, only she kept going.

The escalation of Dick's answers is very funny. His first "I know, Bette..." is normal. Then as she kept going his second "I know, Bette..." put an emphasis on the "know". And as she kept talking, he literally put his hand on her mouth to shut her up while loudly exclaiming "I KNOW, Bette" (the letters being written in a bigger size).

Dick remained fairly polite considering the situation, but everything about his behaviour couldn't have been more obvious if he'd screamed at the top of his lungs "BETTE WILL YOU SHUT UP ALREADY ?"

Then he told her to stand aside and protect herself while he finished the fight, showing he didn't trust her abilities as a crimefighter (to be fair, no one did). Of course the impersonator used the distraction provided by Bette's arrival and her conversation with Dick to throw them in the pool and escape.

Beast Boy #3

Dick was not happy about that. He immediately told Bette that he hadn't needed her, implying that if she hadn't been there/hadn't been distracting him, he would've caught the impersonator ("I had him, Bette..."). Honestly it's probably true, but also I'm pretty sure Dick wouldn't have made that comment had it been anyone else - he could've also completely ignored Bette to focus on their enemy, and he generally tends to reassure people about their mistakes... Unless he thinks people aren't truly committed to crimefighting/a team, which is probably what he thought of Bette.

I say that because right after, Dick noticed that the police'd just arrived, and told Bette : "Forget it. We've got company. You're the publicity hound. DEAL WITH IT." And when Bette answered the police officer's question, she tried to turn to Dick for confirmation, only Dick'd already vanished.

So he left her to deal with the police on her own by referring to her appetite for public attention, openly calling her "a publicity hound" (calling her out on her attention-seeking behaviour). Then he told her harshly to "deal with it" (implying that since she wanted publicity so badly and sought it out, she was the one who should have to talk to the police), washing his hands off of her, and disappearing without a word after that.

LMAO

"You keep making publicity stunts. You wanted publicity so badly, Bette ? Well then here comes the police. ALL FOR YOU, Bette, and no goodbye."

Beast Boy #3

After that, Bette and Dick met up to free Gar out of prison. Dick bailed him out while Bette was waiting in a car (she was the driver). She drove Dick, Gar and his cousin to a place they could stay at, Dick and Gar had a conversation while Bette and Gar's cousin waited by the car. Then once Dick and Gar were done, Dick told her he wanted to have a word with her. Below is their conversation.

Not included here is Gar's cousin being interested in Bette, and Gar telling him it was a lost cause because she only had the hots for Nightwing.

Beast Boy #3

As you can see, Bette started the conversation by happily mentioning their previous team-ups, as if they were former partners who'd worked together for a long time but hadn't seen each other for a while. And Dick immediately invalidated that by saying there hadn't been that many "old times", putting a distance between him and Bette.

XD YOU TELL HER DICK

Then Dick said what he'd wanted to tell her : that he didn't think she was made to be a super-heroin, and that she should "hang up" her costume. One could be indignant on Bette's behalf, and say Dick had no right to tell her what she should do.

Personally I think he was right, in that moment at least, that he was doing her a favour. He'd done that job since he was a child, he'd done it over a decade, and much longer than many superheroes. Bette hadn't done anything much as a superheroin, and seemed more preoccupied with her status as a superheroin, what it brought, rather than crimefighting itself. It's a shame, as I said when I presented Bette in part. 1, because Bette was a very competent woman, with a unique talent in tennis (for example).

And Dick was more graceful than I would've been in his place considering the way Bette'd treated him, telling her she had heart and was brave (also "spunk" ? Was that Dick's inner Alfred again ?).

Bette stammered that she did try to do the best she could. Dick went on to say that he was flattered that he'd "inspired" her to do this, but that it'd gone too far.

LIAR LIAR PANTS ON FIRE

It wasn't a sarcastic comment, but Dick wasn't really flattered she'd started crimefighting because of him. That's obvious because of the inverted commas used to frame the word "inspired" (the shade those inverted commas signal). Those inverted commas signal that Dick was doubting Bette's real reasons for becoming a crimefighter, that he had to wonder whether she'd become a hero simply because she had the hots for him and wanted to be closer to him.

He then said "You're a good kid, Bette [NDLA : how much younger than Dick is she supposed to be here ? Is she Gar's age, that is about three years younger ? Seems to me she should be around the same age as Dick; the use of "kid" is strange]. You've got a bright future ahead of you. But it isn't in spandex. Anyway, I've gotta run. Take care of yourself."

Again, it may not seem that way at first glance, but in my opinion Dick's wording couldn't have been much kinder. Being a crimefighter is exceptionally dangerous, and can put others in danger too. Dick recognized Bette's good qualities, told her that she had a "bright" future, but simply not as a hero. And he told her to take care.

Bette's obstinated refusal to quit after Dick left is fascinating for me (interestingly, this mini-series is what made Bette a more compelling character as far as I'm concerned). Did she refuse to quit out of defiance ? Was it a way to prove to Dick she was capable ? Did she simply didn't want to give up on her dream ? Had her ambitions gone past the one who'd inspired her and that she still had a crush on ?

There's still a part three to do, but it's going to be shorter.

Part 3

[azure-clockwork]

How Does it Feel to Read Classic Sci-Fi?

Orson Scott Card: Two of the most interesting books you’ll ever read if you’re willing to look past a handful of things. And then you find the planet of Chinese people who worship having debilitating OCD. And the Mormonism. And the fact that the author is wildly homophobic and ought to read his own books.

Robert Heinlein (or at least the Wikipedia Summaries): I guess that’s a neat concept—oh, it’s a sex thing. Um. Gotcha.

Ray Bradbury: Man, I gotta read this thing for class huh. Well here’s hoping it’s good! *three hours later* oh. that’s why he’s famous. this will stick with me forever and I will never look at the phrase ‘soft rain’ the same again. christ. And then repeat 3x.

Isaac Asimov: Wow, this is such an interesting concept! I wonder how the exploration of it will influence the plot! Wait, hey, are you going to add any characters? Any of em? No like, with character traits other than ‘robot psychologist’ and ‘autistic’ and ‘woman’? None of em? No, ‘detective’ isn’t a character trait. Those are all just facts. Aaaand now I’m bored.

Ursula K. Le Guin: Hah, get a load of this guy! He’s never heard of nonbinary people before. Lol, what a riot; how dumb do you have to be to comprehend that these people aren’t men *or* women actually? Oh, wait, what’s happening. Oh shit, it was about society and love and learning to understand each other? And now I’m crying? And perhaps a better human being for it??

Andy Weir: Alright, this guy’s a really good writer. Funny, creative, knows so much engineering stuff…ooh, a new book! …I guess he can’t write women. Well, he wouldn’t be the first sci-fi writer…ooh another new book! And it’s more engineering problem solving and—wow. It’s not just women he can’t write. Please stop letting your characters talk to each other.

Lois Lowry: Oh, I remember this being fun when I was a kid! Wouldn’t it be fucked up to not see color? …upon reread, it would be fucked up to have your humanity stripped away, replaced with a tepid, beige ‘happiness’ for all time. Yeah.

Tamsyn Muir (let me have this ok): Haha, “lesbian necromancers in space” sounds fun. Lemme read this. Oh wow, yeah, this is right up my alley. OH GOD WHAT. NO. FUCK. OH SHIT WHAT IS EVEN HAPPENING AND WHY IS IT REFERENCING THE BOOK OF RUTH AND HOMESTUCK BACK TO BACK!!! AHHHHHHHHH!! Now give me more please.

[volfoss]

actually yeah im making a quick poll on this. for anyone who has been around long enough to remember when i made my massive clamp readathon situation (in which i read every single one of the works they put out) be everyones problem. hi. im doing it again but much worse now. reading about 400 volumes (and more if i can find more) of tezuka osamu's work. i am just curious on the general consensus of if i should upload thoughts as i read each one (ie: one post being like i finished kimba/jungle kingdom, heres my thoughts) or just have a MASSIVE post of hey. read them all heres my thoughts (as i did with clamp. which is when i found out tumblr had a max text limit)

[satansleftnutcheek]

Thinking about how Miguel claimed that Miles is the original anomaly despite Gwen being right there. Like my guy if you're going to have a logical fallacy at least be right about it

[aebinspa]

dopamine

PAIRING: giselle x y/n reader

GENRES: suggestive, angst, reader hates giselle and they end up doing a project for school together lmao, meangirl!giselle, reader and giselle are a menace to society, jimin (aespa) and juyeon (tbz) are in a study group together and they are incredibly optimistic, mentions of sex, kiss, swearing.

WORD COUNT: 2.5k

AUTHOR'S NOTE: english is not my first language! so i’m practicing my writing hoping it can get better and better. AND stream giselle's dopamine it's so good <3

Nothing could have prepared you for the worst news of your life: you, aware that you love loneliness and hate forced contact with others, were assigned to group work with Aeri Uchinaga, famous for not contributing to any group work and for being always in the middle of too many, too many men.

After leaving a resigned sigh you approach your best friend Jimin to tell her about the unfortunate fate that struck you. "Among all and I say among all those that could happen to me, HER" "You’re tragic even if she has a bad reputation. Perhaps a woman like you who does nothing but read, read, and read will surrender and become incredibly willing!" "Funny Jimin. Who did you get?" "Juyeon and they also say that besides being incredibly beautiful he is also incredibly gifted" whispers Jimin, thinking that this could save her from the embarrassment of such a statement. "Enough, I’ve heard enough. I’m going home."

On the way back, angry and sad, you noticed a really nice coffee in which you would have wanted to stop but the change that you had in your wallet would not be enough even for half a sandwich. The puff you pulled out scared a stray cat that was stealing a piece of bread from the ground. Why does everything feel so strange to me?

The next day, as you arrived in class, you noticed Juyeon’s huge body very close to your best friend’s; you came up to check if Jimin was all right only to see that her face had a loving expression. "Good morning guys" you are starting, trying to forget what you just saw. "Hi, Jimin told me a few things about you. How nice to meet you" The two-door wardrobe that took the name of Juyeon squeezed you in a strong embrace that leaves you breathless. Men are really scary. "Hey Y/N, Giselle was looking for you earlier." "Who?" "That’s how us boys call her!" "You… guys?" "Giselle is part of my group, at least once we all go out together!" Juyeon’s enthusiasm was overwhelming but not enough to influence you. "Ah, she's going out with you."

"Y/N" What a hateful voice, not changed by a comma. You didn’t sunbathe at first; you wanted to see how much the little princess could have withstood without a bit of attention. Juyeon - this time with the help of Jimin - thought about involving her. "You might as well look me in the eye when I talk to you." "Go fuck yourself, Giselle. You sound like the 'ass-kicking' girl”. It didn’t take even half a second for you both to turn in the opposite direction. Jimin and Juyeon, moved by the situation, tried to calm things down. “How about you girls come to my house? Jimin and I have to do our project but there’s no problem if you come too. The table is big, the fridge is full and the more the merrier!” Juyeon shouted enthusiastically.

The idea of ​​being alone in an empty room with Giselle terrified you so it didn’t seem like a bad idea to accept without too many problems; the other seemed to agree too.

“Perfect! Then let’s all go to Juyeon’s this Friday afternoon!” Oh Jimin, you could have avoided this.

Unfortunately for you and Giselle, Friday arrives in the blink of an eye. Juyeon’s imposing house stood in front of you and Jimin. “Not only is he handsome and gifted, but he also has a huge house. What more can I ask for?” “You could say a little prayer for me, for example” “Giselle won’t be able to tear your hair out if Juyeon and I are there with you” Jimin smiled at you as if to reassure you. “Good thing you always see the positive side…” you replied, already tired at the idea of having to enter that house.

When you entered, Giselle was already sitting on the wicker chair in the lush garden that was attached to the house. “Girls, here you are. Jimin can you help me bring some snacks out?” Jimin didn't have to be told a second time and rushed to help the boy after sending you a flying wink. You approached Giselle and sat in the chair opposite her, to maintain some distance. It was the first time you had seen her like this. The dark hair that she always combined with clothes of the same shade was this time combined with a long white dress that made her almost ethereal; the glasses made her face prettier than the one she had always adorned only with heavy black makeup which yes suited her well but a lighter shade made it stand out even more. Maybe you found yourself staring at her too much because when your eyes met you saw a smirk of victory on the girl’s face.

“Are you admiring what you’ll never have?” “And what is this thing I’ll never have? Dignity?” “The chance to brag about how beautiful you are” “Oh, the princess of everyone’s bed spoke” “I don’t have sex with men” Giselle replied somewhat upset. “Oh, so all the things they say about you are false?” “My group of friends is made up of all gay men and one straight man” Concern for Jimin filled you for a moment and you stopped the conversation in progress. “Juyeon's not gay, right?” “As if your eyes can't see how he's hitting on your best friend, you dumbass.” "Here's all the snacks!" Your darkened and frowning faces turned abruptly towards the two newlyweds and then shouted "Shut up!" Jimin resignedly rolled her eyes.

The first half hour you and Giselle spent arguing over the theme of the PowerPoint presentation. “This is an old lady color” “This is a funeral color though Y/N!” "You love funeral colors!"

The next two hours were spent looking for information on the same topics which later turned out to be identical; cause for further argument. When Juyeon and Jimin finished their work, you were still in the first part of the project. Your best friend and the guy disappeared somewhere after two minutes; when you received a message from Jimin you found out that the two had gone to stock up on chips.

“So you hate me?” You never expected to see such a piercing look on Giselle’s face. “No, I find you annoying and everything they say around you about you seems to confirm it” “I already told you this is all fucking fake” The black-haired girl ran a hand through her hair and turned her gaze elsewhere. “People love to say everything that comes to their mind. I'm a lesbian, men don't interest me. After I refused to have sex with a guy I was paired up with for a group project, he went around telling people that I'm a terrible partner and that well… slutshaming and other not-so-nice things about me."

The silence that followed immediately afterward was extremely embarrassing for both of them. “I said a bunch of bullshit, I'm sorry. I always imagined you through gossip, even though I know that Jimin doesn’t think of you as a slacker and that Juyeon is your best friend” “Y/N” Giselle tried to butt in. “Listen Aeri, I’ll make it up to you. I don’t like you but I have to admit that despite the various arguments you’re a real looker and what you say sometimes makes me laugh so all in all, you’re not bad” Giselle laughed. “Oh my god, are these supposed to be an apology?” "My apologies" “You should make them better. No nice man would pursue such a lunatic." “I'm not interested in men. They're just accessories to me.”

Giselle only stopped laughing when you said that. “But the two boyfriends you had last year?” Without asking how she knew, you continued with your speech. “A Cover to keep my parents from realizing I’m a lesbian. Same old story. They were nice accessories at least”

The tension between the two of you was growing more and more. Giselle slowly approached you, first placing a hand on the floor where you were lying and then bringing a leg forward. “How long has it been since you kissed a woman, Y/N?” You gulped down. “How long has it been since you kissed a woman, Aeri?” Giselle was a millimeter from your lips, hand on your thigh, and hand next to yours. If only it hadn't been for the scream that Juyeon pulled open the door, something would have happened, Giselle quickly moved away and muttered “What an idiot he is” as if the house didn't belong to him to begin with.

“We’re back! Is everything okay or did you get into a fight?” A restrained, fake laugh came out of your mouth and so did the words that came out of it. “We were one step away from having ourselves by the hair” You couldn't describe the look Giselle gave you.

The next day at school, you noticed that Giselle’s desk was empty. Worried, even though you didn’t want to admit it, you asked Juyeon for the girl’s number. Juyeon couldn’t help but smile as you saved the number on your phone. You immediately texted Giselle, asking why she hadn’t come to school and threatening to break into her house through the window if she didn’t answer. To your surprise, Giselle responded a few minutes later with a raised middle finger emoji; to which you of course responded with another middle finger. The next message made you lose your mind. “Bitch, I'm waiting for you at my house. Don't break my door, please”.

As you walked towards Giselle's house, you wondered where this interest in such an annoying person had come from. Interest was a big word, but yesterday you were the one who almost threw yourself into the arms of a girl you felt like you had hated for a lifetime.

When you arrived in front of Giselle's house, you knocked so loudly that the one who looked out the window was the neighbor and not the interested girl. "Holy God, what a mess you make!" Giselle in pajamas and slippers opened the door and made you smile. “Cute pajamas” “Go shit”

You went up the stairs and arrived in the girl's room. The room, to your surprise, was pink wherever you turned to look at it. “Hello Kitty puked on it?” “Perhaps you mean My Melody” “Even the canopy bed, princess” Giselle lay down on the bed and waited for you to do the same. “Shall we finish the work?” “I’m in”

Compared to the day before, things seemed to be going better. It wasn’t just the arguments that kept the exchange of information going but also the moments where you both dedicated time to listening to each other’s opinions.

“Done! And fuck it all!” “Hopefully we get a good grade” "God Y/N who cares! It's already a miracle to have managed to finish something like this." You nodded to let the other person understand that for once you agreed on everything. You printed out the sheets with the part that each of you had to do for the presentation and then threw yourselves on the bed again, tired of everything.

“Do you find school that fun?” Giselle was the first to speak. “No, simply when I don't know what to do I start reading, reading, reading. At least that’s what Jimin says” “I can’t stand it.” “Maybe you can't stand the people who are there” “Yes, but I hate everything about that place. The desks, the air that makes me uglier, the men, the homework, and group studies" You thought a few more seconds before answering her and, taking a deep breath, you turned towards her. "I can make you change your mind" “You can try but I don't know how well it works” “There's me and Jimin in the class. Then we can study together and everything will seem fun!” “See… You like school” Giselle's face darkened. “I enjoy being with Jimin. There's also Juyeon! And well… I'm here." Giselle turned away and didn't speak to you anymore.

A day went by and Giselle never replied to your messages. That morning you were supposed to present the group project. Not only had she stopped responding to the messages you were sending her under the desk, but she was also late for the presentation. A terrible thought passes through your mind. Did she stay home? She knows that the teacher gives a failing grade when something like that happens.

Jimin and Juyeon brilliantly finished their presentation and the applause, luckily for you since you were supposed to present later, lasted for two minutes. “Y/N and Giselle are next. However, I see that one of the two is missing. I will have to give you a good-” The classroom door suddenly burst open and all the eyes of your classmates and yours moved from the teacher to the figure of Giselle, who noisily began with a “Teacher, Y/N and I are ready to present!” A small smile appeared on your face.

Fortunately, the presentation given by you and Giselle surprised the class and the teacher who seemed to have very low expectations. During the break, you grabbed Giselle by the arm and led her to a secluded space. It was she who spoke first. "Excuse" “Don't be sorry, strangely everything went well” A silly bit of tongue from Giselle made you grin. “It went better than expected, yes.” You nodded. That silence that now characterized your relationship was starting to be too heavy to bear. Giselle came close to your face. “Teach me what having fun at school means, you little bitch,” she began while doing nothing but staring at your lips. "I know a better way to have fun." It was your hand that brought your bodies together and united them. Within seconds, Giselle approached your lips and began to kiss you without fear of being seen. Your tongues and legs intertwined as the kiss became more wet and passionate. You were the first to break away from the kiss, leaving you breathless. “We're going a little too fast” “We're just reversing the lessons a little bit. I kissed you first so you can teach me all that bullshit about how great school is." “And what happens after I teach you everything you need to know about school?” The bell announced the end of the break. “Well, after that I can see if I trust you and if we can go further.” "So kiss, school, sex, and only if these three work can we be together?" A loud laugh escaped your lips and Giselle without answering began to head towards your classroom.

“You know Y/N, maybe my plan could work” “There’s never been a plan that I couldn’t make work” The look you exchanged sealed a long and lasting agreement between you.

[fairyhaos]

How To Fucking Write: a guide by fairyhaos

[masterlist]

this post details:

DIALOGUING INTERESTINGLY

hi gays and gals! the first post on starting and pacing a story did really well, so "how to fucking write" is back, with yet more advice and tips for everyone ^^ please feel free to let me know if there's something you want me talk about, because i'll be more than willing to see if i can help. also a reminder that i have a taglist for this series as well, and please reblog if you find this helpful :)

# - HOW TO DIALOGUE.

.. bullet point one : grammar

okay guys, as a native english speaker, i'll be the first to tell you that this language fucking sucks in terms of its grammar, but when it comes to dialogue, understanding how it works even to some extent will help you branch out and vary the way you write dialogue, which makes it so much more interesting.

with dialogue tags (said, asked, etc) if the punctuation mark in the dialogue is not a ! or ? then it should be a comma.

example : [junhui + castle]

as you can see in the first line, a comma is used rather than a full stop, because the sentence hasn't been finished yet. there's a dialogue tag, ('you correct'), that comes after it. and since the pronoun 'you' isn't a proper noun (i.e. a name) then it shouldn't be capitalised, because, again, the sentence hasn't been finished.

with action tags however, (he smiled, he stood up, etc) then it should be a full stop.

example : [i just made one up bc i don't use this a lot lmao]

"I disagree." He stood up, and walked over to close the door. "This isn't safe. You shouldn't go alone."

and now, since there is a full stop, it indicates that the speech is a sentence all by itself. that means the next word ('He') ought to be capitalised.

but the key part when grammar-ing dialogue in order to make it interesting depends on where you put the action and grammar tags.

if you constantly have lines that are just:

"dialogue," he said.

"dialogue," she said.

"dialogue but a bit longer," he said.

... then it can get repetitive, and annoying. by varying your dialogue structure, it can create more interesting dialogue.

example : [minghao + password]

there's a variety of dialogue and action tags being used with each line of dialogue, preventing everything from sounding too repetitive.

the first line starts with a normal sentence, and an action tag. the second is a standalone line of dialogue with no tags. the second has the action tag in the middle of the dialogue. and the last has a dialogue tag in the middle of the dialogue.

by varying the ways in which you write your dialogue, it makes everything a lot more interesting.

.. bullet point two : verbs and adverbs

the easiest way to make dialogue interesting, though, is to use fancy words.

this can be by replacing 'said' with a range of other dialogue tags (see this really comprehensive list for a whole variety of different words), but i'd advise against overusing these. 'said' is your friend! it's the invisible dialogue tag, helps your reader read through your dialogue in comfort, but of course, if you wanna add a nuanced way of describing the dialogue, then replacing 'said' is the easiest way to make your dialogue interesting.

but don't overuse these. for me, i'd focus on action tags and adverbs.

use interesting adverbs that add description to how a character is saying something can go miles. and using action tags that break through what could have been a long section of characters just talking? it helps so much.

i'd recommend having onelook thesaurus open as you write. you don't have to type in just words: phrases, the overall vibes of the word you're thinking of, all of that can be typed into the thesaurus and they'll provide you with pretty good results each time.

it also really helps when you've forgotten a word and can only remember vague bits of what the word should feel like.

.. bullet point three : voices

the best way, however, is ultimately to create a character. write a personality for them, bring them to life, think about the way in which they would talk and then put that down onto paper.

it's difficult, perhaps the most difficult to do, because it's also so tricky to advise someone on how to do this. it's all about the character you want to create, the personality you envision for them, and the only person who can fully write that is you.

however, i would find a few 'ticks' of theirs and use them as indicators in your writing.

for example, in my seoksoo long fic, seokmin's tick is that he always "chirps" what he's saying. and beams. a lot. this identifies his character, makes him unique(ish), and establishes his personality and differs him to the other characters.

but ultimately, it comes down to word choices, when you're writing a character voice.

like, your character describing something with elegant, floral language vs them going "this is so pretty". or perhaps making them stumble over their words when they're panicked vs them simply just going silent when they're flustered.

it's about being specific. about making choices with your words that would have english teachers analyse and unpick your writing, hundreds of years later.

(even if it's fanfic. especially if it's fanfic: because who knows how many fans may join your fandom in the next few years?)

... and that's it ! if anyone has anything else they want advice on (how to structure, how to write dialogue, how to plan etc) then just shoot me an ask, because i'd love to help however i can :)

tagging (comment/send ask to be added!): @selenicives @stqrrgirle @weird-bookworm @eternalgyu @blue-jisungs (tough luck guys btw but youre gonna be tagged in this entire series ehehehe)

[candlelitvamp]

the dom!junhan agenda is stronger than ever 🙂‍↕️ imagine him giving you an intense orgasm by fingering you before bed cause you’ve had a rough day and he wants you to fall asleep peacefully. he’s laying next to you in the dark, smirking and teasing you how all you need to feel better is getting your pussy fucked 🫠

oh my GODDD this one got me thinking. clearly, since this is way longer than i intended lmao. dinna ur brain is so big but also somehow we share a brain cell i think. as you know i am a HUGE supporter of this agenda soooo….

tags: MDNI; smut; junhanxreader; dom!junhan; fingering; Light degradation; some fluff at the end; no gendered terms/pronouns but reader was afab; severe overuse of commas

“shh, shhhh… just relax, sweetheart” he said, the hand wrapped around your torso coming up to cradle your face, thumb gently stroking your cheek as his fingers continued to move inside you.

it had been a bad day. like, a REALLY bad day. the kind of bad day that made you want to just crawl into bed and hide there. which is exactly what you’d done as soon as you got home. your boyfriend was sympathetic, and although he insisted you get back up to at least eat some dinner and change into pajamas, hyeongjun was happy to let you to to bed early. except, after over an hour, you were still awake; bothered by thoughts of all that had gone wrong that day and the potential consequences you’d have to deal with tomorrow. so you’d come back into the living room and collapsed onto the couch next to (and into) hyeongjun, grumbling about how you couldn’t sleep. at first, he murmured his apologies, petting your hair and trying to think of what to do to help his beloved. then, he turned your face to look at him, a mischievous glint in his quickly darkening eyes. “i have an idea of how to get you to sleep.”

which had led you here, lying on your side with your back to his chest, one of his hands cradling you close while the other was shoved into your pajama bottoms. hyeongjun had wasted little time, wanting to help you sleep as soon as possible (or so he’d said). he’d started by teasing your clit. first over your panties, then under them, middle and ring finger alternating pressure left and right before moving in tight circles. he could’ve done it for hours, spurred on by your soft moans and whimpers, but that wasn’t the point of the moment.

when he’d shifted his fingers downward to tease your hole, he’d been surprised to find you soaking wet already. hyeongjun couldn’t help but chuckle in your ear. “you really fuckin’ love my fingers, don’t you baby?” he said, slipping both in with little resistance. you let out a slightly embarrassed whine at his comment, but it was quickly cut off by a gasp as his fingers curled inside you, searching for your g-spot. “aw come on sweetheart, don’t be like that. i think it’s cute.” he murmured into your ear between kisses against your neck. “besides, it just makes it easier for me to make you feel good. and you know i love doing that.” at that moment, as if to prove his point, he found the spot he’d been searching for, rubbing against it with precision. “there we go, just relax baby. take deep breaths. you work so hard, just let me spoil you a little, alright?”

he continued to move his fingers, crooking them against that most sensitive spot inside you in a way that had you panting heavily and gripping his arm that was around you. your moans began rising in pitch, signaling to your boyfriend that you were quickly approaching your orgasm. “jjun” you whined “i-i can’t, i’m gonna-” “sshhhh it’s okay darling, i know. you’re doing so good, being such a good little slut for me. just relax and breathe through it, i’ve got you.” with that, he shifted his hand so his palm rubbed against your clit as he continued to move, sending you powerfully over the edge. he worked you through it, slowing down as your body settled into aftershocks, and stopping when you whined with over-sensitivity.

hyeongjun pulled his hand out of your bottoms, bringing his fingers to his mouth and licking them clean. when your breathing finally slowed and you turned to cuddle into his chest, he whispered to you “think you can sleep now?” “yes. definitely.” you replied. he smiled a bit at this, murmuring to you about how “i knew all you needed to feel better and fall asleep was to get your little pussy fucked.” usually, you would’ve lightly smacked his chest for a teasing comment like that, but in the moment you were too far gone, already being pulled rapidly into sleep. when he was sure you were truly out, breathing slow and body still, he leaned down to gently kiss your forehead. “sweet dreams, baby. i love you.”

(a/n: this is my first like. actually written out fic so i hope y’all liked it! pls forgive any spelling/grammar mistakes, english is my first language but i am stupid and this is p much unedited lmao. feel free to send me an ask for more like this 👀 i hope u have a good day/night depending on when you read this 🥰)

[moonshynecybin]

who do you think would deal better with being isekai'd into omegaverse, marc or vale? alternatively which is more compelling

most beautiful ask. in the world. so funny. ummmm i think. vale is maybe more compelling because his issues with it would be. perhaps unsolvable and endlessly complex. guy who is a lil weird about gender, not terribly into the concept of marriage, and is pretty fundamentally adverse to being. shall we say emotionally legible/vulnerable. exposed. and omegaverse as a genre is all about exposure. its all. giving into the base instincts of your body and those same instincts giving you away to the object of your affections. its going into heat and the person youre in love with is the only one available to help you through it. its scenting someone and that being a crystal ball of their emotions and bodily state ESPECIALLY ie how much they want you specifically. its needing someone so bad you are literally insensate. its getting bonded 5ever and ever irrevocably, OFTEN in the heat of an instinctual moment without the relationship negotiation that happens irl. a genre centered around a betrayal of the body/heart to the mind, in many ways

now imagine you didnt actually grow UP in an omegaverse so you have no toolbox to DEAL with all that. sensory input off the SHITS. and. like suddenly and without WARNING now vale can feel in his CHEST exactly how distressed marc marquez is about every one of their interactions. and how much he wants his ass. like truly every part of his hind brain is like jesus christtttttt i should be inside him right tf now im a terrible alpha. and then the higher part of his brain is like what the fuck. what the fuck. i am not responsible for marc, what the fuck. and oh hey theres a bump on my penis i need to ask people about this right the hell now. thats vale. so i see this as a somewhat fraught comedy of sex errors where his ADHD ass is treading horny water trying to learn alpha manners and also. much more complexly. not fall into all of the traditional alpha expectations/roles. that little trap of gender. because at heart vale is a little trickster who loves to buck expectations!!! and maybe his journey here is realizing that he can just be himself comma sex freak. and that leaning into those "alpha" traits doesnt mean he is conforming lmao he can still have his own unique version of his family. learning the norms of a society and what makes sense to him and what still doesnt. sorting through the weeds of it. and that being vulnerable rules sometimes. and that marc loves him. because that last one is kind of hard to ignore now... again because of that emotional and physical vulnerability that comes with the genre... honestly him knowing all of that about marc without having to actually TALK about it may solve some of their problems tbh. like why work through all that verbally when you can sniff them and then fuck them. kind of the omegaverse fantasy in quite a few ways

marc. jeez louise. i think would HATE it more. at first. control freak 9000. maybe has to miss races for heats. suppressants arent legal. experiencing weird omega sexism if we want to go that route OR. my favorite. has been lying to the press about his status since he presented. tiniest 15 yr old youve ever seen: im an alpha ! :3 uh sure bud. sure. i bet. SO actually maybe he falls into a world where hes just been white-knuckling it for the last billion years during race weekends and most of the paddock kind of KNOW (scent blockers only go so far...) but are lowkey afraid to call him on it dlkjdfljldsfd... similar to vale in this scenario, he sort of has to learn how to omega— and when his heat hits during summer break and his ass start leaking in the middle of the spanish equivalent of walmart, he finds a psycho little ziploc bag of sweaty vale shirts under his bed and he genuinely is like girl what the hellllllllllll.... wiggin out. and his next heat he turns up to race with truly NO practice managing it all, so its way more obvious than normal and the farce is growing thinner and vale literally pulls him aside to be like hey are you GOOD ? but in that valentino not that i care about your ass kind of unspeakably divorced way and marc is like woag. bc a pheromone truck just ran him over. eyes glassy face flushed sweaty as hell mouth a little open.... and he opens his mouth to make an excuse and nothing comes... and then obviously they fuck like its the end of the WORLD

and like i DO think marc pulls out of it more cleanly than vale overall, bc something in HIS lizard brain would be deeply soothed by like. excelling at being an omega. getting an A + in being a bottom. doing that for vale, specifically in the context of pushing his body to the absolute LIMIT to do it.... hes locked in. its go time. and then theres the insane possibility of vale putting his mouth on his neck and them getting basically soulbonded forever where they have to have crazy sex every few months ? hes like ummmm okay. i could get used to this for a while lmao

[edgebug]

in addition to all the victims, of course, i feel terribly bad for the memory of sir pterry, that he has to be posthumously involved in all this

good omens is a good novel because sir pterry wrote most of it lmao. it's very clear from every good omens thing that has come out since he left us that he was the entire heart and soul of the novel and gaiman didn't understand the characters at all despite having supposedly written them

sir pterry deserves better than to be associated with this shit and i will continue to appreciate good omens (novel) as one of his works. however comma i will no longer be doing anything at all that gives gaiman any money. don't watch go3 when it comes out bc I guarantee you it will be dogshit and 100% not worth it

[truly-a-snitch]

I loved the heterochromia headcanons thank you!

Could i request Ranpo and dazai with a s/o who is very protective because of loss in their past so they are so afraid of losing them. Like if they get hurt they’re going to be on a warpath and the person who hurts the person they care for will be pissing their pants.

-🧛

tyty !! also LMAO yes ofc ofc this just sounds like junichiro lowk.

u didnt say if u wanted hcs or something else so ill write some hcs for ya :3

WARNINGS: a little suggestive in dazais but nothing super explicit, otherwise p much fluff i think ? idk if it counts as fluff but like nothing Bad happens :3

---

ranpo and dazai with an s/o who is protective and is scared to lose them

ranpo

ranpo knew before he saw it in action honestly. before he saw the way you would shoot people glares if they even mentioned stealing his snacks, or how you would chew out people when you heard them mention that he didn't 'actually' have an ability, he noticed it in the way you carried yourself

he doesn't want you to feel like you have to walk on eggshells around him !! he's the most blunt person you will ever meet, and he doesn't care what other people think (until it comes to you, it seems)

he makes sure you know he isn't going anywhere ♡

to the point like if he enters a room and sees you in that room, he is attached to your side until he's inevitably pulled away from you for work

(he's very touchy in general, i think his love languages are physical touch and quality time)

he thinks it's REALLY funny when you get upset with people. not because making you upset is funny, but because he loves how people react when they're on the receiving end of it. it's all in good fun of course ^_^

that being said, he also doesn't get his feelings sincerely hurt very easily

but seeing how protective you get is the biggest mood booster for him ♡

he doesn't really behave the same way- that is to say he doesn't try to SCARE whoever hurts you

however comma. he will rip them to shreds by just like pointing out everything that's wrong with them

dazai

oh he is most definitely into this side of you. 100%

similarly to ranpo, he doesn't really get his feelings hurt very easily, but if he does, seeing you go up to bat for him is the best pick me up

like he will do a complete 180 in terms of his mood

(you're probably being dragged to the nearest private or semi-private space- depending on your comfort level with it- once you calm down a bit)

he's similar, which is part of why he's so into it

like does he try to be a good person because of oda. yes. but he was also part of the mafia for a significant portion of his formative years so if you get hurt he is doing the EXACT same fucking thing you would do

his love language is 100% acts of service btw

dazai is like genuinely terrifying when he wants to be however if you express disconfort with him going around and scaring people for hurting you he knows how to reel it in

when you do it he's off to the side cheering you on for real !!

he is also very touchy, that's how he like silently reassures you that he isn't going anywhere, with like his hand in yours or his fingers in your hair or whatever

(he is ALWAYS touching you genuinely)

he's another smart cookie like ranpo so he figured out this would happen and he had some thoughts abt it. that's all i will say

[chericheribaby]

Fanfiction Author Interview Game

thank you for the tag @moonheavens i loved snooping on your answers hehe <3

How many works do you have on AO3?

seven at the moment! that will change pretty soon...

What's your total AO3 word count?

105,014 but that's because it's counting my hidden works! (about time and my jegbb)

Your top 5 stories by kudos/likes:

archenemies (or so he thought) | if you care for me pls don't read this lmao, this was my first born and it's... yeah, please don't. (somehow this is my work with the most hits which is terrible)

Don't threaten me with a good time | the sequel of archenemies, same warning lol

When it rains | I liked how this one turned out, it's silly and lovely and it has pastries which is nice so, yeah!

Some sunny day | oh this one, this one is so soft and so sweet, the fluffiest of fluffs. it has mexican james, chilean remus, little harry and little luna <3 a day at the beach <3

light as a feather, soft as a kiss | my first drarry <3 love a good pinning and pathetic draco just as the next guy

(shout out to as warm as the calabrian sun that was one kudos away from making it to this list)

Do you respond to comments?

I do but not as often as I should, I have a lot of unanswered comments in my inbox but one of my goals for this year is to answer all of them, I love comments and I have this idea that maybe people don't comment because they see I don't answer comments that often :/

What's the fic you've written with the angstiest ending?

I wouldn't say the angstiest ending because i like happy endings but slow dancing in the dark is the angstiest fic I have, though i want to believe it's more of a hopeful ending :•) (the people who read it might disagree)

What's the fic you've written with the happiest ending?

like i said, i like happy endings but if I have to choose, maybe some sunny day, it's has a pretty sweet ending I think!

Do you write crossovers?

not really, no!

Have you ever received hate on a fic?

nope!

Do you write smut?

I have but it's not posted yet! you can get back to me a month from now tho...

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

not that I know of!

Have you ever had a fic translated?

nope!

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

no but I’m waiting for my friends to shoot the shot with me…….

What's your all-time favorite ship?

drarry my beloveds <3

What's a WIP that you want to finish but don't think you ever will?

The Empire of the Sun, it was a big project of mine, one i really liked! it was a jegulus dystopian au, I had the whole idea drafted but I've seen how people treat fics and authors in this fandom, specifically with this pairing and that kinda made me. not want to continue writing it, honestly. Also it's a big ass fic so, I don't think I'll ever finish it anyway.

What are your writing strengths?

I think maybe inner dialogue, I like to ramble a lot inside my little puppet's head so, probably that. I'm kind of an oblivious self-deprecating author so I'm very Unaware of these things.

What are your writing weaknesses?

A year ago I would've said my inability to finish anything but that's not true anymore so, probably the lack of flexibility, sometimes i want something to make sense and i research and I spiral that something is not quite right when in reality this is fucking fiction and i need to calm down and remember is not that serious!! (also long ass sentences like this one... not even a comma im Insane)

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

All in, I even have dialogue in french and spanish in my fics so. I particularly appreciate it when the author leaves the translation in the notes so i know what they're talking about hehe

What's a fandom/ship you haven't written for yet but want to?

Good Omens, I have a azicrow/ineffable husband's fic in my drafts so, maybe that will see the light of day someday! also, Agatha All Along, agathario, those two tempt me to write something for them....

What's your favorite fic you've written?

About Time, Scars and the Brightest Stars, that fic is like, my baby and I'm so proud of how is coming along! can't wait for you to read it!!!

no pressure tags: @static-radio-ao3 @residentrookie @ecstarry @kaaaaaaarf @aeoneskova @rae-lune @inevitablestars @velanavis @emlovessid @itsjaywalkers and OPEN TAG!!

[misterbenzadrine]

♡ day 3: johnny lawrence ♡

JOHNNYYYYYYY

so ik the way i talked about him in previous posts made it seem like i didn't like him, and that's so not true !! i just hate the way he treats robby lmao

that much aside, i love johnny. i love miguel and he truly means the world to me but johnny was a close-second motivation to keep watching the show. i was familiar with the movie as much as most people but his personality in the show was truly so captivating like dude this guy was an asshole in the movie but he actually has a really good backstory and justification?? i love him. he is the man ever.

my fav s1 Johnny unhinged moments have to be:

"hey i'm miguel, my family and i just moved in next door!" "great, more immigrants."

"my doctor said i might be on the spectrum" "idk what that is but you better get off it pronto"

"the kids at school make fun of her" "that's what happens when you eat an entire box of twinkies every day"

bonus points for the audition reader reading the line "this is the after photo? that sucks, you should sue" as a mean mocking line but billy somehow makes it sound like he's genuinely concerned

so anyways, i love his character so much. and i maintain that he is a shitty deadbeat and has a weak excuse for not being robby's life. bc again, i reiterate from robby's post, ten-year-old robby isn't sitting there grateful johnny recognized he wasn't emotionally or mentally stable enough for a kid, he was just wondering why his dad didn't want him. however comma, as an adult and knowing that he recognizes that's the lowest time in his life, i understand where he's coming from.

despite his mom's best efforts, and how cocky he was in cobra kai, i don't think this man has had a day of comfort in his LIFE. the closest he got was definitely the s6 season premiere where he had carmen, his baby on the way, robby and miguel with him, kreese and silver locked away (at least he thought), and his dojo. then he found his dojo building torn down so the comfort was ripped from under him again lmao.

but how fitting that the character that's never thought he's worth anything and never felt good enough removed himself from his son's life for fear of screwing him up the same way his stepdad screwed with his head as a kid. (then unintentionally giving robby the same complex ABSOLUTE CINEMA)

and on that note, johnny's yearning and desperation is so addicting personally. i think that's what draws me to him so much. i mean he's inherently really funny and i know what i said about miguel in his post but obviously johnny and daniel (mainly johnny) take center stage in the show every time. i think miguel is a personification of the plot but johnny and daniel ARE the main characters (again mainly johnny, it literally started out as a redemption arc for johnny)

but what really sells that redemption for johnny is you can tell how much he wants good things but never tries for them. you can see even though he forgave daniel at the end of tkk, and he didn't fall back into kreese's manipulation at the beginning of tkk 2, he still passes by that karate trophy and has a disappointed look on his face. he knows daniel had enough skill to fight him well enough but he still wishes he'd won, still regrets losing. he has robby's picture on his fridge in a mostly photo-less apartment, why? he took himself out of robby's life. it's because he WISHES he could've been a better person, a better dad, someone who wouldn't be embarrassed to be present for his son. and he still loves and cares for robby, he just doesn't think it'll do either of them any good to see how and when johnny ruins his life. his apartment is lifeless, he wishes he had a family that could keep him company, a girlfriend/wife, something. he goes to work and you can see it on his face, he wishes he had a better life, a better job. HIS WHOLE CHARACTER IS FILLED WITH REGRET AND YEARNING.

but evidently, based on how much he holds onto that crappy car until it gets destroyed and how he never really tries to get a better job or meet new women or reach out to robby, he doesn't think he deserves that better life (probably a side effect from his stepdad and kreese telling him how much of a loser he is). he never tries to change his routine bc he believes he inherently ruins everything. no point in trying if you know how it'll end.

that is until miguel gets there. miguel's in a league of his own entirely. and this happens to be around the same time he encounters daniel (who is admittedly a BIG jerk) (maybe johnny deserves it) (idk i don't think so). so johnny gets fired, some girls (namely larusso's daughter) hit his car, larusso mocked and embarrassed him, and this dweeb miguel is begging him to pick up karate again and be his sensei. so even though his life was shitty and lonely before, it somehow gets even shittier and maybe he figures "what do i have to lose?" maybe he's just sick of not trying. maybe karate is the only good thing he ever had in his life (other than his mom and maybe ali) and he wants to feel that spark again. wants to feel like the greatest at something again. wants to feel good enough again.

so he picks it back up, leases the dojo, starts training miguel. and even through all the drama, his spark comes back in full force. he is getting respect from his students (plural !), he's training really good fighters, miguel sees the good in him, and larusso's smug smirk is finally wiped off his face, and that specifically brings johnny SO MUCH satisfaction. just seeing daniel not so perfect anymore. (oooh they are NEVER beating the lawrusso allegations)

so in s1, johnny's not feeling much regret aside from his relationship with robby, which he does try to mend but things are so badly damaged it'll take a bit. but even then, all those things he was yearning for, he was slowly getting them, just in ways he never expected. he FINALLY wins again at the all-valley as a sensei. he gets that father-son bonding with miguel, who sees him as this great and kind father figure. his students keep him company and look up to him, following his every word. he's found his dream job ! he gets to inspire kids to push toward being stronger and more confident people, day in and day out.

but he's still not satisfied. because that win at the all-valley was at his son's expense. miguel is great but he always wished to be that present with robby too. he still goes home to his empty apartment, to that empty fridge with a lone six-pack inside, to that old picture of his son, and sits alone with no one to keep him company. his job still isn't taken seriously, and in comes kreese, making his job that much more stressful. because teaching kids is great, 100%, but it's also one of the hardest jobs out there. bc kids are impressionable, kids are like clay, not even the sculpting kind but the play-doh kind, they're so soft and moldable, one little word, one unintentional message, it'll stick with them forever and they'll go down a path you didn't want for them.

so in s2 everything is kind of getting more complicated for johnny, he takes time to try to point his kids back in the right direction but kreese is just as manipulative as ever and all the kids breathe in every word he says (even miguel who sometimes questions it but does still fall into his trap like johnny did as a kid).

the school fight happens, johnny is a bottomless pit of self-hatred and regret. miguel wakes up but blames him for what happened to him (just for the moment, he eventually forgives him). but then johnny does something so uncharacteristic, he keeps pushing. he easily could've given up, ghost miguel like he did robby and resolve that he made his life worse and should stay away. but he doesn't. he goes back to miguel and decides it's his responsibility to help miguel walk again, to get him through this difficult time.

then he starts a new dojo (bc he just found a job he's passionate about), he eventually gets off his ass to reach out to robby (but robby by that point has emotionally sealed himself off again), he starts officially getting together with carmen, and things are looking great.

and that is because he is a YEARNER and a LOVER (lover used very loosely). he may think he's pathetic and doesn't deserve good things, and he may think the world is a crockpot of shit, but DAMN IT if he has a chance to do something good for everyone who's made his life worth living, now that he finally feels in control of his own life, he's gonna do it. (it's very much george bailey in It's a Wonderful Life) (WHICH SOMEONE ACTUALLY MADE A FIC OF AND I LOVED IT, I CAN'T REMEMBER THE NAME BUT JOHNNY IS SO GEORGE BAILEY CODED THE PARALLEL WORKS SO WELL)

so yeah, johnny is the coolest bc he actually has really good progression and character development. while this can absolutely be said for all the other characters, johnny's is especially interesting for a character that started as a bit of an anti-hero. he was made to rival daniel, be his moral foil, be kind of an ass. but in the show, we see another side of him. he's flawed obviously, he's prone to mistakes, and he's not by any means perfect. but there is a steady progression, he gets better with each season. he grows and learns, which is an INCREDIBLE feat not only as a man in his MID-50s, but as a gen x-er. (as someone with gen x parents, it is NOT easy to change their ways of thinking, they are stubbornly addicted to nostalgia for some reason)

but johnny does grow. he's a little racist in the beginning, as a joke obvi, and makes jokes about miguel but he stops because he sees that miguel and his family are people just like him, that his jokes may even perpetuate the way other people see them just for being immigrants (in so many words obviously). he's fatphobic in the beginning but afterward doesn't comment on anyone's general weight (especially not the kids). he's sexist at the beginning but after training aisha, tory, sam, and devon, plus dating carmen, PLUS his new baby girl on the way, he unlearns all of that sexist language and way of thinking bc again, he learns to love these people at their level, and he understands (without the technical inclusion jargon) that everyone is different and he doesn't need to poke fun at it to make a point.

he knows the world is cruel and he does his best to prepare his students for that. but he knows how to do it without being a complete dick now. (plus most of his comments are genuinely from a place of ignorance/not knowing. i truly don't think most of what he says is to be mean, he just has no filter for his confusion dksfkj)

personally, as much as i give the writers grief for their whacko storylines and weird obsession with specific characters and tropes (AND STEADFAST REFUSAL TO PUT IN MORE ACCURATE FEMALE AND LGBTQ+ REPRESENTATION) i can really tell that they made this series as passionate johnny fans. because he feels like such a well-developed character. (again some of the stuff is stupid but i'm talking overarching characterization)

i truly feel like the johnny we see in tkk is the same johnny we see in ck. even though daniel and even mr. miyagi feel disconnected sometimes and way out of character, johnny feels like himself, just blossoming in a beautiful way that stays true to his character. and giving him that happily ever after is corny yeah but lowkey, i can forgive the cliché just this once bc i really feel like johnny deserves it. they've made a character that feels so accurate, so real, that it's easy to empathize with him.

well anywho, that's my rant :3

i love him with carmen. i think it's a little weird but also really cute, idk.

i also hope in pt 3 they give him more screen time with robby bc seriously that "you're my son too" speech was amazing (and ANOTHER sign of how much he's grown since s1 johnny wouldn't know how to convey all that so eloquently or even want to open up like that, especially to his son) (and the following moment where he doesn't immediately get violent with the plane guy, oh yeah, johnny's growing and maturing) but he really didn't spend that much time with robby. and that's his son so like...get on it mr. lawrence.

!! headcanons !!

johnny takes miguel and robby for a few "final" boy's nights before miguel leaves for college (this is all three's fondest father-son bonding memory)

(this is in direct contradiction to THAT leaked scene but idk maybe it'll be in pt 3, maybe i'll settle on being delusional) johnny doesn't know the first thing about how to research, he barely knows how to use his phone. but with carmen's help (meaning he brought the idea to carmen and she did most of the work), they research potential schools and programs for robby to apply to after graduation. they obviously don't know what he wants to do but they pick out some good options. carmen makes sure robby knows it was 100% his dad's idea. (johnny doesn't want robby settling like he did and wants him to get a good education/job) robby and johnny have a very tearful moment punctuated by a hug.

like robby, johnny gets along extremely well with rosa. unlike robby, he doesn't actually understand most of what she says, just picking up a few phrases and going based on her vibes alone (his favorite is "chinga tu madre". he doesn't understand fully what it means, and he can't personally pronounce it, but he knows madre is mother. and after hearing rosa mumble it enough about jerks in public, or the time that guy cut in front of her at the grocery store, he gets the idea)

he's so focused on not screwing up this relationship with carmen and his new daughter that he tries a little too hard sometimes ("johnny, you didn't need to make dinner. no, it was a nice gesture but now there's a burnt chicken in our oven.")

no one really tells him anything bc why would they? but he hears rumblings of the kids' sexualities and tries to be cool about it ("miguel i thought you said you can't call people queer anymore. the mouthy one obviously is but why do you get to say it?" "no, it's nice that your girlfriends are really close but going to prom together is a little weird, isn't it?")

devon definitely makes him do tiktok trends but he doesn't actually know what she's doing ("you want me to say what? scooby-doo toilet rizz?" "i'm not dancing" "this isn't going to the internet, is it? i better not see a picture of me with bedazzled chick glasses everywhere.")

he attends devon's graduation (he complains enough about the parking and security and how long it is but he's the one who wanted to go)

he doesn't like brussel sprouts. idk i feel it in my bones. not important, never comes up. he just hates them. or okra. it's probs a texture thing. maybe it's a daniel thing since he loves both.

he unconsciously gets closer to and more protective of tory after the sekai taikai, not realizing before how similar they were. even though he doesn't have much time with her at the dojo before she leaves to be an adult, he still asks robby about her and talks to her at family gatherings/parties

he ALSO checks in on sam from time to time, either hearing about her from miguel or daniel

although miguel and robby are quite social, neither them nor johnny particularly likes parties (miguel likes them but gets bored after making his rounds, robby gets overwhelmed by how many people there are, johnny just doesn't like being social bc he's awkward). so all three usually stick to a corner and talk to each other, occasionally leaving to talk to their gfs but eventually coming up with any excuse to leave together

he still exclusively listens to classic rock but robby introduced him to ghost and he likes hearing some of their songs on the radio (his favorite song from them is dance macabre)

even though his daughter grows up looking like carmen, obviously, he's always taken off-guard by how much she looks like his mom. (he hugs her a little tighter every time he notices).

while he spends the most time with his daughter (with carmen of course), there are times when he's genuinely really busy or needs a break and he reluctantly lets someone else watch her. it's usually family (miguel or robby with their girlfriends or rosa) but sometimes, if he stops by the dojo for a quick moment, chozen and/or daniel keep an eye on her. and she LOVES them. johnny's not at all annoyed when she asks him a million questions about mr. miyagi and when she can practice katas (not that she even knows what those are)

when she gets older, though, he does start to ease her into karate, really simple stuff, and really hammers in the message that she doesn't need to use karate to take her anger out on people (she doesn't know about the school fight) (they don't want to tell her about it) (idk maybe carmen tells her when she gets closer to adulthood) (and that's on johnny/robby/miguel never dealing with their trauma !)

conclusion: i love johnny. he is so flawed but so real, the writers have obviously put the most work and passion into him and it really shows. as goofy and random some storylines are, i genuinely always like what they do with johnny bc he seems like the one character allowed to be unpredictable. and i genuinely am glad they saw something in him in that first karate kid movie and decided to move forward with this project. they have cultivated something amazing and given incredible closure to one of pop culture history's most polarizing antagonists and i truly feel like even if there are future renditions, johnny's story is finally complete forty years later. johnny, you've been amazing, you've been thrilling, and if now is your time to go, what a perfect send-off.

[cinderspots]

Do you guys ever think of how beautiful it is that even when you come and go, you live on?

Specifically, I'm talking about word and speech patterns. For me and several other people I know, when I am close with someone, I intake the things they say and make them a part of my vocabulary. Isn't that nice to know? That there is a forever inside joke between people you once knew and the ones you know now?

When I was a sophomore in high school, I knew these two girls, one a senior and one a junior. Now I am friends with said senior post high school, but at the time, I and her did not talk. But i adored the junior, who was best friends with the senior. Not in any sort of weird crush way but more like the friend crush, they are so cool type of thing- but the junior had a habit of saying "so true" in response to very serious or silly things with no remorse or impulse control before backtracking when they realized it wasn't appropriate- they told me that they started doing it because of the senior. And then even now, years later, I myself saying "so true" like a parrot who's repeating the words of an owner no more, but remembers all the same.

When I was even younger, a baby freshman, I was (to my undying embarassment) not only a wattpad enjoyer but a wattpad role player. If you don't know what that is- close your eyes and let yourself remain innocent young one. There was this one person I roleplayed with in particular @imsososolesbian that had a fixation on the oxford comma- that's right I wasn't born with the comma affliction- and after talking to them (with the // of real conversation before we immediately decided we'd rather just talk to each other than play pretend) I noticed that I had developed this habit of using the comma far far too much (the disease unfortunately is uncurable and set for life) because the speech pattern worked on me through text rather than talk. Me and that person don't talk anymore and that's really sad sometimes, but I like to think that maybe I gave them something back, like my tendency to leave auto cap on so all my texts start with a capital unless I'm on my computer. We pass each other like ships, and I try to check in, and they do the same, but we aren't quite as close as before. That's okay.

Also in Freshman year I became friends with a group of kids on my bus (it ends in tragedy and the familiar ridiculous high school drama) and this one girl in the group who was my age and shared chemistry with would spell out LOL with her hands and say the letters individually- to be ironic it occurs to me now, but back then I just thought it was funny. At first, when I adapted it into my vocabulary, I did it the same, but I found that my brain did not like moving my hand along with it, and so I just spelled it. LOL and LMAO were and still are my big offenders because I was not doing it to be ironic. That girl literally altered my brain chemistry, and I can not think of it another way. Because the things we take from others are changed in our care, but that doesn't make it any less shared.

Hearing Mariah Carey, who i actually did not care about before we had this tiff about her last Halloween, makes me think of @bee-nutauthor . Because it doesn't always spread the way i expect, the song, the name, the words themselves make me think of my friend. I don't look at art anymore and just think in legible thoughts, I eat art, I eat your praise, I bark at things I like a lot, I use abomination words that do not exist, I am extremely familiar with pompompurin because @dead-finch-420 a fixation, in fact Finch is my fixation spreader because theyre always dragging me into it. Isn't that nice too? To be thought of when someone enjoys media, to be remembered we long as that media exists and if not there in memory of it? Because the closer I am to someone, the worse it is. In all the other examples, I would describe the people I picked things up from as an acquaintance friend. Not particularly close, but close enough. When I see bugs, I first scream (loudly), and then I think, "Would Lemni like this?"When I watch horror or see the sky during the night, or view the snow as it falls, I think,"Would MJ like this?" I think and think and think and it's all because of these things, these words, the visions, and I see everyone I've ever known in everything there is to see.

In my Junior year I started to use the word "girl" and "girlie" because of a coworker that I grew very close to used it very very often on me, she also inflicted me with the "like" curse for its second round on my brain- it hasn't gone away since. We still talk because I can remember you when you're still here, which can be sad sometimes, but also comforting in a way. If I can remember you while you're here, I can remember you when you're gone.

@split-milk-7 Someone who I view to be my best friend has inflicted many vocabulary additions. We met on a re8 Miranda discord because Miranda lovers are so very rare, and we decided that of course we should be friends married and we are technically wife and spouse. But they had a particular fixation on using "bestie" to refer to me every other sentence. I am physically incapable of not using the word "bestie" in a sentence while talking aloud to people. I could not resist it. My brain decided it liked that word above all, and so here I am.

@h-doodles I was never someone who bit before I joined the meower server, filled with people who I consider to be my closest friends in the world - and I've never met a single one of them. I find that I like biting. I will think of them eternally as the meowers, for all our jokes will live in my head for years until I can no longer remember why I say these things, but I say them all the same. Because it's inevitable that you forget, but do they need to remember you for your words to live on? People will continue to say the things you said, and they may not know you gave that to them, but it will continue to spread the same way slang spreads eternally. It lives. @zeleneagle, I am not awake, I am an awaker. For some reason, I use :3 now. I bite because I love, and sometimes because angy, boi, floof, birb, borb, whatevah, music, movies, pictures, life, and death, it's everywhere.

To me, you are everywhere.

And I think that's beautiful in a way that I myself can not always appreciate, on the days when the world seems so dull and empty and unwelcoming and so not made for me. I think I should try and think of this when it gets like that, when my bed feels like the only place I can be safe. That the world is full of you and friends and love alongside the enemies and hate and sadness. And if the world is full of you, then doesn't that also mean it's full of me? That I might live on in others the same way you live on in me? That I made an impact on someone, however minor, that I mattered? That you mattered?

I wonder what I've given off to someone else to live on and be remembered for. I hope it wasn't something stupid like me saying people's names in a British accent and pronouncing it really wrong on purpose.

They might resent me a little for that

[atopvisenyashill]

alright things i liked

baela pointing out that jace is not the first bastard to inherit a seat that isn’t his by blood. that was a fun convo and i loved the back and forth and i love that she comes at it like “why are you moping do you think you’re the only bastard in the fucking world” and jace is like barely able to argue his point that LIVING that reality is so much more draining than she realizes, he’s too busy daydreaming about strangling ulf to death over the kitchen table.

everything helaena did. sensing daemon is having a dragon dream and using it to get him back to rhaenyra’s side, the way she really was listening to alicent’s idea about running away to essos together, letting her mother speak her piece in her defense, then going out onto the balcony knowing aemond is going to corner her and giving him the dressing down of his LIFE while he cries, all very good.

abigail thorne. omg. am i mad she’s not sabitha frey? yes. was she still hilarious? also yes.

ESSOSI OUTFITS THAT LOOK GOOD. WE GOT BLUE HAIR FOLKS!!!!

ulf and hugh and addam. trying to find their place, trying to bond with their dragons and each other, unsure of their footing. addam looked ready to turn to goo in his chair. hugh wincing at every “lowborn” quirk ulf has. ulf going ham on acting like ulf bc he’s nervous & telling jokes to cover it. loved it.

alys alys alys. crying at daemon’s bedside at what’s to come, at what she’s going to face next. do you think she saw simon’s death and wept for her silly uncle. does she grieve her cousins before they have even died. does she weep at daemons bedside knowing she’s leading him to his end.

larys and aegon. the whole scene was so good, the way larys is really trying to convince aegon to leave & fight another day and he has like a VERY solid plan but aegon is so completely shaken up bc he just had no idea aemond hated him that much, this is just what love is to him, is this constant push pull of humiliation and abuse that hes still as blind as he was when he was a child to the way his actions affect aemond.

alfred brune just nervously disappearing into the crowd after Daemon gets everyone singing “god save the queen” is so fucking funny. man is like “oh i misread that one HARDCORE i am about to get ate by a fucjing DRAGON while those two watch and fuck nasty” his ass is GRASS lmao

things that were booty, ass even

every single scene helaena had should have come earlier in the season. there’s no reason alicent & helaena couldn’t have had this convo in the last episode instead of alicent fucking off to the godswood for a swim.

i think it’s fine In Theory that alicent goes to rhaenyra and basically surrenders. she’s been shut out of power, she’s lost control of aemond, she’s terrified for helaena’s safety, and otto who was her rock & partner in all things has been gone for a long while. she’s floundering, her shitty boyfriends have abandoned her, she thinks her only shot is to work out a surrender with rhaenyra. COMMA BUT. caving to rhaenyra saying “i’m gonna have to execute aegon” was dumb & ooc. i’m tired of all these little trips between KL and dragonstone. i think that confrontation lacked a lot of punch, alicent was FAR too calm. idek what they’re doing w alicent’s reactions half the time tbh, this feels once again like being unable to let an actress just look ugly for a minute. even during a scene where she should ostensibly be nervous and freaking out, she looks immaculate & prettily distressed. i’m very much over it esp with how often we’ve seen rhaenyra look banged up or windswept or tired or whatever this season.

officially fridging marilda just takes so much intrigue out of the hull boys & alyn specifically. marilda is the only baseborn or lowborn character we get in the book that isn’t shit talked and this is likely due to alyn making SURE his mother is respected. to cut all of that for….what? more manpain? unacceptable.

pls tell me why tyland gets more haha jokey scenes than baela and rhaena get for any scenes at all. baela fights and SURVIVES the last dragon battle in westeros. rhaena is the last dragon rider until dany. they are powerful political forces just as their grandparents and parents. but they just do NOTHING it is so FRUSTRATING.

in theory i’m fine with aegon thinking sunfyre is dead and then finding out he’s alive bc sunfyre has come to rescue him from something. but if sunfyre doesn’t show up WAY EARLIER than the swan dive, if they CUT SOMEHOW THE SWAN DIVE and we don’t get to see aegon snot-crying and screaming as he holds baela’s burnt open face against a headstone and screams that he’s going to kill her for killing sunfyre while she’s glaring and daring him to fucking do it then, you all will never know peace from me. i will literally never stop bitching i will become the most annoying poster on this website i will find condal and hess and i will-

all build up and for WHAT. did they forget that even tho s6 ended with a bunch of shots of people’s armies moving there was an entire fucking battle that happened and then cersei committed religious terrorism??!!!

OH SO WE KEEP YAPPIN ABOUT DAERON ALL FUCKING SEASON JUST THIS RANDOM ASS FOURTH CHILD THAT WE DIDNT HEAR ABOUT ONCE LAST SEASON, AND ALL WE SAW WAS THAT TWO SECOND SCENE OF TESSARION FROM THE TEASER??

AND WE DONT EVEN SEE DREAMFYRE??

[sufferu]

hello figured i check on you while im still im working on chapter of Fool's odyssey and who ever suggested that "i love julius" scene is a demon. I just want to say 3 things number 1 if anyone's giving you to much trouble direct them to my fic. 2. do you have more thoughts on my fic pros or cons) it would be useful and here it is if you need a refresher The Fool's odyseey - Chapter 1 - kingace1546 - Re:ゼロから始める異世界生活 | Re:Zero Starting Life in Another World (Anime) [Archive of Our Own] 3. unrelated But its so funny to me how much wrathbaru would absolutely want to kill greedbaru. As greedbaru literally everything wrath hated and feared so i kinda wanted to share that

1. Lmao, one of the reasons I was actually really excited to see your fic is because apparently is EXACTLY what some people want from this premise. You’re gonna get a lot of fans, hopefully. They should find your fic pretty easily: by putting it in the [Inspired By] section on AO3, you actually managed to link it DIRECTLY to my current fic! Don’t think it gets any easier to find than that…

2. I think that the structure of the plot so far is very well done and also well-paced. My main criticism would probably be that there’s a bit of a lack of punctuation — namely commas and periods — as well as a couple minor grammatical errors, and I think that just trimming that up a bit would elevate everything you’ve written REALLY quickly. If you want more information about the specifics of that, message me privately and I’ll show you what kinds of changes I would suggest.

I can’t really give a lot of feedback about the premise itself because it’s so different from what I tend to write, lol, but I think it’s pretty good so far. My main suggestion just for using a setup like BTZ is to keep in mind that there are always two conversations going on at once: everyone thinks that they are saying and hearing something different from one another, and every train of thought that they’re following has to be believable from their point of view. It’s a bit of a tricky balancing act, because it relies a lot on how context shapes the meanings of words and phrases, but it’s basically the crux of the whole situation. I think what you’ve got works so far, though.

Also, you’ve mentioned before that you really like how immersive my writing style is (thanks btw :D). The trick to how to do that is actually deceptively simple: make heavy use of the five senses. Draw out what the POV character sees, smells, hears, feels, tastes, and it’ll automatically immerse the reader into your writing a lot faster than they might be otherwise.

3. You’re actually so right about that lmao, oh GOD—