#love interest's ability to care about things that are not mc: down up down

[winepresswrath]

MXTX MC conflicts go:

Yi City: my boyfriend thinks I am a prolific murderer and specifically murdered a bunch of people his bff loves to get back at him. also that I tricked him into doing murders with me, for enrichment. I did all those things but did not anticipate having a feeling about his feelings.

Scum Villain: my boyfriend thinks I want to kill him but I don't.

MDZS: my boyfriend thinks I hate him but I don't.

TGCF: my boyfriend doesn't know I exist but I'm worried that once he finds out he's going to find my eyepatch ugly and my cavern of effigies offputting.

[opiopal]

yall wanna know something I think abt a lot? teenage/ little sibling mc au's. Mc gets brought down to the devildom at like 15-16 yr, obviously there is zero romance and instead they just get kinned as the 8th sibling in the HOL.

you guys wanna know what else I think of a lot? little sibling Mc being an agent of chaos when their found family trope isnt paying attention.

I can't help but imagine that once mc is kinned they get crazy spoiled. not spoiled rotten but they know they can get away with a LOT because they're now seen as the cute youngest that doesnt know any better. but obviously they do since they are a teenager who knows how the world works.

and I mention the agent of chaos thing is because they were already attending highschool before hand, so they quickly notice how highschoolish RAD feels, so they were able to jump into the social ring a lot faster then regular Mc. and thus have the ability to get information from people who trust them/like them. so it ends up being useful to them. and now to my leading point: imagine a sort of friendship with Mephisto. its really more like, a symbiotic relationship. they are around each other for a reason. and that reason is RADs newpaper club.

it first started out with Mc staying after at RAD with lucifer to help with a few things, eventually Mc was put in a random room to hang out in after they did all that they could. which turned out to be the room for the newspaper club. after a while they get bored because their D.D.D died and they snagged a paper that was meant for the next day. eventually Mephisto enters the room, goes to tell them to leave which quickly they say "Dia told me I can be in here, if you have a problem with what the lord wants you could always go tell him that!" which shut him up fast. a good couple of minutes go by before the silence is broken by Mc speaking up and going, "You know, this is kinda boring." offended, he whips around, "excuse me?"

"theres nothing interesting here. interviews.. talking about things that everyone already knows about.. like, I could google half this junk." "I- well what would you know!?" "a lot actually. you dont appeal to any of the students here."

he glares for second before inhaling slowly, remembering that diavolo might be nearby.

"oh yeah? as if you could do better." "I could actually," "well i would love to hear it then."

he says sarcastically. though Mc speaks anyways.

mc adjusts how they were sitting and scans over the paper for a second.

"a gossip section would do it good." "what?" "come on dude, its non-sports club 101, if you want people to pay attention to you, you need to appeal to them. I was in theater for a while and we'd bribe people with free food if they sat through the whole show. this place loves drama. and lucifer being drawn riding on a unicorn isn't funny enough to get more then one person to buy it."

slowly they start talking a bit more casually and stop being so hostile. eventually Mc says that they could tell him the gossip they hear if he wants to make a part in the paper for said gossip. so, from then on they slip notes to him about student drama. which does indeed get more papers told!

though one day, someone pisses Mc off. not really that they were the one insulted, but they heard a few demons talking shit about their older brothers. so for the next week Mc takes a good amount of notes on those demons. which eventually they go to Mephisto with their notes and gave them to him. when he questions why these particular demons, he's met with a very angry "if those cunts want to talk shit and not mind their business then why shouldn't their own business get talked about." for a moment he wants to press further... but unfortunately for him he found himself actually caring about this human very much so he couldn't help but just want to make them feel better... and this much of a consititant story would draw people in so its totally not that he kinned this kid as well, totally!! so for about two weeks the gossip section has an ongoing story that causes nearly the whole school to get a paper to stay updated.

of course every bit of gossip uses code names to keep people from being outed on anything. and honestly some of the gossip might end up being people bringing it to the newspaper club themselves, so maybe a small confessions page ends up being opened.

obviously this is something a little cracked, and just a not very thought out thing that exists bc it makes me giggle when I'm daydreaming before I fall asleep<3 and honestly I wouldn't be surprised if there was already a gossip section in the school papers, but unfortunately I was never ever able to make it past the first few lessons of session 2 of obey me, which sucks:/

[uhmimlost]

Simeon has always been one of the most interesting characters in Obey me moreso because he doesn't seem like what he shows on the surface. (Spoilers ahead)

He was originally demoted to an Archangel after being a Seraph alongside Lucifer.

(This whole conversation between them was just sooo good, the mutual agony and the need to comfort each other)

He always talks openly about things he disagrees with even if he knows it opposes his higher ups, he (seemingly) did it after the war and he did so when Raphael announced Lucifer's judgement at Cocytus. All of this despite him genuinely being scared of God (it honestly seems like that is about the only thing that scares this man).

It's very melancholic how Simeon talks about the bonds the brothers have and how he is close to them but never had a chance at being 'a part of them' per say. He yearns for that kind of closeness and love and bonding and it's almost heartbreaking to think someone who often masks his emotions and how he feels had to deal with losing people so close to him so publicly.

And the fact that he didn't want it to happen again, (in this case Lucifer and MC) so he 'borrowed' the ring of light from Michael because he knew he would not be able to get it if he asked directly, all because he strongly believed that's the right thing to do. He does what he feels is right, no matter what and always speaks his truth.

He knew there would be consequences to him doing what he did, but he did it regardless and owned up to the consequences and blamed no one for it.

Here's some of my other favourite things about his character;

1. His relationship with Lucifer

His dynamic with 'Lucy' is genuinely so heartwarming. They seem to know each other too well and feel very comfortable around each other. They know how the other thinks and always seek each other out for advice or chats. It's always fun to see how cheeky Lucifer gets with Simeon and the other way round, both of whom don't show this side of themselves easily. The way Lucifer tries to act all indifferent but was probably the most concerned alongside Solomon when Simeon lost his powers.

2. Nobody can tell what he's thinking; he masks his emotions really well

Diavolo himself talks about how he thinks Simeon is hard to read and in fact difficult to talk to. It's an interesting dynamic in itself because Simeon's the kind of person who has no enemies but there is some level of discomfort distinctly visible amongst the two.

He also has wrath as his attribute, an emotion he does not openly show as often. It's actually quite funny because while he's running his cafe we see time and time again his anger is something everyone is terrified of.

Even in the latest chapter he's struggling but when asked is like nah I'm good. He's very playful in his demeanor, and although immensely kind and patient, he still lacks certain 'angelic' qualities considering he has also been selfish and deceptive.

3. Simeon is a source of comfort to everyone

He's a source of comfort to both Luke and MC and has time and time again been the source of advice and a confidant to MC.

He also made Solomon feel like he has a place to call home and people who care for him (filling some part of one of the issues at the core of Solomon) He goes out of his way to look after this whole grown ass adult.

As Lucifer put it, his ability to get the brothers to calm down with his kindness and quick thinking is something very unique to him.

Lucifer also talks about Simeon really being the only 'normal' one and someone he can talk to in the celestial realm.

----------

All in all I feel like there's a lot more I could talk about him, but feel free to add more to this. Man needs all the love he can get right now with all that's happening to him. :)

[assortedshrift]

Twst Otome Isekai AU

Reader used to love isekai but became sick of all the terrible ML’s and annoying FL’s. There is nothing worse than getting into a series with an immersive setting only for the author to waste it on terrible main characters.

Eventually you give up on the genre and focus on getting her business degree. A year after graduating things are actually pretty good, you survived the terrible job market and landed a pretty sweet gig with a decent paycheck. Now, on the anniversary of your decision to drop all light novels, manhwa, manga, etc… you decided to celebrate your good fortune with a treat from your favorite cafe. You'll never guess what happened while you were crossing the street…

So yeah, Truck-kun sends you to Twisted Wonderland, which happens to be the last isekai you read. Ugh.

Okay, so it wasn't the worst offender, there were plenty of trashier light novels out there. you were actually pretty invested in the story’s world. The MC Allison (Call me Allie!) is a down on her luck woman from the modern world who died from tripping into traffic, only to wake up in the world of Twisted Wonderland. Through her the audience meets the characters and learns about their lives. The overarching issue is the mysterious condition known as ‘Overblot’ that occurs when someone uses too much magic. Allie is taken in by the Royal Sowards Association (RSA), a multinational group dedicated to helping others. They discover that something about being from another world allows Allei to purify blot, and she saves the ML’s during their adventures.

You honestly liked the novel at first. The worldbuilding was captivating and the characters were interesting. Unfortunately as the story progressed the MC became increasingly disappointing. Allie is first presented as an average, innocent young lady who just wants to do good, but you can't think of her as anything other than a loser. It’s understandable how someone transported to a new world would start off with little agency, but despite many opportunities for character growth the MC only seems to get worse. 

Allie claims to have big dreams but never works towards them. She touts the value of being independent but stays reliant on handouts from the other characters. When faced with the suffering of others Allie cries about the unfairness of life then just… moves on. It was so frustrating for you to be shown glimpses of an interesting world while stuck with the viewpoint of such an agentless character. Considering all this, it would be an understatement to say that you were upset upon waking up in the headquarters of Night Raven Collaborative (NRC), a dark counterpart to RSA. 

If there were a need to describe NRC in one word, that word would be ‘petty’. Some time after RSA’s founding a group of villainous individuals realized that the united heroes were causing all their schemes to fail. The group reluctantly learned to work together which led to the founding of NRC, a secret society dedicated to the destruction of RSA. Now, millennia later, the heirs of these dark legacies are still trying to defeat RSA. 

But that's enough exposition, back to Reader.

You are quickly discovered by Dire Crowley, a dark fae who was tasked by the original founders to take care of the organization as a sort of regent in their absence. In the present day he is the public face of NRC’s leadership. He questions you using magic to determine who you are and why you're here.

Now, at this point it's been years since you last read Twisted Wonderland, and a lot has happened since then, so you have no idea what's going on. This is actually a good thing as your genuine confusion convinces Crowley you aren't some sort of infiltrator. He is quick to focus on the fact that you came from another world, and like Ambrose did with Allison, Crowley suspects that your trans-dimensional travels may have imbued you with special abilities. It's pretty lucky that the man got so caught up in fantasies of exploiting your potential power, because the more he spoke the more you realized exactly where you were. 

Yeah sure, as far as post death situations go it could probably be worse. But seriously? It couldn't have been a story that you actually finished? Isn't the protagonist supposed to be an expert in the fictional world? Well at least there are some secrets that you know about.

Thanks to some quick thinking, you manage to convince Crowley to give you custody of an estate that NRC owns but has mostly forgotten. It's obvious that he intends to keep you close for observation. But thanks to the novel you know that the head of NRC is a lazy penny-pincher who will take any chance to offload work onto others. From his perspective it must have seemed like a deal, you stay close while also taking responsibility for something he considers a waste of resources.

 The Ramshackle estate was originally a neutral ground for the founders to meet in. but once they built a more grandiose HQ the place was abandoned and left in disrepair. The only reason you thought of it was due to a couple chapters where junior members of the RSA  tried to investigate rumors of an evil organization, but had to stop and rescue Allie from the ghosts. There was a short interlude where the shadowy leads of the evil organization had a group call to complain about the heroes and mock them for going after such a useless place. 

Except the joke is on them because later Allie and the juniors return to discover a magic mirror that does… something. You had dropped the story before they revealed that part. The point is that there's something valuable in Ramshackle and it now belongs to you. Initially you intended to pawn the mirror and gtfo. Too bad grim had to go and ruin it. A talking monster who, as far as you remember, never appeared in the novel, but somehow managed to break into the building and worm his way into your heart.

Ugh, whatever. You can improvise.

[tuskhansworld]

Dusk and Dawn

DEMO LINK

You have failed, you have failed yourself, your mom/dad and your friends. It was your last chance to graduate, and you blew it. If only you had studied harder had done better. No one said college would be easy.

It was supposed to be an ordinary walk, one where you could ruminate in peace as you wallow in your own self-pity. Going off path was the first mistake, the second was failing to turn back when you had the chance.

What now? What direction will your life take? Is there even a chance to get back to college and if there was would you take it. Would you take the ordinary over this?

Dusk and Dawn is rated 18+ for explicit language, explicit sexual themes, drug and alcohol use, violence, morally questionable behaviour, and so much more. Dusk and Dawn is an urban fantasy type IF inspired by CYOA’S like slayer v4, gifted and supernatural detective. If you haven’t heard of this, I recommend that you do. They’re amazing.

FEATURES

Customize your MC (they whose life you will live) appearance, personality, and coping mechanisms. Will you be broken? How will you cope by being accepting in denial or dissociating

This is an urban fantasy type IF as the story progresses you will work on your character’s abilities as well as skills. Will you go down the path of a Knight, or bishop. Currently a work in progress.

Engage in fiery romances with an array of characters or not. The choice is yours.

Ros

Alexandrea/Alexander Ariti

Holier than thou attitude. Believes they are better than everyone else thus making them the best. The mental gymnastics it took to reach this conclusion is somewhat worrying. Has an ego so inflated it’s a surprise their head hast exploded yet. Sadly, is severely competent that bragging is just plain honesty to them. Considered a genius by many. Likes to pull up quotes from philosophies and other things. Actually, gives good advice if you can get over the condescending attitude.

Description: Tall with an athletic build, dark mahogany skin, with eyes the colour of honey. Their dark kinky hair is long currently worn in tribal braids inset with golden ornament and as an afro at the back. Forming a sort of lion's mane. They prefer wearing simple long flowing clothes and they took the ROOK class route.

Blaise/Blanca Everest

An absolute motorcycle riding, shades-wearing, vodka drinking badass. Knows what they want, and lord help you if you stand between them and that. Collected to the point of coming of as standoffish and whilst also being a complete and utter jerk. Rumours about them sometimes spread. B could care less. Knows obscure rituals and can get difficult to find incidents through less savoury means. Don’t ask where b gets them, seriously don’t. A close friend to St. Dew.

Description: They are of average height and have a lean, solid build. Their skin is pale and covered in beauty marks, and their eyes are hazel-coloured. Their dark hair is ear-length and trimmed into a messy but stylish wolfcut. They prefer wearing dark colours with soft, loose tops.

Isra/Isran Dawnstar

Your local “plant mom” and geek will mansplain anything they love and are interested in. Is somewhat endearing since they usually talk about interesting topics. Also, can help you research very obscure myths and legends. Can talk for hours about gardening and alchemy. Grows their own [i]alchemic[/i] ingredients. Wink An alchemical genius will brew amazing potions and philtres. Usually tests some of their more eccentric potions on themselves.

Description: Almost as tall as you, with an average build, I has a sharp jaw, high cheekbones and a hooked nose. Their eyes are sharp and narrowed, with black eyeliner used to highlight the green in them. Has a chemical burn atop their left hand from one of their first experiments. Straight dark hair that’s shoulder length.

Narrak/Narrah St.dew

An absolute darling, a literal gem. You’d be hard-pressed to find anyone that doesn’t like them. A fun-loving person who most definitely was a golden retriever in their past life. Can be a bit of an airhead. It’s not that N is dumb it's just that they could care less unless something interests them. Though don’t worry they have a lot of interests. Loves anything and everything that involves outdoors, hiking camping, though more partial to rock climbing and surfing. Knows how to give piercings, usually re-pierces their own for…reasons. One of the only people to Everest their best friend.

Description: Average height, with an athletic build though leaning towards that of a runner, their skin is the colour of caramel, with a dusting of freckles across their nose and shoulders. Long curl dirty blonde hair sometimes though rarely worn in a bun.

Rowan/Rowana Barlow

If kindness could kill then they would be wanted in four different states. Though they may have killed a few with their ‘Bear hugs’. Even then the police would let them go with a slap to the wrist. Kind to a fault. Though R knows their limits. Won’t let anyone walk over you. Prefers to talk than to fight. Has vitiligo across their body.

Description : Taller than average with a bigger build, patches of their hazelnut skin is a light pink tone. Vitiligo is most prominent on their head and face with a large section of the eye, forehead and hair affected by it. A patch of their ebon hair has lost its pigmentation as well as their left eyelash. Their eyes are dark blue.

Torek/Toren Metheka

Everyone knows about them. But is there anybody who actually knows them? Versed in both magic and fighting. They are the main reason why half of the recruits joined the Great Hunt. Tales of their prowess and skill border on legends. Is mysterious. Origins are unknown…to the general public.

Description: Tall solid thick build with broad shoulders and shoulder-length strawberry blonde hair. Their hands are large and calloused. Their storm-grey eyes stern.

Special romance route: There is a poly route but let’s save that for later.

Your choices will have consequences remember that.

[theprenderelliepalace]

Perception

part 2

Read part 1 and part 3 here:

Summary: Y/n heads over to the Salvatore residence to deliver some books, expecting to find trouble, being the odd one out and everything, she doesn't expect his name to be Damon Salvatore. What happens when things get a little more intense once she's caught red-handed?

Warnings: Swearing, alienating friends, traumatic experience, uhh self-doubting MC? Plot point Elena, mysterious supernatural stuff (so, the usual)

Word count: 2k

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I could curse Bonnie Bennet for her terrible timing. Finally, something interesting happens to me, Y/n, for a change and off he went, evaporating from the living room like hot steam in a sauna. God it was hot in here. Damon Salvatore had been drunk, he'd pinned me to the couch and kissed me, we'd fought like usual - I'd insulted him like usual- and then the inexplicable happened. I heard his thoughts. One thought to be specific, "I don't like lying, Y/n." What had that meant? Sure, the guy was attracted to me for some reason that was a cruel joke of fate, but he loved Elena! The girl I hated more than I cared to admit...

It was all so surreal. I was barely wrapping my head around it before I heard Bonnie bustle into the living room. I watched her absently, she came down the steps, threw a log onto the fire like she owned the place. Perfectly judgey, as Bonnie often was.

"Earth to y/n? I came in here five minutes ago, aren't I supposed to be the spacey one?" She smiled at me, it almost reached her eyes. Almost. "Did you bring the books?" She asked. And suddenly I was back on Earth.

"Uh, yeah, yeah." I sucked in a breath and sat up straighter on the couch. I could still feel the tingle in my lips, where he'd gripped onto my waist, where his lips had been against my ear... "So, these books. Prolly not the most legible. They've been tucked under some rock in the town library while my mom and I were traveling." Books. I was here to give Bonnie books, not think about whatever the hell let me read the leather-clad mosquitoe's thoughts. "Some of it's in Scandinavian I think. Mostly memoirs." Stop. Thinking. About. It.

I felt myself blush as Bonnie came over and sat next to me on the couch. She stared at me, almost like she was staring through me. I watched her grapple with something to say. I noticed the nervous clamp of her slender fingers in her lap. She wanted to talk to me about something important then, but didn't know how to say it. I groaned inwardly, in the last 6 months that I had been back in in this dogeball court of a town, where every second neighbour was something that could kill you, the main entourage that was the Mystic High popularity club always only looked like that when-

"Can I ask you something about Elena?" Bonnie tried. Her. That was the curse of having the enhanced ability of perception, I knew what was about to irritate me before it came out of the person's mouth.

"Sure. Shoot." I cringed. She sighed, straightening her shoulders.

"What happened between you two? One day,the four of us were best friends. The next.. you were off with your mom traveling the world. I know something happened, but neither of you will talk about it, so I just-" She was becoming breathless as I stopped her. The eagerness for answers tainting her rational sense of social courtesy.

"- Bonnie, I'm not ready to talk about it. If Elena isn't either then that's that. Besides, it's my business. It has nothing to do with anyone else besides Elena," I felt my throat clench," and me." I didn't remember standing, but I was. I had walked behind the two wingback chairs next to the fireplace and up the stairs. My feet were taking me to the front door, and honestly, I couldn't blame them. "I'll see you later Bon." I said her nickname like one of us still thought we were friends, I didn't believe that person was me.

"But we're your friends! We always have been, you and Elena shouldn't have been so secretive in the first place! We could've figured things out... Come on Y/N you've been back in town 6 months and we've barely said a word to each other. It's always about saving Elena. I know you aren't helping us because of her." I felt my jaw clench and my fists ball. I'd always been a 'fight kind of gal', I'd be loathe to hit Bonnie square in the face, but the thought crossed my mind.

"Bonnie, enough. I'm not your friend, I'm not a kid anymore. Don't treat me like one. I'm not on trial, I don't need to be. Especially with you." I looked at her, I saw her flinch, my gaze must've been harder and colder than I thought. "I'm helping Elena because it's important. I got mixed up with the Salvatores just as much as you did. Klaus is not a force to be reckoned with."

I put my hands in my pockets. Backing up to the hall, I had an airy look about my stride and my face was one of plastered lightheartedness, but I was shaking. "Enjoy your study session from hell. Call me if you need a translator. And tell Stefan whatever Caroline wanted me to tell him." She looked broken hearted as I turned and glanced over my shoulder. My heart twanged, but it was better this way. No one liked to be around the girl that could see everything. That's what I told myself.

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

I was wandering. A habit I had picked up in Italy. The streets were beautiful there, hours of aesthetic entertainment, for free. Mystic Falls wasn't as entertaining. There were trees, I sighed and glanced to my left, and trees. I shook my head and chuckled at the absurdity of it all. I was angry at Damon, how can he just kiss a girl like that and- and then speed off like a bloodsucking coward. Drunken bastard.

Truth be told, it was a good kiss a very good kiss. I felt disgusted with myself for enjoying it, he came onto me, but at the same time; there was this static tension between us. We bantered, he tried to eat me, I shot him in the foot. It wasn't very poetic as attractions went, but it was there. It was something I couldn't really explain, but it was almost as though it had been there ever since I met the guy.

I stopped walking. There was an old stump on the side of the road. It looked about as good as a chair in the woods can get. I heaved myself onto it. My legs were tired from all the fast paced walking. I'd probably have to turn around soon and head back to the boarding house for my car. It seemed like such a waste to let all these feelings cloud my judgement. Damon, Bonnie, Elena... It was more than I could handle today. I put my head into my hands, letting myself sink into my lap.

I'm 16 and I want to retire already. I laughed at the thought.

I shot up, there was a rustling in the thick underbrush. Footsteps, male, moving faster, heartbeat- wait, what?

I pinched the bridge of my nose, not again. "Hey speedy Gonzolez. Find your tail between your legs in the last half-hour?" I asked with a bitter twist to my voice. I picked up a pebble and threw it in his direction. I heard him catch it.

"Aren't you full of it today." He said it with a questioning lilt to his voice, I knew he meant it with a threat carved into his cadence. He walked around my stump and stood in front of me on the road. "Had to get sober." He shrugged at the statement, like he'd simply just said I was a girl and he was a guy.

I raised a brow at him. "Are you a clone or something? An alien trying to take over the stupid little town of Mystic Falls."

He smiled. "Not much to take over."

" All aliens need to start building their hybrid cloning nests somewhere."

"Ew." He grimaced.

"It's true. The TV done told me sir. I saws it wit' my own eyes." I imitated a southerner a little too well. Damon told me as much. I told him to shove it. He sat down cross-legged in front of me. He put his hands under his chin and stared up at me expectantly. I recoiled slightly. "Okay seriously, who are you and what have you done with duchebag Damon Salvatore?" He shrugged again.

"Dunno, but I feel like I should ask you something." He looked contemplative and very, un-Damon-like.

"Well ask away hot shot. And then go away." He was just staring at me, scrutinizing me. "Okay that's getting a bit creepy now" I felt like a frog jumping into the frying pan. I shifted and sat up straighter. "Okay I'll bite, what do you want to ask me?"

"That kiss..." He seemed lost in thought again. "What you heard me think, i felt it." I scoffed.

"Obviously bat-boy. You jumped away from me like I set you on fire." He cocked his head at me.

"You know I can't actually turn into a bat?" He was almost amused.

"Boo, reject bat-boy. What, you a Friday batch vampire? No love for the poor guy with the terrible fashion sense?"

"Hey!" Good, at least he changed his expression to something slightly normal, or whatever was 'normal Damon'. "Insult my style, I rip your throat out." I leaned forward on my knees.

"Why? It's not like you care what you look like." I looked away from him, "or what you do to other people." All of a sudden I felt heated. "You can't just kiss a girl and blame it on being drunk. Either pine for Elena or get a real girl, don't be a dick and then come out here and stare at me for some creepy fucking reason. And FOR GODS SAKE DAMON, stop staring at me..." His piercing blue gaze remained unwavering, passive and increasingly alarming.

"Can I kiss you again?" He asked. I was confused.

"I- you- what? I- no, wait. What?" He sped over to me. His black hair feathered out across his face, his lashes were long and fluttering, even though he still stared at me with those swirling ice pools, there was something in his gaze. It was almost soft, something that made those icy eyes appear as blue as the open sky. It made me feel- free. "Yes."

He was on me in a second, the fire, the passion, that hot burning sensation pressing into my lips. His hands roamed my lower back, he gripped my waist so hard I thought be could snap me in two right there. He probed my lips apart with his tongue, asking permission for entry. I allowed it, God help me. Suddenly I was pinned against a tree, he brought my thigh up and pressed it against his hip. My stomach exploded into little butterflies, my heart felt like it might give out at any second. All of a sudden my arms were wrapped around his neck and I was pulling him closer. I moaned into his mouth as we moved around each other, matching our rhythms.

We shouldn't be doing this. It was a thought, just a simple passing thought as I allowed myself to give back into him. He pulled away from me, breathless as I was. He looked at me, eyes deep and intense. I recognized that look in his eye. "You heard that didn't you?" He only nodded.

Then he was off of me and 3 feet away. I felt him put up all his barriers, brush his jacket down with his hands and turn up his collar. Like nothing ever happened. He stared at me coldly, calculating. "We need to go."

I blinked. "Where?" I was still Damon-ed out. My brain wasn't working like it should've been.

"Georgia. I think I know what's happening to us, and if you have any sense you'll want to stop it." He looked like a pillar, tall and unwavering. I was going with him, it didn't matter what I said or how loud I screamed.

So all I said was, " What's happening Damon?" I could hear the exhaustion in my voice, I could feel the darkness spreading through my consciousness .

He walked over to me, letting me lean my weight into him and I began to see spots. He sighed, the same tiredness I was feeling weighing on his breath. "I think it's a vampire thing. We have to get a move on before the, uh, the coven moves on." He was fighting whatever this was better than i was.

I couldn't get words out. My body went limp. What vampire thing?

I think our souls might be bonding. I heard him reply in my mind. Then the darkness swallowed me.

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Hey!!! Thank you so much for reading.

This is a long one I know. But I felt like some regular screening for teenage drama needed to be added in. I know this is kind of filler, but oooo, what's Y/Ns secret end game? And why's Damon being so sketchy?

Requests are open!

Comment and let me know what you think of the story so far!

Masterlist

[calcitedraws]

Anon with the messed up tailbone, thanks for answering my question! Good to know my kidnapper knows how to take care of my chronic lower back pain /j/lh.

Honestly, Fen is really interesting to me and I like how you write them as a character. I like that they're gentle, but also something is deeply unsettling about how the chair thing is still really scary for me. Being strapped down and can't do anything, relying solely on a person to help feed you and move you around, while they try to convince you that this is necessary for you. I know you said that Fen doesn't see the MC as a pet or an object, but their actions speaks volumes that the only way he knows how to romance a person is through treating them like a pet. They tie you down and hope that by feeding you, being gentle and patient that it would eventually work out in the end like it did with their first cat. Like how anybody would tame a feral cat they found on the street. To me, personally, it comes off as a little bit condescending even if that wasn't the original intention Fen had. It also tells me that they view humans the same as animals on a subconscious level. Sure, they would never think of the MC as a pet on a conscious level, but they still treat them as one even if they never intend it to be so. It adds depth to Fen. It make me want to break the window and fuck off to the woods far away from them, because no matter how gentle and kind they are, I am not going to stick around a person like that for the rest of my life.

I might be going a lil too deep here (I tend to overanalyse stuff) but that's why I think I like Fen as a character so much. You wrote a really good character. Keep it up!

You! You understand what I'm trying to convey! I was sort of worried Fen would be misinterpreted... I love any an all asks but especially juicy ones!

The horror of being trapped and unable to do anything about it! The innate threat of being helpless to someone who you don't fully understand! The sheer helplessness of having an idea drilled into you while also knowing this person isn't completely sane or safe. Fen would never hurt you but you don't know that. I wove that implicit threat into everything Fen does.

The dichotomy of how Fen treats the player is fascinating to me. On one hand, they openly understand why you don't want to be here and want you to be happy and comfortable. I made sure to portray that Fen doesn't view them as a pet but treats them like a pet, sort of. But Fen fundamentally doesn't understand how to build a bond like that without locking someone up. They don't view you as a pet but rather they're trying to gain a bond the only way they've ever gained a solid bond that lasted; the bond they have to their cats.

Think about it: Fen had their only normal interactions taken away at a relatively important part of their social development, when their mother and siblings left. High school is where you really find your place in the world and instead of doing that, Fen was left isolated. Their father was a good man but he was dealing with the divorce and those feelings, neglecting Fen enough for them to feel they couldn't rely on their only connection.

I specified that Fens attachment style is anxious, they want to be reassured and loved openly. It damaged their ability to be comfortable at arms length, like most friendly connections are. In high school, Fen wasn't a yandere but rather just a very nervous and shy person. Maybe they ruined a few friendships by being too needy too quickly, not having a strong grasp on boundaries.

But Fens psyche was warped from the time they graduated high school until they kidnapped the MC. They slowly became agoraphobic, fearing the outside world and once their dad left (shortly after graduation) they were left alone to cope with these feelings. It doesn't make what Fen did right, but it's merely the process in which they became a yandere. They crave a close connection and they were close to their dad (calling everyday) but after he died they were now completely alone, for years. That sort of isolation warps ones mind.

The point is: you fundamentally understand Fens plan. You eventually can't hate someone who's only kind and gentle to you. They use a sense of being owed, that they only want what's best for you into your mind so you feel too guilty to attack them. Fen wouldn't use this to have sex, ever, because they have some form of moral compass. Fen is sweet and patient and gentle but they're also incredibly manipulative. I showed in the comic I just posted that Fen says incredibly manipulative things like 'you hurt me' and 'I know you love me.'

They're trying to slowly gaslight you into believing that leaving will only cause pain and a life of loneliness. That only they can love you in the way you should be loved.

So, yeah. You read Fen 110% correctly. They're condescending without meaning to be. I'm the same about characters I like, reading far too into them to be normal. I can't call Fen a good person, but they gave mostly good intentions. They don't view themselves as hurting anyone (aside from your lover if you had one prior to kidnapping).

[solomons-poison]

can you do 19/20 for solomon*///*

Getting Married and Having Kids with Solomon

A/N: I sure can! Ahhhhh I wanna marry my sweet wizard 🥺 Honestly, not sure if OM Solomon would have been married in the past, considering how different his priorities were when he was young (focusing on developing his magic potential, creating the Sorcerors' Society, making pacts, research, etc) so I'd like to imagine all the firsts he's having with MC ❤️ sorry its so late ;;

Featuring: GN reader || Solomon x reader

Warnings: No reader pronouns but brief mention of accidental pregnancy; Solomon is a giant softie for kids; a little angst (it was coming, we all knew it :')... )

══════════════════

To say Solomon is unprepared for this branch in his life, is an understatement. Not that he hadn't spared a thought for the potential at one point or another to marrying and having children, after all especially after becoming an immortal, it gives you lots of time to consider your life choices and goals. But as is always the case, making the goal a reality is very, very different.

He may have once viewed child-rearing as focused on producing an heir, someone to carry on his magical ability and research, and of course marriage would go hand in hand in making that happen. But as the years go on, gaining immortality allowed him to become engrossed in his research and pact-making, so it becomes less and less of a thought/priority in his mind.

After meeting you, however, he finds himself thinking of many things he once gave up on or forgot about, including this. At every next step of your growing relationship, he surprises himself at the new feelings that are awakened. Or at least, they're so rusty to him they may as well as be new. But if there's one thing he knows, it's that as time goes on, he's more and more sure that you're the one he wants to be with like that.

He is all for getting married, and he'll go along with whatever your preferences are. If you want a small, private ceremony, he'll gladly accept that, as your comfort is first and foremost to him. However, if you decide you'd like a big ceremony (and given the number of demons and angels you've befriended, it wouldn't be a big surprise), he's more than happy to accommodate your wishes. Money isn't an object to him, he'd give you the stars if you wished it.

--

In all honesty, he's not quite in the headspace to be thinking about children after all these years. Especially regarding his immortality, the idea of building a family that you may outlive is daunting; he has these worries about you too, how long he can expect to be with you. If you've both been working on methods to elongate your life, then that will likely influence his thoughts on the matter.

That being said, if you're able to get pregnant and end up with a little... surprise, he will definitely step up to take care of his child. Although it may be sooner than intended, he will likely be very happy about having a child with you, despite his worries.

Otherwise, if you're planning to add to the family, he may put it off a little because of the aforementioned reasons. But don't get it wrong, he absolutely loves the idea of making a family with you, and it is something he is absolutely open to and wants if you want it too.

Solomon is also definitely a big softie for his children. Expect lots of silly magic tricks and creating little science experiments for them to get involved in. He doesn't have a preference on the gender, he's happy so long as there's a little one running around for you two to look after.

All in all, getting married and having kids is definitely something Solomon is interested in down the road. He may just need a little time to prepare himself first.

[misc-obeyme]

hihi I'm back, i was rambling about solomon and immortality the other time

BUT i just got a tiktok, and apparently there's a trend with the song that goes "nothing's new" and the first slide is a tweet saying "who had every right to become a villain?" And the second slide is a character

anyway my first thought was MC because they literally get dumped into a new world, whole life turned upside down and expected to adapt, in both OG and NB. Nightbringer i'd say is different since they have a goal they're working towards and at least they have Solomon

But in OG it's like "try to survive :)", you're looked down upon as a human, you're kept in the dark about the attic, there's so many little things that add up-

But in the end MC chooses kindness, chooses to keep going and make it work, and yes there's the chaotic options but no harm is done without cause I guess you could say?? They're not afraid to stand up for themselves and they're stubborn, but they won't sink down to the lowest of the lows after everything they've gone through

I dunno if i made any sense, I just needed to ramble and share with someone 🤣 thank you for being a welcoming blog

- ✨

Welcome back to my ask box! I will add ✨ to the anon list!

And of course I love all the ramblings, so know you're always welcome to come here to share your thoughts!

Now I gotta say the generic OM MC is one unhinged mf and I don't understand how they stay so chill and happy all the time. Like I would argue their ability to put up with so much crazy is what makes them unhinged rather than the chaotic options that are sometimes given for them. That stuff feels like a normal reaction considering everything they go through. Like the time they threatened to explode Mammon's door? Yeah, that feels like something someone who has been pushed beyond their limits might do.

And yet so often, the choices are nice. So often the choices are MC giving and giving and giving. They care so much and are willing to go through so much and do so much in order to keep their demons safe. And MC is the human in this scenario. I know, MC is OP with their pacts and their sorcerer stuff and their Ring of Light, but you would still expect the demons to take better care of them. And I mean more their mental state than anything. But the game kinda just takes for granted the fact that MC can take all the crazy in stride. I'm pretty sure I would have had a mental breakdown after the first week lol.

All that being said, I love the idea of MC turning into a villain. This is where you really can get into different story lines and outcomes based on your personal MC. Because I think it would be very easy for an MC to turn villainous in this situation. It depends on how conniving your MC is as to how this goes down.

Like do they deliberately wait to betray everybody until they've secured all seven pacts and the Ring of Light and so on?

Or is it more like one day they just snap and they never meant to turn?

In the first scenario, the question is what is their goal? Why would they do that to begin with? Maybe they want to rule the Devildom themselves and the goal is to have all the bros under their spell for the sole purpose of like dethroning Diavolo or something. I mean, good luck with that lol but it'd sure be interesting.

In the second scenario, it's definitely more chaotic and just MC loses their mind. Maybe starts destroying things Satan-style because they can't control it anymore.

I think it's a fascinating idea. And you could go with MC succeeds or you could go with someone (whoever MC is closest to perhaps) is able to talk them down from destruction.

But yes, in the end our OM MC always chooses kindness. Even when they're not going to take any nonsense, they're always solution oriented. They're always about helping the characters and I would say they're almost stubborn in their kindness too? Like they're determined not to be anything other than kind because to them, that's the right thing to do. It's precious.

[hacked-by-jake]

Hello, hello hjb 🐢

I just wanna to share a headcanon (or theory? I don't know) of Jake have photographic memory. It's a silly thing because in the first time I think about it I was looking more reasons of why Jake think so much in MC (and why him so completly in love), soooo.... hehe 😅

Well, the thing is: having a photographic memory, Jake's have the ability to recall pages of text, numbers, photos, or others, in great details. And this is pretty good for who has been on the run from goverment. Or at least, that's what Jake tought.

After all, when he meets MC, this change completly. His mind always come back to all of the conversations and the photos on MC's profile can to go out of his mind neither. And with more his feelings grow up for MC, more your mind becomes him own downfall.

Sometimes he can draw in his note paper some of the photos of MC or even whisper one of the messages when he's working (and Jake will doing all of these unintentionally 🤭)

So, that's it. Sorry if this is somehow confused, english isn't my first language. I still learning 😬

And I just wanna thank you for share your toughts about Jake, they're incredible nice and I feel very happy to read all of them 💙

Hey Ho, wonderful anon! 💚

Ohhh, this is a very, very interesting theory and a lovely headcanon.

I'm not much educated in this field so I can only use the cliché the media has shown us.

At first I thought "Hmm, does this fit? I mean, Jake definitely forget a loooot of things during the game. Or he misses points etc. It doesn't happen that open but a couple of times". And also, that it took him so long to remember why he felt like he was at the Hanson house before. But then you mentioned the thing with MC and this makes it very interesting.

Maybe it sounds strange to say it this way but I love the idea of his brain being completely shut down since he met MC. Like, as you said, he keeps remembering this about MC out of nowhere and even whispers some of their texts while working. It's sounds very much like MC became his calming mantra.

Out of topic and maybe not really fitting but my mind immediately went like: Imagine Jake is in a fight or someone is stressing and messing with him. Others would probably whisper to themselves "Keep calm, everything is okay, don't let them provoke you"

But Jake would be like "MC. Think about MC. Everything is okay. MC is close to me, right in my phone. Just one message and they're there. MC. MC. MC."

And everyone would be like "Wtf is he talking about?", but he wouldn't even realise it himself. Hehe.

And I like the idea of him maybe writing down in his notes etc some messages MC wrote to him. Like completely normal messages, not even flirting ones or everything. Maybe he would write down some of their jokes and compliments they made him.

Like "Who needs the police when you have a hacker"

I'm absolutely he sure after MC said this, he was the proudest person on earth. His heart probably exploded after that. 🤭

I really like this headcanon of your, dear Anon. And I thank you for sharing it with us. I think some people thought about this possibility as well.

And please don't worry about your ask or your English. It's absolutely okay and I can understand everything you say. Maybe you don't know but it might calm you or anything, English isn't my native language either so I'm pretty sure I make mistakes myself. 💚

And thank you so much for the lovely compliment. It's a huge honour for me that you enjoy reading my thoughts about Jake. It really means everything to me. And I have to thank you all for sharing your thoughts so I can share mine. I always enjoy it incredibly. 💚 I hope you're going to have a wonderful day/evening/night. Take care of yourself and stay healthy and safe. 💚

[themuffin2649]

Choices

Instead of MC having the ability to see choices, that power was accidentally given to Leon and Vincent

Scenario 1 - Leon

—————

Ok, I’m suck in a the last Visual Novel with murderous Yanderes, hopefully I can survive this. I just gotta choose the correct options on Leon’s route.

The boy said, worried, while following his brother to school.

“Umm, don’t you usually go to school with Leon?”

SHIT! How the Hell was I supposed to know that?! There wasn’t even option to do anything about it!

“Y-Yeah, right! I’ll be on my way!” I said, running before bumping into someone.

“Ohh, I so sorry!”

“Did you forget about me?” A pink haired boy said, tears tingling his eyes.

All of a sudden, the boy’s sad experession was met with surprise, his eyes dialated they repeatedly shifted up and down as if trying to choose which spot to punch him.

Oh God, this is where I die! I BARELY got started! Why did this have to be the game I was thrown into?! EVEN ______ __________ WAS A SAFER OPTION!!!

Leon then extended his hand and helped his friend up. He then went quiet in awkwardness, why did I think he would kill his best friend of 8 years in front of his brother in a public place?! Now I feel Stupid…

“The train’s here.” My brother said grabbing our attention to get on.

Most of the train ride was awkwardly silent, not a single one of us made a sound, which was odd because I remember Leon being much more talkative and outgoing when I played the game.

“Hey guys…”

“What is it?”

Leon shifted his gaze away in worry before taking a deep breath.

“So… if two, text-no large umm no, sorry, two figures only you can see came up to your face telling you different options, and you had no choice but to pick one of them to listen to, how would you react?”

“Umm, go see a doctor?”

Wait, why is Leon asking this? He never said anything like this in the original game.

“Umm, pick the better option?”

“Yeah, thanks…”

“Wait, why did you ask us this?”

“It’s, uhh, I show I watched.”

“What kind of show?”

I could feel Leon getting more worried the longer this drags on, realizing he’s only digging himself a deeper grave.

“It’s… uhh…”

Feeling bad, I decided to help him.

“Let me guess, what it from ___ _________ ___ ______ and you were thinking about one scene where ____ had his angel and devil version of himself telling him what to do.

“Y-yeah, Yeah! I was wondering how you would react if that happened to you.” He said with a chuckle.

The rest of the train was back to that silent awkwardness.

I wondered why Leon asked about that, maybe he’s being more tame? I couldn’t stop wondering that even as I noted what I remembered about him and the other Love Interests.

—— Leon POV ——

What the hell is going on?! What were those choices? Am I hallucinating?!

The poor confused boy wondered about the two options that popped up in front of him, saying “Help him up.” Or “Punish him.”

What do they mean? And why did he have to choose? Why is this happening to him?!

—————

Scenario 2 - Kindness

The game, tired as hell seeing Leon and Vincent fight 24/7, decided to take things into its own hands.

Leon: “You’re one to talk! I bet that you can’t even go one day without spending a thousand dollars on crap!”

Vincent: “What’s wrong with a little self care? At least I don’t smell like a wet dog like you do!”

Leon is just about to punch him when all of a sudden, a visual novel choice called “apologize to him.” Pops us.

Leon: “Vincent, I’m sorry for cursing at you, it was very rude of me.”

Vincent was about to laugh at Leon’s apology, until the choices forced him to apologize too.

“And I’m sorry too, I shouldn’t have shouted those insulting personal attacks, it was immature of me.”

Both were just flabbergasted on what they both were forced to say, they both figured out that they weee forced to apologize to each other.

All of a sudden, another option appeared in front of both their faces.

“Compliment him.”

“Hey Vincent, your a very charming guy, and I really appreciate how you don’t see my friend as lesser than you because of your difference in money.”

“Leon, you’re a loyal and protective friend, and respectful too. You’re also a great athlete on the basketball team, which is a very admirable trait.”

Despite them giving compliments to each other, it somehow felt worse than when they were insulting each other.

They were then given another form of torture, having to “Hug it out”.

They both tensed up as they hugged, Vincent holding his breath, and Leon wanting to crush Vincent until his bones broke, and his organs were squeezed into a pulp.

Finally, a final choice appeared, making them both gag. The option saying to “Kiss him Passionately”

“Uhh, hello, God?! Is there another option you can give to us?”

“A second option would be very useful right now!”

However, there was another option they could choose.

“Spend 8 years in Cameroon becoming a Professional Frisbee Player.”

Both of them looked at each other with pure silence, both knowing they just screwed up any second chance at avoiding the make out session that was destined to happen.

~~~

“Hey Big Bro, I found a shortcut we can use to get to the deli quicker.”

“Are you sure about this Little Bro? That alleyway seems kinda sketchy.”

“Relax, I got that pocket knife Leon gave to me as a gift, I still know how to use it. Besides, I’ve got enough muscle to defend you, I’m ready for anything!”

Wow, way to rub in my noodle sticks for arms.

“Lead the way Little Bro.”

The boys then went into the alleyway, and turned a corner, only to be met with a jaw-dropping sight.

Somehow, out of the billions of possibilities that could have happened, they just so happen to see Leon and Vincent in the middle of a passionate makeout, their tongues snaking around each other as they taste… whatever they ate last.

“You know how I said I was ready to take on anything… I instantly take that back.”

[thatonegaybrit]

Favorite Owl House Character(s)?

; hehehehe all of them /hj okay but luz AND I KNOW I KNOW SHE'S THE MC BLEH whatever I love her they did a great job on her and I relate

; her character arc is really interesting because I think when you think " character arc " you think dramatic change something like Amity or Hunter etc etc BUT LUZ luz luz luz it's not that she doesn't not change ( because yes, yes she does ) but it's not a drastic change of heart, she doesn't suddenly become cruel and evil. she's always been a very carefree and joyful character but we see the effects of everything take it's toll on her, and we've all probably heard of / seen the Luz Effect ( Affect ?? ) where characters go from Sad > Better > Great whereas Luz goes more Great > Better > Sad whenever they start spending more time w Luz, including the whole Bad Guy to Good Guy arc. Luz is like a battery of niceness and is incredibly aware of this, she knows she makes ppl feel better and I think her want to try and succeed and help people + KNOWING she can is where her can do attitude comes from, or part of it. but she puts up this front of I'm Just Nice And Naive mask and it works. for the most part.

; and I relate to that, sorta, I'm not super duper nice but there's this amount of not wanting to be mean that you end up draining yourself so much helping these people. and it's not their fault but hsbshsbsy ‼️ she's also literally Weird Kid ( /pos ) central, I mean really they all are like weirdos but Luz is this special kind of weird and I love it it reminds me of me. she's so neurodivergent coded / is it canon it probably is canon I hope it's canon.

; but ALSO Eda because eda eda my lovely Eda. because she's SO MUCH like Luz if you think ab it she does what she thinks is right and holds a strong sense of morals and is resilient and a strong hold for friends and people she cares about and she's really freaky and often downplays her struggles and hsbshsbdhdv but ALSO she puts up this front of, instead of Luzs I'm js nice and naive, " I'm the best witch on the boiling isles and im super confident etc etc " and it's not like she isn't, she is a very confident person naturally but like anyone she has her insecurities but won't let those show. and whether that's because weakness can be taken advantage of and she's afraid deep down of getting close to people and ending up hurting them or herself orr because she feels the need to be this Rock that people look up to as cool but fear as intimidating because being not known and uncatchable is wayyyy easier than being known and vulnerable in her eyes. and hshsvsysv. she also flocks to the characters like a mother bird and snatches them up into her home like ohmg mother eda is real. her and Raine are the Parents and I love that, also don't get me started on Raeda I'll go for hours I love jshusscsg and Raine too they're a really cool character, I think I don't relate to them as much compared to other characters I more of js love them sm and also like .. the gender they radiate .. oh my god ..

; Hunter :] my bad but sad traumatized little furry boy RAHHHHH he wants so bad to do the right thing he's js so awkward, he has such a low ability to socialize and I love him he's so bshsbsg and his character arc his Big Change his Bad -> Good was milestoned by some horrible thing happening to him. he looked up to Belos, to his uncle his family, for his entire life and suddenly it all comes crashing down on him that he's a terrible terrible person and I think with that realization that this Saint can actually do harm is when he really realizes this Good Person is actually bigoted and abusive and etc etc and I think that's part of why he's so awkward, not just because he's had so little interaction w people his age ( any people really. people ) and knows nothing of any social skills but also because he's built himself around his uncle, he wanted to be Belos because he valued and looked up to him and when you suddenly find out this supposedly great person you look up to ?? is terrible ?? you feel this need to second guess everything you do because it's all Him everything kinda feels like a mirror of Him, every good or bad leads back to Belos and so now he's trying to like build himself a new personality away from Belos at age 16 ( 17 ?? ). S I X T E E N. He's gone through a really important growing aspect of his life where he's really so young and moldable and he lived it based around his abusive and bigoted uncle like. AH. his whole existence is a lie.

; also it's like even if [insert family member] in your life didn't yk, clone you to use you to mold you into the perfect helper to destroy a magical demon realm, he's still really relatable to that person you looked up to turned out to be Not Good and now you're stuck trying to like, figure out how to People with an extra serving of Trauma and Neurodivergence like. MY BOY..

; but like Luz, Eda, Hunter, Willow, Amity, Vee, Lilith, Mattholomule, Gus too, King .. all of these babies .. MY babies, they're me but also my children I just. sniffle. I love them.

[yonezawacastle]

hello!!! are you playing the latest event??? at first i didn't pay much attention to it, but i started playing with shingen's route, and got the inspo for a fanfic 😅. i didn't see the theme in other events, and i liked it. your opinion???

PS: I'm the type of person who imagines a lot of scenarios and stories for fanfics, but doesn't know how to write them, so I doubt I'll do it.😅🥲

Omggg I am so sorry it took me 84 years to answer this. My week kind of went sideways.

Shingen's route is the only one I've had time for this week, and honestly? I fucking love it. Understanding why retainers follow their lords with such loyalty is a topic the game circles back to a lot, and I'm pretty sure I'll never get tired of it. And we really see Shingen at his best and most heroic here. Dude really would walk through Hell itself to protect people he cares about.

(This is slightly off topic, but Shingen's ability to just shrug off the worst things that happen to him, often with a smile, makes me want to know just how much of Yukimura's temperament is innate and how much of it is the result of wanting to imitate Shingen, consciously or not. Certainly Shingen seems to have loomed large in his formative years.)

And him actually listening to MC when she's talking about her cooking techniques? Swoon. I love a hero who takes his lady's interests seriously and holds her talent in high regard.

As far as fanfic goes...seriously, don't feel bad. I have a genuinely obscene amount of fic ideas but I rarely get around to them or share the ones I've written down. My goal for this year is to just...put stuff out there, basically, because let's be real this fandom is tiny af and if we want fan content we're probably gonna have to make most of it ourselves.

I would love love love to see anything you come up with if/when you decide to write it up. :)

[starmalt]

Finished reading A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas the other day. Had some thoughts I wanted to get out about it.

I don’t follow booktok, I don’t see any of it and I don’t seek it out. What very little I heard of this book prior to reading didn’t sound particularly interesting to me, and the only reason I’ve read it is because I received it as a christmas gift, and I felt I might as well see what all the hype is about. And having finished it, I… still have no idea why this book has so much hype behind it.

I don’t care about any of these characters, for one thing. The two main characters of Feyre and Tamlin don’t have a lot going on beyond “likes to paint + cares about her family + Loves Tamlin” and “Likes to play the Fiddle + unwilling court lord + loves Feyre,” respectively. Maas goes through great pains to write paragraphs of text explaining the backstories of Tamlin, their third wheel Lucien, and the villain Amarantha, but none of it ever amounts to anything interesting happening in the moment. The only character I found to be at all interesting was the sister Nesta. She’s initially portrayed as being a huge selfish bitch, that does little to help the family and spends all the money Feyre earns, and then later on, get’s a lot more depth with the realisation that she was the only one in the family who cared enough about Feyre to break through High Fae glamour, and the way she describes hating their father for how much he let down their family. She’s was the one single character that made me want to spend more time with her.

I expected a story about noble Fae courts, lords and ladies and royalty to involve a lot more political drama, dealing with high society/courtly etiquette, but it rarely comes up. Half the book is spent describing the two MCs going on picnics, arguing over surface-level racism, or brooding on “how can I love such a horrible creature!” There is some court drama that comes up, but it’s not til fairly late into the story, and none of it’s very interesting or complex.

The prose is bland and repetitive. Everyone’s always clicking their tongues, cracking lazy smiles or feral grins. The clicking tongues in particular got to me in particular as feeling like a strange choice. In the first few chapters where we’ve only seen the mortal realm, I tried to take the good faith approach that maybe this was just a weird choice of cultural thing in this region. But then nearly everyone ends up doing it, including the villain, a human hating High Fae from a different island entirely. There’s also a few instances of metaphor that feel, questionable. “My bowels turned watery” in a moment of fear and dread sure is a… interesting, choice of words to go with.

I also couldn’t help but feel weird about how often the author insists on using “male” and “female” as descriptors. I can’t easily put it into words, but it leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Semi-related is the way that Fae, despite being ethereal immortal creatures, living for centuries, adhere to the same strict binaries of gender and sex that humanity does. I saw a fan trying to defend this once, saying “she doesn’t want to write ‘that’ kind of book,” to which my immediate reaction is a massive eye-roll at the implications of “tHaT kInd of bOoK” but it’s also lazy worldbuilding. Like, at one point in the book, Tamlin is required to take part in a sex ritual to bring about the coming of spring, which involves being possessed by ancient magics that drive him into sniffing out a fae woman to perform the ritual with. Feyre, learning about this, asks “but wait- then how come males were also there?” to which Lucien explains “well, after he performs the ritual, we’re allowed to also mingle with the women there,” and it all feels so lazy and uninspired. Not to mention, high lords like Tamlin have the ability to shapeshift into powerful, predatory creatures. The narrative draws attention to it frequently. In moments anger or stress, the beast is barely contained beneath the surface, claws poking out at the knuckles (this happens constantly) and you mean to tell me that they subscribe solely to human experiences of sexuality?

The lazy worldbuilding isn’t limited to just LGBTQ adjacent topics, either. Things that could be interesting get hand-waved away as unimportant or not worth the time to explain. There’s a lot of little things here that bothered me. The way that characters refer to the mainland solely as “The Continent” (it’s not named??? + strange word choice!).Likewise, “Prythian” doesn’t sound like a proper name for a country, so much as the word for a person from a place called Pryth. And why is the main setting for the story shaped exactly like Westeros? Feyre doesn’t know how to read, but she knows the word “effervescent.” The reason for a pond being made of starlight isn’t something worth thinking about, just a place for the love interests to skinny dip. There was one thing in particular that really got under my skin, to the point that I can’t let go of it, and it’s a moment early on where Feyre claims that humans have no holidays.

I thought that was a strange thing to say, but the story goes on to explain that humans were formerly enslaved by the Fae, and therefore forced to celebrate only their holidays, only their gods. I thought the idea that no humans ever tried to hold onto their own beliefs in secret, or no one ever thought “why don’t we have a day off” after being freed was dumb, but it was a ignorable kind of dumb. Until Feyre learns of the spring solstice ritual and thinks to herself “humans have no holidays. The only thing close to this would be the spring celebration back in my village – nothing religious – just a small gathering in the center of town with a small harvest feast and a day off of work.” You mean- like a holiday???? I was baffled. It got even worse when the story drops the fact that humanity’s been free of slavery for 500 years. I have so many questions. Why does there have to be a religious connotation in order for a celebration to be considered a holiday? People have celebrations for all kinds of reasons outside religion – changing seasons, in honour of important historical events, or people, harvest times, natural events (like a meteor shower or notable animal migration). Humans forgot all their old gods from before the slavery – and in 500 years no one tried to come up with new ones, or just plain old superstition of any kind? Myths or legends? What about the day they were freed from slavery? Important leaders who came out of the war with the Fae?

The story, the worldbuilding, characters, the prose – none of it came across to me as being very interesting! So why is it so hyped? The only remaining explanation must be because people like how scintillating it is – except, even that isn’t done very well. The vast majority of the romantic gestures illicit an eye rolling “oh my god, they were roommates” reaction out of me, and scandalous moments are fairly tame, all things considered. I’ve never been a big fans of phrases like “I’ve read better fanfic than this” because it implies that fanfic is inherently bad. But like, genuinely, if I was in the mood for reading a hot and steamy romance, I would prefer to look up a fanfic of a preferred ship. It gives me the impression that this really is a book for normies who maybe want to read trashy, horny, fantasy romance, but considered themselves to be above fanfic or other obviously trashy books, and so they take refuge in something deemed acceptable by way of popularity.

All in all, I think my thoughts on this can be summed up in – if not for it’s sexual content, I would assume this book was written for children.

[myautumnrose]

Name: Phlox Oakwood

Age: 17

Book of Origin: “It Lives in the Woods”

Race: Black/Kenyan-American

Sexuality: Straight

Religion: Agnostic-almost Atheist

LI: Ava Cunningham

Bio: A gothic nerd who loves to research theories and the supernatural.

Phlox was born to a Kenyan mother and a Black father as the second child. He can speak most Swahili, but is more familiar with English. He tries to honor his Kenyan heritage as well as honoring regency heritage. Although, his parents and Petunia disagree with his hairstyle, saying that consistent hot combing could lead to hair damage.

Growing up, Phlox has been blunt honest and doesn’t care about feelings. He believes a ugly truth is better than beautiful lie.That being said, he had no problem “saying” no when the events of Mr.Red showed up. He was actually trying to convince Jane and Petunia not to go but after being called “chicken” he went through with it anyway. Phlox is also honest with his older sister Petunia. Even saying that he was a little creeped out when Petunia and Lucas started dating. But he got over it as he believes no one else is good enough for his sister.

Jane’s death deeply traumatized Phlox and lead down a dark path of research and questioning EVERYTHING! From finding out what causes such events to if there’s even a afterlife? Phlox is almost fully atheist because he also believes in quantum physics. So something had to make our universe? Right?

To comfort himself, he takes pleasure in dark humor! I mean really dark like even more offensive and sad than your average white guy trying to be edgy. He also plays “Dungeons and Dragons” . He plays as a elf!

When the events of Mr.Red resurfaced, Phlox basically said HELL NO! However, since Petunia wanted to face it he went just to make sure she didn’t get killed. This soon became a obsession to put Mr.Red down once and for all! With Noah’s betrayal, Phlox dropped ALL sympathy for the guy only to replace with pure rage and hatred. If Noah hadn’t take James place, he would of gave Noah two black eyes. He wouldn’t forgive Noah until ILW.

Phlox has a thing for the ladies and is known to be a flirt. He tried his luck impressing Erica Vine, a overly sweet girl with an interesting family, but she moved to Cedar Cove so that failed. He then realized he had feelings for Ava Cunningham, not just for looks but her personality, her rebellious nature, and her ability to wield a knife! They date and Phlox is still nervous about one day proposing. He thinks Ava is not the mushy gushy married type.

During ILB and ILW Phlox is a part-time community college studying to be a medical examiner. Practically, every thing he went through, a still, dead body is the least of his concerns. He takes classes online. When Noah resurfaces from being the monster, Phlox immediately flew in with a knuckle sandwich!

Phlox may be nerdy goth boy. But he realized that he is very unique and smart. He is also a hard ass and willing to fight against any evil!

(While Phlox follows the MC route, if possible, his alternate death would be Jane holding him up then repeatedly smashing him head first into the ground!)

[aboutdragons]

Hello, thank you for answering my questions. If you are open to sharing, do you have any tips to write an isekai in the Asoiaf universe and to write an interesting oc?

Hi, you're welcome!

As for tips... When you're looking for inspiration, it's good to reach for works of the genre that interests you. If you want to write isekai, go read some isekai (japanese mangas and korean manhwas are the best for this) and see which of the tropes you like, which you dislike, and which you think are most interesting to tackle. Then you pick the one you like best/think would suit the story you want to tell best/both, and roll with it.

Personally, I write isekai as pure escapism, so I heavily stray away from giving my MCs any possibility of returning to their original world, or having them have a good enough reason to try. Ability to physically cross between worlds could be interesting, but really isn't my cup of tea. I prefer leaving 21st century reality behind me in the burning dumpster where it rightfully belongs.

When it comes to ASOIAF specifically, the setting has its own magic and stuff, so you can take that (take an existing concept, make shit up, or go somewhere in-between like I have) to make the transition between worlds plausible and ta-dah! Valyrian Gods are a good go-to if you want to be fucking around with the Valyrians, but I think R'hllor and his whole rebirth shtick or even the Drowned God could be an interesting option. Opens a way for interesting worldbuilding & making the MC particularly attuned to the magical side of the world.

Or something Eldritch! Damn, I love eldritch fuckery so much, unspeakable cosmic horror and all.

Beware! Ramble ahead!

As for writing an interesting OC... Honestly, gonna sound super basic as everyone will probably say the same, but make them as close to a person as you can. Give them multiple personality traits, flaws and all - conflicting personality traits are fun, too. Give them quirks and ticks and interests and hangups and make them consistent, but also allow them to grow. We all live through character arcs, and your characters should too. Their views can be changed or reinforced, they can be forced to go against those views for the sake of themselves or others. They can (and should) hold grudges, even about the silliest things. Give them a pet or a hobby (or both), show us how they interact with those things, how they care, how they grieve, and how they seethe. Who are their friends, what kind of people do they gravitate towards, how do they interact with those people? How do those people view them? How close are they to the truth?

Does the character show a different them to the world than they truly are? Why? Why not? Do they exaggerate their traits? Why? Why not? What are their limitations, social and physical, and how do they get around them?

How do they influence others? Do they stay on the sidelines or make a menace of themselves, or something in-between? What motivates them? Are there lines they will never cross? If so, what are those, and why? Make them react realistically, based on the information they have and the things they feel. Make them face the consequences of their actions, the good, the bad, the entertaining!

It's also very important - essential - to decide where your character will end before you even begin. You as the writer need to have an end goal with them. Who they are at the start, and who they will become by the end, and that's where you need to gradually take them. Having the points in the middle down helps too.

Their journey is important, but so is their relationship with the world and others. Don't overdo it, but make the audience care. Put them in a situation and ask yourself, what would I most likely do here? Would they do the same, or would they do something different?

There's many facets to writing characters, but the baseline always is; make them human. A little fucked up, a little weird, trying their best. Or utter fucking menaces. Or both! Or something else!

Also give them demons. Give them issues! And then make them deal with them! I give a lot of my OCs depression because I suffer from it myself, and then I have them slowly work through it in lieu of therapy. It helps me, and it makes for a compelling internal struggle that many can identify with. Or imposter syndrome. Or mommy issues.

Explore themes with them, those that interest you, those that pertain to them.

Of course, adapt character traits accordingly to how you want the characters to be perceived, too. Don't give them too much of a trait of which perception you don't want; save being judgmental or hateful for the antagonists, don't overdo on chivalry, don't overdo on badassery. Let them fuck up. Let them fall down. Let them need help. Let them succeed too, of course. Few like misery porn, but fewer like the feeling of emptiness that comes from unearned victories.

And that goes without saying: don't make them right all the time, or successful all the time, or infallible. Kick their ass sometimes! It's for their own good, I promise!

But ultimately write the character that brings you joy. It's easier to write a compelling character when you, too, want to know what happens next, what kind of trouble they get into, how do they get out of it.

Most of all, have fun with it. If you do, others will, too.