#love triangles with friends is a tough situation

[junnieverse]

my run was good but like... we went on a class trip today and i am now stuck in a love triangle ✌️ how tf i have so low rizz and now im stuck. Like fr. But!! Now ig i nave 2 choices?? But theyre both friends so idk 🤕🤕

-toomuchrizzki anon

ps. how was ur day today??

Oh man I hate love triangles, I've been in one before and it is not nice plus I'm indecisive and didn't want to hurt anybodies feelings so that made it alot harder. You must have ungodly rizz, please teach me your ways.

(My day was great! I didn't do much but it was still productive, I hope you had a good day)

[lady-of-the-spirit]

Halfway through Lightlark, here's what we got so far

The Centennial is a serious deadly game. in which no one playing has been killed in 500 years and you don't even start killing anyone until 50 days into the game.

The Uniquely Wicked Curses on each territory range from "can't go outside at a certain time/place" to "everyone dies at 25." No it is never examined in depth how any of this, even the shallow curses, actually effect the kingdoms afflicted by them.

Isla has been trained as a perfect warrior and ruler since she was a child but she kinda sucks at everything she's put through. Examples include: her plan is to lay low and make the others underestimate her but she fights against Grim with full power and blows her cover. She doesn't have any plans for covering the fact that she doesn't have any powers. She did not know another ruler turned his kingdom into a democracy during his reign despite said ruler being 500 ruling for 500 years.

Speaking of her training, it's not even training it's just straight up abuse. Every time Isla has to do something new and challenging we're treated to some character backstory of her guardians putting her through absolutely horrific or mentally/emotionally damaging situations. It's unclear if she realizes how horrible this is or if she views it as tough but necessary, or if the story itself acknowledges how abusive this behaviour was.

I've said this already but EVERYTHING runs on Aesthetic/Vibes and what SOUNDS cool rather than what would actually be practical or make any sense whatsoever. See: my previous post about the golden sword, the gem encrusted sword, and the "thicker than her thigh" sword.

This is one book that would benefit from a world map because I don't know how I'm supposed to be picturing how this setting looks like.

The edgy night-themed bad boy Walmart Rhysand love interest is named Grimshaw, nicknamed Grim. Not even an attempt at a kinda sexy name. If he's the winner of the love triangle I'm expecting to happen I refuse it on the basis of his name alone.

There is not a single character I'm convinced does anything when they're not around Isla. It's rarely if ever even mentioned what anyone is doing when they're not physically present in the story. Not even Celeste, the best friend character who is Isla's ally and supposed to be just as active in the search for the Bondbreaker that's gonna break their curses.

(Celeste literally goes and finds a pair of magical gloves that are made of human skin and not only are we not involved in this search at all, Isla never asks if Celeste found the gloves or skinned a person to get them. She doesn't want to know but I sure do. We're supposed to care about her and their friendship. Give me something about her to care about.)

Speaking of which... this book's plot is basically a long list of tasks for Isla to accomplish. Either she's doing a Demonstration for the game or she's hunting for the MacGuffins.

The Demonstrations are set up by each ruler to show off their powers/skills/etc and be a basis for how each ruler will pair off for the rest of the game. Super important stuff. Each one takes up about one chapter and the demonstration itself maybe 2-3 pages.

The MacGuffin hunt is basically Isla going "this cursebreaker thing might be in this place. I'll check there." It's not there. She moves onto the next place 2 chapters later. And later on just going on forest expeditions with the second male love interest.

Even beyond all the story stuff, the writing itself... it tries very hard to be poetic and meaningful but it comes off as either cringy or unclear what the author is even trying to say.

The way sentences and paragraphs are formatted and broken up... i love a good fragmented sentence, of course I do, but even I know there are WAY too many of them. There are too many single sentence paragraphs, one after the other. It's trying to build anticipation and suspense but. It's not working.

As a bonus, I specifically wanted a book that was dumb and bad and wouldn't make me overthink it. I'm definitely not doing that with this one!! There's nothing of substance to overthink!

[pixels-miracle-box]

"My best friend, Ladybug" AU

At this point my brain is REALLY working to break my "how fast can I come up with a new AU idea?" record.

Probably other people came up with similar concepts but I'm rolling with it anyways.

The main thing is that Alya learns very early on that Marinette is Ladybug. (She finds out on her own). Probably after "Lady WIFI" akuma attack ends. (Still deciding). At first, she's thrilled that her best friend is Ladybug... but then it hits her. Her best friend is Ladybug. She takes a moment to think that if she de-masks Ladybug, Hawk Moth can easily target her. So while she still tries to keep the blog up and running, she puts the idea to reveal Ladybug's identity to rest. She also tries to support her friend.

However, shortly after that, she finds out who Chat Noir is. She doesn't know if she should be happy that her bestie and her crush are indirectly in love with one another, or just scream inside that they're in a 2 person love square.

HOWEVER (X2), this isn't the end, as she ends up meeting Fu and learning that he's a guardian and the one who chose Ladybug and Chat Noir. Fu is furious that Alya knows, but she tries to explain that it isn't their fault and that she was at the wrong place and the the wrong time, and that they're doing a good job keeping their identities secret. Eventually, Fu decides to keep Marinette and Adrien as the ladybug and black cat miraculi users. Not only that, but he ends up giving Alya the fox miraculous full time so she could watch over the two and keep things in check. She'll also train with Fu, teaching her to be a guardian (so when time comes for him to retire, the heroes will have someone close to them to help)

Some other notes:

In this AU, it's Alya/Rena Rouge who recruits the temporary heroes.

The love square does bring up some headaches to Alya. While she was thrilled at first about trying to get the Adrinette and LadyNoir trains going, noticing how Chat Noir acts towards Ladybug and Marinette towards Adrien quickly stops her from trying to make the couples official and tries to offer some tough love to her bestie and the kitty.

Eventually, it turns into a love triangle (between Marinette, Adrien and Luka, as all 3 seem to like one another). While at least there's no alter ego bs, it's still brings some headaches to the reporter girl.

Nino eventually confesses that he has a celebrity crush on Rena Rouge. Alya looks at him mortified. (He apologizes and tells her that he'll never cheat on her with the heroine, but now Alya is fucking screaming her lungs out inside as now she's in a "two person love triangle" with her boyfriend).

Since Alya knows who Ladybug is, she won't post that Lila is "Ladybug's best friend". Not only that, but once she hears that she claims to be the fox heroine "Volpina", she's so close to pouncing on that liar girl, but stays calm.

It's still Marinette/Ladybug who calls her out as Ladybug, in front of Adrien (and Alya watches in horror). Lila runs crying afterwards. Later, Alya, as Rena Rouge, calls out Ladybug for that. Ladybug defends herself stating that she needed to tell the truth. Rena says that she understands that, however calling her out in hero form in front of a civilian she showed interest was sure a way to get the new girl akumatized, and not only that, she could potentially get an enemy through this interaction. She also states that she heard Lila said she was the fox heroine Volpina, which she knew was a lie since there's already a fox hero in town, but the reason she didn't do anything was because she knew confronting her as Rena could cause more troubles. In short, she's not mad because Ladybug revealed that she was a liar, but she's disappointed in how she dealt with the situation.

Honestly I will, probably try to go through the wiki and episode summaries and see how much things will change.

But in short... hi I'm starting to get attached to Alya and I think she deserves to experience the horrors.

[real-total-drama-takes]

I honestly have the most sympathy and grace for Gwen in the whole love-triangle situation. I know she kissed her friend’s boyfriend, which sucks, but people act like Courtney and Gwen were BFFs for life beforehand? Like it was the ultimate BFF betrayal? Like on the level of Sadie kissing Katie’s boyfriend or vice versa? And that’s just not true: Courtney and Gwen only befriended through their mutual hatred of Heather.

After what Gwen suffered in Total Drama Island (coming so close to winning only to be sabotaged against in the finale by nearly the entire island just because she wasn’t as popular as Owen, semi-validating her fear of being inherently unlikable), Action (having a painful teenage breakup aired on reality TV and having the national viewing audience hate and ridicule you for setting boundaries and breaking up with a boy who was increasingly clingy…not to mention being blackmailed into sabotaging your own team).

Even Gwen’s WT post-elimination bonus clip where she’s already swollen and battered from the severe allergic reaction she got in the tie-breaker challenge…and she just gets beaten up by a kangaroo. Almost all the WT bonus clips were mean-spirited, I know, but I honestly feel like the show enjoyed kicking Gwen while she was down all in the name of humor? (although the show’s always had sadistic humor, I feel like certain straight-man characters were targeted more, especially after they made a mistake–Gwen, Bridgette, Trent).

That aside, Gwen’s clearly grown since All Stars. Idk what that “Duncney wasn’t a thing while Duncan and I kissed!” line was, but it feels like a blatant continuity error or plot hole, so I never put too much stock into thinking Gwen is genuinely in denial or deflecting, especially since a cartoon like Total Drama which shows characters’ intentions in rather obvious ways would’ve highlighted that. But otherwise, she’s more sensitive, softer, amicable. Meanwhile, Courtney is just as egotistical, abrasive, and ruthless as before, same with Duncan still being hardheaded, still having showing in Courtney while dating Gwen, and still being concerned with keeping up appearances as tough.

The fact that there were little repercussions for Courtney and Duncan’s past transgressions while Gwen’s punishments always seemed more prolonged in comparison makes me sympathize with her more.

For Duncan, after bullying Harold for two seasons straight, and being a rude person in general, he wins a season and a million dollars. His downfall finally comes of his own volition, but after four seasons, after making the merge all four times, and after his elimination having nothing to do with his bullying or cheating. For Courtney, after–can I just say the entirety of Total Drama Action?–the contestants in World Tour get amnesia and forget how awful she was, with Heather & Duncan (and Sierra, eventually) being the only ones who antagonize her.

In comparison, Gwen is snappy and sarcastic, has her game sabotaged in the final challenge by the other campers, and loses out on $100,000 (and in the alternate ending where she DOES win, gets the money ripped away from her by Chris due to a contract and is forced to compete again). Then in TDA, she gets blackmailed into sabotaging her team in a single challenge (bad), promptly gets voted off by her bully and best friend, and is handcuffed and eliminated. In TDWT, she kisses Courtney’s boyfriend Duncan (bad) and tries to get Courtney eliminated (also bad) after seeing that Courtney won’t get over it, but fails and has her plan messed up by Cody, loses a tiebreaker challenge, suffers an allergic reaction from said tiebreaker challenge, is pushed off the plane by Courtney, and lands in Australia where a kangaroo wallops her. Not counting All Stars, where she doesn’t cause her own elimination unlike Duncan’s property destruction or Courtney’s exposed scheming, but is sabotaged by a malevolent alter of her friend Zoey’s boyfriend, and is auto-eliminated despite not returning last or empty-handed because of said boyfriend’s sabotage.

This isn’t to justify Gwen kissing Courtney’s boyfriend, nor is it to absolve her of her part in causing her own downfall, but comparatively, when I look at the trajectory, personalities, placements, and karma of all three characters, I find myself feeling the worst for Gwen after all four seasons of them competing together.

[wrongroup]

would you change anything from tory’s introduction in season two to now in season 6? like her as a character and her depth as a whole? like what things would you take out or include?

one thing i’d like to mention is i wouldn’t have tory and sams rivalry to be about miguel. that was lazy and rushed. i’d probably have it start for another reason and built up to the school fight.

Hi, thank you for asking! This is a tough question. As I mentioned before I personally have almost no problems with the writing in the first two seasons. The set-up for rivalry between Tory and Sam at that beach party was pretty well executed in my opinion. Sam and Miguel's kiss seemed to be only the last straw that was added to already existing tension. But I agree that love triangles are a tired and uninspiring tool to create a rivalry.

My main problem is with season 6 mostly. And the changes I would like for Tory as a character would also imply changing the whole show’s trajectory. It means a lot has to change which I will not go into. But the short answer is: 1. I would like to see Tory actually interacting with her family and her mother specifically much earlier in the series. It would be cool to explore that part of Tory’s life. 

2. I wish that “cheating” drama with Robby never happened. Cobra Kai writers love their love triangles. But what they actually have showed wasn't even a love triangle. It was a whole other situation that they won’t even acknowledge in the show itself.

3. I would like Tory to open up more and to have time for self-reflection. If she and Robby actually haven’t stopped interacting with each other in that gap between part 1 and 2 that would be great. I always find it weird how Cobra Kai and Miyagi-do students completely stop all communication the moment they join the opposing dojo. Even if they used to be best friends prior to the whole karate war. It is just unrealistic.

In general I would like to see Tory operate under less dire circumstances that way maybe changes in her personality could happen more naturally.

[purble-turble]

Mei def is trying hard to comfort prince red after mk and nezha officially get together. She's not happy about this outcome but knows she can't say anything without it upsetting mk and causing a further divide between them. Plus it's not that she doesn't like nezha, and she sees he treats mk just as good as red. It's just an uncomfortable situation and she's just trying to meditate.

Which lead to taking him out to places often to take his mind of things. The karaoke bar ended up being not the best idea tho. He sing perfectly fine it's just kinda hard to listen to the broken hearted prince half drunkenly sing songs like good luck babe threw tears

Oh my gosh, everyone is having a hard time in this SpicyLotusNoodles love triangle bullshit that’s going on but you are so right, we must not overlook that Mei is for sure sufferringggggg

Her bestie can date whoever he wants, obviously, and Nezha is a nice guy- even if they have strongly differing opinions about how MK should handle his mental health- but that’s all secondary to whether they actually care for each other, which they obviously do. So she would know better than to speak up about disapproving or anything like that, because ultimately, it’s really not her business��� dealing with Prince Red is tough, though. They’re still friends, even with the MK breakup having happened, and she wants to do friend things with him and hang out and cheer him up, but the dude is soooo miserable… she should have known better, though. Karaoke?? Every song in that flippin machine is a love song or a breakup song, of course the Red boy would get wasted and start singing with a cracking voice ‘I think I’m gonna call it off~’ 😂 ..Mei spends the rest of the night pounding back shots and regretting her choices

[happenssweet]

New on your blog, so you don't have to express your opinion on this if you don't want to, but gossip can be interesting.

Sorry if this is really long, you don't have to read it but it's nice to finally get it off my chest without being a "bad friend"

My friends and I call this situation a "love triangle".

My friend (girl) recently (September 2024) reconnected with her childhood friend (boy) who she used to like, but now he has a girlfriend. He told everyone that they were cousins because his girlfriend can be very jealous, my friend never lied like that so everyone knows a different version. At first they behaved like regular friends but over time he started behaving like a boy with an overly big ego.

He said about another friend of ours that "if he didn't have a girlfriend, he would try to fuck her" So my friend got pissed off and finally admitted to him that she liked him and he said he liked her too but he felt bad about breaking up with his girlfriend because they had been together for two years (like what? 🤨)

Later I found out from his ex bestfriend that he had cheated on his girlfriend in the past. And so, in short, what happened next:

-He started flirting with my friend and talking weird perverted texts to her, she won't cut off contact with him with him because "he only trusts her" and she believes him that he will break up with his girlfriend and be with her. He manipulates her and no matter how many people tell her it's wrong, she doesn't listen.

-His girlfriend still doesn't know anything because she's from another city so they rarely see each other. I have no way to tell her because she doesn't use social media. He keeps talking about what a bad girlfriend she is, so I feel bad for her.

Idk what to do. Let her learn from her mistakes or try to get her out of it? This situation has a huge impact on all of us because this boy, even though he's been an adult for a year, has such a bad reputation that everyone who comes into contact with him is immediately also "bad".

neverrrrrrr apologize for spilling on here if i can give my opinion and engage in some gossip i will always be happy

this is such a tough situation 😭

i fear i do have a friend that would do something like this though and when they don’t listen the only way out is through she just has to learn this lesson

obviously the ideal solution would be tell the gf and get your friend away from the guy but it sounds like that just isn’t happening

i’m sorry you might get caught in the windfall of it all too that sucks 😭

but honestly my most effective SECRET advice… find his mom on social media and tattle the mother is the key

[loregoddess]

Trish for the ask game?

one aspect about them i love Honestly love how unapologetic Trish is about being a bandit because like, that's the life she grew up in and she grew up in that life because of the failings of the culture/society of Glenbrook--and she knows it. She knows stealing isn't "morally right", but she also challenges any culture that would allow for people to be so poor that the only way they can survive is through thievery and banditry. She's not ashamed of the life she lived bc that was the life she had to live to survive--that her parents and their friends had to live to survive. I love the challenge she brings to Serenoa (and to some extent Roland) with her, "Yeah, I was a bandit and I was damned good at it too, because what other choice did I have if I didn't want to starve?" And that she and her fellow bandits are actually heard and given a chance to help rebuild the Wolffort demense in the hopes of trying to avoid the situation that led to Travis and Trish's gang being bandits in the first place (with uh...mixed results depending on the ending, but still).

one aspect i wish more people understood about them Trish is, unfortunately, not as popular a character in the fandom, which sucks bc less fanarts and stuff, but the flipside is I don't think I've come across something that felt wildly out-of-character or anything.

one (or more) headcanon(s) i have about this character Despite her bandit gang being known as loud, rough and tough ruffians, Trish is actually capable of being extremely quiet and stealthy (due to it being a useful skill for bandits/thieves in general), to the point where she could be on par with Anna or Milo if she like, absolutely had to sneak in somewhere. She just doesn't show off this skill a lot bc it's a pain, and she doesn't really have a reason to be sneaky anymore.

one character i love seeing them interact with Love Trish's dynamic with her dad, it's such a refreshing father-child dynamic compared to the 5D mind chess that is the parent-child dynamics of literally ever other character in Triangle Strategy.

one character i wish they would interact with/interact with more Honestly would love to see Trish and Rudolph interact, given the similarities and differences between their stories.

one (or more) headcanon(s) i have that involve them and one other character Trish challenged every single person in the army to an arm-wrestling match one day when she got bored, and was able to best a surprising number of the other soldiers.

[lesbianrobin]

i understand ur post but i have a byler mutual saying almost the exact same thing about if they make mlvn endgame because to give will one sole love interest and put him through that much trauma and struggle to accept his sexuality only to have the guy reject him and end up with his sister is homophobic writing and u probably dont agree but i find it hysterical that st have managed to get themselves into such a conundrum that their only option is to introduce mikes secret twin of the opposite sexuality thats been there the whole time so they both get a happy ending. surely this is a perfect plan and there are no flaws whatsoever and everyone will be satisfied

SMCKSKXJSNKE i was literally just talking to sarah about how they've written themselves into a corner by reintroducing the stoncy love triangle in s4 because BEFORE they could have been like yeah steve is over her and now he's finding fulfillment outside of romance etc etc but now they've reignited stancy for some fuckin reason (my fingers are crossed for that theory that says since the upside down is stuck in 1983 it was making steve and nancy's 1983 feelings come back) and suddenly they'll be pissing off Some segment of the fanbase no matter what they do.

re: byler i think. well first of all i think that byler isn't even remotely on the radar of casual viewers as an actual possibility and i don't think it could happen in s5 bc the vast majority of viewers would be like where the fuck did that come from. second of all my el argument is partially a joke but also it's just fundamentally a very different situation where like. for will if byler doesn't happen nothing gets Worse for him shit just stays the same. for el if byler happens something Must get worse for her like she loses her boyfriend of 2-3 years. they're in different situations.

third of all i think it's very silly for people to act like will Needs for mike to like him back in order to be happy when like. it's not The Crush that's making will miserable it's being closeted in a small town in the 1980s and feeling like he can never have what he wants and be truly happy in life. mike liking him back would not fix the misery he feels at having to hide this part of himself from the world.

yknow in s3 robin is a sorta closed-off character who's snarky and prickly at times and she only really opens up in the russian torture scene + the bathroom scene. and in the bathroom scene she is Terrified to tell steve she likes girls but she confesses to having a crush on tammy thompson and... steve makes her feel okay about it. he makes fun of her crush and robin feels Normal and Safe and they laugh together and by the time s4 rolls around robin is a much more open and happy person than she was back before she'd come out to steve. she's more herself. and you know what never happened? tammy thompson never liked her back. robin didn't need a girlfriend. she needed love and support and validation from a good friend. she needed to find comfort with herself and her sexuality and all the other parts of her that she hid behind a tough exterior for protection.

as much as i hate watching will scenes bc noah schnapp can't act for shit, i am kinda looking forward to seeing him finally openly addressing his sexuality in s5 and maybe realizing that his childhood crush on his best friend not being reciprocated isn't the end of the world. i think if will could move on and let mike go (in the romantic sense not as a friend) it might also feel a bit like letting go of all his pain over the past few years and starting over with a clean slate. obviously idk what exactly's gonna happen in s5 we're all just making shit up right now but i guess that's kinda what i hope will happen with him.

it makes me sad kinda that will's most dedicated fans are more preoccupied with getting him a boyfriend than like... self-confidence and shit. but i'm not actually that sad bc i kinda don't give a fuck about will anyway

[moistvonlipwig]

🔥 Charles Gunn

you know, this is a tough one -- i think i like & am interested in gunn more than most people are, but i don't know that that translates to having lots of hot takes about him. i think most people would agree, for instance, that gunn deserved more screen time and more of a proper arc post-s2. and while i know gunn/fred has gotten more fans lately, the whole fred love triangle has always been controversial, so i hardly think it's a hot take for me to say i wasn't a fan of that relationship and didn't think it did anything to advance his character.

i guess maybe my hottest, most unpopular gunn take is that i think he and buffy wouldn't actually get along very well, at least not unless they were forced to work together for a significant length of time. i know it's semi-popular (at least among people who remember that gunn exists) to imagine that he and buffy would be good friends because of their similarities, but the truth is that sometimes people who are too similar don't actually like each other very much. we can see that with how gunn clashed most frequently with angel (pre-the love triangle nonsense which caused him to clash w/ wesley, anyway), who is by far the most similar to him of the ats cast. i could see gunn and buffy seriously getting on each other's nerves, honestly -- if buffy walked into town and started acting like an authority on the vampires gunn had been fighting his literal entire life, i don't think he'd take well to that, and similarly i don't think she'd take well to a non-slayer human guy who's never stopped an apocalypse acting like he was hot shit when it came to slaying vampires.

there's also the fact that buffy is, um, very white -- even in s7 she assumes robin wood comes from "the hood." now obviously gunn is down to be friends with white people, and even clueless privileged white people; "first impressions" deals in large part with cordelia having to confront her clueless white privileged mentality in trying to help gunn face his problems, and gunn and cordelia end up being very close friends despite them initially getting on each other's nerves. but cordelia did have to put in the work, and she had reason to want to do so. buffy is, of course, equally capable of putting in the work, but she would have to choose to do so, and we have yet to see her make that kind of choice. and as long as she hasn't yet had that reckoning with her own whiteness, she is going to annoy the everliving hell out of gunn.

now again i think if you stuck them together in a crisis situation you could get them to a point where they would come to respect each other and get along much better. but oftentimes people talk about gunn and buffy just instantly hitting it off, and i really do not think that would happen. (gunn and DAWN, now.....that's another story.)

[thomine]

the start of something magical

cyno x reader, 1.2k words

cyno's life took a drastic turn ever since he jumped in front of a truck to save a wolf's life. things plateau for a while until you come along and give him another surprise after he thought he's seen everything.

general audiences, build up for a love triangle, modern au (vehicles exist), attempt at comedy (although no puns...), not proofread

notes: work tag :: magic school (day 23 of au august 2023

Cyno is many things.

He’s the Chief of his precinct, which is impressive for his age. He’s the 4th time champion of Trading Card Game Genius Invocation—his favourite thing in the world. He knows he’s a great stand-up comedian at work, just that his crowd is tough as Ajilenakh nuts. Let’s not forget he’s also the best friend of Tighnari, a renowned and respected doctor.

What he’s not, however, is crazy, and yet the newspapers publish headline news that he’s crazy to jump in front of a truck. Yes, he did jump in front of a truck, but how could people not see the wolf that was crossing the road?

Even Tighnari called to ensure Cyno was sane, which only made Cyno want to burst in frustration because, surely, he did not dream up a wolf with silky fur that shimmered violet under the sun.

Okay, maybe he hallucinated a tad bit, but the light pitter of its pads against the cement as it hopped away after being saved had to be real even if no cameras caught any evidence the wolf existed.

He finds his answer a week after the incident. The wolf stares at him across the road they first met. Cyno follows it, and he finds himself right in front of large iron gates. There is a metal sign at the side that spells the situation clearly: the wolf wants him to go to school. Not just any school though. Magic School.

“What…?” he asks, and the wolf just tilts its head before slipping through the gaps of the gate. Cyno tries to dash from his weird situation, but the gates creak open and a lady materialises to welcome him. She has purple hair that falls to her ankles, tied in a neat braid.

“Welcome, Cyno. The world needs you here now.”

How does she know his name? He knows his importance in his neighbourhood as the guy who keeps law and order, but to say the world needs him? That’s a bit arrogant.

“Are you going to answer the call?”

Cyno is many things; he’s too cool (and old) for school. When he grabbed that costly certificate, he never wanted to return, yet here he is, signing papers to enrol into this magic school. He should not have given in and permitted them to explain themselves. They’re surprisingly convincing such that he doesn’t need proof of the prophecy of doom for it to send a chill down his spine.

His signature flies off the paper and is collected into the palm of the administrator’s hand. He whispers a few phrases, and the ink evaporates into the air.

“Now, no need to worry about your life back in the normal world because your signature provided us with enough information to send a clone—”

“What?” Cyno slams the table, glowering at the administrator. “A clone? No one told me I won’t be able to return?”

“R-relax, student. Time travels differently here. 10 days here is a day in the normal world. You wouldn’t be gone for long.”

Cyno relaxes, but he should have learned not to take things too lightly as the administrator drops the most horrifying news he’s yet to hear.

He’s stuck here for 1,111 nights.

He’ll miss his card game tournament! Not even the comfortable bed in his dorm can console his wailing soul.

Cyno is many things. He’s especially confused and concerned what he just roped himself into. He might have a knack to pretend to be someone else, but he’s not sure he can believe he’s part of the solution to saving the world.

It’s hard to make friends.

His jokes (still) don’t land, and the average age of the students compare to his youthful days that he’s grown out of. Something about him intimidates the rest, and he often eats lunch alone if you don’t count the wolf he saved.

He still doesn’t understand why he is needed to help the school prevent the prophecy of doom, but he has opened his heart to the wolf he now commands in battle. It grants him strength, and it has become his trusted companion of sorts.

Deep in his thought, he doesn’t notice you walking towards him until you tap his shoulder.

“Hi,” you greet, smiling.

Cyno takes a second to inspect you, and he lights up the moment he realises you’re older than what he expected.

“And you are?”

You tell him your name, gesturing at the empty spot beside him on the edge of the fountain. Cyno’s wolf buddy doesn’t seem too pleased with the new arrangements, but, with magic, you throw a stick of meat, and the wolf warms up to you.

“I’m in your Alchemy class. I mostly… stay at the back, hence why you don’t really see me often…”

Cyno nods. Not that he’s eager to learn, but the front seats are the nearest to the lecture exists.

“Is anything the matter?” he asks the moment he notices your avoidant eyes and restlessness.

“Well… you’re Cyno, right? I’ve heard of you before I enrolled in this school.”

He huffs out his chest. He’s many things—surely one of his most respected positions caught your attention. He’s quite accomplished if he says so himself, especially his title as the 5th time champion of TCGGI. (Yes, his clone, as excellent as he is, won the tournament.)

“After all this weirdness and magic is over, could you introduce me to Tighnari? You know, the acclaimed doctor? He’s just… so dreamy, but, I know, he’s out of my league, but… it wouldn’t hurt to try?”

“… What?”

This familiar feeling… it is the exact same when he signed himself up for this school. It is truly a school of magical encounters and unexpected situations. He does not quite enjoy it as much as he thinks he should.

“It’s not a coincidence that you and I are here,” you say after calming down from your rap. “Everyone else is… much younger than our age and are born into families that know of their powers. But us…”

You look at the wolf that’s gnawing on the stick, meat cleanly devoured.

“You can feel it too, can’t you? How we’re different.”

Cyno follows your gaze to his newly acquired nonhuman friend. From his Ethology classes, he learned that these magical creatures will never yield to being controlled, yet this wolf companion of his is his source of power.

He looks at you, wondering what brought you here.

“Anyways, I know it’s a little sudden and probably a bit too early as we’re stuck here for… who knows how many more days, I lost track, but do… consider my request.”

Right. You wanted him to play wingman.

Cyno deadpans, and he’s about to reject your suggestion when you slide a piece of paper into his palm and bid him farewell.

It’s your number and a legendary card for TCGIG. He already has it in his collection, but he appreciates the sentiment.

“What do you think?” he asks his wolf buddy. It sticks its tongue out like a dog, pleased with its hearty meal. “If you take a liking to my classmate then I suppose it doesn’t hurt to try.”

First things first, he must know you better to be sure you’re a good fit for his friend…

author's note: it reads of as another character x reader but that's intentional. i love cliche tropes, haha.

[an-aura-about-you]

I have finally got my house mostly clean including fully cleaning my bathroom, so let's see how much Handbook for Mortals I can do during the rest of my lunch.

going into Chapter 10 part 1:

when we last left our hero, Scheherazade hadn't really done anything, but we saw a bunch of boys gushing about her. seems kinda ironic since one of those characters bothers to mention that girls gush when they like a guy and we hadn't actually seen that yet.

anyway, Chapter 10: The Hanged Man

-tbh I can't think of the Hanged Man without thinking of Drumbot Brian in High Noon Over Camelot, and I would probably enjoy this a lot better if the Mechanisms showed up and caused a bunch of violence.

-Zade, as usual, is thinking about Mac and Jackson, but this time she's at the same bar where the gang celebrated Drew's birthday! idk if I mentioned that Zade wasn't there because she doesn't actually make an effort to make friends.

-she once again says Mac and Jackson had been friends before, but again, we don't really see this. Jackson spent his part of the last chapter needling Mac about how he's going after Zade. that is literally the only time we've seen those two interact and it was antagonistic.

-here we are, 11 chapters into the book (remembering to count Chapter 0) and we FINALLY get something resembling world building, and it's cribbed from Queen Terf's magical British school system books because Zade tells us it's frowned upon for those with magic (no I am not gonna spell it with the k) to get with mortals.

-this is also the first time Zade mentions ANYTHING about her father, and that's saying he's a mortal. this is insulting with all the other shit she's keeping under wraps about her dad.

-Zade's like, "I wasn't marrying anyone," as if we haven't been hit over the head every single time someone brings up dating that a long-term commitment is expected. girl, forever is not guaranteed. what happened to just dating people? for fun?

-quotations are placed weird in this bit:

Jackson was close to perfect minus the whole "just a mortal situation"

also

...something I hadn't quite place [sic] my finger on.

-"It could just be fear and my lack of ability to want to make a decision." excuse the fuck outta me?????? I'm so mad that this is going unexamined. you KNOW you're gonna have to make a choice at SOME point right? if you're insisting that the love triangle is the most significant thing going on in this book, that means you're gonna have to figure out WHY you don't want to make a decision. is it the destiny bullshit? do you have any agency at all??????

-this following passage pisses me off so bad:

I have always hated making tough decisions, but usually the tarot was far more helpful than it had been so far, considering that it hadn't given me a clear-cut winner no matter how I asked it. Its "freewill clause" must have been behind some kind of weird lesson I was supposed to learn.

first off, you IGNORED a trump card in your spread because you ~didn't know why it was there~ meaning you're skipping over any insight you might have gotten from it. (though if we're going with my interpretation, you overlooked it because seeing it would have meant admitting to yourself that you're the problem.) you also overlooked part of the nature of the Lovers in your spread, a fairly important part since its imagery was mirrored in another card in that same spread.

second, what the fuck do you mean by this "freewill clause" bullshit???? I know you're some kind of fatalist, but if that's the case why are you even entertaining the idea of free will? and if you're not a fatalist, then you know that means the cards are telling you that YOU'RE the one who has to make the choice on this one, right?????

I get. so very mad when tarot cards are viewed this way. they help you make decisions through interrogation, meditation, and self-examination, not because they're a 78-sided die in a Magic 8 Ball!

(╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻

my poor tarot cards are now scattered all over the floor.

and my lunch is basically over so we're putting a pin in it.

[nintendouniverse2023]

Scene I did my OCs in my AU, for their designs and anything, I thought it would be fair if each of the Mario Characters a redesign in my version. Some I design them will be the same but change it up a little bit.

Bio: Chunky, as the oldest, is the most responsible around the house and takes good care of his family. Chunky is good natured and is a sweet and gentle guy, but despite his large size he's also the most cowardly and doesn't like confrontation. Chunky cares deeply about his baby brother Kiddy and has been given the responsibility to care for him alongside her cousins Dixie and Diddy and is one of the Kongs who meet, DK and join the clan years later.

Chunky Kong fights the boss of the Fungi Forest, which is a rematch with Dogadon. When he defeats the boss, Chunky gains one of the keys to K. Lumsy's cage. In Fungi Forest, he has to go through a Mine Cart ride in the well and collect at least fifty coins to get a Golden Banana, while having to open gates with green bells, and jump over trees and pillars. During the final battle against King K. Rool, Chunky is the final Kong to go up against the Kremling King. At the start of the fight, K. Rool will turn invisible and Chunky has to use to turn invisible and see the Chunky Barrel in the middle. Chunky then turns into a giant and is able to knock K. Rool against the opposite corner as he charges for him by using good timing. Eventually, K. Rool is knocked out by Chunky. He celebrates his victory as K. Rool gets up with the intent of attacking Chunky before being distracted by Candy Kong and shot with a bazooka by Funky Kong.

Chunky continues on several adventures with his Kong Clan friends and making new friends like Krunch, Esther Kong and Lexie. He is still very afraid of beast still but when his friends and family are being threatened, that's when he really takes a stand and confronts the situation.

Appearance: Same Design from 64 but a workout suit that says “Big Buff Kong” and a black belt

Voice Actor: Martin Lawrance

Age: 21

Height: 7ft

Weight: 223 ibs

Personality: Big Softy, Cowardly, Childlike, Protective, Tough and Fun Loving

Favorite Foods: Bananas, Pineapple and Coconut

Family: (Little Brother) Kiddy Kong (Little Cousins) Dixie and Tiny

Allies: Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, Cranky Kong, Candy Kong, Lanky Kong, Eddie the Yeti, Bluster Kong *Sometimes for the Both of them*, K.Lumsy, Snide, The Super Mario Bros and Sis, Princess Peach, Daisy, Rosalina, Amatory, Gill Koopa *Best Friend*, Kong Clan Members and The Jungle Kingdom Residents

Enemies: King K Rool, Krusha, Klump, Krunch, Kalypso *Frenemy*, Kudgle, Kip, Kass, Kopter, Kremlings Army, Captain Syrup *Sometimes*, Wario, Bowser and his Koopa Empire, Kamek, The Koopalings and Bowser Jr

Likes: Playing the triangle, Calming Music, My Little Pony, Manga, Workouts, His friends and family

Dislikes: Being called a baby, Never amount to anything, Monsters, Scary Movies and Blood

[a-wraith-in-the-mountains]

Trope Rating Game!

Trope Rating Game Rules: how much do these tropes affect your decision to click on a fic?

-10 -> very dissuaded

0 - don’t care either way

+10 -> very enticed

nope -> if it’s a hard no and you’d never click on a fic with that tag or you even have the tag blocked or you’d insta click out of the fic if it wasn’t tagged.

Bonus points for explaining the rating and whether it’s conditional.

***

Thanks for the tag @fandoms-ruin-life ! This sounds like fun

Age gap: -4 It very much depends on the situation, but in general, I tend to avoid these types of fics (especially when the older partner calls the younger one "kid." I'm just not a fan. It can be done well and if they're both older and/or immortal I might read it, but...

Codependency: 1 It isn't a trope I'll actively seek out (and I don't much enjoy it in romance unless it is done really well or is Neil and Andrew from AFTG), but I might read it if it is a platonic relationship.

Obsession/possessives or Jealousy: -6 I'll read it, but I'm never going to seek this out. If it's more of a side plot, then yeah that's fine, but if the obsessiveness or jealousy plays a major role I'm just not interested. I'd rather the romantic partners just talk out their feelings in a healthy way...

Opposites (grumpy/sunshine, etc): 7 Always fun. Not something I'll actively look for as far as romances go, but I definitely enjoy a good opposites romance, and if it's platonic?? Absolutely!

Enemies to lovers, enemies with benefits: 0 I don't have a super strong opinion. It really depends on the other tags in the fic. I don't like the toxicity of a lot of "enemies to lovers" stuff but if it's more like "rivals" or "fake enemies" kind of situations I'm more likely to read it. If it's toxic really at all though I probably won't read it unless it ends with them not together and has h/c with some other character...

Friends with benefits: -8 Sounds like it's gonna be a lot of sex and I'm not really into that. If it's more like a queerplatonic relationship type friendship that involves sex, then I'll read it because I'm down with that theme, but otherwise probably not, unless it's a side plot.

Sex with feelings: -2 If it's in a fic I'll read it (I do enjoy the more intimate aspects of sex fics like the boundary negotiation, cuddling, or aftercare) but I'm probably not gonna just seek out this kind of fic.

Fake/pretend dating relationships: -1 They can be good, but I'm usually not a fan. There tend to be a lot of themes that seem to devalue friendship a lot of the time and I don't really like the subterfuge of this. (Caveat: if it is true fake dating and they never get together then 10/10 I will read that...)

Friends to lovers: 4 It's cute, but I'm not gonna seek it out unless its paired with some of my other favorite tropes.

Found family: 10 Don't ask stupid questions /lh

Hurt/comfort: 10 My favorite trope in Fanfiction (since most of the time I'm choosing my fandom obsessions based on the fact they already have found family in them...) I will read these fics all day, but they had better actually have comfort.

Love Triangle: Nope. This is not a trope I like. Needless alloromantic drama that doesn't interest me. (unless the whole triangle gets together then I'll read that).

Poly, open relationships: 3 In general, I don't really care all that much about the pairings, but I'm giving this a 3 because I really do enjoy the open relationship fics that involve asexual characters so...

Mistaken/hidden identity: -6 It's a thing. If it sounds interesting I might read it, but usually I don't like it all that much.

Monsterfucking: -5 Maybe? If this is the focus then no, but it just depends how the tag's being used...

Pregnancy: Nope. Pregnancy terrifies me. If this is a major part of a fic I'm not reading it.

Second Chance: 7 I like the forgiveness and communication (having tough convos is one of my favorite tropes) aspects and they usually involve hurt/comfort but like the really dramatic and super romance heavy ones aren't my thing.

Slowburn: 9 Yes. I'm aroace; the buildup of this really deep friendship over long periods of time that only eventually leads to romance but the friendship is already so important that the romance isn't treated as the natural conclusion or as a better form of what they already had?? Yes, I love that. My favorite romance trope for sure.

Tags if you want to play, but no pressure obviously: @rainystarfish @sleepdeprivedsimp234 @somewhatnerdy Or if anyone else wants to do it???

[mistydeyes]

hiyaaaa i saw you were doing pairings, and i thought id go for it! i’d like you to ship me with one of our gorgeous cod/mw2 boys 🫶

my name is Aia, and I’m a student!

personality: to start off, i’m very introverted (ITSP). i need a lot of alone time to recharge, but i can manage to be around people even when im drained if i like them enough 😭

i have a tough outer shell - not tough in the way that i’m rude or stuck up, but i never really open up about my feelings, or about anything in general. i don’t like talking about myself much with people i don’t really know, and i’m very independent - id rather be on my own. i only open up with, and wanna be around the very few people that i trust - they get to see my softer, more relaxed and true authentic self. and they also get to see my much more energetic and funny side! it all depends on my mood, but it’s usually a mix of both.

i’m very understanding, and i’m VERY empathetic. i can empathise with pretty much everybody and i’m great at giving advice, or even just listening to people’s struggles if that’s what they want. but i can also be extremely blunt and honest at times since i really hate lying & sugarcoating things.

i’m really confident, yet humble. i’m an extremely secure person, and nobody’s words really get to me 😭 i absolutely do not tolerate disrespect and i will cut somebody off or put them in their place if they’re disrespectful enough. I am really humble, however.

this sounds so conceited, but i’d say that i’m really funny 😭 all of my friends describe me as funny, i’m known as the “funny friend”, and i always make people laugh unintentionally! i also laugh at others jokes a lot - i have a hard time taking many situations seriously because of my fkn clownery 💀

the thing that i don’t like about myself however, is that i can be very airheaded and a little like… gone? like very just… unaware and in my own bubble. sometimes i’m extremely clumsy and foolish n shit 😭 i can also be very stubborn at times.

temperament: i’m pretty sure i’m choleric and melancholic! i don’t know a lot about temperaments and such, but i think i’m those two. mostly choleric tho… i think i’m 60/40.

what type of person i am: i’m pretty sure i’m level headed and adventurous. i’m chill, understanding, confident, kind, passionate, and hardworking! i’m mostly logical, but i can be emotional when needed. i’m also extremely loyal and trustworthy.

hobbies: i have quite a few!

- gym/bodybuilding :p

i absolutely ADORE working out, and it’s my main hobby that i tell people about

- cooking & eating :)

- drawing & painting <3

- gaming!

- boxing c:

appearance:

for my body, i’m 5”2/158cm, and i’m normal weight. i go to the gym a lot, so my build is pretty muscular, but i still look feminine overall. my body is like, balanced, i’d say :) i just have an overall fit look!

my face is kind of hard to describe so bare with me! i’m kurdish, so i have very strong individual features, but theyre all in harmony.

My eyes are big, brown, and round. My nose is hooked. my lips are kind of thin, but not overly thin, and theyre kind of bow-shaped :). my eyebrows are thick and dark. my face shape is oval/upside down triangle! my skintone is like… medium? it’s for fair but not super olive either. my hair is thick and dark brown. it is kind of medium length, a bit below my collarbones, and i like to keep it straight, but it is naturally wavy. i have curtain bangs too :)

that was all!! tysm <333

Kyle "Gaz" Garrick (a/n thank you for submitting! I love the amount of detail you put in this and I hope I did you justice!)

How you met: Civilian As you sat in the relief of the cool fan breeze on your face, you re-wrapped your hand with your light blue handwrap. In recent months, you started to train in the ring more often and you loved the gym you found. The air smelled of sweat and the sound of grunts and punches filled the room but it satisfied your competitive spirit. "Aia, you're up!" your trainer called and you walked to the ring to find your opponent. While he was taller and more muscular than you, his kind smile made you feel a little bad for the ass beating you were about to deliver. You had see him around before but this was the first time you would have a session with him. "Kyle," he said as he approached you and gently shook your hand. "Aia," you exchanged and soon took your stance. It was clear when you started that Kyle was a pressure fighter, bombarding you with a barrage of attacks then retreating out of your reach. While his goal was to exhaust you, you were an out-boxer and focused on anticipating his attacks and returning them with a long range punch. Most out-boxers were taller than you but you were able to methodically plan your attacks and kept Kyle on the offensive. You danced around the ring, making intense eye contact with his dark brown eyes until you finally managed to land a winning punch to his sternum. As he fell, you stood above him in victory. "Good match," you complimented as you held out a hand and helped him up. "That was one hell of a punch," he said as he massaged his chest, "I definitely have to train with you more." "Looking forward to it," you replied and exchanged numbers with your new gym buddy.

A peek into your relationship: When you weren't going to the gym with your boyfriend, you enjoyed a nice night in with a cookbook and drinks. Tonight, you and Kyle were attempting to make creamy garlic chicken pasta, a recipe he had suggested. You danced around the kitchen as Kyle took care of the chicken and you handled the pasta. "Babe, this is a great chicken," you said as you peeked a head around his torso, "some might call it im-peck-able!" Your corny joke was met by a hearty laugh from him as you kissed his cheek. "That was bad," he replied and you rolled your eyes as you finished draining the pasta. "I'm just eggs-centric," you said with a smile and this one was met with groans. As Kyle tossed the pasta, he kept poking fun at your humor. "You know, love, if you just told me one of your jokes I probably would have doubled over laughing," he said and sat down on the couch next to you with two bowls. "True but I would never have found the best gym partner," you countered and he nodded in agreement. As you ate your dinner and exchanged more dad jokes, Kyle was happy that he had found the perfect person to be his best friend and to kick his ass at the gym.

[annoyingfobbie]

Tropes Game

Rules

How much do these tropes affect your decision to click on a fic?

-10 -> very dissuaded

0 -> don’t care either way

10 ->  very enticed

nope -> if it’s a hard no and you’d never click on a fic with that tag or or you even have the tag blocked or you’d insta click out of the fic if it wasn’t tagged.

Bonus points for explaining the rating and whether it’s conditional.

thank you so @telegraphavekiss for tagging me, i love talking about fic! disclaimer for this, i haven't looked through the list yet, but i'll probably have no zeros bc i love tropes and i love fics

Trope List

Age gap: 0/10 but also this one heavily depends on the age gap. most age gaps i'm not particularly into, but if it's appropriate then i don't DISlike it necessarily, it just doesn't affect my decision to read a fic much. but also sometimes i do like myself some college student/young professor stuff. maybe thats just cause pete wentz would look hot in a college professor getup idk.

Codependency: 5/10 this is a really tough one bc like it reeeeeeally depends how the codependency plays out, you know?? i personally love reading some well written angst and emotional turmoil and shit, though, so it's usually a positive tbh. Like some explorations into codependency are wrtiten so fucking well.

Enemies to lovers: 8/10 i've gotta stop starting these with "it depends" but like i guess they ALL depends and thats got to be inherently assumed but like dfkljhgklhjgf generally yes enemies to lovers is so good lol. The only times i dislike it are when i feel like stuff was forgiven that shouldn't have been? or like when it doesn't make sense that they get together? but thats usually really just poor writing. if i like the writing then this one is always really good.

Enemies with benefits: 10/10 yessssssssssss y'all don't understand how much i love this unhealthy ass dynamic oh my goddddddd! no elaboration its just hot to me

Fake dating/relationship: 3/10 I've read SOME really really good fics with this, but i don't particularly gravitate towards it i guess.

Found family: 0/10 i love found family in general but when i see it as a tag in a fic it's just usually not really the fic i'm looking for? but i don't run away from it either though. some found family fics are absolute favorites of mine (i'd say the whole Girl Out Boy verse is very found-family-esque and its one of my favorites, for example.) but it's not something i go looking for. i do love good well written friendships like SO much but i feel like thats slightly different than found family.

Friends to lovers: 8/10 similar to enemies to lovers this one can be sooooooo fucking good and usually is, BUT sometimes when the pair are just randomly thrown together or like theres not enough setup or tension then it falls flat. it's kind of all about the tension. i fucking love myself some tension.

Friends with benefits: 7/10 usually i'm actually kind of indifferent to this one, BUT i had to give it a higher rating bc in the specific case where the story is "we're friends with benefits but i want it to be more and i'm secretly pining but i don't want to ruin everything" then that is 10/10 all around and i fucking love those stories.

Hurt/comfort: 8/10 i love angst and emotional turmoil, what can i say

Love triangle: 8/10 see above

Mistaken/hidden identity: 0/10 i haven't actually seen a lot of this, but i think i'd be indifferent to it as a tag if i came across it.

Monster fucking relationship: 7/10 i mean, like....... listen, it can be interesting, thats all i'm saying

Obsession, possessiveness, etc.: 8/10 i fucking love angst and emotional turmoillllll sdjkfghklfjgdh but also i didn't give it a 10/10 bc i tend to not enjoy it much when it leans into a situation where one party feels trapped.

Opposites (like grumpy×sunshine, etc): 5/10 this once again just depends a lot on the author, but when its done well, i do really like it.

Poly: 0/10 it doesn't really sway me either way if i see it as a tag. it also kind of depends on the people involved. i love panic at the disco poly for example but not so much fob poly.

Pregnancy: -3/10 i don't HATE it like i don't avoid it like the plague but i'm definitely not as likely to click on it if it has pregnancy lol

Second chance: -2/10 most of the time i just feel like i can't get behind these unless theres been a huge misunderstanding or its a situation where no one did anything wrong? bc a lot of times when i read this i end up just not rooting for the couple, which is what i always wanna be doing.

Sex to feelings: 10/10 i mean you saw my friends with benefits explanation. it's all right there.

Slow burn: 10/10 the more fic the better. the more tension the better. win win.

Soulmates: -2/10 controversial take from me but i DON"T like fics where it's a pre-decided/fate thing. i just prefer the writer to really convince me these people have CHOSEN each other you know?

Arranged marriage: -9/10 see above, basically. in real life i don't view these negatively but it's just not what i look for in a fic.

And I'm tagging:

(sorry if you've already been tagged lol) @mickjustmademylist @vampyerika @pyrchance and @earlgreytea68 ! if you don't wanna participate tho then please don't feel bad or pressured or anything lol its no biggie! also anyone at all who wants to do this can do it and tag me as the person who tagged you, bc i love seeing what people have to say about this stuff!