#media and then imagine it fits my special little ideas)

[dimiclaudeblaigan]

If there is at least one thing I can credit FE for doing better than Tales in localization, it's not trying to actively go out of their way for an entire game to avoid subtext or direct text between two men that is romantic or implied romantic. Funny when it's so present that the attempt doesn't even work; infuriating that it was attempted to begin with.

So as much as I often have issues with some of FE's localizations, at least they have a leg up on loc Tales for that.

[euphoricfilter]

For the drabble game could you write fluff with youtuber bf jk ? I am not creative so I couldn’t think of a sentence sorry😭 but maybe he does one of those 24hr streams, I love your writing!

youtuber boyfriend! kook headcanons:

tags/ warnings: none. just a lot of fluff and feelings <3

notes: when i got sent this idea ages ago i got so excited. and i wrote three fics for it but hated them all and then made sure they were to never see the light of day. so my solution is to write some cute boyfriend headcanons instead to make up for it!! simply because i absolutely love this idea and i need to write anything for it to sate the need within me.

notes 2: this got slightly longer than i’d intended LMAO sorry 🕺

𓇻 i feel like jungkook’s channel has a plethora of videos, though he specializes in gaming.

𓇻 its probably one of his biggest passions. though i do see him dabbling in commentary, or even review type videos. maybe he’s a bit of a collector as well and goes on hour long rants about rare items or hauls of what he purchased over the years.

𓇻 i see the both of you probably meeting at one of those second-hand game and film stores.

𓇻 maybe you’re just milling around. more content to browse the movies than the games because you only own an old console (something cute like a nintendo DS) but they don’t really sell the game cards commercially anymore

𓇻 and jungkook loses track of why he was even there in the first place when he spots you. slowly scooting towards the corner you’re in.

𓇻 jungkook might not exactly believe in love at first sight, finds it a little hard to imagine loving someone so soon. but he definitely believes in destiny, even fate. and some small part of his mind had convinced him that surely this was just that.

𓇻 he’d be a bit shy about trying to approach you, mouth opening only for nothing to come out because what was he supposed to say? and maybe he accidentally startles you, offering to pay for the few dvds you had hugged to your chest as a lame sort of compensation

𓇻 he’d be the one to ask for your number, he’d be the first to text. you’d tell him later on it’s because you didn’t want to come off too head-strong. worried you’d scare him off messaging only hours after meeting. and then he’d tell you he had worried about the same thing

𓇻 jungkook wouldn’t straight out tell his audience he’d gotten into a relationship. it’s not that he was embarrassed about you, quite the opposite; he’d love to flaunt you to the world. it’s just he’d worry about the reaction from fans.

𓇻 he’d have a pretty hefty audience, a well established one even. and he wasn’t blind to the mean comments that would occasionally show up beneath videos or social media posts. he, himself, never found much issue in dealing with them, on occasion he’d get a little down but he knew that really he put himself up for this. he chose to show his face online, and with that would come some backlash. however, that didn’t mean he wasn’t worried about you or how shitty comments would effect your well being.

𓇻 definitely the “in a relationship but it’s private” sort of photos would slowly creep their way onto his IG posts. maybe of little date nights— candles on the table with a dinner you’d cooked together (2 glasses, 2 plates and 2 sets of cutlery), or your favorite cake he’d tried to bake himself with the lego flowers he’d spent the previous evening trying to make (because at least you could look at the lego ones forever and they wouldn’t die). or maybe even your hand snuck in a photo or simply your silhouette beneath a sunset.

𓇻 maybe a few of your own collectible items had made their way onto the shelf in his studio. an obvious beanbag in the corner (you’d often sit there and read as he went through emails or scripted videos). valentines cards that he’d never thought to take down, or posters of yours that never exactly fit in the bedroom

𓇻 it would become apparent that he was in a long-term relationship when he’d film a moving video. so much of your stuff mingled with his own, split seconds of the shared rooms he’d add to the video before showing his audience his new office space. the extra shoes and cute little additions to his home; soft cushions on the couch, ceramics you’d begged him to buy. your hoard of plushies that took up half the bed or the stupid amount of skin care products stacked up in the bathroom. all a sure way of telling his fans that he was serious about you, even if they had no idea of your name or face

𓇻 maybe with enough comments he’d make a little announcement at the end of a video.

𓇻 “i know you’ve all probably guessed by now, but i am in fact, in a relationship”

𓇻 and then proceeded to talk about you for 7 minutes because really he wanted everyone to know how much he loved you. and truthfully he never knew when to shut up when it came to you, not when you were what’s on his mind most of the time. he’d tell them how you’d met, and how he had been absolutely enamored by you almost instantly. he’d show everyone the matching bracelets you’d made. grinning as he showed off the receipt he’d kept in his wallet from your first date together at a small cafe in town, mentioning how he kept a baby photo of you in the back of his phone too.

𓇻 the first time you’d show up in a video, he’d plan for the both of you to do some crafts together one afternoon. a hobby you’d been trying over the last couple of weeks, and jungkook liked to indulge you. loved to watch you sprawled across the floor of an evening with glue coating your fingers and way too much glitter imbedded in the carpet.

𓇻 he’d have been worried at first. asking you over and over if it was truly okay for you to be on camera, and after your reassured him with a kiss, he’d settle down slightly. though his anxiety had still clung to him, eyes flitting your way throughout the afternoon

𓇻 he could tell how shy you’d been, and had reassured you that really you didn’t even need to address the audience. he’d do all the silly little things you giggled at him for. and all you had to do was sit there and be pretty for him. you’d been a lot quieter than usual; itching to give him a kiss each time he was just so awfully jungkook. eyes like those of galaxies when he got something right, or the happiest smile on his face when you asked him for help

𓇻 the day he did a 24 hour charity stream would be when his audience sees you the most. milling around the house, making sure your boyfriend was fed and watered. maybe even sitting down and reading the chat when he wanted to shower. or answering questions while perched on his lap. he’d want to smother you with even more love when you’d catch his eye— a silent question if you were doing okay, that you answered all the questions correct. and he’d squeeze your thigh in reassurance, head resting over your shoulder as he listened to your voice, humming to let you know he was still listening

𓇻 you’d startle him at 4am, a little pouty that you’d had to fall asleep alone. dragging a chair from the kitchen to sit on as you watch him play a game you’d never seen before.

𓇻 “go back to bed, baby” he’d coo, “you’ll fall asleep sitting up and get a bad back”

𓇻 and maybe after that he’s a lot more open to showing you on camera. filming you on beaches, eating cakes and ice creams from a million different restaurants or dancing around hotel rooms or sitting on the balcony with the sun warming your skin when he takes you on holiday. short films dedicated to you with your favorite songs playing in the background

𓇻 maybe he even makes a playlist on his youtube channel, titled “my love” for every video that he includes you in

𓇻 idk just very much in love boyfriend kook who wants the world to love you almost as much as he does (because in all honesty, no one would ever love you more than he does)

[quitealotofsodapop]

I thought about Huebei and thought of a couple of really cute ideas.

First and foremost, I can see archeology and paleantology being a special interest of hers even going into her adulthood. Girl wants to work on archeology dig sites and stuff and loves the museum. In Soft Boiled Wukong asks MK to help him out by taking her to a trip to a museum while he and the rest of the Noodle Gang set up a surprise party for her on the island the first time her birthday comes up after the monkey family met the group.

Second... and I don't really know WHY, but I can see her being a dancer. Maybe a ribbon dancer or something, but I think of her dancing gracefully as her tall, lanky teenage self and as her buffer adult self and think,'Yeah, that fits.' I can only assume it's the bit of Macaque's dad's influence that she likes performing. Goodness knows she didn't get it from Wukong! Although he can be just as artistic too and as someone who is artistic from an artistic family, I find that if an inheritance trait, even if my style of art is completely different from my siblings' preferred media. We all joke I'm the only one who can draw even tho all the rest of them can play music, something I frankly am terrible at no matter how much I practice altho that could be the stage fright speaking

Third, I can totally see her and Red being inseparable as babies. They were born not far apart in age and basically have similar powers to each other, whenever Uwkong needed a break he'd go to DBK for babysitting and vice versa up until their falling out and Wukong being forced to seal DBK away. It's for this reason I imagine she would like to sneak out to Uncle Bull's resting place just to be near him again. She knows her dad didn't really have a choice, but she misses Uncle Bull and Red. She makes sure Red never sees her or knows she's there when the Bull Family visit.

The first thing Wukong teaches her, besides how to control her lazer eyes, is the transformations. This was a bit of a necessity since, during the journey and shortly afterwards, Wukong would find himself in a situation where demons and celestials of all walks in life would try to sneak onto the island to search him and his cub out. While most were just curious, a few beings did not mean them well, but luckily for Wukong, they only ever searched for a monkey and his baby... they never searched for a sparrow or a tiger. Fresh from the Journey, visitors were the last things Wukong wanted to deal with!

Yuebei quickly starts to see MK as a sort of big brother figure, in spite if her jealousy that he of all beings got picked to be her father's heir and not her. It didn't matter to her that she had explicitly told her father once she never wanted to follow in his footsteps, that staff is her BIRTHRIGHT! Even so, the first time MK got hurt in front of her (Calabash episode actually) she near lost her shit.

Haha! I do love having Yuebei be interested in bone-based sciences due to her literary association with bones. She was def a "dinosaur-kid" who would run up and down beaches, digging up little shell fossils to bring home and show to her baba. Wukong isn't 100% sure what a trilobite is, but his cub is super excited to explain them to him when she found a weird fossilized pillbug. Wukong just loves that his babygirl has such a passionate interest in the world.

As Yuebei gets older, she goes through phases of hyperfixating on different archaeological eras and cultures. As someone who has an ornament cabinet full of Egyptian god statues from one such phase, I can imagine a few sections of the Stone Palace treasury has been organized so Yuebei can display her interests.

I can imagine (even pre-series) Tang running into Yuebei at the museum, the little glamoured demon just fascinated by a display/diorama on Tang-era trade routes. The scholar thinks its the cutest thing ever! The two become sort of nerd buddies once Yuebei warms up to the Noodle Gang.

And ooo ribbon dancer Yuebei!!

I have watched some performances, and many of the dancers are buff af.

I can see Wukong struggling to find a creative or physical outlet his daughter would enjoy, only to turn around to find the cub dancing with a stray phoenix feather. He sighs, knowing that the theatrical spirit of Macaque has lived on in some way. Heavens know Yuebei is far more confident on stage than Wukong will ever be!

Yuebei and Red Son were def tight as cousins well up until Bull got imprisoned, and they still have an "older sibling, younger sister" relationship in the modern day. PIF and Red never held Wukong's actions against his child, and if the little rebel liked to visit her auntie and cousin without her baba's permission, then they would accommodate her.

I love the idea of Wukong training his daughter some key powers, like the transformations. Yuebei's different transformations tend to be dark furred/scaled/feathered with little red-orange flecks. Almost like a certain Macaque's... one thing she has trouble changing is the age of the animal she turns into. She's almost always a juvenile of the species no matter how hard she tries.

Yuebei, showing off: "Watch this! I can turn into a tiger!" MK, excited: "Sweet!" Yuebei: (*transforms into a tiger cub*) MK, wondering if that was intentional: "Umm..." Yuebei, furious: "Not. A. Word."

And ofc the baby girl had a problem with her lazer eyes shooting off whenever she had a tantrum - so Wukong had to devise a way to help her control those early on. Welding goggles and sunglasses help a lot on his end, but Guanyin also helped teach younger Yuebei meditation techniques so she could calm down in the moment and avoid triggering a shot.

In the end, even if Yuebei naturally developed a lot of her baba's powers, she sort of resents that MK was chosen as his successor and not her. But she also *knows* it killed her baba to give the Nüwa-made cub up to give him a "normal" life. A life that she couldn't have...

She wants MK to realise his responsibility and not waste it. But also wants to be a kid like he does. The two have to work together to make a balance.

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

Have you ever felt the fanbase itself has become too crowded with people who act like they "know better" then the show?

I've noticed this, specially with artist, that while they claim they're "fixing designs", most either "over-complicate" the designs (Despite them looking good) but they also seem to have a little arrogant over it.

I don't hate redesigns, that's not what I'm saying, but seeing people claim they're "better" or are "fixing" designs while over-complicating a design that's supposed to be "simple".

This is a complex question because fan content that attempts to re-imagine some part of canon has traditionally always been called "fix it" content. The term "fix it" has also always been treated pretty neutrally in fan spaces. Traditionally speaking, saying something is a "fix it fic" just means that the fic is directly addressing canon in a way that other works don't. It's the creator saying, "I want to give you a different take on something that canon did." That take usually exists because the creator doesn't like something in canon, but at the same time, it doesn't necessarily mean that the creator thinks that canon should or even could have done the fix. It just means that they want to share their ideal take on the idea.

Because I come to fandom with that history in mind, I don't see a statement like "fixing Ladybug's design" and interpret that to mean, "This is how the show should have designed her as I've taken into account all of the concerns that one must address in animation." I interpret that to mean, "I wasn't a fan of Ladybug's design, so I did my own take on her," because that is traditionally what "fix it" was shorthand for. It's not a technical evaluation or competitive standing. It's a genre.

This history seems to be ignored in parts of the Miraculous fandom and that completely threw me off when I entered the fandom. It still throws me off! I have no idea what's going on around here!

While many Miraculous fans are using "fix it" in the traditional sense, there also seem to be groups that see "fix it" as some sort of direct letter to the writers/designers showing them what they should have done. To add further complications, one sub group of Miraculous fans is USING "fix it" in that context, which is an issue I will get to in a minute. The other sub group is INTERPRETING the words "fix it" in that context and I can't change that. I can just tell you that this is straight up bizarre to me because what are you supposed to label fix it content if we can't use the words "fix it"? Why are you ignoring decades of fandom history? You are reading way too much into those words!

I don't know if it's because Miraculous skews younger or if it's because of fandom drama that predates my entry to the fandom (I'm a COVID convert, so I didn't get here until after season 3) or if I've just been lucky in the past, but both the reverence and the hatred towards Miraculous canon is highly unusual compared to what I've seen in other fandoms. I'm more used to fanworks having a tone of loving irreverence or mild annoyance where canon is seen as a series of optional writing prompts that you can do with what you will. The reason for that tone has a lot to do with the fact that it's wildly unfair to compare canon to fanon, especially when it comes to visual media.

The fun of fandom spaces is that we can create without the limits that stifle professional productions. It doesn't matter if our stories are marketable or if the designs we come up with fit a theoretical budget or if we only produce a new chapter/drawing once a year. This means that, yes, fan works often have the ability to surpass canon! At the same time, it's rarely fair to make that comparison on a technical/competitive level. I will criticize Miraculous for many things, but here are some of really basic challenges that the show writers face that I - a fanfic writer - never will:

I can use as many sets as I want, the writers are limited to the settings that have been animated

I can make my stories as long or as short as they need to be, the writers have to make the story episodic enough to fit a 20-minute run time while also drawing things out for at least 8 seasons

I can write a story that doesn't have an akuma attack, the show has a very clear rule that every episode needs to contain a fight sequence

I can put the characters in whatever outfit I want, the writers cannot because every outfit needs to be animated

I can take my time plotting out my story from start to finish and even go back and edit things if I feel like it, the writers have hard deadlines and things get set in stone very quickly

The list goes on, but it can be summed up to: as an independent creator, I can do anything I can imagine. I am only limited by my own talent. Meanwhile, the writers of an animated show for kids have to follow very strict guidelines due to things beyond their control such as budget concerns and network rating guidelines. We are not the same. You should not compare us on a technical level.

This is where we circle back to the whole "using fix it as a way to directly criticize canon and show the creators what they should have done" thing. That's not a take that I'm ever going to be comfortable with because fix it content rarely tries to fit the same confines or deal with the same instability that canon is subjected to. If you use fix it like that, then you are taking the concept too far. You're also being quite arrogant.

If I see someone do this, I tend to assume that they're pretty young or that, at the very least, they know absolutely nothing about how TV shows work. What you see on the screen is often not what the creator would have given you under ideal circumstance. Some of the best examples of this come from times when a creator was given pretty ideal conditions only to then have less than ideal conditions when the property was revisited as that highlights that you really can't just blame the writers. The most well known examples that come to mind are Avatar the Last Airbender vs its sequel Korra and Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings vs his Hobbit movies.

For a really in depth discussion of LotR vs The Hobbit, you can go watch Lindsay Ellis' fantastic documentary for free on youtube. For this post, I'll just go into the high level stuff of Avatar vs Korra.

Avatar asked for three seasons and magically got three seasons. Korra was supposed to be a 13-episode miniseries, but was expanded to four seasons after season one was done. The show then had budget cuts that messed with the last season due to poor performance. Shockingly, Avatar was the better show. I wonder why? Just imagine what Korra could have been if it had been given four seasons from the start!

At the very least, I can guarantee you that writers wouldn't have ended all of season one's plot lines in the season one finale, leaving them to start from scratch with season two which is generally considered the worst season. Once again, I wonder why?

Because of all that, I wouldn't be surprised if there's a fix it fic out there that takes all of Korra and reworks it to make everything flow better. I wouldn't even be surprised if I find that fic to be better than canon because the fic was only limited by the writer's talent. On the other hand, the actual show was massively limited by things beyond the writers' control, meaning that it's overall quality issues are less a condemnation of the writers and more a representation that even awesome writers can't perfectly adjust on the fly when networks meddle.

Of course, Korra doesn't have extremely fundamental writing flaws like Miraculous does, but the principle remains the same. I can point out Miraculous' flaws with certainty, but I cannot necessarily fix them with certainty. That's assuming too much.

But there are different types of criticism and different ways of engaging with the source material. What I do on this blog is mostly focused on high level discussion of the show's flaws and spit balling ways to fix them without really committing to anything. I'm not telling you how the show should have been written. I'm just pointing out flaws and talking about the things I think the writers could have changed or accounted for, though it is always possible that I'm wrong and this was caused by something outside of the writing circle.

That's why I rarely mention anyone by name. I cannot point a finger and say "this is the person who ruined Lila's potential and this is why they did it." I can just tell you that Lila was poorly executed when she didn't need to be. I don't want you to send this blog to the writers, but generally speaking, it is the kind of feedback that I'd be comfortable giving them if they hired me as an editor or script doctor. When I act in those roles, I'm much nicer than I am on here because I know that the writer will actually read what I say, but I am just as brutal about pointing out flaws because that's what I signed on to do. I'm not here to stroke your ego, I'm here to work with you and help you improve your story.

When I write fix it fics - and I have several - I am engaging in a very different type of criticism. I'm not discussing specific flaws in canon and telling you how to address them within the limits of the show. Instead, I'm giving you my ideal version of a given concept from the show so that you can hopefully enjoy it and maybe even use to find some catharsis for a thing that you also didn't like. I'll also change things about the show just to keep things interesting or to be highly self indulgent. For example, I avoid umbrella scenes in my stuff even though I think that the canon umbrella scenes are cute and well written. It's because they're so iconic that I do something different! Why revisit them when I have nothing to add? I'd just be copy canon! It's more fun to do something new since there are other ways to have Marinette and Adrien fall in love.

It's a very nuanced type of criticism because it's true that these stories only exists because I'm saying that canon did something wrong and I want to show you how it could have been better. But I'm also not limiting myself to the confines of canon or even just improving canon to make my argument, so it's impossible to compare them on a technical level. That's not why I write fix it fic, though. I have this blog so that I can discuss writing concepts and how to learn from Miraculous' failures. I write fix it fics to have fun and indulge my imagination. For example, I have a fic that's basically my ideal take on Chat Blanc and there's no way that would work in the context of canon. In the context of canon, I'd suggest far more minor changes or even tell them to scrap the episode all together.

Be it fix it content or more high level critical analysis like I do on this blog, it's important to remember that canon isn't going to change. Even if we could sit the writers down and convince them of everything that they did wrong and everything that they should do to fix it, they can't actually enact those changes. The story is already out there and time machines aren't a thing. But that's not what fandom content is about. Blogs like this are for people who enjoy thinking about stories critically and discussing how and why they fail. Good fix it content is all about saying, "I didn't like canon and think it would be better if X happened" or even "I liked canon, but got this idea about how it could be different" and then sharing the idea with other fans. This is because any and all fan content is for the fans (and former fans), not the creators.

So yes, I think it's valid to make fan content that "improves" canon. I even think it's valid to compare it to canon in a casual manner as that's just a natural thing that humans do. Give me two versions of something and I will automatically compare them and probably even pick a favorite. The thing that you need to be careful about, the nuance that you have to keep in mind, is that fandom is a casual space to have fun with other fans and to create whatever our talents will allow us to create. When we use terms like "fix it" or say that we like something better than canon, that context needs to be kept in mind. I will never be concerned by a reader telling me that they liked one of my stories more than they liked canon or that they wish that canon had also included a concept I've played with. That's just a statement of preference. I only get concerned when I get comments about how "the writers should read this so they can learn from you" because I didn't write it to teach them. I wrote it to have fun with my fellow fans and that is true for every bit of fandom content I produce.

I know that was long, but hopefully it answered your question? My main draw to fandom spaces is fix it content, so this is something I'm pretty passionate about. If I think that a piece of media is perfect, then I don't seek out fan content for it. I only join fandoms on those rare occasions when media hits that sweet spot of good enough to grab my attention, but bad enough/lacking something to not fully satisfy me.

[louisupdates]

[Translated from Spanish]

Louis Tomlinson chose Argentina once again to enjoy the time before his show on May 18, nothing more and nothing less than at the Vélez Sarsfield Stadium in front of 40,000 people. His last visit to the country took place under the framework of his concert at the Movistar Arena, in mid-2022 with the presentation of his debut solo album Walls, so the fans wanted to be able to see it again and share some time with him.

To the good luck of those present last weekend at the Four Seasons hotel in Buenos Aires, Louis took some time to greet each and every one of them on the street, where minutes before he had spoken with various media about how he prepares for this great show, which in his own words "is a great leap in his career."

In this show, he will present his latest studio album, Faith In The Future, which has hits such as "Bigger Than Me", "Out Of My System" or "The Greatest" and which he presented in an exclusive listening at The Roxy Bar & Grill at the end of 2022.

You have already stepped on the field of Vélez, you even had the opportunity to score a couple of goals, how did you feel?

Very good to be honest, but I'm not going to lie to you, I think I injured my quadriceps, I'm not very fit these days (laughs). As a soccer fan it's beautiful to be able to play on a field in good condition, I was able to kick some penalties, score a couple of goals... It was a great day.

Especially in Argentina, a country so passionate about football, did you have the opportunity to know anything about our football culture?

Totally, I saw the videos of the celebration of the World Cup, five million people... It was crazy. I love that, football is my other love after music. Having so many people who love the same thing as me makes me feel at home, it's very nice.

When you stepped on the grass, could you imagine how crowded it will be in your show?

It's something very difficult to imagine. You have the idea because you look at the place and you could have the image of what it will be like, but I really don't think you have the true feeling until you go on stage. It's a reaction that is always shocking to me, because although it's real, and you can have an image in your head of what it will look like, you can't imagine how it will feel to get there and go on stage with so many people. I'm excited to be able to feel it.

Did you prepare something special for our audience?

I think I'll probably be bringing... The setlist will be a little different... Maybe bring some of the old songs, make new covers... I would like the show to feel a little different from the last ones we did, so there will be some new additions.

You recently commented that Anitta was your favorite Brazilian singer. We are a little jealous.

It's fair, I get it, I get it. Give me a minute... Where is it? (Take a paper out of your pocket) I have a couple of names... Here I have it, look at this: WOS, Airbag, Cerati, do you see it? Are they okay? I have three here.

From the Movistar Arena two years ago, to this show in Vélez, what differences can you notice?

The truth is that I can't tell you... It seems that I made a very good record, and the jump is huge. It's something I don't know what to expect, because since I didn't know what my first show would be like, I wasn't very aware of what the evolution would be like from there. I feel very grateful to be able to be in these beautiful places, the stadiums, the arenas... I feel very lucky to be able to have the opportunity to do it again.

Throughout your career you have been present multiple times in both the Hot 100 and the Hot 100 Argentina, is it something that worries you when it comes to creating songs?

It's something I try not to be too worried about. I think that sometimes, when you try to create something for playlists, for radio or something similar, the panorama of the imagination changes because it becomes a more linear path. I was particularly enjoying writing a lot, regardless of the success that the track will have. A lot of what I do when I write is oriented to the live show, and later it is molded for the radio.

Are you working on something special for this year?

I wrote about four or five songs for the new album. By the end of this year, I think I'm going to start writing a lot more, with the intention of presenting a new album next year.

[lucy90712]

Hiii can you write a Pablo Gavi imagine where the reader, his girlfriend of a couple years has a birthday coming up and he won’t be able to make it. Can you put how they previously had that discussion but it didn’t end so she didn’t even want to celebrate her birthday but little does she know he wants to surprises her because they haven’t seen each other in a while. With the help of their friends & her best friend, Aron Piper from elite it all comes together. If you can make her older than him & Latina. Thank you & happy new year :)

A/n: my requests are open so feel free to send me more requests. 

I changed the request a bit to fit my idea and also I don't know who that is so hope that's ok

wc: 2400+ 

For weeks I've been looking forward to my birthday as my boyfriend Pablo was supposed to come and see me so we could spend the day together but a few days ago he told me couldn't make it as he had to stay in Barcelona for training. When he told me I tried my best not to seem too disappointed as I knew he would come if he could but as soon as our FaceTime call ended I couldn't help but let a few tears fall. We haven't seen each other in person in so long and I was really looking forward to seeing his face and getting to hug him but now I don't know when I'll get to see him. Knowing Pablo won't be here upset me so much that I didn't really want to celebrate my birthday as I know all day I'll be thinking about how much better things would be with him here. 

My day started when I heard my doorbell ringing and to start with I got excited thinking that it could be Pablo but when I answered it it was my mum who had brought me breakfast on her way to work. Of course I appreciated it but part of me couldn't help but be disappointed that it wasn't Pablo even though deep down I knew it wouldn't be. She wished me a happy birthday before leaving for work which meant I was again alone and left to think about all the things I could be doing today. My friends tried to get me to do something with them today but I told them I didn't want to as my plans for the day are to just be alone and have a day to myself as I don't get those very often.

I ate the food my mum brought me as I didn't want it to get cold and then I decided to get ready and to start with I thought I'd just put on something comfy to lounge around in but when I went in my wardrobe I saw a cute dress I haven't worn I ages and decide to get dressed up a bit. In an attempt to make myself feel good I put the dress on and did my hair and makeup all nice and then proceeded to sit back down on my sofa to do nothing. When I sat down I picked my phone up finally to see that I had loads of happy birthday texts which I responded to and I reposted some of the things my friends put on social media as well. 

After being on my phone for a while I realised that Pablo hadn't even text me since yesterday so not only was he not here he hadn't even bothered to text me. I wasn't sure whether to be mad at him or to cry to begin with but then I tried to convince myself that he must just be busy and that at some point he would text. It was really hard to not let it bother me as in the two years we have been together Pablo has never not text me on special days like my birthday or Valentine's Day so for him not to have done it yet made me upset but also slightly worried about him. My mind went back and forth about texting him just to make sure that he was ok but I stopped myself as he should be the one texting me and if by later he still hasn't I can call him then to check that everything is alright. 

Just as I was about to turn the tv on to distract myself the doorbell rang again and for a second I really considered not getting up to answer it but I did. This time it was my best friend who didn't even let me greet her before telling her to get ready as we were going somewhere. I did exactly what I was told as there is no arguing with her when she wants me to do something and honestly I'm not in the mood to argue. Once we left my apartment I asked where we were going but I didn't get an answer and I could tell I wasn't going to get one so I didn't ask again. We got into her car and I went back into my own world thinking about Pablo and his much I miss him. 

"You ok?" My best friend asked 

"Yeah I'm fine" I replied 

"You're lying tell me what's up" she pressed further 

"Well I haven't heard from Pablo at all today so I'm worried about him and I just really miss him" I admitted 

"I'm sure he's just busy and will call later plus I know you will see him at some point" she said 

I just nodded and then we started talking about other things until we got to the nearest shopping mall which is when y/f/n said that we were going to go shopping and have a girls day. We haven't had a girls day in ages so I was excited to go shopping and just spend some time together. 

Pablo's POV

Standing around the corner from Y/n's place waiting for her to leave with her friend made me feel like a creep and definitely made me look weird but it will be worth it later when I get to surprise her. She has no idea that I'm here as I told her I wouldn't be able to come and see her on her birthday but in reality I have been talking to her friends to try and arrange a surprise as it's her birthday and we haven't seen each other in a while. I have felt awful lying to her but I know that when I get to see the smile on her face it will be worth it and hopefully she won't be too mad. 

Once she left with her friend I gave it another minute before I ran up to her apartment and let myself in using the key she gave me so that I can set things up for the surprise. With some help from her friends I got some decorations for her apartment which I have to put up and I need to wrap the presents I got her as I didn't have time before leaving. It's a lot to get done especially as I know I only have a few hours before y/n will be back but I know I can do it. To start with I inflated all the balloons as I knew that was going to take a while plus once I have them all I can decide where I want to put them. 

Interior design and decorating is really not my thing but once I had everything ready I tried my best to make it look nice but nothing looked right so I sent pictures to some of her friends to get their opinion and they told me what to do. After their help the place looked really good and I got to wrapping her presents before setting up the last parts of the surprise. As part of it all I wanted to give her notes to follow so I wrote them all out and put them in place and then left other things with them all. 

Once it was all done I sat on her sofa and waited for a text to say that she would be back soon. Having to just sit and wait had me feeling really nervous because although I'd love to think that she'd be really happy to see me there's always the possibility that she won't be and that thought just kills me inside. When I looked at my phone and realised I hadn't text her today I got even more nervous about seeing her as I know that she'll either be super upset or mad because I always text her every day and especially today she would have been expecting a text from me. As much as it was tempting to text her now I didn't do it as she will be here in person soon and I don't want to ruin the surprise by making her suspicious in any way. Only once my phone went off with a text from y/n's best friend saying they would be back in about 5 minutes did I stop thinking about how I've been a bad boyfriend and got into place for the surprise. 

Your POV

I have enjoyed my time out as we went shopping and got our nails done but now y/f/n has work so she's dropping me back at my apartment and now I can finally relax for the rest of the day like I planned to do. She dropped me outside and we said our goodbyes before I dragged myself upstairs and to my apartment. When I opened the door I turned the lights on so that it wasn't so dark and immediately took a step back as there was balloons and banners everywhere as well as other decorations which took me completely by surprise. Thinking that my friends were hiding somewhere I called out their names and got no answer so ended up just saying hello a few times but still didn't get an answer. Just as I was about to give up and go sit down I noticed a note on the side when I went to put my keys down. I picked it up and noticed that there was also a heart shaped chocolate underneath it so I grabbed it and then read the note. 

The note sent me to the living room where I found another note this time accompanied by a red rose. This next note took me to the kitchen where another note and rose was waiting for me. The note trail sent me all around my apartment collecting roses until I got to my bedroom where there was a card resting on my bed so I went to go and collect it expecting it to be another note sending me somewhere else but it wasn't. When I opened the envelope it was an actual birthday card which of course I read straight away. 

Reading it I almost burst into tears but I managed to control myself slightly and only let out a few tears as my brain processed all the beautiful words that were written in the card. By this point I was well aware that it was Pablo that had this all set up but I wasn't expecting him to walk out of the bathroom attached to my bedroom as I thought he'd got someone else to do this for him. When I first saw him I dropped the card and all the roses that were resting in my lap and ran towards him jumping at him which luckily he saw coming and caught me. At this point there was no holding back the tears as I held onto him like if I let go he'd disappear. Eventually I let go slightly and I stood back on the ground looking at Pablo smiling like an idiot and eyes filled with tears.

He smiled back at me and wiped the tears from my face before pulling me in to a loving kiss which was possibly the best kiss I've ever had as it just felt so passionate and full of all of our love for each other. When we pulled away he picked me up and carried me back to the sofa and then ran off again and came back with a pile of presents which he placed on my lap. I cuddled into his side as I opened the presents as I want to spend as much time as possible cuddled with him before we inevitably have to separate again. He brought me some lovely things but my favourite gift was definitely him being here even if he did lie to me. 

"You know I can't believe you kept this from me you are usually such an awful liar" I said 

"So am I it was so hard not telling you especially when you seemed so sad that I couldn’t be here but your reaction was definitely worth it” he said 

“Well I’m just really happy you’re here I missed you so much but don’t lie to me again or I will be mad” I laughed 

“I missed you too and that reminds me I have one last surprise for you” he said getting up 

When he came back he made me close my eyes and put something in my hands which wasn’t heavy but it felt cold which was intriguing. When he allowed me to open my eyes I looked down and saw that he had put a key in my hands it was on a little key chain that had a small heart charm as well as a little house one. I was so confused my this as I already have a key to his place like he does with mine so I wasn’t sure why he was giving me another one. 

“What’s this about?” I asked 

“Well as long as you would like to I got a new bigger apartment and I thought we could move in together that way we won’t have to miss each other” he said 

“Really” I said not being able to say anything else 

“Yes really and before you worry I looked into it and there is plenty of jobs like yours being advertised and they pay better and of course you can come back and see your friends whenever you want” he added 

“I would love to move in together” I said 

Of course I had to tackle him into a big hug and press loads of kisses all over his face to show him my excitement but also my appreciation. He simply just laughed at me as I continued my assault until I was finally done when he just pulled me closer and started to stroke my hair. This has very quickly gone from the worst to the best birthday ever and although moving to a new city is a bit daunting as long as I’m with Pablo I know I’ll be ok. 

[oceanwithouthermoon]

i know i JUST did this with the pony au but.. been thimking of.. saiki k spidersonas.. head in hands..

let me give u my ideas😋

this is just a brainstorm dont judge if its cringe

chiyo- love bite

pink+orange suit

HEAVY on the mask eyeliner

suit has a cute lil skirt, both cuz its just cute and fun and cuz she was insecure about the way the skintight suit looked

"i stained my mask with lipstick.. why did i do that..." (continues doing it)

eventually she just makes a mask that doesnt cover her mouth and realizes she shouldve just done that in the first place cuz one of her powers is her sharp ass venomous teeth😭(venom only deadly if she bites for a REALLY long time)

also for some reason i think one of her powers would be like an ABSOLUTELY EAR SPLITTING SHRIEK.. not bad enough to make people go deaf, but it seriously disorientates them and makes their ears ring

shun- jet black widow

blue+black (+red accents? maybe yellow to go with his whole thunder thing)

bat wings on his suit.. can he fly?? prob not.. sure can glide though!!

aren- the demon killer ??? (just his gang alias, idk what else to name him)

purple+black (+red accents?) ((matching with shun?🤔)

i feel like his only power would be super strength (but like.. SUPER super strength.. bros crazy strong already so...) and he would have to manually create a suit that gives him more spider-like capabilities.. why did he need to become a spider-person instead of just being a regular superhero?? um cuz its cool and his friends were doing it obviously..

kokomi- heart slinger

blue+white

her suit also has a cute lil skirt, mostly cuz she didnt want annoying guys to be weird about the skintight suit

y'all know miss heed from villainous??? she prob has powers like that but yk.. less evil

i also imagine one of her powers being that shes somewhat indestructible.. like thats exaggerative ofc but it probably takes a LOT for her to bruise or bleed and she can take a lot of pain.. it just feels right to me, fitting for her perfect girl thing..

mikoto- tiger spider

BRIGHT pink+animal print

COVERED in what looks like stickers but is actually just cute little images embroidered on the suit

can obv still see the future like in canon.. cant decide if she has other powers naturally too

i kind of imagine her just updating kusuo on the sidelines or something but that might make her seem like too much of a sidekick and i dont like that so maybe she stays with him and does her predictions right there

maybe shes like aren and just has the one power but has special suit technology.. kusuo prob helps her, which i'll talk about in a second

ALTERNATIVELY she could be like peni parker and have a robo suit (covered in stickers and very decorated..) where she can safely do her predictions while controlling the suit.. she could use both interchangeably or either one idk

BIG social media following.. posts EVERYTHING.. pisses kusuo tf off

kusuo- cyborg spider man / psi bug

the media calls him the first name because its a running bit and hes PISSED about it

was thinking he'd just be plain spiderman but there has to be at least some sort of theme to go with his limiters sticking tf out the mask

despite already being the most powerful, his suit is the most technologically advanced.. hes just seriously really extra, bro prob made big spider legs sticking out the suit even though he can fly and defy gravity already.. he doesnt need them.. but it sure does look cool..

helps the others make advancements in their suits too

he'd prob have different limiters in this au too, like ones that limit in different amounts so he can fight efficiently

fyi he did NOT want to be a spider person cuz ew spiders but after a power reveal to his friends and them all having some weird accident or something and getting these superpowers snd THIS was the gimmick they went with.. he didnt have much of a choice

anywayyyyyyy most of them prob have secret identities and dont wanna be public (for various reasons) but miko would definitely just tell everyone who she is.. kusuo would constantly be having to protect her from stalkers and the like when shes just trying to live her life

kokomi prob tried to be secret at first just to prevent having MORE stalkers and general crazy people surrounding her every day life, but she would def be the first person to be exposed by the public because.. well, the media would be OBSESSED with her but also, shes just really obvious and doesnt realize shes not being subtle at all.. prob has all her long blue hair out of her suit and everything.. eventually she prob decided against having a mask at all (or just having one around her eyes) cuz being pretty and perfect adds to her whole thing

kusuo is pissed at both of them cuz he seriously cant handle hanging out with them in public now.. like if it was bad before, its terrible now

alsooo i was thinking about whether or not all his friends knew each others secret identities from the start or not and i started considering like if they didnt at first, yumehara would have a crush on kaido or the jet black widow and i was thinking theyd team up or something and she'd be like ugh i cant crush on this guy, i have kaido !!! and then i realized, this is just miraculous, i was making yumekai miraculous 😭😭

is kusuke a supervillain? ehhhh, probably nottt, he'd prob be similar to how he is in canon.. jealous and obsessive over his brother but doesnt really care about anything or anyone else enough to really be evil, he prob creates crazy supervillain esque tech that could rival the heroes easily but only uses it in private against kusuo cuz he wants to prove he can beat him.. kusuo comes back from his brothers place absolutely BATTERED and bloody and the others are like "?!?!? did u battle someone and not tell us???" and hes like nah i was just hanging out with my brother

just a thought!! i didnt do everyone but with some of the others, i wasnt sure whether i would want them to be spider people in this au or not, like maybe theyd have some other role ?? would not be opposed to it though if anyone else has ideas for it or if i think of something..

[kindred-spirit-93]

Sup, it's me again

I just wanted to share my interpretation of Zeus' power as the King of the gods in context to the story.

Being the top god comes with major perks. You get to choose your own domains, plus you get to decide what roles the other gods play too. There's something about being a god that makes them super invested in their domain - to the point where it's easy to manipulate them. As the head honcho, you have total control over your own life.

Zeus knew how to use this power to his advantage. He rewarded his favorite daughter by making her the goddess of wisdom and strategy. Apollo got a promotion from disease and health god to rockstar status. On the flip side, Zeus made Poseidon, Hades, and Persephone as sea and underworld deities to keep them away and made Hera goddess of marriage - basically, a way to keep her more manageable.

The Olympians I imagine are fairly new to the pantheon compared to the older titans and primordials. In comparison the Olympians didn't really create anything, instead they helped nurture and raise society. They are more sociatal deities than nature ones. War, marriage, agriculture, smithing, "beauty" etc

I wanted to study classics but I couldn't really pursue a higher education in my situation, so now I use my knowledge to make hypothetical webcomics lol

hello again!

hereby dubbing thee astron (from greek for star) in part because its thematically fitting lol but also since to me you have set urself apart from any other anon ive ever interacted with and idk consider it a gesture of acquaintanceship through the anonymity ^-^

i feel so stupid for realising that the way i percieved gods in pantheons was them having an inherent affinity to their domains lol, its only just struck me now that nope they were probably clean slates and have been assigned to roles. i wonder if this is the result of their individual myths? like artemis assisting leto's birth to apollo (if theyre even twins before the hellenic age idk what the parameters are here lol. anyway)

that said, i very much agree with ur interpretation, its what makes sense most to me tbh. and for that special sauce layer of symbolism and personification (another favourite thing of mine in the mythos!) it fits nicely for the (self appointed) king of the gods to do as he pleases in terms of distribution, though i do like that he drew lots with his brothers to decide who got what lol.

--

manipulation and power imbalances my beloveds! if i ever get to writing anything its gong to be about the darker subject matters for sure. idk why but i really want to see more mythos accurate gods where they arent downplayed or censored the way they are in modern media, especially when its at the price of other gods yk? idk ill elaborate later one day but ye, more gods that dont conform to our human code of morals & ethics and do what they please bc who dares defy? whos going to hold a diety accountable?

very interesting! i like the idea of zeus being a little too self assured, probably bc he was raised by gaia and was the object of the prophecy that foretold his fathers downfall (major youngest sibling energy lol) ig what im saying is that power got into his head, going down the path many kings are known to do. hello hubris!

yes yes yes!! i think with the age of the olympians humanity started to flourish.. like with apollon being the god of civilisation and what have you mortals got a kickstart after being wiped out by previous wars and made to start from scratch. and so naturally the gods where more specific to their needs, like hestia goddess of the hearth and the home etc.

also the fact that legends and folklore tend to reflect the norms of society at the time, so with more stable conditions and a fairly peaceful olympus, folks would have time to settle down and begin weaving tales and answering the biggest questions in life (bc up until that point everyones been on survival mode, so ig it reinforces the idea of the olympians bringing prosperity and stuff as opposed to previous generations of the entities TM)

--

ah i see. well i hope things turn out to your favour and that you can achieve all what you dream of. wishing u all the best till then and beyond :)

[enstarsmv]

Hi i saw your magical girl aus post a while ago im interested....what thoughts do you have

hi ⭐️! i think magical aus are fun in general SMILE ive got a few ideas in my little head . . .

• for one i think a lot of the more eccentric idols take naturally to this kind of au. wataru, for example, i think would be a very easy fit! that's not to say other idols wouldn't be part of this, however.

• madara, for example! when pondering this he initially didn't strike me as someone who fit into this kind of thing, but in a way that appeals the idea to me more. imagine a cowboy magical girl... i think he'd have fun with it, too — the "very reliant" type is a character trope seen in a lot of magical girl media, after all. you can count on him!

• i do think some idols fit into the more "fighting monsters" type of magical girls than others. ryuseitai would be a very classical team of heroic magical girls, and i think knights would fit into this kind of trope as well.

• others, like fine and valkyrie, are usually less... action-y, one might say. while all magical girls are capable, some prefer to focus on inspiring others — as an idol does — or on aiding other magical girls in their own troubles.

• my favorite magical girl anime is cardcaptor sakura, so a lot of my own daydreams involve that kind of style :)! pretty outfits, lower stakes compared to things like madoka magica, with a dash of sailor moon-style friendship...

• of course, you could take it another way too — if you were the magical in this scenario, for example. i think that kind of dynamic is very charming 💕 i think most idols couldn't help but be a little awe struck, whether or not theyre also magical; its just something special, isnt it? seeing that transformation, the magical power, the glow around you as you focus on them... it's absolutely indescribable.

[nyxlaufeyson]

Coming Out

Oneshot Masterlist - Main Masterlist

POV: Second

Ship: None, but could be read as Loki x reader, or just general friendship. Works perfect either way, it's not the focus and there's no romantic mention other than "love," but I think platonic love is valid.

Type: Pride Fluff!

Wordcount: 519

TW: None

Synopsis: You come out to the team. (And so does Loki). Also there is no specific labeling of the reader, so you can imagine it as it fits your identity. So like there is no gender or orientation-specific mentions of the reader. You can be bi, gay, lesbian, trans, and still read this and fit it to your liking in your head.

A/N: This one takes up the "coming out" block of my Pride Month special! I do hope you like this one. I didn't feel the need to make it centered on romance, so just some Marvel coming out fluff. (Again, could be read as an established relationship OR friendship).

To leave a request, feel free to comment anywhere or inbox me

This was it. This was the day you were going to announce to the team your sexual identity. 

You weren’t worried that they wouldn’t accept you, as you couldn’t imagine any of them to be homophobic, but that didn’t make you any less nervous. 

You walked into the common areas of the tower, seeing most of everyone lounging around and immersed in their own conversations and affairs. 

You cleared your throat, and most of the team stopped their conversations and looked up at you, expectantly.

Most of them.

“Tony! Peter!” You shouted, the two of them looking over to you, surprised.

“Sorry, I was just trying to explain this movie to Mr. Stark.” Peter said, and you rolled your eyes with a smile. “Of course you were.” 

You turned your attention to the whole of the room, taking a deep breath. “I have an announcement to make.” 

You hesitated for a moment before telling them, mustering all your courage as you explained to them what you were and what that meant. 

The room was quiet for a moment, and you could feel your heart pounding in your chest. This was a bad idea. You thought to yourself, biting your lip. 

“That’s awesome!” Wanda said, walking over to you and giving you a hug. Natasha followed, smirking at you. “Pretty sure everyone knew you were fruity somehow. After all, we live with you.” 

You laughed, appreciating their support. The rest of the team voiced their support, all of them happy for you. 

“You know, I’m what Midguardians call bisexual.” Loki confessed as you took a spot next to him on the couch. “And gender-fluid.” He said, and you smiled. “That’s awesome.” 

Loki chuckled, standing up. “And the best part about that is-” Loki said, green magic flashing over them as their form changed to a more feminine form. “I can just do this whenever I want” 

Loki did a little twirl and your jaw dropped as you took in her features. “Oh my god you're beautiful! Not that you're not usually beautiful, of course.” 

“Of course.” She said, winking at you as she sat back down with you on the couch. 

Most of the team was utterly surprised with Loki’s transformation, but Thor looked indifferent. “Loki used to switch forms all the time in Asgard, especially when it would help them get out of trouble.” Thor said, cracking a smile. 

“I remember this one time when we were children, Loki ran in and caused a scene with her horse. She let the horse lose and ran back out, and then a few minutes later, the Loki everyone knew showed up. Nobody had recognized Loki in their female form, so they got away with it.”

Loki chuckled, remembering that banquet night. “Later on Mother did realize it was me. Though, she never did tell Odin.” 

“Well, I still love you no matter the form you take.” You said, and Loki gave you her signature grin. “Even if I was a worm?” She asked, and you rolled your eyes. 

“I should have never taught you about social media.”

“No, you shouldn’t have.”

Tag list (Sorry if you guys don't want to be tagged for the Pride stuff, please just lmk and I can remove you for the non- xreader pride stuff. Lmk if you want to be added/removed!!!): @anukulee @mischief-dream @iceeericeee

Also yay I posted twice in a row- woah.

[dulcewrites]

So I was listening to Midnights from Taylor Swift and couldn’t stop realizing that it fits perfectly to fmo/djats au. Like the three main characters have songs that fits them so well, specially reader (I call her mother ‘cause she is always mothering). Also the album have the vibes of djats.

~Lavender haze - Reader and Alys at the same time ~Vigilante sh* - Alys (but also reader in the universe where she in her villain era and has her lick back) ~You’re on your own kid - Reader in her boss queen era 👑 ~Midnight Rain, Quiestion?, Bejeweled, Karma ~ Reader specially during and after the divorce ~Snow on the beach - Aemond & Alys while in the honeymoon phase of the relationship ~Maroon & Sweet nothin - Aemond and Reader (could picture Aemond dedicating songs like these to reader when his grovelling for forgiveness and wanting her back) Also I feel like at some point in her teenager time Daella would write a song about all this mess, specially after knowing of the cheating; like I imagine her singing emails I can’t send (from Sabrina Carpenter) to her dad.

As much as I love this mess of a family it really is missing baby Alaric, like as if all of the situation was not messy enough… boom! Here comes a new baby. I can’t imagine how the media and the general public would react to reader in her best moment as a professional showing all of the sudden with a baby bump (from their Friday night because yes just pulling out is not a great pregnancy prevention method) and then it’s revealed that Aemond it’s once again the baby daddy; or in the universe where she gets her lick back and it backfires on her with a surprise baby .

Aemond would use the new baby as his excuse to be all the time around reader; like he would sneakily star moving back to her house with the excuse of the newborn 👶 or as a drama queen bought them a brand new house.

This would be Aemond in the djats universe after sleeping again with reader (specially if he got her pregnant…again):

Sorry for the long text I just love your writing so much ❤️

No problem, I love detailed asks. I feel like Taylor is the artist I get the most when people talk about fmo. Ngl I don’t interact with her music much but if people think of my work while interacting with other media, I think I’m doing something right. Also yes to emails I can’t send.

This compelled me to do a little something about pregnant (with alaric) reader. Though it’s messy, I like of like the idea bc Aemond is present. Very different from what we get in original recipe fmo when she’s pregnant with alaric. Also slight mention of quinton bc some of y’all have asked about their relationship post divorce.

This works a bit more in the context of the Friday night hookup (post divorce, and therapy) but I think it could work for both scenarios

What to Expect….

You woke up in the middle of the night to back pain, and an empty bed.

When you go into the kitchen, you find Aemond sitting at the table with a glass of water in front of him. The single sink light illumating him from the back.

“Couldn’t sleep either,” his voice is soft, and the smile on his face is tired.

You nod softly. “Your son won’t stop moving around.”

His smile grows at the mention of son. It matches the excitement that flashed over his face when the two of you found out you would be having a boy.

Despite being a mom for years now, you find yourself more scared for this pregnancy than you were with Daella. You are in the same place - with Aemond, in the apartment, worried for the future. But everything feels slight off kilter.

Aemond moved back in a week ago. He was happy, Daella was thrilled, but it all happened so suddenly. You always wanted another child, and now you have him. It should be a positive occasion but you can’t help but be scared.

Scared you will end up be hurt again. This time with two kids to worry about. You felt like you have moved forward just find yourself facing the same fears.

“Aegon told me that he gives us permission to use his name.”

You laugh. “That is very kind of him.”

Though Aegon is a Targaryen family name, you have no interest in naming your son it. You bit your lip. Aemond seems in a good mood; if there is any time to bring it up, it is now.

“I think I have a good contender for a name.” Aemond gives you a curious look. “Alaric.”

He nods softly, thinking. “Alaric,” he repeats. “I like it. Any special meaning behind it?”

You pause for a second.

“Ummm actually Quinton told a story about his first music teacher. The one who got him playing the drums. His name was Alaric. I don’t know; the name sort of stuck with me since.”

It felt disengenuous and hypocritical to have another child with Aemond, mends things with Helaena and Aegon, but not try to do the same with Quinton. You wait for Aemond to make a snide remark about Quinton. But all he does is stare at you before reaching over and grabbing your hand.

“We will put it on the list,” he squeezes your hand softly.

He means the list of baby names you two had narrowed down. You two share shy smiles.

You don’t know if things will be different this time with Aemond, but you have fallen once before. What is one more time?

[your-dose-of-obidala]

For the fic writers ask 11, 19, 20 …

11. Do you have specific playlists for writing fics?

I make specific playlists for longer works. I had a playlist for Book of Days, Loved By You and If This Is Love.

I would share them, but I was still using Spotify while I wrote those and use Tidal now. I didn't move my playlists over there though because I only listen to this particular set of music while I write.

For shorter works I listen to whatever I am obsessed with at the moment or if I need something without text and specific vibes I listen to OST, classical, or instrumental music. I really like Garth Stevenson for instance.

19. Give us a small teaser from one of your WIPs.

So here is a small scene from the asex!Obi/allo!Padpad fic I am "writing":

She stares at him. It takes a moment to sink in.

"Asexual?"

"Yes." he rubs the back of his neck.

She presses her lips together and haltingly asks: "You had an erection just now."

He gives a laugh, there is some color in his cheeks.

"Yes. Well. Everything is in working order. And my body does react to stimuli."

"Okay."

"I… uuh… I have a sex drive. A very low sex drive. I can have intercourse and I am not disgusted by the idea of sex. Just not that interested. I am interested in you, though."

There is the smile that made her fall in love in the first place and her heart contracts.

"What would that mean for a relationship?"

"That there wouldn't be the copious amounts of sex you would expect."

"You have no idea what I would expect."

"In my experience even women adhere to the sociatal expectation that men should want sex as often as possible."

And here is another little something I doodled down because I though the concept was hilarious:

Barriss Offee was having a bad day. She's human after all. A bad day happens. Well, maybe it wasn't really a bad day. If she was being quite honest she was having a bad year. She was in love with her best friend and pining like a fucking forest.

So she was quite lost in thought when she took out the sperm sample from Mr. Skywalker (who had been dead for a year now and the whole media storm had finally died down) and Mr. Kenobi (she saw his name a lot these days, it seemed like he and his wife were getting quite desperate - little did she know that this would be the last time she would come across that name). Then she took out Mrs Skywalkers and Mrs Kenobis eggs.

She knew that this was Mrs. Skywalkers last chance to get pregnant. Dr. Nu had tried to inseminate her with her husbands sperm but it just wouldn’t work. Under normal circumstances they would try it a few more times before reccomending in vitro but this was a special case. This was the last sample.

Then it happened: Ahsoka's name flashed on her display that made Barriss forget everything. She read the message several times, trying to decipher if it was Ahsoka flirting with her or just her being her.

You can imagine what happened next.

Barriss only noticed later. Later, after Dr. Nu had already performed the procedure on Mrs. Skywalker.

By then it was already too late.

20. What’s a favorite title for a fic you’ve written?

My ever fave title for a fic is probs a fic I wrote as a collab with a friend years ago. It was titled 'Wearing My Heart' after a Tori Amos song and it featured a very prominent scarf, so it fit that fic to a T.

From my Obidala stuff, I think I like Your dose of Obidala best. I think for the most obvious reason because it's so recognizable (at least that's what I think lol)

Thank you for playing <

[letterboard-fantasy]

Sins and Virtues Breakdown [a sinfully delightful assortment, if you will/ih]

*this post is sponsored by Pins and Four supporting my special interests/hj

First, I'll hand you all this handy chart :) it has the sins/virtues and their latin names skdjnsn

I think here is where I'll talk about color schemes and the specific versions of the sins and how I theme them, and maybe I'll even throw in some costume tiers. And virtue talk tooooo

Cardinal Sins and Heavenly Virtues:

Luxuria [Lust] + Castitas [Chastity]

Okay so *looks at Luxuria! Sastre*/ih

For Luxuria, I portray Lust in a couple different ways. Of course, there's the suggestive version of Lust that comes to mind... but I also think of Lust in a materialistic type of way. Like lusting for power, status, the stuff of the sort where it isn't the suggestive kind but something deeper that's... a bit harder to understand. I guess you could imagine them as a dark temptress, trying to draw you in with different promises,,, whether it's power, money, or something... more seductive skfjdjfn

Color Palette wise… and costume tier wise... I imagine Luxuria has a rich purple pink black color scheme! Especially with an all black outfit with a dark pink/purple accent to draw your attention to… all their curves 😏/ih I also think heart shaped horns would be SO FUN cause when I drew Luxuria! Sastre, he had this set of horns that kind of curl in on themselves but if I can make them curl into the two halves of a heart???? OOOOOO I also think they’d be dressed in form fitting clothes and leather while also having that dramatic feather boa incorporated into the mix. Omg and a little sharp spade tail… 🤭

I’m going to keep using Sastre as my example because he has that Luxuria skin and I can’t properly articulate my ideas otherwise so/ih but just imagine him tying you up with the feather boa and pulling out closer???? Like woooahhhhhh there buy me dinner first/ih and those cold metal claws gently holding your face like you’re a squishy potato/j

I think Luxuria definitely has the markings of a upper class A tier. Like fancy and alluring but just not quite S tier,,,

———

Chasity... man, Chasity is a weird one because it's like abstaining??? But in a wider lense, with this lense of lust, it's got this sense of hard work and abstinence. Abstaining from temptation, both of the suggestive kind and of the materialistic kind. Bare bones, only the necessities,,,

For colors, I think a white and light purple/pink color scheme would be so brilliant, especially with these golden accents. I think Castitas would dress up in lots of lace and gems where it’s covering and more fitting yet also 👁️ 👁️ like very beautiful very elegant like it should be so gentle and so pure yet,,, and wings,,, wings..!!!!

Castitas is definitely an A tier type of virtue I am telling you. Like fancy but contained delicate looking with its strengths… they’re definitely an a tier type of skin,,,

Gula [Gluttony] + Temperantia [Temperance]

For Gula, I don't portray Gluttony in the uh "traditional" sense I guess? While Gluttony is more known towards the comusption of food specifically [ie eating too much food] I like to think Gluttony should be more of the excess consumption of anything! Food, media, power, etc.

It's an indulgent sin, it shouldn't just apply to food and/or food-like sources. And it should be indulging to a greedy degree! That's what it means to be a glutton >:) This means indulging in every good thing. I also think that Gluttony is CONSTANTLY hungry. Like, they ever get full, they can just eat and eat and eat.

Gula seems like they’d work WONDERFULLY in blue!! Black and bright neon blues,,, with lots of fun gradients… I’m thinking no horns for Gula because I feel like they should have an indulgent outfit from head to toe,,, having an extra af hat onto of their head seems like such a good idea I- wahhhhh

I feel like the only way to portray Gula in all their glory is to give them the Sins S tier slot I’m sorryyyy I’m totally not playing favoritism here/ih it’s just in my head, right??? Load them up with details and accessories to show that indulgent, over the top, gluttonous nature feels like it would be an S tier worthy outfit, ya know???

———

Temperantia... should be a healthy balance. Not too much, but they also know there's no harm in treating yourself. They strive to treat others more than to treat themselves, and want everyone to have a good time! For them, it means taking a step back away from the spotlight and allowing others a chance at happiness. They share most of their food, they give away excessive items they own, they surprise their friends and loved ones with luxury... :)

Temperantia… I’m thinking that similar to Luxuria and Castitas, that the virtue and sin should have the same colors but with black/white added into the mix! So, Temperantia would have blues and white, with gold accents as well. It should be decorated... but still simple.

Temperantia is definitely an a tier,,, not too detailed but still pretty,,,

Avaritia [Greed] + Caritas [Charity]

Avaritia... For Greed, it's all about cravings! On the surface level, it's easy to mistake Gluttony and Greed due to them both being about excessive consumption... but while Gluttony wants everything it can get its hands on, Greed wants only the best of the best, and believes if it cannot have something, it MUST be destroyed. Gluttony will give up something to pursue something else, but Greed won't stop until it is theirs or completely destroyed. Because if they can't have it? No one can.

Avaritia having a black and yellow/golden color scheme. She’s a fabulous bitch/ih I imagine Avaritia is a smaller sin (like a child??) because have you ever met a child? They are either the sweetest little things or they will make your life a living hell. I have seen kids break toys in half because they couldn’t have it. No one can and you’re paying 15 dollars for a broken toy./lh I also feel like a younger looking Avaritia can get so much out of just having that child like cuteness,,,

Avaritia could be an S tier but I think only one sin can have an S tier so A tier be upon thee/ih

———

Charity and Kindness go hand in hand because it's all about helping out others. Charity handles bigger projects, and they live to help others. Their whole live revolves around helping others at no cost. I think Caritas and Humanitas would be siblings skjdnsknf

Caritas… I think a white and gold color scheme would be amazing in them. Like just so gentle and holy seeming,,, I feel like a long, flowing dress would be so nice and fitting. Especially if they pull things out of their sleeves Ayato style/ih like just imagine them walking over and whipping a whole thanksgiving meal out of their sleeve like “did someone say they’re ✨ hungry? ✨”

I think a-tier would be nice for Caritas but give them an s tier accessory that just lets them pull shit out of thin air/j Actually no I haven't chosen the Virtue S tier slot so *throws it at Caritas*/ih

Acedia [Sloth] + Diligentia [Diligence]

Like Gula, Acedia is seen in a different light with me. While Sloth is normally associated with laziness aka doing nothing, for me, it's more of a sluggish, bare minimum type of laziness. Instead of doing nothing, Acedia does the bare minimum, and everything they do is done with as little effort as they can get away with. This means letting others do the work, facing the blame, and taking the fall. It's all about doing the least amount of work possible by using others to your advantage, which I personally think makes for a scarier type of character. Because they get so far doing so little...

Acedia… I imagine Acedia breaks the color palette mold… like I think dull greens and dull yellows/off whites and dull pinks,,, because Acedia gives off these gentle sin vibes and I think neon and dark colors would take away from those softer/gentler sins vibes. Having knitted, oversized sweaters,,, with oversized sleeves… and having soft hands and round faces and even a little travel pillow,,, with all these different earthy flowery elements to it. And imagine a Sakura goddess outfit for Acedia,,, wahhh

Acedia’s base is definitely an A tier type of costume!! Don’t ask why just know I’m right/ih

———

Diligentia is probably the most polar to it's corresponding sin, to be honest. I feel like diligence can be a great virtue! They're smart, har working, flexible, but when does hard working become tiresome? Where does Diligence draw the line between working hard and burning yourself out, you know? I feel like it's a pretty thin line... maybe you should take Sloth's advice for once. Take a break, get a snack and have a rest.

Diligentia,,,, I think they’d keep with the virtues theme. Having a white, gold and yellow/green color scheme, and wearing a suit of some kind or being just very well put together, very well dressed.

A tier a tier a tier-

Invidia [Envy] + Humanitas [Kindness]

For Invidia, I think classical envy works so well! Envy is one of the more personal sins, and they're definitely a harsher, more sabotaging sin. They're a resentful, terrible mess. Similar to Greed, it either wants something or it wants to destroy something. But unlike Greed, their desires are hyperspecific, and it revolves around tearing someone down while building themselves up. They're like a leech, sucking out everything one has, bleeding them dry. And once they're finished with you... well, pray you never become a target in the first place.

Invidia is similar to Luxuria, where it’s a deep purple/pink with black but I think while Luxuria is more purple, Invidia is more pink. Pink with envy,,, I also like to think Invidia is a sharper sin, having spikes and binding and claws,,, like sharp, fabulous and ready to kill. Which, good for them. Oh! And pearl colored accessories!! Like a pearl snake,,, pearl belts,,, pearl earrings,,, with golden jewelry and sharp edges. I think Invidia would have three sets of horns instead of two like the other sins. I just think it would be neat andjskdks

A tier moment/ih

———

Humanitas babygirllllll Kindness is such a simple and nice virtue,,,, similar to Charity, it's all about giving what you have to help out others. By helping others, you can help yourself and make the world a nicer place! Kindness is like offering someone your umbrella in the rain,,, and sharing your sandwich with the kid who doesn't have a lunch. Kindness does it because it makes them feel good! They do a kind deed and it makes them smile knowing they helped someone, even if it's something small.

Humanitas,,, is definitely white, gold, and pink, especially light pinks- with flowery and flowy sleeves and such,,, I’m also thinking they and Acedia could have matching Sakura goddess outfits wahhh

I think that an A tier would fit her, even if her original variation was an S tier sdkfjskdfjn

Ira [Wrath] + Patientia [Patience]

Ira Ira Ira!! Okay, so Wrath. Wrath. Wrath!! It's my favorite sin because it's so versatile... Anyone anywhere can feel wrath for any kind of reason... at any time??? Like. woah. It's the mother [father? Parental figure???] of all sins I mean come onnnnnn. Your lusting advances get rejected? You feel wrath. Your feast is interrupted by some rude random? Wrath! Your envious deeds don't work out how you intended it??? Wrath!!! Like it is, without a doubt, the culmination of all sins.

Ira is definitely has a black and red color palette, and they are definitely wearing some kind of leather studs type of outfit, and they're very sharp and rough looking. You've probably already seen a version of my Ira heheheheh

They're probably gonna be an a tier,,,,

———

Patientia is... just that. Patience! Being patient and kind with others in comparison to Wrath's harsh and quick-to-anger personality, Patience is like a gentle soul-healing hug,,, take your time sweetie, I know you can do it <333

I think Patientia would have a gold, white, and red color palette,,, with golden leaf accessories,,, I imagine that they're a gentle, elegant virtue, like a mom friend! I want them to look soft and gentle in comparison to Ira!!

I think that Patientia could definitely be an A tier,,,,

Superbia [Pride] + Humilitas [Humility]

Superbia... I see Pride as an overflowing, excessive amount of self-confidence. Someone who's TOO confident in themselves or others to the point it's harmful. They tear others down to make them seem more important. They can't take a hint, and they can't BEAR being proven wrong. Because HOW could they be wrong? You must be mistaken.

Similar to Gula, I'm thinking of a black and blue color palette... but with Superbia, I think dark blues would be fun to use,,, with silver as the "royal" type of color... Superbia should look extremely upper class, kind of like a prince or princess...

Superbia would be an A tier... thinking of like Runaway vibes???

———

Humilitas is the opposite, where its like... being humble of yourself but uplifting of others in this case! Unlike Pride, Humility means recognizing that... you're not the shit honey! Sit down!/ih

Okay okay okay Humilitas. I'm thinking, no, I know it'll be two different blues [bright and deep blue], white and gold,,,, with thick, long white hair and constantly closed eyes,,, with big sleeves... heheheheh

Humilitas is definitely an A tier,,,

Vanagloria [Vainglory/Pride?] + Vanitas [Vanity]

what the fuck is Vainglory. What the fuck is Vanity???? How are these both not sins??? huh??? huh. huh! Okay so Vainglory and Vanity are a cardinal sin/heavenly virtue BUT NOT one of the big 7. Vainglory is kind of like... craving the praise and respect of others [so in this case, the big 7] but in such a way you don’t mind harming others to get it…

I think Vanagloria would have an exclusively monochrome color palette,,, so it's in all black, white, and silver,,, or a tight outfit with over-the-top metallic accessories to flesh out a "boring" interior with a almost goddess-like exterior,,,

Vanagloria... I was honestly originally thinking of an SS tier skin because I think that Vanagloria could be,,, like,,, the "creator" of the 7 sins and likewise with Vanitas,,, but shhhhh

———

And Vanity [the good kind???] is like pride but in a healthy amount. Being proud of your accomplishments and others without damaging other's self worth and feelings! I think.

So, I'm thinking to oppose Vanagolira, that I could do a total rainbow color palette, like all the "good" colors, everyone wants a bit of what Vanitas has, ya know?

I will just *gestures you to Vanagloria tier explanation*

So I guess [based off the explanations above] that the in theory costume tier list would go something like this?????:

SS Tier costumes:

Vanagloria and Vanitas

S Tier Costumes:

Gula and Caritas

A Tier Costumes:

Castitas, Luxuria, Temperantia, Avaritia, Diligentia, Acedia, Humanitas, Invidia, Patientia, Ira, Humilitas and Superbia.

Of course, there's the playable versions of them [think Genshin or Honkai] but i will NOT get into that, because that's a whole 'nother can of worms. this alone took like 3 days SIT DOWN/ih

I'm also thinking what other characters would be included like,,, in the overworld it isn't just the sins skdjfnksjfn

if you want more you will have to wait because Barriere won't write itself ksjdfnksjfnkjf/ih

[blk-chauvinist]

At HoochieCon, Black women’s sexual power and agency take center stage

(I did not make this up. This is an article taken from the LA Times 

Event creater and curator Zorine Truly dances at the HoochieCon party on Saturday in Glendale. (Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

BY MARTINE THOMPSONJUNE 23, 2023 9:53 AM PT

When taking in the images of Black women that adorn the gallery space at HoochieCon, it’s clear the creator and curator, Zorine Truly, 37, has a major soft spot for hoochie mamas — fly Black women who harness the power of their sexuality and creative expression as they see fit. Photos on the walls of the Glendale event space Junior High depict women with artful multilayered updos reaching for the heavens, big smiles sparkling with gold embellishments, vibrant acrylic nails as imaginative as they are long. Nostalgic portraits of friends turning up before the social media boom are spotlighted along with cherished TV and movie characters.

These women may not have an abundance of money, but they draw on their unique flair, swagger and innovation as a tool to show up authentically and claim space in a society that tells them they should shrink. Truly knows these women — often classified as hoochies — have always been more than a punchline in a movie or a mood-board fixture divorced from their humanity. Hoochies flip narrow, misogynoir-fueled ideas of what a good or respectable or fashionable woman can look like and look damn good while doing it. And as Truly explains to The Times, hoochies — in their many iterations over the decades — have long set the blueprint for popular trends and it’s high time they received their flowers.

“Simply put, hoochies are pioneers — for so many different genres of things,” says Truly, a North Memphis, Tenn., native and self-anointed Hoochie Historian who translates her research on hoochie culture into bite-sized videos. Interspersed with glimpses into her personal life and adventures around Los Angeles (like casually cutting up with Janelle Monaé at their Age of Pleasure party), Truly’s posts range from celebrations of prominent women and rituals in hoochie culture and their undeniable impact on fashion, beauty, art and pop culture to thoughtful deep dives that contextualize significant cultural moments, like Brandy and Monica’s ’90s smash hit “The Boy Is Mine.”

Graphic art on display Saturday at HoochieCon, a gathering celebrating Black style, culture, femme artistry and sexual freedom. (Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)

The pull to honor this rich legacy in a major way compelled Truly to launch HoochieCon, a group exhibit featuring mixed-media art and music honoring Black women pioneers at the center of hoochie culture. The exhibit, which was co-organized and hosted by the popular queer community space Junior High last weekend, kicked off with three days of activations. The exhibit’s opening day featured the type of moody bisexual lighting that promises a good time. Attendees from near and far came decked with joyful energy and their interpretation of comfortable hoochie attire, and a stripper pole that was added to the gallery for the special day was put to good use thanks to the trio of dancers (Phoenix, Ziyah, Brooklyn) who blessed the space with their skills.

The intention at the heart of HoochieCon resonated with a range of Angelenos on their own journey of discovering and embracing their authentic self and sexual agency, including Earyn McGee, 28. “I am the oldest daughter in a Black family and definitely felt like I had to perform a certain way of being and show up physically a certain way,” she says, noting the baby steps she’s been taking toward less filtered self-expression now that she’s grown. “Even with my outfit for today, I was a little bit nervous but I was just like, ‘I’m trying to be in theme. This was an idea that I had and I’m just gonna go with it.’ I’m trying to do all the things that would’ve made kid-me happy.”

The next two days had a little something for everyone: a panel discussion moderated by Truly, a dance party (more on that shortly) and an outdoor market featuring Black vendors. Chef Rochelle Tyler of Selah Bakery served up vegan cookies with flavors like Hollaback Girl (banana pudding) and Babycakes (strawberry shortcake), while Cake Chemistry offered its boozy miniature red velvet cakes with Hennessy-infused caramel sauce and cream cheese buttercream. There were beanie purses and clothing designs by Beautiful Soul Childz for the avant-garde fashionista who’s gonna serve a look if nothing else, handcrafted jewelry by Skiin & Tones and Studio Ebunoluwa, Hooch Juice travel tumblers by High Standards Cosmetics to help the hoochies hydrate in style, and more.

With music being so deeply intertwined with hoochie culture, Truly knew she had to have space devoted to everybody coming together, dressing up and having fun on the dance floor. The experience of dancing and moving her body to good music in the company of new and old friends makes her feel tapped into a particular feeling of power. “There’s something powerful about dancing despite everything that’s going on outside and despite what’s in the news or maybe what’s happening when you go back to your house,” Truly says. “There’s freedom in getting together in community and seeing Black faces celebrate, regardless of what circumstance they face every day. There’s power, there’s freedom and there’s happiness in it for me.”

DJ Space Age was on music duty for HoochieCon’s dance-floor celebration and did not disappoint. Bangers from the ’90s and early 2000s that stand the test of time boomed through the speakers, eventually teasing out the most committed of wall huggers to let loose and shake a little something.

Dani Daniels poses for a portrait at Hoochie Con.(Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)

For Danielle Daniels, 29, the visual nods to the ’90s throughout HoochieCon resonated instantly. “My style of dressing is ’90s style so I love the environment of HoochieCon. The bamboo earrings, the jackets, the clothes and the nails — it’s nice to come out and see a lot of girls with the same culture and idea of things and to be able to express ourselves together as Black women,” says Daniels, who considers Halle Berry and Natalie Desselle’s iconic BAPS characters major hoochie inspo for herself and her best friend. “I wanted to come and celebrate ourselves and the beauty that we bring to beauty culture and everything.”

Art on display at HoochieCon.(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

As Truly takes in the fruits of her labor, and the community that has formed around her first HoochieCon, she’s mindful to acknowledge the importance of giving respect and reverence to women who have pioneered and “touched popular culture for so long” without reaping the benefits or even receiving credit. “Not only did they pioneer it, they also had to suffer for it,” Truly says. “They had to suffer to wear their hair the way they wanted to. They had to suffer to wear their nails the way they wanted to, and gold teeth, and to be sexually liberated. They had to suffer to shine.”

One day, years later, people will look at images of Truly’s HoochieCon celebration. “What do you hope they take away?” I ask the Hoochie Historian.

“I hope they take away from HoochieCon the importance of being yourself, no matter what people might judge you by,” says Truly, releasing a deep exhale, eyes watering as she processes the idea of HoochieCon reaching people generations into the future. “It’s important to be happy with how you look, how you feel, how you dress, and the choices that you make, and that is the most important thing. I want people, especially Black women, to take away that they can be fully themselves no matter what that looks like and still be worthy of all the good things.”

[another-random-goose]

hello my lovely tumblr followers! as some of you may know, last month I got bored and wrote a slightly rambling essay about Minecraft and storytelling. honestly i mostly forgot to share it here, and then i just didn’t bother, but now i am releasing it into the wild here just for fun. Enjoy the product of a decade long special interest in Minecraft.

Minecraft Youtube Storytelling Autism Beam under the cut (be warned it’s like 3.2k words so it might be a bit of a beast to scroll through)

Hello, my name is Goose, and today, I will be telling you about Minecraft as a medium for storytelling. In other words, this is what my 10 years of Minecraft special interest have been building to. Buckle up. I’ve been a fan of Minecraft since I was a little kid. I played Pocket Edition with my cousins for large portions of my young life. I had my first interaction with scripted Minecraft content when I was around 8, and I became a fan of DanTDM and his custom mod adventures. They were small, self-contained stories that were tied together by location (the lab), and characters (Dan, Trayaurus, Grim, and other occasionally recurring characters). The showcases had their own plots, and while self-contained, they were what got me interested in the potential for stories to be told in Minecraft.

A lot of what makes Minecraft a good medium for storytelling is its versatility. Minecraft is a sandbox game where quite literally anything can be created. Textures and skins and landscapes can be modded and changed to fit any setting. It’s just as possible to build a giant medieval castle as it is to build a futuristic spaceship in the far reaches of space as it is to build a modern city with high rise apartment buildings. Skins can be modified to look like anything, so they can be anyone while still making it possible to maintain a sense of cohesion between different characters in the universe. It is possible to tell any story so long as you have the imagination and dedication to make it.

However, when most people think of storytelling within Minecraft, they’re typically not thinking of fully scripted and acted content. They’re usually thinking of SMP Style storytelling, Challenge Style storytelling, or Death Game Style storytelling (or, as of recent events, maybe Parkour Civilization, but we’ll get to that later), where the content is less scripted out in most cases. SMP Style, for sake of consistency, will be defined here as the style of storytelling in Minecraft in which the characters are players on a survival Minecraft server not centered around the idea of winning a specific game. Examples of SMP style include Empires SMP, Dream SMP, Hermitcraft, Lifesteal SMP, Dominion SMP, Skyblock Kingdoms, and many others. Challenge Style is when a story is told through a video of the creator aiming to complete a set challenge, and while not required, it is often in a solitary environment or a collaborative environment. In most cases, it’s the archetype of man vs nature or man vs god (or some other unseen force) to use a shorthand. This includes things like 100 Days Challenges, Escape Room Challenges, Lucky Block Challenges, etc. Finally, Death Game Style is fairly self explanatory. This is when a story is told from a group of people being placed in a world with a goal to be the last one standing. This includes the Life Series, Deceit SMP, Secret Rivals, Art of Survival, and many, Many, MANY others.

The reason this is important to clarify is because of a key narrative difference between most fully scripted Minecraft content (e.g. MyStreet and other similar series) and the other varieties of MCYT style: the fourth wall and the eighth wall. The fourth wall is a commonly known concept to explain the separation between a piece of media and its audience. Characters inside of something acknowledging or talking to the audience that exists outside of their reality as a narrative is breaking the fourth wall. Minecraft Youtube inherently has an additional layer of fourth wall, which can be referred to as the eighth wall. To put it simply out of context of Minecraft, but still in the context of gaming, breaking the fourth wall is when a game directly addresses the player instead of the character they’re playing as or acknowledges that the character is a player, and breaking the eighth wall is when a game directly addresses viewers of a player. This gets a little weirder when put into the context of Minecraft Youtube. The walls within a Minecraft series are the fourth wall, “the wall between a player and their character in terms of their actions in game and the way they treat the video game,” and the eighth wall, “the wall between the character and the audience in terms of how aware those two groups are each other and how much bearing it has on the first layer. …[T]he player (though not always the character) is aware that their goal is to tell a story that people will be interested in coming to, and because of that, MCYT videos are often structured very differently from other more traditional [Let’s Plays]. Part of this is deciding, consciously or not, how aware the player character is of the audience beyond the second wall. There are a lot of different ways of addressing this; often the in-universe characters may on some level be aware that their world functions as that of a video game, but not that they have an audience, or they may alternatively be aware of their audience but not that they are in a story, or they may know that they have an audience but not that they are in a video game” (Solar, SBK Community Server).

Examining Aphmau’s Minecraft Diaries is a good way to illustrate different levels of presence between the fourth and eighth walls. Early episodes of Minecraft Diaries have little to no separation between the player and the character, and as the character is the player, the character is aware of the audience and usually speaks directly to them. It is a Let’s Play with some present storytelling elements. Due to scripting, some elements of the plot are known to the player and the audience, but not yet to the character. Later on in the series, there is more distinction between the player and the character. Despite still using the Minecraft interface and mechanics, and even using a face cam most of the time, Aphmau as a character becomes less and less aware of the audience and Aphmau as a player and series creator. By Season 2, the face cam is gone, and from the character’s perspective, there is no player or audience, though specific Minecraft functions such as the hotbar are still present. Then, there’s Diaries Rebirth, which is completely devoid of any first-person Minecraft interface, and Minecraft is more of a style in which to tell the story instead of a basis for a world. In Diaries Rebirth, I would argue that the complete lack of player presence beyond functioning as actors to move the characters makes it only exist with a fourth wall separating the characters inside the videos and the audience watching them on a screen.

When a story is told in the style of Diaries Rebirth, separated from the Minecraft interface, using outside cameras, and eliminating certain elements of “Minecraft Logic” (e.g. inventories, hotbars, health bars, experience, etc.), that elimination of acknowledging player existence, at least on a purely baseline, textual level, and removal of the second layer of fourth wall, makes it different to analyze than other forms of MCYT storytelling, which can depend on the implication of certain things about Minecraft as a baseline, such as taking damage, respawning, inventories, gamemodes, etc.

This is where I’m going to get into Parkour Civilization before talking more about the other common styles of storytelling. I will only be talking about the first Parkour Civilization video because I haven’t finished the second one yet, but that shouldn’t really impact my overall point about it. For those unaware of the craze taking the Minecraft Youtube community by storm, Parkour Civilization is a series of videos created by a Youtuber named Evbo. It exists both as a series of 21 ten to twenty minute videos, as well as two “full movies,” which are each around two hours long. It is a scripted series telling the story of Evbo as a character in Parkour Civilization, a world in which everything is parkour. You have to parkour to get around the world. You have to parkour to pay for things. You have to do parkour as a job. Literally everything is parkour. The series also contains commentary about class mobility and unjust systems within society.

The notable line from the very beginning of the series that has made its way into becoming a sort of meme format involves a character telling Evbo that to get food, he can make a one block jump for a piece of raw chicken, or a one block vertical jump for a piece of raw beef. This shows really well how Parkour Civilization depends on Minecraft mechanics like hunger, fall damage, the cursor highlighting blocks, and jump distance to tell its story because in doing so, it can use these shorthands that people familiar with Minecraft will already understand to effectively streamline its worldbuilding and story without getting bogged down in the minutiae of how the world works. The other interesting thing to note about Parkour Civilization is that while it is a fully scripted and acted story, it’s framed in its episode titles and some elements of how the story as told similarly to Challenge Style storytelling, specifically the Minecraft with a twist style of challenges (e.g. Minecraft but I survive in PARKOUR CIVILIZATION compared to videos like Minecraft but any block I touch is randomized). It’s interesting how Minecraft is not only the medium of the story, but an integral part of how the story is told and its messages are communicated to the audience. While the videos are fairly silly, I do think it’s incredible how a video can create a world that could not exist the same way in another medium. While it’s possible to tell a story with a similar structure and setup, it’s so heavily intertwined with Minecraft mechanics and concepts that it cannot be separated from Minecraft as a medium.

Now, getting back to the other major styles of storytelling, it’s important to clarify a difference between scripting and planning. Scripting, for the purposes of this essay, is when plot points are fully fleshed out, down to predefined actions and dialogue. Planning, for our purposes, is when certain plot points are planned to happen at some point, but the ways in which the characters may reach those points are not planned. To illustrate, scripting is a connect the dots puzzle, where there is a specific image as the end goal and a specific way that you are supposed to get there. On the other hand, planning is putting down a bunch of dots in a line and allowing people to draw things that aren’t a straight line between two points on the line. I’m going to be using these two terms here and there, so I’m setting up the difference in how they will be used here.

I think the idea that a lot of people miss when they’re thinking about SMP Style videos or really any Minecraft videos that are mostly improv is that most people making these videos are not professionals. They’re not professional actors or scriptwriters. They’re people getting onto the internet and having fun with their friends, then posting it where people can watch the fun they had with their friends. Most of the time, these people aren’t setting out to make art. They’re not trying to fully script out the next big thing in media that will be talked about for generations to come. They’re getting on Minecraft and building the cool ideas they’ve had, maybe doing some planning as well for a cohesion between their characters and builds or between their builds and the builds of their friends. Trying to compare the narrative improvisation that comes from SMP Style, where people are having fun and building on what they’ve already done as they go, to fully scripted and acted Minecraft content that’s trying to be a sort of movie doesn’t make sense. They’re not trying to fulfill the same niche within content, and a lot of the time they don’t have much in common beyond both being in Minecraft. Comparing these styles feels like comparing a random DND table to a fully produced Netflix show to me. Doing so doesn’t acknowledge what makes either interesting or compelling in a way the other may not have.

The reason I think SMP Style is so compelling is because you get to not only see the character and their struggles within the narrative, but also the player and the stories that they want to tell as a person living in the world with us. In the same video where you may see the epic climax of a character’s story that’s been built to for weeks or even months, you could see the creator so excited that they finally figured out why a certain part of their base looked weird and how they re-designed it to fix that. In the same video where a major antagonist that will be an integral part of the story is introduced for the first time, you can have the player explaining why they chose certain block palettes or providing a bit of behind the scenes for older lore that they thought was really cool. It’s that balance between seeing the characters and seeing the players behind them that makes SMP Style so cool to me. You get to see the epic highs and lows and adventures that may ensue, but you also get to see the people behind that, planning out cool stories and builds with their friends, who are excited to be able to share that with their audiences. Even with videos that are mostly or entirely lore-centered, you see the love and care that has been put into creating something that others will see and enjoy.

I think Challenge Style videos are compelling for the same reason that shows like American Ninja Warrior are compelling. It’s exciting to watch people face a challenge that we won’t encounter most of the time and root for them to win. In 100 Days Challenges, people put themselves into Minecraft worlds, often modded to be more hostile to live in, and try to survive 100 in-game days. These don’t always have an overarching plot within or between videos, but they still inherently tell a story. They tell the story of a character trying to survive in a new and unfamiliar world with only one life. Everything tells some kind of story, even if it’s not one with a defined plot structure with acts and rising action and falling action. Sometimes the story is that the character has been put in a seemingly inescapable room and needs to find a way out. Sometimes it’s just about rooting for someone to survive in the situation they’ve been put in. Sometimes it’s just about wanting to see people succeed at difficult things. Either way, it’s compelling because of the challenge to the player and how a character may be experiencing that within a sort of narrative.

I think Death Game Style is compelling because of the stakes (death, mainly) and the characters. There is an immediately established goal to be the last one standing. These characters are in a world where the winner takes all, and that inherently shapes how both the players and the characters interact with the world and each other. As a base concept, the characters that exist in a world will always have their actions influenced by the rules of the world. However, there is something that does not always come from a world, but does always come from a death game: that aforementioned established goal. Every character within that world will view the end goal differently. Some will want it so badly they’d betray their friends and allies that have had their back for the entire game. Others will not want to win, or will even detest the game for existing. Regardless of desire to win, the characters all participate in the game because that’s just how the world is set up. Part of the appeal is seeing how the different characters within the game react to it and interact with the world. As the game progresses, some players may have ideas for certain plot beats they want to hit, and a little bit of planning may happen, but in large part, death games are unpredictable, and a lot of plans may end up derailed by random chance. Additionally, with the built in conflict, as strained alliances are built and fighting begins, it’s easy for any character to be the hero from their own perspective. To them, they’re just trying to win. They’re doing what they have to. However, once you shift the viewpoint to that of another character, you often get a different view of their actions once you’re out of their perspective and not hearing their thoughts and justifications. This unreliable narration is present in most storytelling involving a first person perspective, but it almost seems to be amplified in the context of death games, potentially because these worlds encourage more drastic choices being made for the sake of being the last one standing.

In the end, as I mentioned before, Minecraft is so interesting to me because all of these different styles of storytelling can exist within the same medium and have different kinds of appeal. It’s versatile and allows for the creation of anything your creativity will permit. Even within a style of video, no two stories told will be exactly the same (except in the case of blatant plagiarism but that’s not what this essay’s about). It’s incredible how much can be conveyed with lighting and backgrounds and music and voice when motion is limited and facial expressions aren’t very possible. Anything could happen and the things that do are usually fun to watch if for no other reason that it’s really fun to see something that a person is really passionate about creating. That’s probably the simplest way to put why Minecraft works so well for telling stories. At the end of the day, it’s a game about creating your own story from a world, harnessing all it contains to work towards whatever goals you deem worthy. Sometimes the stories created are edited down with cool and interesting characters and posted online for us to see, or sometimes they may only exist in the mind of a single player. No matter how many or few people may know about the stories created, the potential for creation is why so many different stories can be told.

“Sometimes the player dreamed it was a miner, on the surface of a world that was flat, and infinite. The sun was a square of white. The days were short; there was much to do; and death was a temporary inconvenience.

Sometimes the player dreamed it was lost in a story.

Sometimes the player dreamed it was other things, in other places. Sometimes these dreams were disturbing. Sometimes very beautiful indeed. Sometimes the player woke from one dream into another, then woke from that into a third.

Sometimes the player dreamed it watched words on a screen”

-End Poem, Julian Gough

[unalomepath]

365/365

Hi Dear Me!

What a year! Last post done in the end of 2022. Let's summarise!

Moving abroad.

Well, I knew that it wouldn't happen. I didn't even want that. I guess I was trying to convince myself that it is a good solution and time to run from Poland, but deep in my hear I just knew. In the end the main reason was that we did not find a proper flat due to be expats. Also we couldn't take our cats. Everything with that idea was a mess and I completely forgot about it a little later.

Job change!

New opprtunity to develop in a strong worldwide company and great salary (60% rise). Am I dreaming?

Mess in my head.

In the beginning of May, I am not sure, I started therapy. I could not bare anymore panic attacks and feeling just like a trash. I felt responsible for every fucking misfortune. May long weekend we spent in Greece, Corfu. Only because I had a really high pressure that I need to go somewhere. It's been 6 months of staying at home, it is unacceptable! But the weather was bad - half of the stay heavy rain, and if not - almost all the time fully cloudy. It affected the whole experience. And I was utterly sure that it is my fault. Also we spent sooo much money for that trip only because it was in a desirable date. We were arguing, I was depressed and annoying, everything went awful. At least in my head.

During the therapy I learnt to think and see myself and the world differently. My therapist made me aware that the wather is not under my control and that I forgot about everything good - like the fact that I am a great planner when it comes to the sightseeing or renting a car.

New job is going worse and worse...

New dream job turned out to be a disaster I hate. I realised that it is not me. It a imagined me, extravert, confident and proud. I had to go on a official trip to Germany, I felt there lost, I did not understand a thing, everyting was so confusing. I did not receive any onboarding, any explanation, any introduction. Only more and more calls and upcoming requirements. I started stressing me and I felt so stupid. A job that I couldn't tell a word about. But my holiday were soon I stopped caring at leat in the summer.

I am a fiancee!

The 10 days in Zakynthos, Greece, were my best holidays ever. Everything finally went perfect. PERFECT. The hotel, food, sea, beach, trips, views. It overcome my expectations. Best holiday ever! And the main point was that my partner gave me a ring, so I finally after almost 8 years changed my status from girlfriend to fiancee.

Come back to the old job.

After holiday I realised I need to run from my "dream new job". Quickly. Somewhow my previous company took me back. Of course not too easily - I went great during the interviews, but to punish me for leaving they lowered my salary in comparison to the other people in the team. And there is nothing I can do about it. And it is really fucking annoying. I am not progressing with my salary due to the high inflantion for the past 2-3 years.

After job change I started again to have panic attacks and issues with myself. Unfortunately my therapy had to end in July because the owner of the medical center decided to close it... But I learnt back then a lot. I just need to remember to follow the rules.

2023.

Some points about 2023.

I got engaged. It means that I am important in this big world.

I had a short adventure in another company that allowed me to pay off the car, go to therapy, buy a computer, and benefit fully from the holiday. I quitt because it was the best choice for my mental health and money wasn't worth it.

I realised I do not need social media to live. I feel better without the knowledge what everyone is doing! If it is something interesting, they will tell you.

I realised that life is not about building it the same as other people. You choose. You have your own, special priorities. You have your own plan.

Me is the most important (of course besides my fiance). I live only for myself, I do not have to fit in, drink alcohol or enjoy the same stuff. Big NO.

Health is the biggest value. Doing overtime, skipping lunch breaks, trying be always the best IS NOT WORTH YOUR HEALTH. Both, physical and mental!

Life is about living, so close this virtual blog for today. :)