#mostly short and blunt sentences

[tlouadditc]

smoking with roommate!ellie... a thought.

song being thought of while writing: hold on by the internet

WARNINGS: smut [18+, MDNI], fluff if u squint ur eyes, drug use [weed], awkward convo with ellie LMAO, ellie is a horny stoner, fingering, oral [r!receiving], jealousy, love confession. pet names (mostly baby and princess) words: 1.7k, rating: MATURE

note: this is like my first smut [not to mention my first fic] so erm if there are grammar errors or some parts that dont make sense im sorry 😭😭😭 enjoy!

it's been a long week; essay after essay, multiple assignments to turn in, and now you have 3 tests in the next 2 days. you had walked home in the rain, not even bothering to pull out your umbrella. fuck it, you thought, my dorm isn't that far.

you lazily pulled out your keys, unlocking the front door. as soon as you open the door, you're met with a pungent- well, that's harsh; a not-so-pleasant- smell of weed and a random fruity ass candle. you cough and look around to see who the hell is smoking he-

"oh, hey, y/n." ellie was sitting on the couch, manspreading in front of the tv while smoking a blunt. her eyelids were heavy and she had a smug smile. "oh, uh. sorry about the smell.. i took a random candle."

you set your bags down and took your shoes off, waving your hand in front of your face to remove the smell temporarily. "all.. all good." god, she looks good, you thought. she was sitting in a white wifebeater and loose sweatshorts, sitting just right on her hips so you could see her boxers. the way she was looking at you and smiling made your face heat up, thinking thoughts no roommate should think.

she took another drag and patted beside her, signaling for you to join her. you quickly shook your head and said, "gotta change. i got soaked out there."

"i coulda picked you up, babe."

babe? your face was burning hot now as if it wasn't already. you hurriedly walked to your room, blurting out, "i'll be there in a second!"

jesus. ellie had never been this.. flirty before. you've liked her for a while, if you're being kinda honest. you had been in love, if you were completely honest with yourself. she had always been on your mind ever since you moved in with her. walking around, just in boxers and some tank-top that made her arms look deliciously toned- god, she probably doesn't even know what she does to you.

shaking your head, you change out of your completely wet clothes and into some thin shorts and a crop top before walking back out.

"took ya long enough," she said, chuckling. "i was about to just go to sleep."

"sorry, els." you sat beside her on the couch, looking at what was on tv. "american dad? really?"

"i just turned on the tv," she muttered, passing you the blunt. "how was your day?"

you took the blunt into your mouth, taking a looong drag and inhaling, burning your throat slightly. "same old shit," you exhaled. "im just glad this stressful ass week is over."

"stressful, eh? im glad i decided to do this tonight then," she said, turning her attention from the tv onto you.

"me, too."

"sooo," she started, "how are you and whats-his-name?"

"what about him?" you questioned, noticing a slight change in her demeanor when you immediately remembered him. "we're.. not dating. nothing's goin' on."

"what's going on with y'all? i thought you guys were going on dates n' stuff." she sat up, suddenly all in on your relationship status.

"uhm.. it's not him. he's a great person. it's just.." you slightly glanced at her. she was looking like she was anticipating the rest of your sentence.

"the sex is awful," you admit. it was the truth, but not the whole truth; the entire time he was trying to fuck you, you were thinking about ellie. he clearly was only thinking about his own orgasm. whenever he did attempt to do something for you, he either gave up or you had to fake it so he got off of you. he always came before you did. ellie probably wouldn't do any of this, you would think to yourself before making yourself cum after he left.

ellie looks at you, wide eyed, and chuckles. "what?" you ask, defensive.

"i mean.. you wouldn't have thought the dude was a sex god," she mumbled. "he was the nerdiest dude known to man."

"i- i know," you utter, slightly embarrassed. "i don't wanna talk about it anymo-"

"did he make you cum at all?"

your jaw drops, in shock of what she just said. "uh.. no. not at all."

"jesus, you should've told me earlier," she sighs, looking at you with concern- and something else. "i could've helped y'all. or just you."

you don't know if it's just the weed or true feelings coming out of her mouth, but you swear you can feel her staring at your body, feel her moving closer. you slowly put the blunt down in the ashtray and make eye-contact with ellie.

"you know, y/n," she whispers, "i've always wondered why you would go out with these dudes and i'm right here. i see the way you look at me- hell, i've heard you fucking yourself."

your face heats up, quickly embarrassing you. "i- i'm sorry, el-"

you're suddenly cut off by ellie meeting her lips with yours. the kiss is passionate- you can feel the true feelings from ellie, feel the frustration from being ignored. you straddle her crotch, still kissing, slightly rocking back and forth. the friction from your shorts and her crotch has you soaked, whimpering a little into her mouth. she chuckles into the kiss before separating for air. "so needy already," she breathes, gliding her hands from your face, down your sides, and onto the meat of your thighs, rubbing up and down. you slightly nod, looking down, feeling slightly embarrassed of how you look right now.

"hey, look at me." one hand moves from your thigh up to your chin, making you meet eyes with her. ellie's eyes had looked different- darker, in a sense. the way she was looking at you made you wetter than ever before, wondering what she wanted to do with you. "how about we take out some of that stress, yea?"

her hands snaked under your crop top, her warm fingertips meeting your hardened nipples. she smirked. "no bra? you're gonna kill me." taking off your top slowly, her breath hitched. "god." she took one nipple into her mouth, pinching the other one in between her pointer finger and thumb. "els- fuck," you moaned, grinding on her lap. the wet spot in your panties definitely went through your shorts by now. "you're making a mess all over me, pretty girl," she cooed, still pinching your nipple. "tell me what you want."

"i- i want you," you cried, overstimulated by the sensation on your breasts. she let go of your nipple with a loud pop and let go of your nipple, making you whine from the loss of contact. "use your words. cmon, i know you can do it, princess." she sat back, waiting for your response. "p-please.. touch me," you utter, still slightly grinding on her lap.

"good girl," she purrs. she runs her calloused hands from the tops of your breasts down your sides and on the band of your shorts. "let's get these off."

she moves you off of her and slowly peels your shorts off, quietly gasping when she notices the pool of arousal in your lacy panties. "shit, i got you this wet from barely touching you?" she coos, cracking a small smile when she sees how embarrassed you are. "so cute." she runs her pointer finger over your clothed slit, earning a small wail out of you. applying pressure little by little, she watches you as you grow sexually frustrated by the second. "what's wrong, bun? you wanted me to touch you, right?"

"i need m-more, please- oh my god," you cry out, throwing your head back when she rubs small circles on your clit. she applies more and more pressure, making you feel your orgasm build up in the pit of your stomach. "ellie," you loudly moan, arching your back. she's watching you, taking in every feature of your face. she takes note of the way your eyes roll back at every circle she makes. the way your hands pinch your nipples, trying to replicate what she was doing to you. watching you get off makes her even wetter. she mumbles,"fuck it," before basically ripping off your panties off.

"what a pretty pussy," she says, voice barely above a whisper. you can't tell if she's talking to you or to herself, but she studies you; the puffy lips, how it's glistening with slick, how you leak onto the couch- everything. she runs her middle finger along your aching hole, gathering slick on it, then slowly inserts it. you gasp, gummy walls fluttering around the foreign item. she slowly moves in and out, in and out- lewd squelching sounds fill the room. "pleasepleaseplease," you babble, becoming breathless from arousal. "what, baby?" ellie comes up, planting small kisses on your collarbone. with no warning, she adds her ring finger, stretching your entrance and making you weep in her ear.

"els- m'gonna c-cum-" you sob, holding onto her shoulders. she picks up speed, watching you lose your mind. "yeah?" she murmurs, now adding her thumb to rub your bud. "cum on my fingers, princess."

you convulse around her fingers, walls contracting and expanding. your orgasm is blinding- it causes your legs to shake out of control, you loudly moan her name, holding onto her shoulders. she talks you through it; lots of "i know baby, i know"s and "I'm here, angel"'s. once your done, she removes her fingers. "open up," she says, shoving her cum-covered fingers into your mouth. you automatically suck on them, looking into her emerald eyes with innocence. "good girl."

"uhm.. t-thank you, els," you start, moving your hand over her clothed cunt. "let me touch you."

she flashed a small smile before saying, "i'm okay, baby. get some rest." before you could protest, she got up and planted a kiss on your forehead. "let's get you to bed, princess."

PART 2

[rambyol]

Analysis - The Joker’s cards for Bruce and what they suggest:

We shouldn’t take Handwriting psychology literally as it’s very subjective but it’s definitely fascinating what we can learn or pull from a characters penmanship.

1. The Card from the Church

Between the two cards, this one is my favourite because it has the most personality in it.

This card shows up after the events at Wayne Tower where Joker and Harley unleash the Virus (Gas Bomb) and during Batman, Iman, and Tiffany’s search for the next Bomb.

Right off the bat, the penmanship on this card is messy. The letters are jagged, some misaligned, and some have varying degrees of pressure to them.

Writing with a lot of pressure can be a sign of attention seeking behaviour and Joker is trying to get Batman’s attention, obviously, but more notably the pressure on the letters mimic Johns/Jokers speech. John has a habit of subverting and exaggerating certain words in his speech. For instance when talking about Harley potentially setting off the bombs on the bridge (if you choose to trust John), John describes that hypothetical as ‘exciting’. It’s no surprise that writing can reflect our speech but as I mention below it’s a sign of being unfiltered.

It’s evident that Joker isn’t dwelling on presentation here, much like his fashion sense, there’s a disheveled appearance to his writing.

The scribble in the bottom left corner where you can see Joker was checking to see if the pen was still working is kind of endearing since this letter was intended for Batman and the scribble indicated a lack of filter, as is observed through Villain Jokers personality. V Joker is arguably the least filtered out of all 3 in my opinion and naturally that would reflect in every facet of him down to his writing. I mean even his attempt to scribble out the joke at the end seems half hearted, because we can still see it clearly.

In addition we’ve got the doodles of a heart and a mystery doodle which Batman has his thumb covering (I wonder what it is 0_o). Doodles display playfulness and of course that childish is pretty consistent to Johns character regardless if he goes down the Vigilante or Villain route.

Jokers handwriting here is relatively ‘bad’ but without going into detail (I want to wrap this one up) we can see that theres a struggle for consistency in his lettering and strokes, which mirrors his personality in way. John was/and Joker is very muddled at times because his motives are all over place and it’s hard to determine what he wants. Now sometimes I think people see inconsistency in characters as ‘bad writing’ but I see it as making them more believable/complex. So yes, ‘unstable’ writing comes as no surprise.

2. The Card from Joker’s Funhouse

Now this one’s shorter but it’s much more presentable. The lettering is mostly level and although there’s the mix between capital and lower case letters within the same word it’s overall more thought out. Even the doodles of the diamonds (?) on top of the ‘i’ are consistent. There’s a bluntness to this that otherwise isn’t seen in the first letter, the sentence are short and concise almost as if Joker has more control here. And he does, Bruce sees this letter after being shocked unconscious by Joker. He’s not in his Batsuit and he’s being led towards the games that Joker is going to force him to play before ‘dinner’.

I know this is written with a different pen, clearly a marker and that can effect penmanship, I know I write better with a certain type of pen (thicker ball points) but I like to think there’s more certainty in Joker at this point in the story about what he’s doing, since before this, John was a part of other peoples plans.

Also this one reads more intimately than the other for obvious reasons like with the use of the term ‘our secret’ and the domestic connotations of ‘dinner’ but that of course goes into the bigger scheme of this being presented as a dinner party. What I think is most important in this letter is how the heart ❤️ has no arrow in it. Unlike the first card which did;

According to Google:

A heart symbol pierced with an arrow, symbolizing romantic love (being lovestruck, or the pain of lovesickness) A typical depiction of the Sacred Heart (often shown with other attributes, e.g. surmounted by a cross, pierced by nails or swords, etc.)

Okay maybe the first one was more intimate?

But from what I could find about a plain heart and what it could potentially mean, the closest I could really find was ‘unromantic but sincere love’. And with what we know about Joker’s determination and certainty that he is the ‘villain’ of Batmans/Bruces dreams (a term could definitely be a stand in for other things) I think that certainty comes off here too. Bruce never questions or entertains the thought that Joker would have taken his suit off in front of others or had his henchmen do it, it’s clearly implied with how committed Joker is to not exposing Batmans identity that it was HIM who removed the batsuit off Bruce’s unconscious body. Point is, there’s this mutual/unspoken assuredness between them that this is in fact THEIR secret.

End!

Phew! Idk if this made sense or even coherent but I just found the letters really cool and wanted to talk about them. Let me know if I should go into more detail or pls add to this in the notes I’d love to hear your ideas!

[linguisticparadox]

Dr. Kemp's introduction is really fascinating to me, because it sets up not only his personality but also his function in the novel.

A couple of weeks ago, we had his thoughts at seeing Marvel running through the village: '“Another of those fools,” said Dr. Kemp. “Like that ass who ran into me this morning round a corner, with the ‘’Visible Man a-coming, sir!’ I can’t imagine what possesses people. One might think we were in the thirteenth century.”' These are his first words in the book, and they serve as an excellent sum-up of who he is and how he sees the world.

And so far, we might almost agree with him: although we know the Invisible Man is real, the whole story so far has read like a madcap slapstick comedy. Even Marvel, the Invisible Man's special victim, has been portrayed as a silly and rather stupid man in a silly and rather stupid situation, the stuff of modern-day sitcoms.

But then we get a sudden glimpse of the horror of Marvel's situation, and simultaneously we see that Kemp is judging at a distance, and so misjudging: "But those who saw the fugitive nearer, and perceived the abject terror on his perspiring face, being themselves in the open roadway, did not share in the doctor’s contempt." The more perceptive among us might cringe to think of our own reactions to everything that has happened to Marvel so far (and not to spoil anything, but later we will come to feel similarly about the Invisible Man, who so far has mostly just come off as kind of an asshole).

The narrative continues to paint Kemp as a rational man of science, who considers himself superior to the common rabble, with little tidbits thrown in here and there.

This week, he hears shots go off, and seems (or at least pretends) to dismiss them as nonsense, saying, “Who’s letting off revolvers in Burdock? What are the asses at now?” After that, he looks out the window and sees a crowd, which he watches for a few minutes, "during which his mind had travelled into a remote speculation of social conditions of the future." Based on his characterization up to now, we can assume he views this future with rather haughty scorn--"this country is going down the toilet, look at all these idiots," and so on.

Of course, he's more rattled than he seems, especially after the doorbell rings for seemingly no reason. But he manages to lose himself in his work again until the small hours of the morning.

Now, it only comes through in some parts, but the whole narrative is subtly framed as being told by a limited pov third person, who has evidently gathered together news articles and interviews with the various witnesses. We get only a peek at it here, with the line: "Dr. Kemp’s scientific pursuits have made him a very observant man, and as he recrossed the hall, he noticed a dark spot on the linoleum near the mat at the foot of the stairs." The tense at the start of the sentence suggests the image of Dr. Kemp sitting and telling his story, throwing in a moment of preening over his education and scientific prowess. These traits continue to receive attention with lines like "Dr. Kemp was no believer in voices"; and when we are told, "All men, however highly educated, retain some superstitious inklings," we can easily imagine Dr. Kemp rushing to defend his seemingly irrational thoughts to his interviewer.

In short, H.G. Wells tells us, plainly and repeatedly (though with a deft subtlety beneath his compact and engaging prose which characterizes his writing generally), that Dr. Kemp is highly educated, rational and scientific, and that he feels these characteristics place him above the common people.

And this, I think, is a gorgeous setup of Kemp's role in the narrative: to establish that education and rationality do not shield one from falling in with mob mentality and being complicit in the persecution of The Other.* Up to this point, we have had only comic scenes of the Invisible Man causing mayhem and blunt confusion among the simple-minded, straightforward but unimaginative denizens of small towns, the sort of people who needle a man for explanations, not to satisfy any real curiosity, but to gather fodder for gossip and win esteem in their social circles, and who consider it a grave insult when that man, a newcomer wrapped in bandages who just wants to be left alone, denies it to them.

But now, as if to head off any potential feelings of class-based superiority in the (necessarily literate, if not highly educated) audience, we have a well-educated, rational man, who considers himself Above All of That, and who views the situation exactly as we have been led to view it ourselves.

And this man, a stand-in for the rational, high-class, superior-feeling people in the audience, is immediately proven to be wrong. He misjudged the situation because he has only seen it from a distance: and the parallel with the readers, who are learning the story from a fairly removed narrative distance, ought to give us all pause.

*For the record, I think Marvel fits the bill as The Other, or ought to, as he is a homeless drifter. Certainly the Invisible Man expects to have sympathy from him on this basis! Unfortunately for him, Marvel in fact turns out to be much more comfortable among the "locals" than one might assume; and yet, in demanding his aid, the Invisible Man actually isolates and others him from his fellows, so that it becomes a sort of self-fulfilling prophecy. But that's a topic for another paper essay rant entirely.

[randoimago]

Day 6 - Fantasy AU

Fandom: Ouran Highschool Host Club

Character(s): Mori (Takashi Morinozuka)

Type of Request: 31 Days of October

Note(s): Was struggling with how to write this one for a while but then an idea came to me at like 2am (funny how that happens)

Once again, some traveling stranger came into the nearby village claiming to sell love potions. And once again, Mori is keeping an eye and ear out to make sure none of them end up in the proximity of those he cares about.

He knows how popular his friends are. Prince Tamaki, Advisor Kyoya, the court jester twins. He knows they're all sought after, and he knows what extents some people will go in hopes of being the object of their affection. It's tiring and Mori just needs a break.

And so, he decides he's had enough of chasing around and listening for news of who has the potions when he decides to go to the source instead. He knows that he probably shouldn't go alone, but he does anyway. He knows he's strong. He's confident in his abilities. But he also knows to stay vigilant and be cautious too.

Mori hears of where the stranger's little setup is at. He follows the trail, and he watches as another girl buys some type of potion. It's not the stereotypical overly pink and bubbly love potion that he recognizes, but he still has a feeling it could lead to trouble.

You're just finishing another sale of one of your "potions", when the strong and silent knight walks over. You vaguely recognize him as a bodyguard to the prince that would walk alongside whenever the prince came into the village. Seeing him here is a bit of a surprise, but you keep a smile on your face.

"Hello, sir! Can I help you with something?" You ask, being polite and friendly. Mori stays silent as he observes you, looking for any hidden aggression or making sure he's not about to be tricked.

"The love potions. They've been making a mess." He's blunt as he tells you this and it does surprise you a bit to hear it. But then you give a sigh and a sheepish smile at his words.

"Let me guess, some poor girl thought she could win the heart of one of the prince's court and tried to slip a potion in a drink?" You say and the nod Mori gives makes you shake your head. "I keep telling these people that they don't work like that." You sigh and massage your temple as you bring out one of the "love potions" in question for Mori to view.

It's the same shade that the girl from earlier had gotten. A reddish-orange coloration that's light and doesn't seem as airy as many potions he's seen before.

"How's it work?" He asks and you give him a small smile as you motion for him to take the potion. He doesn't. He just stares as if this is some kind of trick and you sigh.

"It doesn't make someone in love. Hell, it doesn't even do the deep infatuation for an hour then wears off," you explain as you open the potion and waft it a bit to smell. Mori steps a bit closer, seeming more at ease that you were the first to smell the potion as he gets close to do the same.

It's an earthy smell with hints of citrus. Definitely not the overtly sweet smell that love potions give off. Just smelling it makes Mori feel... lighter? Like he's carrying less weight.

"It's got no magic enchantments at all. Just a bunch of herbs to boost the chemicals in your brain - ah, science stuff," you explain and give him a small smile. While science exists, people still rely on magic and enchantments. So to know you brew these "potions" with science instead causes some curiosity in Mori.

"So what's it do?" He asks, once again speaking in short sentences, but his tone is softer as he looks at you and you give a small smile.

"Makes you feel happier, lighter. Kind of as if you are in love, but not quite. I mean, it's mostly used to improve your mood. I like to give small doses of it to those that are sick or feel down about themselves," you tell him and sigh. "I should've known people would spread rumors and that it'd cause trouble."

"It's fine. Thank you for explaining," Mori tells you, placing a hand on your shoulder kindly as you stopper the "potion" again.

"Of course. You can take this one if you'd like. On the house for causing a fuss." Mori gives a nod and smiles as he takes the small bottle. He pulls his hand away from you and hesitates as he feels a bit of reluctancy to do so.

You give him a smile and wave and he does the same, his smile not as bright or easily seen as yours, but it is still there. Mori begins his walk back to the castle, his mind racing as he feels the small weight of the vial in his bag and the weight on his heart.

While you told him that it's not a love potion, he might need to stop by more often just in case. He just hopes you decide to stay in town for a bit longer.

[sky-fire-forever]

“The truth is stranger than my own worst dreams.” For Hawke and anyone else you’d like?

Thank you for the prompt for @dadrunkwriting ! I used Anders for this one because of course I did XD

My Hawke in this one is Mal Hawke, who uses he/him pronouns.

Hawke is silent. He’s been silent all day and has been mostly silent for the past week, ever since he and Anders separated from the rest of their friends. Isabela sailed them to Maker knows where and then she’d left, waving goodbye and grinning like her life hadn’t been turned upside down because of Anders. 

At least Isabela would talk to him. Merrill too. They didn’t have much to say, but they didn’t treat him like a cannon about to go off at any moment or like he was a dark cloud simply hovering over them about to strike down lightning that would ruin their lives any more than they’ve already been destroyed. 

He misses them more than he thought he would. Misses Fenris too and Varric and even Sebastian, a little. Even though Sebastian had vowed only to rest when Anders lies dead at his feet. Maybe that’s what Anders deserves. 

Anders misses Hawke too. Hawke is still physically beside him, but he’s barely even addressed him since the battle with Meredith ended. When he does speak, it’s in short sentences that are usually orders or clipped questions, straight-forward and to the point. 

Of course, that’s always been how Hawke is. He’s never bothered with dancing around an issue and would rather say what he means, no matter who he upsets by saying it. Bluntness is as much a part of Mal Hawke as his sword is — which is to say, he’s never seen without it. 

Which just makes Hawke’s refusal to discuss what happened even more isolating to Anders. He doesn’t know what to make of it and doesn’t know if he should try approaching the subject first or if that’ll only earn him Hawke’s scorn. He feels like he’s trapped in limbo, desperately watching the man he loves from a cloud of fog that he can barely traverse. 

They’re camped for the night. Hawke and Anders had silently set up their bedrolls — two of them, they no longer share — and Hawke is attempting to light a fire with his tools. He’s barely managing to create a spark that won’t catch and Anders feels pity just watching him. 

“Here.” Anders moves closer and snaps his fingers, drawing on his mana to create the warmth of a flame. The fire sparks to life at his fingertips and he holds it to the kindling, watching as it catches and spreads until it illuminates Hawke’s face. 

He wears an unreadable expression, the reflection of the fire dancing in his blue eyes. “You’re back to using magic again, then?” 

That takes Anders aback. “What do you mean?” 

“You haven’t used magic since after the battle.” Hawke averts his gaze. “When you healed everyone. I haven’t seen you use magic since then.” 

Anders hadn’t even noticed that he hadn’t. It just hasn’t occurred to him that he might have need of magic for anything since then. “I… guess I haven’t.” While Hawke’s face stays turned towards the fire, Anders can’t stop looking at Hawke, searching for a sign of something. 

They lapse into silence that feels suffocating. Anders can’t take the quiet, the avoidance, the any of it. 

“Does my magic bother you now?” Anders can’t think of any other reason Hawke would have brought it up. 

Could he even blame him if magic did frighten him now? After what Anders did? After what Anders’ magic did? 

The silence stretches out between them until Anders thinks Hawke won’t answer. Then,

“I grew up surrounded by magic,” Hawke says as he continues watching the flickering flames. “My father never hid it from me and when Bethany showed signs of magic, I vowed to protect her.” Anders watches his throat bob as he swallows. “I was never afraid of magic. Even in my worst nightmares could I imagine being afraid of magic.” 

Anders fights the urge to fidget with his robes. “And now?” 

Hawke looks up and catches Anders’ gaze. “The truth is stranger than my worst dreams,” he says. “I’m not afraid. Not of magic.” 

“Of me?” The realization hits Anders like a punch in the gut. 

“Of what you’ve become.” Hawke doesn’t look away this time, but Anders almost wishes he would. His gaze holds him in place and Anders feels smaller than he ever has before under those blue eyes. 

Anders feels pinned like a butterfly in a display. “I’m still me.” 

“Are you?” Hawke shifts closer. “Or are you Vengeance?” 

Anders flinches at the harshness in his tone. “Mal…” 

“Don’t.” Hawke finally looks away so he can stoke the fire. “Just don’t. I don’t want to discuss this right now.” 

Anders still has more questions. He wants to know why Hawke didn’t just kill him if he no longer trusts who Anders is, but he’s terrified of the answer. So he just nods and sits in silence by the firelight.

[dmagedgoods]

OC Mannerism - Salvadore

picrew I was tagged by @cassynite. 💕 Thank you so much! You find the amazing template by @the-raging-tempest here. This time I'm tagging @steampunkserpent and @spyridonya and @arrow90-art and @dantent and @molochka-koshka and @starlightcleric and @iwoszareba

- NO. OF SPOKEN LANGUAGES >> 4 in the pathfinder universe (fluent in Taldane (Common) and Kelish and speaks some Osiriani but not well enough to have a debate using it. He also started learning Celestial after he decided to keep his angel powers.) - TONE OF VOICE >> high / average / deep (a low tenor) - ACCENT >> none in pathfinder universe, at least not in Taldane, he speaks very clearly and without dialect too - DEMEANOR >> highly confident / shy / approachable / hostile / sometimes frigid and sometimes charming / prideful / intimidating / commanding - POSTURE >> slumped / straight / stiff / relaxed but graceful HABITS head tilting / swaying / fidgeting / stuttering / gesturing / arm crossing / strokes chin / er, um, or other interjections / plays with hair or clothing / hands at hips / inconsistent eye contact / maintains eye contact / frequent pausing / stands close / stands at a distance / raises one brow COMPLEXITY (Fill in the circle’s as you wish) - VOCABULARY >> ⚪️⚪️⚪️⚪️⚫️ Salvadore is very eloquent with strong rhetoric skills, educated, trained in diplomacy, and even studied speech patterns since he has a natural interest in and talent for words. He loves to talk to people, to convince them of his views, or to hold impactful speeches in front of an audience. - EMOTION >> ⚪️⚫️⚪️⚪️⚪️ While strongly passionate about his goals and for those he cares for, Salvadore rarely gives away many emotions in front of people. It needs a deep bond with someone for him to show his warmer and even surprisingly playful side or his possessive tendencies. (All of this even publicly to a degree with someone he loves romantically.) - SENTENCE STRUCTURE >> ⚪️⚪️⚫️⚪️⚪ It varies. He makes his sentence structure as complex as needed to convey an idea. After all, he wants to reach people with his words not to confuse them. His choice of words is sophisticated but he speaks clearly and not in obscuring, long-winded, or highly scientific terms. Sometimes he utters very short and strict orders or shuts something down with a well-aimed remark. PROFANITY - FREQUENCY >> ⚪️⚫️⚪️⚪️⚪️ Rarely. There may be audiences where stronger words are needed and he doesn’t mind going there, but in his usual speech patterns, he mostly refrains from it. If he uses profanity, then the rough, harsh sort. In sexual contexts and roleplays, he enjoys profanity here and there – though it depends on the words in question. - CREATIVITY (in regards to profanity insults) >> ⚪️⚫️⚪️⚪️⚪️ He goes for the classics. If he means to insult, he will hit the mark in different and deeper ways (humiliating his target in eloquent manners) than by making up creative swear words. BOLD THAT APPLY

arse / ass / asshole / bastard / bitch / bloody / bugger / bollocks / chicken shit / crap / cunt / dick / frick / fuck / horseshit / motherfucker / piss / prick / pussy / screw / shit / shitass / son of a bitch / twat / wanker / damn / hell THIS OR THAT

straightforward or cryptic / finding the right word or using the first word that comes to mind / masculinity, neutrality, or femininity / formalities or with abrasiveness / praise or and equivocation / frankness or and flattery / excessive or and minimal hand gestures depending on situation / name-calling or magnanimity / friendly or blunt condescending IMPORTANT QUESTIONS - DO PEOPLE HAVE A HARD TIME HEARING OR UNDERSTANDING YOUR CHARACTER? almost always / frequently / rarely / never - DOES YOUR CHARACTER’S POINT COME ACROSS EASILY WHEN THEY SPEAK?  almost always / frequently / sometimes / rarely / never - WOULD YOUR CHARACTER INITIATE CONVERSATIONS? almost always / frequently / sometimes/ rarely / never - WOULD YOUR CHARACTER BE THE ONE TO END CONVERSATIONS? almost always / frequently / sometimes / rarely / never - WOULD YOUR CHARACTER USE ‘WHOM’ IN A SENTENCE? yes / no / only ironically - YOUR CHARACTER WANTS TO MAKE A COUNTERPOINT. WHAT WORD DO THEY USE? but / though / although / however / perhaps / maybe - HOW DOES YOUR CHARACTER END CONVERSATIONS?  With a clear but polite explanation if the person is of importance or if he doesn’t actively dislike them, with a short and incisive remark if he is annoyed or they are stealing his time. - WHAT SOCIAL CLASS WOULD OTHERS ASSUME YOUR CHARACTER BELONGS TO, HEARING THEM SPEAK? upper / middle / lower - IN WHAT WAYS DOES THE WAY YOUR CHARACTER SPEAK STAND OUT TO OTHERS? accent  / vocabulary / tone / level / politeness / brusqueness / it doesn’t Anything that wasn’t touched on? Salvadore’s voice gets husky when he is very emotional.

[simiansmoke]

Bees and Birds - 🐝🦜 [DK x Mario]

followed up from the fic Slow Burn, and the following 'follow up post' that bridges Slow Burn and Bees and Birds together.

There was some hesitance in their meeting. It's more than likely because of how awkward things became after DK basically trashed a bar mid drunken-make out. The bartender was a friend of a cousin of his, so he'd committed to helping them recover anything lost from his and Mario's rampage inside their establishment.

If it was up to DK, he would have opted out of ever seeing the plumber again inside the Jungle Kingdom, but Cranky needed some assistance with a pest problem. And for some reason, his Dad didn't want him going alone to eradicate it this time. Something about killer hornet stings being extra lethal to Kongs or whatever. He didn't get that part.

As he padded alongside Mario through the jungle, the silence between them stung worse than any hornet. Awkwardness at its finest.

"So..." Mario began, rubbing the back of his neck as if to mop up a line of sweat brought on by the humidity.

"...so." His voice was blunt, matter of fact, and not amused by the opening line that he refused to entertain himself.

It was a few extra miles down the trail of agonizing silence, shifting eyes and tight throats that DK almost welcomed the buzz from the hornet nest halfway up the banana tree.

"Dunno why Dad asked you to come along. A little old bee's nest is nothing for me." He grinned, happy to leave the stagnant conversation in favor of clambering up the side of the banana palm.

"DK - wait! Cranky said that..." But whatever Cranky had said to Mario, apparently he didn't get a chance to tell DK because the adamant Kong was set on knocking that nest into space with the speed he was at while racing up the trunk.

Once near the top of the fronds, DK paused to glance down at the plumber who'd set a helpless glance upon him. Yeah, stay that way - he thought, reaching up to give the nest a punch. It sailed away, sentenced to break into a few thousand honey-soaked pieces when the largest hornet he'd seen hovered up to his nose with an angry buzz.

"DK!" Mario had started his climb now, closing the distance between them quickly as the hornet buzzed around the Kong's head, readying its stinger.

"Bring it, Dagger-Butt!" DK growled, fully prepared to swat the bug away when Mario grabbed his foot and slammed him to the ground. A few dizzying moments later, he looked up to see the plumber sliding own the palm's trunk like a firefighter down a pole, sans the bee.

"What...?"

Once at the bottom with sand under his feet, Mario shot the prince a vicious gaze. "I dunno if your dad failed to mention this but ... you and practically every Kong on the island are allergic to those bees."

If he believed him, DK didn't show it. "Sure, and Koopas can fly-"

"...DK, plenty of them can."

"Shut up! I didn't mean THEM." His breathing rate had surged with the rage in his reply, but it was mostly for show...for who, he wasn't sure yet. It was important enough to him to keep his chest high. "Anyway, why not just tell me that to start with?" Well, what Dad should have told him, anyway.

"Would you have believed me?"

"Hell n-"

It's the sideways lean of the plumber forcing his shoulder into the trunk, arms crossed and brow raised in his direction that causes DK to relent with a huff. "OK, I see your point." And thanks to Mario, he didn't get the bee's...point that is.

Mario's eyes drifted around the canopy for a moment as if taking in the density of the patch of jungle they'd ended up in. It's the sort of seclusion he didn't see much of in a busy city. "So, you ready to talk about..." He paused, gaze shifting to assess his company's energy - which was nothing short of its usual chaos, maybe with a bit more stiffness mixed in. "...the other night-"

It takes DK a solid second or two to deeply inhale the honey-laced air to silence the instinct in him to insult Mario and run off as a long time solution to this sticky situation he'd caused. Instead, he turns around to face Mario-well...look down at him anyway. To steady himself he placed a giant palm against the tree trunk, directing it directly above Mario's hat. "What about it?" Try as he might, he couldn't completely chase the challenge out of his tone; it was his only defense.

In the shadow of DK's arm, Mario peeked around the fur up at the Kong. "Well, you left in sucha hurry, I was just wondering if everything was...all right with you?"

Leave it to Mario to tip toe around the elephant in the room. No, not even a room...a whole jar, and the plumber would still ignore it crammed in there like it was an ant in a whole ass jungle.

"Oh, is that all? For a second there, I thought you were gonna tell me what a freak you feel like for enjoying all of that." Yeah, that sounded about right...to him anyway. Wondering how far he'd missed the mark, DK leaned over to get a glimpse of Mario's expression hidden under his forearm's shade. Apparently not shady enough since the plumber's face looked like it had caught a case of instantaneous sunburn.

"Uh...Mario?"

When he noticed DK peeking in at him curiously, then having the nerve to smirk at his predicament, Mario attempted to cover a portion of his face with a gloved hand. Just cooling it down with his palm...which may have worked if his hands weren't hot and sweaty inside their prison too. "Mio dio! You don't have to put it like that."

Feeling like he now had the upper-hand in the shame train, DK kept the smirk on his face as he played a little game of leaning to either side of his arm that Mario tried to shift towards and hide. "Then I guess you wouldn't mind telling me..." Scooting his palm down to beside Mario's ear when he grew bored of the chase, DK leaned in enough to disturb the other's hair with his great breaths surging out. "...where should I put it?"

There was hardly a solution or quip Mario could give him, and the proximity of that stupid, smug, sore winner's face that DK was giving him drilled the fact in even more. He could punch him, but that seemed to him to be giving DK what he wanted...which was also a loss in the grand scheme of gaining the high ground. Besides, the urge to clock him in the jaw was accompanied with something else - little sparks that had caused that massive explosion back at the bar. They're tickling his stomach and maybe it's the humidity, but the combination makes his bones feel like lukewarm butter.

"Where should I put it~?" DK asked again, a little more smug with every moment of silence that stretched between them.

Closing the distance with a glove once he'd moved it off his face, the plumber placed the palm of his hand flat against the confused Kong's cheek. "Ok, ok..." His hand slid down to grasp DK's jaw and guide the infuriating idiot's face to the heat in his while his free hand grasped the end of a red tie for an idle play thing. Hovering close to the other's lips, Mario adds "-put it here, pal."

There was little time for him to sputter as the heat in Mario's face infected his at such a close proximity. Well...if that's where he was supposed to 'put it', then he would put it there. Bracing his enormous weight against his palm beside Mario's head, he crashed the molten surfaces of their faces together and rocked their lips into a rough battle.

The jungle was quiet with an occasional murmur of wind through the canopy fronds, so the heartbeat in their ears set the pace to where neither knew if the sound they heard was of their body, or the other's.

DK was definitely the lead though - the player 1 that decided when little breaks of shaky air inhalation were necessary, and even then they were accompanied with teeth clacking in an attempt to keep some sort of connection until they'd refilled their lungs.

Mario had almost wrapped the whole tie around his fist by the time DK reached around with his free hand to scoop up under the seat of Mario's pants and lift him up closer so neither had to strain so much and so Mario had room to grab fur, dig a knee into DK's chest, and shudder once separated from the furious throes of their lips' battle.

Both stared at one another, sharing only pants and desperate bids for air. Both with faces stained with the same crimson contagion. From somewhere off in the trees, the call of a bird brought the world back into focus.

"...you good?" Mario inquired finally, a hint of a smile worming its way between them.

"I'm-...whatever you are right now." DK answered, a low laugh escaping him. "But better."

[beary-eyed]

Batfamily Autism Headcannons! (Aka: me projecting a lot)

Tim Edition

.Doesnt go nonverabl alot but will have partial non-speaking periods where he can talk but not in full sentences or complicated words.

.Not a large stimmer, he will stim quite a bit but theyre small enough to not be noticed however during meltdowns the stims are large and almost always self-destructive, kicking, biting, pulling hair you name it

.His parents were recommended to have his assessed at 4 when a babysitter pointed it out and they did however Tim was non-verbal the entire time so his parents spoke for him and left out a couple of important things and downplayed the severity. So Tim left being told he wasnt autistic and even more confused than before.

.He only has 1 constant safe food (raspberry licorice) bit typically he just has food hes mostly ok with but on bad days he cant stand, that list is still short because a lot of food textures are unbearable to him (tomatoes, fuck tomatoes).

.Expressions like "break a leg" have never been an issue but tone is almost indecipherable, he has no idea if a person is angry or joking or actually happy.

.Bruce was once pissed at Tim for disobeying an order and Tim who just thought he was not being serious made a joke back. He was grounded until Bruce realised Tim had no idea he wasnt joking.

.Can come off as blunt and rude, this can usually be brushed off by others as a spoiled rick kid or an insensitive asshole but he really doesnt want to hurt peoples feelings.

.Bruce was pretty distant when Tim became Robin so he never really noticed Tim had signs of autism (it may have also been bcs Bruce is autistic and happens to also be stupid) until Dick visited and said "Is the kid diagnosed?".

.Bruce was confused, "Diagnosed with what?", Dick was so confused "With autism, Tim's autistic". Bruce in all his dumbassery says "Tim's autistic?" at top volume. And Tim who was walking into the room and heard everyting said "Im autistic?". That was how he found out.

.Once he knew he had autism he researched every single thing about it, from the scientific articles to mummy blogs. And so he quickly became aquainted with terminology and a new soecial interest formed .

.Tims main special interest is Batman, Bruce absolutely adores this

.Verbal stims are his favourite, his person favourites is "Stimming: Self-stimulatory behaviour" and "Superman" said very quickly and directky after each other so it sounds like a blur of "Supermansupermansupermansuperman-".

Thank you for listening to my ramblings.

[little-red-fool]

Reasons why I think Geralt is autistic (as an autistic person)

(Disclaimer, I know every autistic person experiences things differently but I’ll be mainly using specific examples for Geralt)(Also this might not be very well put together since I’m not used to making things like this so hopefully it’s at least semi-coherent)

Differences in communication and expression

Although he does talk sometimes, throughout the series Geralt’a verbal communication is generally limited and he keeps his sentences short and to the point.

Also since he often goes straight to the point he can come across as “blunt” or “rude” to other people, which is hinted at sometimes throughout the series.

He’s generally quite honest which is a trait found in a lot of autistic people.

He makes minimal facial expressions/his facial expressions are mostly very subtle (there are some exceptions such as when he seems angry).

Monotonous voice.

^^^ This paired with his minimal facial expressions makes him seem to have a flat effect which is common in people with autism.

The myth that Witchers supposedly don’t feel any emotions is similar to the myth that autistic people also supposedly don’t feel emotions.

Sensory differences

Geralt has a heightened sense of smell and hearing.

Social aspects

He prefers the company of animals to people, which is especially noticeable with his attachment to Roach and his reluctance to let anyone else touch her.

He struggles to make friends and become attached to people.

Geralt is often ostracised by others, partly due to their lack of understanding about Witchers which in turn makes them frightened of them or verbally/physically attack and shun them (a lot of autistic people are ostracised by neurotypicals, partly due to them having a misunderstanding of autism which can lead to a fear of autistic people, bullying, and ableism).

He finds it easier to connect with others who are “outcast” by wider society, such as Renfri and Yennefer.

Other notes

In the first episode of Season 1 several people comment that Geralt should buy new clothes since his seem somewhat worn-out—this could be because they’re his comfort clothes which would wear-out if he wears them a lot (although I may be looking too deep into it).

He hesitates to do things that he’s been told if he hasn’t been given a good reason as to why he should do it, and he’s reluctant to do things that he sees as unjust.

When it comes to morality he’s generally shown to think in black and white—a lot of people make reference to the “lesser” and “greater” evil and encourage Geralt to pick what they think is the “lesser” evil, however he sees them all as just evil and refuses to pick something he deems immoral.

This list isn’t finished but I couldn’t focus on rewatching the show because my attention span is too short to complete it but I might add some stuff in the future.

[ramix-the-red]

A Rambling Character Study on Norland von Luneberg

Yea I’m sure this one’s gonna go over well. This isn’t really structured or anything I just have a head full of thoughts and wanted to vomit them out onto the internet. When discussing Norland as a character, we have to start at his main defining characteristic: which is that he does not like to talk. Norland is a very taciturn man, he says very, very little, and only when necessary. But it goes beyond just him being introverted or quiet, he takes it to an extreme, seeming almost robotic. He speaks very formally, reflecting his cover as an aristocrat, and usually in very short sentences, with very blunt delivery, and usually little to no emotion on his face, either permanently scowling, or occasionally giving a tiny little smirk. When he talks, it is almost entirely functional, he delivers the information that he needs to deliver, be that an order or a formality or a threat, and says nothing else. Now, the important thing here isn’t that he doesn’t talk much, it’s the times when he does talk that stand out. But I’ll get to that in a bit.

First, I want to cover why Norland is the way he is. No, it isn’t because he’s a clone, that is only incidental. The reason Norland is the way he is is because of his upbringing. In the final act, the OP changes in a couple ways to reflect Norland. The first change is that we see a young Norland with his hands pressing against a screen (maybe whatever test tube he was made in?), contrasted with the image of the Phoenix brothers, Ash and Nichol, walking hand in hand. While the Phoenix brothers are together, and smiling, baby Norland is alone, and looking sad. Then, we cut to an older Norland, taking off his mask and scowling, while Ash is training in the background. 

Norland was raised to view himself as a vessel for Charles, he was taught that he was not human, that he did not have a purpose beyond being a spare body for the Emperor. Even when he was made a Knight of the Rounds, he reported directly to Charles and mostly stayed in the background, and judging by the type of jobs he sent Ash on, he was presumably used as a weapon for Charles’s plans before his true purpose could be fulfilled. Norland was never given a life of his own or even allowed to have his own feelings or desires, stripped of his humanity, he viewed himself as separate from other human beings, and began to hate them. Then Charles died, Ragnarok failed, and Lelouch upended the entire Empire. Just like that, Norland’s only purpose was gone, and all he had left was his hatred, so like the killing machine he was raised to be, he devoted himself to it in full-force.

The importance of relationships between parents and their children is not a new theme in Code Geass, Lelouch’s daddy issues are somewhere between a quarter and half of his motivations depending on what point in the show he’s in. But in a show with plenty of bad parents, Norland sets a whole new standard for bad fathers. Being a clone of Charles, he’s obviously the first comparison, and it’s a very stark contrast. At first it’s easy to just look at them both and go “Well they’re both shitty dads whatever”, but it goes beyond that. One of the big twists to Charles’s character near the end is that he actually does love his children, in fact, his love for his family is basically his one redeeming trait. Yes, he treated Lelouch and Nunnally like trash, but in his mind, this was his way of protecting them, he believed that he was doing what was best for them. I’ve already gone on about this before so I’m not gonna repeat myself on Charles’s parenting stuff, the important part is that despite everything, Charles does love his children. This makes the way Norland treats Ash (and Nichol) stand out even more. He barely even acknowledges Nichol, and treats Ash as nothing more than a tool. It doesn’t even seem like he lets them live in the same house as him, leaving them in a run-down shack on the manor grounds. Then the instant Nichol causes trouble, he kills him without a second thought, and ships Ash off to prison (he doesn’t even bother to do this himself, he just pawns the job off on Nara). 

Charles was a man defined by his connections to his family. His dead mother, his beloved big brother, his kids, and his wife Marianne. But Norland had none of that growing up, the shot of the OP makes this contrast very stark, many have even theorized that part of the reason for Norland’s awful treatment of the Phoenix brothers is jealousy. He resents humans for not being one of them, and he resents the brothers for having the type of connection that he never had, so he takes it out on them. When Ash pleaded for Nichol’s life and offered to be useful enough for the both of them, Norland could very well have just turned him down and had Nichol thrown out, or just killed them both and picked up another orphan to use as his tool. Did he accept because he believed that Ash’s love for his brother would make him motivated enough to be an effective tool (inspired by the bond that Charles and V.V. shared), or was it out of spite?

It’s notable that Norland is actually a very hands-off abuser. He gives orders to Ash, but he doesn’t really bother with doling out punishment, or even training him. He pawns that job off to Scissorman (who actually seems to be the closest thing Norland has to a friend, but I don’t really have much to say on that front, I just think it’s neat). The one time we see Norland actually interacting with Ash on anything beyond a functional level, it’s when he gives him the fateful “kill your own heart” mantra. This is the first and only time that Norland gives anything resembling fatherly advice to his son. Even the way he says it is odd. For a man who’s speech patterns are incredibly stiff and blunt, he sounds almost poetic the way he describes it, it almost sounds like he thinks it's for Ash’s own good. “If you find the killing becomes too hard for you, then kill your heart. Do that, and you’ll no longer feel anything.” This is probably the same advice Norland was given, or that he gave to himself.

Norland is what Ash would have become if he never had anyone to love, or who loved him. The cycle of abuse goes on and on and on and on.

As I’ve ranted about before, Charles is a very, very similar person to Lelouch in many ways. They both wanted to tear down the corrupt system that took away their mothers, used lies and a grandiose persona to raise an army that would do their bidding, and when they found that the problems with Britannia were too entrenched to be solved even by an Emperor, they instead decided to tear it all down (albeit in radically different ways). Whether this was intentionally done to emulate Charles, or whether it was a subconscious similarity, or just poetic fate, Norland did the exact same thing that Charles did, and raised a son who was his own mirror image, through abuse.

When Norland fights with Ash atop the palace, it’s one of the few times he breaks his trend of purely functional speaking. He actually trades banter (sort-of) and taunts Ash while they fight. Like I said before, the fact that Norland doesn’t like to talk isn’t the important part, it’s the fact that when he does speak up becomes more noticeable. As awful of a father as he is, his interactions with his adopted son are some of the few times he seems to show something resembling emotion. We even get a direct and obvious contrast here, to really drive it in that this was intentional. When he fights against Catherine he is quiet for almost the entire fight, even while Catherine is ranting and pouring her heart out, he doesn’t say a word until the very end, and he has the same bored scowl on his face the whole time. 

His fight with Ash is entirely different. He elaborates his plans and talks about the Foulbout, he gloats about his victory. He even explicitly tells Ash that he has no reason to stick around and fight him (indeed, he could just activate his flight mode and get out of Ash’s reach and he wouldn’t be able to do a thing about it), before deciding to fight him anyway. It’s reminiscent of Lelouch’s confrontation with Charles, where he tricks his son into thinking that his Geass had worked, before revealing that he had a Code all along. It’s almost like he’s humoring his kid, a dark parody of playing pretend with his son. While fighting against Ash, Norland has a smile on his face the whole time. For all his disregard for human life, Norland is not a sadistic man, he sees people as cockroaches (in the words of the staff) and disposes of them in the same bored, passionless way that one would get rid of some bugs in their house. Even in private he only seems to feel satisfaction and relief at the end when he believes his plan to wipe out all human life is about to be finished, the way one would take pride in completing a job. But he smiles the whole time when he fights against Ash. 

Then there’s the ending of said fight. Again, the contrast with Catherine is stark, and obviously deliberate. Rather than just casually throwing him off the side of the building, the Foulbout grabs a hold of the Apollo by the face, and gently cups its head. It’s almost like he’s cradling his child, before he lets go and lets him fall. It’s the closest Norland ever comes to showing anything resembling affection for another person. Then there’s his words at the end (this is the first time in the entire fight that Norland isn’t shown smiling, by the way): “Your presence is no longer required.”

Why was Ash’s presence required in the first place? What purpose did he serve? Obviously he stopped being an assassin a long time ago, there wasn’t any role for him in Norland’s plans. I’ve seen JP fans theorizing that Norland raised Ash so that he would be the one to kill him. If true, then that only makes the ending even more heartwrenching.

Like I mentioned before, Charles was a man who was defined by his strong relationships with his family, something which Norland never had. And yet a trace of the true self exists in the false self. For just a few seconds, that affection Charles had for his children, something Norland never showed, shines through in his vessel, if only the tiniest glimpse. 

The premise of him being Charles’s clone obviously invited comparison between the two. And in many, many ways, Norland is actually very different from Charles, even aside from their feelings on family. Charles was bombastic and charismatic, a schemer who relied on others to do the physical work for him (much like Lelouch), who rallied his followers with nationalistic jingo to inspire loyalty. Norland is a taciturn and blunt fighter, even named as a Knight of the Rounds, and he personally fights the protagonists in the final battle. But for all their differences, the way they actually operate to fulfill their goals is actually very similar.

Charles never actually believed a word of the imperialist, nationalist, darwinist propaganda he spouted. In fact, he actively hated all of those things and wanted to create a world without them, but he used them to stir up a nationalist fervor and fuel the imperial war machine so that he could achieve his goals and gain access to all the gates. Similarly, Norland doesn’t actually believe in or care about the Neo-Britannian cause, he only uses this as a masquerade to gather disenfranchised remnants of the empire under his control. The conquest of the world was only ever an after-thought to Charles, a means to an end that would make it easier for him to complete the Ragnarok Connection. Norland doesn’t actually care about any of the battles against the resistance, every step of his plan, up to the very end, serves only to buy time and keep people from interfering with him until the Loki’s are ready to go, and when the fighting starts to become impractical he instead uses diplomacy as a smoke-screen. They do diverge in their end-goals, however. Charles viewed all of the death and destruction caused by his war as a necessary sacrifice. Once the Ragnarok Connection was achieved all the minds of the dead would return from C’s World and rejoin the living, so what did it matter how many people had to die when he could just bring them back into a perfect paradise? Norland doesn’t care how many of his subordinates die in the process of his war because, like Charles, the actual war is only a smoke-screen, though in this case, the mass death is the point. Charles sought to create a world without death, Norland wanted to create a world of only death.

Ash isn’t the only one who seems to draw out some emotion from Norland. The other one is Sakuya, who is herself also family to him, in a way.

The first example of this is when he speaks to Sakuya while she’s tied up in Scissorman’s lab, and the first thing he does is comment on her “uncanny resemblance” (presumably to Lelouch, but maybe he’s talking about Sherry here or something?). Again, this is one of the few instances where Norland’s dialogue is not purely functional. He gains nothing from pointing this out, he has no reason to say this to her, he doesn’t bring it up again in the conversation, it doesn’t even make much sense for him in the context of his cover story. So Sakuya looks like her uncle, so what? No one else ever brings this up in-universe, it’s not really important. But it’s important to Norland.

Then there’s his desire for Geass. Why did he want it? Did he just think that Geass would be a useful tool in his plans? No, if that were the case he could’ve just left it to Scissorman, had him ask about that during his experiments, he was already interrogating her anyway, but Norland finds this important enough to personally intervene and ask her about it himself. Even the way Scissorman frames this is odd: “But I have a promise to keep before that.” A promise? Norland is his boss, he could’ve just said this was an order, but he specifically calls it a promise. Why was this so important to Norland? Simple, it’s because he wants to be like Charles. Charles had a Geass, so Norland wishes to have one as well. Even when his original purpose of serving as a vessel for Charles is completely impossible, Norland still wants to be as close to Charles as he possibly can. He doesn’t see himself as his own person, he sees himself as a tool (again with the parallels to Ash) with the purpose of being Charles’s body, and wants to fulfill that purpose, or failing that, kill everyone. Perhaps this even influenced his decision to adopt Ash and Nichol. Charles was a father, so Norland wishes to be one as well.

The next time they speak is when he’s about to enter the Foulbout, when the big reveal is dropped. Once again, Norland breaks his taciturn streak. In fact, this is the most we ever see him talk to anyone. When he remembers that Sakuya is part of Charles’s family, he even takes off his mask to show her his face, and explains his background to her. Even with the oh-so-often mocked scene of Sakuya guessing his motivations and him telling her she’s wrong. He didn’t have to correct her, he could have just stayed quiet while she guessed at his motivations and not said anything, but he actually answers her questions, and even turns around to smile at her when she guesses the right answer. What purpose did this serve? He had nothing to gain from it, it contributed nothing to his plan.

Norland wanted to be acknowledged by a member of Charles’s family, a member of his family. In many ways, you could say that Norland is more like Sakuya’s uncle than he is her grandfather. He wanted someone to see that he was similar to Charles and recognize him, validating him in his desire to be Charles’s vessel. For all his disdain towards humans, he wants someone to know why he’s doing all this, in what he probably believes will be the last time he ever speaks to another person, he feels the need to explain himself. And he chooses to reveal this to Sakuya, Charles’s granddaughter.

He talks about how he’s not human, but this has nothing to do with the circumstances of his birth, it’s just his way of rationalizing what was done to him, and he lashes out at the rest of the world in anger, even if he tries to dress it up in a grandiose philosophical way. He believes he’s a tool with only two purposes: to serve as Charles’s spare body, and to kill. The first purpose is now impossible, so he’s decided to dedicate himself fully to the second.

[blubushie]

how do you deal with going nonverbal?

I'm not nonverbal, just semi-verbal. There's times I lose my ability to talk completely, but at the end of the day I still have the ability to talk just fine when I'm not having a Moment, so I don't use the term "nonverbal" or "nonspeaking" since (from what I've seen) that's usually reserved for people who don't have the ability to talk at all ever.

When I have a Moment my speech gets a little fucked up and I speak in short and simple sentences since it's hard to articulate my thoughts but I can still talk, and it's not distressing to do so. I'll talk until I'm either fully verbal and articulate again (this might take an hour or so, depending on whether or not it was caused by something or if it was just random), or until I'm too exhausted and just don't feel like speaking anymore (this is rarer than the former).

Intense situations (whether it be emotional or physical) fuck up my ability to talk, but sometimes it also just comes on randomly. It also happens when I get physically excited--whether it's arousal or just adrenaline doesn't make a difference. I lose my ability to talk coherently during a root and I lose my ability to talk coherently while wrestling a crocodile or handling venomous snakes.

I also lose my ability to talk the more tired I get. If you're in the Discord you might've noticed me speaking in shorter and shorter sentences the later into the night it gets, or me mentioning that I wake up early but don't really come online until about an hour after I wake up. That's because I can't articulate my thoughts until I'm really awake. Need my morning coffee first!

To get an idea of what it sounds like, here's some idea of how I sound when I'm having a Moment (taken from messages I exchanged with a mate while I was half-asleep):

Yeah. Distressing. Varies from people to people. To bushie. ... Bogans yes. Many. Logan worst. Bushmen no ... Logan. Brisbane suburb. Crime big. Heaps bogans. All cunts ... World was worse place two hundred years ago. So many good things. Civil rights. Medicine. More peace. Better than it was. Less suffering. If bushmen going extinct is product. So be it. Not only person in world ... Have had time. No point sulking. Helps no one ... It happens. C'est la vie. Or something. Don't speak French

As you can see I can still talk, my sentences are just short and simple. Filtered. I give very blunt answers. Lots of yesses, lots of no's. If I'm giving a single "Yes" or "No" as an answer ("Yes.") then that's your warning that I'm having probably having a Moment. That doesn't mean not to talk to me! I'm fine to talk when I'm like this! My sentence structure is just weird because it's difficult to articulate my thoughts. That's not the same as not wanting to talk. If I didn't want to talk I just wouldn't be talking.

It's less embarrassing online since people I interact with know it's a thing (or at least are aware that Something's Up when I get like this) but it's more embarrassing in person and especially if I'm being intimate with someone since I can't talk well enough to explain why I'm suddenly unable to talk, so I usually give them a warning beforehand. "My head gets cloudy sometimes when I do this. Sometimes I can't talk. I promise I'm fine. If I want to stop I'll pinch you." That usually works, but there's been I reckon two times where someone didn't want to continue after that because they were worried about me having a Moment and not being able to tell them to stop if I needed to. That sucks, but I understand it. I wouldn't want it on my conscience neither.

Mostly "dealing with it" is just calming down (if I'm worked up) and waiting for it to pass or, if it's because I'm tired, going to sleep or (fully waking up if I just woke up). Like I said, it's not distressing at all! Just a mite annoying at most!

[girlfriendsofthegalaxy]

tuesday again 1/31/23

month started on a sunday, ended on a tuesday, very satisfying

listening

Toxic Las Vegas (Jamieson Shaw Remix). this has been on my "silly little walk for my silly little mental health" playlist for three weeks so it's time for its place in the tuesdaypost. part of the appeal is that it's two songs i already like but this remix does something where i go "whoa is that the james bond chord" every time even though it is NOT.

-

reading

Bullet Train, a black humor thriller set on a train full of asssassins by Kōtarō Isaka. i have been having... mmmmmmmm. a time. let us say. and i have been clinging to things that i have lost my mind about (mostly cowboys) in order to get through the agonies. so it is weird, now that i am branching out a bit more bc things are on a slightly different tack, to be like "yeah i liked this a normal amount and i agree with the 3.8 goodreads average. i will not remember this in three months." npr said basically: fun little genre piece with no real depth! i don't completely agree with this, bc the book is not action-scene focused! the very few fights are short, blunt, quick affairs. there's a lot of focus on personal ethics and legacies, and a great deal of terror derived from random chance. but yeah it's not really a literary novel.

this was a fast, fun read. a rare example where i liked the adaptation (the recent movie which is a VERY loose adaptation) much more than the original work.

i try not to be picky about sentence structure or work choice in a translated work, bc translation is a tricky business at best, but there were some funky choices here and there that did throw me out of my groove. it's written in present tense, which is fine, but i cannot remember the last time i read a professionally published non-romance book written in present tense. i described the movies as "really wants you to know it took AP English", and the book is similar in an interesting way-- book!tangerine is constantly quoting English literary-canon novels.

the book (and movie) have a very dry sense of humor that clicked with me. "it's not clear why the man is naming fruits". at LEAST two sensible chuckles.

the biggest book/movie divergence is with the character of the Prince: a fourteen-year-old serial killer, who we spend a great deal of the book with, who asks nearly every grownup on this train "why is it bad to kill people?". a rare book in which i actively wanted a child to die. i think this character is much improved in the movie, since the character is both aged up (a young teen boy in the book, an older teen girl in the movie), and given clearer ties to the rest of the cast. however, this adaptational choice does lose almost all of the terror of the random chance the book makes you sit with. in the movie, the prince has a motive. in the book, that kid just ain't right.

had a fun time but not enough of a fun time that i will be seeking out the other novels in the series on purpose. perhaps if i come across physical copies cheap it will ping my memory and i'll grab them, which is how i acquire a lot of my physical books. this feels like im damning with faint phrase, but i did have a fun time reading this! it's just that my brain is a sieve and lately anything that doesn't completely possess me is immediately forgotten.

-

watching

fallow week bc i have been #gaming. i need to literally put on my to-do list "rewatch The Big Sleep for febslash feb research" maybe that'll get me to actually do it. im going to take this opportunity to complain about how much fucking work it is to write smut. not even the technical stuff bc i do like to write smut that's threesomes where everyone is the same gender and has the same color hair. the hard part is going "okay what's sexy" and then like storyboarding out the sequence of events to make sure everyone's having fun and it CONSISTENTLY stays sexy the whole time. i have never had irl sex with a narrative throughline. difficult difficult lemon difficult

-

playing

still running around in wolfenstein: the new order making this big beefy boy do jumps and slides. went to the moon. came back from the moon. hit a very fun bug as i try to fight my way out of the london nautica where i crash landed, bc i died, the level spat me out at the last checkpoint, and there were no health or ammo or armor pickups anywhere. just what i could scavenge off the fallen. very unpleasant to fight through a room with 20 health but i did do one whole room before realizing this was a bug. i would not like to play the entire game like this. very stressful. the big boss at the end of the level was also extremely stressful.

but let's talk about the moon, the moon in the fucking sky. how was the moon? was the moon fun? no it was full of nazis. it was also jammed full of sixties computer banks tho. many instruments and dials as well.

as i write this on sunday night i am going to attempt Again to finish the second to last chapter in this game. i am So Close to finishing this game in under 20 hours [ed note, monday night: lmao still have not finished this game]. look at some more computer banks there aren't enough pictures to break up this post.

not sure if this is a side effect of the next-location action movie disease, but wolfenstein is very interested in how areas link together. lots of temporary facilities that have grown ad-hoc roots, lots of trains planes and automobiles. we drive a lot of trucks. we’re in helicopters and subs and moon rockets. we blow up a bridge and scramble through several trains, blowing one of them up. we fuck on a train also can't forget that cutscene. we live in the sewers. we scuttle around in vents. we are in some very far-flung locations but they all look the fucking same bc they are encased in brutalist concrete. i'm sure this is bc it's fun to have a gun battle on a train and on the fucking moon and bc like u only have so many guys actually modelling things for your levels.

this is a very half-baked observation bc i think i am beginning to get a migraine (as i finish writng this on monday night) but let's get this out of the way first: all buildings are political. something something things invented and built for war never actually go away, something something transportation infrastructure to ease conquest continues to keep the colonies within easy reach of the imperial core, wartime infrastructure like highways and bridges as a tool of empire, fascism is a constant state of war which in this game is partly represented by constant shooting and also constant building. something something the unsustainability of not only constant building things but constant growth. something something long linked history of fascist architects who love brutalism. this video game has great visual design and visual shorthands is what im trying to get at. i think.

the london nautica museum/labs/spaceport is a big gun. this is not a subtle game.

-

making

here's a peek behind the curtain: i talk about cooking when i don't have anything else to report on. but i genuinely did not have anything else going on this weekend bc this took all my fucking literal and metaphorical spoons. this represents like three weeks worth of soup lunch (the red lentil previously discussed on this series) plus two quiches.

why so many quiches lately? i bought two dozen eggs before christmas and thought i would do more baking than i did, which was zero. tried this dal palak recipe, majorly fucked up the proportions of the spinach bc i cannot read the back of a package, and by the time i corrected my mistake i had a fuck of a lot of the spinach/onion/spices. unfortunately i fucking hate the texture of rice plus lentils plus this mixture all together, but felt bad about wasting so much food, so the lentils went into the soup (which i needed to make more of anyway) the spinach mixture went into some quiche (bc i needed to use up those eggs anyway) and uhhh idk what will happen with the rice yet. maybe fried rice to finish off the last three eggs in the carton. this entire debacle used all my spoons for the weekend.

there's also a pork shoulder defrosting (and after that marinating[from last summer's Father's Day Meat Sale i also wish i was making this up]) but that's not very photogenic. i desperately need freezer space and it's been a fucking minute since i had some meat.

[tubbypeddle]

It's me! Thanks again for accepting my request, this is really nice.

Personality traits: people told me I’m creative, curious, argumentative because I can be persuasive and always want to have reason. I also tend to do the opposite of what I’m told, speak my mind whoever is facing me (can be a friend, family member, authority person, etc.). I can be blunt with absolutely no filter, which means I can be very familiar with people I’ve just met. I’m very good at understanding the big picture or a concept and explaining it with better words than a professional. I’m this person who finishes the sentence before the speaker. I love joking around, laughing out loud and having fun everywhere with friends, even in the most inappropriate moments. I can't help but talk loudly or laugh in church, for example. I’m independent and don’t like clingy people. One of my favorite things on earth is to tease people and make them completely mad just for fun and test their limits. I ask questions I know are tricky just to see how the person reacts. The pleasure of throwing a stone into the pond. Finally, some loved-ones said I struggle to empathize with others, or even act like a regular human.

Likes: the sun, spring and summer. Gardening. Cooking. Cats. I love dogs, mostly the big ones. I like learning new things, having a lot of knowledge. I enjoy eating, it is my reason to live. Traveling as well! Having fun, reliable and imaginative people. I love absurd humor. Old cars, old rock and old movies. To meet new, smart and interesting people who know things I don’t and can teach me.

Dislikes: slow people and those who arrive late. The rain. Too loud noises. When things don’t work as they should. Disorganisation and inefficient people. My anger issues. Dirty or messy places. People who don’t know what they are talking about but talk anyway. Vulgar and uneducated people. Coward, too naive, timid and weak people. Being interrupted.

Hobbies: writing, cinema, gardening, hiking, traveling, eating, laughing, discovering.

Miscellaneous: excellent memory (names, dates, details, sensations). Good intuition that allows me to understand things and keep the conversation going whatever the subject. Practical over the aesthetic. French grammar and spelling mistakes trigger me. 

Appearance: east asian, short black hair with a two block haircut. I wear shorts or cargo pants with t-shirts (often black, gray or white) and white sneakers. The simpler the better.

Hi hi!! sorry for the wait, things are a little busy here.

(author's notes: credits to gif owners, of course <33 this was so fun! my first genshin matchup!! )

I've thought long and hard over who would be perfect for you! And miss matchmaker is here!

Fontaine is a beautiful place in the summer. Perfectly breezy, and perfectly sunny. Everyone's a busybody, so social and they love to meet new people! Perfect for your pretty extroverted interests!

And, why, who else do you run into here, none other than

Ajax "Tartaglia" "Childe" himself!

You know what draws him in about you first?

Your argumentative personality. He loves a good fight, and that includes witty arguments. Ajax also appreciates, and even adores, your unashamed loudness.

He loves a partner who is unafraid to be anything but themselves. If there is anything he hates, it is people who are weak. And to so openly be yourself, without fear of judgement, it's such a turn on for him.

AND!! being by his side requires a lot of traveling! Which is a plus for you! His job requires him to be able to travel to any nation, but while he's working, he encourages you to go out and explore! Go shopping if you want! He'll pay, of course. He wants you to have fun, not to worry. He doesn't need you worrying about your bank account when he has more than enough money to spend on both you and himself.

Besides, his love language is gift giving.

He absolutely adores your teasing. He meets your teasing easily with some of his own. It's fun, and it makes him laugh. The banter flows easily between you two, honestly. It's almost sickening how easy you two argue with each other.

Like an old married couple, Zhongli says.

Out of everyone who'd understand your problem of empathizing with other people, it'd be Ajax.

After falling into the Abyss as a child, he's had issues with feeling anything. It was the whole reason he'd been forced to join the Fatui in the first place, to have a place to take out his unusual aggression. Honestly, it was a miracle that he ended up falling for you in the first place.

He doesn't...remember quite how to properly love someone. He knows the concepts, and he knows how to go through the motions. But you're the first person outside of his family that he's had any feelings for.

He doesn't want to...mess it up. And lose you.

That being said, there's never a dull moment with him. He loves making you laugh. He thinks you sound beautiful when you do.

His favorite activity to do with you is tease other people. He's pretty much immune to your teasing, because he meets you head to head with his own little jabs. So teasing other people is the way to go with you two.

You two little pranksters, you.

Your great memory also might be very useful. It's not that Ajax is forgetful, but he's usually in a rush. So he may accidentally forget to grab some things on his way out the door. It helps if you're there to toss it to him as he's getting ready to leave.

He's a big, big family guy, too, so if you don't want kids, it might not work out for you two. Despite how Ajax seems, he only dates to marry and settle down in the future. He loves his family, and he wants to make one of his own like that someday. When it's safer.

At the minimum, he wants five kids. Five!

He wants to be a father, and he wants to be your husband. He knew this on your first date with him. It's only a matter of if you'll let him.

And he'll introduce you to his own family eventually, when you're comfortable with it. His younger siblings would absolutely adore you, because you remind them so much of Ajax. His older siblings would find it so amusing how alike the two of you are.

His parents absolutely love you, too. His mother absolutely tries fattening you up, trying to put you in warm clothes, because Snezhnaya is cold, don't you know? His father sees a strength in you that he sees in his son. A quiet kind of strength, hidden under layers of bluntness and jokes.

And! You and mama Ajax love cooking! Mamushka Ajax teaches you Snezhnayan dishes, and she loves to learn about your favorite dishes to make! You two trade recipes often, and sometimes Ajax whines that you like his mother more than you like him.

Like I said before, there's really never a dull moment between you two. Ajax leads a busy life, and it seems like you like to, as well. Quiet is few and rare between you two.

But when there is, it's usually because both of you are sleepy or exhausted.

Honorary mentions! Cyno He loves telling jokes, since everyone seems to be so afraid of him. And he loves that you love to laugh. He's also very neat, if he does say so himself. But his schedule...he feels he may neglect you with how often he has to work. He does not want you to go through with a neglectful partner.

WAAAA this was so fun!! again, sorry for the wait ☹ fourth of July preps and all that y'know? and I have....a huge family.

i hope you enjoyed!

[cryptidcalling]

AU Vesper and the Prisma Force 5 (Just a short post explaining a brief synopsis and the rest of the crew)

This AU takes place like, 50+ years in the past. Vesper's backstory is mostly the same, but unlike canon, he's not a general. He's a high-ranking officer stuck in a rut but still dedicated to his job. One particular group of criminals, Prisma Force 4, has been a thorn in Vesper's side for years. They're Robinhood types, or so they claim. Vesper thinks that they pocket most of the goods for themselves. He and their captain are stuck in a long-running game of cat and mouse. Eventually Vesper "wins" and the captain is arrested, only for his punishment to be a life sentence in one of the most brutal intergalactic prisons ever created. His crimes shouldn't qualify him for such a cruel punishment, but through a technicality/loophole the courts are exploiting it ends up going through. Vesper realizes that he can't let that happen, and he feels betrayed by the Empire. He breaks the captain out of jail, drama ensues, and eventually Vesper is convinced to join the Prisma Force 4 (5). The rest of the AU is just Vesper settling into the crew and learning how to be loved, and how to atone for the wrong he's done. Very nice stuff. The crew is the Prisma Force bc they all have a signature color! With Vesper joining with purple/violet. Here's the rest: Captain Enzo Ithas (Red): Crew captain! He's a high-energy cocky kind of guy, and the most willing to get himself into trouble just for the fun of getting out of it. Despite that, he won't do anything that puts the whole crew in danger. He's pretty charismatic, though also the kind of guy a lot of people wanna punch in the face. Always tries to keep things lighthearted with jokes and teasing, and sometimes will accidentally hurt other people's feelings because he didn't read the room. He always makes the effort to apologize and patch things up though! Dr. Thaddius Wynter (Yellow): The ship's medical doctor! They're rather large at 6 ft 6, but they're incredibly gentle! Despite Enzo being the captain, they're the one who actually keeps things in order most of the time. They're calm, level-headed, patient, and very emotionally intelligent. They're not naturally playful, but will happily humor the other crewmates just to see them smile. They're basically the team parent. Despite their gentle nature, they can also lay down the law when needed, keeping things organized and orderly and ensuring that everyone is safe. Mimzy Puckett (Green): She's the team's botanist and chef! She's a super bubbly lady, very high energy and always excited to meet new people and try new things. Some of her dishes can be a little... unique, and even she admits that sometimes she goes off the rails because she just gets too excited. She's the one always getting everyone to do game nights or stop at nearby planets just to talk to the people and see the sights. It takes her the longest to warm up to Vesper. She's very suspicious of Vesper's "sudden change of heart," and for a while thinks that he's only joining their crew so that he can sell them all out as a group. Eventually though she comes to understand how much Vesper cares about being a part of the team, and she's determined for them to be best friends after that. LI-10 (Blue): LI-10, pronounced "Lilo" or "Li-Ten," is the crew's android and communications officer! He too is calm and level-headed, though in a more logical and straightforward way than Dr Wynter. He actually does feel emotions, though because they're programmed scripts that require definitions he feels them differently from organic lifeforms. This allows him to communicate very clearly without it seeming like he's dismissing someone's feelings. He's blunt without being cold. He also is a bit of a photographer! Organic beings aren't able to catalog data the way he is, so he likes being able to capture moments that he can always share with them. It also makes him the resident bookkeeper and storyteller. The crew likes to gather around his photo albums and hear him recall their adventures.

[obsidiancreates]

Finding a character's voice is more than finding out if they're Sassy, Shy, Blunt, Bold, Etc. You have to figure out their speech patterns.

If they use the word Fuck, how are they going to use it? Where does it go in a sentence? Do you hear them saying "With fucking- MY MONEY!" or saying "With my FUCKING MONEY!"

Where do they Emphasize most often? "Do they have a lilting speech and emphasize most in the middle of casual sentences?" "Or do they have a more straightforward tone until they reach the end?"

How does you character react with joy in a verbal sense? Do they not do it at all and just smile or stim silently? Do they squeal? Do they laugh uncontrollably? Do they let our a scream?

How does your character speak while sad or burdened with heavy news? "Is it a somber... hesitant, tone?" "Or is it short. Chopped. Getting it over with." "Maybe they-they're crying and-and sniffling and stutter-stutrering and can't even fin-finish the sen- oh, god!"

"Well, how do they often start sentences? Getting to the point? A nice short atrwntion-grabbing word?" "Unless they maybe kinda clumsily wade into their thought like a kid getting into cold water and really they're just rambling because they're distracted or energetic or trying to avoid the topic at hand or-" "Could also speak mostly while tacking something on to what someone else said, huh?"

I need everyone’s best character advice. STAT.

[puzzlingxisxlove]

Hi, guys, welcome to my Yu-Gi-Oh OC rp sideblog. :) You can refer to me as Bast/Bastet, Ghost, or Envy! I'll be your host through this wild ride. Also, all likes/follows will come from my main blog.

All rules and character information will be under the "read more" tab. :)

I hope you all have fun with this.

Rules!!! First and foremost, the most important information for all people wanting to interact.

All messages and posts in this blog will be completely in character, unless DMs are questions or posts are about updates. In which case, things will be tagged with OOC at the beginning of the post.

Nsfw is. Just please no. Not on Tumblr. Discord, maybe, but I have to get to know the character and Player first. Steamy romance, jokes, and things of that sort are fine, but no outright sexual content.

All images of my OC, Reza Ketto, will be either things I have commissioned or things I made in avatar makers. I can't draw, guys, cut me a little slack, please.

Please send me things with at least decent grammar and punctuation and spelling. I understand typos, but I need to actually be able to read the stuff.

Also! Please send at least 3-5 sentences for RP. I can't do oneliners or responses that are too short, I won't know how to respond.

Angst is like. My favorite genre ever. So there will likely be quite a bit of that mixed in with silly posts. You have been warned.

All ships must first also present possible chemistry before it is made official. This includes people with canon muses.

More rules will be added as needed. Be sure to check back often.

---

Cool, character info now!

Name: Reza Ai Ketto

Age: 16 (main canon of YGO DM), 18 (postcanon)

Sexuality: Bisexual Polyamourous

Gender: Demiboy

Pronouns: He/They

Occupation: Daycare attendant and College student (postcanon)

Physical description: Reza stands at 5'9 and has a fairly lean and fit body with black hair that reaches just past his shoulders and electric blue eyes. He typically wears clothes that fall under an androgynous punk/alt style, including leather harnesses, plenty of belts, collars and chokers, several wristbands and rubber bracelets, spikes, chains, etc. He also wears makeup fairly often, mostly a lot of eyeliner and exaggerated lips. He likes to stand out.

Personality description: He's a pretty laid back guy, and they love kids. As the eldest of 6, they grew up taking care of kids, and so that carries over often. They may seem like they're talking down to people, but they may actually just be trying to deescalate or teach something to someone. He's very kind, but he's also very blunt at times. He doesn't hold his thoughts about things to himself, and if he doesn't like you, you'll know. They try to help everyone, regardless of how they feel about you, too, and this often leads to them burning themselves out. They're also a very fast learner, though they tend to put things off until the last minute.

Background: As a child, Reza was a very gifted child. He was consistently ahead of his peers. However, he was not very active, other than playing games with their younger siblings as they came along. This led to a lot of bullying as a child, and not just from his peers. His siblings were harsh, as siblings are, and his parents did little to stop this. This led to his developing a few different mental illnesses he still struggles with. Despite knowing that the things he's struggling with aren't good for him, he refuses to seek therapy. He went to public school for the majority of his life in a small town near the coasts of Japan, but he eventually moved to Domino for college and better work opportunities. He now studies behavioral sciences and game design, and aspires to be a child psychologist and create games to promote good mental health and habits to build for a healthy lifestyle. He still keeps contact with his family often, despite the verbal abuse from his siblings and lackluster parenting.

• Reza suffers with depression, EDNOS, R-OCD, BPD, and chronic migraines. These things will likely appear in roleplay. This is your warning.

• All posts with content warnings will be tagged appropriately. Feel free to block these tags.

• I am not attempting to glorify or romanticize any of these disorders or illnesses. These come from a place of experience and are simply aspects of the character that are crucial to who they are as a person. If you are struggling, please reach out to a professional who can help you.

•All rps will either take place during Reza's highschool years or during his college. College is postcanon, highschool is during the canon events of DM and S0. He doesn't know about the canon events other than the tournaments that Yugi and Yami participated in that were broadcast on TV. He does not know how to play Duel Monsters, however it is something he has enjoyed watching since his highschool years. He has collected cards, but he does not actually know anything about building a deck. Duels iirp are not available for this reason (and because I don't feel like using online dueling platforms, I prefer physical cards-/lh).