#my favourite one has got to be the one from the middle of pic 2 with ryuu leaning his cheek on it

[marciaillust]

collage of my favourite hands from the 180p asry dj I made

[makelemonade]

BEST FRIENDS TO FUCK FRIENDS - GENSHIN MEN

Warnings; NSFW, (18+), Female Reader, implied to have a big chest (not crazy big like be realistic) and a GYATT (sorry), p in v sex, seductiveness, implied squiring, a little sprinkle of degradation (use of the word “slut”), Semi-Public, unwanted pics (He wanted them), mentions of jerking off/masturbation, sinful thoughts of your best friend, raw sex, idk tell me if I missed anything, HORRIBLY WRITTEN SMUT. ITS SO BAD.

Notes; I was supposed to write this for Thoma originally so if this name is somewhere in here…ignore it. If you like this, support me on kofi! Link in masterlist!

You’ve been his best friend since secondary school, and you couldn’t deny the feelings you had for him within high school.

You always denied it though, because you just couldn’t ruin the friendship. But, now you’re both in university, stuff changes and you definitely grew some stuff..

Your feelings for him turn into sexual desires when you realize it’s been a long time since you’ve done anything. You’ve been so occupied with university that you couldn’t even spend some time on yourself…

What sets everything off is when he invites you to his house in the spring to swim. Seeing those abs and the water dripping off his chest…holy shit. Is it bad you wanted to lick all that water off or?

You bring up the topic of friends with benefits, but not between you two (yet), just what he thinks of it.

When he isn’t opposed to one with a friend, that’s what changes your mindset completely. You knew he wasn’t the best at making those type of moves, but with your assets…

It starts a week later when you ask to sleepover at his house after a party. He agrees.

This is gonna sound crazy, but you purposely puked over yourself by drinking too much so he could give you his shirt. You decided, that not wearing any shorts was now your way of sleeping!

So, here you were in his room, in his shirt, black underwear that was hardly covered, and a bed for the both of you to share.

He gulped, lingering for a while but said nothing and just got into bed. He was gonna think about your ass for a while.

You got in beside him, and maybe an hour later if he’s asleep and you’re not, you’ll secretly inch yourself closer to him, so when he wakes up and finds your hardly covered ass rubbing against him, he’ll have to go to the bathroom.

What sets him off completely is in the morning when you stretch, your arms going up and exposing your bare legs and stomach. He couldn’t stop staring.

The next step isn’t too far away; Maybe 2 weeks later. He invited you to come for a swim again, and this one was a hard decision between a bikini or a horribly fabricated shirt that exposed everything.

You decided to go for a bikini that didn’t have the best fabric, so when it got wet…

“A bikini?” He spoke. “What happened to your shorts and shirts?” You usually never went with bikinis, if it wasn’t obvious already.

You shrugged. “Change of habit.”

The cold water made your nipples pop, going through the fabric completely. Did I mention the bikini was also white?

This, is what gets him thinking about you a lot from now on.

Later in the week you’re FaceTiming him, and he noticed the change in clothes. You’re wearing a dress from HIGH SCHOOL. It was so small that the side of your breasts were out.

He had no shame in hiding the fact he was staring at them the entire FaceTime.

In the middle of taking, you pretended to drop your phone by your leg, but he didn’t expect that when you’d pick it up, he’d catch a glimpse of his favourite colour as your tight panties before you quickly moved the phone back up.

He has to hang up 5 minutes later.

Now, your next idea is gonna sound absolutely horrible.

You took pictures of yourself, none of you naked but had a sexy lingerie set in his favourite colour and sent them to him on Messages

And 2 seconds later you’re spamming him on Snapchat,

DON’T OPEN MY IMESSAGE

IGNORE IT

I DIDN’T MEAN TO SEND IT TO YOU.

Now, he’s curious, so of course he tells you he won’t look and says he’ll delete the chat.

But really he’ll save them to his phone and definitely jerk off to them.

Now, the next step is the final step, and takes the most courage.

You invite him out to the club, wearing a sexy right black dress that showed your curves perfectly.

Since this was gonna take up a lot of courage, you took maximum 2 shots to get your mindset a little changed for this.

He takes the same amount you do, and you’ve both been to multiple parties where you’ve gotten blackout drunk; 2 shots would make sure you’d remember everything.

When the both of you make your way to the dance floor, you’re shaking, but you keep telling yourself you can do this.

The next song plays and you’re both dancing together,

And the next thing he knew, you’ve turned around and you’re grinding your ass right on his pelvis. He freezes for a bit, and you’re scared; Have you gone too far?

But suddenly, his hands are on your hips and he’s moving the two of you to the rhythm, keeping your ass pressed against him.

You dance like this for another minute or 2 and then he moves his arms up around your waist, pulling your back against his chest as he starts to kiss your neck, sucking on it.

You let out moans, wishing he could hear them.

One hand makes its way up to grope your tit, he could already feel your nipple with how tight your dress was. “No bra?” He spoke into your ear so seductively, making you whimper.

He then grab your arms, dragging you to the washroom.

~~~

The small washroom mirror is steamed as your pressed against it, sat atop the sink, the both of you sloppily making out as his dick pushed in and out of of your cunt, your fluids dripping all over your thighs.

“Fucking slut,” He grunted, throwing his head back at the pure bliss. “You knew what you’ve been doing, haven’t you? All those, fuck, pictures? The bikini?”

You just grinned, tongue lolling out as your eyes rolled back into your head. “Nghh- fuck!”

He slapped the side of your ass, “Tell me how much of a slut you are, since you wanna be treated like one”

“Mmm- FUCK! I’m a slut, I’m your fucking slut, nghh~!”

“Good girl,” He panted, fucking into you harder. “I dreamed of this.” He groaned, laughing. “Fucking this tight pussy. It-fuck! Belongs to me now.”

Somehow, his thrusts became even harder, making you scream as you clawed at this back, wrapping your legs tighter around his waist. “Don’t stop!”

“Scream louder, maybe you’ll beat the music,” He snorted, and you wanted to slap the grin off his face, but you’re met with pure bliss as you meet your high.

“I’m cumming!Imcummingimcumming!”

You screamed as your fluids gushed all over his pelvis and he kept fucking into you. Maybe you beat the music.

It didn’t take long until he came into you. Ropes of his warm seed plastering your insides. He panted, resting his head on your shoulder.

You both stayed like that for a few minutes, the both of you too overstimulated to move.

At some point he pulled out, making you whine. His cum was starting to spill out and he shook his head, shoving 2 fingers in.

“Let’s go back to my place, I’m not done with you yet.”

-THOMA, ITTO, ALHAITHAM, KAVEH, AYATO, Tighnari, Albedo, CYNO, CHILDE, Pantalone, DILUC, Kaeya, ZHONGLI, Xiao, NEUVILLETTE, Wriothesly

[findafight]

Okay I kept thinking about this post and Steve being a BNF of Corroded Coffin message board of the internet of yore.

Alright so way back in the nineties Suzie hooks everyone up with the internet, yes? Yes. Eddie and Steve got together in '92 after some mutual pining and a few disastrous relationships that couldn't handle 1) Steve and Robin's general QPR clinginess 2) Eddie's intensity 3) the secrecy required if having multiple years of monster fighting and subsequent NDAs and the trauma associated therein. They're older and more settled and ready for an Adult Relationship.

Corroded Coffin is gaining traction and doing really well and the internet is still a brave new frontier, so Steve says to Eddie something like "I'm going to see if there's some message boards about you 🥰" and find them he sure does. So he makes accounts and posts under the username EddiesOnlyGroupie because he's hilarious and also the mods banned him from using EddieMunsonsHusband (he figured it was fine on the internet because nobody actually knew who he was but APPARENTLY NOT homophobia lives on in the digital age). He gets pretty well known in the Corroded Coffin fandom, most assuming he's a woman because he will go off on how hot Eddie looked at a gig. Like. Saying unhinged internet shit because 1) true and 2) he and Eddie think it's so funny. Everyone kinda believes the groupie thing too because of all the performance pics he's able to post and how he'll sometimes offer tidbits if knowledge about the band.

When they transition from chatrooms to livejournal etc he follows, with the same username. He's kind of a legend by the mid aughts. EOG is the acronym people use when discussing theories on his identity, and he's like "guys I'm literally his only groupie it's self explanatory. Guys why don't you believe me Eddie hasn't slept with anyone but me since 1992. We're basically married". He goes "it's not a mystery we literally are in love and Jeff and I go to Cubs games and cry when they inevitably lose together. Gareth is Godfather to my cats" (Eddie is still offended that he was not named Sassafras and Moonshine's godfather when Steve and Robin adopted them in '89). No one believes him.

Possibly because he still thirsts after Eddie and whenever someone posts a new Eddie pic those in the know wait for him to pop up with comments like "I want to bite his neck omg" "he has no ass but nobody is perfect I'll settle between his thighs anyway" and "literally a crime I am not married to him right now what the fuck" As twitter grows he swoops in to grab his handle, and follows a bunch of other CC fan accounts (some of them old friends, some of them new to the scene)(EOG 100% has his own fanlore page, which also has speculation on who he is and how he gets all the bts pics. It also doesn't believe when he says what it says on the tin. He's Eddie's only groupie.)

tumblr and tiktok come round and Steve is like. Openly horny on main. He's seen some shit go down on the internet but he's still commenting on Eddie fan edits that are title shit like "why am I attracted to this middle-aged white man" and "retro cc fancam" with things like "I'd let him lick the inside of my ear and only bring it up to tease him on special occasions" "his FINGERS" "back in '89 Jeff and Howie and Claire staged a mutany over this song because they were 'sick of Eddie only writing about biting bats' lmao" and "Jeff is my favourite member of cc"(just to stir the pot)

Eddie comes out in the 2010's and he's like "yeah I've been in a long term relationship with someone who is usually mostly a man kinda (gender is fucky) for the past twenty years, lol. His name's Steve. I love him a lot even if he mocks me online." and of course EOG comments "the mods of that old message board should have let me keep my original handle of EddieMunsonsHusband. When're you gonna make it reality, Munson? smh" and everyone is like Huh?? EOG is a MAN? And he's like yeah? Sometimes?? Not always?

(He 100% thinks this is him telling people he's Eddie's Steve. They don't get the message)

Anyways life goes on Steve continues to thirst under pictures of Eddie, he has his pronouns and name in his bio on twitter (Steve, he/him, she/her, Eddie Munson's first and only groupie 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ ) and continues to post behind the scenes photos that shockingly few people question (she always says "because I'm his groupie" though. He and Eddie think this is VERY funny and also true. Robin groans. They've been making the same joke for two decades.) and people believe it because Eddie has interacted EOG sometimes, liking photos or videos, commenting sometimes. (Steve has a more professional realname account that he rarely uses but Eddie usually tags Steve there)

And THEN Internet user EddiesOnlyGroupie says he's taking a few weeks off for her honeymoon because "I'm finally marrying the man of my dreams!" And people are happy for him but also bummed because Eddie is also taking a two week hiatus but EOG promises wedding and honeymoon photos. (Face reveal! Sorta!)((he doesn't get why people are excited because he's pretty sure he's been in a lot of Eddie's recent pictures, but whatever)

Imagine the Internet's surprise when Eddie Munson posts a collection of pictures spanning '86 to his 2016 wedding of him and Steve, including one of Steve looking seriously at an old desktop computer, captioned "Steve starting his internet career" and tags EOG.

Steve qrt with "I told yall. I'm his only groupie, and they should've let me keep EddieMunsonsHusband even if they WERE homophobic. Because now it's TRUE"

Niche internet community drama chaos ensues.

[ask-a-w]

Watched Part 7 of Nick Apostolides’ RE4R playthrough, this is the last one. Again, penning down stuff that caught my attention.

Parts 1 & 2

Parts 3 & 4

Parts 5 & 6

Guests: Genevieve (Ashley’s VA) & Craig (Wesker’s VA)

Part 7:

- When asked what each character would dress up as for Halloween, Craig responded Wesker would go as himself and Ashley will go as a mouse. (Nick was too busy killing the island goons to answer)

- During the pandemic, Craig tripped on the floor and created a giant hole in his apartment wall. He posted the pic on Reddit and it somehow made it onto a BuzzFeed list.

- Gen was recounting how she once tripped over nothing in a parking lot and completely shredded the skin from both palms. She had to film a pilot the next day (that never got picked up by a network) and she had to hide her hands behind her back or in her pockets while filming.

- Nick knows how Gen felt as he also shredded the skin from both his hands when he was tossed over the handle bars of his bicycle. It took a long time to heal.

- If you find the name “Garret Saddler” in game, Nick asked Capcom if they could work his cousin’s name into the game and this was the result. He introduced his cousin to the OG RE2 in 1998 and both played RE3 together one year later. His cousin has been a fan ever since.

- Gen jokingly said the altar scene was an easy day for her and Nick said he almost dropped her a couple of times. They had fun filming it with Christopher (Saddler’s VA).

- Nick had to do “many many many” takes of the altar scene where Leon was frozen in place but trembling. He was “sweating his ass off” and it’s very hard to do when you have to tense every muscle in your body.

- They had to do a few takes of Leon carrying Ashley & escaping Saddler as they wanted to capture the “right amount of pain & injury”. Nick tripped over his feet for one of the takes and almost toppled onto Gen, she was nearly thrown to the floor. Craig was surprised a dummy wasn’t used.

- Whenever Nick puts Gen down, they would have a lot of Velcro stuck to each other.

- Quite sure Nick is joking when he said he had to carry Gen 3 miles down the street as the crew recorded him from behind for the part Leon is stumbling to Luis’ lab.

- They keep joking Marcio (Salazar’s VA) mocapped inanimate objects like the helicopter, the plaga laser, the floor, etc. If you don’t know, Marcio also mocapped a lot of enemies like Verdugo, one of the Bella sisters, Dr Salvador, ganado, etc.

- All cinematics are filmed in person with all the actors involved in that scene.

- The part where Leon cures Ashley was the very first scene Nick & Gen filmed together. Gen was in disbelief when she read the schedule and saw this scene was on it. It was a very tough one to film.

- The chair that was built for Gen to sit in for the plaga cure scene was very uncomfortable.

- Audio in the cutscenes are directly taken from mocap. Performance capture, motion capture, and dialogue are all recorded at the same time for cutscenes. There is a microphone in the middle of their foreheads in the helmet they wear.

- Voice recordings are also done with the helmet mic, not the mic you see in a voice recording booth.

- While people say Ashley would be unable to lift Leon when he’s unconscious, Gen says Ashley is beefy and “look at those shoulders”. Even Nick comments that Ashley seems very proud of herself when she smiles that she did help to cure Leon.

- Craig is jealous that he never got to try Nick’s barbecues as he usually flew out of Vancouver whenever he got done filming.

- Gen’s least favourite Ashley line is “Hey look, the flag has been lowered.” She recorded different variations of that as Capcom did not decide if it’ll be a flag or something else in the castle maze. She was surprised the flag version was used.

- Gen was there for the recording of the final Saddler confrontation. She was wrapped up in a blanket and seated on a couch. It’s cold in the studio.

- Gen is intending to cosplay as Ashley. She’s waiting for the wig to be delivered.

- Nick keeps calling Saddler’s mouth eyeball a grapefruit and it’s amusing as he keeps saying “Show me the grapefruit” during the Saddler fight.

- Craig wouldn’t mind cosplaying as Wesker but he would need to get a new suit.

- Nick’s favourite line in the game is “I’ll give you a holy body!”

- Lily did the mocap in heels.

- If Nick did cosplay RE4R Leon, it would be Leon in the tactical vest.

- Nick & Gen sat on wooden blocks to mocap the jetski scene. Gen has never ridden a jetski but Nick has and was launched 15 feet when he & his cousin hit a wave. He lost his favourite hat in the ocean.

- Craig always found it amusing how Wesker says “I do not pay you to ask questions” and Craig interjects with “But I will explain it” in Wesker’s voice.

- Lily is juggling multiple projects and Christopher is in another country so it’s hard to match schedules to get them on stream. Nick does want to get them on stream for future runs though.

- Nick is surprised by the amount of people who voiced the ganados.

[hollywoodsargeant]

Hello to my favourite Logan worship president, I have a question about Ben and how long has he been with Logan and you favourite pics for them together.

and my second question is who are Logan friends like I know Oscar and Callum but who else? And you favourite picture with his friends too please?

BENNY LORE. he's known logan since 2016 i believe... like he's the only trainer logan has really ever had. ik not all of the drivers have trainers that they're like legit bonded with and end up with whoever their team hires for them but logan was with benny up through all the ranks. he met benny bc he would go to ben's wife's pilates studio as a teenager which does amuse me... and ben has been on record to say his (very young) son calls logan his older brother :( like. my heart. i'm wounded

+ logan's friends' there is the oliver guy who is also around usually when he's with callum. i will be real i do not really know much about either of them outside of their appearances in logan's orbit... then on the grid he continues to mention how close he is to alex on track because teammates and i think? he's said before that he's friendly with zhou. but maybe that's just oscar. either way i think they've raced together before

and of course my beloved indycar driver kyle kirkwood <3 i know there are some pictures of the two of them as legit children kicking around somewhere but i was too lazy to dig them up rn. MAYBE ANOTHER TIME... but i will include all photos under the break bc i did compile some. as per

can't put together pics of logan and benny without this one. now famously called romantic by alexander albon... like okay. sir. sirs. Both Of You.

here are some older ones. logan looks very teenaged (probably because he was teenaged). + proof of pilates

obligatory wimbledon picture. i know i've posted this one before and i know i've said it before that it continues to amuse me logan went to wimbledon with his trainer of all people. to follow everybody and their mother going with their girlfriends. Of Course. nice matching suits

some miami stuff. this compilation would not be complete without miami stuff... shoutout to ben wearing logan's merch hat. + bonus dalton

and this is my fav of Miami Stuff. not sure why but here it is... obv from logan's helmet shoot but without the helmet. just on the beach

THIS IS MY FAVORITE ONE. OF EVER. not really a picture but instead a poorly rendered screenshot from a video I KNOW I'VE POSTED THE CLIP ON HERE BEFORE but this is from. the abu dhabi off grid right after the f2 feature race when it's Confirmed logan got the f1 seat for 23 and ben promptly drops everything and picks him up off the ground. very special tome like i cried

and of course. thee moment of all time. when ben and logan played (and defeated) oscar and his trainer in padel. still yet to recover from this one. this post is nawt about loscar but can you get your damn elbow out of his bicep dude

and here r some random pictures of logan with friends. idk who everyone in the middle picture is but logan looks like he's having fun (and it was callum's 21st birthday. hence him holding up the 1 and 2. if reversed)

[blackbird-brewster]

All the even numers >:)

Bahahaha, alright Anon. I saved this for last.

2. Do you drink tea or coffee? How do you take it? 

(Answered here)

4. Do you sleep on your back, stomach or side? 

I'm a side sleeper, mostly facing outwards. But sometimes, I wind up on my back and when I do I snore so loud Doom Them has to wake me up.

6. Do you prefer drawing or writing? 

I can't draw for shit. Writing is my creative talent

8. What’s your favourite band/artist? 

I have SO many. I listen to a wild range of music. Everything from ska to indie rock to punk to emo to pop. Some of my all-time fave bands include: The Killers, Foreigner, Avett Brothers, Postal Service, Betty Who, Beyonce, Lizzo, Tegan and Sara.

10. How tall are you? 

5'6" or 168 cm

12. Who are five (or more) people you want to hug right now? 

@otahkoapisiakii @bittersweet-bibliophile @the-kazoo-kid @gaelic-symphony @mygenitiveisobjective

14. What’s your favourite colour? 

(Answered here)

16. Want any tattoos? What of? 

I have around 35 tattoos (hard to count when you have half sleeves and such). I DO want more tattoos, but in the past two years one of my chronic conditions has made it so I'm allergic to my tattoos. They get welts and hives all the time. Which really sucks because uhhhh, my entire body is covered in them 🤷‍♂️

18. Who is the last person you texted? 

I sent Frankie some smut as a little treat!

20. What/who do you miss? 

I miss all my loves in the US. But in terms of 'what' -- the thing I miss everyday is being able to leave my house without it having to be an entire Event. I miss life before the pandemic where I didn't have to take 100 pre-emptive steps to protect myself every time I go out. I miss 2020 when everyone (in my country) was in this together, when everyone was masking and staying home when they were sick, when everything was accessible by being online. I miss when people cared.

The pandemic isn't over. Some of us have never left lockdown.

22. How much sleep did you get last night? 

I actually went to sleep hella early. I was asleep before my daily kudos email (this is how I tell time, okay?) which comes about 00:20. Then, I got up early with Doom Them -- so I think I got about 7 hours? I only need 5-6 to be functional.

24. When was the last time you cried? Why? 

Last night I cried from laughing so hard at this picture of our cat

26. What are some seemingly childish things you like? 

I don't believe joy has an age limit. I'm a regular at our local toy stores, I know all the staff, I'm always buying new fidget toys and Squishmallows. I got into Squishmallows about the same time I got my Autism dx (mid-2020) and since then, Squish have become a constant form of comfort for us. We currently have about 300 in our collection -- and that's after some major downsizing. There's no way to know how many squish we've rotated through over the years. Here's the last full squad photo we took in Jan 2022 (there's nowhere in our house to do a full pic of the 300 we have currently)

28. How are you, really? 

I'm actually doing well this week. Summer weather arrived without warning and my depression is lifting. I feel really inspired for the first time in weeks!

30. What are you looking forward to in the near future? 

Finishing Fooled Around (and Fell in Love) - Part 3!!!!!!!!

32. If you could go anywhere right now, where would you go? 

If I could see my US friends without actually having to go to the US itself, that would be perfect.

34. What’s your favourite flower? 

(Answered Here)

36. Do you like your middle name?

Not really. My middle name is the name of some random ski instructor my parents met the year before I was born (I have theories about this, about why my dad randomly remembered this person's name -- but that's a whole other thing. Oh, and also that's one of my middle names, it's complicated. I have like 5 names)

38. Do you have any phobias? 

Ornithophobia (fear of birds). Also scared of horses, cows, and airbags.

40. Do you like the beach? Do you prefer it sunny or cloudy? 

YES!! I love living ten minutes from the beach. We go there a lot to relax and scream at the ocean. I prefer sunny weather, hands down, but it's cloudy 90% of the time here.

42. Tag 5 of your favourite blogs

Oh, this is really difficult. I'll just tag some rad mutuals: @knitmeapony @chaotic-archaeologist @unitchiefs-blackbirdphoenix @gaelic-symphony @artcake

44. Who was the last person you said “I love you” to? 

I've said 'I love you' to at least five people today and it's only 10am. And I meant every one of those. I'm very much the type of person who loves my partners and friends openly and freely.

46. What do you need when you’re sad? 

Cranky Cave(tm)! Cranky cave is when I'm having meltdowns. I go to my room and turn on the fairy lights and galaxy projector. Grab a ton of squish and fidgets. Bury myself in blankets. And watch my comfort shows.

48. Who’s someone you can trust with your life? 

Doom Them, Kay, Coyote.

[Send Me Asks]

[spursdontplaybasketball]

Talk Hockey to Me

tagged by @giirlinterrupted 🤍💙

Tell me about:

1. The thing that got you hooked on hockey

I grew up in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, about an hour south of Hershey, PA. My dad grew up going to watch the Hershey Bears play minor league hockey in the American Hockey League, and he continued the tradition with me (and my sister sometimes.) At first, I only really liked to go to the games for an opportunity to spend time with my dad, which was rare sometimes, but in middle school I somehow ended up being really good at floor hockey when we played it in gym class. One day I managed to score a hat trick, even though I was terrible at every other sport. (I also had a crush on one of the players on my school's hockey team at that point.) So I just kinda thought hockey was fun at that point and started enjoying the actual games more. Then I picked a favorite player from the Bears independently for the first time, and it was Mike Green. I didn't know much about him, just thought he was cool. He turned out to be really good, and when he got called up to the NHL to play for the Capitals, I started watching the Caps games on TV. (I was also lucky that we got the sports channel from Washington DC, despite not being all that close to there.)

2. Your first ever fandom friend

I'm not too established in the hockey fandom on here. I have a personal blog that I rarely use anymore that I used to post occasional Caps stuff on and follow a few Capitals people, but that's on a different account that I rarely use. I know hockey has become a lot more popular on footieblr over the years. I remember a few years back when it was more unusual for these fandoms to overlap that I sent a message or two to people who were in both fandoms that I thought it was cool that they liked both sports like I do. Basically my only hockey friend on here is @giirlinterrupted (and I'm so grateful that she doesn't put Sidney Crosby on my dash like so many other footieblr hockey fans seem to do.) IRL I have been surrounded by hockey fans most of my life though, because it's pretty big in my state in general, so the main time I felt a little more alone on that was the 2 1/2 years I was living in San Francisco. Unfortunately I am currently surrounded by Penguins fans :( as I am living in Pittsburgh. My IRL best friend is also into hockey, but she is a Sabres fan since she is from Buffalo and now lives in Rochester, NY.

3. The jersey you would most like to own

I wish I had an old Mike Green or Jay Beagle Caps jersey. Mike Green is now retired, and Jay Beagle, I don't even know.

4. YOUR player (you only get ONE so choose wisely)

I still have an unhealthy attachment to Jay Beagle even though he's been off the Caps for years. None of the current players can live up to that.

5. A pairing that deserves more fic

Don't really read fic much, but Ovi/Backstrom (I'm so out of the loop that I don't even know if they have a ship name) are adorable together, and idk how popular they are, at least outside of Caps fans.

6. Your favourite on-ice moment

6/7/18. What else? I still cry when I think about it sometimes, and I can barely listen to "I Will Wait" by Mumford and Sons without crying due to that "Worth the Wait" video the Caps put out on social media after the Cup win.

link someone else's art/fic/etc that you love & think everyone should check out

He's here on Tumblr (@mxgicdave) but I could only find my favorite pic of his on Twitter:

link something you made & are proud of & want people to see

Got nothing. I tried to write a few things about hockey in the past, but not since I was like 13. I was writing a story about a minor league hockey player whose playing got impacted by past trauma. Didn't get very far, then I was also trying to write a murder mystery featuring the Capitals, and I got even less far with that.

no pressure tagging:

I have no one to tag! :(

[boba-beom]

aw no )): how are you taking care of yourself now? drinking tea? resting? you don't have to if you don't want to, but i would suggest taking one or two paracetamols when you start to feel bad in the evening🥺 aww that's so nice omg i'm glad you had such a good time!!🥺❤️ any movies you recommend? well, the day after i flew in, my throat started hurting super bad, but i just thought it was because i slept together with my mom and her room is usually very cold due to the balcony she has. and then as my symptoms got worse with my nose getting stuffy and coughing, i ended up having a fever for three days straight as well and finally took a covid test a week after my symptoms appeared and turns out it was covid💀 i was sick with it for around 8 days and just felt extremely exhausted and dizzy, but luckily both of my parents were there to take care of me🥺 my sister also flew in eventually and it was just me being a devious little devil around her HAHAHAH i swear i love annoying her sometimes.

but yeah i did go to the market before flying home!! i had such an amazing time and ate a lot🥺 but yeah my sister said that i probably got covid from there and it only activated itself after i flew home :// it makes sense in a way because where i'm from covid is basically dead there's barely any cases maybe like 2-3 a day in total or none at all.

HAHAHAHA I FIND THAT SO FUNNY U JUST LOOKED AT TAEHYUN AND U WERE LIKE "yeah okay👀😳" AND THEN YOU SAW THE REST. NAH CAUSE I WAS NOT PREPARED EITHER I SWEAR THAT WAS SO UNEXPECTED 😳😳😳 i literally need life support now because of them. OMG YES I SAW THE NIGHTMARE CONCEPT PHOTOS ARE SOOO COOL!! i couldn't take my eyes of hueningkai and taehyun during those photos, that concept suited the both of them so well!! also pink haired tyun i love him sm🥺❤️ but hueningkai is really embodying this concept so well ahh he looks so good🥺❤️ BUT YEAH THE BACKGROUND OF THE PICS REALLY LOOKED LIKE PETER PAN'S LAYER IN NEVERLAND👀👀👀 i can't wait for the release😭😭 DID YOU SEE THE CLIP OMGGG IT'S SO COOL

SORRY FOR THE LATE REPLY 😭 but yes I'm feeling much much better now compared than a couple of weeks ago. I only just started to feel better in the middle of last week. I continued taking paracetamols and attempted to sleep early lmao but the movies we watched!! we watched a lot of disney which were the camp rock movies, teen beach movie movies, sonny with a chance series, disenchanted omg I loved that one, but I will forever love enchanted a little bit more hehe

omg nooo at least you had your parents to look after you too! how are you feeling now? and it would make sense if you caught covid from the market since you're out in the cold it doesn't help if there were a lot of people too.

YES I DID SEE THE CLIP! honestly, I'm just super excited for this comeback already 😭 imma miss pink hair taehyun, from the tiktok preview of sugar rush ride his hair was blonde, so i'm assuming he may change his hair colour, and i'm hoping it's like a periwinkle blue OMG just the thought of blue-haired taehyun 🥹 though it could just be him topping up the pink again WE'LL SEE. as for the album preview, these songs are tickling my fancy as they're starting to enter my favourite genre and just starting to tip toe into hip hop(?), r&b(?), but nonetheless I'm super excited for their choreos!! how about you? what did you think of the album preview?

[1982brucespringsteen]

malina modern au tiktok edition!!

alina posts mostly about her art. she has a few popular videos like "what contemporary art movement are u according to ur zodiac sign" "what ur fave painting says about you"

she also posts videos showing her outfits!! they're all super cute and artsy and she did a "i wear this on monday wear this on tuesday" video and mal duets it saying "hey that's my tshirt. and my jeans. and my hoodie. and my beanie. this girl is a thief!!!"

mal is surprisingly popular?? he mostly posts badly edited prank videos, gym thrist traps and videos of small animals he finds around, like their neighbour's cat that likes to walk with him to the bus stop, a squirrel that climbed on his shoulder and a crow he had been feeding corn kernels to gifting him a £5 note. he got included in a "hot guys of tiktok" compilation video and didn't shut up abt it for a week straight.

he has an ongoing series called "my flatmate is a cryptid no clickbait" in which he follows alina around exposing her, like that time he woke up in the middle of the night and found her doodling on her tablet while blasting 100 gecks (on her headphones) eating peanut butter straight from the bottle. he has a video that goes "things in my flatmate's room that just make sense. number one: my clothes. number two: my pillows. number three: my food"

*alina pacing around in their living room* "hey alina what's the matter" "i can't find my glasses!" "have u checked the shower?" "why would i check the shower??" "dunno, sometimes we find what we're looking for in the strangest places". the glasses were on top of her head the entire time

they both uploaded a video called "we bleach each other's hair at home" and it was just them cry laughing and screaming at each other for 50 seconds. at the end they showed the results and well. people were horny on main that night

alina gets a comment asking "are you two fucking" and she posts a video response like a youtube apology that goes "*sigh* i didn't want you to find out like this... you see, i'm not dating mal because i'm actually in a monogamous, commited relationship with your mom"

flat tour but it's just mal showing his favourite alina paintings that he has been hanging in different rooms

mal: "lesbians what's your wisdom" nadia: "world hard and cold, tiddy soft and warm" tamar: "be gay do crime" mal: "thank u lesbians"

"our white friend tries asian food" with tamar tolya mal alina and zoya making nikolai taste progresively spicier dishes.

"let's get this straight. to be awarded with the honorific of himbo you MUST be 1) big and strong 2) dumb as fuck 3) into pegging. if you don't like pegging you're NOT a himbo. you're a coward and you owe every woman you know £20. malyen out"

they both duet a video from kaz's acc where he explains how the stock market works and they just. stare at the camera while wii music plays in the background

after they get together jesper uploads a compilation of mal pics with the bi wife energy song

[myohmine]

Coincidences that are keeping me up all night:

12 May 2015

Louis went to Snoop Dogg’s album release party. He got papped as he left. A mysterious blonde in those pics would be reported as having his baby later. I’m not posting the cursed pic. We all know which one.

12 May 2017

Exactly two years later, Harry released his solo debut album. His album cover looks like he’s dramatically crying in the bathtub with pink water. Or maybe he’s trying not to make that honking laugh. Guess we’ll never know which one for sure, because we only see his back.

Horseback riding happened to be one of H’s favourite things to do, according to his answer in FOURPLAY. Aka the game in which he said “not that important” to female being a trait he looks for in a lady.

But that obviously has nothing to do with said Snoop Dogg’s album cover two years prior. With blue horse dog nibbling on green bush in front of the trees and green screen. His name & album name in capital letters on top left and right.

Although Louis styled his name & album name the same way on WALLS album cover, too. In which he’s just sitting there looking like a prisoner. But that’s unrelated. Obviously, Snoop Dogg couldn’t be a bluegreening Larrie who knew what was going to happen in advanced, right?

11 Oct 2017

Before Louis dropped the masterpiece that is his WALLS album. He released Just Like You on National Coming Out day first. 25 and it’s all planned.

2 Feb 2019

Harry just turned 25. Louis posted 3 pics on IG with the caption: It’s coming… the first picture is in a film reel with a very interesting number on top corner: 22. Guess what else had already happened in film reel? Taylor Swift’s 22 MV. In which the party at the end fit quite nicely with Night out and it’s 10 grand. Which in turn, looks like Taylor’s End Game MV & maybe Louis’s Miss You MV (where you see ME on the wall to his left in the middle of the song & a vertical Style to his right at the end of the song.)

26 Apr 2019

Taylor released her single ME! on Lesbian Visibility Day

13 Dec 2019

Taylor just turned 30.

Harry released Fine Line. Thus, digging up Haylor grave. Headlines that I can’t stand.

31 Jan 2020

It’s the last day that Harry was 25 years old.

But you only get half of the story. Luckily, we get each half from two people to make it whole.

Louis released his WALLS album. He said it’s his most honest album so far. Okay, Princess Park.

Taylor released Only The Young for her Miss Americana Documentary. Prior to this, she already sang: There’s nothing like this Miss Americana & the Heartbreak Prince. Effectively calling out her own documentary as half bulls*it in advance with Lover. Of course, Cornelia Street.

23 July 2020

Taylor released folklore, on the 10th anniversary for the first day of One Direction.

Track 15 peace (Your integrity makes me feel small. You paint dreamscape on the wall.) did kill my mind far too many times to count. First, by being The Number: 28-13=15. The difference between Louis’s number and Taylor’s number.

Second, by being the word on Louis’s white t-shirt in that “I love you first” interview before Haylor took over the gossip front pages.

Then, the lyrics video looks like it could be the background filming location of Louis’s We Made It: Director’s cut. Let’s move on before I fall down that deep dark abyss of a rabbit hole.

11 Dec 2020

Taylor released evermore out of nowhere, right before Louis’s first livestream concert, no less.

12 Dec 2020

It’s the last day that Taylor was 30 years old.

Louis held his first livestream concert with a giant, golden H on his chest. He debuted Copy of a Copy of a Copy. Its lyrics just happened to match the visual cue in Taylor’s Willow MV. From the album she just dropped the day before. No biggie. Pure unadulterated coincidence, right? Definitely not

Copy

Of a Copy

Of a Copy

Right?

Run by Taylor ft. Ed from her RED’s vault won’t be related to 1D’s Ready To Run from FOUR in capital underlined, right?

It won’t be the moment I knew Everything Has Changed, right?

[leejeongz]

nsfw a-z JUNKYU (treasure)

A = Aftercare (what they’re like after sex)

lots of cuddles and stroking your skin. he wants to make you feel calmer than you did even before the scene, calm enough to fall asleep. he can sense when you’re back to being your usual self but the softness doesn’t stop.

B = Body part (their favorite body part of theirs and also their partner’s)

he has two favourites on his own body and on you! on him, it’s his lips and his legs. his legs because well it’s junkyu he has fabulous legs duh. and his lips because he constantly notices you staring at them. he bites them on purpose when he sees you staring at them and knows that you want to kiss them 24/7

on you, he likes your hair and your fingers the most. he likes the way your fingers wrap around his dick and how you tease the tip with your index finger, sending him straight to heaven. and he likes to stroke your hair. he knows it sends shivers down your spine when you’re already turned on.

C = Cum (anything to do with cum, basically)

he definitely looks forward to seeing you covered in his cum. even if you let him cum inside you, he doesn’t because he wants to see it actually on your body. he lovessss watching it trickle down your fingers before you suck it off them and also clean the remaining liquid off his dick too. he also sometimes has you take selfies on his phone after he’s finished all over your face for a later date.

D = Dirty secret (pretty self explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs)

when you sit by him in your short dresses and skirts, he wants to do nothing more than to slowly inch his hand up your inner thigh and finger you, making you leave a damp patch on the seat, but he’s nervous that other people in the room might notice.

E = Experience (how experienced are they? do they know what they’re doing?)

2 different partners, one of which was a long time girlfriend, the other a one night stand. he can be romantic, he can be distant, he knows it all. he’s still a little shy with saying things out loud, but that doesn’t affect his skill and will happily discuss things via text.

F = Favorite position (this goes without saying)

ride him and he’ll be your whiney little bitch. don’t get me wrong, he’s still in charge, but the noises and the faces he pulls have you fooled for a second. he doesn’t have a preference, reverse cowgirl and cowgirl are even, both get him to cum quicker than any other position.

G = Goofy (are they more serious in the moment? are they humorous? etc.)

he’s a silly guy, you think that’s gonna stop just because he’s got his dick out? he’s so loving, even if you are friends with benefits, he just wants to make you smile and to make you feel comfortable and safe, as well as making himself feel comfortable too. a tense atmosphere is only saved for those scenes where you are mad at each other.

H = Hair (how well groomed are they? does the carpet match the drapes? etc.)

he’s always completely shaved. balls too :)

I = Intimacy (how are they during the moment? the romantic aspect)

he’s a huge romantic and is solely focused on you. even if he’s desperate, he’s still gonna make it loving and share lots of intimate moments with you.

J = Jack off (masturbation headcanon)

he takes his time when it comes to masturbation. he wants to set the scene in his mind as takes a lot to actually turn him on when you aren’t there. he usually gets off at his desk to those pics he’s taken of you or to just his imagination. he gets caught by his members a lot, but he somehow convinces them he’s just working on a song.

K = Kink (one or more of their kinks)

he loves when you call him sir or master, especially when you look at him all innocently. it lets him know that you know your place and that he has you wrapped around his little finger. call him one of these in a sfw context and that’s when you know you’re in for a good time.

L = Location (favorite places to do the do)

studio or at his desk in his room. although it not ideal for his job, the best sex usually happens when you’re distracting him from something you can tell that he’s stressed with. giving him head while he’s working or while he’s gaming usually gets him really turned on and as much as he’s saying that you guys can’t do anything at the time, you definitely can and will.

M = Motivation (what turns them on, gets them going)

pictures of you! it’s not secret that he has a folder of pictures of you that he uses to get off to. your selfie’s alone really turn him on, especially the ones where you have your fingers in your mouth. but of course there’s plenty of nudes and little teasers in there too. and those pics of your face covered in him cum of course.

lingerie!! boy loves seeing you in the sexiest pieces and sets, so much so that he doesn’t mind splashing the cash and buying you some as a “just because” gift. he’s very gentle (most of the time) and does not rip them because they’re stunning on you! but sometimes he gets carried away and tugs on them a little too much while pulling you towards him.

N = No (something they wouldn’t do, turn offs)

no food play. it’s too messy and too much of a hassle after a scene when he’s super tired.

O = Oral (preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc.)

my mind always goes to junkyu getting head under his desk while he’s producing a song, tell me that wouldn't be hot. i can imagine him to be quite whiney but he just lets you do your thing without telling you how to suck it. running the underneath of your tongue over the tip is for sure something that he CRAVES. if he asks he gets, but he just wants you to do it anyway without even being asked.

his oral skills aren’t anything special, they’re good enough, but he gets you so worked up beforehand that the slightest touch will make you cum. he loves to press little kisses against your inner thighs before actually getting to eating you out.

P = Pace (are they fast and rough? slow and sensual? etc.)

most times, he wants it slow. he wants to drag out every last moment and make the most of everything and so he keeps the pace slow. he doesn’t wanna tire you or himself out, knowing that you’ll both crave more after the first round. but sometimes he’s a little desperate, there’s nothing slow about it when he’s like this.

Q = Quickie (their opinions on quickies, how often, etc.)

he’s not a fan at first, but you soon show him the wonders of quickies in a vacant room where you can get caught, and he’s craving them all the damn time. he becomes a quickie lover and sometimes all he needs is to be satisfied for a while.

honestly though, he wouldn’t choose them over somewhere comfortable like your bedroom and wonders why you’d rather do stuff quickly when you could just wait a few more hours and get ruined properly. if only he understood that sometimes, you just cannot wait, and that it’s all his fault.

R = Risk (are they game to experiment? do they take risks? etc.)

he gets excited at just the mere thought of experiments and venturing into a new world with you. the potential danger of literally anything out of the ordinary happening is something that really gets him going. he’s down to try anything once if you are, but he gets a little shy about discussing them.

S = Stamina (how many rounds can they go for? how long do they last?)

usually 2 rounds with a small break in the middle for water and such. he can last around 15 minutes per round inside of you and he’s pretty proud of himself for that lmao, especially since he’s receiving head for like 20 mins lol

T = Toys (do they own toys? do they use them? on a partner or themselves?)

he loves knowing that you use toys when he’s not around, it gets him horny to think about you holding a vibrator against your clit while you think about him. but i don’t think such toys would be welcome in the bedroom while he was there.

U = Unfair (how much they like to tease)

angry/jealous sex, there is no teasing at all. he gets what he wants and that’s it, there’s nothing in it for you (or so he thinks). if you don’t cum that’s your problem because he’s given you ample opportunity.

normal, “everyday” sex, is full of teasing, especially when it comes to giving you oral/foreplay. there’s lots of kissing, lots of orgasm denial and LOTS of touches and kisses. pressing light kisses onto your clothed clit was his signature move, just one had you wanting to cum sometimes.

V = Volume (how loud they are, what sounds they make, etc.)

he’s whiney as FUCK okay. he’s very loud,you can definitely hear him, maybe even some other people too hehe. sometimes he sends you voice notes of him moaning when he knows you’re horny and alone. he’s not really into dirty talk because he doesn’t want to say anything that will ruin the mood.

W = Wild card (a random headcanon for the character)

he runs his hand through his hair A LOT while you two are being intimate, especially when your lips are wrapped around his length. usually his hair gets sweaty and also, he wants to see you, so you catch him brushing it out of his face a lot.

he’s definitely a tits man. he loves to hold them, sleep on them, suck on them, whatever you/he wants. he holds them while he fucks you because he knows it hurts, it’s a win win. they aren’t always sexual to him either, they’re just another part of you that he can admire (but he’s too shy to compliment you on them and also thinks it would be kinda weird if he did lol)

he. kisses. you. constantly. the kisses are often broken by the thrusts but he doesn’t care and he actually thinks it makes the whole thing more romantic.

X = X-ray (let’s see what’s going on under those clothes)

just over average length with a litter under average thickness. i think he’s a show-er too.

Y = Yearning (how high is their sex drive?)

honestly, not that high. he goes through spells of not wanting any to wanting it twice a day, but on the whole, it's not extraordinarily high nor low

Z = Zzz (how quickly they fall asleep afterwards)

he’s pretty tired, but he doesn’t want to fall asleep until you have or you’ve said it’s okay for him to sleep. he’s a little groggy so you usually make him go to sleep whenever, but it’s also really cute 🥺

[wenellyb]

A totally random question: what's your favourite character in the entire MCU?

Hi Anon, let me tell you first, that there is a hint in my profile pic!

I have wanted to change it for months but I cannot bring myself to it hahaha.

My favorite character in the entire MCU is General Okoye, she's to me what Steve Rogers is to most people, but a better version.

She is strong but also flawed, she makes mistakes and admits it, she cries, and jokes. She is loyal, and loving and a good friend.

And in the end she is alwys doing her best and trying to do the right thing, She has a lot of responsibilities and doesn't shy away from them. She is my Role Model and I want to be her when I grow up (I'm already grown up but it's not the point).

And my second favorite is W'Kabi, almost ex-aequo with General Okoye... I love that character so much, I love his background, I love his relationship with his wife, I love that he trains Rhinos, and that he trained those Rhinos to never hurt his wife even in the heat of the moment and in the middle of a battlefield.

I love that he is trusting with his friends. I love that he has a resting b*tch face, I love that he is so so supportive of his wife, and respects her and her work, without ever feeling emasculated or trying to put her down. When I imagine a great relationshio I envision the two of them.

His story about seeking revenge for his parents was also touching, the feeling of being betrayed at his parents' murderer not being arrested/killed. I've seen Black Panther 6 or 7 times when it first came out and loved him more each time.

He made mistakes yes, but I dare anybody to find an MCU character who hasn't made grave mistakes, a lot of MCU favorites did far worst than what W'Kabi did, far worst (Except Shuri, Sam Wilson and Thor also lol, they're perfect). I'm not defending W'Kabi's choices just saying his mistakes didn't keep me from liking his character just as the other characters mistake didn't stop them from having a strong fanbase.

My personal favorite scene was in the end when W'Kabi saw that he was loosing his men and dropped his weapon to stop the chaos and dropped on his knees... That scene was amazing and also refreshing because in any other movie you would see these dumb*ss men fighting until the end no matter who ends up dead... and are ready to sacrifice their army just not to "give up".

W'Kabi swallowed his pride and accepted his defeat. Maybe there are other movies with scenes like that in other movies... but personally I haven't seen any... It's always fighting until there's no man left standing.

This is a conversation for later, (and I did like Killmonger as a "villain",) but if W'Kabi had been played by Michael B Jordan and Killmonger had been played by Daniel Kaluuya, W'Kabi's character would have been more popular and Killomonger's less.

Then there's Sam Wilson who is also in my top 3, but can't be my personal number 1 because he's too perfect... I adore him... But I want to see him make some mistakes, have some doubts, etc...I feel that I would hate getting into an argument with Sam because he is so level-headed he would explain to me his point of view very calmly and expose his points... And I would hate that😂 I would hate arguing with someone so perfect... But he is in my Top 3 because I love love him, I'm so happy we got to know him and his personality better in the show.

Bucky could also be in my top 3 because I adore him.. But the fandom has a tendency to ruin Bucky for me....

Bucky did a lot of growing during the years but the fandom still treats him like a baby who can do no wrong... Uh yes he can do wrong, everybody does, he has even admitted it ( and I'm not talking about the winter soldier years because he wasn't responsible for any of that but about the mistakes and people he hurt as Bucky Barnes) but the fandom is still trying to bend over backwards to find him excuses and baby him... even when he acknowledges those mistakes himself, so it makes it hard for me to keep my attachment to him... With no fandom it would go 1.Okoye/W'Kabi 2.Sam 3.Bucky... But there is the fandom sooo.....

I wasn't a big MCU fan before Civil War came out... just watched the Avengers movie and Thor and Iron Man. So before Civil War came out I would say that my favorite characters were Thor and Natasha. Even though I hated the first Thor movie, one of the worst movie really.

I know you asked me to pick one but I can't😭

I love flawed characters who try and manage to do good, and I also like perfect characters (Sam, Shuri) but it's less easy to relate to them because they feel less realistic.

Honorable mention for Mantis who I love more than anything!!! I wish we saw more of her.

Who's your favorite character Anon?

[https-sen]

Seasons.

originally was supposed to be "Wilted" but fuck it

second angst lessgo ;D middle pics are always the best (｡ì_í｡)

clowns/note: ppl like my angst more than my fluff so uh yuh- gimme follow to support tankiew (´▽`) btw i just got my taito 2021 sakura miku figure in the mail today so this boosts my motivation >:)

Genre: Angst (with a really dumb plot twist (ノ-ㅅ-)ノ)

Pairings: Kōzume Kenma x gn!reader

!reminder [ALL genders (including males) are allowed to read my fics <3]

I DID NOT PROOF READ SO CRI

The petals of the cherry blossom trees around you sway slowly onto the pavement. The pavements now that are covered with wilting petals to start a new season that were once walked along with him. Him, being your "boyfriend", your "partner", your... "significant other". Frankly, he used to be actually. But you were now walking with someone else. Someone who might actually make your life better. Well lets cut the bullshit and move into the story that will most likely make no sense whatsoever.

.......

"14.08"

He should be here by now. It's been 2 hours. The park was beautiful as it was spring, your favourite season. You did'nt get why he was so against going on a date that day when //obviously// you were both dating and he hardly spends time with you. You managed to convince him to meet you there. You had a whole day planned; arcades, figure shopping and lunch. But he was still late. "I really cant stay for long, I'll text you later tho, babe.", you heard a familiar voice. Almost too familiar. (Mmm i love overrated drama scenes </3) "Kenma?", you stood infront of the dark-haired girl and your.. boyfriend..? If you can still call him that Holding hands and sharing an ice cream (🚗🍦👩🏼) at a bench. "So this.. this is why you couldnt spend time with me anymore?" You were livid. Livid the fact you were cheated on. "I-I kitten wai-" "Kitten?", the dark haired girl cut him off. "Yes, I'm his girlfriend.", you glared. "You've been two-timing me??", she got up pointing at him. "What? But he's been two-timing me tho??", both looking at him with cold eyes and bitter expressions equally wanting an explanation. "I.. uh.. well-", looking at the ground then the both of you being cut off by "Save it, motherfucker." and a slap from the girl before dragging you with her.

"Hey! Whats the big deal??"

"How long have you been dating... h i m..?", refusing to say his name like its a disease whilst letting go of your hand. "Not sure why I have to tell you but.. 3 years.", shrugging and looking at the grass. "Well, I've been dating him for 5 years. I dont think you knew though so I dont really blame you honestly.", she said fiddling with the ends of her skirt. "Huh? Arent you.. mad?", with furrowed brows when she laughed. "I kinda saw the signs so it felt good to slap him in the face. I mean, the pixie-dick had it coming right?", grinning at you when you laughed at her remark. "Actually, I'm G/N (Girl's/Name). Courtesy of the one who once belonged to 'he-who-shall-not-be-named' and a professional crackhead", giving a gentleman-like bow. "Well I, am Y/N (Your/Name) of the lowly ex who is now cursed as a stray cat who's eating his ice cream alone as he should.", taking her hand and curtsy-ing with an oh-so sarcastic smug expression. "I think this is gonna be one fucking interesting, if you can call it, 'friendship' dont you think", she implied with air quotes. Laughing, the flowers of spring wilts to express that a new season is starting. One filled with interesting discoveries to be made with your new friend.

.......

Maybe. Maybe life isnt so bad after all.

This has 0 fuckin shit that had any context but oh well, if you wanna request angst or fluff dont be shy, im socially awkward too (*˙︶˙*)☆*° i kinda had no idea on what to post :^) anyways check my pinned post for cool shit ;) pls stay hydrated, healthy and safe!! you are LOVEDD <33

[weepinglevi]

whos your favorite fic writer/moots and why? Got any recommendations?

first off: pls know that if you're not listed here it doesn't mean i don't like you or your work, it simply means that i have a pea sized brain. love all of u. keep on writing. i really don't want anyone to feel bad (ask nia, i've been crying to her about it).

secondly: i'm not referring to them as my "favourite" cos i can't pick favourites, never really could. maybe that's why i'm simping for so many aot men at once ahaha.

and last but not least: this is going to be a long post so i'mma do all of us the favour and put it under the cut. i feel very soft today and have been listening to the titanic soundtrack for the better half of my day. bear with me, i'mma shower you with love. go check them out!

CHECK THE DNI TAGS ON THESE BLOGS BEFORE READING OR FOLLOWING, PLEASE!

this is in no particular order.

@kojinnie: my queen of angst. the other half of the princess-duo (i came to the conclusion that we're both princesses, we deserve to hang around in pretty dresses and have the time of our lives). especially dream me home still haunts my dreams. i love how you captured the pain and fear both of them feel. and i kind of view it as the start of our friendship, what with both of us writing about the mission to retake wall maria and you jumping into my dms after the fact. love you, kojin, and i only wish you the best.

@starrynightlys: shield-maiden claire. beautiful, talented, funny claire. i love you and i am so happy to have found you here, i really am. i know i've told you this multiple times but whenever i see you on my dash - either fighting off the floch anon or you posting memes, there's a big fat grin on my face. apart from your absolutely mesmerising presence, there's also one work in particular i always come back to: the beginning of forever. you are my source of happy levi content. when the world turns dark and i want him to be happy, i turn to this fic and to your blog in general. love you and i am dreaming of us listening to some good music in a park sometime soon!

@snkslush: luv! my first tumblr wife! this alone has gotten you a very special place in my heart ahah. i love the energy you have - whenever i see you on my dash i feel happy and it's because of how you interact with others. it's like i've known you since forever because of how easily i can talk to you. and reading your filthy thoughts about connie has set off my connie brainrot more than once ahaha.

your headcanons on how the aot boys react when their s/o tells them they want to be railed and also the follow-up still has me drooling. fucking love them. so accurate as well and i'm a slut for everyone ahha

@aotwrites: my lil sunflower. lil sis, you have no idea how happy you truly make me. i love the lil talks we have and i still remember the message you sent me when you were half-asleep, i always giggle when reading it ahah. just know that if you ever want, you can come up to me and ask me weird stuff lil sisters normally ask their bigger sisters. not that i have any good advice to give, but i have a lot of reaction pics to send!

it's very hard for me to pick out one of your fics to recommend - like i said, i have a problem with choosing favourites. but if i absolutely had to, it'd be all of the stars. cried my way through it. will cry again when i reread it. i cry a lot in general.

@arumiee: mars, i know we haven't talked much but our conversation about nurse!armin yesterday is still running around in my head. i can't wait to read about either armin or eren in scrubs, istg. you're so kind and happy-go-lucky, i usually feel nervous when tagging someone on a post but with you yesterday? no problem at all. you give me a sense of safety ahaha (pls don't think i'm weird, i'm actually not. or, yes, i am but in a good way). your purify me had me wanting to take a bath in holy water after reading it. preferably a bath with eren. i guess we're both headed to hell ahaha

@odmlevis: rizrizrizrizriz. i'm laughing right now because all i think of is our last conversation and it's hard to gather my thoughts whenever my mind goes to eren and reiner. or eren and jean - or jean and connie ahaha. i'll have all of them with me in the middle, pretty please.

but back to topic: your the most hurtful things they'd say to you still has my heart breaking. absolutely broken into pieces. because somehow you managed to put all of my worst fears into it. i don't know why i reread it on the regular (i do know, i'm a sucker for pain). other than that, i'm always so happy when i read your messages and when i see you out and about, making others happy with your lil "someone told me to tell you something"-thing you do so often. you're so precious, lemme smooch you.

@onyxoverride: onyx istg your blog is the place i go to if i am down bad. down bad bad. i know we rarely talk and me saying your blog is the place i take my horniness to might come off as weird but it's the truth. i even have problems with picking a favourite because goddamn they're all so good?? what is your secret? if there's a reason for me to go to hell (other than mars' purify me) it's gonna be because of ocean spit. do i have to elaborate further? eren's titan form is fucking hot and thank you for this delicious meal ahha. i am getting all flustered rn just by looking at the lil pic on top of your fic. i will see myself out now. love u onyx you are cool as hell (and i'm nervous as fuck - you're sitting at the cool kids' table in my head ahah - that's why i am so silent around u)

@1252291: and now to you. connie 2 my sasha. erwin smiths ball whore. twIN FLAME, LIGHT OF MY LIFE. buckle up cos we're in for a wild ride. i was debating whether or not to post every of your fics here, because i love all of them so much. i came up with a better idea tho: here's your masterlist. i will talk about two of your works in particular later on, but first you're gonna have to endure me violently showering you with kisses and love.

i haven't told you this before (shocking, i know) but ever since we started talking, i feel like i have a real-life friend again. i haven't had friends in a while and i am so fucking thankful to have you. i really am. i even told my therapist about you because he asked why i am so happy all of a sudden? newsflash: it's because of you.

usually, it was insomnia keeping me up at night but now it's because i am talking to you. and you have no idea how fucking great it feels to wake up in the morning and feel tired; not because some shitty thoughts kept me awake but because i was talking to a friend. i will forever love you for this. you've been there when i was at one of the darkest and loneliest stages of my life and lit up the fucking room with your personality and humour. thank you for being my light. for giving me the same feeling i have when rewatching lord of the rings. for being you. i will stop now but you know i will keep on loving you on main until i take my last breath.

now to your works. falling in love and stay forever. i think you already knew that these are the ones i hold dearest. i still think about felix and rue. i love felix and rue and my heart hurts when thinking of them. your way with words has characters coming to life and touching your heart in a way i've never experienced before. like i said, it felt like those are my friend who died. my fingers running through levi's hair, trying to make his endless pain go away. i am crying again. thank you for creating this. if you ever find the books you've written (or write a new one) i will buy a copy. or ten. have to have some to give away so i can promote your work.

i love u connie 2 my sasha. i really do.

[roessslyng]

I'm really bored so I wanted to do some "OTP questions" for some pairings with Nor (I took different questions from pics I saved years ago and can't find original author, sorry)

Starting with ScotNor since me and @agnessieart have been talking about it a lot lately...

Pls remember that my Nor is totally a bottom hoe so yeah my view of a pairing might be really different from others xd

1. Big Spoon/Little Spoon

Scot enjoys spooning Nor, and him being quite "bigger" than his Norwegian bf helps a lot. Tho it causes problems for Nor who, most of the times, finds it unable to move cause of this.

2. Favourite non sexual activity

They have a lot of activities they enjoy doing together, most of which consist of being among the nature. Like hiking, having picnics or just watching the stars.

3. Who worries the most?

Equally. The only difference is that Scot would actively show how worried he is and Nor tends to keep everything for himself.

4. Who initiates kisses?

90% of the times - Scot. He doesn't care about place, time or other things. If he wants a kiss - he'll make sure to get it.

5. Who reaches for the other's hand first?

Nor. Usually, he does it, cause holding hands makes him feel much calmer during uncomfortable situations. Or, sometimes he does it, just cause he wants to. No reason.

6. Who wakes up first?

If there is work that needs to be done - Nor. He likes to sort out everything early and leave most of the day free. If there's no work - Scot. And don't he even dare to wake Nor before 1 pm. He'll get destroyed.

7. Who comes up with cheesy pick up lines?

Absolutely Scot. (He secretly owns a notebook where he writes his best pick up lines to use them later)

8. Who whispers inappropriate things in the other's ear during inappropriate times?

Both. 100% both. Tho, while both being used to it, whenever Scot whispers smth to him - Nor would remain calm. It's not smth that amuses him. But Scot, whenever Nor would do this to him, would find it hard not to just grab and take Nor into closest free room.

9. Who is the most likely to carry the other?

Scot. Bonus point is that Nor l o v e s to be carried around. Preferably - bridal style.

10. Who proposes?

(All credits go to @agnessieart for making this joke, I can't find a better way for someone to propose)

Scot does. They would sit somewhere drinking coffee and Scot would tell Nor that damn, he doesn't like Nor's surname at all. And as Nor is prepared to splash that idiot with hot coffee, Scot would look in his eyes and say "But you can always take mine" and pull out a ring.

They're idiots, I love them.

11. Who kills the scary bugs?

No one. Nor prohibited it - if he really doesn't like whatever bug or insect he found in the house - he would take it outside. (Also, Scot secretly is afraid of spiders)

12. Who does the others hair?

Both. Tho, Nor does it much more often, since Scot has a hella long n i c e hair. He enjoys just sitting here, listening to music or whatever is on TV and do braids. Sometimes, Scot would do some braids for Nor back.

13. Who would have to bail the other out of jail?

Nor. Probably Scot got drunk and did smth stupid and illegal. Again.

14. Who would sing their child to sleep?

(No, not me already having a design of their lovekid, not me)

Scot. He has a really nice voice for lullabies!

15. Who covers the other person with a blanket, when they fall asleep somewhere other than their bed?

Nor. Simple cause Scot would just carry him back to their bedroom. Nor would either sleep next to him, if the space allows it, or cover him with a blanket and go happily sleep on the huge bed all by his own.

16. Who would have really deep thoughts in the middle of the night?

Both. Probably thinking about their past and history and stuff like this. If the other one would notice this - they would try to comfort them and get them back to sleep.

17. Who is scared of thunderstorms?

None. But Nor feels really uncomfortable during them, if he's alone. So, he'll ask Scot to stay with him, until it's over. And you bet Scot will comply, even if he has work to do. His lover's comfort is more important.

18. Who wears the other ones clothes?

Nor. He steals a lot of things from Scot, honestly. T-shirts, hoodies, etc. He'd wear them around the house, and no, Scot, you're not getting it back even if you'll ask. (Also, Scot, you can try out some of Nor's clothes, but I don't think they're quite your size...)

19. Who sings along the radio?

Scot, if it's a car radio. And he does it very loudly. Like, loudly enough for people in other cars to hear him.

Nor, if it's a radio somewhere in the house. He would quietly hum lyrics, lost somewhere in his thoughts.

20. Who falls asleep while watching a movie?

Nor, if they're watching it at home. I mean, won't you fall asleep, being under a blanket and being hugged by your beloved one?

Scot, if they went to the cinema to watch it. He can't help it, it's like some sort of a habit.

[rallamajoop]

The Witcher: The Games vs the Books part 2 – Characters and Accents

So, I've already talked at length about the relationship between the Witcher books and games, but how well they captured individual characters is its whole own subject – and you’d better believe I have enough thoughts on it for a whole extra post.

Andrej Sapkowski's skill for creating vivid and engaging characters really is so much of what brings the books to life, and no matter how much work an adaptation might put into worldbuilding and plot, it's the characters you've really got to nail to get the long-time fans on board. Especially when you’ve done what the games have, framing themselves as a direct continuation of Sapkowski's story. Nothing invites comparison to your source material like basically forcing fans to read the original novels to understand even half the backstory alluded to in-game. 

So how did they do? I can only offer my opinion – characterisation is necessarily going to be a lot more subjective than just telling you what plot points the games contradicted outright – but like any fan, I have opinions in plenty.

Of the main cast, I feel Yennefer is the character they've captured the best. They've done just as well with some supporting players – I have no real complaints about Dijkstra or Phillipa, for example, who are favourites of mine in both games and books. For the main players though, Geralt and Regis seem to be the ones who's differences I'm most inclined to forgive, whereas I don't feel like they've done Ciri justice at all. Book!Geralt is much less of a smartarse, for one thing, whereas Book!Ciri is much more of one. But if we're talking about the differences, I’m afraid we really need to start with Dandelion.

Dandelion

For all the genuinely good work the games do with characters, old and new, I don't think I can overstate what a disservice the they've done Dandelion, who I could not stand in TW3, but is now one of my favourite book!verse characters. Alas, Dandelion is a prime example of something the Witcher games really don't do well: camp. Being the archtypical bard, Dandelion is about as flamboyant as any enthusiastically-heterosexual man can be: you should be able to spot this guy by body language alone, he should be flouncing around and he should talk like a spoiled noble auditioning for Shakespeare. Book!Dandelion is over-the-top and ridiculous and just so much fun, and I loved him well before I'd even really gotten into the rest of the books around him.

Here's just a bit of dialogue from one of his first appearances, to give you a sense of how he and Geralt play off each other.

The  bard  seized  the  fingerboard  of  his  lute  and  plucked  the strings vigorously. ‘How would you prefer it, in verse or in normal speech?’ ‘Normal speech.’ ‘As you please,’ Dandelion said, not putting his lute down. ‘Listen then, noble  gentlemen,  to  what occurred  a  week  ago  near  the  free  town  of Barefield. ‘Twas thus, that at the crack of dawn, when the rising sun had barely tinged pink the shrouds of mist hanging pendent above the meadows—’ ‘It was supposed to be normal speech,’ Geralt reminded him. ‘Isn’t it? Very well, very well. I understand. Concise, without metaphors. A dragon alighted on the pastures outside Barefield.’

Though TW3's Dandelion certainly looks the part, you have to go hunting through art from the Gwent cards to find much that comes close to really capturing his personality (see left pic below – though even there, a Dandelion who'd voluntarily break his treasured lute is a very hard sell). Though a lot of fanart does better (right-below – credit goes to Tatiana Ortaliz).

But as poorly as the games capture his flamboyance, they're not that much better when it comes to taking him seriously. TW3 left me thinking he was all talk and no substance; the books make abundantly clear that he really is renowned enough to be welcome in courts across the continent. Though he often overestimates what he can talk himself out of, he isn’t stupid either: he's lectured at Oxenfurt, spied for Dijkstra, and then there are the moments where the frivolous playboy mask slips and you realise he's sometimes much better at understanding people and relationships than Geralt will ever be (which is honestly kind of funny considering how many of Dandelion’s relationships end with plates being thrown at him from an upper story). He's not at all above mocking Geralt when he deserves it either (and especially his personal and relationship issues) – Geralt will happily mock him right back.

We never do learn how they became friends (I'm pretty sure the incident listed in the wiki is just the date of their first expedition together, not their first meeting), but Geralt just doesn't form lasting friendships or romances with anyone he can't have an intelligent conversation with. And Dandelion is a damn good friend to Geralt – one who, despite being a helpless, squishy little bard, will keep Geralt's secrets under torture, or will follow him into Nilfgaard in the middle of a war simply because you don't let a friend make a trip like that alone. (Seriously, I don’t ship it nearly as much as some, but hot damn there is some material in here if you do.) In short, it's basically inconceivable that he'd leave an amnesic Geralt wandering around Vizima alone, as he does in the first Witcher game – which is the kind of thing I can mostly forgive as a gameplay conceit, only it doesn’t really get better from there.

He’s also supposed to be blond, something I don’t think is technically specified until fairly late in the novels, but 100% what I’d been picturing since his first description as a man in a colourful bonnet with cornflower-blue eyes (let’s face it: Dandelion’s hair isn’t the only thing about him that screams ‘blond’). It’s a shame no-one from the games to the show to the novels’ cover artists seem to have noticed – but at least there are some fanartists out there who were paying attention (credit for these goes to Asphaloth, Ghostcupdraws, Hvit-ravn (tumblr deleted), 94355 and itsmespicaa).

As for the games? Well, I cannot speak to how Dandelion came across in the original Polish, but I think it speaks worlds about the priorities of the English version that they didn’t even bother to cast someone with a halfway-decent singing voice as their master bard. There are isolated moments of dialogue that come close to sounding like book!Dandelion– mostly in Witcher 2, which comes closer to capturing the spirit of the books than either 1 or 3, or his attempts to convince his captor he's a disguised noble when you rescue him TW3 – but his voice actor is just painfully ill-suited to the role.

Geralt

Geralt fares much better than Dandelion, though he’s still a little hard to square with the Geralt of the books. Book!Geralt spends a lot more time sulking, just to begin with: he sulks because his job is complicated and gets him no respect, and because the world is unjust and unfair – and, most of all, he sulks because Yennefer has dumped him again. He also gets mocked for sulking, and usually deserves it. Book!Geralt is generally a lot more taciturn and a less prone to making smart comments just to have something to say – arguably because in book!Geralt's world, making smart comments often ends at the gallows, or at least with some corrupt official making your life much harder. Book!Geralt's world kind of sucks, and he's just got to put up with it.

As much as he often plays into the expectations of being an uneducated monster hunter, he's also got a more of an intellectual streak than you’d guess. He may prefer to stay out of politics (because damnit, his job is to save people from monsters, not people who are monsters), but he attended school at Nenneke's temple and has even taken classes at Oxenfurt academy, and there's a lot of thoughtful nuance to his opinions – his speech to Ciri about why he can't in good conscience take a stronger stance against the Scoiata'el contains a wealth of historical perspective, just for one example. Even his smart comments tend to be, well, somewhat smarter in the books.

Book!Geralt’s explicitly a lot younger than Yennefer – around 50 is the usual estimate, falling far short of the 100-ish the games suggest (the scandal of having a man fall for – gasp! – an older woman clearly didn’t bother Sapkowski one bit). You don’t see nearly as much "I'm getting too old for this" from book!Geralt, who's really not that old by witcher standards, and is apparently still hunting monsters long into his future. I'm also a little annoyed by the way they play off his hatred of portals like he's a grumpy old man who doesn't like mobile phones, when his distrust originally came from having seen the gruesome deaths that result when portals go wrong. This is not to say Book!Geralt lacks other ordinary human flaws, however – twice in the last two books of the main saga, he gets severely sidetracked after his ego gets the better of him (in the adulation he receives after being knighted, then after arriving in Toussaint), and it's quite some time before he properly gets back on track for that whole rescuing-Ciri thing again. He’s also pretty hopeless when it comes to romance and relationships – breaking things off gracefully is really not in his skillset.

So why does game!Geralt not bother me more? Well, he's the main player character of a game franchise, and one who has to carry the experience largely solo. Some adjustments for genre are pretty much inevitable in that position. He's certainly fared better than Meve, for example, who's been softened far more from her book characterisation for her PC role in Thronebreaker. Then there's the whole amnesia thing – it's easy to believe that sort of experience would change a man – and if he doesn't sulk so much as he used to, maybe he's grown up a bit. Geralt's also in many ways the straight-man of Sapkowski's Witcher universe – there largely as the reliable centre for other, louder personalities to play off. But I expect the real bottom line here is that I do still like game!Geralt enough to forgive him a lot of what he lacks.

The books never do describe Geralt as being very attractive – something book-based fanart often tries to reflect. The point has been made before that the rather-alien-looking Geralt of the first game (left pic above) is probably a lot closer to his book-description. However, the main distinguishing factor you’ll see in book-based fanart is probably the ubiquitous headband, which genuinely is what book!Geralt wears to make his hair behave (the example on the right above comes from Diana Novich).

All that said, if Sapkowski really wants me to believe that nearly so many women are eager to jump into bed with him, I’m going to have to shallowly assume our witnesses are unreliable on this front, and Geralt is at least as attractive as Witcher 3′s take on him. Nothing else makes sense. *g*

Regis

Regis varies mostly in that book!Regis is a lot more smug, sometimes verging on obnoxious – and a lot keener to make fun of Geralt (who generally deserves it). But then, Regis is old and wise and superpowered enough to dance rings around most everyone else – can you blame him? By Blood and Wine, Regis' overconfidence has been recently smacked down hard after his near-death-experience at the hands of Vilgefortz, and that kind of thing could knock some chips off anyone's shoulder. Throw in the fact that with Dettlaff, we have a situation not even Regis could make light of, and the changes to game!Regis make a certain amount of sense.

I do feel it's a bit of a shame that the vocal direction didn't work just a little bit harder to capture some of Regis' smugger side, or emphasise that his long-winded philosophising on human behaviour is supposed to sound a bit pretentious. This is actually something I suspect they were going for a few times in the script, but which didn't come through in the dialogue quite the way it was meant to. Still, again, I'm sure I'm biased by the fact that I like game!Regis far too much to find much fault in what they've done with him. They've done a lovely job capturing his friendship with Geralt too.

Looks-wise, there's a tendency in book-based art to portray Regis with long hair (even some pre-Blood-and-Wine Gwent art did so – see the two pics on the left above, from Gwent and early B&W concepts. The right-most pic is cover art from the books). I couldn't rightly tell you where long-haired-Regis comes from, though – perhaps it's described more explicitly in the original Polish, or perhaps it comes up in passing in some passage I've forgotten, though it may just as well just be a fannish meme.

The books do describe him as looking rather like a tax collector, slim, middle-aged, with an aquiline nose, prone to wearing black, and his hair as 'greying' or 'grey streaked', so presumably somewhat younger-looking than the game would have it. The hammer-horror-esque sideburns are likewise a game-verse addition, though I do like the look they went with – it's distinct from Geralt in a way that making him another long-grey-haired man wouldn't have been, and that's probably the point.

Being the hopeless Regis fan I am, I have quite the folder full of different fanart takes on book!Regis, so have a selection – art here is by gellihana-art, justanor, greysmartwolf, Nastyaskaya, NatalyLanier, beidak, natalliel, ellaine and afternoon63. For what it’s worth, I feel beidak’s (bottom pic, second from the left) comes the closest to what I’d have pictured personally, based on how he’s first described.

Ciri

I find it much harder to rationalise the changes to game!Ciri, who I didn't exactly dislike, but found stuck too close to the role of generic-macguffin-girl-who-just-wants-to-be-normal to be very interesting. Having read the books, not only do I much prefer book!Ciri, I'm not sure I can emphasize enough how much the game did NOT prepare me for utter gauntlet of whump and misery that girl survives in the last four titles. Book!Ciri is a character who works for me mostly because of the same flaws the game mostly strips her free of – TW3 makes some token noise about how you can't tell her what to do, but she’s an utter little royal brat when we first meet book!Ciri, and it’s so much of what brings her to life. She throws herself into her witcher training with the enthusiasm of a kid going completely native, but still revels in getting to be girly for a change when Triss first arrives at Kaer Morhen. She hates Yennefer at first, but soon bonds with her just as strongly as she ever did with Geralt, picking up some of Yennfer’s haughty mannerisms along the way. And then she gets thrown through a portal and lost in the distant wilderness, and the whole world comes down on her head.

The build up to the first time Ciri actually has to kill someone is intense... and things only get worse from there. Steadily. For another couple of novels at a stretch. Seriously, a major caveat that pretty much has to go into any rec for these books (and I will absolutely rec these books) is that Ciri's story gets heavy. So heavy one finds oneself using phrases like, "that time that one guy died of his wounds on top of her while semi-consensually feeling her up was honestly one of the less traumatic incidents in the period."

By the end of the novels, Ciri has nearly died of thirst, been beaten, tied up, dragged around the country as a prisoner, run with bandits and killed innocent people for the fun of it, done fantasy-cocaine and got a tattoo, fought off more than one attempted rape, been drugged, lain for multiple nights next to an impotent elf who completely fails to impregnate her, watched the bodies of her friends and girlfriend being mutilated in front of her, and did I mention where she got that scar? She has survived hell, and it is absolutely a testament to her own strength that she somehow comes through it and puts herself back together at the end. When Geralt finally arrives to rescue her, what matters most isn't that her ordeal is over, but that she finally knows she hasn’t been abandoned by everyone who’d ever loved her after all.

The Ciri of the books is fierce and wild and arrogant, but she's learned her morals from the best, and she holds onto them until she can't, then picks them back up again when she can, and above all she survives. For all that her story turns arguably too much of the last two books into a slog of misery, oh boy does it pay off at the end. And that's probably about as much as I can say about her Big Moment in the last book without spoiling too much, so suffice to say that by the end of the saga, Geralt has pretty much become a supporting character in Ciri's story, not the other way around. (Seriously, you’d be surprised how few chapters of the last two books he’s actually in.)

Finding art which captures the aspects of Ciri’s character and history which are missing from the game has turned out to be pretty hard, though the fanart above from her bandit phase takes a decent crack at it (credit to Loles Romero and NastyaSkaya). I do rather like that one shot of her on horseback beside her girlfriend too, which comes from Denis Gordeev’s illustrations for the novels (below).

How much of this does TW3 get across with her portrayal in the game? Well, she's still pretty headstrong, I guess. And they let you give a 'sorry, I like girls' answer in one bit of dialogue, so they remembered her girlfriend existed. That's nice. But game!Ciri still has a kind of wide-eyed innocence that book!Ciri lost years ago, while book!Ciri is a little force of nature in ways the games hardly even hint at, and that's a really shameful loss.

You'd think, with a character so young, it ought to be easier to imagine she's simply grown up since we saw her last, but so much of what's changed about Ciri feels like a step back rather than forwards. I can shrug off Geralt and Regis' differences and still enjoy their game-verse-selves, but Ciri leaves me genuinely disappointed.

I’d say the official art that comes closest to capturing book!Ciri is that one portrait of her as a very grumpy young child (right above). Some of the early concept art (left above) feels a little more like it has her attitude, though she’s rather too yellow-blonde – not to mention too pretty. I think it also bears pointing out that Ciri isn’t really supposed to be the kind of beauty she is in the game – even before she gets what’s meant to be a seriously ugly and disfiguring scar. (Fanart below by justanor and bobolip)

But of course, the male gamer fanbase can’t be expected to give a fuck about a girl they wouldn’t want to fuck, so game!Ciri must be generically gorgeous. Le sigh.

Triss

I suppose I should at least touch on Triss, too, though she's a very odd case. She's so out of character in the first Witcher game that I am wryly amused that the biggest thing they arguably do get right is that taking advantage of Geralt the moment he showed up with amnesia is... pretty well in-character for her (look, I gotta be honest here, I'm not much of a fan of Triss in any of her incarnations).

The second game does a much better job with her – she actually feels like book!Triss, she has some good dialogue, we're finally dealing with some of her conflicted loyalties to the Lodge and to Geralt – though by the third, her characterisation has been so softened into “the nice one” that none of that potentially meaty conflict is ever resolved, or even really mentioned. Perhaps there's more buried in the Triss-romance path, which I've never bothered with, but the writers seem to have just given up on dealing with anything that might make her look less than wholly sympathetic. Heck, we hardly even get a clear statement about why she and Geralt broke up between Witchers 2 and 3.

Even speaking as such a not-a-fan of Triss, I promise there is more they could've done with the character the books give us. There's her ongoing trauma in from the Battle of Sodden, where she was injured so badly she was memorialised as one the dead: the 14th of the hill. There's her furious impatience with the neutrality of both the witchers and the Lodge: Triss has fought and died for a cause, and is ready to do so again. The second game sort of gets into this, but by and large, the games really aren't up to tackling the moral complexity of having such a theoretically-sympathetic character as Triss, who was still broadly willing to go along with the Lodge's plans to pair Ciri off and get her pregnant as soon as possible – her own wishes be damned. No, instead, Triss has conveniently left the Lodge before the rest of them go spiraling into abject villainy in the second game, clearing all that messy grey stuff out of the conflict.

Of course, the really big unresolved plot point still hanging over book!Triss is how badly she needs to terms with the fact Geralt's just Not That Into Her, and never has been – but since the games want Triss to be a serious romantic option, that's definitely not getting the resolution it could've used.

Book!Triss also pointedly avoids any outfit with a plunging neckline because her chest is covered with the ugly scars she received in the Battle of Sodden, something the games did not have the guts to reproduce. In a more confusing note, the books do consistently describe her hair as 'chestnut', which we'd usually think of as meaning 'brown' – though it turns out the games actually may not have been wrong to make her a redhead, since in Poland 'chestnut hair' apparently mean dark red hair (google some pictures of actual chestnuts, and you'll see why). Still, the firy-red-haired Triss of TW3 who wears nothing but plunging necklines remains a bit of a stretch, however you slice it. Once again, TW2 gets her best (and I must say, gave her the nicest outfit) – though even here she's conspicuously unscarred in all her sex scenes.

(Leftmost pic above is official Witcher 2 art, whereas Triss-with-scars fanart comes to us – once again – from nastyaskaya)

Shani

Shani sort of falls into a similar category as Triss as someone who isn't terribly well-served by any of her appearances, given that both exist in the first game largely to compete for Geralt's attentions. But I can't honestly say I find Shani’s portrayal in the Hearts of Stone expansion to be much better – the degree to which either version exists solely to fall all over Geralt is a bit painful, especially given that their relationship in the books is limited to a single, undramatic hook-up. Book!Shani really only appears in a couple of chapters: we meet her as a medical student friend of Dandelion's, who's been surreptitiously selling pilfered university supplies to fund her degree, then later see her again in the final book, where she proves herself as a battlefield medic during the climactic Battle of Brenna. She's pragmatic to a fault, and I really can't see her as the type who needs Geralt to point out to her that her patient is dead, for example, or who'd subject a guy with Geralt's problems to such an extended feelings-dump as you'll get out of her during the wedding.

Shani is a reasonably logical book-character to bring back, if only because she’s one of those who explicitly survives the ending, but for my money, "serious contender for Geralt's affections" is just not a role she works in.

Anna Henrietta

The duchess of Toussaint, Anna Henrietta, is another case who differs more from her book counterpart than you might think. In the books, the duchess is by far the least competent of the (pleasantly many and) various female leaders and rulers we meet – she comes across as rather young and naive, and every bit as absurd as everyone else in the ridiculous fairy-tale duchy she rules. She is, for example, most displeased to learn that Nilfgaard's war against the north is ongoing (something her courtiers have carefully avoided mentioning in her presence), because she'd long since sent the Emperor a stern note demanding he brought it to an end. She promptly has one of her ministers sent to the tower for misinforming her, and demands the others prepare an even sterner note for the emperor, which will surely do the job.

After Dandelion (inevitably) cheats on her, she has him repeatedly sent to the gallows, only to change her mind and send him a reprieve at the very last minute each time. Picture yourself a much younger and prettier version of the Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland, and you've about got her general vibe.

Blood and Wine sort of waves at this part of her character when she first speaks about Dandelion, and again in suggesting there's a widespread feeling she lacks compassion, and once more as she proves utterly immovable on the subject of her sister. But the generally sensible and insightful woman you deal with for most of the main story is a far cry from her book-verse characterisation. That’s a bit of a shame, because I feel like there's a lot more they could have done to blend the two versions of her. Still, it’s hard to argue the duchess we get suits the story being told around her.

Other characters

Much as I love Yennefer, Dijkstra and Phillipa, I don't really have much more to say about them because I feel the games have done such a good job. The Yennefer of the books gets to show a lot more depth and complexity simply because she has more scenes and more space in which to do so, but when ‘there isn’t more of her’ is your biggest complaint, the game is officially doing pretty well. I could certainly gripe her about how “dresses in black and white” seems to have been taken as “dresses in black with maybe a trace of white trim”, or how Yennefer and Triss seem to be the only sorceresses in the world capable of wearing pants, when Phillipa (just for one) is in sensible men’s clothing the very first time we meet her, but that’s getting into serious nitpicking territory.

(Not that Yen can’t look amazing in outfits with more white – art by Emily Caroll, theclashofqueens, BarbaraRosiak, and cosplay by greatqueenlina)

Vesimir, Lambert and Eskel, Geralt's fellow witchers from the School of the Wolf, fall into a similar category for me – though we spend far less time with them in the books, everything we see of them in the games feels like a fairly logical extension of their book-roles. Vesimir is somewhat over-played as the old fogey, and his death is painfully cliched, but the impact on the characters and Kaer Morhen still hits home – and the games do some especially great work expanding Lambert into a much more complex character. To my mind, the only shame is that more of the book-original characters didn't get the same treatment.

Who have I missed? There's Avallac'h, of course, but I think I've got him pretty well covered by that last post. Zoltan, perhaps inevitably, has had his personality largely flattened into 'generic dwarf', with nothing better to do than hang around Geralt and Dandelion. You wouldn't know Book!Zoltan was apparently incapable of turning away women and children in need, for example – even human women and children with the chronic inability to say thankyou for his help. Or that he eventually admits to Geralt that the luggage he and his friends are carrying comes from a decidedly unsavoury source for such a supposedly charitable, upstanding guy. Yes, even Zoltan gets to be a morally complicated character in the books – who knew?

Speaking of dwarves, pleased as I am that Yarpen Zigren gets remembered in TW2, he's an odd one to talk about, since even in the books, he appears to have had a substantial personality transplant between his two main appearances. Yarpen’s a largely comedic figure in The Bounds of Reason short story, where he cheerfully admits to having considered letting his men knock down a particularly pompous aristocrat and piss all over him to teach him a lesson, but he’s evolved into a studious voice of reason against the scoiata'el by Blood of Elves. TW2 doesn't do a particularly good job of capturing either version, which I suspect probably bothered me more than most people – I liked the later book-incarnation of Yarpen immensely (and not even just because he's one of few ever to really call Triss out on just how much she needs to stop misreading Geralt's friendship as anything more than it is). His chapter in Blood of Elves packs a hell of a punch.

On the subject of accents

I do have to wonder if I'd have warmed up to characters like Triss, Shani and Dandelion (or even Letho) more if they'd only had halfway decent voice actors. It's not just that none are exactly leading the talent at the acting part of the job, it's that their American accents stick out in TW3 like a sore thumb.

Geralt mostly gets away his own US accent by dint of being the very first character we meet, so we've gotten used to the way he talks long before we notice how he stands out – hell, maybe that's just how they talk down in Rivia (hilariously, book!Geralt eventually reveals he's not even from Rivia, but simply picked the place and taught himself the accent so he could feel a bit less like the abandoned foundling he is, which only gives us yet more excuse for why his accent might sound a bit weird). More importantly, Geralt is meant to stand out, to be the outsider wherever he goes, so having him sound like no-one else fits the character.

But neither Triss or Dandelion are "of Rivia", and by the time they show up we've had dozens of hours in a game where literally everyone else sounds British, or Scottish, or Irish, or vaguely-eastern-European in the case of the Nilfgaardians. So why do these weirdos sound like no-one else on the continent?

The short answer seems to be that every character with an American accent in TW3 is someone who had an American accent in at least one of the previous games, which were way looser with their casting and had enough incidental American accents around that they didn't stand out. Clearly, by TW3, consistency with prior games has been prioritised over consistency with literally anything else we’re hearing.

Gaetan is an exception to the rule as the only new character (at least that I caught) with an American accent – presumably because between Geralt, Eskel, Lambert, Berengar, and Letho (and cohorts), some sort of 'witchers have American accents' rule has been pretty well established (another random American-accented witcher shows up in Thronebreaker, just to underline the point). We're going to mostly ignore Jad Karadin here, since his British accent is presumably a recent affectation to go with his new identity, and so makes sense.

This still doesn't really work though, since Letho’s school is all the way down in Nilfgaard (land of the Eastern European accents), while the oldest witcher from Kaer Morhen (Vesimir) is the one guy with a British accent. He sounds nothing like any of his students, despite the fact he's logically the guy they ought to have learned their accents from. So the logic falls in a heap however you slice it, and I'm thrown right out of the game.

With TW3 as your intro to the series, it feels almost as if characters like Triss and Dandelion have been assigned American accents because they're just too important to be saddled with the same pedestrian British accents as everyone else, which did nothing to endear them to me. The only one I eventually warmed up to was Lambert, and then only because he's just such a bitter asshole that he eventually goes full circle and comes out the other side (somewhere around when you've heard his miserable backstory, then gotten drunk together and told him how much you love him, man). Gaetan similarly snuck in under the same clause – American accents clearly work better for me in this series when attached to characters you're supposed to find pretty insufferable on first impressions.

Some final notes

To conclude, it seems only fair to throw in a quick nod to some of the more memorable book-characters who don't appear in the games. Neither Mother Nenneke (Geralt's sort-of-surrogate mother) or Vissena (Geralt's biological mother) ever appear either, alas – Vissena doesn't even merit so much as a Gwent card, which seems quite the wasted opportunity.

Milva, Cahir and Angouleme – the three remaining companions of Geralt’s who died alongside Regis but who were not so easily resurrected – naturally don’t appear. But nor are even really mentioned in all the games, which seems rather less than they deserve after giving their lives to Geralt's cause.

Cahir and Angouleme do at least have pretty badass Gwent cards to their names, though I am properly offended that Milva (who has the dubious honour of being my very favourite book character who doesn't ever appear in the games) is stuck with a card of her freaking death scene – which not only gets the scene wrong (believe me, there was no grimacing and gripping the arrow buried shallowly in her chest for poor Milva), but doesn't even bother to get her hair the right colour, for fuck’s sake. Basically, Milva was a stone cold badass and absolutely deserves better. #justice4milva

One can only guess how I'd have felt about some of these characters had I read the books before playing the games – I am obviously biased towards forgiving changes to characters whom I liked in their game incarnations, regardless of how they compare. Still, I think it does speak wonders that there still all these characters who suddenly made sense only after I'd met them in the books.

Even if only for Dandelion and Ciri, I can only dream of seeing a bit more of the book-original characterisations make it into the collective fannish consciousness. There's nothing wrong with getting into the canon purely based on the show or the games, but having read Sapkowski's novels, it's no longer any mystery how they spawned this massive franchise. That the saga wasn’t even fully available in English until well after Witcher 3 was released – a solid couple of decades late, and long after it had already been translated into Russian, French, German, Spanish and more – is a real shame. For once, it’s us in the anglophone world who’ve been missing out: these books deserve so much more than to be thought of as a footnote to the games or the show.