#not only that fluff with THIS SPECIFIC PLOT??? who am i. what have i done with bella

[nitrowyverine]

I thought playing Obscura would help me get rid of my brain worms. no, it just gave me new ones. For Obscura, specifically.

I'll be adjusting the format from my TOUCHSTARVED expanded thoughts post. Brain dump after the cut!

[Demo/CH 1 spoilers are included]

(Header Image from Itch.io page! All images in this post are either from there or the Rotten Raccoons tumblr page)

Design/gameplay thoughts:

In full honesty without fluff: this game fucks immensely.

The setting for Obscura might be my new all-time favorite, like, ever. Mystery underground scandalous marketplace??? Under a mountain???? it's a diverse and vast city that's still elegantly contained and claustrophobic, but in a spicy way. The worldbuilding and flavor is excellent. I really want to run a TTRPG in a similar setting now, since its an area with so many possibilities.

CH. 1/the "demo" has a LOT of meat on it. It's got different endings, variations, a whole soundtrack. Speaking of sountrack-

Obscura is also one of the few games I've put on the soundtrack to just to vibe to. The soundtrack is SO good, and sets such a strong mood/tone. I think it complements the game perfectly.

Allot of people have mentioned it, but I am also a fan of the Safeword pause menu. It's a nice and comforting touch, especially when the game can get so intense. It lets players take a breather if they need it, but also doesn't interrupt the intensity/mood of the game for someone who doesn't want a break from the narrative.

Now, onto character specific thoughts!

Cirrus:

IN MY HOUSE WE DON'T BELIEVE IN NOT STARTING OUT STRONG

Shout outs for having your asexual option in the dating sim be. The kinkiest guy there

Cirrus is a bit too intense for me, however, that is NOT a bad thing in the slightest. I think his route is well done for those who are up for his brand of intensity.

I might still play his route because. damn this boy's issues got me curious about his backstory. ($10 on mommy issues)

I had the hardest time getting to Cirrus's good end during my playthrough because having pretty much any self-preservation instinct around Cirrus gives you a bad/neutral ending. He's the only one I had to pull the guide out to get the best ending. (I think I'm just too sassy)

I get medusa vibes from Cirrus. The snake imagery is more likely tied to the lunar church, but his staunch reluctance to take his own mask off makes me wonder (this is mainly referenced in asks answered by the Rotten Raccoon studios). Refusal to let people see his eyes + snakes + power + slightly unnatural abilities to influence is, something.

I am shaking this man like a snowglobe WHAT IS YOUR DEAL I MUST KNOW MORE

(I am. metaphorically shaking him like a snowglobe. I would never shake this man im terrified)

CONCLUSION: Most likely to shame you for your anime choices. Least likely to be normal about it when you ask for help peeling an orange.

Keir:

HERE COMES BIG MAN

yeah he's tied for favorite right now. the slow burn in his plot is just too good? big man....freckles...secret soft side...im weak

he's so nice I keep forgetting. He kind of kidnaps you? not even kind of he just drags you off the street and goes "you live in my house now". Even Griff calls MC a stray early on. My man really said "Here's a convenient lost human I'm dragging them home now"

oh my GOD they were ROOMATES

I definitely was too nice to him in my first playthrough until I realized he does need (and want) to be sassed to death.

this man is like 6'6 and the canon-ish Vesper height from the CG is 5'4. THE HEIGHT DIFFERENCE. This kills the man (me)

The sprite of Keir's ears blushing SENDS ME INTO A FRENZY

I quite liked the gameplay style of Keir's route. I was so focused and invested as soon as I realized I needed to remember specific directions to save the heist group during timed decisions

Something I haven't seen discussed yet: I'm mega curious about the dagger Keir has on his outfit. It's specifically pointed out in text that it's high-quality, and I vaguely remember an ask that Rotten Raccoons answered that said it's a status symbol. (The dagger also just looks SO cool. and....it looks like Francesco's...?)

(My bet is that he either 1. stole it. or 2. got it from Oleander during their tryst (WHICH WE ALSO NEED TO TALK ABOUT-))

CONCLUSION: Most likely to be gifted a "WORLD'S BEST DAD" mug from his similarly-aged peers. Least likely to live down that one time he ate soap because he thought it was edible.

Francesco:

someone keep the "silver dust" away from this lad im scared

Originally, I was least looking forward to playing Francesco's route since I just wasn't interested in his initial concept. After playing his route though? It was excellently done, and I genuinely had fun. It was refreshing to have a character more naive than Vesper, so more cultural aspects were explained and we got a good alternate perspective on the marketplace. Also, it got REAL spicy in new and exciting ways the other chapters didn't. I'm really looking forward to the next chapters with his route!

I totally love the contrasts in his design and his character. He's got both bright red and blue highlights in his design, his outfit is very pointy and angular while his hair/smile is soft and flow-y.

And in his personality, he's both sweet and open, but extremely cagey about some information, and quite pragmatic when he wants to be. I think he's way smarter than he lets on.

that doesn't mean I don't want to bridal carry him and tuck him into bed at night after a all-nighter party

I do think Fran's slightly looser demeanor could lead to him being even more brutal than the other LI's. Remember that one anime clip (Found it, it's this one from Danshi Koukousei) where a group of friends wants to fight for fun, but one of the friends asks why they need rules in a fight? And said friend is shown like secretly holding a rock and was ready to use it? that's Fran. He would not have chill and does not heed the rules.

"Protect the boy", but mostly to prevent him from tasting blood. Because if that happens we're all fucked

CONCLUSION: Most likely to eat that M&M off the ground because you dared him. Least likely to beat the puppy allegations.

Oleander:

Oleander is tied for favorite with Keir. Oleander is just *chefs kiss* LOOK AT HIM. inscrutable......

Somewhere in an ask answered by Rotten Raccoons studio, they mentioned that for Oleander's route, they were going for a "Sexy boss situation that doesn't feel like a work safety violation". They hit that right on the nose; there's intrigue and a power imbalance, but in a non-restrictive or terrifying way.

I love being involved in the business part of his route. I keep making decisions like "Hmm yes my primary goal is to romance Oleander. But what would be the smartest business move here? How do we advance our agenda?"

Also, I do love playing a sexy evil secretary in a vn. love having a job and being evil at it AND being paid money. 10/10

That dance scene is everything I could have ever wanted no notes

I am fascinated to find out more about what he's been up to since his last trek into the marketplace. Seems like people are trying to kill him all the time anyway, so what would be enough to cause him to leave?

he's like an angler fish, but the lure is his booba

I relate to Oleander in that. I have too many online usernames because I can't stick with one. People get my 800 online names mixed up often. He has the same problem, we're basically twinsies

This man is pretending to be a himbo like his life depends on it (It probably does). He's too smart though, I know for a fact he has at least three different schemes going at any given time.

CONCLUSION: Most likely to be able to help you properly lace a corset (this man knows the boot-to-the-back necessity of the process). Least likely to be allowed to be banker during monopoly night.

Vesper:

black mask enjoyer 4 life

(all three are good I just wanted to say which one I picked. And to add my conclusion section)

CONCLUSION: Most likely to get their shit rocked by a falling piano. Least likely to survive an argument about pineapple on pizza.

Concerns:

With how separate the four routes are, the game could potentially feel like four separate visual novels all in one universe. Maybe I haven't played enough VN's, but there is a feeling of separation between the routes.

In the very beginning of the game, when you're picking your route, I wish there was a bit more heads up/information between who you're picking. For example, I had a rough idea that going into the church is where you'd find Cirrus, but only from information outside the game. I didn't know sticking around for the brawl would push you into Kier's route. It's overall pretty vague to which route you're going based on only in-game information.

Misc thoughts:

Vesper: "How are you going to keep me?? ;)" Keir and Oleander: "crimes" Vesper: "Wh-" Keir and Oleander: "you're an accomplice now congrats we're in this together. wanna get drinks"

catch my socially anxious ass wanting to be under the mountain and wear masks so I don't have to make eye contact with strangers all the time. at least its a fun thought to have when I mask for covid

OKAY FRANCESCO AND KEIR'S DAGGER MATCH? AND ARE RED/BLUE LIKE FRANCESCOS OUTFIT? DOES IT MEAN ANYTHING??? probably not but I do like the pretty knives....

For real, I got the brain worms for this game, I'm on the edge of making a big ol playlist. the headcannons? They go on my friend. they go on. I'm laying awake at night thinking about what each character would order at a coffee shop

by the time I publish this post. I did start working on the playlist

yes, I've also designed my own vesper, its such a prime opportunity for character design.

Obscura also may or may not have inspired me to get involved with an otome jam game team, more on that in the future possibly.....

OVERALL: I got the first chapter/demo of Obscura for free from Itchio/steam. High marks for writing, sound, art, game design, all of it! I am on the edge of my seat waiting for CH2.

TL;DR: If you haven't played it, and love spicy and dark stories, go play it! Part one is free! and fantastic.

Itch.io

Steam

[catscidr]

I think we have all seen the "Argenti thinks the Reader is Idrila" stuff on here. But what if the reader actually is Idrila? So I wanted to request Argenti/Idrila!Reader (gn or afab reader) headcanons or a oneshot where Idrila, who has taken on a mortal identity after [Insert tragic event here], and meets Argenti. They develop feelings for each other, Argenti finds out she is Idrila, they end up dating. (Maybe or maybe not in that specific order) I thought maybe after protecting her followers from Nanook she disappeared to ensure Nanook doesn't target them anymore? That part isn't as important so feel free to add whatever backstory you think fits^^ Thank you in advance, I really like your writing!

NONNIE omg im booting up star rail rn to stare at him lovingly. also i changed the scenario a smidge so reader is her own person while also being idrila? if that makes sense......?? yeah. also bc otherwise id be writing ten thousand words n i didnt want ur ask to grow dusty in my inbox d(;∀;d) but tysm for the prompt i couldn’t stop thinking about it ueue. also hey gang peep me trying to make my blog look more coherent n nicer looking. am i doin it ⸝⸝⸝⸝⸝⸝ cw: a smidge of amnesia and soulmate trope (it’s not that bad, trust), fluff, love at first sight (does that even count in this scenario....), argenti and reader are dancing around the topic a lot bc argenti is a gentleman and doesn’t want to pressure her to talk. blurbs to set up the plot + a fic after them hehe. not proofread, writer’s block is killing me  includes: fem reader (he refers to reader as "my lady"), argenti, natasha, luocha is kinda there wc: 2,3k

-ˋˏ You’d go to Natasha’s clinic at least once every other day because you always had the worst migraines. To the point where you almost got beat up by a Flamespawn one time when you were clearing out calyxes (thankfully there was a Silvermane guard patrolling the area, otherwise you would’ve been charred). The doctor always says the same thing; “Stop looking for fights so often”, “Let your body rest”, “I can’t prescribe you antibiotics”, and your favorite, “Stop slamming my door open I can’t do anything about your headaches”. She was a good friend, but whenever she repeated how she couldn’t be of any help to your predicament, you’d wish you could just take that glass vial hanging from her outfit and chuck it far, far away out of spite. 

-ˋˏ Obviously it wasn’t her fault- she'd done everything she could. Natasha even had you undergo the Underworld’s equivalent of an MRI scan because of how frequently you would visit her, insisting that something was wrong. The symptoms consisted of forgetting important things too often, feeling a foreign buzz in your limbs and brain, having a sudden burst of elemental energy come out of your attacks and a myriad of benign but annoying, irritating signs that something was up with you. 

-ˋˏ It became more of a chore than anything to leave your room. Some days you felt fine, but then when you’d go out again and beat up wave after wave of enemies in Caverns of Corrosion you would keel over, clutching your head while vague images of what could only be described as a fever dream ran through your mind. 

-ˋˏ You decided to leave the Underworld for some time- considering your absence like some sort of “vacation”. You heard of a wandering doctor (and merchant, apparently) by the name of Luocha and, from the people that crossed paths with him, it seemed like he was extraordinary at his job. A trek to the Xianzhou Luofu would be a long one, but after weighing your options you thought you’d give it a try (it was worth it if it meant you’d stop waking up at ungodly hours, holding your head in your hands while hoping, praying that the pain stops.) 

-ˋˏ You (somehow) made your way to the Xianzhou Luofu from Jarilo-VI. As competent as you were however, being stranded on a foreign planet with no map nor local to guide you was... a challenge. In retrospect, maybe you should’ve gotten in contact with that Luocha doctor and had him come to Belobog instead of you going to him since, well, he was a traveling merchant. Going from planet to planet is what he does (you assume). 

✧✧✧ 

If you had read up more on general information about the Luofu you would have been aware of how many enemies were roaming around the docking area. But you didn’t. So, unbeknownst to you, a rogue mara-struck soldier was on your tail, trying to sneak up to you to snag the goods you hid in your bag (which were basically just different types of painkillers and sustenance that bodes well on an upset stomach. He doesn’t know that though.) 

Your head was throbbing; ever since you set foot on the planet, your physical health had slowly dropped down to levels you wouldn’t be enduring if it wasn’t for the promise of a competent doctor once you get to the main city. Painkillers weren’t working, your feet hurt and to make matters worse, you felt the familiar lack of something in your head. It was so bad to the point where you had to have a tangible mark somewhere to remind you that you did, in fact, just take something for your headache and if you took two more painkillers, your body wouldn’t agree with your decision. It was a struggle even remembering what you did five minutes ago, no way were you going to be in top shape, beating up every enemy crossing your way. 

Clouds began covering the bright sun, casting shadows over the desolate, geometric area. You huff, irritated that, from the looks of it, you won’t be able to find a cozy place to set up camp. Though sleeping on a ground made of primarily iron and steel was considerably less nerve-wracking than sleeping on the mushy, cold, dirty ground of Jarilo-VI. So, with a pout aimed at no one in particular, you find some place that you deemed decent enough to set your humble tent. It wasn’t often that adventurers slept outside of safe zones, however with your condition you couldn’t afford to miss out on some rest and possibly get even more lost than you already are. 

You set your heavy backpack down, rolling your shoulders to soothe the ache in your muscles from carrying something so bulky. As you ruffle through your belongings, you open a bottled soda and take a swift gulp, sighing contentedly at the pleasant taste on your tongue. Now that you were sat and could rest your bones (until you started setting up your tent, at least), your ears were able to pick up on some not-so-distant footsteps. 

There’s no time for you to react; the mara-struck soldier that had been following you lunges at you, aiming for your bag. Your eyes widen and you open your mouth to yell, but before any sound can leave your mouth, a long, red and gold spear pierces the ground between you and the rabid man, making you yelp in surprise. You scurry as far back as you can in your current state; however, the soldier doesn’t have time to take advantage of your weakened stature. The owner of the spear lodges himself before your shaking figure and the mara-struck, yanking his spear out of the ground with impressive elegance, and summons an array of thorny vines to catch your assailant. 

It takes little to no effort for the seasoned fighter to take down the mara-struck as he swings his weapon, swiftly knocking the blunt end on the soldier’s plexus, knocking the wind out of him. A strangled scream leaves his throat as he scampers away, leaving your belongings safe with you and the strange red-haired man. He lowers his spear, careful to keep the sharp edge far from you, and turns around to face you properly. His brows raise a smidge for a split second before he composes himself and bows before you, the action short and curt.  

“It would have been a shame to lose a beauty such as yourself,” he says smoothly, straightening his back to look down at you with a warm smile. He stretches his hand out, a polite offer to help you stand up, as he continues speaking. “My name is Argenti, I belong to the Knights of Beauty. What might you be doing so far away from civilization, dear...?” he trails off, waiting for you to introduce yourself. 

You were in a state of shock, your mind still processing what had happened in such a short amount of time, that you failed to notice the lack of pain at the back of your head. As you meekly tell him your name, you hold onto his hand to help yourself up- as soon as his armored glove comes in contact with your hand something flashes in your mind; too quick to allow you to think about it too much, or to recognize what you saw for a millisecond. 

“So far away from civilization... do you know how to get to the city?” you ask as you feel a glimmer of hope spark in you. His words were refreshing, probably the best thing someone has ever said to you in the past month. He nods, reaching into his pocket to fish out a blue handkerchief embroidered with a delicate gold trim. Argenti hands it over to you and you gratefully take it, blotting the sweat and... dust off of your face. 

“I have made my way around the Luofu for long enough to show someone the way,” he says kindly. “Besides, even if I didn’t, I would still offer to accompany you through your trek. It is my duty as a Knight of Beauty, for I must uphold chivalry and distinguished manners, in the name of the Goddess guiding me.” His words resonate within you, making you beam, nodding in understanding. 

Your reaction doesn’t go unnoticed by the knight. As you hand his handkerchief back, he smiles at you and gestures to your bag. “What brings you so far from your homeworld, my lady?” Argenti asks gently, though a glimmer of doubt swirls in his sparkling, verdant eyes. The question makes you pause, a memory flashing in your mind too suddenly for you to know what it meant. Although, from what you could tell, you knew you could trust him with what troubled you somehow. 

“Ah, it’s a long story,” you start sheepishly, “I’ve been having these incredibly painful migraines recently. And sometimes I feel like my memory is fading too quickly for what would be considered normal,” you say, trailing off slightly at the end. “I’m looking for a healer, a doctor by the name of Luocha...?” 

Somehow, the doctor was currently the least of your worries. You’d never felt so refreshed before, at least not that you could remember; simply being in Argenti’s presence seemed to be enough to make your aches disappear like a starskiff smoothly gliding through a cloudless sky. 

“I’ve seen the man only a handful of times,” Argenti mutters aloud, pulling you out of your thoughts. “I can do my best to guide you to him, but if I may... you don’t seem to be injured?” the knight says, his voice trailing off into a questioning tone despite the observation. You shake your head, wondering how you should explain your predicament to the man. 

“Like I said, it’s a long story,” you say again, shrugging sheepishly. You wondered if you should even go into the nitty gritty- he could always just be making small talk to help you get comfortable or something. Sensing your unease, he changes the spotlight to him instead. 

“There’s no need to delve into details if you wish to keep them secret,” he says with a kind smile, bending down to take ahold of your hand- gently pressing a chaste kiss on the back of your hand. Red flushes your ears immediately, words caught in your throat at the sight of his hair cascading over his shoulders, a beautiful contrast from the gold and silver armor glittering in what was left of the sunlight. 

“As for myself, like I mentioned earlier, I am a Knight of Beauty. I’m on a quest to find my dear Goddess Idrila once more, for I need to pay my respects to them after they saved me from a particularly grim fate.” His words echoed in your mind, your brows knitting together as you felt what could only be described as a cold bucket of water being dunked on your head. “I-Idrila?” you parrot, your voice coming out as a choked noise. Argenti perks up, the hand that had been softly holding onto yours now holding it with a firmer grip, his other hand joining it. 

“Yes, Idrila. Have you ever heard of them? Or...” he trails off, looking deep into your eyes expectantly, almost as if he knew something you didn’t. His eyes seemed to suck you in, bringing a comfortable wave of warmth over you, making you yearn for something. 

“I...” you begin, your gaze falling down to look at your feet. As you thought long and hard about what you wanted to say, what you tried to remember, you slowly look over to his spear, lying flat on the ground- long forgotten since the fight earlier. As if a lightbulb went off above your head, you perk up just as he did, and look at him, beaming. The words were caught in your throat; there was so much you wanted to say, to declare, to do in this moment of clarity, but with how fast your mind was running to catch you up on the current events of your life it was a struggle. 

“Argenti,” you murmur, the name rolling off your tongue smoothly, as you realized seeing the traveling merchant was no longer required. Though the road might have been arduous, and you may have almost lost your mind in the process, being with Argenti suddenly made everything make sense. That’s why your migraines mysteriously disappeared as soon as you were in the knight’s presence, that’s why you had gaps in your memory, that’s why you were freakishly powerful... at convenient times.  

Everything clicked into place. 

The both of you share a pregnant pause, eyes locked together as the world seemed to come to a stop around you. If it were possible, you’re sure there would be delicate, silky rose petals floating around your figures, suspended in the air. You glance down at his lips, and for the first time, make a decision with a clear head. 

His lips felt smooth against yours, the faint taste of vanilla mixed with roses transferring to your own lips. The kiss almost felt like it could be the result of a symbiotic relationship; now that you had Argenti, or at least had him by your side once again, you didn’t think you’d be able to continue on without him. 

[watchingblsnowandforever]

Why We Are isn't just a fluffy no-plot show

I just read this post by @twig-tea, which honestly is a very well written, thought out post and I'd recommend giving it a read, it brings up many pertinent questions.

Having said that, I want to make just a small interjection as someone who really enjoyed We Are. This isn't just a biased view of why We Are is good - it has quite a few faults too. [can't even write a post without- *grumbling* so sorry my cat was prancing all over the bed threatening to pee] Where was I- yes. What I'm trying to say through this post is that We Are is queer in it's own right and while it might not match up to some of the greats of our time (Bad Buddy) it does resonate with a lot of queer people (including me.)

I myself asked @desi-yearning why I liked We Are. I was rewatching the show so at the time it was a sort of rhetorical question, but then I really thought about it. Why do I like We Are? The answer I arrived it is not as simple as I'd though it be (that it's a good fluffy show).

I am out and proud as a fluff enjoyer. I know angst reflects real world struggles and what queer people have to go through on a regular basis. I don't like angst but the why is a story for another time. Historically though, it's not that I've never watched angst or enjoyed it (I entered the bl world with KinnPorsche so-) but it's more a personal choice.

Now, coming to We Are specifically, I was actually skeptical all the way till episode 5 or 6, I think. I don't remember specifically what happened, but by ep 8 I was hooked.

All that rambling aside, here are the reasons why I think maybe We Are isn't just a no-plot fluff show:

Fans are actually leaning towards high stakes shows. GMMTV usually pretty accurately represents the wants of the bl-fan demographic (they have to, to earn the most profit) and it has slowly been turning towards ansgty, hard "real-world" (though this time with all the fate stuff and tarot cards it's more "we have nothing else to produce please give us your money") shows (whether they are well done or not, however, is another question altogether). I know that's a bit of an assumption but from meta on tumblr too, I get the same feeling. Therefore, We Are was a bit of a dark horse. P'New himself said, in almost all interviews that he never expected We Are to be commercially successful, he just made it because he wanted to. So... why?

Couple pairings. I have a LOT of beef with GMMTV. Much of it stems from their couple pairing strategy. While I do have my favourite pairing(s) (and I hate it because it means those capitalist idiots have been successful in their matchmaking scheme), I absolutely detest them overworking these pairings to produce commercially successful shows that are actually hollow. We Are, however, introduced a new pairing that was, by some, even more loved than the 'main' couple. For me, personally, I actually had very little idea about the other pairings too. I had seen PondPhuwin in NLMG but it was a high-angst show that made me queasy and I did not look further than what the show gave me. I had seen AouBoom as side couples but had hardly paid them any mind more than to maybe say "oh they're cute". I had seen WinnySatang in MSP and a couple more sides but I wasn't entirely convinced by that either. I only learnt more about them during or after the show, so they had less than nothing to do with me watching We Are. Alternatively, MLMU Th was disappointing for me, and I love GeminiFourth. When I watch a show, I do pay attention to the pairings, but that's not the only thing that can carry a show for me.

Friendship. This is a big one. I'm in college. Friendship is a very big, very important part of college/uni. I've never had many friends and honestly did enter college mentally prepared to go through all four years alone. But then I made friends. I just- they are so important to me. I know I'm maybe not as important to them as they are to me but I know they'll help me out when I ask. So when I saw this little show about friendship as a central point, I embraced it hard and cried about it at night. If you peel off the few outer layers, at it's core, it's all about friends. And that just got to me. It was more found family adjacent which is also a soft spot of mine. It's about not taking friendship for granted, about cherishing what you have, about putting your friends first, and always being there for them.

Queer representation. We Are examines overused tropes in a new light. Big example of this is how Peem/Phum could have very easily turned into a dark, toxic relationship. Even a few years back, it would have. But it didn't. We understood why Phum was the way he was. And Peem was never for a moment shown to be anything but his equal or tolerating any of his bullshit (even during the slave era he made it abundantly clear to Phum that this was wrong and if he really didn't want to, he wouldn't be doing it. He specifically told Phum to not let Peem's friends know because Peem knew, with absolute certainty, that if they found out, Phum would be buried alive). He even called Phum out multiple times. Moreover, it is also a story about queer groups, about queer friendship, specifically. I think bls don't show that enough. Even through the hard times, we do sometimes have people to support us, be it just one fellow queer or a whole group. It is also about acceptance of self and acceptance of love. Another thing that really got to me was the friends-to-lovers arc of ChainPun. I've often had crushes on my friends, and I've either confessed long after, when I didn't like them anymore, or never confessed at all. That shit is hard. In 12th grade, I had a very embarassing crush and most of my friends knew about it, so that trope was very cathartic for me. However. I did want Phum's relationship with his estranged father to be better explored. I don't like how easily they blow that away. It has been a pattern (mentioned in the linked post) and while I love my accepting parents/guardians, I do think we do also need homophobic ones. To change older generations' mindset, I think it's better to show them initially as conservative and harsh but slowly become accepting near the end of the series because they realize that if they continue their behaviour they might just lose their loved ones for good. (Homophobic parents is also very close to my heart but I have a complicated relationship with it.)

No plot. We Are does have an idiot plot, i.e., it's character driven. But I don't think it's entirely devoid of an overarching plot/storyline. Every character does play out a little bit of plot that plays into a bigger picture. Every character has a place, a purpose. Comparing the beginning to the finale, we see the characters have changed not just due to character development, but also as a result of the characters around them and the circumstances they were placed in. And all of these characters are tied together, somehow.

I have no idea if all that makes any sense, but yeah, that's my take on it.

This post was actually sparked off by a few questions that came up after I read the post linked in the beginning; can't queer people be happy? Despite all the struggles and the suffering, can't they have a home to come to? Does queer rep always neccessarily have to be angsty with a barely-happy ending? Does our love always have to be bittersweet?

If you've read this far, thank you so much for giving my rambling a chance! =D

Please rest your eyes for a moment and remember to hydrate <3

Here, have a donut 🍩

[the-s1lly-corner]

One Shot Requests

That's right! One shots are now a possible option when requesting something! Like normal requests, you can see the status of if they're open or not in my bio! Hooray!

Below will be a short list of rules and what can and cant be written! Be sure to read through it thoroughly before requesting!

RULES

It's very similar to the standard rules for this blog! No spamming unless its otherwise said its allowed (it never hurts to ask!)

Given that these will be entire fics rather than hc posts, only one character is allowed per post (or at least, one main character asides the reader! Quick cameos are allowed and may be added on general depending on plot and if they're needed to expand the story)

^ I do plan on adding poly as an option but until I get my footing on one shots it's just monogamous pairings for now

You can find the list of current fandoms I write for in my pinned! If you're not sure, you can always check! I keep the list updated!

Fics vary in length, really depends on how much steam I have

Fics will be posted here as well as on AO3, assuming the fic is SFW! AO3 link can be found in my pinned!

Obligatory I am an amateur who writes for fun so expect possible OOC and stuff LMAO

WHAT I WILL WRITE

Fluff, angst, platonic relationships, family relationships, and romance! Hooray! If there is ever anything I feel uncomfortable writing or feel I cannot do justice for, I will let you know ASAP!

Canon x reader! You're allowed to add descriptors for a reader! Gender, personality, style and so on! Just please note it will be harder to capture certain aspects in one shots than it will be for standard hc posts

Prompts and/or hc posts done in the past are allowed to be selected to be expanded upon in a fic!

If you're unsure if I write for a character from a fandom you can always ask! There are some fandoms that are very selective

WHAT I WILL NOT WRITE

Darker topics may be touched up upon however I have limits. I will do my best to voice myself if something is too much

Standard no nos: no incest or rape ect ect ect

No NSFW of characters who are in source minors (more on nsfw fics later) (nsfw IS allowed, just not on this blog)

On screen abuse and/or self harm. It is allowed off screen/implied or as a characters history

HOW TO REQUEST

All requests must go to the inbox and only the inbox! Requests sent through comments/messages/reblogs will not be answered period.

State your character of choice and any (optional) descriptors for the reader (readers are GN by default by the by)

Optionally you can request a specific scenario! It can be one of your own making or one taken from my prompt and trope lists!

NSFW ELABORATED

COMMISSIONS VS REQUEST

As of 10/26/2024 I have created a NSFW blog. You may ask for it in PMs but note that if you do not have your age stated in your bio you will not be getting it until it is there. If you find it on your own while being a minor/ageless blog you will be blocked both here and there. I also ask that minors stay away from my ao3 as eventually it may be mixed sfw/nsfw. All sfw fics will be posted here too so there is no reason for you to visit my ao3

As of the time of writing this one shot commissions are unavailable, when they are this section will be expanded upon! Naturally a commission allows one to have more customization and such in a fic as opposed to having a vague reader and stuff

[merbear25]

your back! ^v^/ can you do china, France and Italy x reader romantic headcanons Who's loves horror. Like they talk about horror all the time and show horror movie couples and be like "this is so us!"

Yes, I am! We're back in business haha. Thank you for sending this in! As a horror fan myself, it was fun to imagine these. I hope you like what I've written for you 💜💜

CW: SFW, gn!reader, fluff, slight humor, headcanons, characterization based on the episode Hetalia of the Dead

With a s/o who loves horror (China, France, Italy)

China 

As much as he thought he had a stomach for horror, you quickly put him in his place.

He wasn’t one to openly admit when he was scared, let alone terrified, so watching your favorite scary movies with him presented quite the challenge.

You could tell from the get go that he was struggling, though. He’d tremble and jump a few times, yet denied the film was affecting him. (You never asked by the way. He just felt like he needed to defend himself.)

Cuddling up closer to him when you sensed it may be too much to handle gave him such relief.

He couldn’t help but groan whenever you said “this is so us!” because half the time the couple ended up dying.

Even though you thrived in horror based activities, you understood his limits. Taking him to a haunted house was out of the question; he felt way too vulnerable. Something like a haunted hayride was doable for him, though.

Sure, he clung to you as if his life depended on it, but there was just an ounce more of security with this activity. After everything was said and done, the both of you couldn’t have come out of that more different: his heart was pounding and he felt drained while you were coursing with adrenaline.

With all of this considered, there were aspects of his culture that held their right when it came to monsters. Sharing these legends with you was much more his cup of tea, and he adored how you hung on each word.

France

Although he wasn’t as big of a fan as you, he wasn’t opposed to it. There were aspects that he could enjoy. He was much more partial to the plots being scary than any overuse of jumpscares.

He didn’t really get scared while watching these films with you. It was far more likely that the gore would turn his stomach. If you were completely numb to this and ate during these parts, that’d be more horrifying than anything playing on the screen.

Your comment of “that’s so us!” was rather funny to him, especially given the dumb or silly mistakes the couples always made.

Seeing as you were a die hard fan, he would offer to go on a guided tour of the catacombs. Exploring such a place needed to be done wisely, so don’t expect him to allow you to scamper off because you saw a “cool” skull.

Venturing with the group was nice for him. It was a unique part of his history, and being able to share it with someone who was more than willing to soak up the information was refreshing.

He wouldn’t be able to resist whispering little stories of others feeling cold spots or even a phantom hand on their shoulders. He told you these knowing how they’d pique your twisted little interest, smiling at you when your eyes lit up.

Walking down the streets at night was ideal for sharing legends with you. With the mood set as the moon hung high in the sky, he delivered each tale with conviction, only adding to their chilling ends.

Among all of the genres of film and literature, horror was not ranked highly for him. That being said, he grew more fond of it knowing how much it meant to you.

Italy

Despite his care-free and innocent demeanor, his country wasn’t exactly shy when it came to the horror scene.

He could stomach a lot of the gore to your surprise, even making a few comments on how good or bad the effects were.

Eating while watching such films was completely fine with him, and more often than not, he’d prepared something to compliment the film specifically. Of course, pasta, especially spaghetti, was the most commonly eaten while you watched horror because the sauce resembled the blood perfectly and the pasta was squishy like entrails.

As you messily slurped up your food, your comments of “this is so us!” was excitedly agreed on. When the couple (or one of them) inevitably died, he pointed out another that you two could relate to.

There were no issues for him when it came to sitting and watching something on a screen. However, going out to haunted houses was off the table, which you came to realize in practice. This poor man didn’t expect it to be so terrifying, and there was no way he’d be able to put on an act of bravery. When you eventually made it out, he was shaking like a leaf, leaving you to cuddle and tend to him for the rest of the week.

You being as big of a horror fan as you were, it was the perfect opportunity for him to show you the darker and more mysterious side of the country.

There were plenty of museums highlighting torture, castles which were said to be haunted, and even catacombs.

You were spoiled for choice, but that was fine! He would enjoy exploring each bit with you because he knew that it was a deep rooted interest.

[kpopsexstories]

New Story Finder Features!

What's up nerds? 🤓😎

At least I hope some of you are as nerdy as I am, because this post is for those of you who are 😏

I've added some stuff to Story Finder, my external website where you can browse the archives and stories of this k-pop smut blog. It can be tricky to get an overview of posts on Tumblr. This website lets you explore all my stories in new, more easily accessible, and deeper ways.

I'll dive deeper into the new pages and features in a moment, but here's an overview:

Sex Content Score: Every story now has a Sex Content Score (SCS). This is an indicator of how hot the smut in a story is. The score is based on the category tags I use, the intensity/style of sex, the word count of the story and other influencing factors. There's a new dedicated page on Story Finder where you can browse stories based on this hotness score.

The Sexuality of Idols: Each idol I've ever written about now has a Sexuality Scale rating. You can use this rating to see if an idol is more gay or straight within the universe of my smut (if I've written more gay or straight stories about them). The rating is calculated by comparing the Sex Content Score of all straight vs. gay stories that I've published about the idol.

Statistics & Charts: There's a new Statistics page. On this page you get the answer to questions like "How many stories have I published to each series?", "Which K-pop group have I written the most about?" and "What idol is most popular?"

So if you enjoy diving into numbers, finding smut that suits your preference, or just want to get to know me and my thought process better, this post and the new Story Finder features are for you! 😁

Stories: Sex Content Score

Since the beginning I've tagged my stories with the content in them. This includes sex positions, indicators like "Female Orgasm" or "Outdoor Sex", and ratings like Vanilla or Wild (in terms of the sex scenes).

This has of course been done so that you can find the type of stories you like more easily. In the Tumblr Master List post, for example, all stories are color-coded based on the sex intensity rating. And in Story Finder you can browse specific tags to find relevant stories based on your preferences and interests.

But what if there was a way you could combine all these pieces of information to learn what type of story you're looking at? Well, now there is.

When you put all these indicators together you get a pretty good view of what kind of story you're about to read. For me example, if there are a lot of content tags you can expect the sex scene to be longer and more varied, whereas if there's only one or two tags you're probably looking at something very short or vanilla.

A story with a high word count but very few tags about the sex content is a clear indicator that you're looking at a lot of fluff.

Here's the nerdy part: I've created a formula that takes all these factors into account to give each story a "score". You can look at the score and compare it to other stories to understand what amount of smut you can expect.

Specifically, the formula looks at the following aspects:

Sex category tags. Missionary, Doggy style, Female orgasm, Pregnancy kink, etc. The more tags are used, the higher the score.

Intensity Rating. Vanilla, Steamy, Wild, etc. Vanilla obviously gives a much lower score than for example Wild.

Word Count. The fact that a story is longer does not in itself make it hotter, but the word count does have a slight impact; the sex scenes are likely to be longer. The score is increased though if the story is very short but has a lot of sex content tags, and decreased if it's marked as "plot driven" on Story Finder.

Gay Stories. The score is slightly increased if the story is a gay one, because I tend to write gay smut as more explicit.

Likes on Tumblr. It is my theory that when a story is more “liked” than others it’s either because the sex is better/hotter or because there are nuances to the sexual tension in it that can’t be captured through other influences. While the impact is very minor compared to other aspects, a story’s “likes” on Tumblr are added to the SCS.

These are the highest scoring stories right now:

NCT Dream Dating Ban (the final story): 28,020 SCS

This is a gay 8-people orgie! Of course it will be the highest rated story in terms of Sex Content Score! :P

Backstage Sex with BTS Jungkook: 21,296 SCS

This is the longest and most varied continuous sex scene on the blog. Of course it has a really high Sex Content Score!

Boyfriends MX Wonho & Hyungwon x Male Reader: 20,542 SCS

Not only is it gay, but it's a threesome with a variety of sex positions. It makes sense that this is the third highest rated story in terms of sexual content.

There's a new Sex Content Score (SCS) page on Story Finder where you can browse stories based on their score. Are you looking for something long and wild, or short and vanilla?

Idols: Sex Content Score

When you take the SCS of all stories about a specific idol and add them together you get the idol's Sex Content Score. This is an indicator of much sexual experience an idol has (again, within the universe of my smut) – basically how long, how many, and how intense the sex scenes I've written about them are.

Jeno (NCT Dream) is currently the highest scoring idol. That's because he's the idol with the most individual stories (both gay and straight) as well as a strong character in the NCT Dream Dating Ban Series, which puts him as one of the idols I've written the most about.

Sexuality Scale

Another way to look at the Sex Content Score is to compare the scores of straight vs. gay stories per idol. When doing so you get a clear indication of what kind of sex I've put the idol through over time.

I've used a second formula to convert an idol's total straight vs. gay score and put them on a scale that goes from -100 to +100.

If an idol is +100 they're 100% straight (in my smut). If they're -100 they're 100% gay. A 0 means they're exactly 50/50 (aka 100% bi).

Where they fall on the scale tells you something about their sexual experience if you were to read all the stories about them.

I use this scale to try to balance things out: If an idol is way too straight it's perhaps time I wrote some new gay content for them, and vice versa.

It's also a lot of fun! 😁 You can study the scale and the idols on it to ponder their sexuality. But remember: This is fiction, and we should never make assumptions or judge an idol on their real life sexuality. That's their business.

You can view the Sexuality Scale and the idols on it on the new Sexuality Scale page.

Updated Idol Pages

Considering all of the above I've also made some minor changes to the Idol pages on Story Finder. When you go to the Idols & Groups page and click on an idol to open their page, you can now change a little tab on the page to view only gay or straight stories about them rather than all their stories bunched together. You can also find stories in order of their Sex Content Score directly on the idol's page – which story about them is the hottest?

Statistics

Finally, you'll now find a new Statistics page on Story Finder. This page contains graphs about my smut stories divided into a number of categories:

Statistics about stories & categories

Statistics about idols & groups

Statistics about different series

Statistics over time

Statistics about requests

I plan to add other categories and more detailed graphs in the near future, as I use a lot of these when I feel stuck on inspiration. If I need a push, I check which idol or group I should write about next using various goals, for example if an idol is under-represented or if they're more popular than others on Tumblr.

These graphs and diagrams reveal a lot of insights if you take the time to study them. For example, you can learn which group and idol I've written the most stories for, which idols are most liked by you (average likes per story on Tumblr), how many words I've written per group, how many requests are for gay vs. straight stories, and more!

And again – at least to me, this is a lot of fun! 😁 I love looking at graphs and numbers that tell me things about my own work. It's very satisfying, and I hope you can get some joy out of it too.

So, are you interested in these stats and the new Sex Content Score? You can explore all of it on Story Finder right now :D

[anothershadeofpurple]

I'm a little nervous...

It's been almost a decade since we first launched our deep-dive Once Upon a Time blog. I remember we spent the entire season 4 hiatus talking, re-watching and writing. And we were giddy. This mess of a show, full of plot holes, apparent queer baiting and repetitive storylines finally made (im)perfect sense and we wanted everyone to see it...

...and I would say we actually failed quite miserably. Some people came on board - thank you -, but the vast majority of the fandom absolutely hated this concept. And while I absolutely understand why, ten years later, I thought it was time to write a new introduction for everyone who is new to the fandom - either to the Emma & Regina corner or to Once Upon a Time as a whole.

So I finally did it, and I'm a little nervous, because I don't want to scare people away this time. Once you're into it, it becomes a lot of fun? Especially when you ship Swan Queen, it just actually adds a bunch of scenes between Emma and Regina that were played out by other characters. Or it gives you insights in her emotions towards Emma and Regina. It also sort of explains why they couldn't be together while the show was on - although they could've still done something more explicit, it's comforting to know there were story reasons, not just 'society isn't ready for your love' reasons. There are plenty of hints

It may sound like I'm really desperate about 'being right' or my interpretation being the only one or something like that, but that's not it. I'm desperate for more people to talk about it, I think. I honestly don't know if my specific interpretations of the metaphors are right, but the part I am sure of is that the entire show is one big metaphor connected to Emma and none of it is meaningless fluff or insanity in the way it sometimes looked while we were watching. It's clever!

And I guess, I just would like to experience that together with other SQ shippers or other open-minded Oncers for that matter, because it's so damn exciting to make a discovery... and the more people that look, the better the chances we have to figure out what happened in Emma's past and what it was like for Regina and Henry to get to know Emma while she was barely conscious... and yet they all still did. It's magical in its own way and it's also heartbreaking to learn more about her... I just... yeah, if you even have a bit of curiosity, come on board.

Alright, Shady out.

[scnders]

edit: closed for now so i don't get overwhelmed! hi everyone! i'm pretty new to posting ads for 1x1 rp-ing but i have a lot of muse for writing a variety of plots! a little bit of info about me is that i'm 25+, s/her pronouns, open to m/m, f/f and m/f. as for timezone and activity, i'm in the gmt + 8 timezone and i would say i'm pretty active unless i'm working (i have a corporate job) or hanging out with friends during weekends. there are also some days when my writing muse is low of course so please do understand. (when you have those days i'll definitely be understanding as well!) i'm looking to find 1x1 partners who are at least 23+ on discord. i'm an oc type of girl who plays both male and female ocs. definitely more experienced writing male ocs, but i like having a good mix. i would hope the same for my rp partners as well! i definitely can do semi-lit to novella depending on muse or brain juice. also! i would like to practice writing nsfw since i haven't done so in a while. below the cut you'll find more information about tropes, fcs i like to use and etc. like this post if you want me to approach you for your discord! or you can message me with yours!

just some general info:

be clear when communicating especially if you have no muse for a certain plot/thread! i would appreciate it rather than being ghosted.

please put in the same or enough effort when it comes to plotting/headcannons and etc. i promise to do the same or inform you if i don't have enough brain power to come up with things.

i love angst and fluff is definitely fine too as a bit of a palate cleanser.

my only trigger is descriptive self-harm but there are some taboo topics i am really not comfortable writing despite not being triggered.

some fcs i rp/would like to: song kang, park solomon, ateez san, txt's yeonjun, the boyz younghoon and hyunjae, svt's jeonghan and jun, bright vachirawit, bibi, youha, fromis_9 jiwon, noze, twice's sana, kiss of life's julie han, billie's haram, kitty chicha, kwon nara and honestly many more. also open to suggestions!

some tropes/genres/what have you ideas:

grumpy x sunshine, best friends to lovers (pining premium, both are idiots, drops the 'bro' and 'no homo'), fake dating (for dumb reasons like i need to make myself look desirable because people think i've been bitchless for years which yes i have been But), meet ugly, enemies to lovers, exes to friends to lovers, rivals (especially for like royalty aus), high fantasy, supernatural, revenge, royalty, reincarnation, 25 lives (the poem by tongari), blind date gone wrong, based on anime/movies/series, storybook characters with a twist and a plot like hotel del luna where they're wandering souls staying at a super fancy hotel, vampires, merfolk and etc... that's a lot i realized.

specific plot ideas:

business partners who are also fwbs. two people who match in every aspect from financial status, looks, in the bedroom etc.. have tried to make it work in the romance department but it just left them frustrated but they try again

final girl who's trying to recover from the horrors of what happened (we can base it off of a movie) who accidentally falls for a serial killer

i have more i Swear this post is just getting too long fr pls don't cancel me

[captain-aralias]

randomised trope/tag grading game

clearly today is a day of doing memes (i posted a list of 9 favourite books earlier today). i know it's a tuesday and normal people are at work, but i'm writing some posts, hello!

Rules: Generate your own personal list of 10 AO3 tags to rate. How much do these tags affect your decision to click on a fic? -10 -> very dissuaded 0 - don’t care either way +10 -> very enticed nope -> if it’s a hard no and you’d never click on a fic with that tag or or you even have the tag blocked or you’d insta click out of the fic if it wasn’t tagged Bonus points for explaining the rating and whether it’s conditional.

i was tagged in a very similar post by @bookish-bogwitch a few weeks ago. at the time i read her post, i felt like our opinions were so aligned that there wasn't a good reason for me to write my own post. (well done, great opinions!) the only exception really is that if a snowbaz fic was tagged age gap i might choose to read it - less because the trope is for me, and more because that's kind of weird for snowbaz. so, maybe it would be interesting! and i guess i feel pretty meh about H/C, sorry folks.

anyway - i decided to tweak the meme into the form that you see in this post. here's my 10 random things and what i think about them👇

Amusement Parks: -2

harsh judgement right out of the gate. i've read some good ones but i feel like generally a fic about an amusement park is likely to be some quite gentle fluff, maybe a modern AU, and that's not my favourite.

Unconventional Families: 0

maybe all slash fics that are kidfics are unconventional families? if so - i actually quite like kidfic, a not that secret shame, but i sort of like it less if the fact that they're gay parents is now worth flagging because it makes life difficult - since i am a gay parent. and i dont want to read about how it will be hard. so it averages out to a 0. if the family is more unconventional.... who knows? i would neither click nor not click.

Rough Sex: 8

how sad for me that this is my first clear yes and highest rated. i probably would click unless other tags or the summary put me off.

Public Transportation: 3

i went with a yes here, as i'm intrigued. it's oddly specific and suggests an interest in the specifics, and i am a fan of public transport. i've read some nice fics where snowbaz meet on trains (yes, often modern AU, but i dont dislike them all), like the classic 15-across by @ninemagicks and the equally classic remix 2-Down (A 15-Across remix) by @carryonvisinata (who also wrote a theme park story i like, so the -2 is definitely feeling mean. ah well, press on.) Bickering: 7

i mean - i prefer banter, but i assume if someone has written bickering they kind of mean banter. unless it's like sibling bickering and then maybe not.

Phone Calls & Telephones: 0

this is almost text fic (which i like less than most people like it) but not. i often write in a phonecall, it's part of what i think of as the friendship to lovers arc...... idk. i'm also going to add here that i keep thinking about plots that rely on people not being able to call each other, which is kind of the opposite. or you have to get to a pay phone - i dont know that i would want to read a fic like that, but there are some fun movies and books that you'd have to rework now. most recently i was watching madonna in 'desperately seeking susan'.

Redeemed (character): 7

this really depends on who they are, obviously. i can imagine it being really annoying if they never show any redeemability, but i've given it a strong 7 because i come from a world of redeeming the master from doctor who over and over again, so it would feel silly not to have it as a yes. and i kind of want to redeem the mage....... but it would be weird if he just was redeemed in a fic, and so too the master. it would have to be kind of about it.

Quests: 7

yes. not a 10/10 insta-click , because i can imagine it going on a bit too long if it was a fic about a quest rather than, say, two people realising they loved each other, but i would like it to be in the background. snowbaz has some good quest fics. Song of Sirens (rated E) by @scone-lover is such a fic or A Gift From the Propheseals (rated M) by @skeedelvee and @letraspal another.

Cats: 3

this feels mean, i have 3 cats myself - i like cats to be in a fic because cats are nice, but i also dont have many feelings about animal transformation and if snowbaz adopt a cat in the future... that's fine by me, i hope they do, but i probably don't want to read about it for more than a few lines.

Sociopathy: 2

probably not if it's a serious examination of this, but plenty of my villainous favs could be described as sociopaths, so... i give it a 2!

--

anyone who wants to do the meme in this form - please do!

i tag everyone already tagged in this post, the people i tagged last post, and a few others: @giishu @orange-peony @you-remind-me-of-the-babe @carryonvisinata @alleycat0306 @fight-surrender @cows4247 @messofthejess @mysterioussheep @ivelovedhimthroughworse @nightimedreamersworld @cutestkilla @fatalfangirl @artsyunderstudy @larkral @forabeatofadrum @ileadacharmedlife @facewithoutheart happy tuesday.

[alteredassistant]

➣ NAME?: Briar, have also gone by cin/kilian

➣ PRONOUNS?: he/they/it

➣ MOST ACTIVE MUSE(S)?:  Vox, Trevor, & Silas

➣ RP PET PEEVES?: In general people not following my mutuals only rule but very specifically when someone does so when if they had just waited I would have followed them back but starting off by breaking my rules is just.....too much of a red flag.

➣ EXPERIENCE / HOW MANY YEARS? rping for 12 years, on tumblr for 8

➣ FLUFF, ANGST, OR SMUT?:  angst above all, the other two r cool also but i enjoy pain

➣ PLOTS OR MEMES?: ideally plots, or at least a vibe of where to take things then supplemented with memes. inboxes can make me anxious bc i feel like i dont have enough of a baseline to be able to write enough.

➣ LONG OR SHORT REPLIES?:  some of both, depends on the mood but i mostly avoid full novella style writing.

➣ TIME TO WRITE?:  past midnight, which is right about when im meant to sleep for work lmao. i try and get writing done on nights before a day off so i can stay up late but you know. do what i can.

➣ ARE YOU LIKE YOUR MUSE(S)?: lmao no not really. the only similarity i would say is i do tend to collect aroace muses and i am in fact one of those. despite that though i tend to pick muses who are pretty unlikable bastards, i find them fun.

tagged: @jizzlords tagging: idk who's been tagged so steal it-

[scienceoftheidiot]

So, your Dismissed Roy story ... what (emotional) genre do you think it sits in? More angst, fluff, romance? And which emotional genre is typically your favourite?

Aaah thank you so much for asking about this one !! I am actually going to start posting it soon 🥰

My favourite emotional genre, both to write and read, I think is angst/hurt/comfort, but I need a happy or bittersweet ending. Open endings are good too, but sad endings are often too much for me. Though sometimes only a sad ending can work, that's how it is.

Sooooo about Dismissed Roy, which now has a title, I had to think about it. Then I was told again that I am an angst monster (you know who you are 😒😝) and uh. Yeah. Lots and lots of angst in this fic. The main theme of this fic is reconstruction, and not only Ishval's. Far from it.

BUT. It's also a romance fic - not your usual romance, but it's not like this is a usual couple, right? But yes, there will be romance, and romantic plot points, and fluff, and even smut - which I'll specifically separate each time in a chapter so people who want to avoid it can do so.

Also a fair share of something that is close to politics, and it was very fun to play with that!

And to illustrate, I have shared a pretty fluffy excerpt of this fic just before, now have one that is... A little darker... Just a little. 🙃

"See you tomorrow, Riza."

Roy closed the door behind her, straining his ear to follow her footsteps along the corridor, until he couldn’t hear anything anymore. He closed his eyes, resting his forehead against the door.

Get a grip, Mustang.

He took a deep breath. He was going to turn around, undress, shower, and go to bed. That wasn’t too hard, was it? One foot before the other. Keep your mind set on what you're doing, focus, and you'll be fine. Count your steps, remember the layout of the flat, don't forget where you put the towels, the soap, where your clothes are, where you fold and put away the dirty ones. You've already done that alone enough to know it'll be okay. Don’t think further ahead than the next action. Don't think. Don’t –

He was finished.

He’d known for weeks. This kind of announcement didn’t come out of nowhere. And before he’d known, he was expecting it.

Truth’s toll wasn’t a death sentence, but it was severely close. Everything. Everything he’d fought for. He’d lost everything.

“The team is done. When you signed that paper, you killed it for good.”

Another long, shaky breath. He was standing on the very edge of the deepest, darkest abyss he’d come close to in years. Blind, and ready to lose his balance at the slightest breeze.

Worse than killing children, Roy?

Is it worse?

But we won’t get trialed. We won’t pay. Neither Grumman nor Armstrong will selflessly give enough power back to the parliament for that.

Could be worse. They could decide not to execute a blind man, and you’d be left to witness Riza’s death.

And you'd deserve it. Because she'd be there because of you. It's your fault. Without you, she wouldn't have been through all this. You wouldn't see it, but you would feel –

No, no, please –

He pressed his hand to his mouth to stifle the first sob, feeling the wet tears that had already settled on his cheeks.

[voidedgear]

dash games - about the mun

name — Nix pronouns — She/Her preferred comms — Discord / DMing is fine name of muse — Vanitas

experience in RP — I started rping through emails in middle school, then through Yahoo Messenger... I started on Tumblr in my last year of high school, so I've been on this site specifically for over ten years.

best experiences — just, meeting a bunch of really cool people who are as excited to get to know my take on the characters as I am excited to get to know their takes on the characters. I wouldn't have stayed on this site without them.

pet peeves / dealbreakers — demonizing other characters to add extra angst points (like, making an antagonist a ra.pist when nothing would have suggested that in canon), forcing your own interpretation of my characters on me. Assuming things about my characters can also be quite annoying lol

muse preference ( fluff, angst, smut ) — I definitely like angst and fluff both, but I don't write smut on this blog at all. Vanitas is definitely a pretty dark character and I'm willing to go into dark topics with him, but I usually prefer to keep to the vibes of the series itself. Vanitas will be Kingdom Hearts Dark, not The Evil Within Dark, okay?

plot or memes — both! I will admit that people I've plotted with already will have an easier time getting things started with me through memes, but that's definitely no reason not to try! I always get happy seeing new people in my inbox.

long or short replies — I have trouble with this question because I feel like everyone has a different definition of what a long or short reply is. I'm definitely writing longer replies than I have before, but... idk, do YOU guys think my replies are long? I just try to go with the vibe of what my partner is doing.

best time to write — My days off on Monday night and Tuesday night are when I get the most done, but I also sometimes write at work. It all depends on my mood and how busy I am, tbh.

are you like your muse — HELL NO, lol. The only thing we have in common is that we can both be kinda smooth-brained about social skills but that's about it ahaha

tagged by: @shiroi---kumo tagging: @voidedspirit, @blitz-heart, @asteriskheart, @startgamc

[phdmama]

20 questions for fic writers!

HUGE thank you to @sugareey-makes-stuff @kingsofeverything @xanthippe74 for tagging me in this one!! Sorry it's taken me so long to get to it!!

How many works do you have on AO3?

208! That's not including the large number of Tumblr drabbles I need to post for archival purposes!

2. What's your total AO3 Word Count?

1,066,342 <- which OMG

3. What fandoms do you write for?

I started in 1D (Larry mostly though I've done a couple of threesomes) and then I shifted to HP - I think I've only written main Drarry? I've dabbled a tiny bit in Stucky and I've written one 911 Buddie fic (but I'm working on another one!)

4. What are your top 5 fics by Kudos?

My top one is on that's co-written and has that number of kudos due to the other author, so for the ones that are just mine:

I Like the Way You Move for Me (Drarry)

Feels Like Coming Home (Larry)

Beautiful Madness (Drarry)

Tell Me How You Like It (Drarry - outsider POV)

Is This Love? (Drarry)

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I really try but I struggle to keep up with them - not because I get so many comments haha, but I do that "get behind spiral out feel terrible" thing way too often!

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

I don't tend to write angst-y endings, because I really need a happy ending but I've got a couple of really short painful things! Unsurprisingly, these are all microfic/vignette sorts of things!

The Ghost of You (Drarry, microfic, post-MCD)

Here Without You (Drarry, vignette, post-breakup)

What's Left Behind (Drarry, vignette, MCD) wow I just reread this one and FUCK ME I AM A MONSTER

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Unhhhh most of them honestly! I will say, I do SOMEtimes VERY RARELY put some pain on the journey to HEA so if I had to guess, I'd say that all of me (loves all of you) (Drarry) is probably my most unabashedly sappy no-angst fluff.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Not to my face anyway! I'm sure there are people who don't like my writing but I think they ignore me more than anything! One of the perks of being a very small writer, I think!

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Sure do! For kind, I write slash, I guess you'd call it (gay), almost all of it M/M. I have one girl!fic. I don't really write too much kink, I'd say most of what I do is pretty vanilla. Healthy communication is my kink, I guess!

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

Ummm off the top of my head, no?

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not to my knowledge. I read one fic that was not a plagiarism of my actual work but was literally the exact same plot, the exact same story beats, the exact same setting etc. I am well-aware there's nothing new under the sun but I read it and was like, unhhh. It's one of my greatest fears honestly - accidentally taking someone's fic!

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Not that I know. I've been approached, but I'm not comfortable with it.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Yup! Twice! Both in the Larry fandom. One was with one other writer (who's long gone from fandom as far as I know) and one (Wine Not) I wrote with a big group of people who've become some of my absolute closest friends!

14. What’s your all-time favourite ship?

I don't have one specific. The ones I write for, I obviously feel very very strongly about, but the bummer for me is that when I'm writing in a particular pair, I don't read anything in that pairing! I also don't read for the ship, but for the story and the writing, so I read in a LOT of different pairings!

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

Fuck me, so many.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Oof, I'm not sure! I'm not a trained writer by any means. I think I do scene setting pretty well?

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Pacing, for sure. It's really hard and I can get bogged down in the "and then THIS happened and then THIS happened and then THIS happened" - I'm so linear, so I have to push myself there.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

Generally no. I've sprinkled in a few words here and there, but I wouldn't do much of it, and if I had to, I would 1000% find someone to help me with it and not rely on Google translate.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Larry. Still writing there and kinda following along a bit but I'm not active in that fandom anymore other than the writing.

20. Favourite fic you’ve written?

I'm not sure I have one fav fic - I'd say I'm really proud of my long (for me) fics! Those are hard for me, and there's a couple that are really really personal. But I have to say, Maybe You're the Difference (Drarry) is one I really like and am really proud of. I worked so so hard on it.

I feel like I'm late on this one, so I'll call this a general tag (FOR REAL I HONESTLY MEAN IT) - if you want to do this, DO IT and tag me!! xox

[mvnces]

⋆ NAME?: stiles

⋆ PRONOUNS?: she/her but they/them is chill too

⋆ MOST ACTIVE MUSE(S)?: at the moment it's definitely decker, the bastard himself. but it also tends to switch a lot depending on what what I'm hyperfocusing on for that week or two.

⋆ RP PET PEEVES?: this isn't even really a pet peeve because I kind of get it but when someone follows you, interacts with only one of your muses & then ignores any attempts at writing with your other muses? this is just from personal experience but it made me kind of feel like they were just using me for that character/to write against the fc I was using for them, ya know?? i dunno. usually I'm just vibing so I can't even think of a genuine pet peeve I have.

⋆ EXPERIENCE / HOW MANY YEARS?: honestly can't remember exactly when I started rping in general (i think it was, like, 2008 or 2009) so over 14 years at least?? I started in forums type of deal & then I was writing on quotev for a bit before my friend showed my tumblr & I've been writing here since 2013. wild...

⋆ FLUFF, ANGST, OR SMUT?: I'm a slut for fluffy slash slice-of-life type of threads? I like the whole thing of building dynamics and exploring what muses do in a variety of situations that have no or barely any real stakes, ya know?? I do love angst and smut too, though. it's just the stupid sort of shit that I write a bit more than that.

⋆ PLOTS OR MEMES?: to start off an interaction in general or as a set up for a thread? definitely memes! it's kind of hard to plot, for me, since I forget about ims a lot so it kind of fades out, ya know? but I do like plotting (or just throwing random ideas at my writing partners). so i guess the answer is both

⋆ LONG OR SHORT REPLIES?: depends on what we're writing and if we have anything planned for it. at least right now, I usually do kinda of medium length or shorter replies. I think I tend to write longer replies when there is something plotted out or a specific scenario that we're building toward.

⋆ TIME TO WRITE?: anytime time! usually in the afternoon/evening when I'm done with work & shit

⋆ ARE YOU LIKE YOUR MUSE(S)?: probably a little bit?? I do have a habit of giving my muses certain traits/habits just because I do them or I think they're fun? I was gonna say which muse I'm most like but I genuinely have no idea

Tagged by: @kurjaks i am kissing u <3 Tagging: @untales , @loetise , @kindofuneven , @vullcanica , @peacereflected , & anyone who wants it <3

[tonowarii]

Guidelines upon requesting!

Hello everyone! Here is the guidelines on what you need to know before requesting! Listed here is the characters I will write for, the genres I'm open to write, and the basic do's and don'ts that I have set in order to help me process your request properly! With that, let's begin!

P.S it is said on my ask whether requests are open or not, so please be aware! :>

P.S ! As of march 2023 I have decided when I open requests I will simply limit it to the first 20 requests only to not burden myself but to make sure what you sent in would be done to not keep you waiting.

The characters I write for:

Neteyam te Suli Tsyeyk'itan

Lo'ak te Suli Tsyeyk'itan

Kiri te Suli Kìreysì'ite

Miles "Spider" Socorro

Tsireya

Ao'nung

Rotxo

Jake Sully

Neytiri te Tskaha Mo'at'ite

Tsu'tey te Rongloa Ateyitan

Tonowari

Ronal

Grace Augustine

Norm Spellman

Miles Quaritch

Regarding some of the characters, I would like to say that I'm writing an Aged! Up version of them, if you disagree with that, feel free to walk away.

These are the list of characters that I am confident enough to write for, however, if you have another character in mind from the Avatar universe, please ask first then I'll see to it if I can do it.

Genre's I am open to write:

Fluff

Angst

Crack! Fics

Hurt/comfort

Soulmate AUs

Songfics

Drabbles

Prompts

Platonic! Fics

Headcanons

NSFW! (see do's and don't's)

Will be updated as time goes on*

Do's and Don't's!!!

↳ For requesting, please be specific as it is hard to come up with a plot at times when I don't have my creative juices flowing.

Be specific in who do you want me to write, and the kind of genre/s you want to see happen as well as what gender you want the reader to be. If none was stated, I would then decide to make the reader gender neutral.

Note!! I would also like to say that I am unable to do a male! Reader since I am afraid that I won't do it justice enough.

↳ I can write for poly! relationships if asked.

↳ Please be polite when requesting.

↳ Always, always send requests through my ask box unless it is stated that requests are closed (in my bio). Please also refrain from messaging me requests.

Sending requests through my ask box makes it much more easier for me to keep track and add your requests to my list along with the others.

↳ Please be patient. As you can see I'm a real person and often times I don't feel well or motivated enough to write. Aside from that, I also have school so I may not be able to do your requests in time, but rest assured I'll try and get them posted as soon as I'm able to.

↳ Regarding the NSFW genre, I'm still experimenting on writing smut and if it does go well or it is up to my liking, I might just consider it!

↳ Heads up, I have known myself to disappear and not post for weeks or months. So it might take me too long to process your request (or I end up not doing it due to lack of motivation). Note that I also cannot fully flesh out a fic if I do not have the inspiration for it. I have spontaneous mood swings so please bare with me as they also affect the way I am able to write.

Other rules may be added soon*

For now, that is the list of what you need to know before requesting! I would love to see you in my inbox soon. ♡

[bravewolfvesperia]

GETTING TO KNOW YOU.

respond to the following prompts out of character. then, tag others that you'd like to get to know a little bit better!

tagged by: @altosk tagging: @mistralxsoul, @ourvoids, @ervaurem if you haven't done this, @pclitesse if you do these!

ROLEPLAYER NAME: Shi (ShiShi is fine but I tend to go with Shi. if you're thinking Shinon from a ninth and tenth entry in a particular franchise, your brain is in the right place. namesakes and beloveds, friends)

ROLEPLAYER PRONOUNS: she/her

MUSE NAME: Yuri Lowell (and assorted others on my Tales multimuse)

PREFERRED COMMUNICATION: depends how often we talk. Tumblr DMs is easiest if we have brief conversation/plotting. Discord is preferred if we're starting to have regular conversations/lengthy conversations. I'm open to talking to people more though if they're interested, so if you do want to talk or gush about our muses or games, feel free to ask for my Discord! we don't have to already be talking a whole lot if you do want to move to Discord.

EXPERIENCE: I've been RPing for like, idk, as long as I can remember, but I started on Tumblr specifically around 2012. Before that it was things like ye wee old forums, messengers, etc. Tales experience is the same thing because I used to RP Tales on forums LOL.

PREFERRED ROLEPLAY TYPE: a mix of everything more or less. I like fluff and happy things mixed into angst, and if there's no room for happiness in a specific thread/situation, I like to have gentle/soft/emotional aspects littered around. I also try to just follow my muse's whims, so if anything suddenly spikes his rage meter, that's what we're goin' with folks.

PET PEEVES & DEALBREAKERS:

(this isn't as scary as it looks I'm sorry LOL)

ignoring my rules and asking to ship with me when your character's name is not in my ship list (yes, this includes OCs. if OCs aren't mentioned it's very likely because my muse has a very specific romantic inclination and chemistry won't trump that the muse is already leaning toward someone/other people by default. should be obvious but I literally recently on another blog had someone completely ignore that muse's ship list and still send me an anon to ask to ship with me (and the whole thing was indicative that they only wanted to write with me to ship and didn't really see my muse as their own muse but just as another tool in the shed). my ship list tends to be very tiny for any muse and I prefer it that way anyway because it wards off the idea that people are only writing with me to ship. I love shipping with certain pairs, but I don't write explicitly for that and am much more comfortable with the idea that people aren't following me to ship with me/going into things assuming they will be able to convince me into it when they would have presumably read my rules and know their character is not on that list. again, as in my rules, one-sided your-muse-likes-mine is totally fine - just don't get mad when it remains one-sided because you were warned. if your muse is on the list (for any of my muses), yes, it means I'm open to discussing it/writing it./being receptive of it.

disrespecting other writers plain for everyone to see on their dashboards. this includes saying vague shit like "there are no good (character name) muses out there". that is very much not the same as "there are no writers for this character/I can't find any of this character". that's a very intentional dig at certain character writers and implies they're not good enough for you because nobody writes that character the way you want them to (versus simply expressing a desire to write with a certain character but not finding anyone who writes them).

using my muse as a blank slate who is just a base directly off the game you probably played if you're here. if any of you have paid attention to my threads with a specific Flynn (hi Natty!), you are probably aware my muse is heavily influenced by canon side material. that stuff is a core part of my muse. my muse is not just a rip taken right out of game-only canon. the more I write, the more formed he becomes as his own individual muse. if you cannot respect that and will consider it "ooc" for my muse not to be a blank slate direct rip from canon every time I write with a new muse, that's a hard dealbreaker. (on that above note, for any Flynn writers who are unfamiliar with the canon side material that Flynn is a primary part of (i.e. very directly relative to things that affect my muse), I do not hold that against you and am completely willing to work things out with you! that shit is hard to find and is JP media only. there's a slew of side content for Vesperia that the west never got so I know many if not most people won't even know a lot of it exists)

PLOTS OR MEMES: I do both, but I'm more likely to be able to work out plots with characters either in my muse's canon(s) or muses from other Tales games ("canons" is things such as canon side material, Tales gachas Yuri is in, etc). if I don't know your character well (canon or OC), memes tend to work better. I find it difficult to plot specific things out when I don't know a particular series well or at all. that said, I'll write with people who know my character and are okay with using one of his verses even if I don't know your character/series. I love memes for writing, but I will definitely struggle to actually plot if I don't know the franchise. I also love randomly sent memes just for the sake of writing things!

LONG REPLIES OR SHORT REPLIES: long. short for me is like three paragraphs and I just physically can't find myself doing less. things like one-liners might pop up in dash commentary and such, but for actual threads, I write long replies because that's what comes to me. sometimes motivation really hits me with muses my muse feels close to and you might end up with a ten+ paragraph reply, so uhhh... sorry about that in advance (and my paragraphs can get bulky so doubly sorry in advance!). typically this stuff happens in more emotion-driven threads though.

BEST TIME TO WRITE: NIGHT! NIGHT! NIGHT! I'm a night owl in general, but my writing energy tends to go yeehaw on me at night.

ARE YOU LIKE YOUR MUSES: uhhhh uh uh for legal reasons i probably should not answer that. :)