#plus I think 4 people playing two different genders????

[jackklinemybeloved]

dare i say never stop blowing up is the most transcoded d20 season we’ve had yet

[locketsvault]

「 CUDDLING WITH BSD MEN PT 3/4 」

pairings: fyodor x reader ፥ nikolai x reader ፥ sigma x reader ፥ poe x reader

tags: gender neutral reader, no agab mentioned, first person, fluff, cuddling/phyiscal affection

warnings: curse words, I’m sorry I had to curse the doa is cracked

other parts: ada ᨒ port mafia ᨒ doa + the guild ᨒ the hunting dogs

a/n: this is the most cracked part yet

// fyodor dostoevsky ⌇˚.༄

⮑ … you are crazy for cuddling him, truly.

⮑ Our dear master manipulator, how you trust him enough to let him that close I do not know how. What confuses me even more, how did you get him to trust you? Anyways— somehow you managed it, and it’s now time for some cuddle headcanons with Fyodor.

⮑ His lap is your throne. He spends pretty much all of his time in front of his monitors, so it’s not uncommon for one of the other doa members to walk in and find you curled up on it. As long as you don’t distract him, he will allow you to stay and do as you please. Sometimes he’ll wrap an arm around your waist.

⮑ He actually doesn’t mind pda, he doesn’t see you as a weakness to himself and trusts that you’ll be taken care of and safe, if not by him then by the others. I think having an arm or hand on your waist is common with him when you two are out. He will make it clear to anyone who stares at you too long that you’re his.

⮑ He’s big spoon always, he will never give up control even with something as small as cuddling. Honestly you’re lucky he will cuddle you at all. He’s not fond of touching much. Seriously the fact you touch him without knowing his ability, you’re absolutely insane. His cuddles I feel like are cold. Oh, and if you annoy him he will kick you off his lap.

⮑ 4/10, when he allows you in his lap and you behave you find that it’s actually quite nice. Good luck though.

// nikolai gogol ⌇˚.༄

⮑ I find you crazy for cuddling him as well but for a completely different reason.

⮑ With Fyodor you’re insane because he’s dangerous as hell, and yes Nikolai is too, but I find you crazy for cuddling him because he’s an unpredictable crazy clown. He is the definition of “never let them know your next move”. It’s never safe cuddling him. You never know when he will pull a prank—.

⮑ He will pull shit out of his cloak during cuddle sessions or pull you through. He will come up behind you, hug you, and suddenly you’re teleported to a pool full of rubber ducks. And that’s on the bright side.

⮑ All jokes aside, it scares me to say he’s actually good at cuddling. He’s very attentive, he knows how to read you. Like Dazai, his cuddles feel too secure at time. He knows when to be serious with cuddles, and when he can be unhinged. He’s pretty good at behaving according to what you can handle.

⮑ He’s very comfortable to cuddle, and he loves when you rest your head over his heart. He’s another big spoon for sure, another one who doesn’t like being out of control. Except for him it’s more that it just doesn’t feel comfortable or right. He also loves pda, and he loves messing with you in public. He could care less if people are staring.

⮑ 6/10, you better hope he’s more in an attentive mood than wanting to torment you.

// sigma ⌇˚.༄

⮑ He demands cuddles every second of every day. Give them to, him or else.

⮑ Our precious three year old. I promise you he has never been cuddled a day in his life. Like pretty much every aspect of your relationship, cuddles are a new thing that he has to learn. Once he learns though he adores it. It’s his main form of comfort. More often enough he comes home from work and collapses in your arms.

⮑ Due to how stressed out this poor boy is and how he pretty much never catches a break, he’s almost always the little spoon. It’s either a nervous breakdown or you hold him. How can you complain though he’s so precious. Plus he has pretty and soft hair to play with.

⮑ When he is the big spoon he always holds you in his arms protectively, terrified that if he lets go he will lose you. He often will place a hand over your head as he holds you. If you fall asleep in his arms he will sit there wondering how he got so lucky with you. He loves spooning you because again, you’re safe in his arms.

⮑ He loves when you visit him and sit in his lap, it makes working so much easier for him. He’s very shy with pda but if you love it he will do his best. He gets so flustered when people walk into his office and you’re in his arms, it’s actually so precious.

⮑ I could go on and on about him and his adventures of cuddling tbh.

⮑ 10/10, he’s so sweet and cute and does his absolute best for you.

// edgar allan poe ⌇˚.༄

⮑ Oh my gosh he’s so easy to fluster I can’t. And Karl?

⮑ No literally it takes nothing to make him flustered he’s so shy. 90% of the time you have to take charge when it comes to initiating physical contact. He second guesses himself and worries he might be too much. So he allows you to initiate it. Yet he panics every time. Crawl into his lap? Tomato.

⮑ Karl constantly crashes your cuddle sessions, which is probably a good thing or things might turn… nsfw. It’s actually quite cute though, Poe will be writing a book, you’ll sit in his lap, and Karl will sit in yours. Honestly you get just as much cuddles from the raccoon as you do your bf, something he gets jealous about lol.

⮑ Believe it or not he’s actually mostly big spoon. Similarly to Sigma, it comforts and reassures him to be big spoon. Though he genuinely doesn’t mind being little spoon, especially if you love being big spoon.

⮑ Your most common cuddle position, besides sitting in his lap when he writes, is either you holding him while he writes, or facing each other in bed holding each other. It’s easy to talk to each other softly and give gentle kisses.

⮑ 9/10, sometimes having to constantly initiate it can get a bit frustrating.

main hub ✦ masterlist ✦ to do list

[weirdthoughtsandideas]

PRIDE MONTH PROMPTS 2024

They are here!!

Last year I released them in May, and I asked you when I should release it this year. You agreed I should release it early/mid april. And I think the perfect time is now! You have plenty of time to prepare your things for June!

So, here are 30 prompts, 1 prompt per day, for all of June! Use them for writing, or for art, or why not for something else creative you can come up with?

I will now write all the prompts in the list if it's hard to read, plus some explanations/suggestion what you can do for them.

Day 1. Actually, I'm not straight. Someone kicking off pride month by telling their nearest and dearest that they aren't straight, like everyone seems to think!

Day 2. Surprise! We're dating! A couple comes out to their friends ;)

Day 3. Early signs. Early signs someone was not straight, or not cis. Or both!

Day 4. Gender euphoria. Euphoooooriaaaaa forever to end of time /j Ok no but yeah, someone experiencing gender euphoria :) It's great :)

Day 5. Surprise! We're engaged! Surprise engagement! Did people even know they were dating?

Day 6. Proposal. You can choose to show the proposal for the couple at day 5... or a brand new couple! :D

Day 7. Pride flags. Are they making pride flags? Buying pride flags? Identifying pride flags? So much you can do! :)

Day 8. Prideful baking. A return from last year! Who's baking? Are they doing it with pride? Are they making rainbow cakes? This is also a way to make some ships be cute together as they bake.

Day 9. Wedding. To quote Sam from Glee: "YEAH! COME ON GUYS! GAY MARRIAGE GOOD!"

Day 10. Shenanigans at the Pride Parade. Time to let those characters run wild at the pride parade!

Day 11. Coming out as trans. Pretty self explanatory I think ;)

Day 12. Planning for a child. Two women, two men, maybe a trans couple... any not-cishet couple are planning for a child <3 Are they adopting? IVF? However they're doing it, they're gonna get that child :)

Day 13. Two moms. Two mommies thriving with their kiddos!

Day 14. Are they dating or not? People are speculating the relationship of some people.

Day 15. First crush. Aww, someone's first crush! Have they ever felt this before?

Day 16. Alternate universe. Go crazy with this! This could mean anything from "a universe in which this ship is canon" to "they live in a fantasy world". Do whatever!

Day 17. Realizing they're ace. Self explanatory ;)

Day 18. Two dads. Two daddies on request (Sorry I've watched too much of Papás por encargo (Daddies on request) to not make that joke). They'll do anything for the kids!

Day 19. I thought everyone liked both? What??? They don't?????

Day 20. Fruity sleepover. Anything and everything can happen at a sleepover!

Day 21. Pining. They pine so hard and yet... will their crush ever notice?

Day 22. Secret dating. Or are they as they secret as they think? How much chaos do they end up in to keep this?

Day 23. Dinner. Maybe just a normal dinner in a queer friendgroup. Or maybe someone coming out at dinner. Maybe the first dinner at their partner's house. Or maybe someone's making dinner for their loved one.

Day 24. Confession. Coming out confession? Confession to your crush? Just a confession about your favorite food in the middle of a pride parade? Yeah, you decide!

Day 25. Date. THEY'RE ON A DATE THE BABIES!!! Is it a good date? I hope so!

Day 26. Gender is a construct. Not everything is binary.

Day 27. Queer group meeting. You can toy around with this a lot. A group meeting with closeted gays? A group meeting with every character from your different fandoms that you headcanon as bi that you want to interact in the group meeting for disaster bi's? A group meeting for aces just vibing? Maybe we'll meet a lot of different groups!

Day 28. Accidental coming out. Oops!

Day 29. Alternate time period. You want to play out a little love story but instead they live in the 1950s? Or maybe they live in the future! Maybe they live in the medieval times! Woah!

Day 30. Growing old together. Look at them now. Who knew they'd find each other in the world and now they're here?

I hope I'm gonna see some of you in pride month! It's always a pleasure! Also, when the time comes in June, and you want to use one of these prompts, don't forget to tag me ;)

[jessnotfoundd]

how many kids does the boys want to have? any specific age gaps? i wanna know everything

Dream

He wanted to have two, after Dylan, your son, he begged you to please start with a baby trying so they won't be so different in age, but you decided to wait a year, and then try again because you would be super tired having to take care of Dylan and be pregnant. At least a year to get used to the parenting life. He was okay with a year.

What he didn't expect, after that year, and you got pregnant again, the very big surprise was when at one appointment, the doctor told you both that you were having twins. Istg he almost passes out there.

Sapnap

He wasn't sure how many kids he wanted to have, but after Ashley, he was sure to want another one, but he didn't want to pressure you.

But 3 years later, you tell him, you're pregnant. He's shocked. The happiest man standing on earth.

-Hope this time's a boy, so we can play basketball together.- he jokes and both of you laugh. Ashley sleeping, and you both sitting in the kitchen.

-I'm super lucky to be with you.- I lean my head to rest it on his shoulder.

-Yeah, I'm the reason these kids are gonna be the prettiest at school.- he whispers and he goes again.- We should be tagged as "the hottest people alive"- he left a kiss on your head and drinks his last bit of coke so he could throw the can.

And yes, the baby arrive, and Ashley was obsessed with her little brother. You couldn't happier. You both formed a perfect family.

George

Well, he was so happy to be a father, he wanted a girl so you tried three times, and she finally came. Aaron and Isaac were 6 and 4 when she was born. Madison was the princess of the house, and George was always telling the boys that they have to protect her at all costs. The boys would take this very seriously and would try to be with her all the time. They would be so gentle when playing with her. The British were proud of them.

-So, you're telling me, this- you point at the broken cup- was about to hurt Madison?- the two boys have their eyes on his feet.

-Okay mom, we broke it, and not, he was not gonna hurt madison, we are really sorry.- and it's there when you realized you both did a good job.

-It's okay, I was worried about you two getting hurt with the broken cup, I'm glad you're both safe, go play with your dad.- they run straight to George.

Karl

Only one, a little girl, Sarah Anne Jacobs. He was terminated because he was okay with only one, and the fact that you had a dangerous pregnancy. It was hard for him when the doctor ask him aside when labor started if in any case, who should he save, you or the baby.

He couldn't decide, both were terrible and left him shaking in the waiting area. When he saw both of you he knew it was a miracle, and he didn't want to go through that again.

Quackity

Two girls, Olivia was 4 when Victoria arrived, she was a little jealous, but he made sure to let her go that none of you would love her less just because you were gonna have another baby.

-plus, you'll have someone to dress as a princess- he says smiling.

-Uncle Karl is not gonna dress as a princess with me anymore?- she pouts and you admire how pretty she is, so like Alex.

-You'll be three then.- he pinches her little cheeks and she smirks.

Punz

A girl and a boy, Matthew was 2 when both of you got the news, Luke was happy, but he drive you crazy about he wanted to have a girl.

-If it is not a girl, well keep trying- he has you seated on his lap, Matthew just fall asleep like a minute ago.

-This is the last pregnancy ill go through.- you smirk.

-Fine.- he sounds offended.

When the baby turned out to be a girl, he was all over you, super proud of saying that he manifested it.

-You can't manifest a baby's gender- you insist.

-Then how do you explain?- he looks at you with a smirk and then his eyes are on the road again.

You just rolled your eyes and let him think he manifested the baby's genre.

Foolish

Angela was enough, he was happy with the baby girl and you, so the baby's factory was momentarily closed. Not wanting more kids.

At least for now, she's 5 months old and she's calm basically perfect.

Wilbur

Jessica was 6, Emily was 5, and Lily was 2 when you both settled down and decided to be 5 members of a family. Wilbur was in love with her three girls. Four actually.

Tommy was proud of both of you and he was the funny uncle the girls would run every time you say no to something they asked.

[emperorbubblegum]

Before it gets too late I wanna make a prediction/wishlist post for when the Samurai Remnant characters get into FGO (because let's face it, that's a gaurantee at this point). Obviously this is going to be riddled with massive spoilers so if you haven't finished the game go do that first. I'm hiding Servant's True Names but for half of them the reasoning is their True Name, so be warned.

Alright here we go

Saber

This guy's getting in no matter what; they don't even need to be on this list. They're the lead Saber of a new Fate IP in addition to being a massive figure in Japanese mythology. They're going to be a five-star. They're going to be on the first banner of the event, maybe a New Year's banner but that'd be weird since they've implied they want to do a full event for this crossover.

Archer

So the way I'm envisioning the banners for the crossover event is Banner 1 being the good guys and Banner 2 being the bad (like how they do for most events), with an SSR and an SR for each. Saber's obviously the SSR for Banner 1 no matter how they do it, and I think Archer's pretty likely to be the SR for it too because he's cool enough that people will want him, and early enough in SR as to not spoil too many people. Although by the time we get these Servants I doubt they'll be too cautious about that.

Lancer

Much as I would love another Jalter alt, if this girl gets in she's gonna be a costume dress (cope). I love her but she's not different enough from Aveneger Jalter to warrant being her own unit (it would make money though). All of her characterization kinda relies on Chiemon so having her as a full Servant without him would be really weird (her being a costume dress doesn't keep them from bastardizing her character since costume dresses can also have new dialogue and we both know Lasengle at above bastardizing their characters for a quick buck).

Rider

This is gonna be the SSR for Banner 2. She's the biggest reveal in the game but only if you know Raikou, who's from FGO. She's also the only Servant on this list (barring Jalter and Gil on technicality) who Ritsuka's met before. She's getting in.

Caster

Okay I know Samurai Remnant played him up as this ultra big bad but like, no one knows who this guy is. As a Servant he's really cool but his whole deal doesn't get revealed until A Ray of Light, which is one of two final chapters you can get on a first playthrough. So even if you've between the game there's about a 50/50 chance who still don't know who this guy is, and the historical information about him is scarce. His wiki page has one paragraph. I'm betting he'll be a 3 star.

Assassin

SR for Banner 2. He's cool but Rider's obviously taking the limelight. I want him to be higher but I'm also like one of five Chiyome fans so I wouldn't be surprised if the rest of the fanbase doesn't agree. Plus he's a dude, and even though Lasengle's slowly starting to realize most of their playerbase likes men, there's still a rampent gender bias when it comes to Servants.

Miyamoto Musashi

Please fo the love of god be a costume I will kill someone if you're your own unit.

The Boss

Same thing as Jalter and Musashi. If he gets in he'll be a costume, maybe two because of his fight attire. I'd gladly pay for a Ruler Gil alt but I want more costumesz

Rogue Saber

Part of me wants to say he'll be an SR because every time they've released two married Servants at seperate times they've been the same rank. That's not a hard set rule because the list of married couples in Chaldea is like 4 pairings long and only 3 of them fit the above pattern, but still. I could also see him being the White Day Servant for one year, and if that's the case he'd be an SSR, obviously.

Rogue Rider

I could totally see them making her an SSR because Tamamo makes bank but I'm willing to bet she'll be a 4 Star instead. The only true Tamamo Nine member we have is a 4 Star and Aria is a very good canidate for the welfare. I feel like if she does get in it'll be in an event that more strongly relates to Tamamo (maybe with a possible Susano'o 5 Star (heavy cope)). I'd kill them if they did but it's also totally possible for her to be the Valentine's SSR.

Rogue Berserker

I really want this guy to be a 5 Star. He's been someone I wanted in Fate since my introduction to it and I'm so glad he's finally here. I doubt he'll be added with everyone else, so I could see him being in a seperate event or even a story chapter. The former's probably the more likely scenario since we're no longer in the days where Lasengle just throws new Servants into the story as filler, but he does have a slight connection to Solomon (hazardous levels of cope) so I wouldn't be surprised.

Iori

Iori's another likely canidate for Welfare because not only his he a historical figure but he's also a cool as shit Fate protagonist and most of the protagonists have got in one way or another. Erice or Seig are good examples of what's likely to happen to him.

Ototachibana-Hime

Didn't see this one coming did you cunts? If - and that's a big if - she gets added to FGO, she's the third canidate for Welfare. She doesn't really have a strong enough prescence to warrant her own banner but I could see them still wanting to add her. Plus we need more Welfare supports, so she'd be like Iri, but not horrendously outdated.

Anyway that's it. I mostly did this to have my thoughts in writing but I'm open to discussion on what you all think. Part of me wants them to stay in SR where they're treated with dignity and won't be bastardized to hell and back for gacha but (for some fucking reason) I love FGO too much to not want them. Okay I'm gonna go back to not posting for a week while I work on the platinum for SR and grind Guda 6.

[the-kr8tor]

I love how your writing manages to move me to the point of near tears because I swear nothing else can do that (or im going soft). The end sentence of the opin chapter squeezed my heart.

Daily Hobie HC(??) Honestly this is just me rambling about my (personal?) hobie hcs so maybe it counts? - Starting off with one of the anon's asks earlier, I highly do not believe that Gwen liked Hobie or vice versa. For sure he had definitely taken Gwen in, but thats probably because she was homeless and literally had nowhere to go. Hobie had taken her under his wing instead of trying to initiate anything romantic with her.

And there is no way Hobie didn't already know about Miles- you can tell that Gwen definitely could not shut up about him to Hobie from day to night as soon as she was in earshot of him, by the way he immediately recognizes Miles and his jealousy, prompting Hobie to be the massive big brother shit-stirrer he is and mention his sneakers being taken, plus the jumper being left at his place. (I have a feeling Gwen didn't actually, and Hobie was just playing around by saying that) - A personal headcanon of mine is that Hobie's numb in a way, especially emotionally. It shows when they're talking about the canon events in the movie, to which Hobie just replies 'eh, what of it?', and brushes it off with a neutral expression on his face, while everyone's pained. I feel like he's already lost many family members, friends, etc due to the government that it feels as if nothing hurts anymore, when in reality it builds up to overflow one day. - Trust me aftercare is god tier with his man. Even if he's tired he'll always make sure that you're alright before he decides to rest, cleaning you up himself, getting you water and some snacks if it isn't too late at night. Once you two are fine, it's cuddles galore afterwards, with Hobie making sure you're asleep first before letting himself fall asleep. - A personal headcanon of mine which I'm usually very nervous to talk about is the fact which I think that he's somewhere on the ace spectrum. Of course he doesn't seem to really label himself on gender/sexuality, feeling comfortable with whatever people perceive him as, but going back on topic; I really don't visualize him being all that sex-hungry.

Sure he'll make the most vile jokes which leads you to question what his braincells do, but overall he's just happy to be there with you, whether its cuddles or causing havoc everywhere in his universe. - Adores Hobat Brown. Hobie and Hobat would get along so well, there's no possible way they couldn't. While Hobie's holding your hand, Hobat's found his way into one of Hobie's vest pockets. Or perhaps Hobie would DIY chest pockets onto some funny matching Halloween shirts you bought just for the little bat. Including you-bat too. Human versions and bat versions in opposite pockets- Hobat in yours, you-bat in Hobie's. - I feel like his favourite flowers are snapdragons. Not because im self-projecting, but if he had to pick he'd probably say snapdragons cus they just look cool. I can see Hobie randomly just squeezing them to watch them 'snap'. -He owns 4 cats, minus the strays. They're all oriental shorthairs, with the original being 'Mama Tea'N'Crumpets', or Mama TNC for short. Hobie adopted her after seeing her among the strays and looking very pregnant. After a few weeks, Mama TNC gave birth to three kittens; Bottol'o'Wo'ah (Bow - Brown like Mama TNC), Fish'N'Chips (Fish - Lighter brown/creme) and Theft (All black).

All four of them love sleeping in his bed, and in the middle of you two when you guys try to cuddle. Or on top, whatever happens first. They're the reason you two have to race to bed and immediately get comfy because Mama TNC knows how to open doors and all kittens follow. - Is weird and tries different icecream flavors (Loves chocolate though) - Has made a customized plushie for the two of you before you moved in properly with magnets in them so whenever you came over, you put the matching plush next to him and they held hands, or vice versa. When you moved in, the plushies hands stayed connected forever on the shelf. -🐦‍⬛

Awww thank you so much!! Fun fact abt that last part in opin: it was supposed to be a placeholder! Bc I finished writing so late at night my brain wasn't using all its power so i just came up with it until i could think of something better but by the time i was editing it I saw it and went "hey that's not too bad! This is pretty good!" So i kept it in lol

Thank you again!! Opin was really hard to write after writing for bdas bc in my mind (and own expectation) i need opin to be better or just as good as bdas. And i think I did well even though I struggled at the emotional parts and I loved writing every bit of it so it's a success methinks

Daily Hobie HC!!!

That's alright! I love general HCs!

I agree! Especially the part that hobie was just being a lil shit at that part in the movie lol he was like: imma make this dude so jealous

I think that he's desensitized in a way bc according to the comics he had a rough life before and even after becoming spiderman

Bro is a god in aftercare source: me and 🐦‍⬛ anon bc we said so

I love that! 😍

That's the most adorable thing ever!!!!

I bet he likes them bc they look gnarly and very punk!

THE CAT NAMES HAHAHHAHAHAHHAH AWWW TEA N CRUMPETS lmao i can imagine hobie introducing them like: this is my son fish n chips and theft 🔪😈

Hobie seeing jalapeño ice cream: I want that

THE PLUSHIE WONSWISJNQJNSJSN SO CUTEEEEE

[archivalofsins]

Was tagged by @qrevo on my main blog and I think I answered on their but I don't really remember. Either way thought it would be nice to do it over and put it up here too.

1. Are you named after anyone?

Yes, my first name is after my aunt. My mom planned on naming me lee if I was born a boy but I wasn't so she had to find some way to fit that into a girls name. Regardless of gender my mom's planned to take inspiration from my aunts name when naming me. My middle name is my grandmother on my dad's side first name. Plus my last name is just my father's families name for generations so technically every name in my name is due to someone.

2. When was the last time you cried?

Probably last week. It's been a rough year.

3. Do you have kids?

Do ocs counts- I'm kidding. They do and I have many. Still kidding no I don't have kids I do want to have them in the future or adopt.

4. What sports do you play/have you played?

I did ballet as a really young kid according to my mom. However, since I had really bad asthma during most of my childhood I wasn't really permitted to do a lot of sports. I did do swim classes in high school but not competitively or anything. I tend to like walking and I'd like biking again once I get another bike.

5. Do you use sarcasm?

Often. Very often. I think it's good at expressing certain feelings or just keep the mood light. Though I tend to be straight forward in serious conversation.

6. What's the first thing you notice about someone?

What they're doing. After that usually their face and build.

7. Eye color?

Brown.

8. Scary movies or happy endings?

I like scary movies because I've watched them since I was pretty young. My dad is into horror stuff such as books and when I was a kid a lot of the books he read were being made into or had movies of them.

9. Any talents?

I guess writing. Though not really since everyone in my family does that. I'm mostly told by family that I give good advice and should go back to school for psychology. So, probably that.

10. Where were you born?

The midwest of the United States. Where I grew up and have been most of my life.

11. Hobbies?

I'm getting into writing again. My hobbies since elementary school have consistently been writing all forms of it with a focus on media analysis and creative writing, music listening to it and analyzing it, and video games. Some nights I sit on my apartment balcony and listen to music. I also enjoy being near plants but I'm not that good at taking care of them and I am allergic to a lot of them.

12. Any pets?

Two cats Angel (going on 14) and Luco (going on 2 this month).

13. Height?

Around five feet and four inches.

14. Favorite school subject?

Science focus on biology. I really enjoyed that and history in college. During one of my college classes we got to dissect a pigs head and looking at stuff under a microscope was rather enjoyable.

15. Dream job?

This is why I remembered answering this before because I'm pretty sure I said writer but now that occupations could be better described as influencer and I'd rather not be that available to the public. Though admittedly when I was younger i wanted to be a school psychologist and write on the side. Right now my dream job has simply become whatever helps people think of things in a way different from how they usually would and make the world a more empathetic place. Which is why I discuss Milgram as much as I do. Though a part of me is also like whatever would actually bring some money ya know but this is good too.

I don't know if this reply is really late or I accidentally replied to it twice but thanks for tagging me! I hope you're having a sweet day!

[my-current-obsession]

Taking a break from Rune Factory 4 Special to fantasize about a potential Rune Factory 5 Special. Which probably won’t happen, but I can dream. This is basically just a list of updates/changes/etc. that I would like to see.

- (re)incorporate a lot of the stuff found in datamining, like the ability to run a shop and the DLC love interests - Livia, Radea, & Terry. Whether those three remain DLC or are just added in as new options, I would LOVE to have them. I wouldn’t even care if I have to wait until post-game to properly romance one or both of the girls, since it would be worth it. I’d also like Misasagi to be a love interest but I just don’t think that’s feasible since she has a child already and the writers/developers won’t want to have to deal with you marrying & moving in with someone who already has a kid.

- Speaking of Hina, she and Julien ABSOLUTELY need to grow up some after you’ve had kids. Those two are like... somewhere around 7-11 initially, and there’s at least a three or four year timeskip after having a kid (plus ANOTHER timeskip after the twins). It’s REALLY jarring to see those two looking/acting barely older than your own kids when at minimum they’re seven(ish) years older. Ideally I’d like the “young adult” models/sprites (as in, all the marriage candidates basically) to get a bit older too but that’s less of an issue than the two kids who noticeably Don’t Age.

- Bring back the “reverse” proposals from RF4S. I understand giving the player the agency to choose when to propose, but having an event that ends with their love interest proposing is SO GOOD, and it’s not forcing you to accept, so you can still propose on your own terms later. And several love interests make it clear they WANTED to propose when you do it, so just... let them do it! I think ideally I’d want MOST of the guys (3-4?) and at least one or two girls to do this, while the others still leave the proposing to you. In all cases, they’d need either one more new event or tweaks/add-ons to their final event to flow more naturally into this.

- Make sure the game is actually optimized and performs well on the Switch this time. I’ve heard the PC version is much better, but I got the game when it first came out on Switch, and it’s... not great. Lots of lagging, random crashing and visual glitches... Fix all of that.

- I ASSUME this was an oversight and not intentional, but definitely fix the issue where if you date multiple people in one run and then get married the other love interest(s) still act(s) like you’re together. The pet names are dropped but the romantic dialogue is not. It was SO awkward when I talked to Martin like the day after I married Ryker and he contemplated whether Cecil would approve of “our” relationship. Well, considering I’m married now, and not to you, probably not!

- This is a little less important, but along a similar vein I’d like if the game actually noticed and slightly altered some events depending on who you were dating, or if that’s too difficult make an effort to NOT have “date” events feature multiple potential love interests. Once again, on my first date with Ryker, Martin strolled up and interrupted us which embarrassed Ryker SO MUCH he left. I was pretty embarrassed too, considering Martin then casually said “Sorry I interrupted your date, Love.” Ideally either change date events so other love interests DON’T casually appear, or go immersive and have them react DIFFERENTLY if they also happen to be dating you. There’s also a non-date event where you and a few others play the King’s Game but Ryker is rigging it to help Ludmilla flirt with you. Again, odd to see it when I’m dating him and NOT her.

- It would honestly be nice to set your sexuality/preferred love interest gender at the start of the game simply so you’re not bombarded with EVERYONE’s events and not getting hit on by everyone when you’re talking to them every day. This way you’re only given the events and flirting by the gender you want.

- Bring back dungeon seeds/field dungeons! That’s just a simple and fun way to spend a lot of your time and get random rewards.

- Include more random conversations between townspeople! Literally the only “group” conversations in 5 are between the 6 boys and 6 girls at festivals. Let two or three people meet up during the day and have conversations. I miss that from 4 so much, it really helps flesh out the town and how certain characters interact with each other.

- Newlywed Mode would be nice.

- Murakumo being the only person running the bathhouse often causes problems. Any time he’s NOT there, such as festival days or just when he’s eating lunch/dinner, you can’t take a bath even though the inn is technically open/available. He has an in-universe reason to work alone so you can’t give him a helper, but you COULD do something like leave a note at his desk that we can investigate which says how much to pay. Bado in RF4 had something like that for whenever he was slacking off. Basically, we need some way to access the bath even if Kumo isn’t doing his job.

EDIT - thought of one more! Give us a way to access the flower shop earlier. Having Ludmilla be the sole person running it when she doesn’t even join the town until halfway through the game is... A Choice. It is RIDICULOUS how late in the game this shop becomes available. I think you could have Priscilla run it initially, and just decide where Lucy works between the shop and the bakery. Then when Ludmilla joins and takes over, Priscilla takes the other open job.

[scarlethoodi]

I only read Audible books so I can’t make actual book content like the cool kids on Booktok, Booktube, etc so I’m putting my 2022 top 10 books here

Dishonorable Mention

You Made A Fool of Death with your Beauty

I fucking hated this book. 2/5 on goodreads. Plot didn’t make sense and the main character pissed me off; never should’ve messed with that man’s daddy (who is also a weirdo). The use of grief was essentially a means to justify the weird plot and say everyone but the main character was wrong. I’m getting mad all over again

10) LilyReads (YouTuber) book club pick that I thought was a romance but I’m glad it wasn’t. In fact I was surprised at the direction it took, but the journey of self discovery was fun in its own messy way

9) I said I wasn’t going to read any white people romance but I’ve seen enough reviews to want to check some out. And I love a good friends to lovers despite what the “haters” say

8) The overall book is okay but the ending is what makes it great. It all started coming together so fast but it perfectly sets up the next book which I can’t wait to get.

Also quick honorable mention: Cinderella is Dead was also a fun read

7) Jake the boy that you are. Did I need that much insight into Sawyer’s mind-no could’ve gone without it. But I’m not mad at it and the contrast between the two of them really made the story what it is.

6) Massive trigger warning: Child Abuse

God this book had me on edge and if I think about the ending too much I start to shake. A book about how so many people can fail a little girl and the consequences of it all around how the only person who seems to care being said missing girl’s best friend. I could cry

5) Another LilyReads book club pick and the most fun I had out of them all. Very fun and enjoyable, I loved the narrative of the way it handled body autonomy

4) All children are charming as an adjective, but you’re charming as a verb if that isn’t an amazing quote. This book was a very fun book and surprisingly my very first male focus YA/romance. Henri was a fun character to see the world through and the narrative of him feeling like an outsider surrounding by those rich kids and trying to balance his own goals along with his parents plus dating. Oh Corinne was just the best here, I was practically shaking when the reveal of his betrayal came in. Also bonus points for not pulling a “we’re teens so in love, how can we separate for different colleges?” I wish them all the best

3) I only checked this out cause I saw it on Goodreads so I wasn’t expecting its content. This was an eye opener and a very emotional read that I gladly told my sisters about. Following an elderly immigrant women at sessions in an unemployment office as she tells her life story to you (the unknown presence of the social worker who is only revealed at the end). It makes me wish that community was reveal

2) Was so excited to get a chance at reading this and it definitely met my standards. F the noise (bad reviews), I got one think it makes perfect sense to fight fire with fire. Hell I think Wu Zetian could’ve been a bit more unhinged at some points. And everyone she killed deserved it, hell probably worse. Also answering a possible love triangle with polyamory *chefs kiss* thank you. Will be reading the sequel

Gaslight, Gatekeep, Girl Boss, Get away with Murder

1) Beautiful world building, diverse and interesting characters with great powers to match-when I get my shit together I will be making fanart. Between this and Cemetery Boys Aiden Thomas is definitely one of my favorite authors so the moment I can I will get physical copies of this book. If you love Percy Jackson I do recommend. My favorite book of the year.

This book was so much fun and a overall joy. I love the combination of fantasy and modern elements, the whole gods among us plus the power play/oppression build into the society. Trans representation that acknowledges said fantasy elements so it introduces different aspects of gender presentation. The slow burn of a rivals to friends (to maybe lovers). Each trial had me on edge as you saw the clear difference in Golds who were raised for this vs Teo and Xio, two Jades not on equal grounds. The betrayal that sets up the end and sequel book. I will be there consuming all of it

This concludes my very unserious reviews of my Top 10 book list of 2022. Follow me on Goodreads I guess, I do plan to use it more next year

[nozoditz]

The problem is the conversations often fall into blaming and driving people off, but we have to do something. The outcry is here for a reason, and it's not that m/m is gross or icky or that women who like to write m/m (and many of those aren't straight like the stereotype goes) are gender traitors or something. It's that f/f fanfic is in desperate need of a boost or two hundred to put it on equal ground with m/m, and even if every single person calling for more wrote 800k this year, it would barely be a drop in the bucket.

But then whenever the calls come up, all you ever hear is "why should I care about this, calling for more and making these arguments about internalized misogyny is basically just being entitled and demanding other people write the fic you like." Just look at OP in their first reply saying "why should I have to change what I do in my spare time?"

There are a lot of reasons for this. Like OP said, it can be chicken and egg with how many people might not have read a lot of f/f to learn to write it from. Or m/m writers might not want to write something that's "off brand."

There's internalized misogyny of many kinds, like "I'm not like other girls who think they're special and write about themselves" or "I was shamed in middle school for writing Mary Sue fantasies and that kind of criticism doesn't come when you write about guys, so now I feel wrong or put off about writing women" or "all the women are just boring, so it's not me hating women, it's canon that's sexist, now if you'll excuse me I'm going to write a few novels about a conventionally attractive nothing dude with two lines." And relatedly, how people complain about boring girls but then disregard interesting ones to either lump them with 'boring' or demonize them.

There are people who try to play all this off as not a problem. There's plenty of f/f fic, you just need to find the right fandom! Just go read for Xena Warrior Princess or Supergirl TV or She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, never mind that if you're looking for m/m you can find it in practically every fandom without having to find a specific one! Just look for a fandom with a bunch of interesting female characters. Oh, you found some and either there's basically no fanfic presence or you've run into the Proseka problem?* Well, what about fanvids? What about fanart? Who cares if your latest moe fixation has no fanfic, you can just read doujin of the characters, so you can't complain! There's no problem!!!!

We need more people to write f/f fanfic and for the numbers on AO3 to look different. This is true. This is undeniable. This is an enduring issue that needs to be taken seriously, and yet people say it's not, and we're just entitled and demanding people write for us, and that they have the right to be uninterested and we should leave them alone.

But what do we even do?

*For the unfamiliar, the Proseka problem is named for the mobile gacha game Project Sekai: Colourful Stage, localized as Hatsune Miku: Colourful Stage. The cast of this game is composed of five variants of each of the Hatsune Miku and Friends cast (previously "the Crypton Vocaloids" before the Crypton/Yamaha split), so five versions of four girls and two boys, plus a group of 20 humans: 16 girls and 4 boys. Two ships in this fandom have cracked the AO3 top 100 for the past two years, composed of the four human boys. Any other ships have little to no content at all, even taking into account that most of what you find tagged for the most popular f/f ships ends up being background for the m/m fic.

The way to make f/f more common on AO3 and in fandom in general would be to get more straight dudes writing fic.

A large part of the reason that m/m is as popular as it is is because women who find men attractive are one of the largest fic-writing demographics.

Men are less common in fandom, there's a decent handful of gay men writing and reading m/m fanfic, but they are not the primary demographic being served here and most gay men go elsewhere for their by-gays-for-gays smut and fiction. Fandom is a m/m heavy space *because* it's primarily a female space.

If you want more f/f, the way to get it is to invite in the people who like it already, and the largest demographic that wants to write about hot women is straight men.

--

[writingwithcolor]

Gingerbread man as golem

@yaronata asked:

I would like to write a character who is Jewish and uses a Golem. She's based on the D&D class of the artificer which looks magic but isn't, because they produce all their effects with inventions, like the "any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic" quote. Her story is that her very Jewish town was under attack from a terrible monster when she was little. Her Rabbis made a Golem to protect the town, and it succeeded but was torn to pieces in the process. She was fascinated by the Golem and as a kid didn't see a big difference between it's sentience and person's so was really thankful for its sacrifice like you would a person's sacrificing their life for you. They thought all the pieces had been devoured by the monster before it died, but she went looking and found the piece used to animate the Golem, which she, kinda misunderstanding called its "heart". She kept the piece and grew up to be an incredibly skilled cook, specialising as a baker in the town. I imagine she would make a lot of really good food for the Jewish holidays, or to break fasts on ones like Yom Kippur or Tish'abav. But she also made a town specific holiday to honour the Golem's sacrifice and the town still being alive, because I feel "we are not dead woo" is a big theme for Jewish holidays from my research, so it could fit, for which she invented ginger bread men to be the golem, and gave them little "hearts" of fruit or honey, and you're meant to eat them limb by limb like the beast did before eating the heart. This would be the inspiration for using the "heart" piece later to make her own giant gingerbread Golem to help her save the world.

These are my questions 1) would it be considered bad or disrespectful for someone who isn't a Rabbi to make a Golem, or is this method of taking an animating piece someone else made disrespectful? 2) Her journey will take her far from her town and her Jewish family and friends and she will likely travel with gentiles. Would it be disrespectful for a Golem to be used to protect a lot of gentiles and one Jew in the course of saving the world? I don't want to fall into the stereotype of someone putting all their effort into valuing and protecting very specifically the group that in real life is oppressive to them. 3) While she is not using magic and is actually mimicking its effects with technology she invents, is this drawing too close to the line of "magical Jew"? 4) I like to "play test" my characters in ttrpgs to really get a feel for them before I write. Would it be disrespectful to play a Jewish character when I am a gentile, and would it be disrespectful to play a Jewish character in a setting where there are demonstrably real gods other than the one of Judaism?

I really like this character idea and I think it's cute and fun and rooted in Jewish culture but I really want to make sure it's respectful and as good as I, a gentile researching on the internet, thinks it is. Thanks so much! Have a nice day!

My answer to this is very complicated because there are things I both like and do not like about this premise. First of all, I love the idea of a cookie golem, and I'm even imagining the magic word that brings him to life (EMET/truth) would be written in icing. And I'm okay with the part about how she found a piece of the old golem and used it to build a new golem, because that makes sense for a golem made from a baked good when you think about how people use sourdough starter to make a new batch of sourdough.

However, here are the thing that make me cock my head to the side like my little sister's German shepherd:

1. re: "magical Jew" - that's not a trope I've ever heard of. Remember, marginalized groups don't receive identical disrespect across the board. It is indeed a trope to use Black people or disabled people as supernatural plot devices who exist only to further the stories of white main characters or able-bodied main characters. But I can't say as I've ever seen anyone using Jewishness that way. Usually if we are someone's one-dimensional plot device it's as someone's lawyer, fixer, "money guy", etc, not a supernatural force. So this isn't something you have to worry about.

2. I have a certain level of discomfort with you playing as a Jewish character just because playacting as a marginalized culture you're not part of strikes me as off, but I understand that that's how you gain insight into a character you're about to write so it's more of a writing exercise than anything else. (I wonder if D&D regulars from marginalized groups have written about this -- I've only played a few times casually with family so if I did run into this type of discussion in my social justice reading I wouldn't have absorbed it. If anyone is curious I played first as Captain Werewolf, and then switched to playing as Cinnamon Blade because lawful good was too hard. :P )

3. I would prefer you omit the detail about eating the cookies piece by piece symbolically, for two reasons: a. it unintentionally evokes Communion by having appreciative people consume a baked good symbolic of an entity who sacrificed his life for theirs, and b. focusing on the details of flesh consumption reminds me too much of Blood Libel (yes, a gingerbread man is in the shape of a person but how many of us actually think about it literally, the way this act would cause?)

As to your first question: I'm fine with her making a golem even though she's just a rando. Second question: I see what you're saying and maybe it could be more okay if it's really clear how well these gentile folks are treating her? And questions three and four are answered above.

I really do love the idea of a giant gingerbread man golem. Cookie golem T_T <3

--Shira

I would like to second Shira’s point about not ripping apart the gingerbread cookies. I honestly would prefer they were used as decoration, and other cookies eaten instead, since that part just feels so not-Jewish to me, but I don’t have golem-specific issues other than that. It seems like you have already been doing a lot of research, which is appreciated.

As far as the ttrpg/DnD aspect… I bounce back and forth on the topic of playing characters that are so very different from our experiences, other than in fantasy-related ways. However, I am aware that a lot of people will play with, and experiment with gender in game, and learn something about themselves in the process (the number of trans players of ttrpgs who tried out their gender in game before they were out is high). It’s different with Judaism, and even more significantly different when it comes to things you can’t convert into, like various actual, real-world races. But because people do sometimes experience growth from experiences like this, I’m hesitant to dissuade players completely. I do urge you to, at a minimum, bring the same care, research, and willingness to learn, that you brought to this question.

--Dierdra

This sounds like a creative storyline that you could have lots of fun with 😊

At first I was confused by this part:

She also made a town specific holiday to honour the Golem's sacrifice

But then you really got me thinking about different types of Jewish holidays and how they come about, so thank you for that!

Because it’s often the little details that either make a story super powerful or kind of nonsensical, I think it would be a good idea to decide what type of holiday is being created here:

A full-blown chag with restrictions on labour and halachic obligations? These are commanded in Torah and new ones can’t be added.

A minor yom tov with halachic obligations but no restrictions? These were instituted by the rabbis prior to the destruction of the Temple, so again new ones can’t be added.

A public holiday or equivalent? This would usually be declared by the Knesset in Israel, and filter to the rest of the Jewish world from there.

A community-based yom tov with specific customs only for people in the know, such as certain Chasidic groups celebrating the birthdays of their deceased leaders? I asked around, but no one can really tell me how these holidays get started, which is probably a good indication that they arise quite organically from a group of people who all just feel that it should be celebrated. Probably not created by a single person, as such.

Something she runs from her bakery, not religion-based, but more like a day of doing special products and deals the way many small businesses do on their anniversary?

Now, if the people of a modern-day town were actually saved by a real live Golem, that would arguably be the most overt miracle for many generations, so there would be a decent chance of options 3 and/or 4 happening. It’s entirely plausible that there could be special foods for this day that become a tradition, including Golem cookies. People who directly benefited might also return to the site where the Golem fought the monster and recite the prayer, ‘Blessed is Hashem, Master of the Universe, Who performed a miracle for me in this place.’

Alternatively, if it’s important that your MC created the holiday, something like option 5 might be the best. Hopefully this will still fulfil what you need: you describe her as incredibly skilled, so I can imagine the day when she goes all out on the Golem cookies being one of the most exciting events of the year for the townspeople, just because her baking is that good. Plus, they already have a personal stake in the Golem’s sacrifice, so I definitely think it could be a thing without being an official holiday. Also, if she is outside of an all-Jewish environment, don’t forget that she would have to decide whether to commemorate the anniversary in the Hebrew calendar or the local one.

Coming back to the cookies, sorry if we’re getting a little repetitive on this point! But I don’t see the cookies being torn limb from limb as part of a celebration. First of all, this doesn’t sound like a very celebratory thing to do, to say the least. Can you imagine explaining that to a three-year-old on their first Yom HaGolem? They would be terrified! (I don’t read this suggestion as accidental anti-Semitism so much as getting carried away with a metaphor, which I’m sure as writers we have all done!)

But also, it’s worth pointing out that our commemorative foods aren’t usually that literal. If you think about hamantaschen, maror, or apple in honey, they’re all symbols. That’s not to say that having Golem-shaped cookies is a problem, as this sounds like just a bit of fun that the MC is having and not something that is directly at odds with Judaism or Jewish culture. But it’s worth bearing in mind that the more literal you go from there in terms of tying the cookies to the event they commemorate, the less culturally aligned your holiday food becomes.

Finally, about the Golem protecting non-Jewish people: I like this idea! There’s a stereotype that we only use whatever is at our disposal to help ourselves and other Jewish people, so a Golem being created by Jews but helping others as well is a big plus for me. Of course, as has already been pointed out, this would be an odd choice if her Saving The World team were anti-Semitic or otherwise disrespectful to her/her community, but I don’t think you were headed that way!

-Shoshi

I have to come back in here just to squee over the phrase “Yom HaGolem.” Well done :D

--Shira

[dokifluffs]

Oh This Should Be Good | Sakusa Kiyoomi

Pairing: Sakusa X Reader (female) 

Genre: fluff, comedy?

Author’s Note: @makeusfreefromthisfandom and I are doing a seasonal challenge where we give each other prompts! You can read her’s here to the prompt I gave her! and here, you can obviously read mine with the prompt she gave me: 

“Ahaha this is random but imagine his daughter asking him where babies come from 😭“ 

Also note: I like to write Sakusa as if he’s getting help with his germaphobia like slowly over time, as challenging as it is, he’s trying to change and be better with people he loves and cares about like his partner and perhaps offspring. Even though this would be kind of out of his canon character, I like to write him like this so he’s a more flexible character to write for.  

Warning: Timeskip spoilers ah ha ha, parents, kids, married characters 

D/N = Daughter’s name

gif from @rivaillerose​ 💛

“Daddy!” Sakusa and your little girl ran towards her father, grabbing a hold of him around the waist as he stepped into the living room, finally getting a rare day off now that baby number two was on their way

“Morning, pumpkin,” he stifled a yawn as he patted her back, messing with her hair up before she let go of him in a fit of giggles, following him

“Will you play with me today?”

“What do you mean, I always play with you,” he slid down on the wooden floors, making himself comfortable as he leaned back against the couch, now at the same eye level with his precious jewel

All she could do was smile as bright as the sun, her laughter echoing throughout the living space as the sunlight poured in

She truly was such a little angel, it amazed Sakusa still to this day how far he and his growing family was coming

Naturally, his smile matched hers

He relaxed as he let the day go by, his daughter playing around him, playing with her toys, occasionally watching the cartoons

“What are you doing?” She leaned into his side as he wrapped an arm around her to make sure she didn’t fall or slip in any way as she peered at what he was doing

“I’m just-“ but before he could answer, his phone rang as he faced himself in his pwn phones reflection

He could see the visible relaxation and smile disappear as soon as he saw the contact names

“Don’t answer #1, Don’t answer #2, and don’t answer #3”

Despite their contact names, he still answered, internally praying that he wouldn’t regret this call

“Oi Hinata, you were right, I owe ya five bucks since he answered,” Atsumu’s accent sounded over the call

“Sakusa, hey hey hey!” Bokuto the bright star called through the phone

“Uncle Bo!” Your daughter jumped against her father as she held onto his wrist until Sakusa lowered the phone, letting her see her “uncles”

Though he never agreed to let them be her uncles

“Oh! Mini Sakusa!” All three of their eyes twinkled as they all beamed looking to your guys’ daughter as if she was their own

“What do you guys want?”

“So cold, Omi~” Atsumu whined. “You haven’t been at practice for so long, the scrimmages haven’t been the same.”

“But it’s also nice not to worry about blocking or trying to dig Sakusa’s nasty cut shots cause of his wrists…” Hinata smiled looking relieved

“Oh! How’s Y/N’s pregnancy? Did you guys find out the gender yet?” Bokuto chimed

“She’s doing alright and no, we wanted it to be a surprise..” Sakusa replied

“Daddy?”

“Hm?” Sakusa looked to her as she now made herself comfortable in his lap as he leaned forward, putting the phone down

He wrapped his arms around her, holding her close

“Where’s mommy?”

“She’s-“

“Right here~” you waddled down the hall, your hair and clothes disheveled, unknowingly disrupting sakusa

“Mommy!” Your little girl sprung from Sakusa’s lap, making her way to you, latching her arms around your belly as best as you could

“Careful, D/N,” Sakusa worried seeing how she ran up to you, trowing your arms against her belly

“Why?” She held onto your hand as you walked toward the couch Sakusa leaned himself against before you lead her to sit down in his lap once again

“Oh, the Jackals. Hi guys,” you waved as you laid yourself down on your side on the couch, your head

“Y/N!” They all chimed, as if they all shared the same brain cell

this only confirmed Sakusa’s theory the more they said or did things simultaneously

“How’s pregnancy?” Atsumu chimed as he clearly lounged about in his own apartment

“Tiring,” you spoke just loud enough for the phones mic to catch what you said as you looped your arm around his shoulders, reaching for his hand to which he linked together

“But a lot more manageable since we know what to expect,” you yawned into your shirt, a habit you picked up from being with Sakusa

He used to cringe and shy away at your touch but now he didn’t even think twice about yours or D/N’s

“Hm, we’ll be uncles for more kids,” hinata beamed

“We didn’t even say-“

“The best uncles,” you nudged Sakusa’s shoulder playfully to which he just sighed, squeezing your hand in return

“Speaking of tired, why aren’t you sleeping in bed?” Sakusa turned his head, letting it rest on the edge of the couch as you brought your hand through his hair

“I didn’t want to sleep alone, plus it sounded so fun out here, how could I miss out on all the fun?” You reached down, booking your daughter’s nose as she stared at you

And then your belly

“Daddy?” She stood in between his legs as all the adults watched, curious at her next words

“Where do babies come from?” She stared with her wide eyes at Sakusa as you snickered, burying your head into his shoulders, eyes heavy

Atsumu choked on the water, doing a small spit tic as Hinata paused his game to laugh

Bokuto erupted into a big fit of laughter, enough to wake Akaashi beside him before he shushed him, cuddling him back to sleep but this is a different story

“Oh this should be good..” you laughed as all eyes fell upon Sakusa, the laughter dying down and being held in his teammates’ mouths as they awaited 

“Uh...” Sakusa’s mind raced as he panicked 

he knew this question would come up at some point 

but not like this 

at least not now 

your eyebrow raised naturally as sakusa’s breathing picked up 

“Next question...” he changed the subject, not ready to answer 

“But what about babies? How did one get in mommy’s tummy?” 

“Yeah, omi, how?” you joined in on the fun only to be on the receiving end of Sakusa’s famous glare that only softened for you after a second 

Now sakusa really regretting answering the call 

“It’s a secret, you’re not old enough to know yet,” Sakusa evaded 

“Aw, but-” 

“Next question, pumpkin,” He looked to her as if pretending it was just the two of them, parting her raven hair, ticking it behind her little ear

“Oh Omi, your ears are so adorably red and hot,” you teased, brushing your finger along the back of his bright red ears, purposefully pointing them out as the jackals laughed too 

the day continued with good memories as were made

He never thought he would feel this way in his life but

If he told himself 4-6 years ago that he would be married, let alone go on a date with someone and actually tolerate them, he wouldn’t have believed himself

but now he was grateful that you had crossed his path

~~~~~ Thanks for reading! Masterlist for more! Please do not repost anywhere else!

ALSO! Reference meme I made: this tik tok sound

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[interact-if]

Day 4 of interviews! Please welcome to the stage... Pime!

Pime, author of The Passenger

Latino Heritage Month Featured Author

Play as an eldritch abomination that’s about to be devoured by  another unthinkable creature. Good news is you are pretty crafty and know how  to jump dimensions to escape your ghastly fate; bad news is, you’re now stuck on Earth, trapped inside a dumb human larva.

As years go  by, you realize the amount of energy you need to leave this horrible dimension behind is a lot more than you had expected. Not  to mention  the creature that almost ate you all those years ago never  really  stopped looking for you. But there’s no way it’ll pin point your  actual  location… right?

The Passenger Demo | Author’s Kofi | Discord | Read more [here]

Tags: sci-fi, horror

(INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT UNDER THE CUT!)

Q1: So, tell us a little bit about the projects you’re working on!

The Passenger is a project written in choicescript, it tells the story of an eldritch abomination MC that's about to fall prey to another lovecraftian creature. They escape at the last moment and through some interdimensional jumping they end up on Earth, trapping themself inside a human baby in the process. The game takes place 26 years later when MC realizes that the creature is still out there looking for them. Now they need to find a way to escape Earth before the hunter finds them and eats them.

Q2: What excites you most about using interactive fiction? What are some of the biggest challenges?

The first time I came across this type of media, I was around 9 years old. It was one of those CYOA books—The Mystery of Chimney Rock iirc. It blew my mind because it mixed together two things I loved (and still love) a lot: reading, and playing games.

I enjoy writing character interactions and banter the most. I love trying to figure out what makes people tick, what they value the most, and what they don't care about—trying on different costumes so to speak—and interactive fiction is great for that sort of thing. I also enjoy thinking about different ways to overcome the same problem and the freedom of making a story your own through the choices you make.

I think the biggest challenge is putting myself in the shoes of a very logical character tbh; sometimes I have to think about how a cool, collected, analytical person would act in certain situations and it's just... tv static inside my head. Fortunately, IF is this weird collective storytelling in which players ask for choices to be added, so they truly save my bacon in that regard.

Q3: What has been something in your project you’ve had to do a weird amount of research for?

Describing the type of scenery one encounters when hiking on the hills of Maryland. Thank the universe for those hiking bloggers.

Q4: Which of your characters is most like you? How?

I would say anyone but Fiama; she's so mature and has her life more or less figured out even though she would probably scoff at the notion. If I had to choose one romantic option that's the most like me, I’d pick Jonny: we like the same stuff, are socially awkward, and have the same you-do-you-just-don't-bother-me attitude. I tend to see the glass half full when his is mostly empty though.

Q5: Does your heritage influence your characters as you create them? (How? Why or why not?)

Yes, and I don't think I did it on purpose; it sort of seeped in. Even if The Passenger is set in Maryland, there's little pieces of my own experiences and the experiences of people I've met here and there. Mostly poor folks' since that's what I know. Lots of working-class, too-tired, over-competent-for-the-job-they're-stuck-with types, young parents, passionate, stubborn, funny and loud people trying to do their best with the cards they were dealt. I guess this is true for almost everyone else, which speaks more about capitalism than ethnicity, but there you go.

I also try to sneak in mentions of Latin America whenever I can plus some nods to obscure Argentinian trivia.

Q6: What is something you love to see in interactive fiction?

So many things! I love the collective storytelling part of interactive fiction: too many times I see somebody come up with a headcanon that blows the original (mainstream) work right out of the water and I’m left thinking that I would prefer their version over the canon thing, and with IF you have the power to do just that. I also love how much freedom it grants players since most of the time it lets you choose appearance, gender, sexuality, name… do you know how hard it is to find a game in which the MC is a Latino guy with brown eyes and a weakness for GNC people? It’s pretty hard.

Q7: Any advice to give?

To anyone, if you want to write interactive fiction, do it: someone out there will enjoy your game. To my Latinx siblings, the same I told everyone else with a vengeance. Our culture is as beautiful as it is diverse and I don’t know about you but I could do with some new stories, some new ideas that reflect something a bit closer to our childhoods and the stories of our families. That type of thing will always be innovative in a world that spits out 17 marvel movies per year and maybe one Latino character in a short by Disney.

[lilac-5ky]

First off hello there, how are you? And if I may, can I request a Joui 4 x reader? Where they react to their s/o being pregnant, and having a child that comes out exactly like them personality wise.

A/N: Sure thing! I actually have done an elaborate version of how Takasugi would react to his s/o being pregnant and having kids in general and I'll do a similar one for Gintoki too. But the personality wise thing is something I haven't considered much, so, I'll press on it more in this request. Oh, and I'm good, thanks for asking!

Joui 4 reacting to their kids' personality being exactly like theirs

Gintoki feat. Gin jr

At first, he might get cold feet. Child means money, money means expenses, expenses means well, borderline poverty to him. Plus, Gin is very childish and has plenty of trauma, so that might make him question his parenting abilities too. He might even come off as rude when his S/O first talks to him about her pregnancy, asking if she really wants to keep it.

At the end, he'd come to accept the situation for what it is and wouldn't run away from his responsibilities, despite his initial awkward reaction. He'd be happy that you were creating a family together, even if that meant running a few more errands.

I feel like Gintoki would try his best to be diligent when raising the child, hoping that his kid would turn into an upstanding citizen. But how can that be possible when their own father is a manchild? It would totally backfire, and before he could realize it, he was facing yet another mini him.

The kid would be rude, childish, lazy yet competitive and of course, would have a huge craving for sweets. I can see him coming to realize their resemblance only once Gin jr. steals his candy without asking or something. It looked as if the kid had only inherited his bad traits and that would frustrate Gintoki for sure.

I don't see them getting along too well, mainly because of their clashing personalities. Gin doesn't have the best relationships with people who resemble him in one way or the other (think Hijikata, Tsukuyo or even Takasugi) and so, I can see the two of them getting very competitive with each other.

Don't tell me that you can't see Gin trying his best to beat his own kid at board games. Don't tell me that you can't see Gin stealing his kid's desserts and eating them in front of their faces just to mock them. And finally, don't tell me you can't see Gin jr. playing jokes on his dad all the time.

Yet, despite all their differences or rather similarities, Gin would come to love his own child, especially when he considered that the kid hadn't just taken on all his negative traits, but also his positive traits. Gin jr. was considerate and always helped others, the kid's moral code being exactly the same as his father's. They'd be the perfect heir to Yorozuya and that made Gin really proud, whether he admitted it or not.

Finally, while I don't see him being too affectionate after his kid grows up a bit, I feel like he'd be there for them all the time. He'd be a very good dad and would often indulge into Gin jr.'s whims, and, the two of them would oftentimes spend their time together

Having two Gins is both nightmare material, yet wholesome!

Katsura feat. Zura jr

Why do I feel as if for one second, it wouldn't register that his S/O was pregnant to his child, and he'd congratulate her on her pregnancy as if he wasn't the father? Isn't that the most Zura thing ever? Once he'd realize the child was his, I'd expect him to be very pleased over the pregnancy. Katsura is one of those really traditional samurai who uphold family values and all that. But once the thought would start to sink in, he'd definitely begin to overreact. From turning into an overbearing dad who buys everything for their unborn child (without even knowing the gender), to someone who gets cold feet and runs off, doing weird shit. Both are equally possible when it comes to Katsura.

After the child is born, he'd be able to calm down and handle it way better. He'd be very considerate and sweet towards both you and the child, taking care of the two of you.

However, what would happen once the child begun to show their natural zura-ness? Honestly, I doubt Katsura would even notice. He'd be completely oblivious to it. Even if someone sat him down and pointed at every single aspect of them being familiar to one another, he still would not see it. He'd just think of his child as a great person and would be proud of them without ever considering how it's basically a mini him.

Since Katsura used to be a particularly gifted and intelligent child, I can see Zura jr also being like that at first. He'd be a great student, very diligent and empathetic, but slowly he'd start showing more symptoms of Zuraness. He'd have a knack for drama and would be beyond dense. Perhaps he gets an imaginary friend at one point and makes entire scenarios about him. Of course, Katsura would scold him about that... because his scenarios weren't good enough and he'd have to help him remake them together.

Also, I can see Zura jr and Katsura turning into best friends (rip Elizabeth), doing all sort of common activities together. Every time Katsura discovers a new thing that their kid likes and he also does, he'd be amazed and would probably commend on their behavior. He'd spend lots of time with his kid and would have no reason raising it properly. Even if he tries to be strict, the kid ends up following his teachings and they develop a mentor/student kind of relationship, his kid closely following his bushido.

Oh and,I would expect them to both engage into crazy shenanigans and stunts together. They might drive you a bit insane but hey, at the end of the day, two Zuras isn't so bad! Double the kindness, double the love.

Takasugi feat. Sugi jr

He'd be the one with the weirdest reaction. Takasugi never really considered the possibility of going steady with someone, let alone having a child with them. Accepting the pregnancy would be hard for him, plus, he'd doubt himself a lot during that period. Could he even raise a child? Was he even worthy of doing so? Well, going back was no option and so sooner or later he'd come to accept his responsibilities. (more information on Takasugi as a father here)

Unlike Gin and Zura who would be close to their child at first, I think that Takasugi wouldn't be able to handle that, which funnily enough would be one of the factors as to why the kid turns out to resemble him this much. There would be an initial distance between them, so him realizing their similarities would take some time, but he'd be quick to notice it. Takasugi is very perceptive, after all.

At first, he'd have mixed feelings. He might have a hard time dealing with his own child, considering he, himself, isn't an easy person to handle. Also, he might honestly feel a bit guilty that the child is turning out to be just like him. It's not as if he had the happiest life and he wouldn't want his child to go down the same path.

However, because of how similar they'd be, Takasugi would pretty much be the only one who could successfully understand his kid. Even if he wasn't always there for them, he'd make sure that they establish a bond and that his kid can confide to him at any given time. Of course, that wouldn't happen too often because just like his father, kid Sugi would be a handful. But they'd warm up to each other and I feel like Takasugi would be to Sugi jr what Shouyou was to him.

Also, this is where I'd like to state that it goes both ways. Sugi jr is able to peer into the soul of his father, and that is something that Takasugi finds borderline disturbing, yet also amusing. People have a hard time fully grasping him, and although it might be overwhelming at first, he'd be proud to see his child resembling him in that aspect. (why do i feel as if they are two psychic pokemon that cancel out one another lmao)

Finally, I can see a bit of potential clashing between the two of them, but on a healthier level than Gin and his kid. Sugi jr would be as stubborn as Takasugi is, having a strong sense of justice and competitiveness. He would totally get into fights with others, even adults and the best part was that he would win most of them. Even if Takasugi goes all strict dad on him, part of him would be very proud and would reward him for his fighting skills. Like father like son I guess.

No matter what road his kid ends up taking, I think he would support them in his own kinda way and the two of them wouldn't have that much of a rocky relationship. He'd do his best to be a good father to them, hoping that by doing so, he could provide his own kid with a better childhood and an even better future.

Sakamoto feat. Tatsuma jr

When Tatsuma finds out about your pregnancy, he is ecstatic! They are amazing news to him and he doesn't think twice before going as far as to even throwing a party, in order to celebrate the news properly. Probably gets wasted and keeps hugging your belly in front of everyone, trying to feel the baby when it hasn't been more than 2 months. Even if you tell him, he'll keep doing it and be convinced he can hear it kick. Oh, and let's not forget about how your child will have E V E R Y T H I N G even before they were born. He'd spoil them rotten, I am 100% sure.

I'm not sure if he'd realize how much his kid resembles him, after said kid has grown up a bit. It's not that he'd blatantly deny it like Katsura would, more like he'd laugh it off if anyone pointed it out and would ask them if they really think so.

Naturally, his kid resembled him in every way possible, from his overly optimistic attitude, to his hobbies and ship passion. I can see Tatsuma taking his kid out for a ship ride, even letting them take on the wheel. Yeah, chances are they got into an accident while Mutsu and you gave them a lecture on child endangerment. Of course neither would take you seriously, and it wouldn't be too surprising if they both ended up barfing at you before laughing at your expression.

Speaking of laughter, this is one of their shared traits. People can tell when Sakamoto and his child walk in before they do, just from the sound they make. Prepare for trouble and make it double, basically.

There really isn't that much to say about Sakamoto and Sakamoto jr's relationship, because I feel they'd get along perfectly well! He'd love taking his child to work with him, showing him the universe and all of his favorite planets, while the kid would be excited out of his brain. All those common dad/son activities you see in the movies, such as fixing a car together -in this case ships, I guess- is what I can see Sakamoto and his child doing.

Also, for some reason, I can see Sakamoto's mischievous nature hitting its peak whenever he is with his child. The two of them would pull all sorts of pranks on you and auntie Mutsu, their laughter as they run away being what betrays them. Can't blame them, your reactions were hilarious after all.

I know I said that Katsura and Zura jr would have the best relationship but honestly, it might be on par with Sakamoto and Tatsuma jr. The two would have a completely unproblematic relationship, the only drawback being that they'd constantly end up in dangerous situations together.

[verycharismaticdragon]

Hi! I absolutely LOVE ur detailed meta on tyk. Your analysis on wenzhou relationship is so in-depth and beautiful. I’ve seen that you think novel zzs is more traditionally masculine than wkx, and I agree. Actually, 20+ Chinese people who answered my poll agree that novel zzs is the most masculine among the 4 main characters in the tyk and shl (plus mdzs&cql wangxian)..

So, my question is: how do you think the gender performance & gender role of show wenzhou and novel wenzhou differ? If you think there is a clear difference, what’s your speculation about the reason behind such changes?

I am a Chinese person interested in gender norms in danmei novels/shows, and I would appreciate your insights on this!

So I've been sitting on this ask for a while because... well, the way danmei works approach gender is a fascinating topic and one that I'm interested in, but also one I’m largely unequipped to discuss in-depth, as I lack familiarity with 1) danmei genre and its conventions and trends, 2) Chinese cultural norms, historical and especially modern, and 3) academic studies on gender, – and I also don’t have neither time nor energy to go on a research binge right now, the way I did when writing TYK/SHL comparisons. Because of these gaps in knowledge, I can’t approach the topic from every angle and offer a thorough analysis; I want to make clear that I’m not accidentally missing possible approaches but rather intentionally skipping them.

That said, there are a couple of angles I can work off; perhaps those hypotheses will be of interest to you, or at least function as starting points for your own analysis.

–––––

The first point I want to speculate on is the one I’ve mentioned before, if vaguely: the way differences in WenZhou’s gender presentation in the novel stem from their contrasting approaches to social performance in general. Of the two, Zhou Zishu is much more concerned with appearances, the norms and rules of polite society instilled into him by his life in the capital (and perhaps by having to take up the role of Manor Master prior). Conversely, moving past that, taking off those literal and metaphorical masks and refusing to continue playing by the rules, is one of the central threads of his character arc; but his starting setting is someone who has trouble letting go of his previously established mindset. On the other hand, Wen Kexing, all throughout the text, is that person who ‘laughs when he wants to, plays the ruffian when he feels like it’ (quoting from memory, wording may be off). It’s not that he’s incapable of performing dignity (he is polite when he wants to be, e.g. when talking to Wu Xi or Long Que, or that brief time he and Zishu were putting on airs in front of Cao Weining); it’s more that he simply does not bother with conforming to social standarts (this very much includes him being openly gay and making it everyone else’s problem).

So, how does this reflect onto their gender presentation? (cont. under cut)

The way I read it, Zhou Zishu has a more rigid idea of masculinity and is more concerned about performing it, while Wen Kexing doesn’t much care how he comes off. Think about the use of ‘husband’ and ‘wife’ between them: Zhou Zishu very easily accepts the title of the husband, but still bristles at a mere implication of being considered the wife even five years later (last extra); Wen Kexing, on the other hand, doesn’t mind getting called the wife – there’s even an instance of him referring to himself as such in internal narration, if memory serves, – though he also thinks of himself as husband on occasion. Simply put, Wen Kexing’s gender performance is more relaxed, while Zhou Zishu asserts his gender identity every time there’s even an imaginary hint of him not being perceived as a man. In that way, the contrast between their presentations is not due to some innate qualities, but rather to the difference in the level of investment they have in maintaining appearances; if Zhou Zishu seems more masculine in comparison, it’s because he’s the only one putting in effort.

But this is for novel canon. I think that some part of a reason why show WenZhou’s gender performance doesn’t match up to their novel counterparts is that the more blatant indicators (such as husband and wife rp) couldn’t be shown, while their social performances are pretty different. Show Zishu’s arc does not follow the same trajectory of gradually discarding the constraints of society, – his decision to leave Tian Chuang isn't about feeling trapped in the political landscape but rather about losing faith in the cause, the motif of masks isn't built up, and so on, – which means that there isn't a basis for reading him as someone who puts on appearances and is used to following rigid social rules. Wen Kexing’s presentation also changed: the whole gentleman / literati vibe (carrying folding fan, playing xiao, quoting poetry every three lines) simply isn't present in the novel. Because of those changes, that contrast I spoke about for the novel doesn’t really exist in the show: Zhou Zishu isn’t as concerned with appearances, while Wen Kexing shows more effort at blending in with the society. (There’s even this small detail I happened to make note of: in the novel, after arriving at Zhao’s, there’s a hilarious bit where Zhou Zishu gets talked to by various people and, feigning politeness, replies to them all with basically the same phrase with only slight variation; in the show, it is Wen Kexing who does that instead.) And with that gap between their social presentations bridged, there's no longer a source for difference in the level of effort they put into gender performance either.

In fact, you could even take a step further and make an argument that, in SHL, the one more likely to put up a front is Wen Kexing, and therefore he is the one with heightened gender performance. Perhaps tie those added scenes of him drinking with girls to this, consider it as him faking hеtero-masculinity... But this is just a possible avenue to explore if you want to; I myself am not that interested in working out exact nuances for the show's canon.

Anyway, to conclude this section, – on the level of gender performance, novel Zhou Zishu actively asserts his identity, show Wen Kexing possibly plays his up a bit, show Zhou Zishu doesn’t exhibit any inclination, and novel Wen Kexing is canonically chill with however he is perceived. As for why there are differences, I think it's primarily a reflection of changes affecting their general social presentation, which all have different sources: Zhou Zishu’s character arc, especially a thread of exiting the society, was changed to accommodate added subplots; Wen Kexing's whole new vibe, I'm pretty sure, was a way to skirt c/nsorship (quite a number of instances of him meaningfully quoting poetry are replacements for blatant, unоbscured flirting from the novel); and honestly I still have no idea why a thread of Wen Kexing being the one to hide behind masks was added.

–––––

Then, another angle this topic can be approached from is how conventions and cliches of hеtero-traditionalist romance narratives affect our perceptions of characters’ gender presentation in m/m fiction.

No matter how fed up we are with those cliches, we know them, and we know which role is associated with which gender in literary tradition (e.g., damsel in distress: the rescuer is a man, the one saved is a woman). But what happens when those tropes and conventions are employed for m/m stories? Those associations, those ‘narrative genders’ so to speak, end up projected onto characters regardless of their stated identity (or get appended to their stated identity, like the recently popular ‘malewife’ moniker). There’s a lot of criticism going around regarding m/m fiction perpetuating traditionalist gender roles, but I think it misses an important nuance: since most of the romance tropes and conventions originate in het fiction, those connotations end up existing regardless of authorial intent. Every little thing: who is the one courting and who gets pursued, who gets center stage in action scenes and who cheers from the sidelines, who shows more emotion (or does more emotional labor), who is naive and who is worldly, who gets rescued and who does the rescuing, and, yes, who takes which role in bed, – none of those are inherently gendered, yet all have gender connotations in fiction, because of the literary tradition existing prior. With near-everything having such association attached, is it even possible to completely avoid 'perpetuating gender roles'?

But I do believe this is something authors are aware of, and take steps to counter. In most danmei novels I've read (not that many, mind), each character would get some indicators of one role and some of another, so the overall impression would balance out. As an example, and to return to the topic at hand: consider how in TYK, Wen Kexing is the one pursuing, while Zhou Zishu is the one getting won over; yet at the same time, Zhou Zishu is the gruff and stoic one, while Wen Kexing is emotional and affectionate; and so on.

Because the story doesn’t stick either of the characters into a fixed ‘narrative gender’, all of those traits and actions just come off as differences in characters’ personalities rather than indicators of gender identity. Like, Wen Kexing gets called ‘wife’ in TYK fandom, but that’s largely because he canonically takes up the label; had novel WenZhou gone by husband & husband in canon, I think people would just as easily go along with that. (If my understanding is correct, there is a basis for Wen Kexing being designated ‘wife’ from standpoint of traditional spousal responsibilities as they are portrayed in Chinese pseudo-historical fiction, but, again, this is out of my range of knowledge; and above, I’m talking more about readers' impression.) All in all, when reading, you don’t get the feeling that either takes up a feminine role at all.

This is the situation for TYK as I see it. For SHL, even I, someone who does not go into that fandom's spaces, caught wind of the whole SHL!Zishu getting called ‘laopo’/’wife’ trend. Interestingly enough, from what I’ve seen, show Wen Kexing didn’t get ‘husband’ affixed to him as strongly; and of course, the label doesn’t originate in the novel (unlike, for example, people utilizing mdzs wangxian’s ‘spousal roles’ for cql fic/headcanons), being the opposite of what’s stated on the page; so what, exactly, about show Zishu ended up generating this impression? I’m not going to pretend at certainty, but to me, it feels like the balance of ‘narrative gender’ indicators was slightly off for him – not to the point of him being stuck in a role of female lead or anything, to be clear, but just enough to be noticeable and affect the viewers’ perception of his gender presentation. I’ve seen a few people’s theories on the reasoning behind the ‘laopo’ label, and other comments on SHL!Zishu ‘getting the part’ of the female lead, and all of them noted different things – particular scenes (hairpin scene was cited a few times), Zhou Zishu’s image (not looks but rather framing/light/costuming, if I recall correctly; been a while since I’ve read that piece), Zhou Zishu being physically affectionate and openly showing emotion... But I really don't think any one of those things would create such a strong and widespread impression; it is all of them together that ended up tipping the scales.

As for why show Zhou Zishu got all of those indicators piled onto him, when that wasn't the case for the novel version… My guess is that it wasn’t a deliberate decision on the writer’s part, but rather the consequences of other, largely unrelated changes coincidentally aligning that way, – and, obviously, I’m not going to track every single scene and character trait to its source, I’ve taken long enough with this ask as is. But I do want to outline what I feel might be a reason behind a significant amount of those adjustments: the show trying to make Zhou Zishu, and WenZhou, more immediately and easily likeable, for as wide an audience as possible.

Look, for any show, the sooner the viewers get invested into the main character and the main couple, the better. Problem is, on the surface, novel Zhou Zishu's sole likeable quality is the hilarious and scalding commentary going through his head, which is hard to translate onto the screen; and his adorable side is hard to notice, as he covers it up with gruffness or bluster. As for WenZhou, they are, to put it mildly, an oddball couple, which I personally find appealing, but I understand that's a bit of a niche taste. So, to compensate for that, the show smoothed down Zishu’s hard angles: made him less brusque, softer, more outwardly affectionate – there are even a few scenes where acts of care originally performed by novel Wen Kexing are done instead by Zishu, as if to try to distribute those actions more equally between the two, – and there’s no denying that it did have the intended effect, making show WenZhou more universally appealing; their popularity speaks for itself.

But it also just so happened that many of the character traits that got overwritten were exactly the ones that held up novel Zishu's masculine presentation – and thus, the impression the two versions of the character give off ended up noticeably different.

–––––

And last one; as I said in the beginning, I'm not familiar enough with danmei genre to offer analysis from that angle – even if I have some theories, I can't vеrify them, at least not right now. Thus, what I’m going to write out next is only a guess, and anyone who has more familiarity with the topic is welcome to offer insight or correct me if I’m just plain wrong. So! Going off the way TYK is already subverting one of its genres, and also off it being published in 2010 and what I recall of m/m fiction disc/ourse back then, I wonder if Zhou Zishu’s presentation was meant to be a direct subversion of (or at least a response to) the stereotype of ‘feminine shou’. Again, I think the criticisms regarding m/m fiction ‘perpetuating gender roles’ are largely undeserved; yet I also wouldn't say that there isn't any stereotyping at all. But I don't know if it was prevalent enough in danmei works in those specific years for Zhou Zishu’s vibe to be a subversion; so this is just a guess.

–––––

Well, I believe that's all I have to say on the subject. In closing, I want to once again clarify that this meta is incomplete intentionally. And also, that all this is based partially on my own impressions and partially on comments I’ve seen around, and even those two things are not entirely in harmony (for example, just because I see where laopo thing comes from doesn’t mean I agree with that evaluation), so it’s perfectly natural if you(general,reader) had a completely different impression and partially or fully disagree. Lastly, I’m open to any and all follow-ups! Can’t promise a coherent response, but can promise to give whatever it is a thought.

–––––

- TYK meta masterpost - - SHL meta masterpost -

[levymcgarden55]

I got tagged by @caprisun-overlord to do 10 characters, 10 fandoms, 10 tags :D

I didn’t have to do the little blurb but since the point is to get to know me, why not? Here are my blorbos, arranged in no particular order (but psst my favorite is 10)

1. Frisk (undertale, when the game was really popular I dressed up as Frisk for Halloween and was surprised to find my best friend as Chara and two acquaintances as Alphys and Sans. God that was a great Halloween.)

2. Roserade (pokemon, I love the design and the gay flair. Plus queer flower fems are very good. [holding budew, roselia, and roserade in my hand] I just think they’re neat.)

3. Fae (Fire Emblem Heroes, god I love this baby, but she gets 0 recognition bc her og game was a Japan-only release. Yes she’s a thousand year old dragon who looks and acts like a little girl but look I just want to give her a juice box and a plushie)

4. Angus McDonald (the adventure zone balance. God I love my boy!! For a good while my icon was various images of him in the “do it for them” meme format. It’s still my icon on discord bc I LOVE joining a server and having people flip their shit over My Boy. Once someone went “Angus Mcdonald?!” And I went “yes that’s my christian name.”)

5. Natsu (Fairy tail, it was the first anime I really got into. I looooved it and Natsu specially was my first fictional crush that I wrote fanfic for. I watched fairy tail up to the 190s where I kinda… drifted off of it. Years later I rewatched it and can say with a certainty that it is Not As Good, with a lot of problematic bs. But I’ll always have a soft spot for Natsu.)

6: Zelda (breath of the wild. She’s a trans icon. Also I played the game before and after I left the cult, and GOD does her story hit different. “You’ve been trained your whole life to forge your connection with the divine, just as your ancestors did before you. You’re trying and trying and trying, pouring your whole heart into it. And it’s… not working. Everyone’s expectations are crushing you. If they could just let you do what you’re good at, you might be able to thrive! But all your parent can say is try harder.” . . . Of course I love this poor doomed princess.)

7: Ralsei (Deltarune. Yes, blush when Kris is too close!! Hug the combat dummy!! Shield by wrapping yourself up completely in your scarf!! God I love them. Also even though the ch 2 sprite debunks it, my headcanon is that the heart on Ralsei’s dress is actually a chest cutout so it’s black fur, not fabric.)

8. Flayn (fire emblem three houses. She’s adorable and sweet with a cutesy design and soft mannerisms. Not great in combat so I made her my dancer. I desperately wish they had varied the body types on the girl characters so they weren’t all mannequin doll perfect— Flayn deserves better, and give my buff girls muscles, cowards! Honorary mention to Petra from the same game, who I love and is one of the aforementioned girls who deserve huge watermelon-splitting thighs, goddamnit!!)

9. Yoosung (mystic messenger, ik 707 was all the rage but Yoosung was my first route and will always have a special place in my heart.)

10. Garty O’Brien (dimension 20’s fantasy high. I adore every part of them. They’re a nonbinary aasimar half orc who runs a tavern on a moving pirate city made of lashed together ships. They have top scars and cool as hell sacred geometric & floral tattoos. They’re strong and muscular and on top of all that they’re classy & chill beyond belief.)

I am gently setting them in your hands

I have so much gender envy for them my god

[id: an image of Garty O’Brien. They’re standing at ease, one palm up and the other at their side. They’re facing forwards and looking at the viewer with a friendly expression. Besides the other features mentioned above when describing Garty, they have medium green skin, golden tattoos, and their eyes are a black sclera with a hollow gold ring for the iris. They are shirtless with gray pants that have a wraparound shawl on the torso. They are wearing plain boots, lots of dangly gold jewelry, silver makeup, and have short black hair with an undercut on both sides.]

Bonus 11th: Master Firbolg (adventure zone graduation. He’s not really a blorbo but he’s very good and I love him. After I listened to this, one of my druids (who already spoke broken common) just totally took on his speaking cadence?? Also Justin really did go “yeah there’s huge hype around my character name so I’m just Not Gonna Name Him, fuck you.” Gotta respect it.)

Hope y’all enjoyed getting to know me a little (:

Tagging @lol-who-is-this-guy @ratbastarddotfuck @quinnception @in-bituin-the-stars @photosinthesisforthewinthesis @axiomofhope @zeta999 @tallsa and anyone who sees this and wants to do it too (: