#romance is entirely optional and even then I treat this aspect more like 'you can have it as a lil' treat' not as a way to heal

[midnightmoodlet-art]

https://www.tumblr.com/midnightmoodlet-art/766618023953121280/oh-now-i-get-iti-mean-i-like-affogatos?source=share

Now I can't stop imagining:

Affogato: *been fighting for this affection and love all his life.*

Moment he meets spouse:

*he is about to fight for it when y/n dumps it all on him, free of charge with no strings attached.*

One he realizes it...

Affogato: ...*just breaks down crying and hugging his love.* I would die for you!!!

Oh he's gonna lash out for suuuuure He might list all the terrible things he has done, he might try to unconsciously push away, because there's no way that the love is unconditional that easily. There has to be a fault somewhere, something to make you waiver in this affection.

It's like he himself doesn't believe it, it's been so long that maybe he had already shut that door long ago mentally.

He might not even realise that he has fallen in love at first, maybe it all started as he spotted a beautiful sugar bloom during a walk to clear his head and immediately thought that they're going to like it. It starts as little acts here and there, little subconscious affectionate actions that he hadn't done in years.

Yet he couldn't compute it when given the same treatment. Please give him a bit as he has some shit to process after the revelation.

But after this, hoooo boy he's the most loyal cookie you've ever met and will murder for his partner's well being (please dissuade him).

[fox-guardian]

Sorry if this comes off wrong, really not my intention

But you zombie au makes me think a bit of warm bodies. Mooostly your bit talking about how the infected are still aware enough to want to crave connection with each other.

Cause that's kinda what warm bodies is about. It's more a romance story but the overall theme is basically using the trope of zombies and infected to represent disconnection. From yourself, society, the people you care about. (More or less)

And that kinda stuff always hits me a lot when people use the zombies trope like that or include bits of that in their stories especially as someone who frankly struggles so much with it. Namely dissociation and chronic pain.

So when you mentioned in your au that people are still aware and seek out some sort of connection in some way im just very big teary eyed over it especially over the fact that like. Idk. The whole. You are suffering. You are in pain. You are so scared. You just want someone to care about you.

Idk it's got me thinking about that whole thing again and augh. Personally one of my favorite tropes.

HEEHEE I'm glad you like that aspect!!

I decided to make the infection work like that when I was thinking about curly's own infection and how it'd work for the narrative. I didn't really like the idea of him completely losing his humanity and there being a chance of him snapping and attacking the crew or whatever, mostly because of how he's treated in-game after the crash? He gets dehumanized, most notably by jimmy, treating him as either a sobbing inconvenience or a symbol, and his appearance haunts him. He is treated, in some ways, as a kind of monster, when he is just.... a severely injured and disabled man. And he doesn't have agency and can't make any choices for himself.

While zombie!curly isn't in quite as severe a state, the gang does still treat him to some degree as not entirely human. He's treated as a ticking time bomb of cannibalistic wrath, and a harbinger of rotting doom should anyone get too close unprotected. But he still has more agency than canon curly does, at least. For a while he can still speak, and emote through facial expressions, and he still has some use of his hands and feet, even if he is weakened. He's in agony, sure, but it's not quite "complete immobility" levels. He has some options. I didn't want to take away what agency he does have by letting there be an actual chance of him turning into a monster later on, fulfilling the fears the rest of the crew have about him.

Also something something "our worst moments don't make us monsters" something "when does it make me monstrous" (<- magnus archives reference) curly's darker decisions later in the au's story are his own and not dictated by a zombie infection, just his own anger and pain.

And after deciding on that aspect of the story, the rest of the zombies' behavior stuff came p naturally!

Tldr: it didn't feel right to make a character who already lacks so much agency in a story about what makes a monster Lose their agency in a way that makes them inherently monstrous in this au, and that led the way for the more.... sympathetic I guess? zombie behavior!

[averagstupideperson]

I feel like this only takes in the twist aspect and not literally everything else, especially Monika's character tbh. Like, I see where it comes from, I like what it's trying to do, but it does not fit at all if that makes sense?? It plays off the horror and trope subversion but it also detracts from it? DDLC would play out literally exactly the same because Monika is in love with the Player, not MC. But it also misses the fact that Monika's thing with MC/The Player and trope subversion isn't all that's happening. Monika is meant to not stand out too much initially, when you find out she isn't romanceable you get curious about her. Though, it's forgotten as you get into the game more and get attached to the other characters. Then the twist comes. If Monika were a guy then she'd be stamped all over with suspect number one even more than Monika already was- An all female cast also makes sense for the type of game DDLC is trying to emulate. It's voyeuristic towards girls and treats them like a prize to be won with the right responses and options. It can contextualize Male!Monika's actions towards MC if he acted like Monika during the game.. If he was acting towards MC. Not the player, Monika isn't given the Player's gender information from what we get from her dialogue. Now for Monika herself, I say this with the entire spectrum of visible light as the most fruit-bearing branch of my entire family tree, her character isn't about being queer. It's about her nihilism and existentialism when she finds out everything and everyone around her wasn't real. Everything she believed had happened the future she was dreaming of was gone. Let's also be realistic here- She will never fall in love with MC, he's a weeb who doesn't go out much and isn't in any club before he was forced to join the club by Sayori. Her personality does not match well with MC's, and I'm not saying people with those two personalities can't date- She just loves the Player, regardless of gender. Though, what drives Monika is that initial epiphany though, and she isn't even committed enough to fully delete her friends and that's how she manages to recover their files and restart the game. I'm not gonna bring up the backlash DDLC would face if they did make Monika a guy and the wrong messaging it could deliver though- It speaks for herself I just want my girl to get justice for how well-written her character actually is, not some 'DDLC would've been better if Monika was x' because it can miss the point of the game. Yes it's a dating sim deconstruction but it deconstructs the characters and tropes too as much as the romance aspect-. My girl is trying to desperately process her situation and is projecting it onto the one thing she perceives as real. She's racked with guilt about 'deleting' her friends. She couldn't give a fuck about MC too- I love what Male!Monika could offer but in the context of DDLC and her pre-existing character, it just doesn't appeal to me or make sense to change what's already perfectly fine that much. This gives Monika's actions some sort of romantic connotation, while it's true that Monika does romantically love the Player, it's more out of desperation for something genuinely real. To feel and be real. Also it detracts a bit that she also genuinely loves the Literature Club, to focus on her being a guy and that she'll never attain MC because she isn't romanceable due to being a man. The focus is placed just on her romantic love

Doki Doki Literature Club’s twist would have worked better if Monika was a male character. Aaand post

[moemoemammon]

could you write a thing about how the bros would react to an asexual MC ?? I love all of your writing ! it makes me feel so happy and valid, thanks for everything you do !!!

The Demon Bros react to Asexual MC!

(I can vibe with this as a fellow ace ✌️)

✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦

Lucifer

Lucifer might not present himself that way, but he's a man with physical desires. But do you know what he loves more than that?

YOU. Your mental and physical well-being, your emotional and romantic fulfillment, everything about you is his priority.

And do you think he’d stoop so low that he’d be upset by your orientation? No, he takes I with a grain of salt because it does nothing to change how much he values you, and being with you.

If anything, he's happy that he can focus on the more intimate emotional aspects of your relationship. You're the only person he wants to let into his heart, and he hopes you feel the same way.

"Did you think I would be upset? How lowly do you think of me? I assure you, just being able to have you by my side everyday is more than enough, MC."

Mammon

"Hah? That's all??"

Look, Mammon's not always the most... empathetic. Or he doesn't really choose the best words for a situation? He can come off as kinda crass, but he means well.

That being said, he doesn't understand how much coming out meant to you until you tell him. He's not trying to undermine your feelings, but he thinks you're silly for being so worked up.

To be frank, he's insulted that you'd be afraid to tell him! He's THE Great Mammon, you know? He's met all KINDS of people in his time, so something like this isn't gonna shake him one bit!

"Listen, and listen well! I'm yer FIRST. Know what that means? It means yer MY first! W-well I mean... you're the most important to me, so you bein' happy is all I care about. And dontcha forget that!"

Levi

Topics like this were always difficult for Levi. Deep emotions, being vulnerable, offering comfort... Video games made it seem so easy, but there were no multiple choice options irl!!!

Yet as nervous as he was, there was no way he couldn't respond to your heartfelt confession when he saw the conviction, and worry of judgement in your eyes.

He knew that feeling all too well; being afraid of how others would perceive you. Wondering if they'd think you were weird, treat you differently, isolate you...

And e won't let you feel alone! In fact, he suddenly grabs your hands into his own and gives them a tight, but reassuring squeeze.

"MC! I'm... you know I'm here for you, right? I really.... th-... even if I'm not the greatest at this, you know I'll always try for you, don't you? I'll do anything in the world for you! And something like this isn't enough to shake our bond! So don't be afraid to tell me things, okay?"

Satan

He might not look it, being a humongous nerd, but Satan does have desires of those kinds. He's definitely the most demonic of his brothers too, and being the Avatar of Wrath means he's more inclined to act on his desires.

Yet somehow you, a simple human, managed to curb those desires entirely and calm his turbulent heart.

You changed his world; the way he views himself and his relationships with others, the way he handles his emotions...

He can't help but be in awe of you, at times. You calm him even more than the comfort of books and the company of felines. So even if he can't "hold" you, his soul will always be satisfied with but having you near.

"If I'm being honest, I prefer YOU more than anything. You complete me, MC. The calm face I'm always upholding... it feels so much more natural when you're with me. I'm happy when you're with me. It almost feels like a fairytale, so... what more could I ask for?"

Asmo

Bro,,,,,,, 😔✌️💦

Jokes aside, Asmo is the Avatar of Lust, so you already know how he feels about physical relationships.

But since you've come along, he found himself understanding the importance of actual heartfelt romance. There's so much more to love than what he realized.

Even if all he knows is the physical aspect of showing his love, he finds himself valuing the romance even more. The way you look right through his facade to see who he is inside, the way you pick apart his personality and admire the softest parts, the way you genuinely enjoy his company for more than what he can give you...

"Why are you making that face? Did you think I'd whine and cry over it? Love, if there's ANYTHING in this world I care about more than physical affection, it's YOU. You know that, don't you? Now give me your other hand so I can start on the rest of your nails~"

Beel

Is that a food

JK Beel isn't THAT much of a muscle-head. He might not the type to take much of an interest in sexual orientations, but he at least has a general understanding of them. Just doesn't give em too much thought.

But I can kinda see Beel leaning that way? Of course he'd be fine with whatever you ask of him, but he's more interested in emotional fulfillment, rather than physical.

When it comes to you and the people he cares about, what he loves most is to see everyone happy. And you? He loves spending time with you. Eating with you, playing sports, hiking the mountain trail, sightseeing in town, yoga... Beel wants to experience so much more with you.

"You do know that I don't mind about that, right? Um... I like it best when you're smiling next to me, so I want to do my best to keep things that way. If that's all, then do you want to go to Madam Scream's with me? I want to get you something. My treat."

Belphie

"Ah, that's a shame..."

He's kidding, as a gremlin like him tends to do, and emphasizes that when he sees the sour face you make. Belphegor may be the type that likes it best when he gets what he wants, but that's in moderation.

What he wants the most in this world, more than sleeping, stargazing, or anything else, is you. He hardly got to spend any time with you compared to the other brothers! Do you really think he wants to spend that time thinking about touching you?

He wants to know your heart, and give you his in exchange. He wants to show you that what he introduced himself to you as isnt who he really is. He wants you to know how much he REALLY cares, more than his words can convey. Maybe one day, he'll be able to say it properly?

"You really worry about the strangest things, don't you? Getting so worked up... Come over here." Belphegor wraps his arms around you, making sure you can hear his heartbeat. "....That's what you're doing to me. Can you hear it? Spending everyday with you, like I'm stuck in the perfect dream.. do you think I'd give it up all because of that? I'm way too greedy. I'm keeping all of you, that part and all."

[echo-of-sounds]

smut alphabet - fatgum

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

After sex, Taishiro enjoys a nice, warm bubble bath to unwind and clean up. As you relax, preferably with you resting against his stomach, he’ll run soap all over your sweaty skin then gently massage your lower back. When you’re bent over the bed, your back takes a lot of the stress with him pounding you from behind.

Following your bath, he’ll take as much skin-to-skin contact as he can get. It doesn’t matter if you’re lounging on the couch or laying in bed. He just wants to enjoy you. Feeling your body safe in his arms puts him at ease. And he’s super warm, so he’s the best to cuddle with during chilly nights.

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

Oh, he adores your tummy. All of it. Any surface, from your collar bones to your hips, he’ll kiss and lick and tickle and worship. Anything you consider a flaw or ugly, he commends. It’s not an exaggeration. You’re an icon. He’d kneel before you, honoring each stretch mark, revering every scar, bumps, or ‘defect,’ whispering into your skin as he kisses the whole of your stomach. If you’re ticklish, be prepared for him to blow raspberries.

On himself, he’s fond of his hands and smile. His smile attracts people. It’s big, friendly, and bright. His hands, though often used for maiming, are delicate and graceful whenever they glide over you. They’re strong, broad, heavy, and thick. Those apply to his fingers as well.

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

It’s flavorful, to say the least: rather bitter with salty undertones. Most of the time, he uses condoms as he enjoys cumming inside you, but he also doesn’t want to risk pregnancy when you’re not planning for it. 

It’s thick, and he loves watching it ooze out of you. Once his orgasm builds, he withdraws so only his head remains inside and pumps himself, cumming near your entrance. He’ll stroke your lower tummy, whispering how beautiful you are, singing praise after praise when you push his cum out. He’ll probably lick it up too.

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

He doesn’t really have a dirty secret. He’s quite open about what he likes and wants, and what he’s done. Regardless, he fantasizes watching you play and suck on a lollipop, occasionally using it to pleasure yourself, then lick your wetness off of it. But he knows that isn’t healthy. Food, as good as it is to eat, shouldn’t be going inside.

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

While Tai may not be a Casanova, he knows how to pleasure someone. Oral is where his confidence lies. He can easily move your body around, sucking soft skin, dragging his tongue over wherever you need. He also has enough experience to know how much he needs to prepare you for penetrative sex. Making sure you’re stretched, lubricated, and ready is one thing he does without fail.

F = Favorite position (this goes without saying)

He isn’t picky. If he’s having fun and you’re having fun, it’s a splendid position. In doggy-style positions, he fancies the view of your hips wriggling and ass bouncing. And in missionary/right angle positions, your moaning face is a delight to see. Your legs will be held against his stomach as he’s thrusting into you, watching your breasts and mouth. He’ll occasionally open them to fondle more of you.

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

Despite his normal, feel-good, cheerful mood, he becomes a bit serious once in the moment. That doesn’t mean he won’t laugh, joke, or smile. Because he absolutely does! But his general feel is more acute, focusing on your body, praising your mouth and skill to hell and back.

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

There’s a tuft of hair down there with a little trail leading up to his belly button. It’s a sandy blond that darkens to dirty blond around his base. He doesn’t shave: it makes him feel weirdly naked. He may trim after a while, but he typically keeps it at a manageable semi-long.

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

You won’t have to ask for flowers, a candlelit dinner, and soft music. One random day, you’ll open the door to all of that and more, and your smiling boyfriend holding a present. It’s a cute, new teddy he wants you to wear. After dinner, he whisks you away to the bedroom, continuing the romance for the rest of the night.

J = Jack off (masturbation headcanon)

It happens more than Tai cares to admit. A Hero’s job isn’t easy. Masturbating works excess stress off. And he gets more adrenaline boners than others. He doesn’t know why. He’s been that way since he was a teenager. In the wake of a fight, he hurries home, jumps in the shower, and relieves himself. It’s over pretty quickly. However, if you’re home, he’s very willing to receive a blowjob. You know… if you want.

K = Kink (one or more of their kinks)

He’s very vocal. Not in the constantly moaning way. He just talks a lot, worshiping and praising your body and everything you do. It’s natural to him. He only wants you to know how good you are at sucking him and how beautiful you look gasping at the sheets and how stunning your slightly teary eyes are each and every thrust.

Going off that, it may not be a kink per se, but it arouses him seeing your eyes water. It’s not sadistic. He’d hate to bring you genuine pain. It’s about seeing you so horny, captivated, passionate, and immersed in all the pleasure to the point you can’t contain it, so it comes out as tears, floods his heart in love and warmth. He’ll do anything to see you like that every time. 

Some softer kinks are anal and toys. He enjoys exploring your body and finding fresh ways to have fun. Anal isn’t one he partakes in a lot because of his size. It’d take much more preparation, and he worries about hurting you. 

Being a Daddy is another thing he enjoys. It’s not his primary interest, and he can certainly live without it. He just likes being a protector, a comforter, keeping you safe from the world as you cuddle on the couch. He’s open to having rules, punishments, and willing to explore the overall lifestyle.

L = Location (favorite places to do the do)

Not only is Taishiro incredibly tall, but he’s also strong and heavy. He’s broken more than his fair share of furniture. And yes, some of that was because he was screwing his partner over a table, putting his entire weight behind each thrust. Considering this issue, he tends to stick to the bed, couch, and sometimes the bathtub (really just any place that he won’t break).

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

When you’re licking a popsicle, slurping the drippings, he’s interested. When you’re sucking on a lollipop, twirling your tongue around it, he’s very interested. He simply approves of you using your mouth in domestic-yet-arousing ways.

Overall, it doesn’t take much to work him up. You can just ask for sex, and he’s down. Lingerie is cute, especially if it’s a simple matching bra and panty set with some frills. It’s basic yet endearing. It also lets him appreciate your tummy. 

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

He’s open to trying most things once. He wants to experience something before deciding his stance on it. 

Sex in public is the main one. He’s a Pro Hero. Public indecency would ruin his career. And he’s a huge guy. He can’t exactly hide. So even if he wanted to, it’d be incredibly hard to fondle each other while in public.

He won’t ever put your or his health in danger. The extreme side of BDSM (blood, CBT [not the therapy], and whips) and any sort of bodily fluid/waste are off-limits. Those hold no interest to him.

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

Tai eats… everything. You’re no exception to his hunger. He’s a firm believer in going down on his partner. His tongue, like his fingers, is broad, thick, and heavy. Because of his size, he’s become quite proficient at giving oral to prepare others.

He starts with feather-light kisses along your thighs, getting you excited before even touching you. When you’re shaking to his liking, he removes your underwear to continue his kisses, gradually increasing in pressure. His first licks are around where you want them. Only when you’re moaning from that does he finally lick along you, pushing his tongue inside, sucking your clit in between his lips. He likes you orgasming at least once before he fingers you.

To treat him, oral cock warming is the best option. While he’s watching Tv, just plop down between his legs and keep him in your mouth, sipping on all his precum. When it’s time to move, lick under his foreskin. It causes the loudest groans. 

Unlike some guys, he doesn’t like it when you gag on him. It doesn’t make him feel big. He knows he’s big. Because of that and his size, he never grabs your head. He won’t force you any lower than you choose. 

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

He fluctuates between slow-and-hard and fast-and-flattering. Sometimes he prefers measured thrusts, taking his time pulling out, watching you stretch around him, then intensely sinking inside so hard your whole body shakes. Other times he enjoys holding your hips at the perfect angle, thrusting quick, complimenting how well you’re taking him.

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

Quickies don’t bother him. They happen. And he certainly won’t turn one down if you happen to get all riled up in the kitchen. Just make sure you’re someplace he won’t break.

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

Again, Tai will try most things at least once. And he’s game for any experimentation. If you have a new trick or toy, he’s open. But risks? He isn’t as interested. He’s a Hero. He doesn’t want to jeopardize his career for an alleyway blowjob.

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

One round is his normal. He isn’t some sex god. Since he focuses so much on preparing and stretching you in the beginning, one session usually lasts a good forty to fifty minutes.

If he’s worked up over something, or it’s just a highly horny day, he can go for two rounds. That easily lasts for over an hour. You’ll definitely need some rest after that. Take three ibuprofen and relax in the bath together.

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

He doesn’t own any despite enjoying them. He hasn’t been in a relationship long enough to buy sex toys together. If you have any, he’d love to incorporate them. If you want any, he’ll look for some online and surprise you with the toy one day. 

He’s interested in a few BDSM toys to use on you, mostly nipple clamps, furry wrist cuffs, and a paddle with little heart cut-outs so they get imprinted on your ass. Purple is his preferred color, particularly lilac or lavender. No matter your size, skin color, and scars, purple looks downright gorgeous on you. Almost too much so because it gets him riled up and thrusting gasping-bed-creaking-and-toe-curling deep.

U = Unfair (how much they like to tease)

Tai will tease you to tears. He just loves the sounds you make when you’re desperate: whining for his fingers, fussing for his mouth, begging for him to finally touch you, and, most importantly, how you cry for his dick, how you whimper when he first fills you, then your gasps from his thrusts. He can’t get enough, and he’ll do damn near anything to hear more.

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

His noises are moderate in volume and perfectly handsome. His groans are deep and exciting whenever you suck him just right. Although, if talking counts, he’s on the higher end of the spectrum because his mouth just keeps on moving. 

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

When people are only attracted to him when he’s skinny, he feels weird. He’s not sure if it’s insecurity, uncertainty, or something else. He hardly recognizes himself when he looks in the mirror and sees a six-pack. That’s not his body. His quirk relies on fat. His body’s supposed to be fat. Those stares and giggles he receives because of his abs don’t flatter him like it may other people. He wants his partner to love his body for everything it is.

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

Just like the rest of him, Taishiro is big. And thick. And heavy. The corona of glans is the widest part. So much so, his foreskin has trouble retracting past it. Don’t worry. It’s not phimosis, and it doesn’t pain him in any way. 

When he’s entering, his head pops inside suddenly, stretching you for his near 8-inch length. You’ll undeniably feel its weight inside you. The middle of his shaft is quite wide as well, covered in an array of veins. 

Hence why foreplay is always a must. No exception. He needs to stretch you plenty and apply enough lube because it’s a lot. If it’s too painful, or you just don’t want him to push all the way inside, he understands. Halfway is more than enough for him to feel pleasure.

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

It fluctuates. Most of it depends on his quirk and work. If his energy/fat is depleted, so is his sex drive. His body mainly focuses on restocking what it’s lost instead of unnecessary matters. During his good weeks, it’s fairly high, especially at the beginning of your sexual relationship. It wants to get as much of you as possible in the shortest amount of time.

Z = Zzz (how quickly they fall asleep afterwards)

While Tai has built up plenty of endurance from his career, something about sex tires him out. It could be the drained hormones and bliss-filled afterglow. It could be the gentle and loving feeling that floods him after watching you orgasm. It could be seeing you so spent and weak that he wants to do nothing but hold and protect you. It’s probably all three. After cleaning up, he loves laying down, cuddling naked while you both drift off to sleep.

[the-travelling-witch]

Will I ever be happy? Will I ever feel love?

yes, i truly believe you will be ♡

there’s so many different types of love, the greeks really did something right by having like seven different words for this incredible emotion

i don’t know which kind you‘re looking for —love in the sense of friendship, family, romance, etc— but it’s important to know our happiness isn’t anchored to just one (or maybe any) of them

happiness and joy can be found in all kinds of things that don’t necessarily involve social relationships of any kind; i know there’s been a lot of talk about whether romanticising (certain aspects of) your life is productive or harmful but i think when applied on small parts of our days it can really help us enjoy our lives more

i myself am still working on this but sometimes just sitting back and doing something nice for yourself is absolutely the right thing to do and it’s not selfish to put your needs before those of somebody else; i always felt and still feel very guilty doing things just because i want to without any other purpose other than my enjoyment, especially if it involved spending money, yet i’ve learned that treating the one person who’ll always be in your life nicely goes a long way when it comes to happiness

this could also start with small things like taking a shower, eating regularly and healthily, cleaning your living space or replacing your bedsheets with clean ones (for some people this might be obvious but whenever a mental low point strikes, i sometimes actively have to remind myself to take care of myself even if it seems like a hassle at the time)

again, i’m not entirely sure on the context and nature of your questions but as i said above, love comes in many shapes and forms; if your current relationships in your life are not fulfilling what you need, at least don’t withhold the love you can give yourself; you’re the person who can actually look inside your head and know what it is you’re looking for or maybe you reflect on the question again and notice that there might be a different need to meet for a more fulfilling life; or another seemingly obvious yet potentially intimidating option is talking to the people in your life about this and calmly discussing your feelings and possible solutions with them

but until you’ve worked that out and/or until the right person walks into your life (be it a friend, a potential partner or maybe even a pet), consider putting some love into your life that isn’t based on relationships; you love talking walks and looking at the scenery? go and see what amazing things this season has to offer! love to bake? try a new recipe! love to create? maybe treat yourself to some new equipment!

see how we use ‘love’ to describe our hobbies? there’s a good reason for that ♡

[ideahat-universe]

Oh, Chuck, you're alive...

Okay, so I noticed that Rune Factory 5 is a thing that exists.

Once upon a time I was trying to fill a void in my gaming experience. I played Harvest Moon and wasn't very happy and I played Rune Factory 4 and had a really good time but there wasn't any indication that a Rune Factory 5 was in the cards so I went on a journey to find a game with similar enough mechanics. Played older Rune Factory games. Played very similar titles, even just started playing visual novels in general.

There's even Kynseed which I had a lot of interest in but honestly it won't be of interest until it develops a serious mod community and I'll explain why.

Back then I would have jumped at Rune Factory 5 but much like Tom Hank's wife in Castaway I stopped holding out hope and found a new man.

That man is Rimworld.

Now Rimworld is not like Rune Factory. I mean sure simulation Management game with romance and violence and so forth but the difference is the complete removal of the visual novel like aspect to it.

While that alone means that a lot of great character moments and character designs are lost because in it's place procedurally generated characters that don't interact with you the player but with other characters in the game and they don't have the labored character specific dialog that you get in a visual novel style game.

Instead you get The Sims experience where the assembly of traits and abilities sort of give the player a chance to create a character in their own imagination while they play the game.

Rimworld is technically a meat grinder, the longer you play it the more likely the characters you have will be killed or will kill other allies or be turned into a vegetables due to a mismanagement of a scenario you had no chance of preparing for.

Yet despite this it's not uncommon to visit the Rimworld reddit and see all the characters people created in a playthrough and people don't just make fan art of the characters, they have entire backstories and comics and talk about difficult situations the characters may or may not have survived. Everyone treats their character as if someone sat down and spent a lot of time writing for them in game.

People craft what isn't literally in the game because the game encourages you to write the novel.

But that's not all.

Now, I don't know about you. But I don't do multiple play throughs of a visual novel. The obvious reason is that most of the dialog will be the same in every playthrough but the bigger reason is that the payoff for pursing your love interest is no longer pure afterwards. After your first playthrough you start meta gaming dialog options to target whoever you want to add to your Husbando/Waifu list and that's not the path of the truly honest. It's like doing genocide route after the Good ending.

You cheat the nature of romance and invalidate the emotional impact that was supposed to come from committing and caring about what you did in that playthrough.

So just the fact that every playthrough of Rimworld is it's own story with it's own unique characters and series of events makes it a much more interesting prospect.

But the clincher is that the game has an outstanding mod community.

So, don't have enough events? Mod in more events, getting tired of always fighting humans or being human? You can be anything you like, space aliens, furry aliens, animals, robots, insects, even hobbits.

Want the romance fleshed out? You got it! You want your colonists to talk and have dialog? Sure! You want children and a complex system where they age, learn, and have children of their own? Yes.

Tired of killing things and want to run a hotel or a restaurant instead? You can do both!

Rune Factory does have an edge over Rimworld in terms of presentation and story but with a stronger mod community and very good base Rimworld just flattens it like a pancake. Why settle for having one or two kids when I can have an army and then use that army to fight an army?

You understand right? No hard feelings. We will always Forte and that house I was trying to buy because I had nothing better to do.

[bleachhaven]

Heyyy congratulations on your milestone! 🍃 Can I get some angst and NSFW headcanons for Nnoitra ?

Thank you so much, anon! Hope you like this! :)

Nnoitra Gilga Angst & NSFW headcanons

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Angst

Being with Nnoitra isn’t going to be easy in anyway. You’re going to feel like he considers you inferior and beneath you. Especially if you’re female, he’s always going to doubt your capability and would never treat you as an equal. Even if you’re not female, it wouldn’t be much different.

He wouldn’t say it in a mean or hurtful way. For him, it’s just a casual observation of cold, hard facts. He says it because he actually freaking believes it. If you get butthurt about what’s true, that’s on you...at least that’s what he’s thinking

You’d go on feeling like your only use is to be there for his physical release. 

When you finally feel like you’ve had enough of his casual disrespect, and being made to feel like you’re absolutely worthless, you could either confront him, or simply distance yourself

And knowing a confrontation wouldn’t really change anything, you’d choose the hassle-free option of simply being unavailable to him

He wouldn’t notice at first, being busy as he is creating chaos and generally taking you for granted at every goddamn given opportunity

But when he does notice, it’s going to piss him off. He will hunt you down, and corner you -- and the confrontation you so wanted to avoid will take place anyway.

“What do you mean it hurts you when I say you’re weak? You are weak!”

As you already knew, it doesn’t yield a positive outcome.

You don’t want to breakdown in tears...he already has enough reasons to think you’re weaker than a newborn hollow. You don’t want to give him more. But you’re a dam ready to burst, all of that pent up hurt and frustration waiting to be released.

“If that’s what you really think, why don’t you find someone who isn’t?” You finally scream at him.

“Why the fuck would I do that?” he screams back at you, his eyes starting to get that crazy look of bloodlust...or just plain lust. “You’re mine for fucking keeps, and don’t you dare forget about it!”

“And if I don’t want to be?” you ask him, softly, the weight of your emotions subduing you.

As blunt and brash as Nnoitra is, even he can see if he didn’t choose his next words wisely, he could lose you forever. So what if he didn’t show what you meant to him? Maybe he didn’t know how to show you. It’s not like he has known anything but despair in his entire existence. What did he know about the finer emotions?

You mistake his long silence for him not caring one way or the other. So you give him the out he isn’t willing to take for himself. “It’s alright, Nnoitra. We had a good run...but this really isn’t working anymore. I cannot keep having sex with you when all you think of me is that I am worthless, and pathetically weak.”

“I don’t think you’re worthless...” he mumbles so quietly, that you almost don’t catch it. But he says it again. “I don’t think you’re worthless. I do think you’re pathetically weak, but I want you to work on changing that. I could train you.”

“You could train me?” you repeated in disbelief.

“Does that mean we can keep on fucking?” he asks.

But he really doesn’t give you the chance to agree or not. He has you swung over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes before he sonidos his way to his quarters

__

NSFW 

(under the cut)

Nnoitra isn’t one to romance you and seduce you. If that’s what you’re looking for, he’s not the guy for you. His instinct is to have you, as quick as he can, as fast as he can...wherever he can, whenever he can

So if you want to add a bit more to that aspect of your relationship, you are going to have to initiate it. Don’t try telling him, he is not going to understand or want to understand.

Show him instead. The next time he takes you from behind (his go-to position, of course), intending to fuck you like a beast, slowly flip him around...he probably wouldn’t let you though. So it’s best to let him satiate his hunger for you. Then when he is lying down to recover, explore his body with your hands.

He’s going to be confused, wondering what the fuck you want now. You’ve already fucked. What else is there?

But don’t let his gruff rebuff deter you. Keep going. Use your mouth on his cock. It’s not too long, just average length...but the girth is impressive, making it not fully comfortable to you. But the moment your lips touch the head of his cock, he’d be fully hard and moaning.

Keep going for a bit longer...tease him. Then while he is still flabbergasted by this new way of feeling pleasured, straddle him and ride him.

The view of your body, and actually being able to touch the very parts of you that gets him so freaking horny for you, has him getting closer to orgasm in a way he cannot comprehend

Don’t let the brief bit of control you got go to your head though. He’s quickly going to realize that he can thrust back up to you even from the bottom, and he’ll take over the pace quickly enough. But it’s still going to hit you right where you desperately need it. The pace he sets will have you coming way before he does anyway

Besides...he just might have discovered his new favorite position! Maybe you’re weaker and punier than him, but clearly you know more about certain things. He’s not going to let that go to waste.

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Written for the

✨ 1500 Followers Celebration ✨

…and requests for this are officially now closed.

—

But my normal Ask Box is still open and you can send in your Bleach fantasies there!

Or check out more of my work through the Masterlist here!

[another-rogue-trevelyan]

If you liked Dragon Age Masterlist

If you’re anything like me, you’re into niche market, high fantasy, single player RPGs, preferably with a historical setting and romance options. So if you’re looking for a new game, here I am with some suggestions!

Sorted by studio:

Bethesda:

Oblivion (2006)

“In the shadow of evil, a hero will rise from the ashes of a fallen empire. The gates have been opened, and the battle has begun. Only one thing can save the world from Mehrunes Dagon and the demonic hordes of Oblivion. The true heir of the Septim line must be found and restored to the Imperial throne. The fate of the world rests in the hands of one. Find him, and shut the jaws of Oblivion.”

The Elder Scrolls series were my gateway into RPGs and hold a special place in my heart. Oblivion features a wide open world, immersive combat, and the ability to customize race, class, and gender.

Skyrim (2011)

“The Empire of Tamriel is on the edge. The High King of Skyrim has been murdered. Alliances form as claims to the throne are made. In the midst of this conflict, a far more dangerous, ancient evil is awakened. Dragons, long lost to the passages of the Elder Scrolls, have returned to Tamriel. The future of Skyrim, even the Empire itself, hangs in the balance as they wait for the prophesized Dragonborn to come; a hero born with the power of The Voice, and the only one who can stand amongst the dragons.”

I have sunk so many hours into this game and still have not experienced all there is to experience. Just like Oblivion, Skyrim offers the ability to customize your character and find a play style that suits you. A huge open world offers tons of opportunity for exploration and questing. You could play this game many, many hours and not even touch the main quest if you wanted to.

BioWare:

Mass Effect Legendary Edition (2021)

Just do it. Just fucking do it I’m still sobbing I’ve never had a game wreck me in this way. I might possibly like it more than Dragon Age which feels sacrilegious to say but it was so good. You follow Commander Shepard (customizable) for three whole games and the choices have serious consequences. Also, romance. Truthfully this might be the most well written storyline I’ve ever seen in a video game. Also, same studio as Dragon Age.

CD Projekt:

The Witcher III: Wild Hunt (2015)

I’ll let the website description speak for itself, but Witcher III was good enough that I didn’t mind being forced to play as a man (those who know me know that I exclusively prefer to play women and often dislike games where I can’t do so)! The characters that make up this story are captivating and suck you into their world, leaving you with some tough choices to make. Also, bonus points for romance! (Yen is one of my all time favorite characters, Triss never stood a chance for me. Sorry Triss fans 😂)

Larian:

Divinity Original Sin 2 (2017)

“The Divine is dead. The Void approaches. And the powers lying dormant within you are soon to awaken. Choose your role in a BAFTA-winning story, and explore a world that reacts to who you are, and the choices you make. With five races to choose from, and an adventure playable solo or as a party of up to four, lay waste to an oppressive order in a world afraid of magic. Become the God the world so desperately needs.”

Full disclosure, I have not finished playing this one yet and will update when I do, but what I’ve played so far has been great! A classic, turn-based RPG that allows you a wide range of character customization. I find this game incredibly satisfying to be a rogue (my preferred class) because it lets me live my dream of throwing knives at people. Also, romance!

Baldur’s Gate III beta (2020)

“An ancient evil has returned to Baldur's Gate, intent on devouring it from the inside out. The fate of Faerûn lies in your hands. Alone, you may resist. But together, you can overcome. Gather your party.”

Fair warning, as of my most recent update to this post (March 30th, 2021) this game is still in a beta phase, which means it is NOT complete and has aspects that are missing, glitchy, or subject to change. With that being said, I’m so obsessed. It’s so, so good already and is only getting better. Another wide open world to explore with a group of companions with strong and sometimes clashing personalities, choices are abundant in this game and will affect how your party members think of you. This game so far gives me the feeling that choices are complicated and aren’t always easy to tell which is morally right, which I personally love. Also, I can be a sarcastic ass with a good heart, which is always fun. Astarion basically owns me now, but if you can resist him there are plentiful other romance choices as well! Customization is already a wider range than I’ve seen in most RPGs and they haven’t even finished the character creator yet, which has me SO excited for the finished product. Also - good hair?!??!! I love it!

Lionhead:

Fable III (2010)

“Lead a revolution to take control of Albion, fight alongside your people, and experience love and loss while preparing to defend the kingdom against a looming threat. Your choices as ruler will lead to consequences felt across the entire land.”

I’ll be honest, this one isn’t my favorite on the list, but was good enough to still make it! This game allows you to choose between playing as the prince or the princess on a quest to save your kingdom from itself, and then a greater threat as well. The game takes place in a kingdom loosely modeled after industrial England, and what did score it some major points were (SPOILER WARNING - skip the purple if you don’t want to know!) that the last act of the game lets you play as the monarch, where you are forced to make some tough decisions in order to save your kingdom. It is very easy to back yourself into a corner, pinch pennies in order to fund the army and save the kingdom, but make your citizens hate you because of it. You’re gonna have to be very, very careful, which is something I did really enjoy about this game. (I’ve heard Fable II was better, and that’s also on my list to try, will update in the future!)

Nintendo:

Fire Emblem Three Houses (2019)

“War is coming to the continent of Fódlan. Here, order is maintained by the Church of Seiros, which hosts the prestigious Officer’s Academy within its headquarters. You are invited to teach one of its three mighty houses, each comprised of students brimming with personality and represented by a royal from one of three territories. As their professor, you must lead your students in their academic lives and in turn-based, tactical RPG battles wrought with strategic, new twists to overcome. Which house, and which path, will you choose?”

Currently playing this one and I’m so addicted! This one is slightly outside of my usual taste but it has made me interested in playing more games like it. The player controls Byleth (you can rename them if you wish), who becomes a professor of combat and battle tactics despite their young age at a monastery and finds themself in charge of a house of students. Battles are tactics and strategy based and classes are highly customizable. I sunk like 30 hours into this game in the last three days. I won’t say more about the plot to avoid spoilers, but it’s been a ton of fun and also has slow burn romance

Spiders:

Greedfall (2019)

This game destroyed my soul in the best way and when I finished it I immediately started a new game to play it again. You play as Lady or Lord De Sardet, Legate of the Congregation of Merchants and effectively the right hand of your cousin, who has been appointed governor of your new colony on the island. While I enjoy the combat in this game, which allows you the choice between one handed, two handed, magic, and pistols or rifles (save that ammo for when you really need it!), this game focuses heavily on diplomacy and relations. Be careful what information you give to whom and how you treat every decision. The enemies you make early on might be people you need on your side later. I also love that choices aren’t always clearly right or wrong, and often are more complicated than they first appear. Even the best intentions can sometimes go awry.

Ubisoft:

Assassin’s Creed, Syndicate (2015)

“London, 1868. In the heart of the Industrial Revolution, lead your underworld organization and grow your influence to fight those who exploit the less privileged in the name of progress”

Another one that I’ll admit, I haven’t finished, and is definitely the odd one out on the list because it’s set in Victorian England, but I was having fun with what I had played so far before Greedfall distracted me. In this game, you alternate between controlling twins Jacob and Evie Frye as you explore and liberate London while meeting famous historical figures and running a gang on the side.

Assassin’s Creed, Origins (2017)

“Ancient Egypt, a land of majesty and intrigue, is disappearing in a ruthless fight for power. Unveil dark secrets and forgotten myths as you go back to the one founding moment: The Origins of the Assassin’s Brotherhood.”

In the spirit of honesty, I haven’t started this one yet, but I am so confident that I’m gonna love it when I do that it’s here anyway. I’ve purchased it, and will get to it soon, I swear! In the meantime, I wanted to put it here because I’m confident some of you will enjoy it. Will come back with a review once I know more.

Assassin’s Creed, Odyssey (2018)

“Write your own epic odyssey and become a legendary Spartan hero in Assassin’s Creed® Odyssey, an inspiring adventure where you must forge your destiny and define your own path in a world on the brink of tearing itself apart. Influence how history unfolds as you experience a rich and ever-changing world shaped by your decisions.”

Y’all this game owned my soul for a while. I’ve sunk so many hours into it. You have a choice to play as either Kassandra or Alexios and navigate the wonders of Ancient Greece. The world is stunning, the choices are important, and this game took a big step for the assassins creed series in becoming a true RPG. I can’t recommend this one enough, you should absolutely go for it!

Assassin’s Creed, Valhalla (2020)

“Become Eivor, a legendary Viking warrior. Explore England's Dark Ages as you raid your enemies, grow your settlement, and build your political power in the quest to earn a place among the gods in Valhalla.”

This game is brand new, hot off the press, and has already been a massive hit. I have only JUST started playing it and am about an hour in, but so far so good! It’s here on my recommendations list because of its wild popularity and because I’ve already enjoyed other games in this series, so I feel confident that some of my fellow dragon age fans will enjoy it. Will update again once I get further in.

Other games on my To Be Played list (otherwise known as things I don’t want to recommend because I know almost nothing about them but will update here after I know more)

-Pillars of Eternity 1 and 2

-Horizon Zero Dawn

-Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag

-Fable 1 and 2

-Kingdoms of Amalur

-Breath of the Wild

-Crimson Desert (not out yet but I’m intrigued)

[utterlyinevitable]

NSFW alphabet for ethan x mc??

I’m assuming you’re referring to the nsfw alphabet otp asks? 

If so, Ethan x Odette are below the cut!

Aftercare: What they’re like after sex Odette likes to lay around and cuddle for no longer than five minutes. After which she’ll hop up, trying not to make a bigger mess, and pad to the bathroom to pee and shower.  Ethan definitely likes to relish in their closeness no matter who’s on top. As their relationship progresses and Odette relaxes a bit more, he actually likes to clean her up afterwards. He’ll kiss her forehead before he leaves her laying there to grab a wet cloth and wipe them both up gently, all the while looking down at her with glittering eyes and a private smile. 

Body part: Their favorite body part of theirs and of their partner’s   Odette loves her long, naturally straight hair and her tiny ears. She loves Ethan’s dimple and a beauty mark he has on his left ring finger.  He doesn’t have a favorite part of his body. It’s a body. It functions. But if he had to choose it may as well be his toned calves. Ethan really loves her boobs, but his absolute favorite part of her is the glow of her emerald eyes of her brightest smile.

Cum: Use your imagination for this one aha (what are they like when they finish, how do they feel about their partner’s cum/face, etc) Ethan’s face changes each time with the varying degree of his orgasm - if it’s a deep and good one his entire face scrunches together and he breathlessly curses. The one constant in every orgasm is the way his nose scrunches and jaw slacks into the sexiest “0″ face. His deep, ragged breaths so erotic.  Odette tries to hide her face - she hates how ugly it looks to the point that in the early stages she’d really try to keep herself from coming. But Ethan’s a giver and all it took was his loving gaze and a soft “i want to see you” as he tugged her arm off her face for her to not give a shit. The sex is fucking fantastic.  Ethan thinks she’s absolutely breathtaking, and Odette adores how young he looks. They both appreciate the others vulnerability.  

Dirty Secret: Do they have any secrets that would come to light during sex (not kinks) Ummm... Odette has a weird relationship with intimacy. She’s not about it, not really. She’s got to be in the right mood for sex or any sort of touching. She gets better as the relationship progresses, which is why she doesn’t sleep with someone until she’s sure they’re going to be around long-term. Usually, with her last few partners, her rule has been 6 months dating before sex. She made an exception for the rule with Ethan (just shy of 5 month mark).   For Ethan it would just be that he hasn’t been intimate with anyone in about two years by the time the two get together. 

Experience: How experienced are they? Do they know what they’re doing? Odette knows her way around a body. She’s only had two sexual partners besides Ethan, but the girl knows where everything goes and really can a girl really be bad at sex?  Ethan has ten years more experience than Ode and a total of 11 sexual partners. He’s a giver and has gotten very good at perfecting his tongue technique. He knows he’s relatively easy when it comes to finishing so it’s always about his partner.  

Favorite Position (Bonus horny points for including a visual) Too lazy to get a visual. Ode likes to be fucked against a wall, and Ethan prefers to have her on top. 

Goofy: Are they more serious in the moment, or are they humorous, etc They take turns depending on who’s initiating and where they are lol but Ethan is usually the goof.  Ode likes to tease Ethan and throw little remarks his way for foreplay. Ethan is mostly more sultry and praising in the moment. He jokes back with her, matching her banter like always. 

Hair: How well groomed are they, does the carpet match the drapes, etc. Odette is completely hairless. She’s had all her hair lasered off, except for a patch of her bush where she likes to keep the option open. She bleaches her hair so her pubic hair is a dark blonde.  Ethan scapes pretty well. He’s never had any complaints. 

Intimacy: How are they during the moment, romantic aspect… Odette likes romance. She actually needs it to get anything out of the act. She’s not one to be able to separate sex and her feelings. She needs mental stimulation to help get her off whether it be dimmed lights and closed eyes or Ethan talking dirty. When she’s really trying to catch an orgasm that seems like it’ll never come her way she tends to be a bit removed from the moment than Ethan would like.   Ethan is very much present and very tuned into her needs. It is all and always about her. Sometimes he’s much to selfless in the bedroom for her liking. Like, when she knows she’s not gonna cum that session he doesn’t really accept that and keeps drawling it out. And then she’s gotta pull out a secret weapon to finish him off and not hurt his feelings. These two never lack intimacy - they both make sure it’s always present. Their favorite positions are the ones where they’re facing and can look and leave lingering kisses on the other’s face. Very disgustingly cute.

Jack Off: Masturbation headcanons perhaps Ode has a bullet Jackie got her ask a gag gift one Secret Snowflake. She’s only used it a handful of times while she was reading something erotic.  Ethan doesn’t see the need to masturbate. Nothing could ever compare to the real thing, so why bother. Though when he did it was usually in the shower.

Kink: Does the character have a kink or a few? Ode likes roleplay and edging, being dominated and even a little bit of bondage. Once she’s comfortable enough (a year into their relationship or so) their sex gets really really fun.  Ethan’s a boob man. And we know he’s an exhibitionist. He likes his balls fondled and maybe a finger up the butt if he’s drunk enough ��

Location: Favorite places to get down and dirty She prefers to keep their business in the comfort of their own home.  Ethan would like to convince her to try it in the office or their car, the sun lounger of their forever home. But he’s okay with taking things however slow she needs. Ode did let him feel up her skirt on a long Amtrak once and it’s the highlight of his year. 

Motivation: What turns them on, gets them going etc Ode needs the romantic aspect of it all. She needs the validation and assertion of their relationship to be that vulnerable with someone.  Bickering turns them both on immensely. Both Ethan and Ode are wildly attracted to the other’s mind so any sort of stimulating conversation or argument would get them both hot and bothered.

NO: Something they wouldn’t do, turn offs Neither would do anything degrading. Ethan’s a lil freak and willing to try most things once.  Her biggest turn off is smell. There’s a difference between sultry musk and man stank. Lucky for her Ethan’s very good at cleaning himself.  

Oral: Preferences in giving or receiving, skill, etc She prefers to receive. Laying there and doing nothing but running her fingers through his hair is her bread and butter, sometimes even the dessert too. As for skill level she’s average. She’s very picky about circumstances and therefore lacks lots of practice. Though she does a very wonderful thing of rolling her wrist while she’s sucking him and swirling her tongue around his tip that throws him over the edge. She keeps that little skill in her pocket and only breaks it out absolutely necessary. Ethan’s a giver. Always has been. That’s it. That’s the explanation 😂

Pace: Are they fast and rough? Slow and sensual? etc. They’re slow 90% of the time. Always savoring the moment. These two don’t have sex frequently, possibly 3x a month so it’s always a special lengthy time.  The only time it’s fast and rough is if the moment calls for it and they have an understanding. 

Quickie: Their opinions on quickies rather than proper sex, how often, etc. Ode finds quickies difficult. Deep in the relationship she’s more inclined because the relationship and feels are so strong and stable she’s able to get more out of it.  Ethan’s on the same wavelength. He’s not opposed to a quickie. Though he says he’s not a man of endless patience, he is for her. He’ll gladly spend hours making her feel good.

Risk: Are they game to experiment, do they take risks, etc. Yes, they’re okay with experimenting later in the relationship. Slow and steady they’ll make their way through all their fantasies. 

Stamina: How many rounds can they go for, how long do they last… Ethan goes for rounds. Two preferably at a minimum. A normal round lasts 40 minutes; foreplay galore!!!!!   Before they move in together deep relationship, Ode tends to feel gross after sex and needs to clean up and move on immediately. Ethan helps her work through this just by loving her. 

Toy: Do they own toys? Do they use them? On a partner or themselves? Ethan finds her bullet and they use it together sometimes. 

Unfair: How much they like to tease? They like to tease one another a lot. It’s a form of foreplay and declaration of love. 

Volume: How loud they are, what sounds they make, etc Ethan is a grunter. And a dirty talker when coaxed. He’s also perfected his voice - low, gruff baritone that oozes sex. He’s stupidly athletic so he doesn’t run out of breath easily which is an advantage for rough play and the inevitable rounds. His mouth is usually busy kissing, sucking, biting, licking to really make any other noise than grunts or moans. He is partial to a gasp and groan when she is driving the affair and he’s utterly powerless against them 😏 Ode whines. and gasps. and tries not to make a sound because she doesn’t want to ruin the little bubble they created. if she ruins it odds are she won’t be able to finish. 

Wild Card: How wild are they in the moment?  Kinda touched upon above, they’re really gentle and sensual with one another. These two are figuring things out and treat one another like the most precious thing on the planet. 

X-Ray: Describe what’s going on in their pants through pictures or words Ethan is well-endowed and scaped. Ode is generally bald. 

Yearning:  How high is their sex drive? For an old man, Ethan’s got stamina. If it was biologically possible he would always be inside her, right where he belongs. Sometimes round two is just him going down on them.  Ode needs some convincing. They both know when she’s ovulating because she’s much more forward than normal. 

ZZZ: How quickly they fall asleep afterwards Once she’s showered and fresh, Ode climbs into bed and reads whilst snuggled up to Ethan’s side.  Ethan is always on clean up duty. It’s very rare that he’ll be too tired to roll out of bed after a session. Normally, if they had late-night sex, he’ll fall asleep 15-20 minutes later.

[venusrrvelez]

Simple Romance Writing Tips:

(Adapted from my twitter, but better organized)

You have two protagonists, not one. Both need focus and development. Both are agents of desire, not objects of it.

When it comes to perspective, both protagonists’ points of view are important. Remember: both are agents of desire, not just objects of desire. You can go with dual First Person POV or Omniscient Third Person POV. You decide what’s easier for you.

One character shouldn’t change for the other. Both should grow with each other. For example, while a rebellious character learns to become more sweet, their uptight partner needs to learn to become more relaxed. The best partners help you grow as a person.

Don’t end the story when your protagonists get together. It’s not only overdone, but it ends before the bigger story can begin.

You can build tension in a relationship without involving abuse (physical/emotional/etc.) or forcing a break-up (either temporary or permanent) between the couple.

That in mind, couples do have their struggles, from the mundane to the more more dramatic.

You don’t need high stakes to create a compelling story. You just need some conflict present.

Don’t forget to add in sweet moments as well (PDAs need not be overly mushy). Remind the audience why they’re together in the first place.

Grand gestures are, well, grand. However, the little things (like helping each other with tasks) can be just as romantic.

You know love languages? Use some combination of all five of them in your story. Every person expresses love differently, and you should reflect that. What are the five love languages? Words of Affirmation (“I love you.”), Acts of Service (Helping your partner put groceries away), Gifts (A stuffed bear won at a fair), Physical Intimacy (Cuddling on the couch), Quality Time (Playing video games together while a long distance apart).

Opposites attract, yeah. However, there’s no shame in having characters be alike in many ways as well. Hell, have your couple be different in some ways but alike in others. Just about every relationship, from romantic to platonic to familial, is like this.

There is concern with having your characters, “being defined by their relationships,” ie. having their only trait be, “X’s partner.” However, that shouldn’t happen if you write your character similarly to how they were when they were single. However, don’t forget that growth.

Don't have one character in your relationship revolve around the other (what, "only letting them be defined by their relationship actually means.") In real life, that could be a sign of one partner isolating the other from friends, family, et cetera, an abusive tactic. (More on that below.)

The above also applies to same-sex/polyamorous relationships. Just because it’s not straight, doesn’t mean you treat them different.

Just because you’re writing a story about abuse/bigotry/incest/etc. doesn’t necessarily mean you’re endorsing said things. It’s only endorsing if it’s not shown as a bad thing.

Want to avoid accidentally writing a toxic relationship? You can start by not writing the following power dynamics: Large age gap (adhere to Age / 2 + 7), Huge difference in life experience, Master/Boss + subservient, Celebrity + fan, Literal powers + little/none. Almost all of those can work if the one with less influence/experience/power has the opportunity to match that and eventually take care of themselves should things go south. If they’re not, they’re in an abusive relationship. Physical/Sexual violence need not apply.

One partner shouldn’t be a caretaker for the other. Sure, both must care for one another, but one partner shouldn’t do all of the caring. On the one hand, the one not doing the work is lazy. On the other hand, the carer could be doing this to make the other dependent on them.

If you do intend to write a toxic relationship, make sure it ends either with both partners maturing, either by seeking counseling or ending the relationship. This is especially true if you’re writing an abusive one. However, as in reality, it is a process. Take your time.

People heal from such relationships in different ways. Some choose to seek a new partner, some don’t. Some choose to devote their passion elsewhere (like career or family). What’s important is that they come out better than they were in the relationship. Some… don’t heal, and end up continuing the cycle, by being a victim again or by becoming an abuser. This could work if you intend on writing a tragedy. An abuse victim becoming an abuser themselves or ending in another abusive relationship isn’t a happy ending.

On that note, you can write sad endings. However, tragedy doesn’t necessarily have to end with death. Characters should leave the story changed, no matter what, but a tragedy has to end with them going through a negative change; any, not just them dying or losing a loved one.

Opposing that, writing comedy is hard. There’s a fine line between humor feeling natural and forced. Try to stay on the former side of that line if possible. I find it’s best to write humor by not trying to. You do you, but remember that humor is in the ear of the beholder.

On the subject of love triangles: Make sure both rivals have their own good qualities so it’s not one-sided/between two awful people.

Make sure it ends in a way that satisfies all parties. How you do so is up to you. (Don’t pair your leftover with the protagonist’s baby.)

Romance can be affixed to other genres as well. Slice of Life, fantasy, sci-fi, historical, etc.

The difference between Fantasy and Sci-Fi? Magic vs. Science. Both require the creativity to pull the genre off, but both can take place in a variety of settings. You can write a Pirate Fantasy or a Sci-Fi Western. Maybe you wanna to combine both Sci-Fi and Fantasy. Try it!

Do your research! If you’re basing your story on a time period in a specific place, do your research on what it was like then. Scientific accuracy also helps when it comes to research (for Sci-Fi). Even fantasy requires research, if you wish to include real world elements.

On that note, lore and continuity are not interchangeable. Continuity is making sure plot points remain consistent. Lore is making sure world building stays consistent.

Age is just a number. However, don’t pair teens with adults, or barely-adults with grown adults. The rule of Age / 2 + 7? That also applies here to ensure audiences don’t feel too queasy.

That being said, you are allowed to start the story with your protagonists as kids.

On writing minorities: don’t rely on stereotypes, and don’t write minority characters just to have them. They deserve proper development as well.

Don’t be afraid to have people of two different races together; just be careful that neither protagonist comes off as racist.

On that note, research the people and cultures you wish to write about. Be careful so as to not come across as using said people/culture as a token.

Don’t just focus on the physical/sexual aspect. Sure, physical attraction plays a part, but the personality of both protagonists are more important. How well they get along.

On the topic of sex: it’s entirely optional. There’s plenty of ways to show intimacy without having your characters engage in sex. Just have them enjoy each other’s company. You’re still open to if your audience is more mature; just don’t forget sex isn’t the only option.

Speaking from experience: you can have love without sex. But you cannot have sex without love. (That’s rape!) It’s a, “not every rhombus is a square but every square is a rhombus,” scenario. However, if you just wanna indulge yourself with your work, go for it.

There's a fine line between objectification and expressing sexual agency. It's okay for characters to show pride in that. It's okay for characters to take pride in their modesty.

Promiscuity isn't inherently a bad thing. Abstinence isn't inherently a good thing.

Play around with relationship dynamics (childhood sweethearts, enemies to lovers, etc.)

You want to write a particular romance dynamic? Go right ahead: just make sure it makes sense with the characters you're writing first. Also, some are harder to pull off than others.

When writing Enemies to Lovers, keep in mind it's not an instantaneous progress. Give the enemies time to stop being enemies before you can move on to the, "Lovers" stage. Otherwise, you'll be asking yourself the same question you ask when you see sitcom couples who clearly hate each other and are only still in it for sex/their kids: "Why are you together?"

Another popular dynamic: childhood sweethearts. Just be careful not to write them like siblings (have one see the other ���like a sibling” so to speak) and you should be good.

Whatever dynamic you choose, however, don’t be afraid to experiment, bring something fresh to it.

There’s nothing wrong with having a niche, nor is there anything wrong with expanding your horizons and trying something new and taking a risk.

You don’t want to write romance? You just want your protagonists to be platonic? That’s fine.

It’s okay if you don’t have everything planned out ahead of time. It’s okay if the story strays from that initial plan. Go with it. Improvise. Adapt. Outlines help you keep on track, but your story should feel alive to the audience. Changes to the original plan are natural.

Write for YOU. Yes, it’s satisfying to hear feedback, especially positive feedback, but it’s important to write for yourself.

On criticism, be open to it, but there’s a difference between constructive criticism and just vitriol from the reader. Only the former is important.

On writer’s block: if you need to walk away for a bit, go ahead. Maybe an idea will pop in the meantime. 

It’s okay to be ashamed of what you wrote in the past. That shows you’ve grown as a writer. It’s also okay to have unfinished drafts. They can be repurposed.

Most important when it comes to writing in general, not just romance: be happy in your work. You’re gonna have off days, but only you’ll know if it’ll be worth it in the end. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to move on to another creative field, or any other altogether.

Any other authors have any tips to share? Doesn’t have to be about romance; they can be about any part of the writing process! I will reblog this post with that advice and will tag you! Or you can reblog yourself.

[emblemxeno]

Interesting to see some semblance of Soleil discourse again. I hated her when i played fates, and was genuinly surprised that people really loved her. Do you think a lot of her shittier aspects were from Fates' shoddy translation, or was she always sort of bad?

Sorry for this taking so long! I figured I might as well make this a sort of definitive post about Soleil since I talk about her a lot, so I put some more research and effort into it than I initially planned.

Soleil’s writing does have a lot of differences between the Japanese version and localization, but I have many, many issues with both.

Japanese Soleil

Soleil in the Japanese version of Fates is, to put it simply, a train wreck. As we know, her defining trait is her love of girls. However, with Soleil it goes past attraction and flirting into outright predatory behavior. 

In many of her Japanese supports, Soleil creeps around girls, be it generic girls off-screen, or her female support partners. She hits on her mother in their support, she plans to sneak behind girls and embrace them out of nowhere in her support with Ignatius, and she harasses Ophelia and planned to get a better look at the latter’s figure in the tents when they switched bodies.

But the absolute worst was her Japanese support with Forrest. 

Basically, she’s chasing Forrest around because she’s convinced he’s a girl, despite him telling her over and over that he isn’t. Soleil is extra creepy in this one, saying things like “I can’t hold myself back anymore” and “I won’t do anything bad, so just give in.” Forrest goes so far as to even compare her to a wild animal stalking its prey.

Forrest then tells Soleil once again that he’s a boy, and what does she do? She asks him to prove it by getting naked and bathing with her. Forrest, of course, refuses again. Soleil then finds out from others around camp that Forrest was telling the truth; but she still can’t keep her urges down and keeps making unwanted advances and touches towards him.

That entire support is extreme sexual harassment. It is one of the worst supports I have ever read, especially since it’s played for laughs and it can later advance into an actual relationship between them. Treehouse did realize how bad this support was, and changed it from the ground up into something completely different, which is one of the very few things I will thank them for.

Now, localized Soleil is another beast entirely. Before going into my issues with her localized version, I’ll explain the context behind her trope.

A History Lesson

Soleil’s character at its core is based on the Class S trope. Class S is a Japanese term describing romantic friendships between girls. It’s origin and popularity is owed to things like western women’s literature (such as Little Women) being translated for Japanese audiences back in the early 20th century and the all-women Takarazuka Revue theater being established; these helped cultivate feelings of sisterhood and a sense of romance for young female audiences, especially since most schools at the time in Japane kept boys and girls separate. While there was a decline in the Class S genre after Japanese schools became more co-ed, it has made a resurgence in popularity ever since the late 90′s with light novels like Maria-sama ga Miteru.

Class S had a rather big impact on Japanese society, where it was actually expected to happen and treated as something wonderful for these kinds of close friendships to develop between young girls.

However. These aren’t treated as real romantic relationships. They’re seen as nothing more than a phase. After adolescence, girls are expected to ‘mature’ or ‘graduate’ in a sense, into a real relationship with a man. To still have Class S relationships with other girls when you’re supposed to be in a “real” relationship is seen as a sign of immaturity.

Soleil Herself

So what does this mean with Soleil? Lots of her supports in Japanese have other characters being bewildered or even annoyed by her continued love for girls, because “she’s technically an adult now, shouldn’t she have grown out of that phase?” 

Shigure gets surprised that she’s trying to learn how to sing to impress girls. F!Corrin wonders why she won’t give up her mindset already. Soleil gets jealous of Asugi’s popularity with girls and childishly tries to imitate him. Sophie says she doesn’t have time for Soleil’s antics because the former is trying to be a mature, devoted knight. Ophelia is frustrated that they can’t be “normal” friends instead of Soleil chasing her around and proclaiming her love.

They treat her obsession/love for girls as something childish for an adult woman like her to still have, much like Japanese society does. Soleil is Class S.

Soleil does actually get a chance to technically grow out of this phase, much like adult women are expected to. She ‘graduates’ into adulthood once she becomes romantically involved with her male romance options in the Japanese version; a “real” relationship.

As a gay man, you can probably guess how I feel about this trope. While it has had impact on helping Japan ease up on its more conservative beliefs and lots of Class S media has been created by actual queer women (like Nobuko Yoshiya), it’s still not a great feeling when same sex relationships are basically treated as not real or just a phase in someone’s life. It sucks, especially when I think the Japanese Rhajat/F!Corrin support is one of best in Fates. But enough about me, what does this have to do with localized Soleil?

Where The Localization Fumbled

Since she was already getting her fair share of controversy thanks to the many incorrect reports of conversion therapy during her support with M!Corrin, Treehouse decided to go the whole mile and rewrite some aspects of her character. This included removing the Class S aspect of her, and adding in a line from Laslow (as well as her roster description) that basically confirms she’s bisexual.

Except... they messed it up. They made her apparently bisexual, but they removed the romantic aspect of almost all of her S supports, all of which are dudes. Instead, most of her S supports result in promises of friendship or partnership of some kind. The only romantic S supports she has in the localization are with M!Corrin because Avatar privilege, and Forrest, which can still kind of be taken as platonic.

This doesn’t make sense. Why go out of your way to make Soleil bisexual, but remove her romantic supports with dudes? Her wlw side isn’t suddenly erased if she were to marry a dude, what’s the deal here? Did two different people have a hand in this and just didn’t communicate? Did one intend to make her a lesbian and the other wanted her to be bi? 

This is a huge inconsistency and fumble on Treehouse’s part, one of their biggest. Hell, besides that, they didn’t even remove all of her creepy aspects either; she still creeps on girls in her Ignatius support (she now plans to pinch them instead of embrace them from behind), and while her support with Ophelia was toned down, it still isn’t great. Why go so halfway on this, especially since she’s the most controversial character in the game?

Conclusion & Overview

So yeah, those are my thoughts about Soleil. Her Japanese characterization is a predatory mess and based on a trope which I am not fond of whatsoever, while her localized characterization is only somewhat better as a person and is plagued by a whole slew of new writing problems because her bisexuality just wasn’t done correctly by Treehouse.

Which honestly? It makes me kind of sad. Soleil has a lot of good things about her. I like her shamelessness, her confidence. Her shyness is basically an inverse of Olivia’s, where the latter is shy all the time except when dancing whereas Soleil is only shy and insecure when dancing; it’s a neat full circle for the entire family line. She has a couple of great supports too, like with Laslow and Kiragi. Her design is adorable, she’s a good unit, female mercenaries are always a plus, and her new voice actress in Heroes is one of my favorites. 

It’s just everything else is... bleh. 

I don’t dislike her as much as I did a few months ago, because looking over her supports again endeared her to me a little, but unfortunately she still has too many things about her that I hate for me to say anything better than that.

[gay-jesus-probably]

Bisexuality didn't "feel right" as a label because you're biphobic and will do anything to distance yourself from bisexuality. Get well soon, the bi community will be here when you're ready.

Are you the raging homophobe anon back for round two or a new guy? ...It doesn’t really matter, you people are all the same.

If you are the same anon, then now I’m extra pissed off at you because do you have any idea how difficult it is to make fun of your messages? You’re making this really hard for me. First you send a five word ask declaring me a homophobe with no details, and it took a lot of thinking to come up with a vaguely funny response to such a lackluster prompt. You’re a really bad improv partner.

And now you send me this shit. Sorry everybody, no jokes today, now I’m actually just fucking furious.

Let me tell you a story, anon. When I was an innocent little twelve year old back in the far of reaches of 2011, I first discovered Tumblr, and soon enough I was learning about different genders and sexualities, and began exploring my own identity. As you already know since you’re sarcastically quoting me talking about my own fucking feelings, I’d been having a minor sexuality crisis for several years at that point, since gay, straight and bisexual were the only label I’d known before then, and none of them fit me. Despite me trying all of them. Multiple times. You condescending piece of shit.All this was resolved by me stumbling across a post defining pansexuality, and that being the first and only sexual identity that’s ever actually felt right for me. It clicked instantly, and has continued to be my sexuality for literally a decade now.

But back when I first started entering the queer community, pansexuality was actually pretty controversial. So was bisexuality. The two were just lumped together actually, because according to the exclusionists back then, bi/pan people are attracted to the opposite sex, and therefor are basically just straight. Actually they rarely cared enough to bother differentiating between bisexual and pansexual people, they just lumped us all in together as a bunch of heteros pretending to be gay for attention and oppressing the real gays. What a bunch of special fucking snowflakes, pretending to be gay for attention. So there I was, a twelve year old queer kid with a brand new identity, being welcomed by a bunch of exclusionists angrily yelling about how I was definitely just a hetero faking it for attention, and being pansexual was Wrong and Bad. But it was okay, because the exclusionists knew better than me. They knew how I really felt, and what my real identity was. They could fix me. I just had to agree with everything they said and become the person they decided I was supposed to be.

I didn’t do that.

Let’s jump forward a few years. I was older, and still perfectly confident in my identity as a pansexual. I hadn’t considered any other parts of my identity. Why would I? I just never really thought much about gender. Then shortly after my fourteenth birthday, I watched a short film online about a trans boy figuring out his identity and working up the courage to come out to his mother. I don’t remember what it was called or most of the details. All I remember was the last scene where the boy and his mother got into an argument about him not feminine enough, which ended with him screaming that he wasn’t a girl. And then I unexpectedly burst into tears because neither was I.

So that was a fun surprise. Once I pulled through that unexpected sobbing breakdown in the middle of the night and re-evaluated my entire life, I realized that yeah. I really wasn’t a girl. I wasn’t a boy either. Fortunately by then I knew that nonbinary people were a thing, so I had plenty of options. I spent awhile feeling things out and experimenting with different labels and pronouns before finally settling on agender and they/them pronouns. Which was great! I felt better than ever, and was confident that I had my identity down and everything would be fine. But everything was not fine. Because I’d been so happy about the biphobia dying down that I hadn’t quite noticed the exclusionists switching targets. Now the nonbinary people were lying. What a bunch of special fucking snowflakes, pretending to be queer for attention. The ones who wanted to medically transition were declared to actually be poor confused trans people who couldn’t get over their internalized transphobia to accept their True Identities. And the rest of us... well, we were just a bunch of cishet special snowflakes playing at being trans for attention, and oppressing the real trans people. I wasn’t agender. I was a cis girl making up fake identities for attention, and calling myself nonbinary was Wrong and Bad. But it was okay, because the exclusionists knew better than me. They knew how I really felt, and what my real identity was. They could fix me. I just had to agree with everything they said and become the person they decided I was supposed to be.

I didn’t do that.

Step forward a few more years, now to eighteen year old me. There’s no dramatic revelations or long struggles this time, just a slow realization. Because I’d been single for years, and I wasn’t bothered by that. I actually enjoyed it. Marriage didn’t sound very appealing. Neither did dating. I’d dated people before, but I wasn’t sure if I actually wanted to; it was just... the thing I was supposed to do. I found people attractive, sure. But I hadn’t wanted to flirt with anyone. Actually, now that I was thinking about it, had I ever felt romantically attracted to anyone? I didn’t even want romance in fiction! So I experimented. Went on some dates just in case age made it more appealing (it didn’t). Began calling myself aromantic, and was pleasantly surprised to find that the longer I used it, the better it felt. It was right.

But once again, the exclusionists were back and even angier than ever. Because now aphobia was in full swing. After all, asexuality wasn’t really queer. It’s just not having sex! It’s basically straight! What a bunch of special fucking snowflakes, pretending to be queer for attention. And the aromantics, oh the aromantics who weren’t asexual were even worse. Because everyone knows that love is what makes us human. How could someone not feel romance? Us aro people weren’t just lying about our identities, we were pretending to not have feelings so that we could get away with using people for sex without commitment. Being aro meant I was an abusive sex crazed monster taking advantage of all the poor innocent allo’s. I wasn’t aromantic. I was a sexual predator making up a fake identity to take advantage of people, and even though I wasn’t actually sleeping around calling myself aro was Bad and Wrong. But it was okay, because the exclusionists knew better than me. They knew how I really felt, and what my real identity was. They could fix me. I just had to agree with everything they said and become the person they decided I was supposed to be.

And I didn’t fucking do that.

Look. I’ve been here for a very long time, and I have dealt with so many versions of exclusionist bullshit. Every aspect of my identity has been met with random fucking strangers online smugly informing me that I was wrong about myself and they were right. And that’s just the ones that wanted me to pretend to be something else; about half of the exclusionists didn’t make any attempts at conversion therapy, and instead skipped straight to suicide baiting. I’m not even getting into the actual homophobes I’ve had to deal with, or the TERF’s that have come after me under the assumption that I’m a trans woman. My point is, I’m pretty fucking used to this sort of thing.

This just hurts a little more, because like I said earlier, the first round of exclusionism I faced was just expanded biphobia. And the bi/pan community banded together in the face of that. We weren’t the exact same identities, but we were being treated the same, and we were similar enough that nobody really minded the difference. It was wonderful. Bi and pan people were a tightly knit group, and that was a sense of community I desperately needed when I was young. I’ve been seeing this coming for awhile. There’s been increasing amounts of bi people getting drawn in by exclusionist bullshit, and I’ve seen anti-pansexual sentiment growing. I just... really hoped it wouldn’t get this far. It’s sad, y’know? It feels like losing an old friend. I’m really disappointed that you think trying to force people out of their community is right. It’s fucking pathetic, and I hope that someday you’ll rediscover basic compassion and realize how much damage you’re doing to yourself and others. This sort of thing doesn’t help the bisexual community. It drives people away. It’s like the damage that TERF’s have done to the lesbian community; this sort of thing poisons the whole well. I hope you re-evaluate what you’re doing and find a more healthy mindset.

...But also at the same time: Who the fuck do you think you are? Take your condescending bullshit and shove it directly up your ass you fucking waste of oxygen. How the fuck dare you. Do you realize the fucking audacity it takes to claim to know someone's identity better than they do? You self centered egotistical douchebag. Your parents should feel ashamed for having raised such an utter failure of a human being. I’d tell you to go fuck yourself, but I can already tell you beat off twice a day to how fucking clever you think you are. If you ever darken my inbox again you’d better be damn sure you keep it anonymous, because if I find you I’ll kick your fucking teeth in, you smug piece of shit.

[spiffyspuffy]

My Mystic Messenger Opinions

(That no one asked for)

Zen

Character: 8/10 I know a lot of people think Zens annoying but I find him endearing. One of the best things about this game is the complexity of the characters and I love that Zen’s cockiness is actually how he hides his insecurities. Even though he’s egotistical about himself, he’s never shallow with MC. He says multiple times that he doesn’t care about MC’s looks. He loves her for who she is and shows this in how he makes an effort to get to know her and be her cheerleader everyday. An underrated thing about Zen is how emotionally intelligent he is. He’s great at helping the RFA members when they need emotional support (Yoosung’s grief over loosing Rika, Jaehee crying from the stress of her job and MC’s shock at almost being kidnapped). 

Route: 2/10 Zen is a great character and he deserves a better route. The false rape accusation plot is horrible and offensive. Also, his route functions as an introduction to the game’s plot, so it’s exposition heavy and lacks action. The creators said that the lesson of his route is that when our insecurities are handled in a healthy way, they can push us to be better people. I love this message and I wish it had been highlighted more in his route.

Romantic Potential: 9/10 Zen is arguably the most dateable of all the characters. He’s a bad boy without being sketchy. He’s protective without being possessive. He’s kind without being a pushover and he’s smart without being pretentious. His biggest drawbacks are his overconfidence and and how busy he is with working. There aren’t any glaring red flags. 

~ More under the cut ~ 

Jeahee

Character: 7/10 I love this adorable theater nerd! She comes across as formal and stuffy at first, but reveals herself to be passionate and funny the more you get to know her. I gave her a lower score because she does have a strong personality that rubs me the wrong way sometimes (her jealousy of MC in Zen’s route, her lack of sympathy towards Jumin in her own route and her general rudeness towards Yoosung). She is the most mature of the RFA though, so her exasperation is warranted. Being mature and grounded also makes Jaehee the least complex Mysme character. I’ve got a lot of respect for her though!

Route: 5/10 Getting to engage in discourse about capitalism and the patriarchy? Amazing and hands down the best part of her route. It’s really inspiring to see Jaehee stand up for herself and choose to follow her dreams. I think it’s important for every young person to hear that they should have a positive work/life balance and demand that their employer supports that. Other highlights are Seven helping Jaehee by making the Power Point presentation for Jumin’s cat project, getting to fangirl with Jaehee over Zen and the creepy stalker plot. I thoroughly enjoy her route and the only reason the score is so low is because some of the other routes are seriously incredible.

Romantic Potential: 8/10 Jeahee doesn’t have any red flags either. I think she’s perfectly capable of having a healthy, romantic relationship with MC. The biggest issue standing in their way is Korea’s bias against lesbian relationships. As a fellow coffee lover and theater enthusiast though, I could definitely see myself or someone similar having a happy life with her, even if it might have to be in secret.

Yoosung

Character: 6/10 I can’t stand people who aren’t competent. Yoosung is a terrible cook, he barely cleans and he doesn’t pay attention to his studies. On top of that, 80% of his personality is that he’s a gamer AND he’s in love with his “dead” adopted cousin. Yuck. ~ But ~ I understand that he’s depressed and depression can seriously effect someone’s executive functioning. Taking all of those negatives away, we’re left with a young man who’s trying to his best to be taken seriously, which is something I can relate to. It’s nice to see imposter syndrome represented and I admire his loyalty to his friends. 

Route: 8/10 This route is sooo good! Who can forget the night when the RFA starts being aggressively stalked by Minty Eye? And the pic Zen takes of a believer looking at him through his apartment window...chills. His route only gets better from there when he infiltrates Mint Eye with Seven. This is the first time we get to see the twins interact and damn, is it confusing. But in a good way!!   The biggest drawback is that MC is stuck in Rika’s apartment and doesn’t play much of an active role in the story. 

Romantic Potential: 7/10 Despite all the negatives I listed about Yoosung, I do think he’s capable of have a healthy, romantic relationship with MC. Yoosung is also the only true sub of the RFA men, which is a definite plus for some players. Yoosung’s yandere side is a huge red flag though. MC better watch out if she doesn’t dote on him as much as he wants. Once he falls for her, he’s all in. 

Jumin

Character: 5/10 Unpopular opinion, but I hate Jumin. I understand that he’s some people’s guilty pleasure though. Jumin’s good aspects are that he’s intensely loyal, an animal lover and has a dry sense of humor. I appreciate how devoted he is to the RFA and it’s members. He offers to help Zen multiple times (albeit rejected), sends everyone body guards in his route and pays the hospital in the SE to keep Saeran’s identity top secret. What I’m not a fan of is the way he obsesses over MC and traps her in his house. This isn’t the first time he’s shown obsessive tendencies either. Seven explicitly states that Jumin acted this way with Rika in the past. Huuuge red flag.  

Route: 3/10 His entire route is fraught with rich people problems. I’m supposed to sympathize with him for an arranged marriage? All he had to do was say no. His father couldn’t force him. He’s possessive of MC because women have only ever wanted to be with him for his money? Not an excuse. Elizabeth going missing was a vaguely interesting story line, but Jumin’s relationship with his cat was cringey enough to overshadow the drama of it for me.

Romantic Potential: 3/10 Jumin has some serious issues. He’s never had a good female role model which has given him a deep seeded hatred of women. Remember when he tells MC that respecting women goes against his core beliefs? Yikes. Then, after meeting a woman who respects him and he actually likes, he locks her up and tries to change everything about her (cutting her hair, buying her a new wardrobe, teaching her the ‘proper’ way to walk, etc). We’re supposed to believe Jumin learns to be better by the end of his route, but he still proposes to MC after only a week of knowing her! I’m having a hard time picturing Jumin in a healthy relationship. 

Saeyoung

Character: 10/10 I’m not saying Saeyoung is a good person. Far from it actually. But he IS very well written and extremely interesting. In the other routes, Saeyoung is energetic and funny, bringing much needed humor to heavy moments. It’s always a joy being in a chatroom with him. Then you have the reveal that he actually hates his job and that he was faking his personality, all to a sad and slowed down version of his theme song. This plot twist shook me to my core. What makes him so well written is that the devs did a good job dropping hints to his real personality in the other routes that players might not notice during their first play through. 

Route: 9/10 This route is a wild ride from start to finish. This is when the plot threads from the other routes come together and start make sense. This route has secret agents, assassins, a deadly bomb, kidnapping, an evil twin, a powerful cult... It’s action heavy while still carrying enough emotional weight to make me cry every time. Saeyoung’s route is heavy and emotional and sooo worth playing. 

Romantic Potential: 6/10 Saeyoung has a shady job and a complicated past. Choosing to be with him means putting your life in danger every day. If you’re okay with that, he’d be a decent romantic partner. He’s a little rough around the edges, but I do think he has potential to become more like his ideal self (God Seven) after reading his AE. He’ll always have that mean and serious side to him, but I don’t think he’s hopeless. 

V

Character: 4/10 He’s low-key the worst. I sympathize with his trauma from being abused by Rika, but I don’t understand why he feels the need to fix everything by himself. Rika might be the source of most problems in this game, but V is partially responsible for standing by and letting her get away with everything. 

My first issue with him comes from encouraging Saeyoung to join the agency. I know Saeyoung didn’t have many options, but how was encouraging him to train to become a hacker and assassin the best option?! On top of that, he stalked Zen per Rika’s request and took creeper photos of him, failed miserably at protecting Saeran and don’t get me started on how he loves Rika unconditionally. V has some good characteristics but I really don’t care about those when he’s so terrible otherwise. 

Route: 10/10 This route is *chef’s kiss* the BEST. I wouldn’t call it a romance since Vs barely in it but damn is it riveting. Saeran is the perfect amount of loving and unhinged, MC get’s to know Rika on a personal level and V finally gets to be active instead of just reactive like he is in all the other routes. It’s also  satisfying to find out how much V has been keeping secret and to get a glimpse into Rika’s psyche. But what really makes V’s route stand out among the rest is that there are spy action scenes like in Saeyoung’s route, but the player also gets to spend time in Mint Eye.

Romantic Potential: 7/10 I’ll be honest. I don’t think V will ever be able to move on from Rika. He’ll always love her, as evidence in his AE. Besides that drawback, I do think he’d be a good romantic partner for MC. V was never the issue in his past relationship with Rika. She was the abusive one and he was 100% the victim. I think he would treat MC just as well in their relationship as he treated Rika. 

Saeran

Character: 7/10 I know I’m not the only one who loved the suave and cunning Saeran of the main routes who, after getting the therapy he needed, became an adorably shy and awkward man. Sadly, that’s not the character we got in AS. Instead, we met Ray, the split personality of Saeran’s psyche. Ray is charming and sweet as well as possessive and manipulative...which is something I’m into. But it’s not for everyone. Saeran’s real personality in AS is revealed to be angry and abusive and not at all similar to who he was in the main routes. I’ll give Cheritz props for writing a fairly accurate portrayal of disassociative identity disorder, but I think Saeran’s characterization is inconsistent. I get the impression Ray was an afterthought when creating AS. 

Route: 7/10 A mixed bag for me. I really enjoy any chatroom/scene with Ray. He’s undeniably creepy, but those scenes were entertaining in a dark romance kind of way. On the other hand, the Saeran scenes had a lot of unrealized potential. Abuse is never cool. All his route needed to fix this was a scene where Saeran explained to MC that he was pretending to hate her to appease Rika and the other believers. While this fake hatred is implied, I think it needed to be outright stated. It’s also hard to believe that Saeran overcame his DID in the course of one night. I know all routes are limited to 11 days, but this one needed more. Highlights of this route are Saeyoung being kidnapped by his father and of course, dark Yoosung with Elizabun. 

Romantic Potential: 7/10 I truly do believe that Saeran could go on and live a happy life in any of the endings where he escapes Mint Eye and receives therapy. While we only get a glimpse of what an emotionally stable Searan looks like, we know that he was kind and attentive with MC. Saeran is a giver and would do anything to make MC happy. Red flags are that Searan is still clingy at the end of his route. Yoosung makes a comment that he’s always holding MC’s hand when he sees them together. Also, his DID is something that will occasionally return and that’s something MC has to go into their relationship knowing. 

[iaintyourbro]

Shipping Makes Me Question My Sanity

I learned about the FFVII waifu wars after playing the remake. I played the OG many moons ago, replayed it a few years ago, but really got interested in the character dynamics after playing FFVIIR. 

I foolishly looked up “Is the remake pushing Cloud and Tifa more?” I found the shipping wars... That I never knew existed. 

You see, I played the OG and it was pretty clear to me that the story went a certain way. In fact, I didn’t even associate FFVII to romance. 

FFVII was a story about a villain who was pissed off that a grunt killed him, so he finds a way to come back from the dead through clones that his father made to fuck with said grunt and get revenge on all the humans that wronged his Mother. 

(This is my explanation in as few words as possible, because we all know explaining FFVII would take multiple posts). 

So why did I look up my question about Cloud and Tifa? Well, I was shocked at how they presented them. I didn’t remember this from the OG. Like I said, I didn’t associate FFVII to romance like I did with VIII, IX, and X. Those were clear. FFVII didn’t have this as a main theme. FFVIIR created extreme sexual tension between Cloud and Tifa. 

I remember when you finally found out Cloud wasn’t a SOLDIER, that he actually DID kill Sephiroth 5 years ago, and that he did come to save Tifa - he fulfilled his promise. The part when the main theme plays and he takes his helmet off... chills. Even now, I love that part. Still, I associated this with us finally getting answers to some of the weird shit that happens earlier in the game. And I was way too young and dense to understand the Under the Highwind scene. 

Needless to say, I wanted to see if others had the same impression. It seems they did, and those posts were then overpowered by the other side. “Yeah, I used to ship Cloti, but the remake made me see that it’s clearly Aerith.” What? What did I miss? 

So I questioned my sanity a bit. I played every quest - I did both Tifa and Aerith’s discovery quests. Until the point we get back to Tifa in Wall Market, I still was kind of iffy on how they were presenting Aerith and Cloud. They removed a lot of stuff from the OG that was a bit more direct from Cloud’s end. They also removed a lot of the jealousy scenes between Tifa and Aerith. Seems they gave all the jealousy to Cloud in other scenes. 

Cloud clearly is soft with Tifa. He remembers The Promise, he calls her beautiful, you have no choice but to give her the flower. No matter what choices you make with Aerith. He still gives her the flower. He gets jealous whenever he even thinks a guy is talking about her in a romantic/sexual way.

Then I see things like “Cloud was so emotionless and mean until Chapter 8″. HOW? And this goes beyond Tifa. Cloud had a ton of character growth during the first 3 chapters, and it continued on until Chapter 8. This was not something where he suddenly turned nice to Aerith. He had a ton of people help him out before.

Take Biggs, Wedge, and Jessie. Cloud was a dick to them. I mean, he really was. I was sad for Wedge, cuz I think he’s so nice, and Cloud was just mean to him. By the end of Chapter 4, he’s much nicer to them. He’s left out of their celebration, and I think maybe this was a reference to him as a child. He thought he was better than the other kids (except Tifa). He treated everybody like shit (except Tifa) in the first three chapters and Barret told him to gtfo. 

Jessie made sure to let him know she wanted him there. Now, I’m not a fan of how thirsty Jessie is. I mean they REALLY slam it on you how bad she wants to get with Cloud. Cloud then says what I was thinking “Are you seriously that desperate?!” Yes, she is, and it’s obnoxious, but I think it’s a hilarious addition to the story. However, I think it was a light bulb moment that he would be included if he was a bit nicer to people.

Cloud and Barret start getting along more as time goes on as well. This is all before Chapter 8. So I actually have commented on these posts... “Did you play the first 7 chapters? Did you play the rest of the game?” There’s so many points during FFVIIR where Cloud clearly has character development outside of what Tifa and Aerith do. 

They ignore this. That’s my issue. The ignore everything else in the story. They ignore reality, so that makes people like me question themselves.

It reminds me of a personal situation with my job. We had a really bad leader. Like, cruel, mean. And he got away with it for a long time. You can say, “just leave”, but I think anybody with a family knows that’s not as easy as it sounds. Not when you rely on your job for not only income, but benefits, retirement, and stability. Not when changing buildings causes months of legit mental breakdowns (imagine changing companies completely?). So, it wasn’t really an option.

The worst part during all of that was knowing and seeing the reality of what was going on and having people flat out try to tell me that what I was seeing wasn’t true. I had conversations with other co-workers who started to question their sanity. Is it us? Are we the problem? Are we wrong? What are we missing? And that’s tough, especially when it goes on for so long.

In the real life example, there was a resolution earlier this year, where finally the guy was fired. And a lot of people were fighting him. More than you’d think. But they were scared, so they had to be careful. This is real life, not a game, so the stakes were much higher. The truth all comes out after this type of thing, and it was actually worse than we thought. There was a lot we missed, and a lot we just weren’t aware of. We weren’t crazy - there was just a group of his followers trying to brainwash us in to thinking he was great. 

The shipping wars give me the same feelings I had during that. I question my sanity and don’t get what I’m missing. This is beyond how you interpret the LTD. This is legit ignoring parts of the story as it’s presented. SE put these Cloti moments throughout the Remake to make a point. They have Aerith say things to make a point. They even have Aerith stop making moves on Cloud after Tifa comes back and she sees the obvious “thing” between them.

There are tons of analysis on multiple scenes and how Cloud reacts. Facial expressions tell a lot, so does voice acting. There are reasons they put these scenes in. There are reasons they are part of the main story and not part of side quests. There are reasons that the devs responded the way they did in interviews. 

The Ultimania clearly talks about Cloud’s feelings. The OG talks about them. 

So why do I still feel upset when I see these? Well, for one, the posters that say “I was a Cloti until..” in most cases are probably shipping the other side, but this is a great way to make people question themselves. It may make new fans not enjoy the story as much.

Then you have Twitter. And it’s a shame, because there’s some great fanart on Twitter. But, you can’t search for “tifa” without seeing some really bad posts. And it’s the same accounts over and over. There isn’t a large amount. 

The entire goal of these posters is to fight people who don’t agree with them. They also start posting similar complaints about a week after the Cloti side makes them.

The most recent being that Cloti fans are going after Nojima and it’s not going to change anything. What? I saw a similar post about the C////erith side about a week or two ago. Why are Cloti’s going after Nojima? So I went through some of his posts. I found one where he posted about FF7R. The only Cloti posts I saw were thanking him. The C///erith ones were over the top trying to say how it was all C///erith and there was no Cloti in the remake. One even said that “millions of fans want Aerith to survive.” No, I’d say the majority of fans want the original plot points to stay. 

Nojima himself liked a fanart of himself... where they called him the Cloti king.

So where are the Cloti’s going after Nojima? I only saw praise... 

The next new one is that C///eriths aren’t racist and Cloti’s are. I’ve seen this argument in reverse as well. It seems they scope out some things and repost them in the opposite argument. 

I just don’t understand the extreme nature. You can ship who you want, but you can’t erase parts of the story to make it work. Why even bother playing the game? The romance aspect is SO SMALL in the OG. 

In the remake its a bit heavier, but it’s different times. Sex sells. Let’s add some spice to the game, and they did. I felt no sexual tension between Cloud and Aerith. Jessie tried HARD. The only mutual tension felt was between Cloud and Tifa. That deep, dear lord please do something to release this tension, feeling. Cloud and Aerith had cute little moments similar to a Disney movie or a kids movie. Tifa and Cloud had the moments you see in more mature things. 

Some of these moments are optional - the resolution scene you can technically avoid every time you play if you choose to. The Clotiscrew tunnel roll is a bit harder unless you KNOW you can avoid it and/or are terrible at the game. You literally have to try hard to mess up to not get that scene. 

The Clotiscrew tunnel scene is also hilarious to watch people react to. Cuz you do feel like you need to take a quick walk to cool off from that heat. Even my husband who doesn’t give a shit was like “wow, yeah, okay, that’s... intense.” 

It didn’t have to be, it could have been a roll and release, but he holds her and says “You okay?” in that soft af voice THAT HE ONLY USES ON HER. Her response is equally sexy. Then they get up and stare. Once again, not necessary.

All the “unnecessary” touching that goes on is fun to point out. People are still finding moments, I think. During battles, in the background during other scenes. They’re making this a point. They make it a point to show shots of those two during other scenes in the game. They aren’t being subtle anymore. 

So I don’t understand how you can erase all of that. 

The other side has a small group that is completely shitting on Tifa to do it. I don’t see that as much on the Cloti side towards Aerith. I’m not saying it doesn’t exist, I bet it does, but it’s not as easy to find. Almost EVERY shipping fight has something about Tifa’s boobs, Tifa not telling Cloud about his past, something. They make stuff up in some cases.

All of this is a way to recruit people to their side. To “convert” them. I feel bad for the streamers who like Tifa and you see a group come in to try and “correct” that thought. Why do they care so much? 

Maximillian Dood doesn’t seem affected by those opinions - he’s a great supporter of Tifa as a character. He was very happy with the way they handled the remake, and that says a lot. He also has some great reactions to parts of the game. He also is a more experienced streamer, it seems.

My thoughts are... the Remake has blown expectations on how it was supposed to go. Probably a lot of fans assumed they’d make a point to build up Aerith as the love interest... but they didn’t. Tifa is in almost every chapter (2 is the exception). She is referenced multiple times in Wall Market - especially if you actually listen to the lyrics for Midgar Blues. Why place that song in during that part? 

So we go to the attack mode of survival here. They’re going to change as many opinions as possible. They’re going to make people question themselves. Make people feel bad. 

The reality is, there’s a clear cut story - they’re making it that way. There’s multiple hints that there isn’t going to be a love triangle. There’s multiple hints that Zack is going to be a thing in the Remake. They’ve definitely put it on more heavy that Aerith still loves Zack. 

I can only hope that things are made clear. That this can stop. I still say people should ship who they want. Hell, I ship Vincent and Lucrecia (this was my only romantic love in the OG back then...). However, canon is that Hojo and Lucrecia married and had a child. I wanted Vincent to secretly be the father so bad, but he’s not. That doesn’t ruin the game for me, at all. 

It would ruin the game for me, in a sense, if they completely pull a 180 in Part 2 and try to “remove” all of the stuff from Part 1 from a character dynamics perspective. It would feel wrong for Aerith to tell Cloud not to fall in love with her, tell him that everything isn’t real if he does, and also have her back off completely after Tifa is back, and then all of a sudden throw herself at him. It would erase all the friendship scenes between Tifa and Aerith.

And how could you just “turn off” Cloud’s attentive nature to Tifa? It wouldn’t make sense. It would ruin it for me because that is legit trying to erase parts of the story.

I don’t think that will happen. But I still get anxious when I see shit on the internet.

[panvani]

Ciel route thoughts:

Definitely much more engaging and enjoyable than Arcueid’s route in a number of dimension. Unlike Arcueid’s route, which spends vast amounts of time constantly repeating itself to explain lore I don’t care about to begin with, Ciel’s route is entirely character/plot/theme focused. The “book” Shiki “reads” throughout the route is actually a pretty interesting way of establishing themes Tsukihime intends to discuss in regards to death, and unlike Arcueid’s route, which treats death as pretty much a non-issue, Ciel’s route does actually try to get into it.

The character writing was, as I said, much more interesting. I actually enjoyed the conflict between Ciel and Arcueid, and the increased awareness of who Roa is as a person. I guess you could say I’m... glad to know... there was a reason Shiki acted... like that... in Arcueid’s route, and I felt Ciel’s route actually got the same concept across in a far less gratuitous and obnoxious manner. Seeing a darker side of Arcueid actually makes her way more interesting, and I think Ciel had more of a leg to stand on in terms of independent character writing than Arcueid.

That being said, by far the most aggravating part of this route was the romance and Ciel herself. The story barely allows you to talk to her, to the point that when you’re forced to do your little relationship checks, I was clicking the Ciel options actively against my own beliefs. As I said before, I don’t feel all that strongly about Arcueid, but at least she felt like... someone for whom I had an actual reason to feel attachment. Has Shiki never had a female classmate before, or something? Why’s he this preoccupied with Ciel at all? She’s not particularly nice to us- at least, not in a way that would make her more worthy of our affections than Arcueid. Ciel’s route is continually hijacked by Arcueid, to the point Shiki repeatedly emotionally betrays Ciel for Arcueid, which just aggravates the problems already present in their romance. It was just frustrating.

Then, with regards to Ciel herself, I understand I’ve been a bit conflicting. While I do believe Ciel had more going on with her as a single character than Arcueid did, I was far more put off by Ciel’s arc than Arcueid’s arc. The similarities Ciel bears to other characters I really like just made me dislike her more, because it highlighted all the reasons why her writing felt hollow. There’s no challenge to empathizing with the protagonist’s love interest- it’s what you’re supposed to do by default. Even when Ciel is trying to kill Shiki, it’s obvious she’s not going to actually permanently hurt him, because she’s an eroge love interest and they hadn’t had sex yet. In the end, Ciel’s route failed to make me care for her when the narrative was constructed to make me care for her, while also failing to make me dislike her when the narrative was constructed to make me dislike her. Absolutely 0 personal connection with Ciel was necessary to understand her at the end of her route. The way she just dumped her heart out to Shiki was actively annoying. Why would someone who’d been suicidal that long just confess to some guy she... didn’t even really know that well? After spending that long lying to Shiki, why does she suddenly want him to know everything? What had Shiki done to earn that aside from like, agreeing that murder is probably bad?

I would’ve found vastly more enjoyment from this story if it had been told in any other way. Instead, it was mostly a frustration. There were plenty of aspects I did think were interesting, and I do think those to an extent made up for the annoying aspects, but it’s really... bizarre how little effort was put into make this dating sim love interest an actual person you can date.