#the only thing i don't like about these flats is that they don't have a garden

[kinardsevan]

I don't know if it's enough of a prompt but : Tommy says I love you first

i come to you in pieces (so you can make me whole)

He never intends it to be a big thing. He’s done the whole to-do before, made a whole thing out of telling someone exactly where his heart is in the mix of it all. The first serious relationship he had after coming out felt like doing everything for the first time, and in a lot of ways it was. He’d spent so much of his adult life trying to fit into a hetero-normative relationship that when he finally met a guy and fell in love and everything felt the way all the movies and songs described it, he wanted all of it.

And granted, he’s always been a hopeless romantic at heart. Maybe that was a form of self-preservation in the midst of all the loneliness, that he could believe that someone might actually come along one day and sweep him away the way all the movies say happens. Still, when he’s actually had those moments, they never measured up. He’s given his entire heart to someone on a silver platter, flowers and candles included, only to have that moment fall short of what he expects out of it.

But then he meets Evan. 

And it’s a tenuous thing for a while. Because when they first meet, and the first date falls flat on his face with Evan basically shoving them both back in the closet, he’s sure that this gorgeous man he’s felt his heart quickening at is just another passing blip, something he probably shouldn’t let himself get so tied down too. He reminds himself not to get too excited when Chimney or Hen calls about something small; when Eddie wants to know if he wants to rent the next fight and split the price. 

And then Evan calls back and asks him out for coffee. And Tommy knows how much courage it takes, just to take another stab at something when it’s already fallen on its face once. He understands even more how scary it is to suggest the idea that the person you’re dating wants to out themselves to an entire group of people, more specifically their group of people. But for as apprehensive as he was, the wedding went off without (much of) a hitch, save for the awkward glances coming from the Buckley parents. Still, Tommy had long since learned that Evan’s thoughts on whose opinion really mattered about his personal life had more to do with Bobby Nash and Athena Grant than it did Philip and Margaret Buckley. 

He knows it’s coming after that; knows that even if Evan isn’t quite ready to shout from the rooftops that he’s bisexual, that at the very least, he’s okay with his loved ones knowing, and that’s what really matters to Tommy. As it is, Evan becomes the one who takes on a penchant for PDA, whether it’s a hospital waiting room, a bar on a Friday night after a shift, or the middle of the Pride parade. Tommy knows Evan meant it when he wasn’t sure what he was ready for, and he’d never mention it out loud for fear of scaring him back into some need to cower from outside opinions that don’t actually matter, but his boyfriend is no shrinking violet in embracing letting people know just how much he likes Tommy.  And at that point, how is Tommy not supposed to fall back? 

He waits a respectable amount of time. Even though they never actually put an exclusivity label on it all, neither of them are seeing other people. Dates on days off turn into showing up for each other atter a long shift, which turn into overnights, and then long weekends. They still live separately, but Tommy isn’t entirely sure why when one of them is always at the other’s place. Showing up for a loved one becomes a package deal, mostly because they’re just so limited already in the amount of time they get with one another. 

Maddie tells him she thinks it’s cute. Chimney jokes that it’s gross, that he doesn’t need to see his brothers quite that domestic with one another, though he refuses to admit that he finds it endearing. Eddie just gags at the sight of them at this point. Hen never complains, instead only ever commenting that she’s happy to see her two friends finally settled in a relationship, although the fact that it’s with each other was never on her bingo card. 

And Bobby…well Bobby sees it before he ever says a word. In the midst of a family dinner (breakfast) at the end of a long shift for the 118 that Tommy showed up to because Evan’s jeep was in the shop, and they already had plans to spend the weekend together. 

“You should tell him,” Bobby says after sending the rest of the shift off to change into their civies. 

“Hmm?” 

Bobby tilts his head at Tommy. “It’s written all over your face, Tommy. And I think everyone knows it but him.” 

Tommy can’t help glancing towards the first floor then, apprehensive at the suggestion. 

“Besides,” Bobby continues, drawing his attention back. “The whole house is betting on Buck going first, and I’ve got five hundred on you.” 

. . .

They’re standing in the kitchen again. They’d fallen asleep after getting back to Evan’s place when his shift ended, taken some well-deserved rest. After waking up, Evan had mentioned wanting to go back to their place; Miceli’s is only known to them as that now. It’s a Friday night, so Tommy had to call ahead to make sure they’d have the table, but at this point, there’s very little he’s not willing to do to satisfy his boyfriends wants and needs, regardless as to how ridiculous they may get. 

Evan is rambling on about another deep dive, and Tommy doesn’t mind. He enjoys learning little things from the vast amounts of knowledge his boyfriend consumes. More than that, he enjoys the way Evan lights up when he gets on a tangent. As the girls would say, it something about Evan that makes him get all “swirly”. 

“So I said to Eddie, just because giraffes are more likely than people to get struck by lightning doesn’t necessarily mean that they will be. I mean I think I proved-..” 

“I’m so in love with you,” he murmurs as Evan’s midway through his sentence. 

The blonde stares at him slackjawed, eyes unfocused and looking as though he’s just found the answers to a question he never thought to ask but always wondered, the very same way he did the first time they kissed. 

“W-what,” he rasps. 

Tommy gives a small nod, the hint of a smile on his face as his eyes trail down Evan’s chest, the fingers on his left hand rubbing gentle circles over Evan’s hip. His gaze drifts back up, finding those crystal blue eyes he so desperately wants to spend every spare second drowning in. 

“I’m in love with you, Evan,” he says in that monotone voice, like he’s not shifting their entire universe with those six words. “Stay awake after a twenty-four, drink your god-awful idea of good coffee, let all of my limbs fall go numb if it makes you comfortable to fall asleep on me, in love with you.” 

Evan clears his throat then, but Tommy has a front-row view to the way tears run into his waterline, and it occurs to him in that moment, maybe someone has never actually told his boyfriend that he matters that much to them. And on one hand, he’s glad he gets to be the first, but on the other, he wants to fill a room with every person that’s ever claimed to love Evan Buckley in the past and ask them how they could possibly tell him that without explaining just how much.

“You don’t have to say it back right now,” he continues. “I just wanted you to know that; that I love you.” 

Evan lifts his hand to Tommy’s shoulder and takes a step forward, fingers wrapped around the other man’s collarbone as he leans into him, slides his tongue into Tommy’s mouth. There’s such a gentleness about it, that Tommy almost doesn’t need the words. Any clarity of what exists between them burns its brightest when they’re like this, skin on skin, always needing to touch one another to ground themselves. 

He breaks them apart after a time, eyes closed for half a second longer, just taking in the moment. Evan’s hand shifts up, rests against the side of his neck as his thumb trails over Tommy’s jaw. 

“I think I fell in love with you the first time we stood here,” Evan admits softly. “When you asked me if it was okay that you kissed me.” 

Tommy lets out a silent chuckle as a smile crosses his face. Evan tilts his head to the side, that same sheepish smile Tommy has come to love playing on his features. Tommy finally manages to lift his gaze and meet Evan’s once more, bringing a thumb up to brush against his bottom lip. 

“If you had told me flying into a hurricane on a whim would get me here, I think I would’ve called your bluff.” 

Tommy’s smile pulls wider across his face and he leans back in, kisses the corner of Evan’s mouth. He tilts his head up then, whispers into Evan’s ear. 

“I thank God every day that I answered Chim’s phone call because I don’t want a version of this life that doesn’t have you in it.” 

Evan leans into him at those words, buries his face in the crook of Tommy’s neck, and Tommy kisses his shoulder as his hand runs over Evan’s back soothingly. When Evan finally pulls back, he rests his forehead against Tommy’s, eyes closed, swept up in the wave of emotion the conversation has brought up between them. 

“I feel so lucky to get to love you, be in love with you.” He pauses for a tick. “Be loved by you.” 

“There’s no luck involved, babe,” Tommy murmurs to him. Even with his eyes closed, tears slip past them, and then Tommy’s hands are on his face, wiping them away. 

“You are so deserving of it, Evan,” he tells him softly. “And you make it so easy.” 

[sgiandubh]

Hi! 

Fitness Anon here…

Just had to run a few errands this morning and there I spotted him - I will call him ‘local S’. Whoever he is, is not really important at all. It is about the perception - or the non-perception“ - of the  ‘rest of us’ towards him. 

He is an actor who lives in our neighborhood with his family - played leading roles in some TV series in the last 20 years and also plays theatre frequently. I think he has the same level of recognition C and S may have in Scotland. 

The first time after moving here I met him at the post office. But with a toddler and a crying baby in tow I did not recognize him immediately. A few weeks later a friend of mine (who grew up here) and I went to a park with our kids and  ‘local S’ jogged past us. I asked my friend if he was the one I thought he was. She looked a little bit confused at first and then said: Yes, and he is living here since a few years! Nothing else - no chatting, no gossip - nothing. And that hasn't changed to this day.

‘Local S’ lives here and is part of our community. None of us would think of taking a photo of him waiting in the line at the local bakery or anywhere else. And we certainly wouldn't post anything on social media about seeing or meeting him. None of us are impressed when we meet him or ask him for a selfie. It's also not a bad thing that none of us here are interested in 5 minutes of Instagram fame.

In the situations where I meet him, I never realise him as an actor and semi-famous. Because his every day appearance is completely different from his TV roles. In his most well-known TV role, he had to wear an unusual costume like Sam. So when you see hin in his normal attire, he looks totally different.  

I meet him in normal everyday situations, just as I do with many other people. This could be one of the reasons why we don't consider the ‘local S’ to be famous. Meeting him in a jogging suit, sweating and buying rolls has nothing glamorous at all. The other reason is probably that he doesn't appear to be recognised as someone famous. He lives a completely low-key everyday life. Sometimes he is featured in the relevant magazines to promote his TV roles. As far as I'm aware he hardly talks about his life at home there, only about his projects.

What I have just described probably also widely corresponds to Sam's (and C's) life in Scotland. They are known in their community and neighborhood. However, it is not considered that an appearance of them is a sensation. They are part of the everyday life there, just as ‘local S’ is part of my everyday life. And that is not glamorous or exciting - neither in Scotland nor anywhere else in Europe or in the world. That's why probably little or nothing is known about their everyday lives at all. 

Dear (returning) Fitness Anon,

EVERY SINGLE WORD OF WHAT YOU WROTE. And then, some more.

While living in Paris, I spotted (not necessarily in that order):

a) Kristin Scott Thomas, at the (now defunct) posh, Waitrose French wannabe, INNO supermarket, in Montparnasse. Her caddy chock-a- block full with Tŷ Nant Welsh spring water (very classy cobalt blue bottle and a novelty, in 1997). Now, The English Patient is easily in my top 5 movies. I chuckled in my Barbour and quickly busied myself with paying and getting out of that store ASAP. Everybody knew who she was - TEP's movie posters were all over town and in each and every métro station. Nobody flinched.

b) Daniel Auteuil, one of my favorite French actors. Formidable in Patrice Chéreau's La Reine Margot (and pretty much everything else), insane chemistry with the beautiful Isabelle Adjani. He was hailing a taxi, somewhere near Avenue de la Motte-Picquet, steps away from my flat, circa 2001. I grinned like an idiot and passed my way.

c) Catherine Deneuve, The Legend. I already wrote about it, a while ago. We were in line, at the movies, I (loudly) betted it was her and she smiled. That's all. And that is all it should be.

About my Greek experiences, I have written here, by the way: https://www.tumblr.com/sgiandubh/748463393458061312/im-interested-to-know-whether-you-came-to-enjoy?source=share . Even in a warm, expansive Southern European country nobody gave a flying duck, ever. Just humorously mentioned seeing them having coffee around town, while gossiping, Nothing more.

You'd have to be overly obsessed and/or really parochial to think people who live in the same neighborhood with actors, business tycoons or politicians would ever give a damn about it, every single time they spot those people somewhere.

[josru]

a little rant:

If you need to understand one thing about the Bear subreddit, here it is.

It's not a supportive place for women, let alone black women/women of colour. (Not surprising, as reddit is male and white dominated.) Sydney gets mad hate for daring to be apart of the main relationship in the show (that is now defunct), something that the writers wrote for her? Regardless if you see Sydcarmy as romantic or not. The whole point of the Bear is their partnership.

And yet the Bear fandom on reddit loves to diminish her role, and act as if Sydney is an uppity black woman who needs to be rid of. They act like it's surprising that people want to talk about her or like her. And they also think Sydcarmy is mad overrated and implausible. They bring it up constantly because it pisses them off that a sizeable portion of us love it.

Probably because Sydney is an actual character we can relate to and root for. But oh no, men don't like that because that means she isn't a perfect little white fantasy, and she has actual problems and ideas and speaks on them, and she's BLACK, god forbid!! And they could never have empathy for someone who wasn't themselves. Sydney is annoying to them because it reminds them they don't care about other people.

It's barely a place for white women too, because they only like you if you're a gf/therapist/not your own person. A flat, 2-D image with no problems. They don't care about Jess or Claire, they just want to fuck them. Even in this post, the respect of relatability and empathy is given to Richie in the title, because he finally "got some", despite the picture being of Jess. Like, great, guys, you diminished a woman (a PERSON) to being a "win" for a man, because that's all that matters, right? Whether or not a woman is a fuckable prize?

Even the writing of the show actually just pushes the whole "if women = gf, = only gf, nothing else" trope. So in a weird way, I guess I know where they're getting it from, but I expected more from adult men? My bad.

Women deserve to be more than someone's fantasy!! I am sick and tired of this misogynistic drivel. I also think it's fucked up how much of these dudes on reddit love Richie this much. Like, we get it, you think he's a self-help sigma alpha chad king now. Just keep ignoring the problems he keeps creating, how irritating he can be sometimes, as well as the fact that men picking up their lives will always have way more support than female characters. Richie is not some underdog character lol. The narrative of the show has made it clear he is very beloved and will have a nice, sweet arc.

Unlike Sydney, and Marcus, and apparently maybe even Tina. But yes, keep talking about how your white male character is the underdog who is being sooo mistreated and finally got something he deserved, even though in actuality, Syd and every other POC got treated like shit this season. It's like they swapped them, the real main characters, and made them the underdogs/tertiary while Richie has become so important. But it's key to reddit's white male victim complex that Richie is finally getting "good treatment" when he never suffered being completely ignored by the writers at all, and he was never at risk of that either.

[factual-fantasy]

28 asks! Thanks yall! :)) 🦶

My last doctors appointment came up with nothing. Onto the next one in a few weeks...

Oh good idea-- :00

Dink already has a friend! His name is Doink! :)

@stupid-thatsme

I usually watch YouTube or listen to music while I draw. I feel like it helps me draw faster and keeps me focused somehow.. XDD And no one wants to be alone with their thoughts lets be real-

@coolguyinternet

<XD I'll have to think about that one-

1: I knew what was coming for me in Tales from Ba Sing Se. But it still hurt. :(((

1: At first I don't think I liked Mei very much <XDD But after seeing her turn around at the end of the show?? I really like her :))

There's a lot of moments that were sweet and sad. But Zuko's apology to Iroh, and Toph and Sokka's talk about Katara's motherly nature were amongst the sweetest. And Aang going avatar mode when loosing Appa and being comforted by Katara has to be the saddest I can remember.. 🥺🥺🥺

The ending overall just felt like it came too soon, I wish the show was longer..

@mrplants-world

You're gonna have to be a liiiitle more specific- 😅

(Aang holding Appa art in question)

Do people really ask that?? Man.. smh.. smh.. 😔😔

That sounds like something they'd do! :DD

:DDD Thank you! I'm glad you like my artwork!! :))))

@the-woomyverse

XDDD Oh man that's some fantastic angst potential

(Evil Grim and V post in question)

An asker in this post described what I imagine they'd be like really well! :00

And yes! The evil versions are all shiny but evil Anastasia (Kricketot) is normal colors XD

I didn't intend to have Miraidon around, no.. 😅

And I don't have the DLC, so I am unfamiliar with Ogerpon.. <:0

@necromicon42

The boo mushroom isn't intended to be in my AU.. but the boomerang and cloud flower could be included :00 I imagine they'd be/look a lot different though..

The boomerang flower might not be a full on powerup.. I might make it this big flower that once it grows its oddly shaped petals fall off and harden like wood. Leaving behind these perfect flat boomerangs. I can imagine Mario and Luigi just learning how to throw the boomerangs instead of absorbing a powerup. This would also explain how boomerang bros got their boomerangs. They throw the same dried up petals that the bros throw-

The cloud flower might just be changed into some king of... wispy thing and the bros can collect. Instead of a flower. Maybe a literal cloud? I'm not sure.. but I can see it existing :00

@spinelfan11

I believe so! XD Thank you! :)

(Refencing this post and this post)

<XD No one is safe from the bootleg curse!

<XD No no, my AU was made before the movie came out. Nothing from the movie applies to my AU- including the Vanessa daughter thing <XDD

Well lets see,

1: I think Gravity Falls and Pixars cars was very inspirational to me! :0

2: My favorite song changes from day to day,, but currently I really like Lights by Ellie Goulding! :))

3: When I understood it, I think I liked math! :))

4: And sorry! But drawing suggestions are now closed 😅

@anikakitty11

Shroomie!! :DDD

@untitled-7613

I wouldn't trust them personally- 😅😅

@khoiazo

XDD The only appropriate response to evil Grim and V honestly-

@xxanxious-anxietyxx

:000 WAIT REALLY??? THANKO YOU!! :DDD

@hope0koi

They doin good! I've been meaning to draw them more often <XDD

@minophlia

Ah man.. this is very bitter sweet. I'm glad you found me here and that you like what I make. But its also horrible to hear that you found me through stolen artwork that I worked so hard on..

@katpotato55 (In response to this post)

:DD THANK YOU SO MUCH!! :)))

@im-nice-but-i-dont-like-you

XDD Well hey it made me laugh too! Also thank you! :))

@ink-machine-kidd

I'm afraid I wouldn't know what to do for that..😅I'm not familiar with Digimon.. 🥺 Thank you for the suggestion though! :00

@agent-cakeshroom

XDD Thank you!! And yes! I DO love sky! :DD Been playing ever since season of dreams back in 2021 💪💪💪

[gabessquishytum]

Thinking about mafia prince Dream and professor Hob again (love that other people are too 🥰)

At some point into the “relationship”, right about when Hob is beginning to realize that he might be well and truly stuck in it, that Morpheus won’t ever lose interest in him enough to let him go, there comes a day when he’s particularly stressed and restless, really feeling the bars of his gilded cage. He’s so desperate to regain any sort of control over his life that he snaps just a little bit.

He enters the apartment and makes a beeline towards Morpheus, pulling him away from his homework without a word (and the reminder that Hob’s sleeping with a student—despite the fact that it wasn’t his idea, that he had tried to get out of it—fills him with shame, which only adds to the strange frenetic energy fueling him).

Hob drags Morpheus into the bedroom and pushes him onto the bed, only removing enough clothing from both of them to allow him to sit on Morpheus’ cock all in one go (He’s already opened and prepped, these days he’s almost always opened and prepped for Morpheus’ pleasure).

Hob then proceeds to furiously ride Morpheus into the mattress, pinning him in place so that he can do nothing but let him. A small part of Hob is terrified of the potential consequences afterwards—Hob usually lets Morpheus do what he wants to him in bed, partially out of enjoyment and partially out worry that if he does anything that disrupts the spoiled little mob prince’s fantasy, he’ll receive another “visit” from the Corinthian—but in this moment, he’s too focused on reclaiming some semblance of control, of actually taking something for himself for the first time since this all started, to care about that now.

Thankfully, Morpheus’ interpretation of Hob’s behavior is that he’s finally starting to feel more comfortable in their relationship, that not only is this proof that he desires Morpheus as much he desires him, but that Hob feels secure enough to come to him of his own volition when he’s feeling this desperate, instead of shyly waiting for Morpheus to initiate things. Clearly this is something to be rewarded and encouraged, not punished.

When Hob comes, he’s trembling from both the force of his orgasm as well as the adrenaline crash of his frantic energy leaving him. Morpheus takes him into his arms and rolls them over in order to gently continue fucking him through it into a second orgasm, kissing away his tears of overstimulation, cooing that Hob did the right thing coming to him when he needed him this badly, that he hopes Hob will continue to trust that Morpheus will give him what he needs at any time, no matter what he was doing, and that nothing is more important to him than Hob.

-🪽anon

AHHHH this is so good. I kinda love the idea of Hob’s plan to gain control over the situation backfiring on him and sucking him even deeper into his "relationship" with Morpheus... because now Morpheus thinks that Hob has fully accepted that they are soulmates, and that their relationship is fully secure forever. He acts like Hob might as well have proposed marriage. He's more affectionate and demanding that ever, pushing at the very small boundaries that Hob has managed to erect. Morpheus will say "you love me, don't you." With so much confidence that it's not even a question. Hob could flat out say "no" and it wouldn't matter because Morpheus would just laugh.

The worst of it all is that the sex is so good. Hob can't stop thinking about how amazing it felt to let go and take his own pleasure from Morpheus’s cock. He hasn't been so well fucked ever in his entire life, and Hob finds himself repeating the act again and again - crawling onto Morpheus like a desperate slut and riding his cock until he can't take it any more.

Of course, every time he does it, he just convinces Morpheus even further that Hob is his beloved. It's a crazy life, and Hob can't even imagine a way out...

[flightyalrighty]

What do you think about Shadow? What is your personal perception of him? I'm curious about your answer (I hope is spoiler free)

On his character profile, wikipedia etc... for a while he is describled in a strong negative way, like he has no positive traits, an anti-MarySue. But I remember that Shadow from SA2 to 2006, including Shadow 2005 (surprisling, watching the cut scene, I found his positive traits are still there), and then Prime Shadow, tMoStH (those two versions are a bit shy) and Archie Shadow has a good balance of positive and negative traits. In particular the first Shadow (Adventure 2) was enternaining, he seemed playful and mischievous at times, like he was sill a kid even if he was heavily burdened by his past, and there was something likeable in Shadow in Heroes, like he is nice to have around as friend although sometimes he may get difficult to deal with his stubborness, melancholy and pessimism.

Often people complain about Shadow being too expressive in Archie comics. I admit I complained too before rewatching SA2/Sheroes cutscenes, reading some old Sega description of the character, how Maekawa envisioned him (far different than what we have today and that's clear from SA2), I could see Archies' choices.

Also, Archie Shadow is still cold and gruff toward those he doesn't know/he didn't connect with (I lovd the part where he was answering to Relic's questions). He shows his softer side only to his closest friends and still has that hints of distrust, typical of those that were and are still abused and rejected in every possible way.

I like how you showed this in the early page of Infested. The Shadow in first pages is caring toward Rouge, but he is quiet, very focused, and stubborn (when he wanted to complete his mission despite the double concussion and the pain). I see the tick (the bug makes me think to a tick. I see them quite often bvecause the little b...s often attack my cats) is now neutralizing his mental shield, leaving him with his insecurities exposed and vulnerable, in order to make him panic more easily. Shadow's personality is still there for now but his defense is gone.

I think that different continuities have different takes on Shadow (as you mentioned with Archie and Prime). While I thought pretty long and hard about how to answer this, ultimately I'm not sure how. I'll try?

My personal perception of Shadow is simply how he was written before the series had its big tonal shift starting with Sonic Colors. This no-nonsense guy who strives to do the right thing in the most straightforward and efficient way possible. His character arc concluded with Sonic 06, and then he was slid backwards by a company that wanted so badly to twist the franchise to suit the whims of people who never had a real interest in Sonic to begin with. Shadow is so much more than the flat character he'd been hydraulic pressed into. He's more than

This.

I don't envy Ian Flynn's job. He started his career a lot more free to write Shadow how he wanted to, and then found himself struggling against more and more and more restraints -- To the point that he's said on record that he doesn't like writing Shadow anymore. That's sad, especially when my favorite take on all of Team Dark came from his pen. Ian Flynn, famously, was Archie Sonic's writer until its death.

Archie's Team Dark is how I love to see them written.

Archie Shadow, in particular, had a lot more going on than game!Shadow. He was far less likely to cause friction within the Team Dark dynamic -- Not to say friction is a bad thing in fiction, quite the opposite, but when that friction happens all the time it's exhausting. If Shadow was actually allowed more moments to be an actual teammate or collaborate with someone outside of Team Dark without making the whole situation way more needlessly difficult all on his own, that could solve a lot of the issues folks have been complaining about. Like, he doesn't even need to be written nicer, just more willing to work with allies when necessary. He used to do this. Now he barrels into every situation solo.

Anyway, kvetching about Shadow's current writing concluded (on top of the actual answer for this ask).

[absolmon]

I've seen people complain that he treats others like objects early on but they were just flat background characters to him until he transmigrated. And I think part of why he tries to hold onto this fiction for so long is because he doesn't want to breakdown. You wouldn't consider someone evil for killing an NPC in a video game, right? So him killing the Skinner is just removing a tutorial boss in his mind, even though on a deeper level SY is horrified. If there's one thing we can all agree SY excels at it's compartmentalizing.

I feel like enough people don't acknowledge that a big part of the reason that Shen Yuan acts the way he does about the people around him is because the System is essentially gamifying his interactions with them. He literally gets points and objectives from interacting with others via a user interface. There's a shop to get cheats!

The System presents itself like a video game but it also obscures information from SY and railroads him when he tries to break free from its script. All of the dialogue options the System gives him are like Glass Him. As far as SY can tell he's been trapped in a flat world as the only real human being and the System puts in work to keep it that way. The only thing the System cares about is having an interesting story and it doesn't care about either the people of PIDW or its transmigrators.

[saintsenara]

would you want to elaborate more on your thoughts on Alan Rickman as Snape? I'd love to hear more of your take on it. I dislike him in the role so much and it's insanely difficult to actually have a conversation about it sometimes because of how much some people like movie!Snape in large parts of the fandom

I have so many gripes with what happened to Snape, from how movie!Alan!Snape is a completely separate character to book!Snape (and how less flawed movie Snape overshadows the much more interesting and gray book version), how much I dislike his acting choices in certain moments to how much I dislike how he sees and describes the character in interviews

I've never heard of the diaries you mentioned, what did he say in them? I'm honestly also just curious if he even read any of the books because some of the things I've heard him say really make me doubt it 😭

there are dozens of us!

and i have no issue with being a #hater on the public timeline. for fun and profit.

but i'm actually going to start with two bits of rickman defending [it's giving diplomat].

the fact that the adult cast of the films was massively aged up in comparison to their book versions makes perfect sense. each individual film not only needed to be accessible for people who’d never read the books, but for people who'd never seen another film in the sequence - and so having a visual distinction between harry and james’ generations is completely necessary. we - as people who are undeniably more invested in the series than the average person - know that the great tragedy of the later books is that james and lily died so young that harry looks virtually indistinguishable from his father as he walks into the forest. but that doesn’t always work on screen…

it also doesn't bother me unduly that rickman doesn't physically resemble the canon snape. plenty of actors don't look anything like the characters they give brilliant performances of [and not only fictional characters, but real people], and it doesn't matter in the slightest - being an exact physical match for a character says nothing about an actor's ability to portray what they're like.

which is where my beef with film!snape starts...

the thing that never hits for me is that rickman plays snape - regardless of the situation he finds himself in - as emotionally repressed, cold, and controlled.

[even down to the costume - he was behind the decision to have snape be, literally, buttoned up].

i simply don't know how anyone could read the books and come away with this impression of snape without having fundamentally misunderstood the character. snape is incredibly emotionally demonstrative! he’s the male character other than harry - the literal narrative perspective - whose emotional state is described the most frequently! and his emotional state is always described in terms which make clear that he’s someone who feels very deeply and who registers his emotions clearly on his face!

rickman's version of snape bears no resemblance to this - and it means that his portrayal of two key aspects of snape's canon character always feels flat to me.

the first is snape's main negative trait - his cruelty. something is really lost in the fact that film!snape's cruelty is reduced to something arch and precise - and that it doesn't have the petty, childish, vindictive tone that it does in the books.

and the second is - of course - the experience which defines snape's canon arc - his grief. this is so inextricably bound up in the state of arrested development - still living at school! still beefing with people he knew when he was fifteen! - that the absence of snape's childish side in rickman's performance means that the way he portrays snape's grief is always going to feel half-baked.

and - specifically - rickman's emphasis on emotional repression in every aspect of snape's character undermines the fact that - in canon - snape's mingled love, grief, and guilt for lily is the only emotion he goes out of his way to repress, which allows the revelation of his feelings for lily in deathly hallows to actually feel like a mystery being solved.

snape is an interesting character precisely because he's so... feral - and rickman’s buttoned-up, suave, nowhere-near-as-gratuitously-mean-as-he-should-be take on him is the cause of many of the least complex and least compelling fanon!snapes [in particular, the snape prominent in pairings with female partners in which he’s kind, sophisticated, romantic, and definitely not really ugly].

the snapewives phenomenon was incredible, though. fair play to him for inspiring that.

when it comes to the diaries... what's complicated is reconciling two particular truths.

on the one hand, a diary is inherently a space for a person to record their private thoughts [they were published with the consent of his family, but they weren't originally written with the intention that they'd be published] - and, therefore, to record impolite, unpleasant, or unadmirable thoughts which they wouldn't express in person. rickman's diaries are incredibly whiny - and often quite unkind - but it's clear that this isn't because he was particularly whiny or unkind in person. obviously, it's a good and healthy thing that, if someone was pissing him off at a dinner party, he was cordial to them in conversation and saved that he thought they were an idiot for his private diary!

but, on the other hand, there are several threads which run through these private thoughts which made it impossible for me not to feel considerably less fond of him.

[annwrites]

i do it for you.

— pairing: otto hightower x fem!reader

— type: ficlet (part of a series)

— summary: you & otto have a brief interaction after breaking your fast, which sends you retreating to your chambers & once again further inside yourself. he comes to you that evening when you fail to do so with him, so as to try & get you to eat. instead, the two of you have an argument & an ugly truth is shared.

— tw: mentions of blood, implied depression

— word count: 2,243

— a/n: oh, they are so made for each other, i swear it. i have the vision.

— tagging list: @ohsnapitzmarvelficrec

You lean over his shoulder, squinting at the bit of parchment in his hand.

His rolls his eyes toward the ceiling. "Do you mind?"

You rest a forearm atop his shoulder, leaning in even closer. "Not particularly."

"Well, I do," he states, turning his head infinitesimally to the left, toward you, his hair brushing against the top of your arm.

"You're the one who insists on sharing all our meals together. It's been over a sennight, so you should be accustomed to my irritating presence by now."

"I had expected you to act with a modicum of respect toward me when we are in one another's company. You don't behave in such a manner anywhere else but when we are alone. If you do not—"

You point to a word you can't quite make out, interrupting him. "What's that?"

He bites back a groan of irritation. "I am beginning to regret this arrangement."

You glare at the back of his head. "I'm perfectly content to leave."

He nods to the chair across from him, on the opposite side of the desk. "Sit."

"You never answered."

He feels his patience growing shorter by the second. "Craghas. It is a name for one of the admirals of the Triarchy. Now, would you please—"

You swiftly walk around, seating yourself, crossing your legs and folding your hands overtop your knee while looking at him with a faux smile.

He shakes his head, setting the scroll aside, then grabbing a fresh sheet of parchment and a quill.

You watch silently as he begins to write. "Your room is a disaster."

He shakes his head slowly. "As you have informed me time and again."

You glance to his made bed. "Did you not sleep last night?"

He doesn't respond.

You frown.

You would never admit as much to him, but it saddens you to think of him staying up all night worrying, working, stressing about this important matter, or that one. You cannot explain why, however.

Mayhaps it is because, for over the last week, you've begun to see past the stony exterior he showcases to the rest of the Keep—the Seven Kingdoms as a whole—and have thus learned more of his true nature.

He cares. Deeply. About a great many things. He just...does not know how best to show it. He certainly does not talk about it: that which troubles him.

Men.

As if you are much different...

"If...you want to talk—"

He dips his quill. "I do not." Then, "You are distracting me."

You quickly crumple a sheet of parchment into a ball and toss it at his face.

He sets his materials down then, glaring at you. "You will either behave yourself, or I will instruct you how."

"I doubt it."

"Young Lady—" He begins, tone quite stern, a hand being rested flat upon the surface before him.

"Gods-forbid I show any amount of concern for you in return," you say, studying your hands in your lap.

He stills, merely staring at you across the way, before leaning back, resting his arms on either side of himself. "You needn't."

You roll your eyes.

He returns to his work, leaning forward. "We have broken our fast. You are free to leave, Y/N."

You glance up to him, suddenly feeling hurt.

You stand silently then, walking to the door of his room and he watches you go.

As you walk quietly back to your chambers, its with tears stinging your eyes, which only causes you to feel frustrated with yourself.

The truth is, that you are trying. Trying to forgive. Trying to...connect. Even if it is only through shared playful banter.

The harder truth is, is that you do not know how to be like the rest of the court. Like Rhaenyra, your father, Otto, Princess Rhaenys, Lady Alicent, and all the rest.

You have always felt as if you are on the outside looking in, merely pretending as if you belong. To think he mayhaps enjoyed you in his company even slightly... Stupid girl.

You had told yourself from that first night that his concern was not about you at all. Had told yourself he did not truly care. But, for the last sennight, you had allowed yourself to begin believing otherwise.

It's just that you are so...lonely. You've been desperate for so long to have someone to spend your time with, but you fear none will have you, so you instead sequester yourself away in your chambers, the library, down among the shoreline where he had found you that day.

And none seem to care that that is how you opt to spend your time. Then again, why should they, when their own is so much more valuable. When they are in general.

What're you in comparison? A bastard, base-born girl. The daughter of a dead prostitute.

Your chin wobbles.

You miss them both so much. Your birth mother, as well as Aemma.

You've never felt so adrift.

You do not rise for lunch. Instead, you sleep.

Nor do you get up for supper—sending your handmaid away when she attempts to rouse you—preferring the peace of slumber instead of the niceties of dining with a monster of a man who cares for naught else but himself.

A deep voice bellows through the darkness.

"Get up."

You pull the blankets tighter, squeezing your eyes shut.

There is a frustrated sigh. "Indolence is most unbecoming for a lady of your station."

"Get out," you whisper, refusing to so much as open your eyes.

"You have not eaten since this morn. So, you will either rise or—"

You begin to slowly sit up then, your hair in tangles, only dressed in your shift as you stare up at him from under your lashes with a loathsome glare.

"I'm not hungry. I want to sleep."

Just then, servants enter the room, placing cloches upon your dining table, as well as glasses, and a decanter of wine, before leaving just as quickly as they had come.

You look back to Otto, watching as he walks over to a cushioned seat which has a shawl draped across the back and he retrieves it.

He returns, wrapping it around your shoulders. "You may rest once you have supped. Come."

He offers you his hand and you glance to it momentarily before finally standing, padding across the room and seating yourself at the dining table, merely staring at the dishes set before you, wholly uninterested in even discovering what is beneath each lid.

Otto seats himself near you, lifting each of them, inviting scents wafting into the air, but you do not move.

"Eat," he commands gently.

"I don't want to." You are quickly tiring of being ordered about by him.

He grinds his jaw. "This pouting is quickly growing tiresome. Perhaps—"

You pick up a glass, standing then, and chuck it against a wall, watching as it shatters before you look back at Otto, who displays no reaction to your violent outburst.

He sighs wearily.

And then your chin wobbles.

"Now they'll have to pick it up," you say, shaking your head. You drop your shawl to the floor, walking over to the mess you've created and Otto stands then.

"My Lady, leave it for the servants."

You bend down.

"Y/N, you will cut your—"

"Ow," you mutter, dropping a shard of glass, blood now dripping from your hand.

He quickly comes over to you, kneeling with a groan.

You go to reach for it again, until his large hand firmly takes your own within it. "Stop this at once."

You look to him with tears shimmering in your eyes. "I caused this. I should be the one responsible for cleaning it."

He nods toward the table. "Sit. I will take care of it, then see to your wound."

You consider him for only a moment, then do as you're told.

Once the mess has been tended to, Otto pours water into a basin across the room, then carries it, along with a hand-towel, back to the table.

He takes your hand within his own, gingerly wiping blood from what turns out to be no more than a small cut on your palm.

Your eyes sting with tears. "I want you to leave."

It does not phase him. "I shall have a servant retrieve clean cloth for—"

You wrench your hand away from his. "Go!"

He sits straight then. "Once you have finished your supper." A pause. "That is our agreement."

You ball your hand into a fist, fresh blood seeping forth. "Yes, I am aware. Once we have finished dining, we can then be rid of one another. You have made that plain."

A muscle in his jaw feathers, his eyes slowly closing for only a brief moment before he looks at you again. He had hurt your feelings.

He is surprised in this. Had been even more-so that you had remained in his room—his company—well after the two of you had finished eating. It was beginning to become a habit of yours; staying at his side, even when not dining.

He'd thought, at first, that, perhaps, it had been your way of trying to get out of this arrangement. Thinking if you managed to vex him day after day, he would eventually give in and give up.

Instead, he now realizes you had done it simply to spend time with him.

It is not as if you have many others to do so with.

None at all, really.

One in the same, indeed.

He reaches forward, gently taking your hand again in his. "Forgive me, Y/N. It was not my intentions to—"

You interrupt him yet again. "I know very-well of your intentions, Ser," you say with vehemence. "I know you would rather see me dead. But, as I am the King's daughter, I must, instead, be kept alive in my cage, ready to be auctioned off to the highest bidder when I finally come to be of use. That is my value to you. To him. To—"

He flinches at the accusation—to wish for your death—a grievous implication to make. "You have misjudged me, Y/N."

"Have I?" You say, laughing without humor. "I think I see you for exactly who you are. A man must be capable of a certain degree of...of... Manipulation and...having a silver tongue to retain such a position of authority over all the Realm. I know you once tried diligently to council him against it: having me legitimized. I am shocked you did not try to persuade him to not have me claimed at all. I know you would prefer my having never been born."

You think him a monster. He supposes, though, that is the very thing he has always been to you all your life.

From the outside, at the very least.

What if he finally told you, then? Measure after measure he has taken to ensure your safety. He then thinks of further courses of action he has performed over the years to assure your solitude as well.

He had caused this: your current state of melancholy. He has himself alone to blame for it.

"I hate you," you state, trying to pull away, but his grip remains firm.

"Y/N, that is quite enough. Let me make a few things clear to you. I have never desired to see you cold and lifeless. That is the very reason I am here now. It has nothing to do with the prospect of handing you off to a lord, so he may take you to wife and be pleased with what he is given. I do it for you. You, who has—"

"You care naught for anyone but yourself."

He raises a brow, temper nearly at its limit. "Is that what you think?"

You raise your chin in defiance. "That is what I know."

He squeezes your hand painfully. "You think you know so much, do you? Tell me then, what was the reason for the change of guard outside your door so many moons ago?"

You clench your jaw for a moment. "Another spy set in place by yourself, I'm sure."

He leans in closer. "Guess. Again."

You stare at him, brows slightly furrowing.

"I had him executed. Ser Alen. He was overheard making crude comments about the same young woman he had been sworn to protect. Mercy was not even a consideration of mine when I had his tongue cut out before then taking his head."

Your eyes grow wide. What...what had he done? He'd had him murdered, simply for a few offensive words? You are surprised he had not used the opportunity to his advantage—instead paying the young man handsomely to make vile accusations against you, or even offering you to him for a wife, since he had been so clearly interested.

You open your mouth. "I—" You shut it.

He speaks again, eyes dark. "There is no measure I will not take to ensure your well-being. My Lady."

He leans back, releasing you. "Though, I suppose I was the one who needed chastened for abhorrent behavior toward yourself for all these years. Perhaps..." He looks away then, staring into the fire.

You remain silent. Heart pounding, feeling faintly nauseous. You'd never known him at all.

He sighs. "Perhaps I saw you as mine alone to torment."

[lemotmo]

Hey I found that one BT blog and this answer is even better. The question they got was basically why don't Buddie shippers remember that the original plan for Eddie was Maddie, and why don't we understand that's proof Buddie has never been the plan. They also went on a rant about the date scene from the finale. The ask also mentioned being blocked by Ryan and Oliver and threw in some Ryan/Oliver hate so just a heads up!

A. Hi anon! Okay you're correct, and I believe it was Jennifer herself (I could be wrong) that let us know the original plan was Eddie/Maddie but she lobbied hard for Chimney (go Jen!) and it means absolutely nothing. I hope that doesn't sound mean but it has no bearing whatsoever on anything at all. Nothing. Buddie doesn't have to have always been the plan to go canon. It can go that way if the natural trajectory of the story and characters lead things that way. And right now that looks like where it's going. I could be wrong, but it feels like that's what's coming. I mean Eddie and Maddie aren't even friends at this point, lol. I can't remember the last time they even had a scene together. I know both Ryan and Jennifer said they wanted more Eddie/Maddie interaction, which might mean they know they're going to have scenes together in the coming season. I hope they do, it's weird that they haven't interacted more. And none of that has anything at all to do with Tommy. I'm not at all sure what you mean by that? There is no Tommy connection running through the history of this show. That is not a thing. Yes he has history on the show but not to every character on this show. And certainly not to the degree you're trying to imply.

I have zero idea why people are choosing the finale date scene as their Tommy hill to die on. It was a terrible scene. It was wildly out of place in the context of that episode, and people should be willing to admit that. It was unequivocally and universally panned. The journalists who review and cover the show, the general audience, no one understood or liked that scene. The fact that Tim had to come out and flat out tell us it was supposed to be flirting is embarrassing. And tells you everything you need to know about how hard of a dud that scene was. We have all seen Buck flirt. And that wasn't even close. And it felt entirely out of character for Buck in every possible way. A lot of it can be pinned to K, who is a terrible writer in general, but, in my opinion, has never known how to actually write Buck. I also think Oliver wasn't trying to make it flirty, which maybe if he had tried it would have helped some but he clearly wasn't going for flirty. The episode as a whole was abysmal and that scene was no different. There is no need to pretend otherwise.

Now I'm going to lecture. I haven't seen a single Buddie shipper excuse Ryan's past comment. Not a single one, I'm sure someone somewhere has, but I haven't seen it. What I have seen is plenty of excuses offered for Lou's problematic history. What Ryan said was wrong, flat out inexcusably wrong. And guess what? He owned it. Publicly. He made a public apology and clearly worded himself. You can tell between then and now he's grown as a person. You only need to look at his relationship with Aisha to know that. We don't tear down or try to erase someone's personal growth to excuse the behavior of someone else. That's not how life works. You don't get to diminish Ryan's growth and personal journey to make you feel better about Lou's twitter history. Lou could have addressed things, and he chose not to. Actually he chose to go radio silent. Whether that turns out to be work related or not remains to be seen. I'm sorry you're upset that you've been blocked by Ryan, but if you sent him what you sent me in this ask, I can see why he blocked you. I also don't think it should be surprising that Oliver also blocked you. I don't think they're sitting around talking about Tommy fans like you're saying, but it wouldn't at all surprise me if they're sharing certain things they're being sent. They're friends. They're going to talk. They're allowed to be friends. You're not the first person who's mentioned being blocked by both of them. They are both huge mental health advocates and them blocking nasty comments should surprise no one. It is surprising, and incredibly disappointing, to kind of see how many people they appear to have had to block though. Look the bottom line is the story has already been decided. Whatever the direction is won't be altered by being assholes to the cast. And if we did have any kind of power to change things, which we don't, being openly hostile toward, and an asshole to, the main cast, would accomplish the opposite of what you want.

Imagine what this anon had to have sent to Ryan. I don't want to know. Also, imagine choosing the date scene as your favorite scene 🤣. Good on the answer though, it was I'm sure, humiliating to have to publicly explain that scene.

Wow. Thank you Nonny. :)

I have to admit, the eloquent way this person explains everything is incredible. They say all the things I've thought about, but might not have voiced so clearly in my previous posts.

So, I'm just going to leave this here for everyone to read. I encourage you all to take a look at it. It's highly interesting.

And again, please no hate on this post. I'm not posting this to mock anyone or to generate more hate.

I'm merely posting this because this is clearly written by a BT fan who has not been lead on by Lou's headcanons in his cameos. This person sees the show for what it. They see the way the story is unfolding and respectfully speaks their mind about it without any insults towards anyone else in the 911 fandom. I can appreciate that from anyone, no matter what they ship.

[ashtons-lemon-tree]

How the boys react to a reader who struggles with keeping track of all their nicknames - Hyung line

Bang Chan

'Rhino finally wrangled his cats into their crates so he'll meet up with us in 20 minutes.' You were hoping he wouldn't catch the deer in the headlights look on your face.

If it wasn't for the mention of cats, it would've taken a few seconds longer, going down the line of who Chan was referring to as 'Rhino.'

'What just happened?' Chan now is the confused one. It was a simple statement, nothing about it should've crossed any wires. And knowing him, you were aware that he wouldn't let the matter go until you fessed up.

'I might or might not know your guys' nicknames.' Chan lets out a small giggle, not to mock or belittle you but because he genuinely finds it adorable. Spends the night going through all the boy's nicknames. 'So Minho is Mino, Lino, LK...' just going down the line. In the future, if you forget, he told you to just shoot him a text.

Minho

'Y/n, Seungmin's Minnie. You've been friends with all of us for a few months now, you really haven't figured that out?' His words sound mean but there's a genuine curiosity to it. Wondering how he hadn't figured out sooner.

Happened when he heard you muttering all the '-innie' nicknames to yourself as if checking them off one by one before going 'who the fuck is Minnie?' It's even worse when he discovers that you used to have a notes app to keep track of it all. Figuring it could be worse, you've could of made a Quizlet.

'Wait, you thought I was Minnie?' You don't know why he's shocked. It wasn't entirely illogical. Minho-Minnie. But you guess it made more sense for Seungmin, seeing it was a slight elongation of the end bit. -min.

After discovering this, he refuses to call any of the boys by their government name, plus any nicknames close to said name. So no Chan for Chris. Once learning which nicknames you struggle with the most, he makes those his go-to's.

It's part of his refusal to baby you when faced with something difficult. Knowing he would absolutely hate it if the roles were reversed and you ended up babying him. Doesn't mind you being mad or annoyed at him for it.

Changbin

‘Who’s Jikseu?’ You innocently ask, having woken up to his ringtone blaring with 5 missed phone calls from someone dubbed ‘Jikseu.’ Too tired to answer it yourself, aware that it’s probably one of the boys.

‘Why didn’t he just leave a voicemail?’ He grumbled, taking the phone from you to call ‘Jikseu’ back. Not realizing he didn’t answer your question. It was still early in the morning, Changbin having just returned from a run. It’s only until after he showers and is about to give you a ‘good morning’ kiss that he recalls what you had asked.

'Jikseu is Felix.' You let out an 'ah' sound at this, entering it into your mind palace. Mentally sounding out the syllables, attempting to mimic exactly how Changbin said it. 'He says he misses hanging out with you, by the way.' Having told the sunshine boy that they'd plan an outing soon. It was well known that Binnie enjoyed that one of his closest friends and his partner got along so well.

Slowly waiting as you finally get out of bed to eat breakfast together. 'So what nicknames do you know?' Ladling some miso soup into two separate bowls.

Hyunjin

You don't give him a chance to figure it out, knocking on the open door to his bedroom as he sat behind his easel. 'I told you not to interrupt me, Jingjingie!' Jumping in surprise when he heard your voice. 'Not Jingjingie, whoever that is.' Hyunjin placed down his palette to wrap his arms around your waist.

Continuing on like usual, 'am I annoying you?' Hyunjin tended to get lost in his own world. Holed up in his room with music turned up to 100. 'No, did that thing again.' He apologetically kissed your cheek. Assuming that you had been calling for him and he had flat out ignored said calls.

Leaving the zen-full zone you had created, your curiosity getting the best of you. 'But seriously, who's Jingjingie?' Still figuring out which of his friends you meshed with. Not having interacted with any of the other boys to think of them as whiny. 'Changbin, he's been messing with me all day.'

'Aw, he wants your attention,' you cooed. Booping his nose as you did so. 'He's being a pain in my ass is what he's being.' Despite his tone, his words had no real bite to them. 'Oh c'mon it's cute.'

[coldshrugs]

@fooltofancy THANK YOU VIN!!!

ngl, i've kind of wanted to make a tutorial for this for a minute and maybe i will when the posing tools are back but !! it's not really any big secret or trick.

i start with the clavicle bones so i get the set of the shoulders right

the elbows/forearms get bent on the blue axis ONLY. real elbows do not bend in any other way and when i see gposes with elbows moved along the red or green axes, it stands out so starkly to me.

once the elbows are adjusted, then i move to the shoulder/upper arm, and that gets the most adjustment. fine tune clavicle and elbow as needed here to get the position you need.

i move hands as close to the thing they're meant to be touching as possible, adjusting on all three axes. i want the feel of weight and interaction. a little bit of clipping is fine, sometimes even welcomed!

finger placement comes only after the palm is positioned. i am meticulous about this part T^T this is where the feeling comes in. hands carry a lot of emotion and if they're not supporting the body, they are touching something or expressing a feeling. at this point i have a lot of shorthands (pun intended) that i turn to, like specific finger spacing, thumbs flat or gripping, how much to raise knuckles for a loose, relaxed look. etc etc

(also thumbs don't rotate that much irl. blue and green rotations serve you best here, very little red unless it's absolutely necessary)

after all this, it's time to TWIST. the shoulders, elbows, and wrists all have a secondary bone for twisting. tbh, if you're not bastardizing the elbow with non-blue rotations, it doesn't really need adjustment unless gear looks weird. shoulders and wrists get twists in the same directions they've been moved, until things look right. it makes a huge difference!

imo gposing in an anatomically-friendly way seems similar to an artist doing anatomy studies: you do it wrong a lot and then you get much better at doing it in a visually pleasing way. knowing how things should move and what you can cut out helps you move through posing more quickly and confidently 💗

[junnylunny]

𝐈 𝐖𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐁𝐚𝐜𝐤 ｡･:･ﾟ★｡

ꜱᴜɴɢʜᴏᴏɴ ꜰᴀɴꜰɪᴄ

─────────────────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ────────────────────

ꜱᴜᴍᴍᴀʀʏ: A sudden break up sudden shakes your world when Sunghoon breaks up with you. One night, the unexpected visits you and grasps onto what you had hoped to have happened earlier.

Word Count: 1236

─────────────────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ────────────────────

“Are you seriously just going to leave me here?” Your eyes are red and teary with the wind blowing against your wet hair. The tears streaming down your face start to blend with the raindrops falling and you can’t help but even hear your heart beating faster than it normally should.

“You told me you’d hold on,” you yell once more.

Sunghoon. The man who drove you crazy for years now was letting you go. Everyone said that opposites attract, but I guess it wasn't the same for you and Sunghoon. Anymore at least.

He didn’t even look back once. The last thing you saw was his broad shoulder still having its correct posture and confidence in what he had just said. He broke up with you. A simple saying of “I don't love you anymore.” You couldn't help but feel confused and broken. The yellow umbrella he had first gifted you on the day you guys had first met was on the floor due to the shock causing your grip to be released- the only thing that could have kept you dry on the outside at least.

After some weeks had passed, you couldn't help but feel empty. You felt as though you were missing a puzzle in your life. He broke up with you but you didn't know the reason and it frustrated you. Every rainy day was a trauma to you. You felt the need to cry each time hoping to move on and no longer cry at the old photos you guys had. But it was hard. It was difficult to just move on from who you thought was the love of your life.

Years passed and you thought you moved on. You tried to love yourself more than anything. Sunghoon is a memory now you thought. Something you didn't want to talk or open up about. You wanted to suppress every little thought of him. You thought that was the only way you'd heal. But you didn't. You would pretend to put on a smile- hoping happiness was something you'd want to feel again some day. You were still your younger self on rainy days. You'd hold onto the old presents he had gifted you and wish he'd stay as a memory.

And just like that, rain would come back in the spring each year.

= = = = =

It was midnight and the only thing that should have been knocking were the harsh drops of rain fall, but a large knock rang at the front door. You quickly got up from your bed and wiped your tears. It felt dangerous to open the door in the middle of the night, but when you opened the door, a familiar face appeared. It was Sunghoon. Your eyes widen with fear. This possibly couldn't be happening. All the years you had spent wishing he was merely a memory made you break into a million pieces within seconds.

“I missed you…” Sunghoon said with teary eyes. He was drunk. You could smell the hard liquor and stench of rain that was starting to fill up your space. The soft look and wet hair that made him look like a wet dog made you cave in even more.

“What are you doing here?” You ask in confusion.

“I don't feel so good…” Sunghoon mumbles while motioning that he's about to fall. You grab onto the side of his arms to keep him from falling.

“I said what are you doing here,” you ask sternly.

He didn't even seem to be thinking about the question. His forehead slowly fell flat onto your shoulder. “Look, I want to talk… I shouldn't have left you like that.” You don't know how to feel. You had thought about scenarios of this happening but you never concluded what to say or do. He suddenly starts moving his arms slowly moving to your waist, giving you a tight hug.

“You smell good,” he says, soothed by the smell.

Of course, you smell good. You hadn't changed the shampoo you'd been washing yourself with for years. He'd compliment your smell each time he saw you when you guys were dating.

The rain began to fall harsher, causing a form of wind to form as well.

"Come in," you say.

You drag his body to the living room couch and place him down. He still looks the same. He hasn't changed at all. He still looks like the boy you met years ago. He barely looks awake now too-the drinks he had were pushing him to fall asleep any second.

“Do you want hot chocolate?” You ask.

He doesn't answer exactly but shakes his head up and down. You head over to your kitchen to heat your milk. What were you even thinking about letting him in? How was he going to get home? But most importantly, why was he here? As you finish mixing the cocoa powder in, you notice Sunghoon curled in a fetal position in the corner of your kitchen. He seems knocked out. You leave the cup on the counter and sit next to him. The moonlight shining through the window reflects a bright light on him.

“I worked so hard to move on Sunghoon. I wish you would just stay in my memories. I don't want you playing as the victim and staying in my kitchen like this when you know you were the one that hurt me,” you finally say.

“What if I told you that I also had a hard time?” He asks, raising his head from his arms. “I didn't want to break up with you. I loved you so much. But my mom..."

“What happened to your mom?” You ask, being concerned.

“I know what I did was wrong. I’m sorry. I had to stick next to my mom. She wasn't feel well and I thought that being next to you would only hurt you” Sunghoon said, truly regretting his decision. How could you not explain something important like that, you thought.

"Please forgive me for not explaining myself sooner," Sunghoon said, his eyes glittering with sparkles in hopes of persuading you. You give a blank yet confused stare at him. You aren't sure whether to take his words and stick next to him or to move on now that you know the reason for the breakup.

"I could have stuck by your side, Hoon." you say avoiding his eyes and looking down at your toes. "If I had known, I would have been there for you. Why would I get hurt being next to you? That's silly Hoon. I would have stuck with you." You feel tears forming in your eyes.

"You're right. But that's why I'm here. I've realized how much I need you. All these years, I was just dumb and thought that was the best for you."

He directs your chin towards his face and wipes away your tears. "I'm sorry," he says.

You feel your cheeks turn red and can't help but to accept him. His sorrowful eyes that are shimmering with the moon outside pushes you to kiss him on the lips. "I missed you," you say.

"Me too," he replies.

He moves you in closer by the waist and kiss you back passionately. You feel your body finally relaxing. The wish you had hoped for him to be a memory left your mind as you fell deeper in love.

─────────────────── ���⋅☆⋅⋆ ────────────────────

ᴇɴᴅ ᴄʀᴇᴅɪᴛ: "Memories" by Conan Gray

[hinamie]

sorry if youve talked about this before, but do you have any tips relating to your coloring process? i ADOREE the way you render things and it looks soso cool and once i saw a post where you said your art typically only took a couple hours and i was in SHOCK. cuz ive been working on a yuji piece that has a similarish (not really but idk how to describe it…) coloring style and ive been working at it for. about a month now…sorry this is rambly i hope u have a good day!!!

hi!!! first of all thank you so much I'm happy you like the way I render! honestly it Is still the aspect of drawing that takes the longest for me, I've only recently started to come up with ways to streamline my process (mainly through keeping my layers/brushes limited and overall being less anal about details) . these days my average drawing does take about 2.5-4 hours I'd say, with Big Illustrations obviously being the exception

i wouldn't beat yourself up too much about taking longer to finish a drawing tho ! it took me. a While to learn how to speed up and honestly my biggest piece of advice is loosen up and let certain things look imperfect or unfinished ! and if you're like i was and want to work at getting faster then i would recommend practicing churning out sketchy/rough pieces and see what tricks and habits you can implement or adjust to save time

all that being said I realize haven't done an updated overview of my colouring/rendering process so I guess this can be that ! I'll put it under the cut because i too like to ramble and this Will get long

lineart and base colour/underpainting

my lineart is nearly Always on multiply. it helps the lines stand out less starkly against the colours and makes it so that I don't have to change the colour of as many sections of lines later on

the base colour layer is honestly completely optional, tbh i sometimes skip it so you don't Have to have one but i like it for a few reasons: - I like to keep all my colours on the same layer so if i'm going for a painterly style this serves as an underpaint layer of sorts . having this means that when i paint, whatever colour i have here will blend with all the other colours i use and help them look cohesive - even if I'm not painting, i still like to work with all my colours on the same layer and it helps me make sure I'm not missing any spots, which helps when it comes time to section individual areas off in the next steps

2. flats

lock transparency button my beloved . this makes it so that you're only able to paint on areas where there is Already colour (which is where having an underpaint layer comes in handy)

not much else to say about this step, just choosing colours rly !

3. shading

here's where the fun starts ! since i'm working all on one layer, i use the wand or lasso tool to section off whatever area I want to work on, then go in with (usually) one of the three brushes below: from left to right 1. my favourite dry brush that i use to cover large areas, it has an amazing dry paint stroke-y texture and i use it in everything. great for skin/clothes/hair/fur/organic material...she does it all 2. smaller, blendier/smoother brush that I use to soften out the rougher edges left by the first brush. I find it's really good for hair and small clothing creases 3. rough pen brush that I use to add little bits of flavour in the form of crosshatches or stray lines, usually to hint at individual hair strands! I also use it to line sometimes but I'm using it less for that recently

also, since the lineart layer is set to multiply, it's super easy to colour directly under the lines on my colour layer and use that as a way to make certain lines Darker . it's most obvious at the eyelashes and under the jaw but I do it everywhere

4. finishing touches and texture overlay

here I add another layer above the multiply/lineart layer and use it to add highlights and other details! this is also the layer i use to paint directly on top of any areas that got messy or need extra definition

my texture overlay of choice is just a rough monochrome static file that I got on the csp assets page but use whatever you'd like tbh ! set the layer mode to overlay and adjust the opacity to your liking (I also like to rasterize the layer to make it easier to work with but it's not too consequential if you skip that step since you're basically done by this point anyway)

And done ! slap a signature on that bad boy and send it <3

[britt-kageryuu]

Leo and Donnie are playing Just Dance. They are using the AR system, if only because they couldn't agree on the background. They did have to move a number of things so they didn't have another 'Tangled in Wires' or 'Knocked Over Something Self-Important' incident.

They're competing to get a higher score, but every few songs one would take a break, while the other would do a solo performance. Then they would switch off.

There was alot of fuss in the chat when Leo during one of his Solos did Umbrella, with umbrella version, IN HEELS! Proven by him walking out of frame, then returning a minute later followed by the clicking of heels on the floor, picked up by the mic.

The Donnie not wanting to be one upped! Put on the heels, and performed Umbrella with the umbrella. Only he wielded his Bo staff with the height adjusted.

They were both met with applause from the chat. Though there was a small argument about the scores, and them believing the game wasn't fair on the scoring them Solo. So they only counted them playing together.

The two decided to do some of the fun versions of the songs. Like Hips Don't Lie, in inflatable sumo costumes. Though they only had inflatable T-Rex Costumes. So the audience was treated to them dancing, and hitting eachother this the costumes tail, at some parts of the song.

They spend a long amount of time marathoning all the Lady GaGa songs. All versions back to back. They were very pretty put of breath once the last song finished.

While they took a break to recover from the marathon, Splinter entered the room, and asked if he could perform some songs. They agreed.

Then everyone even the Twins watched in amazement as Splinter performed a few of the more difficult songs, and got near perfect scores!! Splinter just nonchalantly said he's still got it. Especially after those wonderful treatments that fixed his back problems.

He left shortly after with no other explanation.

The Twins just speculate that their Dad mentioned being a pretty accomplished dancer on top of being an amazing Actor.

Once they finished their break, they attempted the harder songs they hadn't gotten to yet.

The audience collected many clips and memes from this stream. Especially after they performed a couple songs that was actually a couples dances that involved a lift or one picking up the other. And the yelling of "Don't You Dare Drop Me!!!!"

---------------

Masterpost

I just didn't feel like writing out dialogue for this one. Plus alot of said dialogue would just be banter about eachothers dancing skills, which would either fall flat or get repetitive. Maybe.

Also trying to describe them dancing would be kinda tricky, with all the very random dance moves Just Dance has you perform. So find some random Just Dance videos, and imagine the Turtles performing the moves.

[leahnardo-da-veggie]

Convenience Store Vampire, part 3

Part 1, Part 2

While I undertook the task of hauling a ghost out of its mortal shell (which was ridiculously hard, mind you), Hash held my parasol up with one hand and called someone with the other. We awkwardly shuffled into the shop, where I deposited the ghost, who was almost stable, into the storage cabinet. I thanked my lucky stars that spirits and ghosts were tiny, because he could barely lie down flat in it, despite being all of one and a half metres tall. (Or so I guessed. Another nice thing about vampirism was that it gave me the ability to estimate things with ridiculous accuracy.)

Hash hung up on her caller, and immediately began dialling another number. As she did, her features shifted and melted to become more wrinkled and concerned, taking on the form of a middle-aged woman in mom jeans and a t-shirt. (I had no idea how she shifted her clothes. One of the many mysteries of ‘shifter magic.)

“Hi?” She pitched her voice high, with a confused and anxious lilt. “I think I found a dead man? Yeah, he got rolled over or something? He's wearing an Exorcist uniform, I think? Erm, the address?” She paused, pretending to check the location. “I'm along Chesseri Lane, outside the Smiley Mart Convenience Store. What- What should I do? Oh, okay! Thank you, Officer, and may Ina bless your precious hearts.” 

She hung up and grinned at her phone, her skin rippling to return to their original features. “Guess what, Davie? 'Em coppers fell right fer it! Gods, I love watching ‘em fall fer my tricks. Ya'd think three thousand years of dealin' with my kin' would prep ‘em for dealing with us tricks'ers, but nay!” She snickered gleefully to herself.

I frowned at her, though there was no real heat in my gaze. “Hash, I just watched you speak a perfectly unaccented sentence. Why do you persist in speaking that gods-awful pidgin? You've been making me endure that thing for so long, you know,” I chided her.

She giggled some more. “Ya sound like my boyfrien'! He's always bitchin' ‘bout the accent. By the by, he's the one I called. Figured ‘cos he's a spirit, he'd mask the scent of our ghostie here, don't ya think?”

Sometimes I forgot that for all her antics, Hash was both very old and very smart. “Yeah, that should work,” I said. “But will he make it in time? The Luxatian Exorcist Corps are notoriously fast, you know.”

She pondered that thought, then laughed it away. “I told ‘im to hurry. He'll make it just fine,” she replied casually.

Right on cue, the door jingled as it opened.

An old friend of mine always said that spirits were so solemn because they were likely to be mistaken for children otherwise, and I saw it to be true. Hash's boyfriend could easily have passed for a twelve-year-old had he not been wearing a neatly pressed suit and the most dour of expressions. As I met his golden eyes, I could feel the disdain pouring off him.

“You could give most vampires a run for their money in the superiority complex department,” I said, unable to clamp down on my overly enthusiastic tongue. The spirit gave me a stern glare, but it only made me laugh. 

Taglist :)

@coffeeangelinabox, @dorky-pals, @calliecwrites, @kaylinalexanderbooks, @shukei-jiwa

@thewingedbaron, @pluppsauthor, @cowboybrunch, @wylloblr, @possiblyeldritch @ramwritblr, @urnumber1star, @fortunatetragedy, @bigwipscholar, @ratedn

@vampirelover890, @possiblylisle, @illarian-rambling, @the-ellia-west

@finicky-felix, @evilgabe29, @glitched-dawn, @rivenantiqnerd, @dragonhoardesfandoms

@drchenquill, @everythingismadeofchaos, @owldwagitoutofyou, @dimitrakies, @beloveddawn-blog

@riveriafalll, @the-golden-comet (Anyone else who wants to get added can tell me in the comments, pm me, or send me an ask about it!)