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serpentface · 8 days ago

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Are the Urswali-Dain people/the dainlands apart of Imperial Wardin?

No, Imperial Wardin is relatively small (though in-universe is pretty damn big. Most societies are small scale, singular state-entities that control this much territory are an outlier.). It is Interactive with some of the Dain-speaking populations on the other side of the Viper (and has some wholly unrealized expansionist designs against them), but no territorial control whatsoever. (Also there's been a lot of revision since they were last brought up, Urswali do not speak a Dain language family tongue).

A lot of fictional pre-modern empires are modeled after The Big Ones with massive territorial claims (or to be real, Rome specifically rather than other Big Ones like the Mongol or Incan empires) so I think that a lot of people have that in the back of their minds but like. Nah it's a relatively small space of land (my current estimate is like..... about the size of contemporary Spain?? give or take?????). The models I've referenced for designing its structure and logistics are geographically smaller states (I would consider the Aztec, Mali, and Maybe the Athenian (via Delian League) states to be decent analogues in very different ways, though none are actually like. Close analogues.).

It's composed of eight provinces all deferential to the Usoma ruling out of the Wardin province- a core alliance between two former kingdoms and a city-state (Wardin, Ephennos, Godsmouth/Odkottonos respectively) two that were fully conquered and made into provinces in state-formation (Erub and Erubinnos), and two former 'tributary' states that have fully lost their self-governance and are now provinces (Jatsait and Lobera). Each province is comprised of a core territory (usually a former kingdom or city-state) and its own tributaries (conquered/controlled non-citizen regions that retain a degree of self governance in return for economic tribute), with Lobera effectively being the biggest province via having most of the northern half of the region as a tributary. Finnerich was conquered as a tributary in a particularly aggressive manner (its self-governance was Extremely nominal and it probably would have been fully absorbed as a province if everything went nice and smooth for the Imperial Wardi side) but is completely independent at this time.

Non-Wardi ethnic groups native to the region and existing wholly within its claimed territory are the Hill Tribes, Cholemdinae, North Wardi, and Jazait. Some Wogan groups exist within its claimed territory, but most of the population is further east. 'Wardi' as a quasi-ethnic descriptor is very, very complicated, and what distinguishes someone being of Core Wardi identity and not is entirely due to the historical trajectory of assimilation, rather than actual close shared ancestry. The core 'Wardi' group is composed of 10 major tribes that self-assimilated or were assimilated into this shared identity, while the Cholemdinae, North Wardi, and Wogan groups represent descendants of other related tribes that did not assimilate (on population rather than individual levels). So like as an example- the South Wardi (mostly the former Wardinae tribe) share the Most recent common ancestry with the Cholemdinae, and less recent common ancestry with the Ephenni. On POPULATION levels, the South Wardi and Ephenni both culturally/religiously assimilated while the Cholemdinae did not, and therefore are both 'Wardi' (with some sense of subcultural identity) while the Cholemdinae are still Cholemdinae.

'Imperial Wardi' identity complicates this further, in that it is based on religious affiliation, Core cultural practices, and legal citizenship rather than ethnicity (and includes several major foreign migrant/diaspora groups). For example, the Yuroma-Wardi population is mostly a diaspora group from outside the region, but are part of the Imperial Wardi cultural sphere due to shared religious practices, cultural integration (with retained subcultural identity and practices), and citizenship, as well as a fairly long history in the region. Or alternatively, some individual people/groups of Cholemdinae, North Wardi, Wogan and/or Hill Tribes descent are Imperial Wardi as citizens and cultural-religious adherents, while not being 'Wardi'. Contemporary Wardi identity is now treated as a specific ethnic identifier, but Imperial Wardi identity is (at least ostensibly) accessible regardless of ethnic origin.

So that might clear up the full extent of the state/it's cultural sphere lol.

#This kind of went on a tangent but I think it's helpful for giving the scope of the region and who is a part of/subjected by it

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clotpolesonly · 5 months ago

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YOU'RE NOT READING INTO IT

they're absolutely going out of their way to show more of the Noelk dynamic from before Noah's death, establishing their relationship. it was kinda weird at first cuz the early flashbacks we didn't get to see that it was, ya know, NOAH. that would've ruined too much of the mystery and suspense, they couldn't actually show us anything truly identifying until after the ghost reveal, but we knew that it was someone important to Whelk. there was a real sense of nostalgia there, ya know? hazy soft lighting, laughter, casual touches. somehow this managed to be a good thing before it turned bad.

i was NOT expecting to get kicked in the fucking feelings with Noah and goddamn Barrington Whelk, but here i am, and they did this to me!! they did this to me!!!! the audacity

"you're with me" was bad enough, ok, bad enough that they gave us moments of Whelk actually being a kind and supportive friend even just for a minute, but then they turn around and hit us with Noah's "i'm with you, Barry" after Whelk loses everything and i just alkdjfhgth

the reversal, first of all, which is a picture perfect showcase of how their dynamic has a fatal flaw in it from the start, no matter how good it may have seemed for a while. it was always Whelk with the power, always Whelk as the center of the universe and Noah as an accessory to him, always Noah with Whelk and not the other way around no matter which of them is comforting the other.

and then fucking "I'LL ALWAYS BE HERE"

what excruciating foreshadowing that is!!!!!! masterclass, and also ow, cuz he is still here. both in the sense of his literal ghost haunting monmouth and Gansey (Whelk's mirror/foil), but also in the sense of his memory haunting Whelk himself, the nagging never-ending guilt of what he did to someone that he did, in fact, really care about. we got that sense in the books but for once i feel like it's actually conveyed better here, through a visual medium, and with the benefit of some more explicit glimpses into the past. we understand better why Noah has the instinct to defend Whelk despite what he did, and we get a clearer sense of just how worn down Whelk's mental state is years later (the constant whispers in the background of all his scenes were excellent sound design tbh, the sensory experience of them is soooooo much more effective than just having them mentioned once or twice on the page).

their story really is a tragedy and i FELT it this time. honestly this is one arc that the show did better than the books, i said what i said. excellent use of the new medium.

LISTEN. I know that Noah/Whelk wasn't supposed to be a ship (especially in the book, for obvious reasons) but I have to ask...If they weren't going for that in the show, why did Whelk’s and Noah's actors look at each other like that after the delivery of the "You're with me." line???

Like...come on!!!

They did a good job of making Whelk an asshole (subtly, not cartoonish villain, thankfully) in the flashbacks, but also....lowkey felt like the delivery of quite a few of his lines was intentionally genuine and affectionate . Maybe l'm reading into it too much. 😭

(But I don't think I am.)

#TRC goncharov #unreality #to be clear i'm not defending what Whelk did or absolving him of it!!#obviously he still committed a murder adlfkjgh #and he was still an abusive friend (i think it's fair to say that and i think we did see it on screen)#but it's one of those things ya know where people assume abusers are 100% evil all the time #and that makes it hard for them to understand the relationship dynamic they have with their victim esp when the victim doesn't condemn them #abusers are still people! they have positive qualities TOO!! they have redeeming (so to speak) features that make them feel #like they're worth being with (at least at first)#and murderers are humans too who have motivations and influences and things that PUSH them to commit that act at that time #we got to see that trajectory really played out here in a more fleshed out manner #we got to see and FEEL Whelk's breaking point #he truly feels like a much fuller character now #and goddamn it i DO ship Noelk and i hate myself for it just a tiny bit alkdfjgh XD

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etrosgate · 2 months ago

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i finally went through ds re:coded (i didn't actually play it bc platforming brings me to tears, i just watched a playthrough) and this game really doesn't deserve the terrible reputation it has...

it's especially a shame that ppl only have the cutscene movie cause it's actually really mechanically wacky and creative. like it's an action platformer. then suddenly it's a turnbased rpg? in the final hour it's a adv visual novel?? it's constantly throwing something new at you.

and like, yeah it doesn't have much in the way of major plot progression or lore, but i still find its story fairly interesting and charming. in some ways it feels most like a glimpse at the post-kh3 trajectory of the narrative?

anyways, it's actually something of a sora character study, through the lens of a sora that never went through the interpersonal betrayals the real sora has (primarily kh1). we see a sora that's never been told to repress his sadness, a sora that's never had donald and goofy leave him behind cause he lost the keyblade, a sora that's never had riku become so cruel to him.

and because data-sora didn't experience these things+had good support network throughout the narrative, he's like. a lot psychologically healthier. most noticeable in contrast to the real sora.

and in the final act of the game, data-sora learns how to do something the real sora still hasn't: face his own pain, and accept it.

i would not be surprised if in the future sora's arc involves actually learning how to deal with the shit he's been through and talk to his friends about it

additionally...

kingdom hearts has always had a strong throughline of how people/things being "fake" does not mean they don't matter. from replicas to nobodies and sora's memories of namine.

like data-sora isn't real, he's just a piece of programming. but he develops a real heart, and a real keyblade, through the emotional connections formed between him and data riku and the real mickey donald and goofy.

in this way, i find coded in particular to really feel metatextual, and reminiscent of the relationship you have with a narrative (though specifically video games here). like sora from kingdom hearts isn't real, but does he not inspire real emotion from us? do we not find ourselves invested in his story, even though it's fake?

i really think it's likely that the quadratum unreality stuff will continue to follow that line of thought.

kingdom hearts is just video games, but it's also real. because we love it ❤️

wtf i intended to just write a little bit but i rambled a lot... oh well, anywayyys if you haven't played ds coded, i recommend it 👍

#my post #kingdom hearts #put some RESPECT!!!! ON HER NAME!!!#don't take this too seriously im jsut rambling and neeed to go to sleep #btw did you know they do a practically 1 to 1 recreation of the kh1 hollow bastion plotline #but data riku plays the parts of riku AND kairi????#crazy decision to make... unless soriku is real. then i see the vision. in the progression of sleeping beauty parallels #that being said it's actually really sad kairi is just mentioned like once in this entire game. despite its world being created #from the journal of kh1....... sick and twisted #not even a destiny islands npc????#jiminy cricket misogyny moments

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astraystayyh · 9 months ago

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here is the essay that no one asked for because long for you is my fav hyunjin song and one of my all time favorite songs (it spoke to the yearner in me)

first the hauntingly beautiful melody 😭 as soon as i heard the whistles in the beginning i thought of the melancholic chirping of birds that feels like they’re calling out to someone who is far out of their reach, and it just sets the tone for this excruciating nostalgia throughout the song, for a time that has passed that we cannot go back to again.

at the beginning i thought this was about longing for a loved one but when hyunjin said that it’s about ‘missing your past that has lost its shine, and therefore longing for everything from back then’ the song just got more devastating for me, because (imo) this song is about longing for a past version of yourself that you lost and that you had to relinquish and that you never wished to part from, and hyunjin weaved this yearning for someone who technically doesn’t exist anymore so so well :,)

When was the last time we walked side by side

to me this could be about this kind of dichotomy that you feel within yourself when you can no longer recognize who you are and when you kind of lose sense of what you love and who you wish to be. And you no longer feel as if your past selves and your present ones are in harmony, walking side by side, but rather that your present self tries to go backwards to reach for your past self when the only possible trajectory for it is to go forward

In the faded photo, I come across a smile. Spread across a youthful face, overlapped with the seasons.

again with the longing for your past self, clinging to photos that have faded with how much time has passed and yet you still wish for the smile you had, long ago, to come once again. i relate to this so much because there was a time where i looked back to my old photos and i just missed how smiling came so easily to me back then instead of feeling like a chore. a smile that once withstood the changing seasons, but that is now a simple memory

The night’s so cold that it’s almost unreal. I wake up in another silence, and I close my eyes

hyunjin and the loneliness that only manifests at night :(( just like in cover me he manages to perfectly convey the cold and daunting feelings that come with being lonely,, also the act of waking up and closing your eyes right after, as if you wish to wake up in any reality but your own

The white flower we planted together has bloomed. I do not dare pick it. Now it withers away

OHHH this one had a little (huge) kick to it, this verse is just so poetic and so full of emotions im unwell :(( white often symbolizes purity and beginnings and its referencing to a time where your existence wasn’t tainted by anything, to the very beginnings when everything was well, back when you had enough will and happiness to care for something, to plant a flower. and now that flower has bloomed, but you do not dare to pick it because it is the last string tying you back to that time you longed for, so you leave it there, afraid that once you’d touch it then you’d soil it with everything that makes up your current self. but by doing so, the flower withers away, and i feel as if this last line plants a seed of hope, of light in a very melancholic song. that by longing for the past and forgetting the present all you do is harm the flower, harm yourself. that you shouldn’t forget your present self while reminiscing the one that faded away

So I long for you. And I long for you. And I'll long for you. So I can keep loving you. So I could be loving you. And morе.

THIS PARTTTTT!!!! this is The Part that gave me goosebumps and brought tears to my eyes,,, hyunjin’s vocals throughout the song were so mellow, so soft, so tender to hear, yet so melancholic at the same time. but this part. THIS PART. this feels like floating atop the pool on a warm summer afternoon and you are hit by this wave of nostalgia for a moment that has yet to pass, because you know that you will miss this instant right here, and that you might comeback to this exact same pool next summer, and the one after it, but things would have inadvertently changed AND IT’S SOOOO 💔💔💔 especially the part where the music quiets down and all you can hear is his voice and then THE VIOLIN PICKS UP and it feels as if he’s tugging with my heartstrings and he’s harmonizing with himself and it’s all so HEART WRENCHING in the most beautiful way, like this is the embodiment of yearning.

i got carried away but as for the lyrics this part also makes me wanna cry and weep because it’s so full of hope?? of moving forth?? instead of longing for who you were and letting it hinder you, you long for who you were and behold it as a compass to love your present self, because past or future you are you, and if you loved who you were at one point of time, if you were at peace with who you once were then you can and you will love who you are now too. and i’m so 💔💔💔 also him harmonizing with himself ties it all together like the only person you got is yourself and it reminds me of THE PAINTING 😭😭😭😭😭😭

yes this isn’t over yet. the painting. The Painting. THE PAINTING. hyunjin hugging himself, burying his face in the crook of his neck i am too sensitive for this. i am no art expert but i am always at awe of the way hyunjin plays with colors and lighting and shadows, even if you aren’t well versed in paintings you can still feel the emotions hyunjin wants to portray and it’s all so.. special to me. all his works deserve to be hung in an art exposition

also i feel like this cover painting is the continuation of the one he shared some time ago, they look very alike and the color scheme resembles one another

i just love how hyunjin writes and produces and draws the covers of his songs like 🥹 i’d never tire of saying that he is the embodiment of art

#this is just my interpretation please dont come for me i just like sharing my thoughts #i just think.. to be able to convey loneliness and longing this beautifully and in such relatable way you must have experienced it yourself #so i hope more than anything that hyunjin always knows that he is loved #so loved #and that his existence alone brightens my own :#:’)#sahar's.thoughts <3 #also wrote this while waiting for my dentist so might be very incoherent ANSJSJ

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dhyanshiva · 2 years ago

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Holy fuck yes this. All of this. All of it.

Perhaps:

To find solace in the love we do have and had once experienced maybe?

To find hope in the fact that this was a reality once experienced and yes, all things end but at least we Had That you know? Perhaps something along those lines.

Won't, can't begin to try and downplay or diminish the impact of the loss but accept it's inextractability from love itself.

To love means to lose, to lose means to love - whatever forms they may take.

Just my pov - curious to find out if I converged or diverged!

How Eat Your Young/Unreal Unearth will be different

It's not about the cowriting or the produced sounds or the different musical influences or experimental genres. Hozier wrote 3 songs in a row about death and none of them romanticized it or downplayed it, the way he's done before. He writes about death now as someone who's experienced it personally and seen it en masse (as we all did in 2020 and since). 1st album Hozier aka the Bog Man era (23 years old) - Work Song, Like Real People Do, Jackie & Wilson, In a Week - three songs that literally mention lying in a grave waiting for your love to dig you up and then a fourth song about lying down to die together.

2nd album W,B aka the Sexy Jesus / Benevolent Deity era (28 years old) - Talk promises to follow you into hell and attempt to save you. Be and Wasteland, Baby don't fear the end of the world as long as you're together. 3rd album UU aka the Protest era (33 years old):

Eat Your Young - dismay at the disposability of humans, and perhaps our extinction, in our current socioeconomic system

All Things End - death really is the end of it all

Through Me (The Flood) - grieving a personal loss

Hozier is also no longer romanticizing his lovers or the idea of being in love.

All Things End accepts that love can't last forever, it probably won't even last until death do us part. That is a painful but necessary part of life, and one can move on from it.

Swan Upon Leda honors all the people for whom sexual desire and sexual acts have been harmful and dangerous.

How does one mature from 23 to 33 without losing touch with their roots and passion?

The question for us all to solve in our own lives. When you've stopped romanticizing death or even romanticizing being in love, what's left to sing about? Andrew, I can't wait to find out.

#hozier #unreal unearth #2023 #new music #trajectory

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mariequitecontrary · 4 months ago

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2024 TF Reverse Mini Bang Memories Part 1

With the @tf-bigbang discord server closing today, I thought I'd share just a few of my favorite memories during my first community fandom event :)

Not to be dramatic, but this event changed the trajectory of my part in the transformers community for the better. It felt like I was at a 4 month long summer camp! I had so much fun talking to everyone and making so many precious, precious friends that I truly hope to stay in touch with.

So buckle in and grab some boba or your preferred drink of choice, because this is going to be long and sentimental.

A Welcoming Start

I joined at the beginning of April, due to someone reposting the Big Bang's twitter post about how writers were still welcome to join. I thought, "Only 5k word requirement over the course of a few months? Yeah sure. I can do that." Little did I know I'd actually committed to writing a fic almost 5 times that length

The vibes in the discord server started out with a bang (heh). Everyone was immediately kind and welcoming to one another. It was an immediate safe space to be excited, let loose and show our freak XD I loved how ferally affectionate we were with bringing new friends into the fold.

A sketch by @nepetacataria-art perfectly shows this I think XD

The Support and Love Shared

The sheer amount of love, comradery, and support shared with one another was astounding. Almost 200 writers and artists shared tips and tricks and offered advice and encouragement to each other! It was unreal and I learned so much. It truly encouraged me to improve in my craft and even inspired me to want to learn how to draw again!

Oh, and the RECS everyone shared!!! Everyone shared so many fics and art pieces that I am now obsessed with! I have been blessed with a LOT of quality, amazing content that I never would have seen otherwise! My tbr list grew from large to neverending haha <3

Teasing the Artists Before Match Ups

I'm ngl, I had WAY too much fun once the sketches were released to the writers and the secret-authors-corner channel was made. We all OBSESSED over all of the art and fangirled over each one! But we also talked, and talked, and talked. And dropping out of context messages into the public channels for the artists to see was too much fun!

Talking Transformers

IT WAS THE BEST THING EVEERRRRRR!!!!! WOWOWOWOWOW! I loved raving about characters and lore, both canon and fanon! Even when I wasn't a part of the conversation, just lurking and reading what people talked about whether it was AUs, comics, shows, character breakdowns, brainstorming ideas...it was all so cool and so fun. Everyone is so creative and thinking about the sheer amount of fun we all had makes me tear up.

Like, SO MANY plot bunnies were made with everyone! Myself included! Sometimes people would just say a random ass thing and then five others would hop on, riffing against each other and developing that little idea into something concrete and so so JUICY.

Two out of many MANY conversations that I personally loved were the video games x transformers ideas and talking tentacles and transformers in the nsfw channel XD

Writers Panicking, As We Do

It was all in fun, but it was very entertaining and validating to be in a space where we can all stress about our writing, our fics, and approaching deadlines.

The mods clearly enjoyed adding endless fuel to the fire and (lovingly) watched us all scream and run around in a fiery chaotic panic over every little thing.

Streaming

I didn't get to join many, but it was always so cool watching artists draw! I also had a lot of fun streaming Hades 2 with a few friends with it was first released :)

Team 0 - A King Julien Starscream Fic

It all started when Writer's Choice Period began...and the example inspired many of us writers to obsess over this...I'll let the screenshots tell you XD

A King Julien Starscream fic just WORKS and you can't tell me otherwise! @mendely's sketch REALLY sold it to me as a thing that's GOTTA happen.

Madagascar AU FTW

AND THEN THE MODS MADE IT A THING THING

@useless19's king julienscream puppet owns my soul and their little vid is possibly the finest piece of silent cinema I've ever watched in my entire life. I was ENRAPTURED.

@sxpaiscia's art KILLS ME. PUTS MY HEART IN A CHOKEHOLD. Julienscream lives in my head rent free and 50% of it is imagined with their art in mind.

The sad end to the story is...the Team 0's fic wasn't completed within the time requirements to be posted with the rest of the Mini Bang's fics :( Do we still plan on continuing and finishing it? HELL YEAH WE ARE!

To Be Continued...

Did you know that there is a limit to the amount of images you can share in one post? SMH.

Link to Part 2!

#mariequitecontrary posts #transformers #transformers big bang #tf big bang #tf big bang 2024

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lurkerwithcomputer · 3 months ago

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Yonebayashi Saiko: Sun Characters, Moon Characters, Take a Third Option.

We've seen sun characters before - In the positive, illuminating other characters, inspiring or empowering them, giving them warmth and light (for instance, Hide, or Touka, especially her TG:re self). In the negative, blinding others, or leaving a dry wasteland where others cannot grow into their own, or scorching everyone around them in anger (Arima - he even gets depicted with blinding light haloing him in some panels).

Contrast moon characters - withdrawn or introverted, only showing their potential when illuminated by a Sun, a character who fades into nothing and nobody without another character to brighten them. Their positives and negatives tend to come as more of a "package" than a Sun character, closely woven sides of the same character - the moon has a hidden "dark" side, after all, and often so do moon characters (pre-Jason Kaneki, Amon, in the inverse Tsukiyama, who cares more than he realizes - it's the tsuki in his name even). In the (mostly) positive, they reflect light into dark places and reveal secrets, hidden sides of other characters, for better or for worse. They can offer guidance when there's no Sun around to do it, but as usual, the negative is entwined with the positive here - Moon characters can be a false light, associated with illusion or delusion, manipulation, deception, leading others astray even as they illuminate, intentionally or otherwise. (Furuta, Eto, Shironeki)

But this is about Saiko. How does Saiko fit into this? Well... she doesn't. I said take a third option up there at the top, and here we are.

Saiko is a Star character. Drowned out, until other lights are absent, their potential unrealized, shining only when Moon and Sun are lost and all is dark. Giving light and warmth, but only up close, when not kept far in the background. Like a moon character, their light visible only at night. Like a sun character, offering life-giving warmth.

Saiko starts out with some of the negative qualities of a star character: distant and unwilling to involve themselves in the story they're in, or fading into the background and making themselves small or unseen. She comes into her own as the situation in TG:re gets worse - Furuta starts running the show, the Oggai unleashed, the public displays of piles of corpses and severed heads on pikes. It never quite materializes amid whatever was happening in TG:re's final stretch, but the trajectory her character was set up to take is visible in the combination of her increasing competence and leadership contrasted with her empathy for ghouls, coming to a head in the "become a terrorist" meltdown. Traces are also visible in how Saiko is one of the first characters who voices her willingness to work with ghouls in the final arc - once again a character who shines when all else seems dark.

(TG's other Star character is Hinami, who repeatedly fades into the background until suddenly giving an impressive showing in particularly desperate situations. While some of the Star character attributes seem like they could apply to Kaneki, he's too liable to leading others astray - meanwhile a Star character with their positive qualities expressed is generally a good leader, much as the stars are a sailor's trustworthy guide across dark seas.)

#tokyo ghoul #yonebayashi saiko #meta

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wishitweresummer · 2 years ago

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Sensitive (Dream x GeorgeNotFound)

Word count: 2730

Warning: This is a love story! It’s completely PG and SFW, but there is kissing. DNF babyyyy.

Strangely enough, the domino that set off the two revealing their feelings for each other was Dream discovering George was ticklish.

The feelings themselves were already known. Basically. Dream and George are two smart and accomplished men. They simply put the facts together and came to the same conclusion. There wasn’t really any wonder or question. That wasn't the problem. The problem was the trajectory of acknowledgment. The fear in change. They might have leaned into the feeling of inevitability too much. While they had an awareness of endgame, it still needed a start. But, they didn't know how. They danced around each other, too afraid to touch.

Touches were kept platonic and friendly. Luckily, Dream got to practice that with Sapnap before George moved in. So many elbow jabs into ribs. Playful shoving. It was probably a month in when it was just second nature to grab the younger in a headlock and mess with his hair until he was red faced and shouting.

Physical touch. Dream couldn't get enough. Years locked away will do that to you. That first hug with each of his best friends had him burning with love and overflowing with tears. As he got to meet each and every one of his friends he had only gotten to be close to over a screen, he crushed them to his chest with all the love in the world.

And now; George. This impossibly adorable angel of a man. Eyes like two little voids that lock on relentlessly to Dream’s and take him apart without even trying. Pretty lips that stretch into mischievous grins and precious little pouts that give Dream a run for his money every time. Cheeks that bloom with dark embarrassment at just the barest of teasing. So addictive to pull reactions from. A sharp tongue and endless charm. George was unreal. Perfect, in Dream’s eyes.

It was hard for Dream to pick his favorite thing about George, but gun to his head? His laugh. George had many and Dream loved every single one. The mean one that shook out of him when he was tearing into his friends with roasts and jabs. The pleased giggles when he gets away with something no one else would have. Those high pitched shrieks of laughter and fear that tear out of him when he's running from his friends in video games. Those uncontrollable cackles when something is just too funny for him to handle.

Dream discovered a new one and he just couldn't get enough.

When Sapnap was being too much of a brat for Dream’s patience levels, but still too lovable to actually make him mad, he had found the perfect way to deal with him months ago.

"I'm sorry! Dream I'm sorry!", he would plead through raspy laughter. The apologies always so quick to come when the Tickle Monster came out to play. Play fights brought teasing pokes and grabs. Startling squeaks out of each other was fun. Tickling came easy into Dream and Sapnap’s causal interactions.

It was really only a matter of time before the other two learned how much of a weakness it was for George.

The very first time had basically been an accident. Kind of. Dream meant to squeeze George’s side and tug him in close while they were cuddling on the couch watching a movie. It was playful. At most, he expected a little puff of air and some cute blushing. Instead, the squeal that startled out of the boy made the other two jump. Well, he succeeded at making him blush, that’s for sure.

George met Dream’s amused smirk with the meanest glare he could, whole face burning and only getting worse by the second.

"What happened over there?", Sapnap asked from the loveseat.

"Yeah, what happened there?", Dream pressed. George could only sputter dumbly.

Then, Dream crossed that threshold. Before then, there was an air of politeness he had held for touches shared between him and George. A purposeful amount of platonic awareness for the closeness and length of every touch and hold.

Dream threw it all out the window as he dragged the squirming boy into his lap, held him close, and tickled his sides until he let out that insane screech he loved so much. George was hysterical in seconds.

"Georgie, you're so ticklish!". The boy grabbed at Dream’s hands and flipped around in complete and utter ticklish agony. His desperate cackling nearly deafened Dream.

"Holy shit!", Sapnap added from across the room.

The ticklish attack only lasted about thirty seconds, but when the mean fingers relented against George’s sides he was panting and had tears in his eyes.

"Don't do that...", he said weakly. He tore his gaze away from Dream’s over and over again as the younger tried to meet it. "Yes yes I get it, I'm really ticklish whatever oh my god shut up you're so annoying.", he huffed and scrambled from the other’s lap. Dream practically buzzed with interest. Every single second of George’s reaction left Dream crawling with desire for more. That familiar addiction. George had a way of being exactly what Dream craved. "Shut. Up.", he gritted out. George was flushed under Dream and Sapnap’s amused gazes.

"No one even said anything!", Sapnap laughed.

And just like that, things were different.

Touches were easier. As they all cooked breakfast together in the morning, well George and Sapnap floated around the kitchen while Dream made them breakfast, it was easy to bump elbows and laugh. Sapnap splashed George with sink water while cleaning up dishes and he cowered behind Dream, only to get his ribs jabbed. The squeal he let out made the other two flinch.

"You're like, so sensitive.", Sapnap informed him with a smirk. George glared back at him with newly pinkened cheeks and rubbed at the spot Dream had poked.

Things were casual like that for awhile. Just a small new addition to the routine of teasing the boys had. George had even found himself brave enough to get his own licks in. Grabbing and poking at unsuspecting sides and tummies when they dared to get too close.

The first time George and Sapnap tested their strength against each other had George pressed down to the floor, absolutely screeching with apologies and regret.

After a few weeks, the two had worked out the full extent of George’s sensitivity. The sharp-tongue Brit could be reduced to a blubbering mess by either of them in under a minute. After years of dealing with George’s stubbornness through screens, it was incredibly endearing how some simple touches could get seemingly anything out of him.

"I'm going to make you say you love me.", Dream threatened. George whined through his hysterical giggling as they increased in speed and pitch as he fought the hands teasingly playing at his hip bones.

"Don't! Ah fuck!!", he cried. A scream tore from him as Dream leaned over him with a smirk, his hands having found their way onto trembling thighs. Those lovely frantic cackles filled the room.

This was the same man who would mercilessly tear him apart in front of thousands? Killing his friends in games with no hint of guilt? Dream had once watched him pick out every single one of Sapnap’s insecurities without a thought to his feelings until the younger actually smacked the shit out of him. Who was this? It was incredible how different he seemed like this. The way he squirmed and squealed with no hope of escape once he fell weak to any ticklish touch. So impossibly adorable. Dream was finding himself becoming obsessed.

With Sapnap and Dream, there were different levels of reactions. A soft touch could get them jumpy and giggly. The tickles that were meant for a playful attention grab or to ease out a smile when another thought it was needed. George was different. The two couldn't find a way of tickling him that didn't throw him into hysterics instantly. It's exactly why the act of tickling him had become a bit of an addiction. Especially to Dream.

Dream found himself testing his sensitivity to a lighter touch one day on top of the couch that he had first learned about the older’s weakness. The TV kept on with some long-forgotten show as George fell into pieces under Dream’s curious hands.

"Seriously? I'm barely touching you.". The smaller boy squirmed wildly as crazed giggles bubbled out of him. His wrists were locked together above his head to the couch with just one of Dream’s hands.

"Please!!!", he squeaked out. All he was doing was trailing his fingertips around underneath his shirt. Every graze against the jumpy stomach had him shaking with helpless giggles. Loud squeals broke through when the light touch teased at his hypersensitive sides. A cute flush grew on his cheeks the longer he struggled.

As Dream’s torturously gentle touch explored George’s body, the air became lighter with all the pretty giggling. A dangerous vibe.

Dream found another threshold to cross. A startled shriek sliced through the room when a quick raspberry was pressed into the pale flesh that had been exposed through a ridden-up shirt.

"Nononono.", the begging fell from George’s lips quickly when playful green eyes met his with a curious head tilt. The hands trapped up above his head were quickly brought down and pressed down to the couch cushion by his sides and Dream started to nudge the shirt up further with his nose. George shrieked in fear. Hysterical giggling wracked his body with anticipation. "No Dream please don't!!!".

A loud scream flew from the squirmy boy’s lips before he fell back into wailing laughter. Soon, there were playful nibbles across his tummy and unpredictable raspberries to his sides. George was a goner.

Dream studied how George couldn't handle any playful touches. He only got bolder as the weeks went on.

When George stood with his head tilted back staring at the pantry of snacks for a minute straight, Dream couldn't resist a gentle bite near the back of his neck. George nearly collapsed after letting out a startled cry.

When he learned the McDonald's had run out of George’s favorite cookies in the drive-thru, Dream attempted to comfort the other with a firm squeeze of his thigh. Of course, George only thrashed in place with a squeal loud enough to startle Dream and the worker at the other side of the box.

Even just the barest resemblance of the threat of tickling always sent him into ticklish paranoia. George and Sapnap were curled up on the floor playing round after round of chess one day when suddenly Sapnap was over it. The younger flopped dramatically down onto the floor, innocently. The quick movement towards George sent him into a giggly panic; squeezing his eyes shut and wrapping his arms around himself in protection. Dream watched in amusement as Sapnap popped up in confusion at the other’s reaction, just to quickly twist him down to the floor and tickle him exactly how he feared.

The first time they used the pool together was delayed with Dream and George’s antics. The older had asked the other to apply his sunscreen, just to melt into a giggling puddle from the cold lotion.

"It doesn't tickle!!", he cried through his high-pitched giggles. Sapnap and Dream could only smile in confused amusement as the frantic squirming consumed the boy anyway.

It fell easily into their routine. This was just a part of their near-daily interactions for the three best friends. Friends.

Feelings between Dream and George had always been there and not really any kind of secret, but the actual relationship had not changed from anything more than best friends. Until one fateful night in early May while Sapnap was away filming something for NRG.

Dream had the next season of the series him and George were watching all booted up in the living room. He was just waiting for George to finish up whatever he was doing in his room.

The younger had no qualms about whining like a puppy behind the older. He complained and kicked the back of his computer chair until he was sure that George was just fucking with him at this point.

"You have about thirty seconds before I go ahead and bring you to the couch myself.". The other scoffed at the threat.

"You're an idiot.". Dream’s mouth dropped open before the timer in his mind could go off.

"That's it!", he huffed before scooping George up and throwing him over his shoulder like he weighed nothing. The lack of fight before being bent over it led Dream to believe this was exactly what the smaller was hoping for. George shrieked and pounded against his back as he headed towards the living room. Dream only chuckled at the tiny ineffective fists. He tossed the squirmy body to the couch and plopped down.

Now, none of this was all that out of the ordinary for them so far. Everything flipped into a new realm when George scrambled over to Dream and took residency in his lap, giggling breathlessly. Dream froze and his eyes went wide as George got comfy facing him with his thighs on either side of his lap. Before he could react, small hands attacked his rib cage and a bark of laughter flew from his lips.

"George!".

Soon, the two were laughing as they tickled each other, but neither moved to leave the new position. It was like their bodies were built to slip into a position like this together. George the perfect comfortable weight on top of Dream’s lap. Sides and thighs so easy on each other to squeeze. Hyperticklish George fell into an easy defeat in no time, though. His hands tugged on Dream’s wrists and he pressed his forehead to his shoulder with a whimper.

"I can't take it...", he murmured weakly. But, that pale slender neck was far too tempting. Dream grabbed a hold of the perfect waist perched on top of him and dug his teeth into sensitive flesh. The nibbles forced George to crumple against him with squeaky giggles. The boy squirmed in his lap, but not off. He stayed put. He clung to the younger man desperately.

The reactions were impossibly intoxicating. Dream let his playful nibbles travel up his neck and tease across his jaw. George only flinched and jerked around as the pretty giggles flew free with two fistfuls of the front of Dream’s shirt.

Dream heard how breathless the giggles were getting and slowed down. Soon, he bumped his nose against George’s.

"Are you okay?", he whispered. They were close. They had never been this close before. George dropped his head down with a whine and it forced Dream’s lips against his forehead without meaning to. An accidental forehead kiss.

Another threshold. Dream really couldn't get enough this time. Large hands grabbed George shoulders and Dream peppered his blushing face with more little kisses. George could only blush harder as he fought the smile from the affection.

"Dream...", he said softly, meaninglessly. Meaning-everything-ly. A confession. A plead. A question.

"George.", just as soft.

Who made the first move? Who knows.

Lips that were always destined.

A future revealing itself. Fate complete. A forever, found. Inevitable together.

Slow nervous lips slid together. Gentle giggles falling between them easily as any hesitation melted away. Strong hands around a narrow waist tugged the bodies impossibly closer. George squeaked in surprise and Dream was all too happy to invade deeper. New addicting noises earned with every bold movement. Playful hands even teased at sensitive sides to bring more squirming to the loving kiss.

Dream’s lips traveled back down to that tempting neck again. George clung to his shirt as he tried as hard as he could to let the younger explore as he pleased. Soft cries from the overwhelming sensitivity filled the air around them.

"I love you.", George whimpered. Dream froze at the words he had tried to pry from the boy for years. He pulled back to try and meet his gaze.

"Yeah? You do? What was that?", he asked with a goofy grin. George looked away fast.

"Nothing.".

"Say it again!!", he demanded, playfully. Happier than ever.

More squeals of laughter erupted from George as Dream chased getting to hear those lovely words again. And again and again…

#lee!georgenotfound #the plot is that Gogy is the most ticklish person on the planet #mcyt tickle #ler!dream #georgenotfound tickle #dnf tickle #dnf fluff #dnf kiss #tickle #dnf #summers ficlet

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