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champagnetommy · 5 months ago

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hold me, console me

Two months after the break-up, Buck gets an interesting call in the middle of the night. 1.4k words, fix-it, fluff and humor, on ao3

Buck had just face-planted onto his bed, after a long, long day of hectic calls, followed by non-stop baking, when his phone rings. He doesn’t move an inch at first, considering letting it go to voicemail, but he turns his head to the digital clock on his nightstand-Tommy’s - and registers it’s 1 a.m. He figures it could be important.

Through bleary eyes, he glances briefly at his phone screen, it’s an unknown number. Huh. He slides his finger over to answer and mumbles a tired, “Hello?”

“Evan.” He’d know that voice anywhere. It’d been haunting his dreams and every waking thought since—

“—Tommy?”

Tommy chuckles nervously on the other side of the phone. It’s staticky and echo-y; Buck wonders where he is. “Uh, yeah, it’s me. I’m so sorry to do this, the only phone numbers I have memorized are yours and my captain’s and I do not want to call him for this. Oh god.”

“Are you okay?” Buck can’t help but ask. If he’s in trouble, he needs to get to him as soon as possible.

Tommy sighs, exhaling heavily, before answering. “Erm. I- I need you to come bail me out. Please.”

That’s the last thing Buck was expecting. He must have been quiet for too long, because, then, Tommy’s in his ear again.

“Evan?”

“ Yeah, sorry, I’m here. How, why are you…” He’s not quite sure where to start, really.

“I’ll explain later? I don’t have a lot of time to talk at the moment,” he says drily. “Again, I’m so sorry to inconvenience you, I- I don’t want to be a bother. But, I’d appreciate it, if you could help me tonight. I know I don’t deserve it—”

“— You’re not an inconvenience, Tommy,” Buck says quietly.

Tommy clears his throat, clearly uncomfortable. Good, a small part of Buck thinks.

“Which precinct?”

***

An hour later, Buck pulls up to the precinct Tommy instructed him. He’s definitely awake now, and burning with so many questions, and he’s unsure wether he’ll get the answers to any of them. As he walks in, he’s relieved and thankful it’s not Athena’s station. He thinks Tommy probably is, too.

He makes his way to the appropriate desk and greets the officer with his most charming- not too much- smile. “Good night- er morning?”

The officer, Cortez, her badge says, doesn’t look very impressed, but then again, it could just be the fact she’s on night shift.

“I’m here for Tommy- Thomas Kinard. I believe he was brought in earlier tonight.”

It’s like a switch is flipped, because Officer Cortez actually cracks a smile and her eyes widen in realization. “Huh, so you’re Evan.” It’s not a question. “Your guy’s a real charmer, you know?”

Not my guy, not anymore, he thinks. He doesn’t say it, though. “Uh, yeah,” he chuckles, instead. “Sounds about right. Do I need to post bail? I’m not really sure how that works.”

“Oh, no you’re fine,” Officer Cortez shakes her head. “The guy he punched didn’t press charges, and he really doesn’t have a leg to stand on, seeing as he was brought in, too. And there were witnesses that vouched for your guy. We just needed someone to come pick him up.”

Tommy punched someone?

“Right,” Buck swallows, trying not to betray the fact this is all new information for him.

Officer Cortez gives him a kind smile and then turns to type and click on her computer for a couple minutes. Buck rocks on the balls of his feet, feeling jittery and like his skin itches, as he waits.

“Ok, he’s all set,” she says a minute later. “Let me go get him, I’ll be right back.”

A few minutes later, Tommy’s walking over to him, the officer right behind him. He looks tired and a little sheepish, but otherwise uninjured, thankfully.

“Hi.” He says meekly, ducking his head and raises a hand to rub the back of his neck.

Buck thought he’d be angry the first time he saw him, after the breakup, but instead he feels a knot loosen in his chest. “Hi yourself.”

“Thanks for coming.”

“Of course.”

Officer Cortez looks between them, amusement etched on her face “Alright you two, this has been fun and the highlight of my night, but out you go.”

“She won’t run away with me, can you believe that?” Tommy mock-whispers conspiringly, like everything’s normal, like it’s just another day and they’re not standing in the middle of a police precinct because he punched someone.

“In your dreams, Kinard! Now leave, before I change my mind.”

“Yes ma’am,” he salutes with two fingers and motions for Buck to follow him out.

“And talk to your Evan!” She calls to their retreating forms.

Tommy groans in embarrassment.

Once they walk out of the main doors, into the night air, Buck stops and rounds on him. “So. You punched someone.”

Tommy freezes for a second and then nods. “I did.”

“Why?”

“Can we not—”

“— No. You called me in the middle of the night to come bail you out, so we are doing this now, actually.”

Tommy’s shoulders stiffen and then relax, slumping as he inhales and exhales deeply. “You’re right, I’m sorry.”

“So you’ve said.”

Tommy clears his throat. “Right, okay, well. I was at a bar, I was— doesn’t matter, but when I was leaving, I saw this asshole harassing a couple, two men. They were just having a night out a- and this jackass was hurling slur after slur, cornering them in.” He takes another deep breath. Buck notices his hands shake a little.

“Anyway, I stepped in, told him to leave them alone and go on his way. Next thing I know, he swings at me, misses of course. I, uh, swung back and lightly decked him. He was drunk, tripping over his feet and honestly, sent himself to the ground.”

And Buck believes him, knows him, despite everything. “And you got arrested?”

“Yeah, we both did. There was an officer nearby, but the couple and some other bystanders explained what happened. He said he still had to take me in and here I am- or was, I suppose. Not my proudest moment.” He stares at he ground, as if afraid Buck would be angry or disappointed in him.

“Tommy,” he says softly, “hey look at me.” He dares to reach out and gently tips Tommy’s chin up with two fingers.

Tommy eyes him wearily, vulnerability and trepidation achingly evident across his ever-beautiful visage.

“You punched a homophobe,” Buck iterates.

Tommy’s expression morphs into confusion. “Yeah? That’s what I—"

Between one moment and the next, Buck leans in and cuts him off with the press of his lips. It’s as chaste and brief as their first kiss, and it’s absolutely everything. He disconnects their lips, but only moves back far enough to rest their foreheads together.

“God you’re so— I missed you,” Buck mumbles into the scant space between them. “So much.”

“Evan, sweetheart, I missed you too. You don’t know how sorry I am, for leaving, for everything—mmph!— Buck kisses him quiet again.

“Come home with me.”

“I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”

“Just to sleep. I think it’s been a long day for both us. We can talk and argue and yell tomorrow. I-I just want to sleep next to you again, hold you.”

Tommy smiles at him, much like the way he smiled at him after accepting his invite to Maddie’s wedding, all soft and awe-struck.

“Okay.”

“Yeah?”

“Mhm.” This time, Tommy’s the one bringing him in for a kiss.

All too soon, their bubble is interrupted by the intercom mounted near the precinct doors. “Gentlemen, as heartwarming as this is,” Officer Cortez says firmly, but not unkindly. “I suggest you move along, lest this turns into public indecency and then I’ll have to bring you both in.”

Their faces turn red, as they mumble quick sorry’s in unison. Tommy pulls Buck by the hand, down the stairs and toward the parking lot. The knot in his chest loosens further.

“And congratulations!” Officer Cortez shouts happily, voice carrying into the nearly empty lot.

Everything’s not magically fixed. They still have difficult conversations to face, fears to work through together and separately, but Tommy’s hand is warm and sure in his and he’ll sleep curled up next to him again, for the first time in months. And Buck’s ready to fight for them, to make it.

It’s a start.

#bucktommy #fix-it #fluff and humor #my fic #cia writes #dailykinley #the writing bug finally struck again!

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misspelledwordswizard · 7 months ago

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Can I request a Time content?

The Chaín except Time asking Reader his type or things she likes of a man. She mention some qualities but she specify "Older Man".

Time all blushing because he is in love with reader and Reader likes him too.

Time Content, yeay! I loved writing this asdfkqaj I hope you like it! <3

I like older men

— Oh, come on, you have to have a type! – Warriors exclaimed, referring to me. He’s been pestering me for a few minutes to tell me what type of man I’m attracted to.

— I don’t think I have an exact type. – I kept giving the same answer. My taste can be quite flexible, I’d say.

We were all around the campfire, talking, sharing stories, after the meal. The conversation was going smoothly until they got to the subject of relationships, which Sky dominated, by the way. The Captain has some experience in short-term relationships, so to speak, some of the others seem to have traumas, while the rest simply have never had anything with anyone until now, totally fair.

But, apparently, my romantic life became the central point of the entire conversation after I said I was single, and had never been seriously involved with anyone before. From what I understand, this information is somewhat shocking to them.

— But not even some things you find attractive in men? – Wild suggested, he wasn’t helping me either.

Unconsciously, my thoughts took me to the leader of the group, who was the only one who wasn’t bothering me with the subject. I can’t tell if it was because he was not interested in the subject or simply out of respect for my dignity.

He didn’t even seem to be paying attention, to tell the truth. Leaning so calmly against a tree, with both eyes closed, I couldn’t even tell if he was awake. Avoiding looking at him and ending up generating comments among the heroes, I sighed and accepted my fate. Okay, I just need to wind them up.

— Hm, let me think. – I said, raising expectations in the boys around me. – I guess we can say I like tall men. – Out of the corner of my eye, I had the impression of seeing Four wilt in his place, did he feel offended? – And strong ones too, something more natural... – I could feel my cheeks blushing. I wouldn’t mind talking about it at a sleepover with my friends, but with the men I’ve been living with for the past few months? What a nightmare.

They remained silent, indicating that they expected more. Damn, damn gossips.

— Well, I find light eyes attractive, I would say. And tattoos... Oh, and men who wear black, especially those tight, high-necked shirts. – Okay, I think I’m going too far. My cheeks looked like bell peppers. Oh, right, there’s one last very important one. – And, mainly, older men.

I concluded, unable to bear all this pressure of stares while I talk about something so personal. I closed my eyes, expecting their provocative comments or something like that, but I was surprised to notice the silence that followed. Was that really that shocking?

I opened my eyes to see their reactions, and, to my surprise, they weren’t looking at me. All eight boys looked with shock, surprise or curiosity in Time’s direction. Confused, I turned to look at him too, and, after some time processing the information, I understood the reason for their exaggerated reactions, feeling my face even hotter than before. Time kept his eyes closed. His face, so relaxed before, was now tense, his lips pressed together in a line and his good eye closed a little tighter. What was surprising, in fact, was how rosy his cheeks were.

In all my life, or rather, since I met him, I never thought I would see the hero of time blush. Because of me. Damn, am I not going crazy?  Well, I am definitely to blame for this, without realizing it, I ended up almost describing him in this silly joke.

Oh man, I want to bury my face in a hole, I couldn’t have made it more obvious! Great, now I will have to deal with the provocations of this bunch of idiots. I looked away, no longer having the courage to look at him, and just accepted my cruel fate.

— Look... – Warriors began, and I was already mentally preparing myself for the humiliation that was to come. – ... it seems that we have finally discovered the Old Man’s type as well.

I turned my head abruptly to look at him, in time to see his eye widen and his mouth open in surprise and indignation, but nothing came out of his mouth. With his face even redder, he sighed and stood up, leaving the group in search of a moment of peace.

These brats are still going to kill Time with these provocations, and in addition, they are going to kill me too.

#link x reader #linked universe x reader #linked universe #tloz #linked universe fanfic #lu x reader #legend of zelda #x reader #lu time x reader #lu time

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idkanymoreokay · 10 months ago

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I have so many thoughts on the friendship between Flynn and Cassandra, I could write a million essays on it. But something that has really jumped out to me during my current rewatch is the way these two just easily understand each other without even trying.

They talk without having to verbally communicate most of what they're saying. They don't even seem to be aware of the fact everyone else in the room is looking at them in confusion because they can't hear the unspoken parts of the conversation.

They bounce ideas off each other so easily, instantly pick up on each other's trains of thought, and practically finish the other's sentences or ideas.

These two neurodivergent geeks, who never had anyone in their life truly grasp what goes on inside their head, suddenly found someone who knows and it's like they instantly latched onto that connection.

Cassandra also has her very close friendship with the other LITs, and Flynn has his relationship with Eve, but it's their friendship with each other that lets them both explore and indulge the parts of themself that other people just don't understand.

Cassandra is definitely the one out of the LITs that is most like Flynn, both in her skills as a Librarian and also in her personality and how her lightning speed thoughts tend to get translated into her words and interactions with others. (Which is a whole other topic I'd love to dive into another day.) But, yeah, it makes so much sense why they have no trouble at all understanding each other.

(Edit: Nope, that was supposed to be the end of the post but I have too many thoughts that need to be shouted into the void. Their friendship is very important to me. So...)

Jumping back to the very beginning - During the first two episodes, Flynn is perpetually annoyed by Ezekiel and just kinda ignores Stone. But Cassandra… He's absolutely fascinated by her from the moment they first meet. He takes a minute out of their incredibly urgent life-and-death mission to discuss her being a synesthete and geek out a little over the fact she has an eidetic memory like him. And Cassandra's immediate reaction of "Yes, wow" is like she can't believe someone is capable of immediately understanding what's going on inside her head and is 100% okay with that and not at all bothered by her being "different".

And then they get to Stonehenge:

And I think this is the moment Flynn really starts to appreciate how brilliant Cassandra is, and how very much like him she is. Flynn is a fairly competitive person with a genius brain like no other, but he doesn't get upset or offended when she takes over the calculations, and even carries them out faster than he could have. If anything, he looks genuinely impressed. He instantly understands what information she needs and readily gives it to her so they can continue solving the puzzle. They immediately settle into this easy back and forth, this rapid exchange of information and clues as they work at putting together the pieces. He's able to talk to her in a way he can't talk to anyone else. It's probably been a long time (if ever) since he's interacted with someone who can keep up with him.

Even after Cassandra has betrayed Flynn -- causing him to lose his home, the only family he had left, his best friend, and potentially his life -- he instantly accepts her back on the team and even sticks up for her when the others object. At this point, she hasn't apologized, shown any indication of remorse, or had a chance to make amends. And it doesn't matter to him. "She had her reasons" - and that's enough for him. He lets her out of the cell and immediately wants to hear her plan for stopping the Brotherhood.

And I think this is the moment when Cassandra -- similar to Flynn's realization at Stonehenge -- suddenly realizes that someone else can grasp her thought process. That someone understands the way her brain works. That someone is capable of following her trains of thought and not getting lost in the ordered chaos of her mind.

Just look at her smile!! She is trying to get across what she wants to say, and she's so used to having to break things down for others and still not being understood, and here's someone who instantly picks up what she's trying to convey. Look how utterly happy and excited she is when he gets it.

I love how much they appreciate each other's genius. I love how they can communicate on a different level. I love how much they genuinely care about each other.

And I absolutely love that it's through Flynn that Cassandra manages to have her moment for redemption, because he's already clearly demonstrated that he's the one member of the group she doesn't have to prove herself to.

I just... 😭😭😭

I love that Flynn has zero people skills and a very weak grasp on the concept of friendship and yet he meets this brilliant, weird, amazing young person and pretty much instantly connects with her. Because, like her, he also spent most of his life invisible and now someone actually understands him and is already so important to him, even if it's a while yet before he'll really fully understand the concept of friendship.

I love that Cassandra has spent most of her life feeling unseen and never truly accepted by the people around her. And then she meets someone who immediately sees her and understands how her mind works and appreciates and trusts her, and who introduces her to this life of mystery and magic where she can use her talents to save the world… and she already knows that he's important to her even if she doesn't realize just how much her life is going to change because of him.

There's SO MUCH more I could say about their friendship, but I should probably channel some of it into an actual blog post at some point. For now, here's some cute moments I grabbed while getting the screenshots for this post:

#i know this fandom is dead but i had thoughts that needed to be shouted into the void #these two are very special to me #and i just love their friendship so much #flynn carsen #cassandra cillian #meta stuff #character analysis #long post #the librarians #thoughts for the void

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rewriterory · 7 months ago

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Aventurine Is BPD Coded- Some Thoughts

Ahhh welcome back everybody to another installment of 'Rory writes a ridiculously long essay nobody asked for to shine light on characters who exhibit symptoms of borderline personality disorder so that we can learn to recognize symptoms portrayed in media that aren't just 'crazy manipulative abusive ex' and start to treat the disorder with a shred of compassion' !!

A good chunk of you follow me because of my essay I wrote on Reo Mikage from Blue Lock, my beautiful borderline princess, and I am PLEASED to announce that my essay is now the first result when you search 'Reo Mikage BPD' on Google, AND he has since been added to the BPD character database !! Saving the world one baddie at a time, no need to thank me B)

Today, I want to write something out that I've been dying to share. I think Aventurine can be read as a BPD coded character, and I think he would be able to cop a diagnosis should he go see a therapist (which we all know he CLEARLY has not done). I've been puttering around posting this because I've been spending so long on a full, all encompassing analysis of this sick blonde man, but I want to take a quick break and kick my feet over BPD Aventurine, so I invite you to come kick your feet with me!

Some context before I start:

1.) Borderline representation is extremely important to me. I've got the BPD / CPTSD combo meal, so I'm having TWICE the fun !! But seriously though, it's not easy being viewed as crazy and 'bad' all the time. Trauma disorders are rough enough as it is just to live with / overcome, but it's worse when there are books, forums, blogs, shows, ect. dedicated to hating you and talking about how evil you are. So, I get really excited when I spy BPD-coded characters (especially if they're likable people and not just ghoulish irredeemable villains or manic pixie dream girl characters). Fans, characters, and even Aventurine himself refer to him as 'crazy' 'insane' 'unstable' which only further rang my BPD bells because he's not crazy; he's just traumatized!

2.) I’m not a psych, so I obviously can’t diagnose real people, and don’t use any of this to diagnose yourself (I don't need the scandal!) I do, however, have a masters degree in English and structured the basis of my education and published my thesis on mental health, cluster B personality disorders specifically, so I read and research a LOT. I’m confident enough in my knowledge to diagnose anime characters (lol).

3.) If you're somebody who has a weird hangup about borderlines, feel free to either not read this, or do read it and soak up some useful information! Regardless, I know Aventurine fans can have some really wild takes (/neg) , so believe what you want at the end of the day! This is just my interpretation of what's festering in that sad brain of his. You can disagree all you want to, but what we're not going to do is spread hateful stereotypes or perpetuate negative stigmas about BPD! That's cornball behavior and I will call you out for it ^-^

CW for discussion of death, suicide, self injury, and identity disturbances

Anyways, if you ask me, Aventurine is BPD coded and I'd like to explain why <3 So, buckle up! This will be another long one.

First, let me define BPD: it's a personality disorder characterized by a long-standing pattern of instability in mood, interpersonal relationships, and self-image. Though it's coined as a 'personality disorder', I urge you to look at it as a trauma disorder. People most often develop it when they are repeatedly traumatized during their formative years. It actually overlaps a TON with complex post traumatic stress disorder, which is why a lot of us baddies end up with both! (On that note, you could definitely view Aventurine as CPTSD-coded as well! I'm a stinky kinnie so I'll just say he's both <3) I won't preach too much on why it's so necessary to treat borderline as a traumatic stress disorder (since hopefully I'll be focusing my own personal academic research on that and I could yap for HOURS about it lol).

But when we look at BPD properly, it's evident that the basis of this disorder is that these people didn't have the opportunity to learn and foster proper emotional reactions. Because of the recurring traumatic events, sections of borderline's brains are underdeveloped as a result. They have a smaller amygdala and they have reduced volume in the prefrontal cortex, as well as other differences in brain development. I've heard it described as 'you were forced to learn some behaviors that helped you survive at one point in your life (for example, maybe fervent efforts to avoid abandonment, unstable emotional reactions, self harming tendencies, lying, mirroring, etc.,) but now you need to unlearn them, because they’re no longer helping you.' They're trauma responses.

Aventurine shows us a perfect example of the kind of shit that would make someone develop BPD: dude grew up in extreme poverty, was constantly told he was special and he was supposed to bring good luck, watched his entire family and race die in front of him when he was literally still just a kid, was kidnapped and sold into slavery, was forced to murder roughly 34 people while everybody watched him like it was a game, probably went through several other fucked up things while he was enslaved, and then killed his slave owner and was promptly sentenced to death for it. That's...a whole lot of ridiculous trauma that would severely impact somebody's ability to mentally grow and develop correctly. The bulk of his childhood/adolescence was spent with no safety, no security, overwhelming guilt, constant fight or flight reactions, learning how to take on other personas to avoid violence or mistreatment – you get the point. He did not have a normal life and it is absolutely probable that he would develop a trauma disorder from the shit he's been through.

So then, what behaviors/signs does somebody need to exhibit to receive a Borderline diagnosis? The 9 diagnostic criteria for BPD are as follows:

1. Fear of abandonment

2. Unstable or changing relationships

3. Unstable self-image; struggles with identity or sense of self

4. Impulsive or self-damaging behaviors

5. Suicidal behavior or self-injury

6. Varied or random mood swings

7. Constant feelings of worthlessness or sadness

8. Problems with anger, including frequent loss of temper or physical fights

9. Stress-related paranoia or loss of contact with reality

As with my last post, I'm going to organize this based on the 5 immediate traits I think Aventurine exhibits most (you only need 5 out of 9 to receive a diagnosis, so let me cut to the chase and stop wasting your time w my yapping).

Fear of Abandonment:

Aventurine has a habit of wanting relationships and then pushing them away once they get too close. He also clearly has trauma associated with losing people prematurely.

First of all, let's look at Aventurine's tendency to view relationships as transactional. With the expectation that a friendship, partnership – whatever – is mutually beneficial, that generally implies both parties will leave satisfied once the 'transaction' is complete. That’s his parting line in the game, actually! “Satisfied with our transaction, I trust?”

That being said, he's already prepared for people to leave when they're done getting what they want from him. In one trailer (and the game) he refers to himself as "another cog in the machine known as the strategic investment department" and then says, "Your humble servant aventurine at your disposal [...] I can also play the role of ‘friend’ – if needed; Go ahead, use me as you wish, even stab me in the back if you see fit."

This is a very strange thing to say upon first meeting someone LMAO. He's speaking of himself like he's an object, rather than a person. Before the other party even says anything, he's basically saying 'hey btw if you end up disappointing me in some way, i'm already prepared for it!' Establishing relationships with the assumption that the other person will betray you/abandon you/hurt you in some way? Borderline behavior. God forbid somebody does try to break down one of these walls, we'll see Aventurine's second habit to avoid abandonment: pushing people away.

Something people don't necessarily consider is that ‘efforts to avoid abandonment’ doesn't always mean the person is on their knees begging you to not to leave them. It can manifest as someone being very flighty and purposefully cutting ties randomly/pushing people away from them so that nobody is able to abandon them. If you leave first, they can’t leave you, right? This is a very common behavior for borderlines to avoid the pain that comes with being abandoned.

The most notable moment of this, in my opinion, is when Aventurine tries to gaslight himself into thinking that Ratio really did stab him in the back during their ploy against Sunday. As we know, their fighting, bickering, and Ratio's 'betrayal' were all part of Aventurine's plan. When they leave Sunday's office, Ratio immediately asks if he's okay and if he needs help, and Aventurine is very dismissive/a little rude in his response. Ratio is confused because Aventurine is talking as if he wasn't the one who MADE this plan and TOLD Ratio what to do:

Aventurine is basically saying, "Hey babe this is not in the script we talked about! Let's stay on track, remember? You hate me, you betrayed me, and now you're leaving me!" And Ratio is like "Yeah okay but are you good? Because you don't seem good,” but Aventurine's heels are so far in the dirt at this point that he is NOT budging at all. When he's in the Trauma Maze, Future Aventurine grills him on this moment:

I get why this part confused some people; why would Aventurine think this when the plan was his idea in the first place? Because, he subconsciously doesn't want to get too attached to the idea that Ratio might ACTUALLY care about him or want to help him. He's forcing himself to think "no, that's not what he was doing, he was planning on actually ratting me out all along, he was only asking about my wellbeing to get in my head."

However, I think it's evident that Aventurine wants relationships/attention just as much as everybody else does, he just won't let himself have it. To further this idea, I think the lyrics to White Night (the Penacony trailer theme song) are worth looking at (these specifically):

I don't wanna be alone tonightOh, lead me with your altered signThere's no one else left for me to loseHeadin' to the other side, other side

I don't wanna be alone tonightI'll bring you to my best disguise'Cause you don't need, don't need to know the truthLet me rave forever in your life

The song is obviously about Aventurine when you look at the lyrics, but these lines in particular just further my point that this man does NOT like the fact that he's alone. He wants relationships, he wants closeness, but he rejects it at the same time out of fear that he might lose somebody prematurely again and doesn't want to experience being abandoned or being rejected for his personality (his real one or his fake one), which leads me to...

Unstable Self-Image; Struggles With Identity or Sense of Self:

The shift from Kakavasha to Aventurine screwed this guy up REAL bad. A MASSIVE part of Aventurine's character, in my opinion, is his struggle with his identity/sense of self. I mean, he literally had to kill off who he used to be in order to live how he's living now, and he didn't have much of a choice in the matter. Jade sums it up pretty well when Aventurine is sat before her on trial:

Aventurine joining the IPC comes with the price of...well, becoming 'Aventurine'. Since I'm clocking him with a BPD diagnosis, the identity disturbance would have probably happened before this moment, and I think it did. I'll bet it started festering after that first massive traumatic event where he watched his family die and tried to rationalize how that was possible with his 'good luck' (since that was really the only consistent idea he had about himself), and it probably only got worse when he became fixated on the fact that whoever tf he is, he's only worth 60 copper coins (did the math – that's about $3). That's gotta cause some massive identity issues. He's coined as this ‘good luck charm’, this ‘blessed child’, a ‘beacon of hope for the Avgins’, and somehow, he ended up in the absolute worst situation possible while simultaneously dooming all of the Avgins (obviously not his fault, but he thinks it's his fault).

When Jade tells him to pick a new identity, ironically he picks one that is everything he probably grew to hate after his childhood/adolescence.

Associating with the wealthy? The rich were the people who paid to brand him and enslave him. The IPC? Promised to help the Avgins but disappeared when the Katicans invaded, then came back and kidnapped him to sell him as a slave. Now he's both wealthy and a part of the IPC, and you have to wonder how he truly feels about it. We'll look into that more later. Regardless, he's not really 'free' now, even if he isn't technically owned by a master anymore. He's chained to the IPC because this is life now; this is his identity. Where else would he even go? What else would he do? (Die, perhaps?) It's not like he can go home, or go live a peaceful life out on the countryside somewhere. He made 'Aventurine' his entire life and his entire personality. On that note, I really like this quote from his third character story:

“The aventurine, that symbol of power and of the future, is about to be officially handed to him — Yet it would have no more allure or value in his eyes as soon he obtains it, even though he had sought it by putting his life on the line.

He returns to his office in a daze. The aventurine stone emits a peculiar glow on his desk, seemingly congratulating and mocking him at the same time."Was luck truly on your side when you wrestled with fate?"”

Did he really luck out with this one? Comparatively, of course, this is better than his life as a slave, but he essentially just traded his rusted chains for golden ones. Becoming Aventurine might wind up bringing him a lot more pain than it was worth.

Also, the outfit he chose? Covered in gold, fur, and jewels, all materials that somebody who knows nothing about being rich would assume rich people wear in excess. It's evident in his tacky taste (sorry honey I love you so much but the hat is just crazy work you look like a pimp) that he doesn't know anything about how to dress himself. And I bully him for being tacky but it makes sense! He dresses exactly how you'd think an out-of-touch billionaire would dress. Back to his sense of identity: it's very important to establish that Aventurine feels guilty about taking on this persona! That's all 'Aventurine' is: a persona. If he were to die tomorrow, the IPC would dust off that stone and give it to another bozo who would end up being the next 'Aventurine'.

While he didn't initially develop this personality subconsciously and it was a 'choice' to start playing this role (not that he had a plethora of alternative options), the perpetuation is damaging him mentally. He does a good job of keeping up the act, obviously. This theme that his entire personality is just one big act is overarching through the entire Penacony quest, but there's one moment in particular I really liked: when Sparkle is being a jerk and he has this offhand comment about how he's so frivolous, vain, and flashy, and how he'd hate to live anywhere where it rained since his outfit is too expensive to get wet.

Then, we have this interaction in the maze: Future Aventurine brings up the memory of him and his big sister playing dead, floating in bloody water to avoid being killed by the Katicans when they attacked. He mentions that it was his father's shirt, the last one his father left behind before dying, and that it was ruined. Aventurine says it wasn't ruined, and he's always kept it. (I wonder if that's the shirt he wore during his time enslaved?) Future Aventurine grills him and asks ‘why keep it? This new person that you are would never wear something so dirty and old. 'Aventurine' wouldn't want that old rag, it's not worth any money. 'Aventurine' would never splash around in murky water like that; he wouldn't need to.’ Nobody is hunting him, now he's the hunter. Future Aventurine makes the snide comment that he bets Aventurine wouldn't even dare to go outside in the rain, let alone do any of the things Kakavasha had to do, since he's so much more elite now. Aventurine, clearly hurt by the implication, says that even after all this time, he's never changed.

Of course, he hasn't. Deep down, no matter how much he tries to trick himself and everybody around him, he's still the same scared, traumatized boy he always has been. His future self chastises him for having an inferiority complex and mentions that with every gamble he makes, he has his left hand shaking in fear behind his back.

But the constant pull to push Kakavasha down and keep up this act that 'Aventurine' is the real him obviously perpetuated the identity disturbance in him and made it a hundred times worse, to the point where (as Future Aventurine points out) the hole he's dug is basically impossible to climb out of.

Because of this, I interpret Aventurine to constantly be struggling with his identity, not knowing who really exists under all the masks he wears, not knowing if he or anybody around him will ever figure it out. I imagine he feels very empty and unfulfilled, since as I mentioned in the abandonment section, he doesn't want to be alone. But the higher he climbs on the social ladder, the further he can separate himself from other people. This is a classic issue borderlines face. We masquerade as something we think the people around us will like, someone WE might like, but it always ends up leaving us feeling more empty than before.

(This is just an added bonus to chew on, but I got stuck on this line when I played through Penacony:)

Do you think once he became Aventurine and got the money and the resources, he researched toys that normal kids play with? Fancy ones like building blocks, stuff that he would have never been exposed to as a kid? Obviously baby Kakavasha would not know wtf building toys looked like, and I'm sure teenage Kakavasha didn't have the opportunity to browse toy catalogs. But, he recognizes the toy even though he says he's never played with them before. Maybe he considered buying it but decided against it, since it doesn't fit his new persona. Kakavasha doesn't exist anymore, so there's no reason to nurture that part of him. Anyways, just wanted to hurt y'all a bit more. Speaking of hurting ourselves:

Impulsive or Self-Damaging Behaviors + Suicidal Behavior or Self Injury:

I'm combining these two because my points kept blending together, so bear with me lol.

Aventurine is known for being incredibly reckless and putting himself in the path of danger over and over again. When discussing how he tricked Sunday with the Cornerstones, Future Aventurine asks:

I want to exaggerate how crazy it is (i can say that i'm also a bpd baddie) that he smashed his Cornerstone. I don't think a Stoneheart has ever done that before. Their stone is what makes them a Stoneheart. Ratio mentions that without it, Aventurine would be back to being nobody. Remember: that's what makes him Aventurine. You know, the persona that required him to kill off his former identity? Their Cornerstones are more important than the Stonehearts’ lives, as stated multiple times. But that's just it: Aventurine doesn't GAF about his life. He doesn't mind putting his life on the line to pull off his plan because he has that deep-rooted desire to punish himself for everything he thinks was his fault. He gets called out for gambling with his life multiple times during Penacony, and while most of the time it's reduced to him just being crazy (cough, bpd) or just having a severe gambling problem. Extremely hot take, but I think he gambles literally as another way to hurt himself. I mean, look at what he says when you ask about his hobbies:

"There's no denying it, my fascination is with the game of chance... be it the exhilarating rush of triumph or the extensive emptiness that follows, both are worth savoring, time and time again."

Being impulsive and risky, betting his life over and over – it makes him feel alive. He knows the end result will hurt, that he'll have to face that 'extensive emptiness' and the extreme guilt he feels regarding his continued good luck, but he does it anyway.

Speaking of betting, his bets are always 'all or nothing', seemingly every time. Future Aventurine calls him out on always risking everything with every gamble, asking:

"Do you truly believe the greater the risk, the greater the reward?"

Or...do you just not care what happens to you? He doesn't need to risk a lot; he's never lost. He could bet the lowest amount and still win every time, and make a lot of money depending on what everybody else bet. In fact, that would actually be a better strategy in gambling (poker/black jack specifically), because it would insinuate that he's not very confident with his hand and prompt the other players to bet higher, assuming that they'll beat him.

I imagine he gets a shred of dopamine betting everything he has knowing that he'll probably win, but hey, who knows? Then after winning and multiplying everything he has, I imagine that 'extensive emptiness' that he refers to is the feeling of 'oh good, more money. More status. More success. A reminder that no matter what I do, I'm stuck here in this role forever.'

For some reason, he also thinks that taking risks makes him appear more confident and secure. He makes a show of always keeping up the big bets and he boasts about how successful he is, while clutching his hand behind his back thinking 'oh god, is this it? will I finally lose this time?' He brings this up when he's speaking with himself and he says, 'How could a weak person take such daring risks?"

Oh, the delicious irony.

That raises the question, though: if he wants to die so badly, why hasn't he yet? It's not like he had an easy life. He fought very hard to stay alive, so why does he act so recklessly now?

I think at his core, he's scared. Dying is scary. His family is there in the afterlife; would they be disappointed in the person he’s become? At the same time, being alive is exhausting. The constant emotional pain this guy probably deals with every day? It's gotta be heavy.

His behaviors around suicide remind of a classic passively suicidal person with BPD: maybe they don't necessarily want to die, but they're tired. They don't have an active plan, but If something is going to kill them, they're not going to move out of the way.

So, carrying out his Penacony plan makes sense. Of course he’s not completely sure what will happen when Acheron kills him, but because he doesn’t have anything to live for, he’s fine gambling with his life. He makes a show of finally throwing out every last chip, too, no longer clutching them under the table in fear. He was fine with smashing the Aventurine stone because it's not like he was planning on using it after his final show; the little bit of power it had left in it was more than enough. (I also think it's worth mentioning how he did fight very hard to be alive, and after fighting SO hard, living through poverty and slavery and literally murdering people just to keep his own life, now he's finally at a point where he can 'relax' and carry out his life in peaceful luxury...but ironically, now he doesnt want to be alive)

That being said, we do have to address this little number:

Aventurine attempted several times in Penacony, he admits it flat out. The writers even went sofar as to bold this line specifically! I think this does also go hand-in-hand with him being passively suicidal, since he's pretty sure he'll live when he attempts in the dream, but he's gonna try it SEVERAL times just to be sure. Mentally healthy people wouldn't try it... once, Aventurine!

As if we needed more evidence that Aventurine constantly puts himself in danger, you know I HAVE to mention...the light cone:

n case you haven't read the description for this light cone, let me share it with you:

"You don't believe me?"He (Aventurine) provocatively looks at the man (Ratio) before him, then draws out a revolver, empties its cylinder, and leaves a single shot in the chamber.

"Seems like I'll need to get you up to speed on how I do things if our cooperation were to remain amicable."He pushes the gun into his opponent's hand, spins the cylinder, and points the barrel to his own chest.

He pulls the trigger repeatedly, and the smile on his face remains the same after three empty clicks."Life is a grand gamble, and I'll always be the final victor."

Now what the HELL is this? Mind you, this is the first time Ratio has met this man!!! Imagine you meet your new mission partner for the first time and he puts a revolver in your hand and fires it thrice, then leaves. WHO does that? (...a baddie, perhaps!)

I don't think it's a secret to anybody who has spent a reasonable amount of time around Aventurine that there's something off about him, and that there's a really deep sadness running through him. There's some instances where other characters mention his passive desire to die – A few quick examples I can think of:

The instance in Story IV with Opal:

"Maybe luck won't be on your side this time, and the bill for all your past good fortune will come due [...] But isn't that what you've been longing for?"

Opal implies Aventurine wants to fail on Penacony, which, as we've discussed, is an accurate assumption. Jade says something similar after Aventurine's stunt: when Topaz says the light in his stone went out, Jade replies by saying "he got what he wanted."

Also, I’d like to point out that Ratio must have been anticipating that Aventurine would do something rash, since he wrote that note (doctor's advice) long before he started grilling him after the meeting with Sunday.

It's also worth noting the nod to T.S Eliot's "The Waste Land" (a very long poem about life and death). You get the achievement Sibyl, What Do You Want? after playing through the past of Kakavasha's life, and once you defeat boss Aventurine, you get the achievement She Replied, I Want to Die. I don't think that one needs an explanation, but boy does it hurt! (There's other, smaller nods to him being suicidal, like the Waiting for Godot achievement – Google the story if you're unfamiliar. Not as relevant, but I must mention it bc it makes my english major brain go brrrrr)

Also, overspending/gambling/being loose with money is a very common vice for borderlines to indulge in and harm themselves with. It's also implied that he drinks a decent amount. I counted 6 bottles of SoulGlad in his hotel room just from the angles I could see, and he's shown to be passed out at the bar when Ratio goes to get him before they go on their little date-I mean, mission. Aventurine says 'he must have drank too much', and whether or not that was true is irrelevant since it was a believable enough claim that Ratio bought it.

Borderlines are (usually) self-destructive in some capacity, and while some very annoying people assume it's for attention, it's so much more common for it to be because our inner emotions are just so out of whack. Sometimes, matching the inner pain with outer pain is a way to cope. They might also do it to try and combat-

Constant Feelings of Worthlessness or Sadness:

Probably the most nagging, prevalent feeling Aventurine deals with is the constant feeling of worthlessness. One thing about this man? He hates himself. Like, really hates himself. Take a look at the missions during his maze in Penacony. This one is one of my favorites:

It doesn't get much more on-the-nose than him calling himself a selfish, useless loser. He gets stuck on that word, in particular. Loser.

Aventurine, at his core, views himself as a massive loser. Is that ironic because of how much he wins? Not really. Money and materials are just part of the Aventurine persona. He's 'rich' in stuff, but he's not rich in what he actually wants. I think it's obvious that if he had the option to quadruple his wealth or see his sister again just one more time, we all know what he'd be picking.

The only thing he wants is connection – connection with his mother, his father, his sister, anybody at this point – but he can't have it. His family has been dead for a long while, and as I discussed before, his fear of abandonment and his luck scare him away from forming any other relationships.

This luck, this destiny to be blessed, leads him to reflect on his life a lot and wonder what the hell the point is. He treats himself like some sort of walking curse, because he's convinced that his luck is bound to hurt other people. Every time he wins, somebody else loses. The luck that keeps him safe destroys everybody else around him. As Future Aventurine puts it:

His luck is "built on the pain of someone" else. This perpetuates the constant feeling of guilt, which in turn, makes him feel worthless. Why is it him that's spared every time?

Then, right before you start his boss fight, Aventurine says,

"The architect's flawed stone, of no value at all."

Some people speculate he's talking to the MC when he says this, but I can't help but assume that he's referring to himself. Even if it was directed at the MC, so much of what Aventurine says in his bluffs and boasts are just digs at himself. He's sort of an expert at hating himself, and what do people who hate themselves do if not project? Especially when you consider the fact that aventurine is actually a really cheap, undesired stone. It's like $3 a caret and mostly only used to rip people off and pose as jade. I really don't think it's a coincidence that his character is based around a stone that is, essentially, worthless.

The way that Aventurine is also prone to giving people ridiculous amounts of money/gifts can be read as a frantic effort to keep relationships going and prevent people from leaving him (relating to my points on both his feelings of worthless and his fear of abandonment). He has a skewed view on relationships, since the only value that's ever been associated with him is monetary value and that of his 'luck', which in every context is spoken of as an asset to benefit people he cares about. His sister told him that his luck was 'the most precious wealth' of the Avgins and Jade sees him as an investment that can bring her more wealth because of his luck, but he views it as a massive burden that ends up wrecking everybody around him. So how does he prove to other people that someone as worthless as him should be allowed a seat at the table? Deep down, he thinks that he's still worth 60 red copper pieces, and he's desperate to show other people that he's worth more than that now – even though he doesn't believe it at his core. With all the money he wins now, he can throw it at people and say 'look, look how much money I'm worth now, you want me around because I can buy you anything you want, that's a useful quality in a friend!'

(I did use the 'seat at the table line' as a nod to what his slave master said to him when they were discussing his worth: "Don't forget your place, slave. You're not qualified to be at the table." Which is, painfully, what Aventurine says when you open up chests! He scoffs and says that "it's hardly enough for a seat at the table." :’) )

There is also, of course, Aventurine's overarching struggle with finding purpose in his life. We see a lot of his existentialism during his trauma maze, but at the end of his trauma maze, Future Aventurine finally stops ripping Aventurine a new one and is vulnerable for a second, saying he doesn't understand what he's ever done wrong to have suffered as much as he has.

Then, when he's in the Nihility and he's speaking to Acheron, making the decision on whether or not he even wants to keep going, he asks her:

As I said, he has this conversation with himself in the maze as well, but here he's actually being vulnerable and speaking to somebody else about it: what's the point in being alive if we're just born to suffer? If nothing else, this solidifies the emotional struggle that Aventurine is constantly having. I also think it furthers the idea that he has this nagging sort of emptiness inside of him which is another BPD trait: the feeling that you're empty at your core, and you're constantly trying to fill it with things (friends, money, substances, whatever) but nothing ever works. You worry if anything will ever make you feel 'whole' again, and pair with the the identity disturbance? You're left with a constant feeling of despair.

Other Points:

These are a few other random thoughts I have, inspired by in-game moments but I'm taking them for my own evil fiendish BPD narrative. Take them with a grain of salt.

I think the stigma he gets around 'being crazy' is really BPD-coded. Separate from the ridiculous discrimination he gets for being an Avgin where people assume he's a liar and wolf in sheep's clothing (which can this man catch a SINGLE break jfc), he also has this reputation of being crazy, insane, manipulative, cunning, and someone you want to avoid, which is more rooted in his reckless gambling habit and status with the IPC. Living with this reputation of being insane and unstable for...lowkey no reason at all? Very BPD coded. I think Aventurine leans into that stigma to keep people a certain distance away, but it also just ends up making him hate himself even more.

Also, his entire mantra is "all or nothing", which always rang my BPD bells as well. There's not a lot of gray area with him, which is a key trait in borderlines as we often display very black-and-white thought patterns.

In Conclusion:

I think Aventurine is a borderline baddie <3

No but actually though, Aventurine is extremely smart, witty, funny, generous, and very kind-hearted, and he also happens to have a lot of BPD symptoms :^) I don't think it does any harm to view him as BPD-coded; in fact, I think it's great to associate positive, fan-favorite characters like this with BPD because it helps to humanize us. Borderlines are not violent, crazy maniacs, they're people who have been severely traumatized and developed some unhealthy habits because of it. They deserve love, respect, understanding, and communication, just as everybody else does.

If you actually made it this far, thank you for reading! I hope I was able to shed some light on Aventurine and his Symptoms. And, as I do in all of my BPD posts, here’s your reminder to kiss the borderline baddies in your life and tell them they’re important to you :^) Living with BPD is exhausting and I know I speak for all of us when I say that. We try so hard every day to stay positive and regulated, and though rewarding, it's exhausting and very hard work. Nothing makes us smile more than some recognition that we're trying our best !!

Till next time xoxo (and shout out to @roxirinart for helping me edit this monstrosity mwahhh mwah)

#honkai star rail #hsr aventurine #aventurine #hsr #bpd #borderline personality disorder #analysis #character analysis

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kaymarie-bell · 3 months ago

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TWST JP Spoilers

bullet point form because I'm getting sleepy 💔

Idia has found a bug, he cannot keep on adding more HP recovery squares for Pomefiore because they also keep healing Malleus

Malleus still has lots of HP left

Malleus is upset about Idia's tricks

Idia is moving the Boss (Malleus) to a different stage

Ortho says it's okay, we still have lots of SSRs left

Idia is thinking about who to send next, when a call comes in. He thinks it might be about some materials he ordered.

It's his mom

His mom has been DM-ing him since he woke up, but Idia has blocked her account (😭)

Idia says it's too awkward to work with his parents. And he doesn't want to see his mom in specific because she has seen inside both his computer and his dreams (rip Idia)

Mrs. Shroud: I didn't see anything! I swear?

Idia: You made Ortho's gear perfectly, there's no way you didn't see anything!

Ortho: Brother, just forget about it. It'll be easier that way

Mr. Shroud shows up too

First of all, he's relieved that Idia is okay

Idia still feels awkward about talking to his parents in front of his juniors

Mr. Shroud praises the operation Idia has planned

Idia says it's too early for praises as it's just the beginning. His dad is definitely not calling just to say hello

It seems like Idia made a request to have the Thunder Spears from Book 6 upgraded

DAMN

They requested magic stones that wouldn't be shattered even by a dragon's blow, they were provided by the Royal Family of Briar Valley, however even those weren't strong enough

Sebek's granpa consulted the other members of the Royal Guard, but they have been unable to find anything despite their search efforts

Silver is confused as to why they would need such weapon

Idia says that he already explained it. If Malleus wants to keep on fighting once the dream spell has been lifted (?), they have to be prepared to retaliate

The more information about dragons Briar Valley provides, the more apparent that they cannot afford to use half-hearted weapons

A dragon's scales can repell both physical and magical attacks, and their fire is strong enough to melt stone (HELLO?)

The only thing that can protect against their fire is the world's highest magic resistance metal, "Mystium" (I guess this is what the Knight of Dawn's armour was made of 😔)

and the only thing that can hurt a dragon is a sword made of hard magic stones containing a special purity magic

I see where this is going ☹️

The point is, they need ultra-rare materials for this. Idia's parents worked with Baul and somehow managed to find metal for the armour, but no luck with the magic stone for the sword

Idia: if only there was a legendary sword laying around

Silver and Sebek: flashback to being in Lilia's room and finding his big ass weapon fron his General days

Silver and Sebek: AH!

Silver: I don't know about a legendary sword, but would the weapon used by the General during his active duty be good?

Sebek mentions the importance it holds in Briar Valley

Idia: what? Where is it?!

Silver: It was shipped to the Land of the Red Dragon via international mail the day before the farewell party

Mr. Shroud/Idia: you sent a magical weapon via international mail??!??

Silver: well...my family has always used it to chop firewood

Silver: I followed the postal office's instructions and wrapped it tightly in cloth, and it was shipped labeled as "tool."

Idia: DON'T TREAT A LEGENDARY MAGIC WEAPON AS A TOOL!!!

Idia: anyway, that's even better than the original plan

He says to contact the post office immediately and intercept the package with Lilia's name. And to hurry up

Ortho warns him that Malleus is trying to escape by force, so Idia says that he has chosen the next dorm to battle him

#twisted wonderland #twst #twst jp #twst spoilers #diasomnia chapter #Diasomnia spoilers #kay shouts into the void #kay translates #So Silver in KoD's armour + Lilia's weapon? he'll fight Malleus looking like both of his dads??? 😭😭😭😭

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imbecominggayer · 10 months ago

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Writing Advice: Too Many Characters

A common advice when writing stories is "don't write too many characters". But, like with everything creative and good, there is no definitive answer to how many characters should be in a book!

So I will be discussing numerous variables in storytelling which impacts how many characters you should have and what makes something in a book "pointless".

Themes! Themes! Themes! (Omori Spoilers, Not Too Much)

The most important question that a writer has to ask themself is "what is this scene/book/media trying to do?". If your story is based on the relationships we have with others and the impact they can have on our psyche then having a close-knitted community of people will drive the message of intimate connection better then just having more people in there. If your story is focused primarily on introspection, looking inward, individuality, and other spiritual activities then the protagonist is more likely to spend longer durations of the media by themselves.

An example of these to forces is the popular game of Omori.

(SPOILERS ABOUT OMORI<3)

Omori is a game that focuses on acceptance first and foremost. Self-acceptance to be more specific. Due to the fact that the game is a piece of introspection both for Sunny and for the player, the most important moments in the game such as the "reveal" sequence of pictures and Black Space are ones that are done on your own.

However, the game also prioritizes the relationships Sunny has between his friends as this serves as motivation for the final duet. The final duet was an act of bonding as Mari and Sunny just wanted to spend time together, doing something they liked.

The introspection moments are pushed towards the end of the game because it's only when Sunny has that support and belief in his friends, can he rise above his doubt and shame and fear.

2. What Is The Purpose Of This Character?

All characters need to have a purpose in the narrative. Both within the context of the world and in the context of the book.

Within the context of the world, they need a goal that is going to impact the protagonist either positively or negatively.

Within the context of the book, what is this character giving to the audience that wouldn't otherwise be there?

Pro tip: All the characters you have need to have more then one purpose! Characters that give exposition can't JUST give exposition.

If you have a love interest that can be cut out without taking away a vital part of the story either from a thematic(theme) standpoint or a narrative(plot) standpoint, just replace them with an object and move it along!

If you have an ally character that only shows up twice and can be changed into "I went down to the store to buy these items", give that "ally" tag to someone more story relevant"!

3. Priorites?

Ask yourself this: "Do I have the book length to dedicate time to this person?"

If the answer is no, follow my next steps. If the answer is yes, here is how to make them better.

When I say "prioritize", I mean you need to figure out what type of character this character is. Are they a main character? A side character? Cannon fodder? A symbol? WHAT ARE THEY?

Also, can you give these character responsibilities to someone else? This simultaneously gives those characters deeper complexity and eliminates more characters

Example: Love Interest, after being trapped by the villain, uses their intelligence in order to provide information about the villain to the hero. (Love Interest + Ally + Informant)

Example: Friend is revealed to be a double agent on the side of the Villain. However, it's revealed that Friend was secretly a triple agent who is finally redeemed from their original believed betrayal. They're back to being an ally. (Friend + Betrayer + Ally + Enemy)

#writing #on writing #creative writing #writeblr #writing advice #reading #character advice

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thezombieprostitute · 1 month ago

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Tech Tuesday: Ransom Drysdale

Summary: Ransom apologizes.

A/N: Reader is female. No other physical descriptors used.

Warnings: Angst, Self-esteem issues, Talk of sex dreams. Please let me know if I missed any.

Tech Tuesdays Masterlist

Ransom knocks on your door. He's more tense than he's ever been in his life. He's got the Birthday Pusheen held in front of him so it's the first thing you see when you open the door. If it's you that opens the door. You warned him Spitfire and Newbie were there, helping you out.

Sure enough, Spitfire is the one to open the door, the Pusheen directly in her face. She raises an eyebrow but doesn't say anything.

"She...she said to come over?" Ransom hesitates.

Spitfires move aside and gesture for him to enter the apartment. Her glare is incredibly effective and he can't meet her gaze. There's no doubt in his mind that, if he doesn't apologize well enough, she will be kicking him out.

As Ransom enters the living area where you and Newbie are sitting on the couch you immediately spot the Pusheen.

"Is that an apology gift?" you ask trying very hard to keep your tone neutral.

"Sort of," he replies sheepishly. "It's a thank you for giving me the opportunity to apologize. I'd originally gotten it for your birthday but...but I made some mistakes." He winces as he hears Spitfire's dismissive snort.

You take a breath to steady your nerves. "Do you know what you're apologizing for?"

"For hurting you by lying." Ransom feels the tears start to form in his eyes. The admission of the crime, admitting he hurt you of all people, hits him hard and he fidgets with the Pusheen. "I," he takes a breath, "betrayed your trust. And I am, so very, genuinely sorry."

"Why?" Tears start forming. You can tell he's hurting, too but you need more if you're to consider forgiving him. "Why did you do it?"

"I thought I was protecting you,' he confesses.

You can see Spitfire fighting the urge to give him a piece of her mind. You're happy to have her support but you asked her to only intervene if he got out of hand. At the same time, Newbie is letting you squeeze her hand to help keep yourself under control.

"Protecting me from what?" you finally ask.

"From me." Ransom lowers his head. "I...I had some...dreams of...of us...together..."

"Sex dreams?" Newbie blurts out. You're happy Ransom can't see how your eyes widen when he nods in the affirmative.

"I...those times I said I was at D&D I was...I was looking for a hookup," he admits. "I thought, if I could just get it out of my system, I wouldn't...corrupt you or hurt you even more."

Even as you see Spitfire soften towards him, you feel yourself getting angry. "So you're saying I'm 'too pure'? Too 'naive and innocent' to be with you?" Ransom looks back at you, eyes filled with fear. "Do you know how many people treat me like I'm a child just because I like soft, pink things? And now you're doing the same thing!"

"No!" he asserts. "I know better than to think that. We've hung out enough that I know you're not childish and definitely not naive. But I know me. Especially the old me that I'm so scared I still am. I don't...I don't want to just use you. You're too important to me to lose! Especially through my bad habits!"

"How many?" you choke out. "How many women were you sleeping with when you told me you were playing D&D?"

"None," he admits quietly. Spitfire and Newbie both guffaw. "I'd meet them and it would go nowhere," Ransom adds. "I tried, so very hard, to let myself...to be my old self. Just looking for sex. But it never happened."

"You expect me to believe that?"

Ransom hesitates. "I can actually get someone to confirm that but..."

"Who?" you demand.

"Nick," he whispers. "He showed up at the last failed date."

That gets your attention.

"So he's still following you? Why hasn't he given your family the information?"

Ransom lowers his gaze again, "he doesn't care for my family so he offered me an out. But I'm not taking him up on it."

"So someone neither of us wants to talk to can verify your story about not sleeping with anyone despite your attempts, all while you were lying to me," you deadpan.

He winces. "Yeah, that about sums it up."

"Do you have his information?"

He hesitates, "yes. But he'll think I'm...that I've agreed to his terms."

"What were those terms?" Spitfire cuts in.

"That I set him up on a date with Bubbles," Ransom mumbles. He looks back to you, "but I'm not going to do that. You're more important to me than my family learning where I am."

The room quiets. All of you know about Ransom going no contact. You know a lot of the reasons for it. Looking him in the eyes, you believe him when he says he'd rather talk to them than sell you.

"Call him," you demand. "Set up a meeting." Turning to Newbie you ask, "think you can talk Steve into getting involved?"

She smirks, "someone trying to bully their way into a date with you? Yeah, he'll be game to help out."

"Hopefully he won't be needed," you counter. "But I definitely want him nearby in case things go south."

"What are you thinking?" Spitfire wonders.

"I'm gonna tell him off for being a creep," you fume. "And for hurting Ransom." Ransom perks up at that. You look at him, "I accept your apology but you've still got a ways to go for forgiveness."

Ransom drops to his knees and starts crying. You rush over to hug him and he hugs you back while whimpering, "thank you, thank you so much."

Tech Tuesdays Masterlist

Tagging: @alicedopey; @delicatebarness; @ellethespaceunicorn; @icefrozendeadlyqueen; @jaqui-has-a-conspiracy-theory; @late-to-the-party-81; @lokislady82; @ozwriterchick; @ronearoundblindly; @lokislady82; @thiquefunlover63

#tech tuesday #tech tuesday: ransom drysdale #ransom drysdale x reader #ransom drysdale x female!reader #it!ransom drysdale x office worker!reader #ransom drysdale x you

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plusvanity · 6 months ago

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What’s your take on Pelle wanting a romantic relationship irl? Do you think it’s something he would’ve wanted? Or was he afraid that he was too odd for someone to accept him? (I don’t know if that sounds harsh). Since you think that he was sensitive.

Btw I love your analysis girl 🫶

I'm not so sure about relationships, but I firmly believe that he wanted to connect to someone, somehow.

In terms of friendships, I think Øystein was the closest friend he had (at least during his time in Norway), but even so, Pelle didn't open up much for various reasons that include the environment in which he was at that time and most probably trust issues. Talking at some point with Old Mayhem, she described an 'invisible wall' between Pelle and his friends/ the world and I couldn't agree more. It feels like Pelle would've wanted this meaningful connection with someone, anyone, but unfortunately, he didn't manage to form it. I genuinely think this had a massive contribution to why he took his own life.

I don't know if he would've wanted a relationship because a relationship comes with a lot of stress and pressure for being in a commitment, attending someone else's needs, etc, but he definitely felt alone and forgotten in this world. After all, he wrote in his last lyrics 'No one will ever miss you'. He longed to be seen, to be given attention and importance. There are a lot of signs of emotional neglect in how he developed, but I will try to keep it short. I consider him as being in the autism spectrum and a relationship would most likely feel overwhelming, especially since he would lack experience, confidence, etc. But if I have to imagine him in a relationship, I can only imagine him being with someone patient and calm.

People with strong trauma responses, PTSD and those who suffer from personality disorders need a partner who is a bit more mentally equipped to manage stressful situations than your average Joe. To see improvement in Pelle's mental health, he would need a very patient and mature partner.

Love can heal a broken heart. I am one of those people who believe that no matter how broken you are, if you find someone to love you for who you are, someone who is willing to accept you with all of your inner demons, with the the good and the ugly, you can start to heal. Currently, I'm following this process myself. The human brain can be programmed and re-programmed. We are very adaptable to our environments and if we make our senses realize we're not in danger anymore, we can finally allow ourselves inner peace. This is why I believe that Pelle could've been saved.

Hypothetically speaking, Pelle would have a hard time adjusting to a relationship. He was quite rigid, stubborn and unwilling to change for others. To make a relationship work, you need to make some compromises. Another aspect that I want to point out is that Pelle had outbursts or 'episodes' of impulsive behavior when he was living. That would be a serious problem. Øystein (and Metalion, if I remember correctly) had to literally hold Pelle down when he suddenly wanted to 'go to Transylvania'. The question is: Would someone be able (and willing) to deal with this again and again? He would definitely need psychiatric treatment, but would he accept that? There are so many factors that would make dating Pelle a real challenge. I also believe that he was suffering some sort of perceptual delusion. I won't call it Cotard's syndrome since it is not recognized in the DSM and since we have very little information about it, but my honest opinion is that he might have had something more that just depression and I'm kind of pointing towards Major Depression with Psychotic Features. If you believe something else, that's fine. Everyone does their own research and reaches their own conclusions.

I do think he was sensitive and there would've been room in him to grow positive feelings towards someone, to form a meaningful connection and learn to trust again. In the end, it doesn't matter if he would've had a romantic partner or a best friend, he would've liked to form a bond with another soul, someone who understands him, respects him and is there to stay.

I imagine him as being very honest, capable of showing tenderness, being mindful, quiet, contemplative and trustworthy in a meaningful relationship.

Sorry for my late response, I had an awful weekend.

#ask response #pelle ohlin

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lizzybeeee · 6 months ago

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DATV is overly reliant on Supplemental Media - especially if you are a returning player

TL;DR: Supplemental material should not be required reading in order to understand what's going on in the main game -> it's additional material that enhances what we were given. If what we were given is lacking and unable to coherently tell us a story, then the writers and those in charge did not prioritize what was important.

Not a take that's unique to Dragon Age, but one that is very relevant when talking about DATV. I've made a few posts about plot/story points that either make no sense or have been dropped entirely in the lead up from DAI to DATV. Every now and then I get a few comments or messages about how certain points I made were addressed in supplemental material released in the lead up to this games release.

This isn't a call out post, by the way! But it's frustrating, to me, that this games writing is so lacking that my understanding is being inhibited because I can't remember details from a book I read two years ago - not to mention various podcasts, comics, and short stories. My understanding of a video game in a video game series should not be reliant on additional/optional content.

DATV is a weird game in that it is absolutely a 'soft/scorched earth' reboot while also marketing itself as a continuation to what was set up in Inquisition and Trespasser. Personally, I think that if you are up to number 4 in a game series, one with a continuous story-line, it should be expected that new players won't be able to catch up to everything -> it's the game developers job to make the world and story intriguing enough that the new players will go back to previous games in the series and fill in the blanks themselves.

Veilguard, as a sequel, is overly reliant on content that comes from outside the games themselves (including DLC's) if you want to make sense of the world and story. Trespasser left us with an epilogue that set up some plot points for the next game: Solas & the Veil, the Elven Rebellion, and War with the Qun - plot points that have been built up since the time of Origins. But when we get into DATV two of these points have been dropped and resolved, off-screen.

There are more questions, but these are the ones that bothered me the most while playing the game:

What happened to the Agents of Fen'harel/ Elven Rebellion? -> answered in a cursed reddit AMA.

What happened to the Qunari following Trespasser -> addressed in Tevinter Nights, and a codex entry you can pick up (optional).

Why is Skyhold infested with demons? -> mentioned in Tevinter Nights.

How did the Dalish go from worshiping their own pantheon to knowing they are false gods? (specifically those we meet in the Veil Jumpers) -> mentioned in the Missing comic series.

What's up with Nevarra's Royals? -> Tevinter Nights addresses that there is a power struggle in the Pentaghast family and the role of the Mortalitasi in making it worse - though it does not address the whole 'mage puppeting a corpse' issue and all the implications it has.

This is a video game series -> the bulk of the information required for me to understand the story and its relation to previous entries needs to be included in the final game version. I am playing a video game and not attending a uni class - I should not need to have a required reading list in order to understand what the fuck is going on. I should definitely not need to go onto a reddit AMA to understand what happened in-game, either.

What makes this stand out the most is that DAI was very successful in tying in previous games, DLC's, movies, and books! Inquisition did a great job in getting you up to speed on the events of the previous games early on, providing personalization if you played those games, and giving the player the opportunity to inquire into these events.

Hiding away the answers in additional material or a codex entry that may be missed is not good game design or good writing. DAI didn't assume that you had bought and played the Legacy DLC -> it made certain you experienced the conversation with Varric and Hawke if you wanted to proceed in the game. It didn't hide away imperative information in codex entries - it had characters talk about it in scripted scenes and encourage the player to ask more. You would actively need to avoid interacting with characters for you to not experience this information in DAI.

Leliana talks about her role during the Blight, her calling by the Maker, and her relationship with Dorothea/Justinia -> DAO and Leliana's Song DLC.

Cullen talks about his time as a templar at Kinloch & Kirkwall -> DAO and DA2.

Cassandra speaks about her history, investigation into Hawke, and the Seekers -> Dawn of the Seeker movie, DA2, & Asunder novel.

Varric talks about Hawke, Kirkwall, and Corypheous -> DA2 and Legacy DLC.

Cole talks about how he discovered he was a 'demon' - it leads to further conversations about Rhys, Evangeline, and Lord-Seeker Lambert -> Asunder novel.

Wicked Eyes and Wicked Hearts -> the game literally continues what the Masked Empire novel sets up, the Orlesian Civil War. The game does a decent job of telling us about the players (Celene, Gaspard, Briala etc...) and the reasoning behind the conflict through dialogue, the ability to explore the battlefields, quests, ambient dialogue, etc... The book is not required reading - though it greatly adds to the complexity of the characters, motivations, and political intrigue!

I never once, playing DA2 or DAI, felt penalized or like my experience was lacking because I had not engaged with supplemental material or DLC's. I got into Dragon Age when I was in high school, it wasn't until I graduated and began working after that I had the disposable income available for experiencing the extra material. I cannot say that for DATV - If you have played Inquisition and go into DATV straight from that you will, absolutely, be confused about how we got from A to B.

Which is especially strange to me!? Why is it that new players will be less confused than those that are returning players? It's like the game is actively punishing you for playing and caring about previous games in the series.

Supplemental media is bought because the main product has earned your investment, love, or interest. Not everyone has the income available to buy it with their own money - especially if you live outside the US and have to pay additional shipping costs. Not everyone has the ability to buy or 'obtain' the digital versions either. My understanding of the main story of a video game in a video game series should not require additional monetary investment into other mediums.

The game itself should be enough and DATV is not enough.

#Inquisition didn't get it perfect but its miles apart from how DATV handled it imo #'in tevinter nights-' 'in the missing-' 'in this short story/podcast etc-'#this should be explained in-game!#especially since it was set up in the last game! don't have an epilogue setting up things if you're not going to go through with it!#or at the very least EXPLAIN what happened?!#veilguard was marketed and sold to us as a SEQUEL - it needs to answer what was set up in the one DLC that apparently mattered!#The Masked Empire really improves the entire Wicked Eyes/Hearts questline - highly recommend reading btw #to clarify - adding this stuff in won't save the awful writing and weak story. it just makes it extra frustrating lmao #the EA anti-consumer mindset has bled into BioWare imo #maybe not intentionally but its giving the same vibes as ea breaking apart sims dlcs and selling each for $10 a pop #put some info in a comic / in the game / in a book -> my experience should not lack because i only got the game in your VIDEO GAME SERIES #dragon age joplin save me :(#why does the concept art for joplin address this shit better? lmao #datv critical #datv spoilers #bioware critical #veilguard critical

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sadcupcake · 3 months ago

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Mikaelson's Gilbert

Elena and Jeremy Gilbert have been the center of attention in Mystic Falls for as long as anyone can remember, so much so most people don't even realise they have a sister, Another Gilbert. The Mikaelsons how ever when they meet her, they can never forget her.

Part 1

My sister was always the center of attention, for as long as I can remember it’s always been Elena this, Elena that. I’ve lived my life always in the room never really being seen. I never thought that would be a good thing until today. I resented the fact that no one saw me, Always too focused on Elena. Even when she wasn’t in the room with me I still wouldn’t be seen, everyone was always too concerned with where she was and what she was doing. Now that vampires and werewolves and witches have entered our lives it has become a danger to my life, but it has given me access to a lot of information that I shouldn’t have, like the fact that Damon and Elena are conspiring to kill Klaus behind everyone’s back.

Elena and Elijah had come to a peace agreement which for the most part had worked, but now she’s breaking that agreement with the help of Damon to work with Esther to kill her children and ultimately Klaus. If you had told me when I first found out about the Originals that I would be considering saving their lives I’d have told you that you were crazy, but here I am about to knock on the Mikaelson’s front door and tell them that their mother wants them dead.

I know that they won’t want to hear it but I have to at least try right? I mean there’s no real reason why I should be doing this, they’ve done nothing but torture and try to kill my sister and her friends. But why should I care about that? What has Elena ever done for me but forget I exist? I mean when we were kids she wanted something of mine and I said no so she pushed me and I ended up at the bottom of the stairs with a broken arm and she ended up with whatever toy it was she wanted and forgot I was even there. No matter how much I screamed for help she never came. It wasn’t until our parents got home that I was taken to the hospital and Elena swore up and down that she didn’t know I ‘fell’ and she couldn’t hear my screams for help.

Before I can second guess myself anymore the front door opens and Elijah is standing in front of me. He’s the most reasonable original from what I’ve seen and always sticks to his word, even if it means finding loopholes in those agreements to get what he truly wants in the end. When I look up at him I feel a sense of calm wash over me, like in this moment this is the exact place I need to be. The sense of calm confirms my choice for me.

“And who exactly are you?” Elijah says smoothly almost like he didn't even speak the word.

“ Who I am isn’t important. It never is. I need to talk to you about your peace deal you have with Elena” All of a sudden I’m full of nerves. I didn’t think this through. He could kill me for what I’m about to say, but for whatever reason when I look into his eyes I don’t care, all I care about is saving his life.

“Please follow me inside” He says moving to the side and extending his hand almost effortlessly in one swift motion.

As I follow him into the Mikaelson mansion my heart is pounding in my chest, I’m sure all the vampires who reside here can hear it from wherever they are. It should make me terrified but it doesn’t. This mansion already feels like home to me and I can’t help but feel guilty for feeling this way. This isn’t my home and I definitely shouldn’t be feeling so comfortable here.

We enter a room off to the side and Elijah guides me to a chair, his hand on my back gently. Somehow to me he does seem the gentlest of the Mikaelsons, but I can tell that underneath that guise of the gentle noblemen there is a beast waiting to be unleashed. Once we are both sat I start

“I’m here to save your lives, your mother wants you dead and Elena is helping her” Once it’s off my chest I brace myself for the inevitable, my death. But it never comes.

The look on Elijah’s face is hard to read at first. He looks calm, almost too calm. But underneath it all I can see the hurt. They all thought she was really back to be a big happy family again, all they wanted was their mother’s love after a thousand years.

“How do you know of this, and why would you warn us? What motive could you possibly have?” Elijah says, still trying to determine who I am, if I’m a threat to his family he’s protected for so long no matter how many times they’ve hurt him.

“I know this because I heard my sister plan it. Esther wants to meet with her at the ball to get rid of Klaus once and for all, but unlike my sister I’m not stupid the only way to get rid of Klaus is for the rest of you to go as well. There is no more white oak that any of us know of and why would Esther waste the last white oak on just one of you when she could link all of you together and be rid of the curse she unleashed on the planet a thousand years ago” I say quickly trying to justify myself to avoid a slow death. “Oh and Damon is in on it” I add in quickly trying to direct his anger onto someone other than the very fragile human sitting in front of him.

“Your sister? I can only assume you mean Elena from the information you’ve given me. We didn't know of the existence of another Gilbert” He says not even addressing the death threat. He’s acting as if it doesn’t even matter

“ Yeah, that's me, the other Gilbert, You probably didn’t know about me because no one ever sees me. That’s how I knew about what Elena and Damon were up to, they never see me in the room before they talk about their plans” I say wondering why I’m not dead yet.

“Well miss Gilbert, thank you for your warning” Elijah says while standing up and buttoning his suit. If it weren’t for the fact that I know he’s been alive for a thousand years I’d wonder what career he had to afford a suit like that.

Taking that as my que to leave I take the chance while I still have it. While walking back to the front door the way we came I can feel someone watching me, multiple someones. Despite the eyes on me I don’t feel threatened, I feel protected almost. It’s strange really, going unnoticed all my life I tend to feel anxious and uncomfortable when I am noticed, but here in the Mikaelson mansion with the eyes of who I can only assume are the rest of the Originals I feel protected and calm, which makes absolutely no sense.

#klaus mikaelson x reader #elijah mikaelson x reader #kol mikaelson x reader #finn mikaelson x reader #mikaelsons x reader #elena bashing

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avaawritess · 2 months ago

Text

ProHero! Katuski bakugo x Journalist

PART TWO

Since some of you enjoyed the last one I decided to keep making more. I don't know how many parts I'll make, maybe 3-5 who knows.

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

Your pov

If you thought the rumors were bad they've got worse having other Journalist ask you about your dynamic with Dynamight. You shrug them off not really wanting to answer or talk about Dynamight especially with that smug look he had on his face last week.

After the story you had a couple days off until your boss would call you in to tell you who to go interview. So in your free time you got stuff done at your apartment.

After finishing cleaning you easily got bored so to cure your boredom you decided to go out and wander around, maybe go get coffee,go shopping. This is just weird not having anything planned yet you feel a gut feeling. You know that feeling all to well, but you decided to ignore it,todays a good day.

That's what you thought while getting your usual morning order in a small cozy cafe. Until the bell chimed and you look back and your eyes were met with those fiery crimson eyes.

As you turned back around ignoring him you could feel him burning holes into the back of your shirt. Anger issues much? You thought while snickering to yourself and thanking the barista for your order.

You walked past him not even sparing a glance, he couldn't know just how irritated he made you.

Katsukis Pov

My morning was going nice, I went for a run, showered, and ate a protein bar. Pretty good so far, then I decided to go get a smoothie and I knew the nice little cafe down the street known for its coffee but I learned they made smoothies and they were delicious.

I walk in the bell ringing, everything good until I saw her the woman who questioned my job,my knowledge. She turned she saw me, I know she did. When she looked away I couldn't help but glare at her back. She thinks she has the upper hand? Oh no, I won't deal with that.

She walks past me ignoring me, she thinks I don't see the way her shoulders tensed? How her jaw tightened? How she clenched her fists?

Oh but I did notice. After I got my order I quickly followed her out. She was on the phone must've been with someone important I don't know.

Once she got off I spoke up,"ignoring me aren't you? You do know I technically saved your life last week" I said my eyes narrowing. As she turned around with a glaring,her eyebrows tightening."Be careful that'll cause you wrinkles" I say almost out of spite.

I hate when people assume that I can't do something. It's not like I need to prove anything to her, I just want to. I feel like I need to I don't know why.

"Oh like you? It would be a shame if my skin ended up like yours" she said in a snarky tone her lips twitching up. I scowl "for your information my skin is smooth and there are no wrinkles" I said sharply.

She grinned,fuck, "are you sure? Because I think your getting frown lines from frowning so much, is it just apart of you? Can't stop frowning" she said mimicking my face.She was really pushing my buttons. "No your probably just going blind or your schizophrenic because there's no wrinkles anywhere" I said before grumbling under my breath,"but I'll be getting some soon if I keep talking to you".

"Ah! What was that" she grinned into a playful smirk. She just didn't know when to stop did she? I was about to answer before my phone rang, I glare one last time at her as she had her arms crossed a smug look on her face. I huff, before turning away and answering the phone.

It was shittyhair,great! Always interrupting when I need to get the last word in. I talk with him on the phone and when I finish She's gone.

Your pov (first person?)

After our little conversation he got a phone call and I left not waiting on him. I couldn't let him see that I was enjoying our conversation even if it was me mocking him (no that's definitely the reason I enjoyed it).

I walk around sipping my drink as I look through small boutiques. I came into this one and they had a lot of pink. It wasn't really my cup of tea but it never hurt anyone to look. I ran into someone immediately apologizing as I look up seeing a bright smile, it was that pro hero Pinky or I guess Mina Ashido.

"Oh hi" I said as she starting talking quickly, it was kinda hard to keep up with her. "Aren't you that girl that argued with Bakugo? You know you really got on his nerves he like ranted about it for the whole week" she grinned.

Is it bad that I felt proud to be the reason he ranted? No not at all.

"Oh he did?" I asked with a grin, she nodded,"yea nothing really gets past him anymore but you? Oh he got pretty aggressive" she said,"it was super surprising to see your questions how did you know that much?" She asked curious.

"Well I do my research and I kinda write it down to be ready for anything" I said,"I don't like asking regular questions so I make my own" I said with the a smile.

"Super cool, I love it... OH! And I'm Mina Ashido but I'm sure you know that"she said a little embarrassed."No your fine, I'm l/n f/n but you can just call me y/n I prefer it" I said with a hum.

"Pretty name" she said as she like looked closer at you,"hmm Bakugo wasn't lying you are really pretty" she said before snapping her mouth closed wide eyed."what was that?" I grin. She shook her head as you let out a laugh with a smile,"well thank you Mina I might bring that up next time me and him go head to head" I said. "Which probably won't be long we keep running into eachother" I sigh.

She raised an eyebrow,"Bakugo? He usually stays in his house or at the office I wonder why he's suddenly out and about...probably gonna have to ask later he hates when I call too early in the morning" she grumbled.

You nod,"well super cool meeting you Mina we should hang out sometime" you smile,"oh and don't worry I'll only out good things out on you" you hum as her shoulders visibly relaxed.

Katuskis Pov

I sat on Kirishimas couch playing Mario Cart against him and I kept losing. Loser it had said, okay probably not but it felt that way. "Dude why can't you focus usually you like best me horribly every time something on your mind?" He asks before slowly grinning to himself,"or someone?" He asked.

I shoot a glare his way scoffing,"no, just that bratty journalist who can't stay in her own business" he said."Dude it's apart of her job" Kirishima deadpanned.

"Well not my business why can't she be in yours? Or even like Dekus?" He groaned."She keeps getting on my nerves I'm tired of seeing her stupid face" I cross my arms grumbling underneath my breath."Her stupid pretty face?" Kirishima added grinning."Shut up shittyhair its ugly now to me everytime she looks at me with that smug look I hate it" he said.

"Well sorry to break it to ya dude but Journalist like figuring out what makes you tick and she found that pretty easily" he said as he kept playing Mario cart while Bakugo took a break.

"She's not just a journalist she's a menace to society with her snarky voice, her smug eyes, her cat-like grin, even her soft lips are annoying" he grumbled before shutting up and groaning as he turned over covering his head with a pillow to avoid Kirishimas teasing he hated when his friend would do this.

"Soft lips? Trying to confess something Bakubro?" He asked grinning as he won yet another match.

He launched a pillow at Kirishimas hair,"ow!" He said in a loud pitched voice rubbing his head before grinning. "Whatever stay in Denial but I'm pretty sure your developing a thing for this girl" he hummed to himself.

Bakugo didn't develop any feelings for anyone other than spite and dislike, so there's no way he likes you,right?

This is a wee bit short but I'll be making more post so it's Ight, I hope you enjoyed.

@wonubby

#bakugou x reader #bakugo katuski #bnha bakugou #bakugou x y/n #katsuki bakugo imagine #bnha bakugo katsuki #mha bakugou #katsuki bakugo x reader #bakugou katsuki #bakugo #katsuki bakugo mha #bakugou x you #katsuki x y/n #katsuki x you #bakugou katuski x reader #enemies to lovers #strangers to lovers #slow burn

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xoladybella · 4 months ago

Note

this is my two cents on the topic, nobody asked for lol. The question everyone is asking- why now?? Many months later? So either Nic is trying to tell everyone, Luke & I are besties with partners or Nic & Luke are a family ( I say family if you follow Fiat & Fran. It the answer is option 1, cool! We are adults. This shouldn’t change how you see Nic and Luke BUT, why now lol. If Nic and Luke were just besties, why now follow Anotina back in June when luke was being bullied everyday. A simple hit of the button”follow” would have stopped majority of the troll behavior to Luke. But nooooo, she didn’t follow in June, July, august, September, October, November, December, or January but chooses February to now follow 👀. If you follow Fiat & Fran, they have explained in great detail, why February is an important month.

let’s be honest, Luke was unhinged- and we love it- last night. He lights up around her. Nic tries to play it cool with buddy vibes but soon, she can’t keep up the charade either. I mean, she is literally touching Luke at the dinner tag at the event. The seats are designed to be close enough to talk to one another but space to eat and mingle. Nic’s chair is right next to and close to Luke. When they are on the red carpet, he is talking to someone and she just waits on him. She could have said, I’ll be back. Sunday was the perfect night to let the world know they are friends. They had every media outlet there. And they didn’t do that at all. They went back to no space, never being separated, sitting next to each other at the after party, Nic doing a bad job trying to act like she didn’t know Luke went to that Mexican restaurant- her response, oh you did! Ma’am you know this, you just saw him last night lol. Luke staying: Nic this and Nic that. Nic keeps talking about that baby like it’s their baby. She did that at the Irish award show. It confused on interviewer. Then when the ET lady said- we need a happy ending, Luke just looks at her and smile, awkward silence and Nic goes- hey hey. WTF was that!!!! Now they have people who didn’t know them or part of the GA watching them.

lastly, sorry for the book lol. Fiat made this comment months ago. Luke fell on the sword for his family. Luke would give his kidney to Nic. He took a lot of abuse this summer. What if Nic is falling on the sword for Luke to protect their family. Nic is doing all this to protect something or someone. It may look crazy to some people but it’s doing what she feels is best. I hate to say it, but I fear- if together, Nic and Luke are going to get papped soon. Nic is trying to control the narrative and pookie is no help on that lol. They do compliment one another. Luke is unhinged in person but great with his SM presence. Nic is great with her lives, but she is unhinged on SM lol. I think Nic is on tumblr so she is seeing when people said- why not just follow Antonia.

Thanks for reading.

Don’t apologize anon, I love this. I like the thought process you’re putting out. I agree with so many things you said. The timing is of the follow is definitely weird. But idc about it honestly. I actually laughed when I first saw it all over X, the tweets were so funny. She isn’t fooling anyone! She realized what her and Luke did (reveal that they’re still unhinged together and completely in love) and is trying to throw a curve ball. Or, as I’ve seen, is to help A? Idk. I’m still trying to gather information and figure out where I land on this.

That middle paragraph is 💯. Luke and Nic couldn’t get enough of each other and it was so obvious. They light up together but I agree, Lukey pookie was even more obvious about it. He loves that woman so much.

He did get so much hate, unfairly and we know there was a lot going on bts. She can try to control it as much as she wants but the cat is out of the bag 🙂‍↔️ I hope they don’t get papped either. I want them to come out on their time, when they’re ready. Umm if she is, hello Nic 🤭👀

#lukola #nicola coughlan #luke newton

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sunshinepanic · 3 months ago

Text

Whispers from the Woods

Pairing: Logan Howlett X Reader

Unfortunately: Logan X Jean

Summary: When Professor Xavier sent Logan to find a mutant that had been leaving a trail of dead bodies in their wake the last thing he expected to find was a skittish girl with a smart mouth.

Chapter Warning: Mentions of death, dead body descriptions, anxiety

Not beta read we die like men

WC: 4,169

Note: I have never written Logan or X-men before and everything is probably wrong but Logan has me in a chokehold at the moment and I can’t get him out of my head.

Wolverine Masterlist - Series Masterlist

When the professor’s voice sounded in Logan’s head late last night, informing him that there was something important they needed to discuss in the morning with no other context, Logan didn’t think much of it. The ruckus of children’s voices faded as Logan shoved open the heavy doors to the professor's office. Turning in his chair, a smile broke out on Professor Xavier’s face. “Ah, Logan, thank you for coming. I have something very important I need your help with.” Grunting, Logan follows Professor Xavier towards the screen he has pulled down on the wall. There is a map pulled up, and around a hundred red dots litter the screen. Logan's eyes bounce across the red dots that cover the map spanning several different states. “What’s all this?” The professor turns to Logan. “They are dead bodies.” Cocking an eyebrow, Logan takes in the map again. “Are they mutants?” Professor Xavier sighs. “No, they are human. I’m pretty sure whoever killed them is a mutant.” Turning fully to face the professor, Logan crosses his arms. “What makes you say that?” The screen flashes, crime scene photos popping up across the screen. “A friend of mine working the cases contacted me. There are no wounds, no evidence of any kind to determine how the victims died, except for strange black markings that are found on all of the bodies.” Logan’s eyes scan the photos. Black markings that can only be described as what look like veins spread across the victims bodies, and inky black pools stare back from where their eyes used to be, but those are the only discernible marks on the victims. “So what do you need from me?” Professor Xavier turns the screen off, making Logan turn towards him again. “I need you to locate the mutant responsible for this and bring them back here.” Logan cocked his head to the side. “You mean you know where they are and you just need me to retrieve them?” Sighing, the professor shakes his head. “Unfortunately no. I have tried locating them; even using cerebral, I've come up blank every time. We have no idea where they are, and we have no leads, just the map of where the bodies have been found. That’s why I need you.”

Two days later, Logan finds himself walking into the back door of a small house adorned with caution tape. Professor Xavier’s friend sent him the location where the latest body had been found; he said that he would make sure the back door was unlocked for Logan to get in undetected and that he would meet up with him later in the night so Logan could inspect the body. As Logan walks through the victim's house, nothing seems out of the ordinary. It's a nice place for a single guy. Located in a decent neighborhood, right across from a park. Some dirty dishes in the sink and clothes on the floor are about the only things out of place, but that's nothing unexpected. Logan makes his way through the house, pulling out drawers and going through anything he can think of to find a reason as to why a mutant would want to kill this guy. After coming up empty, Logan heads towards the back door to leave when he’s stopped by a lingering scent that’s a little sharper than the muted scents that fill the rest of the house after standing empty for the last few days. For a brief moment he thinks it’s just a part of the normal chemo signals of the victim, but after going through the rest of the house, the scent is definitely out of place. He follows the faint scent to a rug by the back of the kitchen. Pulling the rug aside, he finds a pull door that he assumes leads to a basement. As soon as he lifts the heavy door open, he’s smacked in the face with more of the warm scent. It smells of cinnamon, vanilla, and petrichor, but under that is a hint of what he can only describe as decaying leaves. It reminds him of the smell in the air when the seasons change from summer to fall. As he makes his way down the stairs, the scent is everywhere. As he moves farther into the basement, he notices a door at the back wall, but when he reaches to open it, he finds it locked. Furrowing his brows, he grips the doorknob, snapping it with ease and causing the door to swing open to reveal a room that’s empty except for a barren mattress and the smell of fear.

It’s dark out, nearing midnight when Logan meets up with the professor’s friend. Brett is a short, stocky guy with sandy blonde hair who apparently has a soft spot for mutants ever since Professor Xavier helped his niece when she presented with powers years ago. Brett lets Logan into the dark building, leading him through a series of hallways into a cold, sterile room. The body of the latest victim is lying on a table in the middle of the room covered by a thin sheet and illuminated by the harsh fluorescent lights above. Logan watches as Brett pulls gloves on and gently pulls the sheet back, revealing the man beneath. It’s definitely the guy from the photos in the house, but instead of the brown eyes that should be looking back at him, the man’s eyes are pools of obsidian, and tendrils of black cascade down his face and across the rest of his body. That same scent from the basement clings to the man’s body, but the scent of decaying leaves is significantly stronger.

The next morning, Logan finds himself walking through the park across from the crime scene. When looking at the map of bodies last night, he noticed that even though the bodies are scattered throughout the city, the woods that line this park are at the center of them. He has a feeling if he’s going to find the mutant he’s looking for, it will be around these woods, but he doesn’t have time to wander around aimlessly in the woods based on an educated guess, and he’s not really sure where to start. The victim has no family nearby, and according to the police, all his coworkers said was that he was a private person but a nice guy. So far the only lead he has is an observation and a scent, and in a city with thousands of people, that doesn’t really help. The park is filled with people. Kids and their parents, enjoying the weather as winter begins to melt into spring and the weather starts to warm up. The air is full of chatter and the high-pitched noise of children’s laughter. Not sure where to go from here, Logan pulls his phone out to contact Professor Xavier, but as he’s pulling up the professor’s contact, a gust of wind blows, and Logan is slapped in the face with the scent of cinnamon, vanilla, petrichor, and decaying leaves. Snapping his head up, Logan shoves his phone in his pocket as he looks around, trying to decipher where the scent is coming from. His eyes lock on a young woman dressed in sneakers, ripped leggings, and an old leather jacket. Normally he wouldn’t think anything of it, but the woman is moving quickly, and she keeps glancing around like she’s checking to see if anyone is watching her. The wind blows again, whipping her hair in his direction, and with it the same scent that’s been driving him crazy for the past twenty-four hours. She takes one last look around before ducking into the woods.

He moves to follow her, keeping his distance so as not to alert her to his presence. The closer he gets to her, the stronger the scent gets, and he knows this is the mutant he has been looking for. He follows her deeper and deeper into the woods, watching as the tension slowly leaves her body the deeper they go until the sounds of chatter and laughter from the park are nothing but a faint echo blown away by the wind. The woman starts to slow her pace, but nothing indicates that she has noticed his presence, so he continues to follow at a distance. He’s so focused on the woman that he doesn’t notice the black smoke-like tendrils that are snaking up his body until they wrap around his wrists and legs, pulling him to a dead stop and anchoring him where he stands. He lets out a harsh growl, and the metallic noise of his claws being unsheathed echoes in the quiet of the woods.

You spin around, taking in the sight of the man that’s been following you. Your eyes scan his tall frame from his boots up his muscular, jean-clad legs, across his white T-shirt and leather jacket, to his admittedly pretty, snarling face that’s covered in scruff, and all the way to his thick, fluffy hair that adorably reminds you of cat ears. Your eyes snap to the blades protruding from between his knuckles. The light is coming through the trees, glinting off of the sharp metal. You smirk at him, a chuckle making its way past your lips. “Ooo knives, are you flirting with me?” As soon as the words leave your lips, he stops struggling against the tendrils holding him in place and shoots you a look like you’ve lost your fucking mind. It makes you break out into a fit of giggles, leaving him even more bewildered. His claws retract back into his hands as he watches you slowly recover from your fit of laughter. Once you catch your breath, you slowly move closer to him. “Who are you and why are you following me?” He looks at you with a deadpan expression, his hazel eyes studying you. “Release me and we can talk.” He watches as your eyes seem to slightly gloss over with a smoky white, but just as quick as it happens, it’s gone. He hears you breathe out “ok” so softly he’s sure he wouldn’t have heard it if not for his enhanced abilities, and the tendrils dissipate from his body. You cross your arms over your chest. “Start talking.” Logan takes a step closer to you just to make sure he can actually move again. “Professor Xavier sent me to come find you.” You furrow your brow. “Who in the hell is that, and why is he sending a model for a romance novel to come find me? What does he want?” The man shakes his head, ignoring your smart-ass remark. “He runs a school. A safe place for mutants. He sent me to come find you.” You shake your head at him. “Why? Do I give off the vibe that I’m in need of a safe space?” The look he gives you is clearly unimpressed. “More like the trail of bodies you’ve been dropping left and right has caught our attention.” You visibly tense up at the mention of the people you’ve killed, like you’re about to bolt at any second. He shakes his head. “Look princess, I was sent here to find you and bring you back to the school one way or another; that’s all I know.” Your eyes scan his face for a minute like you’re looking for some hint of a lie, but after a few seconds you shrug your shoulders, dropping your hands to your sides. “Ok,” and with that, you turn and continue walking farther into the woods. Caught off guard at your unbothered attitude, it takes him a moment to follow after you.

After a few more minutes of hiking through a thicker part of the woods, you come upon a small cave. Logan looks around, taking in your surroundings, his eyes drifting from the fire pit and threadbare blanket to the small amount of snow that still litters parts of the ground outside. You start to gather clothes from around the small cave, quickly shoving them into a threadbare backpack. Logan turns towards you as you shove the last of your meager belongings into your bag. “You’re living here.” It’s said as a statement, no question or judgment in his tone. You pull the strap of your backpack over your shoulder, blowing some of your Y/H/C hair out of your face. “Home sweet home. I got all my stuff; you can proceed with abducting me now.” Logan rolls his eyes and huffs at your snarky remark. You laugh. “Aw, don’t be so grumpy, kitty cat.” He stops mid-turn, grunting when he hears the nickname slip from between your lips. “Don’t call me that.” You walk past him and turn to face him as you continue to walk backward with a smirk on your plush lips. “Well, you never told me your name, so I had to think of something to call you, and your fluffy hair just so happened to strike inspiration in my soul.” Logan rolls his eyes, hoping you don’t notice the slight twitch of his lips holding back a smirk at your sass. “Logan.” A small smile crosses your face as he walks past you. “Are you going to tell me your name now? Or are you going to make me guess?” “My name’s Y/F/N.” You say it so softly he almost misses it and probably would have if he hadn’t been paying attention. Thankfully, the walk out of the woods and back to his truck is silent. He shoots a text to Professor Xavier that he’s on his way back as he slips into the cab of the truck. Your scent engulfs Logan, making him lightheaded, as you climb into the cab of the truck and pull the passenger side door shut. He shakes his head, cracking his window, as the old engine of the truck rumbles to life. Logan looks towards you as he pulls the truck out onto the road. “We have a little over a full day's drive. We’ll stop somewhere for a few hours of sleep tonight. We should make it to the school sometime late tomorrow.

You chew on your thumbnail anxiously, bouncing your leg as you wait for Logan to return from wherever he disappeared to while you were in the shower. You guys stopped at a hole-in-the-wall motel to get some rest for the night. When the crotchety old lady behind the desk informed Logan that there was only a single queen room available, you huffed out a breath, preparing to get back in the truck, but then Logan told the woman he would take it. You looked up at the elderly woman, her judgmental gaze scraping over you before flicking back to Logan as she handed him the room key. You rolled your eyes and blew her a kiss, causing her to scoff as you followed Logan out of the main office and towards your room for the night. When you entered the cramped room and heard the snick of Logan sliding the lock into place, you felt your muscles lock up but quickly made an effort to shake yourself out of it. Logan, seemingly not noticing your internal panic, told you to go ahead and take the first shower, and before he could finish his sentence, you bolted into the bathroom, locking the door behind you. When you emerged from the bathroom freshly clean, you immediately noticed the absence of the giant brooding man that should have been in the room. You quickly looked out the window and clocked that the old truck was missing from the parking lot.

Where did he go? Why would he just leave you in a random hotel? He’s coming back. There is no way he just abandoned you without saying anything. He’s definitely coming back. Why do you care if he comes back?

You reached for your phone before remembering that you didn’t have his number. Sighing, you sat on the edge of the bed in your shorts and oversized shirt and tried not to panic. After what you are sure is only a few minutes but felt like forever, the door handle to your room turns, and you shoot to your feet as Logan comes through the door holding a bag of food. He stops short at your flurry of movement before shutting and locking the door behind him. He tosses the brown bag onto the bed where you had been sitting moments before. “I wasn’t sure what you would want, so I got you a burger.” Your eyes snap from him to the brown bag and back again. “Oh…um…thank you.” He grunts, acknowledging that he heard you, as he makes his way into the bathroom and shuts the door. You hear the shower turn on, and you let out a breath you weren’t even aware you were holding. It feels like a weight has been lifted off your shoulders now that Logan is back in the room with you. You don’t know why, but despite your initial reaction when you entered the room, his presence makes you feel safe in a way you never remember feeling, especially around a stranger. Shaking yourself out of your thoughts, you quickly crawl back on the bed and open the bag of food Logan threw down and tear into the burger, not remembering the last time you actually had one. You lose yourself as the greasy flavors burst across your tongue, and you moan aloud. You’re so caught up in enjoying your food that you don’t notice the shower shut off or the bathroom door opening until you hear a deep chuckle rumbling from Logan’s chest. “I didn’t think the burgers were that good.” Your eyes snap open, and you almost choke on the bite of burger that is in your mouth, your eyes threatening to pop out of your head. Logan stands illuminated by the dingy yellow light of the bathroom. Your gaze slowly travels over the expanse of his bare torso, taking in the ridged lines of muscle and the dusting of dark body hair, following it as it tapers down his stomach before disappearing into the waistband of his jeans. He finishes rubbing a towel through his damp hair before tossing it back into the bathroom. The sound of the wet towel smacking against the tiled floor snaps you out of your daze. Your eyes shoot up to his face, hoping he didn’t notice your reaction to his body, but when you make eye contact, there's a smirk on his handsome face telling you he definitely noticed. You flush with embarrassment as you quickly avert your eyes to the dingy motel bed.

Logan continues to smirk as he makes his way to the foot of the bed and settles in on the floor but thankfully doesn’t comment on your blatant ogling. “You can take the bed. We are going to leave in a few hours, so try to get some rest.” You blink at him before protesting. “It’s fine; you can have the bed! I’ll be fine on the floor; it’s not a problem.” Logan cocks his eyebrow, looking up at you from his place on the floor. “How long have you been sleeping in that cave?” Your gaze snaps to his, hesitating for a moment. “A while.” “How long is a while?” You sigh, knowing he isn’t going to give this up. “A few years.” Logan’s eyebrows climb to his hairline before he can school his features. "Before that I was sleeping in an abandoned barn a few states over, and before that I was sleeping in a shack on the beach.” Logan shakes his head while staring at you. His eyes travel over your body, taking in the fact that you have scrapes, cuts, and bruises decorating your arms and legs that are clearly visible now that you are clean from the dirt and grime of the woods. “How long have you been on your own? Where’s your family?” You look away, debating on if you are going to answer or not. “I took off when I was fifteen, right after I discovered that I was different. No one cared that I left, and no one is looking for me. I’ve been drifting around ever since.” Logan searches your face, seemingly accepting your answer, before lying back down on the floor. “Try to get some sleep.” You sigh, but you crawl up the bed and settle down in the middle of it. You close your eyes, thinking there is no way you will be able to sleep with a stranger in the same room as you, but you find yourself slowly drifting off to the sound of Logan’s steady breathing.

The rapid beating of your heart and your panicked breathing pull Logan towards consciousness. When his eyes shoot open, black tendrils are swirling around the room like smoke as you thrash on the bed, a scream tearing its way out of your throat. Logan quickly crawls onto the bed, grabbing ahold of your shoulders. The tips of your fingers turn black, and it’s slowly snaking its way up your arms. He calls your name, trying to wake you from whatever nightmare you’re trapped in. Hearing your name being yelled from a distance slowly pulls you out of your nightmare and back towards consciousness. As your body stops fighting against Logan and your eyes slowly drift open, the swirling black around the room seems to dissipate, and the inky black that had been taking over your arms quickly recedes to your fingertips until it is like it was never there. Logan’s eyes quickly scan over your body to make sure you aren’t hurt before he releases your shoulders. “Are you alright?” You slowly get off the bed, your breathing ragged and chest heaving as you mumble out that you’re fine while making your way into the bathroom. Logan sighs, rubbing his hands through his hair and over his face as you shut the door. There is no way he is getting back to sleep, and after what just happened, he doubts you'll be able to sleep again either. He pulls a shirt on and gently raps his knuckles against the bathroom door. “I’ll be out in the truck. Whenever you’re ready, we can head out.” From inside the bathroom, you quickly swipe the angry tears that are streaking down your face. Embarrassment and fear sit heavy in your gut. The thought that you could have killed him because you’re not strong enough to handle your nightmares makes vomit bubble in the back of your throat. The idea of you hurting someone while you are unconscious terrifies you, and if you had hurt Logan or worse, you don’t know what you would have done. You pull yourself together as quickly as possible, not wanting to be any more of a burden on Logan than you already are by making him wait for you. You wash your face and take a few deep breaths before you walk out of the bathroom and quickly slip your worn sneakers back on before grabbing your bag and making your way out to the truck.

Logan sits in the driver's seat of the old truck with the window rolled down. The smoke from the cigar that’s clenched between his teeth curling into the dark. He looks completely unbothered, like he has all the time in the world. The embers on the end of his cigar flame a little brighter as he inhales the rich smoke, and he glances in your direction. He looks almost relieved at your presence, and the anxiety that had gripped your chest starts to loosen. When you climb into the cab of the truck, Logan flicks his cigar onto the pavement outside. You sit in silence for a moment before his rough voice reaches your ears. “I have them too.” You turn to look at him, taking in his side profile, your eyes tracing the sharp angles of his face, as he stares straight ahead out of the windshield. “Everyone has nightmares.” He shakes his head. “Not everyone has to worry about killing somebody when they have one, though." You flinch at the comment, but he continues like he didn't notice even though you're sure he did. "The nightmares… Sometimes they feel so real that when you wake up, you don’t realize it was a dream… I’ve lashed out while I was out of it. I’ve hurt people… I’ve hurt a few hundred mattresses too.” He snickers at his own joke, the sound breaking the tense atmosphere your nightmare had plunged you into. You feel the corner of your lips twitch into a small smile, but whether it’s from the bad joke itself or the sound of him chuckling at his own joke, you can’t be sure. With the heavy atmosphere gone, you settle back in your seat as he starts the car and pulls out onto the empty street.

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literaryvein-reblogs · 5 months ago

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what to do if there's too much dialogue in my story? how do i fix the 'not enough action'?

also what if my story's too short? it's supposed to be a novel

How Long Should a Novel Be? If you’re writing your first novel, the general rule of thumb for novel writing is a word count in the 80,000 to 100,000 range.

While anything over 40,000 words can fall into the novel category, 50,000 is considered the minimum novel length.

Anything over 110,000 words is considered too long for a fiction novel.

Each book in J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy has an enormous word count, with the longest clocking in at over 175,000 words.

Despite their ongoing success, those epic sagas are the rare exception to general word count rules.

Typically, you’ll want your novel to be much shorter.

Within the world of literary fiction, different genres follow more specific word count targets:

Thriller: A good suspense story has to keep the plot moving to keep the reader engaged. The ideal count for a mystery is a 70,000 and 90,000 word novel.

Science fiction and fantasy: Sci-fi novels are an art in world-building. The need to invent a completely new environment makes this genre longer than others. A fantasy novel will usually have 90,000 to 120,000 words.

Romance novels: Not every love story is an epic like Wuthering Heights. Romantic plots now tend to be fun, fast reads. Some are as short as 50,000 words—the perfect book for a beach vacation. The high-end romance novel word count is 100,000.

Historical fiction: Fleshing out an imagined historical world lends itself to a higher word count, so historical fiction tends to be closer to 100,000 words.

Non-fiction: There is no definitive word count guide for non-fiction books due to the many subgenres. If you’re writing a non-fiction book, be sure to look up that category to find the length of similar books. For example, memoirs are generally 80,000 to 90,00 words.

Reasons Word Count Is Important in Writing. While there are no hard and fast rules on the amount of words a book needs, there are highly-suggested guidelines in the traditional publishing industry, especially for first time authors.

Unless you’re self-publishing, you’ll need to pay attention to how many words you use to compose your first draft. Here are 3 reasons why word count is important:

Shorter novels are more marketable. A literary agent and traditional publisher are less likely to take a chance on long novels when they come from a new writer. An adult fiction book is most marketable in the suggested word count.

Longer novels are more expensive to print. Longer books increase the number of pages that need to be printed. That makes them more expensive to print and a bigger investment.

Audiences expect a certain word count. Audiences are used to a certain story length and page count, so an unknown author can attract more readers by staying in the expected range.

Too Much Dialogue. Some stories rely heavily on dialogue. Others have very little. Most strike a balance somewhere in between.

To determine what's right for your own story, consider the effect so much dialogue has on the reader's experience.

What atmosphere does it create?

How does it impact the reader's understanding of the characters or the situation?

Keep in mind the role of dialogue and its limitations.

Some dialogue-heavy fictions fail because the dialogue is used carelessly.

Make sure you're not cramming information into dialogue when it might be more appropriate in narrative.

Also, be thoughtful when considering what to include in an exchange.

Crafting a scene is all about selectivity and you should include only what's important.

Example: Post-work chitchat might be commonplace in real life, but it's not terribly exciting in fiction. If the heart of the scene is to reveal a character's insecurities about the drive, we don't need fluff taking up space.

Since there's no set formula for how much dialogue you can use, keep an eye out for these common pitfalls and consider the effect of a dialogue-heavy read in the context of your work.

This should help you figure out if you've used too much or just the right amount.

Is it possible to use too much dialogue?

Here's one answer: No, a story can't have too much dialogue. Plenty of stories, including many by Ernest Hemingway and Raymond Carver, rely heavily on dialogue.

Of course, the opposite answer is true, too: Yes, it's possible to use too much dialogue. If the dialogue is unnecessary, it's “too much." That might happen in a story packed full of dialogue or one that has only a few lines of it. Exchanges should move the story forward and reveal something significant.

Relying on dialogue may be a stylistic choice, but an exchange shouldn't be an indiscriminate volley of words. It should have purpose.

More strategies for improving the dialogue in your own work:

Mix dialogue with narration. Long runs of dialogue can dislodge a reader from the action of a scene. As your characters talk, interpolate some descriptions of their physical postures or other activity taking place in the room. This mimics the real-world experience of listening to someone speaking while simultaneously taking in visual and olfactory stimuli.

Give your main character a secret. Sometimes a line of dialogue is most notable for what it withholds. Even if your audience doesn’t realize it, you can build dynamic three-dimensionality by having your character withhold a key bit of information from their speech. For instance, you may draft a scene in which a museum curator speaks to an artist about how she wants her work displayed—but what the curator isn’t saying out loud is that she’s in love with the artist. You can use that secret to embed layers of tension into the character’s spoken phrases.

Look to great examples of dialogue for inspiration. If you're looking for a dialogue example in the realm of novels or short stories, consider reading the great books written by Mark Twain, Judy Blume, or Toni Morrison. Within the world of screenwriting, Aaron Sorkin is renowned for his use of dialogue.

Tips for "not enough action"

Create visuals. Use action in a concise, impactful manner in order to deliver strong images for the audience. The clearer your scenes are, the more easily the audience can understand and absorb them. You don’t want readers or viewers to be hung up on seemingly impossible details or sequences that don’t flow. Visuals that get right to the point and can be quickly understood are best for conveying action.

Technical writing style. Whether you’re writing descriptive paragraphs in a novel or stage directions in a script or screenplay, you must be able to articulate the scene you envision in your head without wearing down your reader with technical drivel. Balancing specific details of your action sequences with a propulsive story isn’t easy to do. Sometimes a great action sequence doesn’t come together in a first draft, so focus your revisions on clarifying each action and providing vivid detail without besieging your reader with dull technical terms.

Striking a balance. There are no hard-and-fast rules about when and when not to blend dialogue, action, and narrative. To weave them together well is to find your story's rhythm. But there are a few questions you can ask yourself about your story, especially in the rewrite stage, that can help you know which elements are most effective for a particular scene, and which might be better used elsewhere.

Ask yourself:

Is the story moving a little too slowly, and do I need to speed things up? (Use dialogue.)

Is it time to give the reader some background on the characters so they're more sympathetic? (Use narrative, dialogue, or a combination of the two.)

Do I have too many dialogue scenes in a row? (Use action or narrative.)

Are my characters constantly confiding in others about things they should only be pondering in their minds? (Use narrative.)

Likewise, are my characters alone in their heads when my characters in conversation would be more effective and lively? (Use dialogue.)

Is my story top-heavy in any way at all—too much dialogue, too much narrative, or too much action? (Insert more of the elements that are missing.)

Are my characters providing too many background details as they're talking to each other? (Use narrative.)

Whether we're using dialogue, action, or narrative to move the story forward, any or all 3 of these elements are doing double duty by revealing our characters' motives.

Your story's dialogue can reveal motive in a way that's natural and authentic because whether we're aware of it or not, we reveal our own motives all the time in our everyday lives.

And to understand a character's motive is to understand the character.

Sources: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 ⚜ More: References ⚜ Writing Resources PDFs

More Tips & References on Dialogue

On Narrative Pacing

Hope this helps with your writing!

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