#trying to say it's bad to put a character in a certain scenario because it would be bad in real life

[andiv3r]

I think my first signal that I'm not gonna like someone is when they try to make other people turn fandom into activism.

[xjulixred45x]

Hey do you think you could do record of ragnarok characters like hades and maybe other with reader who's like mileena from mortal kombat 1 with the scenario she was there lover and she was hiding her disease from them because

If you don't know mileena is she a princess with a tarkat disease that affects her mouth a facial deformed and when tarkat affects her she goes berserk attacking people and trying to eat people

Ps sorry if I spelt some of this wrong English is not my first language and you don't have to do this if it's complicated

i just cheked some of her trivia and its an interesting concept! Since You said i can add another, i'll put Qin Shi Huang.

Hades/Qin Shi Huang x Mileena!Reader

Genre: Headcanons

Reader: female

Warnings: spoilers from Round 7, i am a noob in all that is Mortal Kombat SO if i get something wrong i'm sorry, Reader is like Mileena, she has a disasce that make her face deform, is kind of sadistic and a great fighter.

Hades

• Hades is used to dealing with beings of all kinds, living in Heilhaim that is daily bread.

• However, you have to know how to handle these creatures, some are simply demons without reason, others are smarter, and others rule important parts of the underworld, so they must be supervised very carefully.

• That was what happened with a certain demonic family, one from the east, who, although they had a bad reputation, the power they had over the underworld was undeniable, so it was important to maintain a formal relationship.

• That was how he and the reader initially met.

• Well, something like that. Hades always saw the reader behind his father whenever they talked about some matter related to the regulation of the underworld, but they didn't get to interact the first few times.

• She simply looked at him intensely, wanting to analyze all his movements, looking like a domesticated animal. It was intriguing, to say the least.

• Hades tried to talk to her a couple of times, either asking her opinion on the topics he discussed with his father or some casual topic. The result was almost always the same, a growl with a stern frown.

• Hades had to control himself not to laugh and probably make her even angrier, maybe for other people that would have been intimidating, but for him it was the equivalent of a kitten meowing.

• And in the few occasions where she didn't show a hostile side towards him, she was hostile towards other people. Whether it was showing her high knowledge in martial arts, destroying her enemies (preferably with her Sai's), she even sometimes went out and came back with blood stains on the mask she always wore.

• Which only made the interest of the king of the underworld increase.

• Fortunately, Hades had the opportunity to talk to the reader properly when his father was um- indisposed, and she had to handle family matters.

• I don't think Hades is the least bit fazed by Reader's interest in violence (or even cannibalism), it is the underworld after all, aside from the fact that seeing her get excited is almost adorable (she almost reminds him of Adamas).

• As a means of getting to know her, Hades asks her some philosophical questions, but he realizes pretty quickly that almost all of Reader's answers resolve around one theme: power.

• Power over people, over the masses, destructive power, power to do whatever you want. That seemed to be Reader's main mission, to gain power no matter what it takes. Above all, over her stupid father (Hades can relate to that to a certain extent).

• If we go further, even if they reach a friendly relationship, it will take a while for Reader to decide to share the fact that she is sick, precisely because she doesn't want to be seen as someone vulnerable (especially not to someone much stronger than her, both because of her pride and past experiences).

• Thankfully that doesn't matter anymore once they start a relationship.

• Now, to be honest, Hades doesn't give a damn if reader makes humans' lives miserable, as long as she's happy, he can provide her with whatever she needs (this also applies to getting human flesh to eat in a more civilized way, for example).

• (although I have a feeling Hades likes to wipe reader's face when she comes back from a "snack outing", just something funny that came to mind)

• As much as people complain about him, Hades can't see reader's anger outbursts as anything other than hilarious, he probably likes to watch the show up close, just enjoying seeing his wife in her element.

• As for the illness, there's nothing to worry about, in many ways.

• One, Hades really doesn't care that reader doesn't have a conventional appearance, more so in this case because she's sick, and he tries to be as supportive and understanding as possible.

• He doesn't encourage the use of the mask to cover the reader's face, but he doesn't discourage it either, since he knows it's a way to feel comfortable. But he probably constantly reminds her that it's not her appearance that he loves most about her.

• Hades probably asks Beelzebub to investigate the reader's illness, precisely to find a cure. If it's not possible through modern medicine or Beelzebub's experiments, Hades isn't against giving the reader Ichor in order to avoid her suffering.

• Although in general, if the illness is just a deformity and doesn't threaten the reader's life, Hades is fine with not taking immediate action. Yes, it feels weird (especially for him, who always got used to taking care of another), but again, he won't do anything that the reader isn't comfortable with.

• They are the dynamic of majestic husband and gremlin wife personified. Nothing more to add.

Qin Shi Huang

• This moron (lovingly)

• I think it's more likely that Qin meets Reader after his round, when he's a little sensitive from losing his arm.

• He meets Reader by chance, just by hanging out in the same areas (being part of the same pantheon), and at first, Qin didn't think much of her.

• Until he started seeing her more often, and started to be on the alert.

• Qin thought that, maybe, after what happened with Hades, Adamantine would have sent someone to kill him, but at the same time it was strange that this girl was just lurking around.

• Although of course, Qin didn't see her as a real threat, not after winning his round with a GOD, so he didn't even tell the Valkyries, being curious about this woman and what intentions she had.

• When he eventually fully recovered, Qin went to a fairly open place shortly, thinking that this way the woman would finally show her face and want to, at least, talk to him.

• and he wasn't wrong! If it had been anyone else, the Sai that had been thrown from a distance would have pierced his head, but for him it was like stopping a paper airplane.

• As Qin inspected the weapon, he nonchalantly spoke to the woman, about how he had already sensed it from the start, but was curious as to why someone would want to watch him for so long, or in this case, try to kill him a second time.

• However, the woman only seemed more and more irritated with the emperor's words and the lack of one of her weapons, growling and getting angry.

• At least she could tell him her name, right? She surely knew his, right? It was only fair!

• Reader just rolled her eyes and rushed straight to fight the arrogant emperor, who, although he was now missing an arm and had recent wounds, still moved VERY well, giving very strong blows, BEING very strong.

• That was precisely why Reader had sought him out. She wanted to face someone interesting, someone strong, someone who, if she defeated, would put her somewhere in the power hierarchy.

• The strong, after all, are the ones who stay on top, that's how things were, if she wanted power, she had to start with the big fish.

• And to be honest, the fight was interesting, but it was easy for someone like Qin to beat reader. That wasn't even the most frustrating thing about it all.

• The most frustrating thing about it all was that Qin Shi Huang had gained some interest in her, so every time he saw her, he stuck to her like glue and kept pestering her to talk to him about what? A little bit of everything, about her techniques, about the handling of her weapons, where she learned this and that, if he was her type, etc.

• I genuinely think Qin would be VERY INTERESTED in a partner who can kick his ass, or at least put up a fight (being on the spectrum of being strong in general), so reader, even with her bad start, definitely ends up being his type.

• If we go by the general idea of the relationship, both are gremlins who enjoy making life miserable for valkyries.

• Do you think Qin Shi Huang would be disgusted by reader's pseudo cannibalistic tendencies? bitch, he literally drink MERCURY WITH JADE thinking that it would give him IMMORTALITY, even if he was he can't judge her diet decisions.

• They are like two sides of the same coin, while Qin is a proper leader figure, reader is more of a power figure who seeks domination. They are different, but similar.

• They definitely bond through fighting! This helps a lot because reader even improves her physical condition, which makes her illness not spread faster.

• Speaking of which, I don't think Qin had any suspicions as to why reader was covering her face in the first place (I mean, he covers his eyes for his own reasons) and thought it was just part of his style.

• Does he seem worried when reader tells him? Not really, he wants to make fun of it. Does he still act like a motherfucking hen the minute reader isn't taking medication? Yep.

• It's not really a matter of appearances with Qin (motherfucker has his eyes BLINDED most of the time) but rather he's more concerned about the health aspect. Luckily Valhalla has all the medicine that the earthly plane doesn't, so they'll be fine.

• A pair of gremlins who enjoy causing trouble together.

Shares, reblogs and comments are very welcome!

[if-you-heart]

A small ramble on Canon vs Fanon, alternatively titled; Hey! You’re part of the “Fanon”! Now what?

I’ve been thinking about this a lot as of recent, I just haven’t had the time to properly jot my thoughts down. I like to put a generous distance between myself and the fanbase that comes with basically any piece of media I get into, and this also goes for the fandom that’s been built around CCCC and the rest of Chonny Jash’s albums. Don’t get me wrong, there are some lovely people here from whom I’ve interacted with (and from how far I’ve been willing to stick my head out of my own little crevice in this place), but I’ve noticed that, unfortunately, this album isn’t free from what’s been happening in more “recent” fandoms.

This isn’t me stoning anyone specifically. This is purely a generalized observation I’ve made during the (checks calendar) 8 or so months I’ve been floating around this space. same goes for every other fandom I check in on.

One of the biggest things l've come to notice the most is how the line between "canon" and "fanon" seems to be blurring more and more each day. Especially here. CCCC is first and foremost an album covering another album. Things are not explicitly narrated like a storyline you'd see in a movie or something. That doesn't mean there isn't a story to be told, but a lot of it is more up the air than most media out there right now. To my knowledge, certain events/incidents that appear to be a staple in many interpretations that I’ve seen (including my own!) only exist because of how the fanbase perceived the narration inside the songs. Which in of itself isn’t a bad thing at all— I’ve seen some really creative stuff from artists who connect to the album purely for how it describes the struggles of mental health and simply being in a bad place.

HOWEVER. There comes a point where I think it’s necessary that a line be drawn..! I’m mostly talking about the ridiculous amount of gore and torture I’ve seen in the depths here.

I have absolutely nothing against gore by itself. I’m a Resident Evil fan of all things. it does not bother me. However, there is one crucial thing to keep in mind when indulging in media of varying… maturity ratings. And that is that there is a TIME and a PLACE where such content should be the main focus in fanmade work. For example, there is a lot of fanart and writing surrounding the topic of absolutely horrific levels of torture here. Which is very disconcerting to me! Because there is nothing, and I mean NOTHING whatsoever in any of these songs that even imply the idea of, say, soul beating heart and mind with a long sock filled with quarters (pretend that example is some jigsaw level torture scenario or something because I ain’t typing allat). There’s already a lot of dark themes in the album. Why we stackin em now? Are we listening to the same album??

And I’m not talking about this just because I went “oh…that’s gore of my comfort character.” a couple dozen times now. I sincerely think that a lot of people sort of forgot that this album is a vent album. Made by a real guy. Venting about his own poor mental health. It’s great that people can connect to the characters in CCCC because they may feel the same way that they do, but I don’t think anyone would appreciate seeing the characters they constructed to express the nuance of mental health and coming to accept every part of themselves absolutely mauling each other like bloodlusted gorillas. It kinda takes away from the point of self acceptance at the end of the album if you ask me.

This does not mean every single part of the fandom is bad. not at all. There just happens to be a lot of bizarre shit here. however, just because you may not agree with these more violent interpretations does not mean you aren’t a part of the “fanon”. I think a lot of people try to vehemently deny that they fall under the fanon category (and denounce it altogether) because of the negativity surrounding the term fanon now. But truth be told, if you’ve made your own fan interpretation/au with a storyline based off of the songs, with creative liberties taken, you are part of the fanon group. This is not always a bad thing! In fact it’s better to embrace this so newer fans who are getting into CCCC and such don’t immediately think certain fanmade events/headcanons are real things that occur in the album. Because it eventually turns into a game of telephone for those who do not communicate that these aren’t canon, and then we’re back at square one.

I’m by no means the headcanon police. Do whatever the hell you want. Just be courteous and mindful about what you’re putting out there maybe.

Moral of the story, maybe listen to the album all the way through a couple more times. And please, do NOT trust genius lyric annotations, I am BEGGING you.

[meowordeath]

Identity v characters with s/o who can’t cook!

w/ Eli Clark, Ganji Gupta & Victor Grantz

A/N: I don’t think could ever not include Eli in one of my little scenarios. I am so pissed i wrote a Norton part and it got deleted so I just decided to remove him.

Eli Clark

Eli supported you in everything you wanted to do, you want to try knitting? He’ll wear whatever you make, your feeling like you want to pick up art? He’s free to model, Brooke as well!

He’s always there to encourage these little fixations you pick up… but this cooking fixation you have, it just might kill him.

Whatever you were cooking currently smelt terrible, he wouldn’t be surprised if the whole manor could smell it, and you’ve forbade him to watch saying ‘he makes too many suggestions.’

He waited anxiously at the table, Brooke rose sat on his shoulder comfortably. When you exit the kitchen and he didn’t even want to see what was under the lid to the dish.

You smiled setting the it down in front him, and though he was smiling back he was feeling lots of dread entering his body.

“I think this one might be my best dish yet!” You say excitedly lifting the lid to… he honestly didn’t even know.

He said the same sentences of ‘wow, smells delicious’ and ‘looks too good to eat..!’ Words he used to prolong the inevitable.

Prolong he did for a total 2 minutes, before you decided to bring the fork with whatever it was on it to his mouth.

Not reacting to this dish was a testament of strength, one of which he lost, as well as whatever he had for breakfast.

Yeah you definitely felt very guilty that you had been making him stuff this whole time, when he hated it.

Ganji Gupta

He’s a picky eater and you know this because every time you offer him something you made he turned it down because he doesn’t like certain things in it.

You don’t feel discouraged, not like cooking is your passion it’s just something you do to pass the time occasionally.

Whatever Ganji doesn’t take ends up being fed to Murro’s boar. It’s not like boar complained even seemed to enjoy it.

The one time he didn’t turn you down he hadn’t known it was you who had cooked it.

He had, had a late match. Unfortunately the match was against Mad-eyes and had taken forever.

He had hoped you’d save him something to eat from dinner, but considering his fellow survivors he knew the task was damn near impossible.

When entering the kitchen he greeted you and asked if there was anything left from dinner, to which you responded handing him a plate of, well he didn’t look, he didn’t even hear you saying ‘no, but-‘

Too hungry from the long drawn out match he just took a bite, only for his face to twist into disgust. He spat the sour and somehow salty dish back onto the plate.

“Gods, whoever cooked tonight needs to be banned from the kitchen.” He said bluntly.

You blink with a blank stare before telling him you’re the one who made it. He apologized for hours following you around, as you scold him for never telling you your cooking was bad.

Victor Grantz

It was gonna be Victors birthday soon, and you wanted to do something nice since he had done cute stuff for your birthday.

You made him a birthday card, drawing cute doodles on it including a small Wick doodle. During your birthday Victor had made you a small cake, and you wanted to return the favor.

You’ve never made a cake before though so you had asked Naib if he knew how. You were thinking since he likes food he must know how to cook as well.

Naib listed off thing in a cake. ‘Eggs, flour, butter, salt and sugar lots and lots of sugar, because you know cakes are sweet.’ Those had been his exact instructions.

He didn’t exactly give you measurements, so you put these items in, to your hearts content.

You probably used half a bag of sugar for this supposed to be small cake. All said and done you put it in the oven, instruction unspecified by Naib so you just guessed.

Victor had been oblivious to your scheme. He had read the sweet, heartfelt letter you left for him that morning, his heart just about melted, he’d definitely make sure to respond to it.

He was soon invited to the kitchen by you and upon arrival you wish him a happy birthday while holding a plate with a small burnt? but also raw? Cake.

He knew this was probably going to give him food poisoning but he’d eat it for you because he loves you oh so dearly, and eat he did.

The next day Victor had serve food poisoning. But not once did he regret eating the cake. He had also wrote you multiple letters reassuring you it wasn’t your fault and you two should cook together next time.

Still so mad nortons got deleted. I hope anyone who reads this enjoys it! I did not proof read!

[soleminisanction]

Issue 6 of "The Saga of the Super Sons" answers an important question: where the fuck has Dick been in this scenario?

Answer, apparently: At college.

Which is... where Bruce Junior is supposed to be. Bruce Junior, whose mother Bruce almost certainly met years after he took Dick in as a ward. Bruce Junior, who appears to be younger than Dick, but not by that much.

If you came at a Silver or Bronze Age writer with today's modern "but why is this character still 17" bullshit, I think they'd laugh directly in your face.

By the by, Dick is here because Bruce has been murdered.

I guess some things never change.

This does present an amusing comparison with the more modern takes on the subject like Prodigal/Knightfall, Gotham Knights (the game) and Battle for the Cowl, because here the boys treat Batman like something they expect to be left to one of them in Bruce's legal, actual will, like the one read out loud by his lawyer, implying the lawyer would be in on the whole secret identity thing.

When that obviously doesn't happen they come to an agreement to both... team up? But also compete? To find out who murdered Bruce, and whoever does the actual uncovering wins the cowl. This, for... reasons involves seal hunting in the Arctic and, ah... northern Native people. Which means a lot of use of a certain slur that all Natives in that biome used to (and still do) get lumped under, which I shall endeavor to write around but just know, there's a lot of it. Like, a lot. A loooooot.

Less awkwardly, check out what Dick Dillin apparently thought a killer whale looked like:

Hell, look at those mildly demonic black seals. I know this was pre-Internet dude but you could've gone to your local library. Or picked up a Seaworld ad.

Another thing that apparently never changes: Super-Sons comics insisting that only blood relatives count as "real" children.

To be fair, I wasn't actually expecting to see Dick referred to as Bruce's son at all in this. And Bruce Jr. is the only one who says this, and he's pretty consistently portrayed as the more immature and bratty one in this equation, so it doesn't really feel like the story is "agreeing" with him, it's just an interesting parallel.

Of course, because this is the 70s, they don't have any consideration for things like tactical costume changes or the realities of being mostly normal guys in the Arctic. So, though the boys arrive wearing sensible parkas, once they change into their superhero costumes Dick is just, snow shoeing through the tundra and water skiing behind a seal in his short sleeves and bare legs.

You'll probably be grateful to hear that the white industrial seal hunter is in fact the bad guy of this story -- this is actually one of the more cohesive stories in the saga so far in that regard. Simon Link was exploiting the land by killing too many seals, and then massacred part of the native village when they fought back trying to stop him, so this man Malook wanted to kill him. But, unable to find him and unable to get the white authorities to listen to him, he instead traveled to America to target his business partner, Bruce Wayne.

Bruce Junior is appalled by the accusations but, interestingly, Dick is willing to hear the guy out. When Link's crime is exposed (with the help of the Supers Senior and Junior, natch), he tries to escape across the ice.... disguised as a seal... aaaaand...

Huh. Okay then. Justice is served, I guess.

Oh also Bruce Senior's still alive.

I mean... good on you for realizing the need to make amends for funding exploitative colonialism, Brucie-boy, but did you have to do it in a way that put your son through the exact same trauma you went through? Complete with the murder mystery dinner theater death scene?

Not to mention your poor wife, do you know how much shit you two have put her through in the last however long it's been?? Junior faked his death complete with a full funeral in the first issue of the saga and now you're doing the same thing! If you actually did marry Talia she'll gut you both the next time she sees you and probably Dick too just because she's never liked him.

Anyway, for a parting shot, check out the image they used to advertise this story on the cover, it's one of the funniest things I've ever seen. Beware the Ominous Pixie Boot!

[vasito-de-leche]

A short (or not) ramble of scenarios and questions for reverse: 1999 self aware. (sorry if this bothers you, I just don’t have enough confidence to post it on my own blog (plus I love your content))

- Okay so first of all, in the main page of the game, when you click on the upper left corner with your level and username, you go to a screen with Vertin looking fly as ever along with some user information.

So if Vertin can see the game’s ui, then she can see the year in which the player has joined the game (2023-2024). I haven’t dived deep into Vertin’s character so I can’t portray her reaction to much, but I feel like she would tell this info to someone close like Sonetto.

Also our motto: I put “When in a rush, say ‘runs in high heels cutely.’”. I’d be so embarrassed if anyone (even fictional sentient characters) saw that. Like im dead.

On that topic, when you mentioned in your Sonetto self aware post that she can sometimes see us, and honestly, I’d be even more embarrassed. Cause like, if any of the characters from games I played, were sentient and could see me, id pray they didn’t see my bad angle. Like imagine looking up to the sky to see, just for a second, the chin of a head as the hands go to scratch their nose. Like the first impressions I would make.

- P2p players. Imagine the player spending money on the game (at the risk of Vertin possibly seeing their credit card number) to help level up or get costumes for their fave characters.

(Some misc. questions)

-what would happen if player didn’t log in the game for a while (a week to a month as best) cause I would ditch some games to spend more time on others

- What does Vertin think of the mail messages that the player gets? Like the latest mail I got was the discord event invitation. Upon closer inspection and critical thinking, it would hint that there would be more players other than us because it says the winners get 60 clear drops (oh and money too)

- If I remember correctly, I think you mentioned about Vertin hearing the player sometimes. So imagine her hearing us trash talk certain character *cough* Constantine *cough*.

(Anyways, I love your content ❤️ especially your fmn headcanons, can’t wait to see more posts!!)

;R1999 - Self-Aware AU (2)

Answering some questions and discussing the Self-Aware AU. A follow up of this post.

not a bother at all, you bring up really good questions and details that are fun to explore! I'm glad you like my stuff, have a nice day o7!

On the subject of Vertin seeing the player's profile.

With the way I intended to portray Vertin within the AU, I don't think she would be affected by the date on the Player's profile!

This is the date you came into contact with her from your perspective, whatever time and space that flows within your world, not hers─the world behind the fourth barrier that she cannot see nor hear nor even fathom, let alone try to make sense of. In a way, it's like expecting ants to care about concepts we made up, such as time. They understand night and day, they do not understand 3PM nor 8AM.

Is it truly proof that time can go beyond 1999, when this is something that only she can see? When it doesn't affect a single thing within her universe by being part of a game menu meant for your eyes only? There's also the fact that she finds out the proper time of the world in the 1.4 update, in Chapter 05.

Her dynamic with the Player is something I like to keep vague, so that everyone can fill in the blanks, but ultimately it is something so complex and private for Vertin─who sees it as a one-sided relationship, since she cannot hear nor see you, unlike other arcanists who may reach the 100% bond─that I don't think she would talk about it with anyone, not even Sonetto! The name on your profile and whatever message you've written there are secrets she will take to her grave. The idea of Vertin being the eyes and hands of the Player, but having no way to truly see or hear them makes for a really fun concept to explore!

And on the subject of messages, let's be honest, if you've written something funny or some modern shitpost, chances are she won't understand it LMFAO so it's okay! I literally just have my socials and "men enjoyer" listed there.

Oh! But since you brought it up, the message section could be a fun, little way to communicate with Vertin, since she can read what's on there!

As for P2P players, Vertin wouldn't see any information from the Player's credit card since that's something that happens outside the app lolol. Like, to me, it directly opens to google play transaction stuff.

On the subject of the player dropping the game for long periods of time.

Hmm, in the first post I said that there might be characters ouside Vertin and her suitcase who may be self-aware, with their own goals and such. But nothing truly "matters" unless the Player is there to witness it. So to keep including these possibilities and details, I feel like there's two options, pick whichever you like the most!

One, time continues as usual within the game─but once it reaches an important date where the plot is meant to kick in with some important event, it simply resets back to where you left it. This is a world that exists outside of your perception, but cannot continue without you.

Two, time freezes entirely within the game─but only for those who are not self-aware. Keep in mind we're talking about long periods of time, this wouldn't happen if you log in every day, or every few days. This is what happens when your phone picks up the fact that Reverse: 1999 is one of the unused apps taking up space in your phone. This is a world that stops existing once you stop looking at it.

In both options, the Wilderness would remain unaffected as it seems to be entirely disconnected from the flow of time and space outside of it.

On the subject of the game's mail.

Since the messages auto-delete and all, I can't check but I'm pretty sure Vertin receives mail too? There were a few ones from a few characters a while back like Druvis III or An-an Lee, and I think the implication is that they were vaguely addressing Vertin?

If someone has screenshots and can confirm this, please let me know!

Either way, the easy answer is that yeah, she knows this is a game, so she could make the assumption that there's more players. She has access to your friend list, after all! And even if you don't have anyone added, the fact that it exists is enough for her to start connecting the dots.

I don't remember saying that Vertin can hear the Player, though! I think I was pretty consistent with her not being able to see nor hear you, to have the Player as some sort of eldritch, unknowable entity. But I also write so much stuff in this blog that it's hard to keep up sometimes lolol, if I've mentioned somewhere that Vertin can hear the player, it was a mistake!

[leonawriter]

Assuming Dante really is Ayin, what do you think would happen if Dante regained Ayin's memories, and somehow both groups ended up wanting to exclusively have Dante/Ayin back with them while refusing to share, and now Dante would be forced to choose between staying with the Sinners vs the Sephirahs?

Well, I'm going to have to say that starting with that premise alone would give a foundation of bad faith in the characters of both groups.

What I think would happen (or that I would very much like to have happen) is something I've talked about a little in chat at times, which is that Dante themself is going to have a Canto of their own, which is either the result of or the cause of them remembering their past as Ayin.

This would be after all other Cantos- so, each one of the Sinners will go in knowing and understanding that this person is someone who not only helped them in their darkest moments and pulled them back up to their feet (helping them "stand up straight," har har) but also someone who is Just Like Them. And that they'll see Dante struggling the exact same ways they have.

Talking about the Sinners here, but none of them have a decided place to return to once the journey is done. I think that this is part of what makes them "Sinners" - if they simply went back "home," then they would be hunted down, persecuted, or arrested by any number of various groups.

This includes Dante [Ayin], and is also part of why I think that regardless whether they all try to stick together and make the "found family" idea that some of them (especially Heathcliff) have been putting forward into action, or if they drift apart and all find their own places in the City after the Company has finished having need of them and the journey is over, they'll still be inseparably tied together by their experiences. They're the ones that they can each turn to when shit goes south.

That said... let's focus on the Library, because I think that for one thing, Dante/Ayin would not, on regaining their memories, be certain that they had a place there. The Library has all of its floors. It has a full cohort. Ayin hurt each and every single person living there. Why would they want him to come back?

Which, funnily enough, ties into how none of the Sinners really want to come back to their own homes, either. Sinclair's home is a traumatic event for him. Heathcliff was abused in his. We're just about to see what's in store for Hong Lu, and it doesn't look good.

The Librarians, meanwhile, have had all of this time to gather information and (presumably) heal from both the events of Lobotomy Corporation and Library of Ruina. The tables have turned. It's entirely likely that they'll want Ayin back, and he's going to be the one getting Realisations this time, one way or another. (My friend @strangefellows included something along those lines in one of her PM fics, do go check them out.)

So, at the end of this hypothetical scenario, we have an Ayin who is welcomed by both his old family and his new family.

That gives him TWO whole families... and when you talk about family, if they actually love and care about you they don't try and take you away from people who have helped you become. a better, stronger person, and supported you. They encourage those relationships.

So I can't help but feel that the Library is going to be where Ayin makes his home, but since he - unlike the other Librarians - isn't literally constructed of light now, and can move around the City, he won't just stay there without looking back.

My best end result for them all is that they effectively end up working together, or at least that the Sinners have the support of the Library from the moment they make contact onwards.

It'd be real cute if one of the ways that showed itself would be updated Announcers; the Librarians seeing and cringing at the recordings of their old Sephirot selves, and offering up new ones that are much more helpful.

Also, who doesn't want to see things like the Librarians and the Sinners getting along? Chesed and Hong Lu? Rodya and Netzach? The awkwardness between Hokma (instigator of the Smoke War) and Gregor and Outis? Don Quixote meeting both Roland and Gebura?

[tsandoll]

any tips for writing smut??? i love your work sm

hello!! first, thank you soo much for enjoying my work! it means a lot and i hope you continue to enjoy what i put out!! second, i wanna say that there's no like correct way to write smut, do what makes you comfortable, write what you find the most enjoyment in, and don't change for anyone as far as writing certain things or trying to do certain things to please an audience, it sucks the life out of writing!! but of course there are some tips that i have!

1) try to characterize the idols and stick to that characterization. of course depending on the fic or ask you may switch things up or write them as a completely different character but i have a basic characterization of each bnd member that i sort of build off of in each scenario. for example! riwoo is very sweet and docile in my characterizations, always the type to be very softspoken so if i were to write him as a character that maybe didn't match him, maybe he's at parties a lot in a fic or maybe he hangs out with loud/mean people. i would still utilize my same basic characterization, he wouldn't speak much or he would stick out from the rest of them. maybe he's always at parties but he always has had a different vibe about him. or taesan for example, he's very romantic but very guarded in my mind, i always like to write him as someone with layers. i hope this makes sense, just find what way you most enjoy writing each member!!

2) don't get too caught up on wording. let's be honest, the wording of fics (ESPECIALLY smut) can be very cringe when you're writing it. there are certain words that i put in my own fics that i absolutely can't stand but it's the only word that best fits the sentence. don't get too stressed on wording because you can always go back and edit and replace and honestly the more you flesh out the fics, the less the words will stick out. write straight off your dome, even if all the nasty words come out first, just roll with it!

3) build atmosphere!! this is something ive been really really working on. i find that some fics really are missing the atmosphere or it's missing dynamics in general. i like to understand where the characters are, what it's like in the room at the moment, how the characters interact with one another. instead of just "taesan grabs your hand." say "taesan's hand is cold against yours, the size of his palm engulfs yours." something like that. give the reader a bit to go off of, even if it's a small drabble or something like that. this could just be me but i need A LOT to be focused and locked in on something im reading and i find it's much easier when the atmosphere is built. play with sounds, textures, scents, colors, and not just things on the physical person but like is there sounds of cars nearby, is the bed creaky, things like that. even something minimal like the smell of chapstick or a hair product or maybe a candle in the room.

4) don't lock yourself in a box, find your footing as far as your writing. switch things up! keep things fun for yourself. it's very easy to get used to writing a certain thing but you'll very quickly wear yourself out on that one thing if you don't keep things fresh for yourself. i personally write the things that i really love to write so i haven't gotten tired of my own things. like i love and enjoy writing sub bnd so that's what i write a majority of the time but i also dip my toes in switch bnd or dom bnd, even if i don't enjoy it as much but i won't know what i like unless i try it!

5) be okay with being bad. smut is hard to write, period point blank. like i know i have a smut blog but trust me sometimes i hate writing smut like there are times where i just HATEE writing it cuz it's just so hard to write and sometimes it's just Bad. like even i write bad smut sometimes 😭 but like i said before, you can always go back and edit it and the more you write, the better you'll get the hang of it. it takes time but you'll find your way!

6) plan plan plan! have an idea of what you want to do before you start. this could be knowing what kink you wanna write or knowing what dynamic you want to write and then you build off of that. i could say "hm i wanna write sub taesan + his childhood best friend" then you start to wonder, how do they begin a sexual relationship? was there a gap between them being childhood friends and them knowing each other now? have they ever been more than friends? how has each character changed over time? things like that. or if you want to keep it very short then that's okay too!

7) opposite of before but be okay with unexpected changes. sometimes something i have planned and was super excited for in a fic doesn't quite fit in the way i wanted to and sometimes doesn't fit in at all. there may be a certain kink or a certain scene you wanted to include but the more you write you may find that the fic doesn't need that/will suffer from you including a certain thing. it's okay to change your mind and change things.

8) do not compare yourself. this is the fastest way to give up. don't go reading other fics and saying "they're so much better i should just quit", instead you should read other peoples fics, find what u like about them, take inspo (DO NOT COPY!!) and apply it to your own writing! i started improving most and writing more and at my best when i was reading a lot. i find my own weaknesses through other people's writing. like i may like how someone incorporates dialogue (this is actually something im bad at and an working on) so i may try it out for myself and see how it works and then make it my own. find writers that match your style, but again, keep it original, find what you're good at and what you're bad at and then work on it!

9) PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE HAVE FUN!!! it doesn't have to be so serious. a lot, if not all writers go through times where they feel so worthless and like their writing is trash. trust me, i go through it often this is why i don't post a lot (not the full reason but part of it) don't let the joy be taken from you!! learning is a process, try to enjoy every step. take it slow, allow yourself time, and ask for help!! i personally am willing to help people improve their writing! of course im not the greatest or most perfect writer but i can still help!! talking to others and getting help is very beneficial! i ask for help with writing a lot actually so there's no shame in it!

[oddaesthetin]

them as the type of s/o that knows immediately that their partner is pregnant when the owner of the uterus doesn’t even know themselves

—————

“you’re creeping me out.”

“creeping you out how?”

you look at him with a scowl. unsure if he’s doing this on purpose to spite you or if he’s really just as clueless as the face he’s pretending to make. it’s the third time he’s done something like this today. it was six times yesterday, and five times the day before— he kept doing something nice for you. you made sure to keep count of it as it’s not every day that he’ll volunteer to do the laundry, vacuum the house, or go full length and prepare a whole massage treatment at home for you, with him being the masseuse of course. the weirdest thing he’d done today which pushed you to ask that question again is when he insisted to do your paperwork for you because quote-unquote, “you might overwork yourself.” yeah, you'd keep tabs on them, too.

you don’t doubt him being kind, but in your 3 years of relationship, this sure is the first time he’s put so, so much, unusual than the usual amount, of effort in treating you like you’re a queen.

with curious eyes still watching his focused figure, you asked, “why are you acting like this? did you do something bad? are you dying?”

he paused from what he was doing and looked at you for a short moment, before standing up to go to the bathroom.

confusion still hasn’t left your gaze as you followed him in there, and stopped, when he faced you with a grin that you’re not so sure if playful or pure smug. that was also when you noticed the thing he was holding.

“oh no. I am so not pregnant.” a deadpan statement. bewildered by the audacity.

“oh, sweetheart, of course, you are.” he assertively put the stick in your hand and gave you a nudge, which you think is for motivational purposes. “come on, try.”

“did my uterus migrate onto you or something to make you that certain, that I am, indeed, carrying a child?” you asked while pushing him out of the bathroom and closing the door.

“my child.” he giggles. “our child.”

you started to undo your pants when he followed with the usual dramatic sigh, “my sweet honey, you never fail to make me appalled by how you still find the audacity to question my ability and intelligence on these kinds of things.”

you remained quiet doing the business. silence reigned as you both were waiting for the result. just as you were feeling the saying “it feels like forever” with how long it was seemingly taking, he spoke again.

“five minute’s up. it should be done by now.”

you rolled your eyes at the tall know-it-all outside your bathroom door.

with the silent dropping of your jaw, you hastily opened the door and stared him straightly in the eye. your face modeled the emotions of surprise, shock, and amazement, while he let out a loud chuckle and shook his head.

“how the hell did you know?”

with eyes sparkling and lips beaming with smug and glee, crossed arms, he leaned against the door frame. “aside from the fact that I’m undoubtedly absolutely smart, if it’s you, of course, I’ll know.”

—-

and u kissed after that and did all the scenarios you wanna have on this little drabble’s ending lol

— Osamu Dazai, (and Nakahara Chuuya, YES YES I SEE HIM BEIN LIKE THIS except for the tall part JK), Edogawa Ranpo, Saigiku Jouno, Ryouta Kise, Tsukishima Kei, Rintarou Suna, Oikawa Toruu, Tetsurou Kuroo, Satori Tendou, Koshi Sugawara, Yaku Morisuke, (and Terushima Yuuji, too!), Satoru Gojo, Itadori Yuuji, Souma Shiki

————

this one’s supposedly for Dazai only but I remembered a lot of these characters while writing so y the hell not

[grimbunnies]

Hi! I love your gameplay posts, you immerse yourself in each neighborhood lore so well. I actually am having trouble with that because I’m trying to “fix” every “bad” situation I see. Do you have any tips for.. being less of a control freak I guess :D? Also, what theme fitting subhoods, downtowns, unis would you recommend for aondaneedles’ Oak Hill?

Hey! Thank you so much! This sweet message made my day.

First, I want to say that there's no wrong way to play, and if you're having fun with "fixing" the scenarios, that's really valid.

But since you're asking, I'm going to assume you want to spice up the stories a little, and I can offer my perspective and some additional tips that may help.

I'm also a big control freak tbh. The way I approach gameplay and storytelling is to get a really strong sense of who I think each sim is. I'll read their bio, look at their personality, their interests, and their relationships. I also take a lot of inspiration from other storytellers in the community, blending my favorite parts of their characterization of some of the premades. I'm not above nudging personalities, interests, or changing aspirations if I get a certain sense of sim's character that doesn't mesh 100% with how they were created. A good example of this is Herb Oldie. I always make him a Pleasure aspiration, not Romance, because my view of the Oldies is that they're adventurous and spontaneous and love to have a good time (especially together). Once I have a sense of their characters, I direct my sims to do things based on who I think they are. Sometimes I do make them do things based on their wants. I also make them do things based on the wants they don't roll (for instance, John and Jennifer Burb got divorced because they weren't rolling wants for one another, John was rolling wants for more children, and Jennifer wasn't). I also force the realization of some of their fears. So, for me, how I make my sims engage with the world is a combination of what they want, what I believe their personality to be, and what will cause them to experience ups and downs in their life. There's also the added randomness of ACR, but I generally haven't had that cause too much havoc for relationships. I know some simmers find ACR to be too much, but I keep a pretty tight leash on sims that I feel just wouldn't cheat, so it's mostly a tool for letting sims partner of their own volition when I don't direct them towards a match I'm shipping.

The other thing that I think can really help if you're wanting to add something new is Random Occurrence Scenarios (ROS). You might have seen this done by other simmers, but this is basically a way to randomize some events that can happen to a specific sim or household. You use this tool in combination with a ROS file. Lots of simmers have posted their files and/or what's in them... here are just a few. I find that the scenario you roll can cause you to have to consider how to make it work within the story, or think about how other sims would react, or put sims in a new situation that gets you as a player out of your comfort zone. I usually use ROS when I don't have a plan for a given household in a rotation. I can get inspiration, or something really dramatic might happen. And the great thing is you can still have a measure of control, because no one is going to judge you if you say "nah, I don't like that scenario for this family," but it also invites you to go, "I didn't think about this as a potential event, but I'm going to roll with it and see what happens." It's that little push to, like I said, put you out of your comfort zone.

For Oak Hill, I've currently only thought about adding Riverblossom Hills (I'm actually in the process of prepping those families to add them to the rotation). I think it's a great addition due to the similar vibes and the potential for plantsims in play alongside witches and werewolves. I don't have great suggestions for uni or downtown. To be honest, I've only ever used Downtown (or rather @katatty's makeover) in neighborhoods that aren't Nowhere County. In Nowhere County, I use Copperhead City. So, for me, if I added a downtown to Oak Hill, it would just be the Downtown (an empty version). I don't often play uni, and I don't think any of them fit the vibe of the neighborhood perfectly, but people can go to college anywhere, so my suggestion would be think about which sims you think would go to college and what sort of school they'd want to go to. I personally feel like most of the teens in Oak Hill give me state school vibe, so I'd attach SSU. Alternatively, because I added Riverblossom Hills, Jules O'Mackey gives me major fancy liberal arts school with a slight European vibe, and that's Académie Le Tour in my book. It also comes down to if I want to add sims or not. I'm more likely to download an empty university if I just want my teen sims to get that experience together and with randomly generated dormies, but if I have ideas for how the premade YAs fit into a neighborhood, I'm more likely to add a premade uni.

I hope some of this is helpful for you! Once again, I really appreciate such a thoughtful message.

[l-in-the-light]

Hey 😊 I read your answer about Law wanting to help people because of his trauma. I know about his fear of touch but wouldn't it help him to overcome this when he realizes that his touch can bring other people immense pleasure (when he's giving oral or bringing his partner to orgasm while sex)? 🤔 Besides sex is very good for the health 😎.

Okay, I admit I didn't really know what to do with your ask at first. Are you serious when you're suggesting he can just overcome his PTSD because he wants to make someone happy or because sex should help him feel better and recover faster? Because if you do, we need to talk. Like, seriously talk about this.

First of all, yeah, sex can be good for you. Physical affection in many ways is neccessary for good well-being (that's why touch starvation and stuff like that became a popular discussed topic after pandemic's outbreak). But you know what else is healthy besides sex and physical affection? Good food. Taking a walk. Enjoying the sea breeze. And do you know what those things have all in common? They can't heal or cure anyone out of literally anything. The only thing they can do is to boost your mood and give you physical exercise, which is good for the body, but it's not a therapy and it's not a medicine. In other words, it will not cure you from PTSD, depression, anxiety or anything else besides a foul mood, perhaps. PTSD is not a matter of having a foul mood. Even if your mood is great, you will still have PTSD and you can still experience triggers no matter how happy you might have felt a moment ago. And also sometimes not every food you eat is gonna be good for you. Bread is tasty, right? But it's bad for celiacs. Sex is good, right? Unless it triggers you or you're sex-repulsed. Not everything is good for everyone, period. And you can live without bread and you can live without sex.

Secondly, Law has two triggers we know of: feeling helpless (for example: when he's pinned down or when people are dying and he can't do anything about it) and touch. He overcomes first one by saving lives, not by "helping people" in general. If you're referencing some post I wrote, I'm pretty certain by him swearing to help people I meant "saving their lives", not doing sexual favours for them ;) also saving lives has nothing to do with Law's fear of touch.

Third of all, please don't say stuff like this about PTSD. It's spreading misinformation. You can't recover from it just by wishing for it or pushing forcefully through. If you put Law in the scenario you just described, he would be terrified and then try to force the closeness (because if he truly wants someone to be happy he needs to ignore his own discomfort, right?) and in the end he will just escape, feeling pathetic and blaming himself. He would end up thinking that his love for people isn't strong enough to overcome his own trauma (and the sad part is: it will never be, that's why it's a trauma after all). In other words, putting a person with PTSD in this scenario you described, would do them more harm than good.

And yeah, Law is just a fictional character, you can imagine him in any scenario you want and write fics in which he never develops PTSD and is touchy-feely, and that's fine. But PTSD happens to be a very real condition, so please never say things like that to real people. It's giving a very harmful message - they can end up believing they are broken, because they can't spontanously or by sheer will overcome their own triggers to make someone else happy. Always be respectful towards people suffering from past traumas. No matter how well you mean it, don't tell them to just "get over it", saying it will be helpful for them if they just change their way of thinking about it and do it for someone else's sake. The best result you will achieve is them selfblaming themselves when they inevitably fail.

What you can do for them instead, to show your support, is to assure them they're fine no matter what, that they're good people even if there are things they can't handle, that every step in their healing process is important even if "the final goal" (never getting triggered again) will never get achieved. And always, always remember about their triggers and by all means avoid forcing a person with PTSD to face them head on. What you can do for someone who suffers from a trigger, is to make sure not to make it worse. Is the trigger a loud noise? Take them immediately to a quiet place instead. Is the trigger a touch? Definitely don't try to hug them to make it better, give them some space instead. After they manage to calm down, you can give them something they like that they find soothing and comforting (listen to a favourite song, offer a drink they like etc.) and ask if both of you should just go back home or do something else. This is something you can do for someone suffering from a PTSD. But it's only one possible, hypothetical example, there are other ways to show support and not leave the suffering person on their own.

There is a study proving that adults who were traumatized as children may be more likely to keep a greater physical distance between themselves and strangers, and may also find touch stimuli less comforting than people without a history of trauma. Apparently trauma alters the brain so it's possible the body also gives a traumatized person less gratification from physical affection. If you want to read more about how trauma alters the brain, I reccommend checking out this article: Traumatized Adults Might Find Touch Less Appealing. I didn't know about that before, but it makes sense, because trauma is just a natural response on it's most extreme. That's why I think Law's touch starvation is probably not such a big deal that people want it to be, in comparison to his PTSD. His brain would adapt, and he has Bepo for comfort, which is a safe, not triggering closeness and touch for him. Traumatized people might have bigger issues on their plate than your typical post-pandemic touch starvation, just saying.

Now let's talk more about triggers, because I feel like this needs to be elaborated on. A trigger is involuntary reaction (can be body reaction, can be emotional) you definitely can't control, that is caused by some outside source of stimuli. Those reactions alert us to perceived threats in our environment. Triggers can be anything that reminds someone of the traumatic event, it can be more obvious like revisiting the location where the trauma occurred, being alone, seeing the same breed of dog that bit you, or hearing loud voices, small touch, a grab, even a certain smell. For example, if the trauma is related to being stuck in a locked place, it doesn't matter what place it is or that it's different from the very first place you got accidentally locked in. Any place in which you're locked up will trigger you, like bathroom stalls in which the latch doesn't budge, broken elevators stuck between floors etc. Triggers are also often associated with (but not limited to) the time of day, season, holiday, or anniversary of the event.

When touch has been associated with fear, pain, or violation in the past, it can naturally become a trigger. Childhood trauma, especially sexual, physical or emotional abuse, can imprint deep-seated associations between touch and danger. The fear of being touched is so strong that it is often paralyzing. It can cause physical symptoms like hives, hyperventilation or even fainting. The fear of being touched becomes a phobia when symptoms develop nearly every time you are touched. It becomes a disorder when it lasts six months or longer.

To reduce the emotions caused by a trigger people can become avoidant (of anything even remotely reminding them of the trauma, for example: any touch in general), self-medication (like alcohol abuse, to numb yourself and not feel anything anymore), compulsive eating, self-injury. Sometimes people can even become aggressive or repeat the events of the trauma (for example, hypersexuality as the result of sexual assault, or becoming the violent oppressor themselves; they just repeat the traumatic event over and over again, it's not a healthy way of dealing with trauma).

Most important in recovery is learning to manage triggers, memories, and emotions without avoidance (avoidance is the initial response in PTSD). You can think of it as becoming desensitized to traumatic memories. There isn't really a “cure” for triggers. All we can do is identify when we're upset, try to understand why, and manage our emotional reactions. With practice and proper treatment, the reaction to your emotional triggers could dimnish and become manageable, but the triggers themselves might never go away. Thankfully, even the most intense trauma triggers can be managed.

At first a traumatic response can be hyperventilation to the point you almost suffocate, shivering that don't want to stop for hours and very high level emotional distress that makes you detached from the present and trapped in the past in your head. After therapy and learning how to manage your responses, you can instead apply breathing techniques to reduce hyperventilation, know what to do so that shivering doesn't go for hours but instead fades in the span of half an hour, and you ground yourself in the present (there are many methods for it, for example doing a soothing motion). So, after "getting healed" it doesn't mean the triggers magically don't happen anymore, you just manage them more effectively. And perhaps some of them can be reduced so much that instead of triggering one of the physical symptoms it only makes you very distressed. Who knows, it's a very individual thing, after all.

How to know if someone is suffering from PTSD? The DSM-5 (the official criteria for PTSD classification) identifies four symptom clusters for PTSD: presence of intrusion symptoms (like frequent, vivid flashbacks: sudden intrusive thoughts about the past events), persistent avoidance of stimuli (like avoiding closeness and touch), negative alterations in cognitions and mood (low self-esteem, self-blame etc.), and marked alterations in arousal and reactivity (like lashing out). Which is exactly what I wrote about in detail when answering to this ask.

Let's take a look at Law's trauma symptoms again: we see Law having tremors and quickened breath (sometimes to the point of wheezing), and freezing up when he's triggered (at least in the manga). Whenever someone is trying to touch him or comes really close, his response is to move away. He's also emotionally distant and avoidant. What are his triggers? We saw Doflamingo grabbing his wrist forcefully which caused a freezing reaction (Law couldn't even move to free himself). We saw him also freeze up when Mingo set up his birdcage. When Law was trapped with Luffy and Mingo's clone in the well, he was wheezing and shivering. There are few situations in which Luffy touches Law or Law touches Luffy, but even if those situations don't seem to overwhelm him, he still struggles in each and every single one of them. Which means they're kinda managable for Law, as long as he puts some time and effort into it (that's a sign that he is working through his trauma and knows quite a lot about managing his triggers already).

But how would he react if Luffy forcefully grabbed Law's wrist, for example, which is his confirmed trigger? Probably not too well. I can't imagine sex being comfortable in such conditions. Can you? Sex would feel very unnatural if Law had to brace himself to that extent every time he tries to touch someone and there's no guarantee that none of the touch he receives doesn't trigger him. And no, cuddling him won't help him get over it. If touch is triggering to you, more touch is not gonna solve the problem. Also hugging or other forms of physical affection aren't a magical solution to every emotional problem in the world.

There's also something called resilient responses to trauma, which are basically healthy ways of coping that some people naturally adapt. And I think Law slightly shows signs of it too. It can be things like:

increased time and bonding with family and friends (Law's commitment to his Hearts Pirates and also bonding with Penguin, Shachi and Bepo right after losing Cora-san; he spends time with them almost exclusively)

strong or increased sense of purpose and meaning (Law is always very goal-oriented)

commitment to a personal mission, revised priorities (Law trying to save people's lives no matter what)

charity work and volunteering to help other people (Law taking care of the Strawhats lol)

If anyone wants to know even more about PTSD, I reccommend this link, it really gives a good and detailed guide to all the basics and even includes notes about treatment.

Now I feel inclined to say this to everyone: sex is fine and can be good, but not having sex is also fine! Sex isn't the best thing in the world and no one is missing out if they're not having any, there are so many other nice things. And just because someone is attractive or handsome doesn't mean they absolutely have to have sex, like to prove that they're not wasting their body (whatever that would even mean) and not sharing with the world. It's your body and your choice, no one has any obligation to give sex to others, never ever, for any possible reason you can name. You don't have to have sex just to prove something to others, no matter what it would be (to be cool, to be accepted, to prove others you're a good person and a good lover or not a loser etc.). You're a worthy human being even if you don't have sex, no matter what's the reason for not having it. You're a good person even if you don't want to give someone else a sexual service, give them a blowjob or bring them to orgasm, or even touch them at all. You can show your love in different ways than by having sex. Not having sex with someone also doesn't mean you don't love them. Sex is just one part of life and it's optional. People can have good lives, have fun and be healthy without it. You can even have PTSD but choose not to have sex just because you don't like it.

Now, do I think Law will never have sex? I don't know, that depends on his healing process. For now, I'm not seeing it and he's also perfectly fine even if he will never have sex in his entire life. If one day he manages his triggers so well that he can even have sex, great for him! I still think he will be taking a risk at being triggered every single time he makes his decision to pursue partnered sexual adventures. Simply because touch can't be completely avoided when having sex. It can be worked around in quite a number of ways, but sex basically is about touching various body parts together, prove me wrong if that's not the case* ;) also we don't have to fear or try to erase the PTSD from the characters who can't deal well with touch as the result. That's kinda not exactly considerate or nice to them, won't you agree?

*disclaimer: yeah, I am aware there are other sexual actitivities that don't involve touch. Two people can just voyeuristically look at each other when they masturbate, for example :P why is this word so ugly btw. The stigma around sex-related words needs to finally die and we need more judgement-free words for sexual activities.

I hope this post helped you understand PTSD and triggers a bit better, anon!

[ark-barkness]

It took me a bit longer than expected but I finally wanna talk about Tennis Ace. Spoilers for Keisuke's and Shoichi's routes ahead ⚠️

I know I said before how I think Yuuichi is the best MC of all visual novels, but I never explained in full detail why. So today I wanna talk about Yuuichi

Point number 1: His growth as a character

Yuuichi is a character that I frickin love for a simple reason, he has a HUGE room to grow as a character.

During the prologue of the game Yuuichi is on a rut. He stopped caring about Tennis, barely putting in any effort. As the story progresses depending on your choices and the route, Yuuichi rekindles his love for tennis, especially in Keisuke's route where not only he finds the motivation to start putting in the effort again, but he also starts acting like a proper menton and senior for the newest members of the club.

His relationship with his friends is also a huge part of his growth as a character, let me explain.

Point number 2, Yuuichi is kind of a bad friend

Yuuichi tends to be an airhead, he does or says things that end up hurting his friends, but he doesn't do them out of malice and once he's called out he tends to back off and try to change his behavior, except in certain scenarios. Yuuichi, just like Dave from Password, has a huge Atlas complex, and just like Dave's it comes from not wanting to deal with his own shit.

This is frustrating as hell, but again, it gives him a lot of room to grow. In the perfect route with Shoichi he starts correcting that behavior, in Jun's route he learns to be a better friend, in Keisuke's route he realizes how bad teammate and senior has he been.

It's still frustrating but I still love that point of auto realization he has in all routes.

Point number 3, Yuuichi feels like an authentic person realizing he's gay

Yuuichi is not demisexual, his past relationships with girls didn't work because he didn't have a strong connection with them, it was just that he wasn't into them, plain and simple.

He's gay! Yuuichi slowly realizing his friends, classmates, teammates and even professors are cute or handsome is one of my favorite parts of Yuuichi's inner monologues, and he only needed to get a boyfriend to realize it.

TL;DR: Yuuichi is the best MC in a furry visual novel because he feels real, because he's flawed, because he grows as a character.

I don't want a big, muscular, perfect wolf as an MC, that's boring (...but hot). I want a character that tries his best and feels genuine, that doesn't stay the same throughout the whole game, that ultimately learns his lesson and grows as a character. Thanks for coming to my TED talk.

[tamelee]

What do you think of itachi? Do you think he was good or bad? As a brother? As a person, character?

I think a whole lot about Itachi, but I don’t have a strong opinion that leans either way nor do I think it can be so easily categorized. The story explains Itachi’s actions, but there’s a lot of criticism right? People feel like Kishimoto didn’t stay consistent or changed his mind on Itachi too suddenly. Personally, I don’t think ‘a change being sudden’ is really the problem, but there is lack of foreshadowing deeper-seated feelings Itachi may have had about certain situations. A little sub-text to refer back to after the revelations later on in the story would’ve been nice. (And uh, well, there’s the system issues.)

I’m referring mostly to this scene:

In storytelling, stakes are crucial as they provide all the motivation a character may have to make a decision (especially the drastic ones) and I feel like Kishimoto hasn’t done that as much as I know he could’ve with Itachi. He didn’t truly show, nor prove, how disastrous it would’ve been if Itachi decided differently. Especially since the aftermath of the complete annihilation of the Uchiha aided in a repercussion (Obito’s plan for example) which may be more consequential than “a possible civil war”. There shouldn’t be any room for “it may not’ve been necessary” in this scenario. But in some of these cases the stakes of Itachi's actions are muddied by alternative possibilities (a tricky thing, writing) and so… it weakens the narrative impact Kishimoto tried to create imo. Both regarding the system, as well as Itachi’s intentions towards Sasuke and the way he went about it. Also, because Sasuke demonstrates throughout the story how perfectly capable he is to develop his abilities and pursuing goals that he prioritizes in every moment. (Hence, Naruto and Sasuke could’ve really been in each other’s shoes.) As well as the whole reincarnation thing that dilutes the stakes because some alien-guy with a staff comes in later to power-boost their asses anyway. 

(Personally I would’ve loved to see the story delve more into Itachi’s internal struggle with war, how he felt growing up and the topic of 'sacrifice' to put less focus on ‘duty’ and Shinobi being ‘tools’ or the meaning of a clan since the Hyuga weren’t treated the same so yeah what is a clan anyway then, but imo that applies to several more characters.)

Hm’ many conversations about Itachi often revolve around justifying or condemning his actions. However, I think (and I don’t say this often because I’m a strong Kishimoto-defender lol) that the valid criticism regarding Itachi could’ve been corrected with a few tweaks within the story itself. (Even a few panels tbh, just to provide the necessary context or clarity.) Despite issues, I don’t think Itachi is a poorly written character. I enjoy morally-grey characters, I just think in this case, it’s not sufficient enough for what it was trying to be… if that makes sense at all? 

Tbh, it’s a lot more satisfying to measure a character like Itachi through Sasuke’s perspective. His journey provides the necessary lens to determine whether to agree or disagree. I feel like many pro-stans project their own feelings about Itachi onto Sasuke, but whether they align or not, he has his own conclusions eventually. It's what the story shows is 'right' not what you personally think is 'right', yeah? The complexity is what makes Itachi a good character to me, but story-wise as a person I don’t agree with his actions and I think Kishimoto could've presented things better to suit the narrative he's going for. 

[canisvesperus]

I’ve seen some discussion on this, so allow me to explain something.

Some people do not seem to grasp why artists like me draw so much fashionable Eridan. He’s not fashionable at all, just look at his canon outfit, they say. Well, it is simple. Eridan is one of the few trolls actually experimenting with fashion at a young age in the comic. Look me in the eye and tell me you too weren’t a hot mess trying to dress “fashionable” in middle school. Yet, chances are that if you had that awareness and drive early on, you will also develop a sense of style and grasp on aesthetics earlier in life compared to your peers. This was my experience. I was well known for being very stylish as a kid, but this didn’t happen overnight. Indeed, if you were one of these kids you most definitely started off with some odd or disharmonious clothing combinations that you threw together in an attempt to express yourself aesthetically despite inexperience in that type of self-expression. I can’t speak for everyone else, but I usually draw young adult Eridan. Obviously given some time, his tastes would develop and mature into something derived from those original aesthetic visions, but far more cohesive.

It’s clear he’s trying to assert his individualism and status in his clothing choices, and most of y’all shrug him off as having bad taste while not also foreseeing the intent and vision behind those choices. I see it, and so do other artists. We differ in how we portray this derivation because there are frankly a dozen different directions he could take it depending on the circumstances of the post-canon/fix it scenario. This is why you may see me refer to the Eridan in my depictions as “my Eridan”. I don’t presume to depict something identical to Homestuck proper, nor am I particularly interested in doing so. If you’re the type of person who is married to the events of canon and cannot consider a scenario involving an older Eridan who was allowed to grow and change, this is why we are not seeing eye to eye— and I’m certain this is the root cause of various other discourses as they pertain to portraying the character in post-canon fanworks. That’s fine. That’s your choice. My choice is different.

Eridan consistently demonstrates concern (an excess, really, which backfired for him in the cruelest of ways poor thing) with respect to how he is perceived, hence the consciously thought out image-crafting and classic Eridan façades that his own peers call him out on for being poorly executed, transparent, and otherwise not believable. They were kids. This is normal. Of course he doesn’t have himself figured out yet. It’s a process. Some people in this fandom believe his façade in the most literal and uncritical of ways but this is all a story for another day. Is his drip game shit though, without regards for fan interpretations? If you’re asking me, I don’t think it’s really that bad considering his age. I really don’t think it’s that bad. That kind of scarf with the cape is a bit much to wear around the neck. Maybe he’ll swap the big scarf for something similar in function and category but less top heavy— a cravat, jabot, bandana, or lavallière? If the cape is too overwhelming for the rest of the outfit, a smaller caplet, shawl, or a coat will work. To accommodate some of the alternative neckwear, a shirt with a collar would be preferable. What many people perceive as a turtleneck sweater, need not be entirely sacrificed. Put a sweater vest on that boy. I see lots of complaints about the shoes and pants. More discreet pinstripes and more formal shoes (field boots, paddock boots, oxfords) will work. Of course he can go in the opposite direction, less formal, in that case the cape can go and the long scarf can stay, get some cool sneakers, consider denim bottoms or casual slacks in a single color, accents welcome. However this isn’t the derivation I pursue so I feel less qualified to speculate. He could ditch all of it even. Start new and fresh especially if he were to go through a markedly subversive reclamation of identity and character redemption sort of process. In any case, he can work with it!!! You just have to believe in him.

I believe Eridan had a lot of narrative potential that was wasted, possibly out of disinterest for the character. It’s only predictable that artists like me simply want to devise a world in which these characters had a chance to actually live their lives. I truly do not understand why there has to be so much confusion over this. That‘s all.

[lunarheiress]

I have a lot of thoughts about dungeon Meshi since I finally got around to watching the new episodes that came out and put a lot of the discussion into a new perspective. (Also full disclosure I have not read the books though I wish to acquire them for that purpose at some point.)(also also I have to work so I’ll probably break this up into a few posts because time is short atm)

So, the recent fight between Toshiro and Laios. It’s got a lot going on, and people seem to really be trying to assign blame when both of them are at fault (one a bit more than the other in my opinion but I’ll get to that):

1. First of all, there’s the clash of culture a lot of people have been discussing where more open communication style is not mixing well with a subtler communication style. This can’t be ignored, as these modes form the basis of (or at least highly influence) how they learned to communicate in the first place.

2. Second, there’s the inherent character lack of communication skill. Laios obviously is and benefits from being direct, and struggles otherwise. Also i can’t quite remember what part gave me this impression but I felt that Toshiro struggles with expressing his thoughts more than just because of a cultural difference. Perhaps it’s a combination of factors but it really just seems like he’s on the opposite end of the ‘ways to be bad at communication’ spectrum from Laios.

3. Third. The situation they’re in is awful and Toshiro has not eaten or slept in days as Laios accurately points out. Toshiro is also (rightfully) shocked due to the black magic revelation. (Rightfully meaning within the in universe context of the stigma around black/ancient magic) The man has received some of the most frightening/worst case scenario ever imagined news and all while he’s running on whatever’s left after fumes. He’s stressed, unwell, not taking proper care of himself, and completely unable to pull himself together, especially compared to how well Laios comes across (all things considered)!!!

(As a very long side note, I also have some thoughts on the ancient magic. I don’t feel like we as the audience really know enough about ancient magic to pass judgment as harshly as characters in the story. The evil evil bad bad blah blah reputation the magic has might have come from biased sources, or the characters could be completely correct regarding the danger. I will say however, that I think the type of magic Marcille used seems to have nothing to do with Falin transforming into a dragon. The only things she didn’t know was that the dragon ‘soul’/physical body would remain in some way and that the mad mage had dominion over whatever it is that’s remained. This also raises some interesting questions about what the dragon was exactly. They say that only human souls remain tethered, so, is the dragon soul originally human? Did the mad mage create certain monsters and power them with human servants? Did he originally transform a person’s body into the dragon, but couldn’t this time fully because Falin’s bones didn’t belong to the dungeon? Or does the body of the dragon belonging to him give him control over Falin until she consumes enough outside food to replenish herself? So many questions)

4. We as an audience know how hard a time Laios has been having. He’s also been behaving like a lunatic and putting himself at risk in ways that definitely indicate he’s not being completely rational at times. However, Laios also seems (on the surface) incredibly unaffected by what’s going on from an outside point of view. Despite his direct nature Laios is shockingly good at compartmentalizing, as well as refocusing his attention and efforts. This is in no way a bad thing? His ability to remain composed and focused is astounding. The problem is that Laios is likely coming across as cavalier, or at the very least not taking things seriously enough. It’s actually the opposite, he’s taking this situation very seriously, so much at times he’s not being completely rational which can easily come across as carelessness if you don’t know Laios well enough.

So, to sum up this first part? The argument is kind of born from two people who are both uniquely bad at communication in a way that clashes severely. They have also built a relationship they both view very differently. (Some recent decisions on both their parts are not helping either tbh). This argument was going to happen eventually, it just happened to break at the worst time possible, turning what might have just been an uncomfortable conversation into a full blown fist fight. But there’s also so much going on around them and in the fight that I still want to talk about so badly aaaaa part 2 later I guess!

[linkspooky]

Hello! Is it alright if I ask for writing help? This idea has been shuffling around my head for a few months now. I really want to solidify this idea but I'm struggling to figure which fandom to place him in. They don't have big motivations, no "I want to save everyone" or "I want to live a meaningful life". They're motivated by day to day things, like "I want to buy that new game" and "I want to have sushi for dinner". However this OC is also a big coward, and refuses to give his life for anyone but himself. Essentially, "I am me, I exist. And I want to keep existing."

I'm tempted to put him in JJK, but given the themes of it I don't think he'd last long. Or even be that powerful, if this isn't your thing please ignore and I'm sorry for bothering you!

So I can't really write your own characters for you, so to try to give you advice, I'll describe the process of how I came to create Michikatsu Gojo, my favorite OC that I've written for my Nobody Dies Au.

The first thing before you even start is you can't afraid to have your character be a part of the world. You especially can't be afraid of having your character interact with canon characters. That is literally the point of fanfiction to put the canon characters in made up scenarios. Your own ocs can be one such device for putting characters into scenarios.

People always say they hate reading ocs in fic, but what they really mean is they hate reading bad ocs. Often I think the problem is people are too afraid to make their ocs plot important, so they turn into nothing burger characters. Why is this character here if they don't add something to the story? Or they intentionally flatten their ocs because they're too afraid of taking attention away from the canon characters.

The best thing to do is just let your ocs interact with canon characters. Let them be plot important. It's alright as long as they contribute something to the original story you're trying to tell. If you want your imaginary little guy to interact with Yuji and Co go for it.

I usually get the feedback of "I don't usually like Ocs, but I like yours." I'm sure there are people who don't like how much I use Ocs in my fanfics, but I assume if it's against their personal taste they just don't read. At some point you just have to accept that either people will like your story choices or they won't.

So that out of the way the first thing is to try to find a place in the story you want to tell, whether it's just a brainfic, or an actual fic you want to write out. With Michi I started out with "I want to do backstory for Gojo Satoru. Gege is never going to tell us anything of substance about the Gojo clan so I'm going to make up my own."

So I created Michikatsu. Gojo's cousin. Someone who grew up in the Gojo clan alongside Gojo. However, while Gojo was blessed and spoiled, Michikatsu because he wasn't born with a good technique was reviled. They are both shaped by the corruption of the Gojo clan albeit in opposite ways. They are connected, and are technically family but in a distant way. Michikatsu is a cousin, he's not a sibling. They did know each other growing up but you couldn't say they were childhood friends or anything. Michiktasu is the foil to Gojo, Gojo is blessed and Michikatsu is curssed, Gojo is strong and Michikatsu is weak.

They also have very different ideologies. Gojo only values strength and only takes an interest in strong people. Michikatsu believes that there's a strength in weak people trying and struggling to live their lives even if they're not strong like Gojo or like Yuji. Gojo is recruiting strong kids to his child army, Michikatsu wants to spare weak children like Junpei, Mimiko and Nanako etc.

So Michikatsu is basically crafted entirely around Gojo to be his shadow and his foil. His main plot purpose is to further characterize Gojo, shed light on his backstory, and inform you of certain things about Gojo by contrasting and comparing to Michi.

The next thing is to try to focus in on the central idea of your character. Characters are just ideas after all. Michi's central theme is motherhood. His central philosophy is that there are no bad children. Therefore there are no bad victims. His goal is to become a teacher like Gojo, but unlike Gojo who wants to teach children sorcery Michi wants to teach them math. Unlike Gojo who wants to reform the sorcery world, Michi wants to take his little family and run away from the sorcery world entirely. Gojo takes in strong students, Michi wants to protect weak children. Gojo can't save bad victims while Michi believes that no children are truly bad so he always saves the bad victims.

I know I'm making it sound like Michi is a better person that Gojo, but like, Michi hung around with Geto and he was fine with Geto murdering people and only drew the line at murdering children. Gojo sacrifices the few to save the many. Michi can only save a few people, and isn't powerful enough to stop the deaths of many people.

Michi also doesn't really care. If a child dies right in front of him he'll care. If a hundred people die, as long as they're not children he wouldn't really care.

So you could really just have a character motivated by only the small things in life. "I want sushi for dinner" is valid. Miwa and Kusakabe both don't have any grander motivations or notions of being a sorcerer it's just a shitty job for both of them. I think your character could be like a person who's like "Well, I can't kill myself because I want to see a new episode of the anime next week." That's as valid a motivation to live as anyone else.

Of course you have to come up with curse technique after that, and remember that curse technique should be a metaphor for personality. Michikatsu's curse technique is mind controlling people and turning corpses into puppets, because Michi has had to learn to become a manipulative person in order to survive. Gojo's technique makes it impossible for anyone to touch him because he believes he's truly above everyone to the point of not being able to interact with the world or being understood by other people.

Character design wise I also wanted Michikatsu to compare and contrast with Gojo. Gojo is albino and pale as possible, Michikatsu is brown skinned, has brown hair, but otherwise similiar face shape and hair to Gojo. They're both unnaturally tall and thin. Gojo is someone who is the ideal of jujutsu Society and fits the mold perfectly, whereas Michi is someone who'd be discriminated against because he's biracial. He's immediately identifiable as different.

I'd also say that I made Michi openly queer, because Gojo is queer too but it's relegated to subtext in the story. Gojo has the most queer relationship with Geto ever but they never say it out loud. Michi is just, he's bigender. He is a woman. He uses He / She pronouns interchangably. He'll show up in suits and dresses. He'll be dressed like a man and be like "Damn, I am a gorgeous woman." He only sleeps with men, but it's okay, if you're a straight man you can still be straight and sleep with him because he's a woman. He will adopt you and be your mommy if you want him too.

When it comes to making a character, what's most important of all is making all the details of that character reinforce that central idea, or at least characterize them further. That's the best advice I can give you.