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glow-worms-are-believers · 3 months

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Tim Drake: Ugly Duckling (dp x dc)

So this is the last day of pride month, and so also the last day of me trying to write as many LGBTQ+ canon dc characters. It’s been fun (and I got to read a whole bunch of comics which was actually much more fun than the first time I’d tried to read those!!)

Now even though this is the end of June, feel free to send an ask if you want me to write a blurb with any character. I make no promises, but I will very much try! (It might take a while especially if I’m in a Tumblr hibernation phase.)

Anyways, for the last day of pride month I wanted to do Tim Drake coz he’s dc’s main “it” gay girl. I’ve been working on this Dead Tired fic for ages, based on the post about Tim getting turned into a swan and meeting Danny, who as a prince has to give him a kiss to change him back (I can’t find the prompt but it was hilarious so this was my take on it).

Here’s the beginning of the fic:

Red Robin was on patrol duty, while Batman and Robin were following a lead on possible joker safehouses. All in all, It was a pretty quiet night with only two muggings, both low-energy as both perpetrator ran away as soon as a bat-shaped shadow moved.

So Red Robin had spent most of the night chatting with Babs. He was grappling around town, as they started on the new date app they’d both found out Jason was using.

“I told him he can’t put only photos of his motorcycle but- wait I’m getting a call,” Oracle interrupted herself. Tim waited before the earpiece came to life again.

“Sorry to cut this short Red Robin, got a full-attention request from Canary. If you need anything, beep me, and Keep your coms open.”

“Bye, Oracle,” he said, and like that, Red Robin was alone once again.

He stopped on Grand Avenue Station and just let himself take in Gotham. The city was beautiful at night, and Tim was itching for a camera. He seen hundreds of pictures of the city’s skyline but they always managed to be unique. The night sky may always be covered by dark clouds above, but Gotham had its own stars in the lights shinning on top of the skyscrapers. So lost in his thoughts, Tim was, he almost missed the soft noise that sounded behind him. The voice that sounded behind him was harder to miss.

“Wither away so late, Little Red Bird?”

Red Robin turned to see a tall woman standing half in the shadows

“Sorry, can I help you?” Answered the vigilante despite the bad feeling creeping up to him.

“I’d like to know where I can find your guardian,” the woman said, still in the shadows.

“You mean Batman?” He chanced.

The woman nodded and Tim resisted the urge to sigh.If this was another one of Bruce’s ill-advised fling, Tim was going to hack every electronic device the man had to play sex-eds on loops for at least a week.

“He’s busy at the moment.” Then feeling like he shouldn’t assume what the woman wanted Bruce for, he continued. “But if you need any help, I’ll do my best.”

The woman stepped forward, and Tim could see her better. Her face was bare, but her distinctive outfit seemed to indicate she was some kind of vigilante-slash-criminal. The outfit did, in fact, ring a bell in the back of his mind, but it was dim. Tim didn’t tense up, but he did angle his body in a way to accommodate for a better escape through grappling. She continued walking until she was within arm’s reach of Tim, towering over him. She extended a hand to lightly caress his cheek, and Tim went still at the touch.

“Such a kind Little Bird you are,” she said gently. “You know, you remind me of my daughter.” She sighed. “Oh, what pretty children you both are.”

“Thank you,” said Tim as he sidestepped out of the way. “I’m sure she’s a lovely person.”

“Oh she was,” the woman said and through his growing wariness, Tim spared a thought for the girl. “She had dark hair and the fairest skin, just like you. The most beautiful girl in the land some would even say.”

That niggling feeling came back as a feeling of familiarity poked at him once again. “You must’ve been very proud.”

The woman let out an airy laugh before saying playfully/contemplating. “mustn’t I?”

A shiver ran down his back. Alright, there was something wrong with this woman, and Tim wasn’t waiting around to find out what. Not without any information or backup.

“Well, if there’s nothing I can do for you, I really have to get going,” Tim said as he took out his grapple gun. In a second, the gun was ripped from his hand , and he was slammed to the side of the staircase leading up to the roof. He let out a gasp at the impact and his features tensed in pain. The woman hadn’t even touched him.

“Not so fast, Little Bird. We don’t want you going back to the Batman just yet. I’m not ready to make him my Knight yet.”

“Your knight?” Tim managed to get out. He tried to move his arms, but some unseen force was pinning him in place. Shit, that meant he couldn’t reach the comm to send out a distress signal. Hopefully Babs would check in soon.

The woman smiled as she approached him once again. “What better for a Queen, than a Dark Knight?”

And just like that it clicked. “You’re the Queen of Fables.”

“Well look at this, you’ve got the brains and the beauty,” she teased, her voice as smooth as honey.

“What do you want with Batman?” Tim asked though he could guess from previous encounters she had had with the Justice League that the villainess wanted to turn Bruce into a fairytale character of some sort. She’d done the trick on Clark, and twice on Diana, so it was probably Batman’s turn now. So, yes, Tim could guess, But the longer he kept her talking the more time he had to figure out a way out of this.

“I told you, he’ll be a Knight of the Queen,” She extended a hand and tilted Tim’s face up. “Do you know what that would make you Little Bird?”

Most villains assumed the batclan worked like a crime family. So the family of a knight? “Nobility,” Tim guessed, unsure where this was going.

“Exactly.” She smiled, and then she moved. Tim braced for the hit.

Instead of a punch though, he only felt a tingling sensation. Cautiously, he opened his eyes, only for them to grow bigger as he took in his uniform. Or the lack thereof.

He was in something-century clothing, in some sort of frilly shirt and pants, all in white. This was worse than a punch. Then, as the thought hit him, Tim’s hands flew to his face only to come in contact with the silky fabric of a masquerade mask. He sighed in relief, and as he calmed down, he realized he was now free of the force pinning him down.

“The color is for my daughter,” the Queen said. Then, she let her head fall to the side before tracing a line across his forehead and Tim could feel something like a circlet setting down on it. “There you go. Now, it’s perfect. You could practically be siblings.”

“No thanks.,” Tim answered.

The Queen tsked him. “That’s no way to behave Little Bird, has nobody taught you to say thank you when you receive a gift.”

“I don’t want anything from you,” Tim disagreed mildly as he took stock of his weapons. Everything was gone, including the earpiece, which meant Babs had to have been alerted and someone was en route.

The Queen frowned. “I was going to be merciful, for you guardian’s sake, but I no longer feel generous.” She raised her hand and Tim tried to roll away, but the magic beam swerved and hit him in a blinding flash of light.

When he managed to open his eyes once again, the world seemed quite a bit bigger than it had been moments before.

“What did you do to me?” He said. Or tried to say.

Instead a strange squawk echoed and Tim took a step back in surprise. However, he lost his balance and started to fall and as he tried to catch himself with his hand, two large white wings unfolded. He dropped down, which wasn’t as far as he would’ve estimated and laid stiff. He moved his left arm, and a white wing followed suit.

Oh, no. Oh no no no.

A grating laugh interrupted his freak out. “There you are my pretty Little Bird, all better. White really is your colour, don’t you th-“

With a loud hiss, Tim propelled himself towards the woman. Making use of his newfound beak, he pecked and bit everything he could, as he flapped his wings.

“Blasted creature- Get off! Stop it, you despicable, puny-“

Finally she managed to grab Tim and throw him away from her. He landed with a squawk, but managed to get himself back to his feet quickly. “You little/awful brat,” she snarled. “You’ll pay for this!”

But as the Queen threw out her hand, something rippled in the air between them and the magic beam seem to explode midway into a green vortex. Tim’s clumsy attempt at waddling away had him head straight towards it, and it was in vain that he tried to redirect the course. She and Tim made eye contact as the swan-boy tipped right into the swirling green vortex, both of their eyes wide-open in surprise.

Danny was exhausted. He was currently on week one of the full month of Royal Duties he’d promised Clockwork. Being Prince of the Infinite Realm was not all that it was cracked up to be, and that was saying a lot since he had already been expecting it to be awful.

When Clockwork had made the request, Danny had proceeded to freak out about his new status, and then tried to abdicate. It was only the master of time reminding him of all the terrible possible candidate for the throne per rites of combat (such as Vlad) that stopped him from washing his hands of this mess. And now Danny was forced to spend one whole month of his summer vacation in the Ghost Zone to fulfill his duty as a Prince.

He thought it would be some paperwork, maybe a battle or two, nothing too bad, but nooo. Because, of course nothing was easy, Danny had to show up at Events, and be Diplomatic. It was meeting, after meeting, after weird parties that were a mix between Medieval Banquets and Debutante balls.

And worse of all were the marriage proposals. Danny could sorta understand, marrying into royalty was a definite plus for a lot of more powerful ghosts but when they called him a half-breed behind his back, only to smile in his face with a marriage contract in one hand and flowers in the other, that was where he drew the line.

Plus there was also the fact that he was, like sixteen.

Suffice to say, Danny was exhausted and hiding out in Pariah Dark’s old castle as a last resort. It wasn’t his favorite place all in all, but the gardens were absolutely beautiful, which was where he was walking. He was currently headed to the hedge maze, since it was the best way to get rid of any tails he may or may not have.

The maze was nasty if it didn’t like you, and it didn’t like anybody but Danny, and even then, it still tried to take a bite every once in a while. Despite the snaking vines and roots trying to capture anything that moved, the flowers that wailed softly when disturbed or the sharp thorns of the hedge plants themselves, it was still a beautiful place. Uniquely, the closer you got to the centre, the more colorful (and dangerous) everything got, which was why he liked it best.

He reached the centre much quicker than the first time he tried, thanks to the maze actually helping him, and something pale caught his eye right in the middle of the open area, right next to the bench Danny loved to use. As he got closer, he realized it was a swan laying on the floor, seemingly unconscious.

“Oh no,” Danny said as he approached. “What happened to you?”

As if awakened by the sound of his voice, the swan started to shift, its wings twitching and it rose its head groggily. As soon as it clocked in Danny, it let out a surprised squawk, followed by a long hiss as it struggled to move away.

“Hey, hey, none of that, Duckie, you’re ok.” Danny raised his hands placatingly. “I don’t want to harm you, ok? I just want to make sure you’re ok.”

The hiss subsided by a bit, but that may have only be due to the swan managing to get further away.

“Sh, sh, it’s ok,” Danny repeated as he slowly inched forward. The swan stopped hissing but still observed him warily. “I don’t want to hurt you Duckie, but I do think we’d better get you out of this maze.”

Danny took another step, and this time the swan stayed still. “How about bringing you back to my rooms just for now.” The swan hissed louder at the statement. “Don’t worry Duckie, I’m not keeping you prisoner it’s just this maze has been known to eat people. And you’re too pretty to be eaten,” Danny flashed a smile at the swan which had it stare back with a gaze saying really?

“So what do you say, wanna crash at my place?” Danny asked. The swan didn’t move forward but he didn’t move away either.

“Yeah, I wouldn’t trust a guy who talks to birds either,” Danny allowed. “And the place where I’m staying is a little gloomy, so I don’t blame you, but I can’t leave you here. The maze is honestly really dangerous, especially for a nice bird is like you. “

The swan seemed to hesitate before it hesitantly made its way to Danny. Ghost animals were usually smart but the swan seemed to understand English, which made communicating that much easier. Danny smiled and opened his arms. “I can carry you.” The swan just looked at him, with what Danny would’ve thought was a deadpan stare. “It would go much faster.”

If the swan was human it probably would’ve sighed, but instead, its wings just fell a little before it waddled towards Danny and looked up as if to say ‘get on with it’.

Danny smiled and gathered the animal in his arms. “Buckle up,” he said before flying off towards the maze exit, which was accompanied by a low hiss. Making sure there was nobody there to ambush him, Danny made it back to the castle in record time.

“Here we are Duckie.” Danny set the swan back down and it plopped down on the ground and just steadied themselves for a while.

Tim was a swan. He had wings and no fingers, and his feet were webbed.

He was handling it though. By which Tim meant he was shelving the impending panic attack for later when he wasn’t stuck in a swan body.

Ok, so he’d been turned by the Queen of Fables, so there had to be an answer in a fairytale,a way to make him normal again. He knew the ugly duckling story. That had a swan in it, right? He didnt know any other swan stories, except maybe as a dish during the wedding banquet of whichever princess. He vaguely remembered a Barbie movie that had passed on the TV when he was younger but the only thing that came to mind were a scary-looking Troll thing, and ballet. So with lack of better alternatives he was going to go with the ugly duckling. The ugly duckling’s happy ending was reuniting with family, so maybe all he needed was to make his way back to Gotham.

“Are you ok?”

And that was another thing. The guy. The one Tim had at first wanted to get away from. He seemed nice and all, but he also had neon green eyes, and fangs. Unfortunately, while they suited the boy very well, they also marked him as an unknown.

On the other hand, if the glowing portal wasn’t enough of an indication, the green tinge of everything around was clear indicator that Tim wasn’t in Kansas anymore. The guy seemed to want to help him, and having an ally wherever he was could only help.

Tim nodded as best as he could with his long weird neck, and he had to take a few steps to regain balance.

“That’s good,” the boy smiled with his white pointy canine. “How did you end up in the middle of that maze?”

Tim just looks back tiredly. He didn’t know how to even try and explain when he couldn’t say a word and had no opposable thumbs.

“Yeah, sorry.” The boy winced. “Maybe stick to yes or no questions.”

There was a sharp knock at the door that had the boy turning away.

“Prince Phantom!” A voice rung through the door.

Prince?

The newly-dubbed Prince Phantom got up to open the door, “yes, what can I do for you?”

“Your meeting with Queen Dora is approaching. Do you still prefer to forgo an escort guards?” a purple lady was saying.

“I’ll be fine without, Maj but thank you very much,” Phantom answered with a polite smile.

“I’ll pass it along, my Prince.” She bowed and closed the doors behind her.

Phantom walked back to lay on the bed with a sigh. “I really hate that they call me that.” He turned towards Tim to continue. “I bet swans don’t have royalty. You guys had the right idea.”

#Yep so this is the beginning beginning #Tim drake #danny fenton #dead tired #dc x dp #dp x dc #roxpox #roxpoxwrote #bisexual character

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borninwinter81 · 6 months

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Queer horror from my teens

I periodically wonder whether these books are still known and read by young goths and horror fans as they were all extremely important to me in my teenage years, so I thought I'd share them.

Though I'm cishet, during the mid 90s two of my favourite authors wrote primarily queer fiction: they were Anne Rice and another author from New Orleans who is now known as Billy Martin.

He came out as a trans man in 2011, however these books were published prior to that so unfortunately you have to search for them under his deadname. This is why I've used that name in the tags on this post. I don't believe the books were ever reprinted with his current name.

Though I loved Rice, I always felt a more immediate connection with Martin due to his vivid portrayal of subcultures like goth and punk, and how it felt to be a teenager who was part of them. I could see myself in many of his characters as I had the same interests, listened to the same music, and shared the same sense of social alienation. Remember in the 90s the Internet was still a reasonably new thing, and many of us didn't have a home Internet connection at all. There was certainly no social media, no YouTube, and no real way to meet and interact with like-minded teens unless you were lucky enough to have another "weird kid" at your school. If you were a weird kid, you likely had very few friends and were bullied.

That as much as anything else led me to seek solace in books written by an author who I felt understood me, and characters who became my friends.

Lost Souls is about vampires in a kind of Lost Boys/Near Dark way. Fans of the YouTuber OfHerbsAndAltars might be interested to know that this book is where the name of his channel comes from - it's a description of the taste of Chartreuse liqueur.

Drawing Blood is about ghosts, a "murder house", computer hacking, comic art and a very beautiful (if rather messed up) romance. This one is probably my favourite of the three.

Exquisite Corpse is about serial killers, set against the AIDS crisis of the 90s. If you like the Hannibal TV series you'll probably enjoy this one - imagine if Dennis Nilsen and Jeffrey Dahmer had somehow met.

Martin doesn't pull any punches when it comes to descriptions of blood and gore, violence, abusive parents or his portrayal of toxic romantic relationships (of which there are many in his books), but if you can deal with those things there is also a great deal of beauty, phenomenally good writing, and a somewhat unique perspective on the supernatural.

Maybe I'm biased, looking at these through the lens of my teenage self. Maybe they'd seem horribly dated to today's young audience. But I still wanted to make this post in case there's someone out there who will end up loving them as much as I did.

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colebabey888 · 12 days

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The Daily Shed Trend: It Girls Perfecting the Art of Beauty Sleep | IT GIRL DIARIES

TikTok’s latest viral trend is all about leveling up your nighttime routine, and the true It Girls are leading the charge. For them, it’s not just a trend; it’s a lifestyle.

The idea? The uglier you go to sleep, the more beautiful you wake up. It Girls have mastered the art of waking up effortlessly stunning by incorporating some unique and surprising bedtime rituals into their routine.

How do these beauty insiders achieve their "sleep-to-glow" transformations ? Through my research and inspo from multiple It Girl's, who are leading this trend, I think I've curated the perfect routine...

1. Overnight Collagen Face Mask: The Beauty Must-Have 🎀

Before bed, these It Girls slather on an overnight collagen face mask, allowing it to work its magic while they sleep. This powerful mask supposedly delivers deep hydration and promotes skin elasticity, so they wake up with a plump, dewy complexion ready to face the day. It’s labeled as a must have for anyone serious about overnight skin repair !

2. Lip-Taping for Better Sleep and Hydration 🎀

This sounds unusual, but apparently taping lips together while sleeping is one of the strangest yet most effective beauty hacks these It Girls swear by. The idea is to encourage nasal breathing, which can improve overall sleep quality and prevent mouth dryness, leading to healthier, more hydrated lips by morning. This fact, according to Google research, is true ...

3. Overnight Curling Tool: Wake Up to Perfect Hair 🎀

Why bother with heat styling in the morning when you can wake up with perfect curls? The It Girls use overnight curling tools—heatless, of course—to create beautiful waves while they sleep. Simply twist the hair around the tool, put on a bonnet for protection, and by morning, they have effortlessly styled hair without the damage.

4. Silk Bonnet: Frizz-Free Mornings 🎀

A silk bonnet is essential for anyone who wants to protect their hair while they sleep. Not only does it prevent frizz and breakage, but it also helps to maintain the curls created by the overnight curling tool. It’s a simple yet crucial part of the It Girl's beauty sleep routine. Get one NOW !

5. Chin Strap for Sculpted Jawlines 🎀

Ofcourse it doesn’t stop at hair and skin with these beauty guru's. Some It Girls add a chin strap to their nightly routine, designed to shape and sculpt the jawline as they sleep. This simple accessory works to keep the skin firm, so they wake up with a more defined and toned face. Talk about overnight botox ...

It’s Not a Trend, It’s a Lifestyle.

___

xoxo, COLEBABEY8.88

www.thedigitaldollar/gumroad.com

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dungeon-strugglers · 4 months

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✨New item!✨ Battleaxe of the Relentless Warrior Weapon (battleaxe), rare (requires attunement)

This ancient battleaxe is chipped and worn from countless battles, yet it feels sturdy enough for many more. You have a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with this magic weapon.

If you are reduced to 0 hit points while you are wielding this axe, you can use your reaction to immediately make one melee attack with the axe against a creature within reach before you fall unconscious. If the attack hits, you regain hit points equal to the damage dealt. Once this property occurs, it cannot occur again until the next dawn.

Has it been days, weeks, or months since the battle began? The sky chokes with smoke, and the only source of light is from fires raging out of control. Time is a distant memory. You hack into a foe, striking it down. Before it dies, another is pushed into the open patch of mud. Not a mud of water and earth, but a crimson slurry that clings to your aching legs. This one’s wild eyes are just as tireless as yours, and it moves with adrenaline-drenched vigor. You exchange blows for an eternity before the crowd undulates, and a new foe emerges. Beyond exhaustion, beyond pain, beyond death itself, you fight. - 🖌🎨 Like our work? Consider supporting us on Patreon and gain access to the hi-resolution art for almost 200 magic items (wow!), printable item cards and card packs, beautiful creature art and stat blocks, and setting pdfs with narrative hooks and unique lore!🧙‍♂️ Thank you so much for your support! 💖

📜 Credit. Art and design by us: the Dungeon Strugglers. Please credit us if you repost elsewhere.

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namorslutfanfiction · 2 years

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Sugar daddy Namor spoiling reader with everything that is possible and making she move into his palace?

Namor x Reader

Summary: You had simply done a good deed not expecting anything in return. But now you had a mysterious king showering you with gifts and affection.

Genre: Fluff angst and fluff.

AN: probably not what you had in mind but my brain just kept going

You met him days after moving back to your ancestral home. A bittersweet return to the large and solitary beach house you had inherited. You were determined to make the best of it despite how far you were from any town and the rumors that still lingered about your grandfather and other family. You had all been unique. The whispers that you could breathe underwater weren't necessarily wrong.

You had startled him that first day. You had swam far out wanting to cool down during the excruciating heat of the summer. If anyone saw you they would wonder about the bubble that covered your mouth and nose, like a clear scuba mask. Manipulating water was a skill that ran in your family and you had been taught how to preserve air for yourself early in childhood.

You were swimming deep when you saw the man drifting, his ankle tangled in long tendrils of seaweed. You'd never seen such a man with golden tanned skin, draped in jewelry, with small wings on his ankles. You swam up to him, already thinking of how you were going to drag a body back to the shore and how you would explain it to authorities.

You realized as you got closer that he didn't have the normal pale pallor that you would find with a drowned body. You cupped his cheek gently, feeling warmth. Your eyes widened just as he opened his own. He looked surprised but grabbed your hand before you could move away from him.

"Help me," You jolted when you heard his voice. It was not every day you met someone who could communicate underwater. The look in his eyes held no threat but only a silent plea. He tugged his leg and you could see just how tangled up he was.

You swam down and pulled at the seaweed. Yanking and clawing at the tendrils wrapped around his ankles. You nicked one of his wings with your nail and he jerked.

"Gently please, I'd rather not lose an appendage," He said, flicking his ankle.

You nodded and shrugged apologetically. He gave you a small smile in acknowledgement. You continued to tug at the plant but it only grew tighter. Giving up, you swam toward the ocean floor, looking for anything sharp.

"There's nothing, I already looked," the man said, swaying lazily in the water.

You glanced up at him, made a gesture to give you a moment, before you headed for the surface.

"Wait, don't just leave me here," You heard the man call to you.

In record time you swam back to shore and headed into your house. The machete you kept near the door was finally going to be put to some use for once. It was heavier than you remembered and even heavier once you were back underwater.

The man saw you approaching, "Woman, you could have told me you were coming back!"

You just laughed then started hacking away at the seaweed. Within the hour you found yourself sitting on the beach with the mysterious man. You both were exhausted and silent.

"Thank you, I'd been down there for awhile," the man said, running his fingers through his wet hair in embarrassment.

"How did you get stuck down there?" You asked as you wrung out your hair.

"That's the first question you ask? Not 'who are you?' or 'why do you have wings?' or 'how can you breathe underwater?'" The man asked incredulously.

"In case you didn't notice, I can also breathe underwater in my own way, and we got here much quicker because I manipulated the water to take us to shore. Whatever 'unique' qualities you have are not my business," You replied, "I'm y/n."

"Those on land call me Namor," he replied, taking in your features, "You are very beautiful."

The compliment caught you off guard making your face flush. "So, um, Namor, do you need anymore help?"

"With some rest I should be fine and to answer your previous question, I was hunting a fish," Namor leaned back looking out into the horizon. The sun was close to setting now, painting everything in a golden hue. He was stunning.

You shook your head to clear your thoughts, "You were hunting a fish?"

"There is a very specific fish, native to these islands, one of my people asked if I could find one. They want to study some aspect of it. I did not ask too many questions, I simply wanted a reason to venture farther than our borders. I did not expect the fish to be so hard to catch or smart enough to lure me into that forest of seaweed," Namor huffed and turned at the sound of your laughter, "Do I amuse you?"

"Yes," You replied unapologetically, "You look like a king, Namor, and you got caught in seaweed chasing a fish because you wanted to go out for a swim."

"I am a King, and yes that is true. In my defense, it was a rather small and fast fish," Namor couldn't help but chuckle at himself.

"Well, King Namor, it was nice to meet you, and save you. I won't pry anymore and I will keep your secret if you keep mine," You said as you got up and dusted off the sand. The sun had set and the cold was already settling in.

"Do you live in that place?" Namor asked, gesturing toward your home on the hill.

"Yes. It is my family home, although I am the only one left," You replied, a wistful look in your eyes as you took in the scene.

"It used to be full of life," Namor was standing next to you now, looking at your home, "I am sorry for your losses."

"You knew my family," You asked, surprised.

"I knew some of them. Your people have helped me before. Maybe those of us who can dwell in the ocean are all connected," Namor smiled down at you, "Be well, y/n. This will not be our last meeting."

He took your hand and kissed the back of it chastely before he walked back into the ocean. The blush had returned to your face, and only intensified as you watched the half naked man step back into the ocean with a rogue-ish smile playing across his face.

...

It started with flowers. Flowers of every kind, color, variety would appear in flourishing bouquets at your door step. Tied together with twine and always appearing in the morning. You never caught him but you knew they were his doing. It went on for two weeks before you made sure to wake up early enough that you could intercept him.

"You think I do not know when you are awake, pretty one," Namor said right next to your ear, making you jump. You had been waiting on your porch for hours in silence.

"Namor! Don't sneak up on me!" You exclaim, smacking his shoulder. He caught your hand and lay a kiss on your knuckles.

"You were waiting for me? Why have you not come to the beach? I have been waiting for you," Namor asked standing very close to you.

"I've been busy, and the storm has kept me inside," You weren't lying. You had been busy looking up anything you could find on the mysterious man before you. Although you hadn't found much. "You were waiting for me?"

"Yes, I have more gifts for you," Namor said with a grin, he pulled you to the bench near your door and sat you down. You noticed he actually wore a type of cloak or cape this time. Although he still wore those sinful shorts. From somewhere in the cape he pulled a small canvas bag. "I had this made for you."

You watched as he pulled a gold necklace on a hammered chain from the small pouch. A rough green gem hung from it and glinted in the light of the sunrise. You lifted your palm up to catch the hanging gem and admired it closely.

"Let me put it on for you," Namor insisted. You turned and allowed him to move your hair to the side and place the necklace around your neck. His soft touches and the light breeze of his breath sent shivers down your spine. You didn't know why you accepted it without any hesitation.

You turned to him, "Namor, why are you doing this?"

He let out an amused chuckle, "Is it not obvious? I am courting you."

You stared at him and felt your heart flutter as your face turned red. He brushed your hair out of your face then touched the jewel that now lay on your breastbone.

"This is a promise of my affections. I felt I needed to come on a bit stronger since the flowers weren't working. But, in yakunaj, nothing is too valuable for you," Namor winked at you as he combed his fingers through your hair.

"Affection? Courting?" You were still sitting in disbelief.

"Yes. I want you to be my queen, y/n," Namor said with a surety that came so naturally you just nodded.

You shook yourself out of your stupor, "But you don't know me, and I don't know you."

"This is true, but that is why I have come here and will continue to come here. I will make sure you know how much I admire and wish for you to be mine, and we can learn more about each other. It's simple, no?" Namor was being cheeky and you couldn't help but crack a smile.

"But I cannot stay today. I had only meant to give you your gift but I have some duties to attend to. I will return tomorrow at a much more convenient time for you," Namor stood with a flourish. The sun was now fully risen and the storm clouds that had been hanging on for the past week had dissipated. "Do not miss me too much in the mean time."

Namor kissed your hand again and started heading back to the beach, leaving you in a stupor. Your mind was racing and your heart was beating out of control. You fingered the necklace and a smile spread across your face. You'd never experienced anything like this before and you already knew that you were going to miss him.

...

The weeks that followed found you and Namor seeing each other daily. He brought gifts every time, from jewels to flowers. Food and artifacts he handmade. You tried to refuse some of the larger ones but he insisted. The amount of jewelry you now owned had more monetary value than you had in your whole life combined.

You spent days together talking and learning everything about each other. You learned that a couple centuries ago one of your ancestors had helped Namor and his people when a strong storm had washed his explorative mission team on to their beach. You learned about Talokan and its history. Namor asked about your family and your abilities. Swimming together and enjoying the water was one of your favorite pass times. Being able to spend time together on sea and land was a novelty for the both of you.

Months passed as you courted. He was ever the gentleman even when he had stolen a kiss from you and apologized for it. You had simply pulled him in for a deeper and longer kiss. You tried to give him gifts in return but he merely asked for affection instead.

Namor was touch starved to say the least. Once you were both comfortable with each other he could always be found holding your hand, playing with your hair, tracing his fingers across your skin, and practically being melded to your side.

When he had told you the name his people called him and insisted that you call him the same, you refused. No manner of convincing could make you change your mind, for now. You felt you were not worthy to call him that because you were still not sure if you would accept a proposal from him when the day came.

"In yakunaj, I want to show you Talokan," Namor said to you one day while you were huddled up on the couch in your living room. A nasty storm had been raging outside for three days and Namor had stayed with you.

You turned to him slightly, "Are you sure?"

"I want you to see the kingdom you will rule by my side," Namor kissed your temple, "I know you will love it."

Once the storm subsided Namor took you to see Talokan. His flourishing descriptions of it did not do it justice. It was more beautiful and magnificent than you could have anticipated. But his people were weary of you. He brushed it off but you saw how Namora and Attuma analyzed you, approached you with caution despite the enthusiastic welcome from their King.

When Namor returned you to your home the next day you did not let him know of your apprehension. As much as it pained you, you did not visit the beach for a few days. Even leaving your home to take a trip to town so that when he came looking you were no where to be found.

You intentionally returned back to your home during a storm. Hoping the torrential downpour would keep Namor at bay. But he was there waiting for you, soaked through with the cold rain, looking dejected as he sat on the steps of your porch. He stayed seated as you approached, looking up at you with searching eyes.

You stopped in front of him, not minding the rain that was soaking through your clothes. You had missed him so much. You had missed his soft touches, lingering kisses, and the way he made you truly feel like you deserved to be queen.

"In yakunaj, I don't know what I've done but let me fix it," Namor stood now, pulling you into his arms desperately. His hug was fierce and consuming as he spoke in your ear, "Whatever it is you want or need I will give it to you. If I upset you I will beg for forgiveness on my knees. If you are angry with me I will let you strike me. Just do not disappear from me again. In yakunaj, in reina. Please I can not bare it."

Tears welled up in your eyes and you hugged him back just as desperately, "I'm sorry."

...

"They do not matter, y/n. I just need to tell them how you saved me and they will welcome you," Namor had just listened to all your worries, "Regardless they will have to accept you since I chose you to be my queen."

"Namor, I don't want them to resent you," You were laying in his arms on the sofa, the fire blazing in the fireplace to warm you after your soak in the rain.

"They will see just how amazing you are, I promise," Namor reassured you.

"Ask them to tell you their thoughts, and don't punish them for it. I know how much Namora and Attuma mean to you. They are your family and know your people better than I ever could," You pleaded with him.

"And if they can accept you will you finally accept me? Will you be my queen and call me by my name?" Namor looked deeply into your eyes, tilting your chin up slightly. He glanced at your lips briefly.

"Yes, Namor. I will accept you if they accept me," You breathe out. His pupils darkened with desire just before he claimed your lips. His kisses soon softened as he whispered promises of your happiness and your future with him.

...

The next time you found yourself on the beach the sun was blazing as you waited. Then they rose from the surf, Namor flanked by Namora and Attuma. Your heart raced at the sight of the three of them. Namor gave nothing away as he approached you.

When he stopped short and Namora and Attuma stepped forward, you resisted the urge to back up. But they did not look at you with disdain as they did before. Instead they bowed on one knee and together said, "K reina!"

A smile exploded onto Namor's face as he quickly closed the distance between the two of you and lifted you in his arms. Before you could protest he wrapped his arm around your waist, cradled the back of your head and took your lips in a passionate kiss.

A soft but distinct cough interrupted you, and you felt yourself go hot with embarrassment. Namora had an eyebrow raised and looked slightly judgmental, but there was a softness to it. Attuma was smiling at the sight of you in the arms of the happy King.

"In yakunaj, I kept my promise," His cheeky smile was back.

You looked at the two Talokanil in front of you. Then the man at your side. He was as stunning as ever in the morning sun. Your doubts had been abated and the happiness in his voice made your heart skip a beat, "K'uk'ulkan, in ajawo', my love. Make me your queen."

Namor tilted his forehead against yours, trying to cover up the tears of joy that welled up in his eyes. That's when a small fleet of Talokanil broke the surface bearing more gifts of flowers, jewelry, and handmade goods. You gaped at the lavish display and the smiling faces of the people.

"What is that?" You turned to your king.

He ran his hand through his hair with a bashful look, "It was incase you said no and I needed to convince you a little more. It was Namora's idea. She said I hadn't given you enough if I was still convincing you!"

Namora looked flabbergasted and Attuma was openly laughing. It was a surprise to see the playful side of the Talokanil as Namora made an obscene gesture behind Namor's back. Even the people in the water were smiling.

"Let's go home," You finally said as you took Namor's hand, a smile gracing your face as you looked out to the sea.

...

AN: There we go. I know it could have been fluffier but I can't help where my brain goes sometimes.

Hope you enjoyed

#namor x reader #namor #namorslutfanfiction #namor x oc #namorfanfic #fluff #tenoch huerta

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selitoxicmoon · 3 months

Text

Meet the OCs: Flare Phoenix

Also the most voted among other OCs in the poll of "Who's the first to show up" in Meet the OCs event (Flare got a tie with Katrina). The info is long, explains detailed her origins shown in the pictures and deeper.

Thanks so much for watching, hope you like to read

-----INFO-----

Name: Flare Phoenix Universe: Five Nights at Freddy's: Security Breach Megaplex section: Room is located in Rockstar Row next to Chica's, meanwhile her personal amusement park is called Volcano Valley which is connected with the Pirate's Cove in the Daycare. Position: Drummer & Flare Dancer (in solo). Skills & Personality: Flare is an hiperactive animatronic, unlike the others, her system and endo is unique, completely inmune of fire or high temperatures. Flare sadly, she's an untouchable animatronic due to her systems that can burn children if she gets too excited, as she's hiperactive, that can't be cooled down. Her behavior with the others are neutral, as she can't touch or get close to other animatronics because none of 'em have fire inmunity in their chasis. So she gets depression from loneliness every single day.

-----ORIGINS-----

Flare Phoenix was built further than Monty, she's part of the new generation just like the gator and the wolf. She was built as a new prototype of animatronic, an experiment from Fazbear Entertainment, as such, they created a Phoenix and add another bird in the gang to shock the audience and make her have own solo shows. But that emotionally would affect Flare, 'cause she as the others, has a huge AI programming that could get emotions and personalities, with it, experience loneliness. Loneliness is her nemesis, she hates it and has to deal with it everyday after the show due to her condition. Freddy tries to cheer her up... in distance, Chica is forbidden to get close to her (bc she has no control over herself), Roxanne doesn't want her hair and beautiful face to be burnt by her and Monty has at least some chances to get close to her due to his heavy chasis. She discovered that the Daycare Attendant actually was fire proof for children protection in any emergency situation, but Sun can't stay with her bc he can't abandon the Daycare, as such as Moon, but Moon got corruppted which he managed to roam around the megaplex but mostly to bother and scare Flare. DJ Music Man as he cannot leave the Fazcade, Flare can enjoy and spend time with him and the dance floor, DJ has a heavy chasis specially due to his size, his systems aren't bothered by Flare's high temperatures. One night... a kid was roaming around the megaplex, the show failed, the birthday was horrible. The events of Security Breach, Flare was confused by the change of behavior of the others, even questioned herself if they were actually like that. Roaming alone in the atrium searching for the kid as Vanessa told her, Vanny got behind her and hacked her chip with the Glitchtrap virus, making her have no self control over these dangerous systems so through the time she was overheating. She became furious towards everyone, furious by her own friends left her behind like nothing without even trying to change her conditions, as she was overheating, Gregory was more in danger, she could't control that her endoskeleton was starting to burn from the overheat. She was chasing Gregory from Volcano Valley to the tunnels, where her end appeared in her eyes once Gregory as a way of self defense, grabbed some oil and threw it at her provoking a massive fire in the tunnels destroying her fireproof chasis and melting down while Freddy grabbed Gregory fast and ran away ashamed of how his friend had to die. But that's what they think... maybe her chasis melted down... but her endo stills intact, and Cassie will be the one to experience her agony.

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theresattrpgforthat · 3 months

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Is there a tabletop for those who like the Monster Hunter Stories series? Like befriending and riding various monsters to fight alongside them?

THEME: Monster Hunter Stories

Hello there, so I found a few games that feel like they incorporate some of the same themes as Monster Hunter Stories, although nothing hits what you’re looking for exactly. I tried to look for games that were either inspired by the Monster Hunter franchise, or emphasized positive, co-operative relationships with monsters for this recommendation.

Animon Story, by Zak Barouh.

Jump into the world of Animon with this original tabletop roleplaying game inspired by beloved anime and video games. You'll take on the role of Kids who team up with their very own monster buddies called Animon. Together you'll go on adventures, grow as friends, and maybe even save the world!

This book contains everything you need to create unique characters and tell your own stories, with rules designed to encourage and support your creativity.

If you’re looking for monster companions in a cute animation style, Animon Story is right for you. It’s more inspired by Digimon and Pokemon, but one thing that looks similar to Monster Hunter Stories is the importance of a relationship with you and your monster friend. Animon Story calls this the Bond of Friendship, and it is intrinsically tied to your monster friend’s evolution and abilities. Animon Story is also full of adorable art, with a strong anime-like aesthetic, and the creator has released a number of supplements for the game, including an additional character option and an anthology of adventures to play through with your friends.

If you want to try before you buy, you can also take look at the Intro Playkit on Itch.io.

Fatal Familiar, by MC Griffin.

Befriend or tame deadly powerful living thought forms called figments in an apocalyptic dream world. Stories of a human world blighted by a dream. Living thought forms called figments roam the world- some humans yearn to coexist and break down the divisions between themselves and the figments, others labor to control them, and the rest just try to get by without shit getting too weird.

Play in any setting or genre you'd like, or in the official Elseware setting! If your story involves befriending supernatural beings and gettin' in fights, it can work for this setting.

Fatal Familiar is decidedly separate in tone and genre from Monster Hunter Stories, with trainable companions that are creatures of the mind in a dream world, rather than physical creatures of many monster-collecting games. The story is also less kid-friendly, with the apocalypse much more present (or at least, that’s what I get from both the art and the game page). However, there’s still some pieces that seem to resonate - particularly the theme of some kind of blight spreading that needs to be stopped, and conflicting viewpoints about the nature of figments and whether people can life alongside them.

Because this game advertises itself as something that can be hacked, I’m curious about if you could re-write the setting to more accurately represent the world of Monster Hunter Stories instead.

Monster Care Squad, by Sandy Pug Games.

Long after the crowns have fallen, long after greed has had it's day, long after war, poverty, hunger, and tyranny passed into memory, Ald-Amura's peace is broken by The False Gold, a terrible sickness spreading through its greatest guardians and most beautiful Monsters. Unified by community and driven by a love for the planet and each other, The Monster Care Squad rises. Do you heed their call?

Monster Care Squad is a tabletop roleplaying game set in the tranquil world of Ald-Amura. The peaceful state of the world is threatened when a mysterious poison known as The False Gold finds its way into the veins of the world's Monsters, causing terrible, maddening Wounds, which drive these incredible beings into uncontrollable rages. The once unbreakable bond of harmony and respect between Humans and Monsters is on the brink of collapse, and it's up to you and your allies to set things right.

Similar to the blight harming the monsters of Monster Hunter Stories, The False Gold of Monster Care Squad is turning many monsters hostile, as well as causing them to fall sick. Your job is to find a way to subdue the monsters long enough to administer care, but not to kill them - monsters are highly respected, sentient creatures that can grant magical gifts to those they love. Monster Care Squad gives you a concrete goal to work towards, although it doesn’t allow creatures to fight alongside you, as far as I can tell. However, the gifts from monsters that allow you to level up, making you more powerful while also changing something about you to indicate that you’ve been blessed by a monster.

Monster Guts, by Wheels Within Wheels Publishing.

Welcome to MONSTER GUTS, a tabletop roleplaying game, Illuminated by LUMEN, that draws from your favorite monster-hunting video games.

This book has rules to build your scavenger, pick a starting weapon and friendly companion critter, and then go out hunting giant monsters! Each hunt takes approximately 90 minutes.

Set in a post-capitalism world where monsters bio-engineered to extract resources have destroyed much of the world, you must hunt these creatures to sustain your village, one of the few settlements in the Pacific Northwest to have survived. You'll also harvest tags that you can slot into your weapons and garb to power up your scavenger.

One thing that sets the Monster Hunter series apart from games like Pokemon and Digimon is the inventory system, and the way the game uses the pieces of monsters you defeat to upgrade your personal gear. Monster Guts is directly inspired by the Monster Hunter franchise, and is incredibly focused on using the spoils of combat to upgrade your personal gear. The game also has a section called Companion, which I am assuming is a creature companion of some sort who can aide you as you hunt.

You might also be interested in…

Monster Adoption Centre, by TavernStories.

A Monsters Tail, by Five Points Games.

#tabletop games #indie ttrpgs #game recommendations #dnd #asks #indie ttrpg #monster hunter #monster hunter stories #monsters

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dice-sociation · 2 months

Text

Girls Who Don’t DnD

Quick Info

Audio Quality: High-Quality Audio, Effects, Music. (Occasional fan-submitted recordings)

Vibes: Throne of Glass, Doctor Who, Alice in Wonderland, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Princess and the Pauper

Extras: Patreon rewards, Discord Community with Book Club, and more!

System: 5e DnD

Campaign/ Show Length: Long Term Campaign

Average Episode time: 1.5 Hours (varies a bit)

Uploads 1 episode a month.

Diversity: Majority Women

Platforms: Podcast, Audio Only.

Number of Episodes This Review is based on: 30+

** If you want the TLDR, scroll to the bottom of the post **

Why Girls Who Don’t DnD?

How often have you said to yourself, “Man, I wish I could experience that for the first time again?” While we can’t reset your brain, you can live vicariously through the Girls Who Don’t D&D podcast.

If you're looking for a podcast with relaxed gameplay, fantastic humor, great editing, and effects, you should read on to learn more. This wonderful adventure showcases the beautiful experience of watching three girls fall in love with Dungeons and Dragons (D&D).

Starting the Pod

The podcast starts with Cory, the Dungeon Master (DM), explaining that he has invited three girls, Indy, Alana, and Stacey, who have never played D&D, into his world of Kalee with premade characters. If you, the listener, haven’t played before, you’ll learn a lot just from listening. Cory purposely doesn’t edit out explanations of how to play. I’m confident my experience was better because I was still learning to play the game myself as I started listening.

Right from the start you will hear how much work Cory puts into editing and pre-recording. He recruits people to voice-act for non-player characters (NPCs) or to play out memories or scenes. Some additions are just for the listeners, giving us a little extra information about the lore of the world. This includes the origin of magical artifacts, gods, and sometimes an NPC’s perspective that the players don’t get to hear. It feels like listening to an audiobook and honestly, I think “booktok” would love Girls Who Don’t DnD.

We learn that the three player characters, Freya, Kaa'Riin, and Morrigan, have lost their memories and need to recover them. The story and the discovery of who the player characters are and what happened to them work in tandem with the players themselves learning the game in a beautiful way.

Power gamers and hardcore strategy? We don’t need that here. (Tosses book over shoulder). This group is made of story-tellers who usually choose to progress the narrative over strategy. At first, it's like watching Without A Recipe or the British Bake Off challenge where they have no clue what they are supposed to be making. This makes it all the more special when the players get more comfortable with the gameplay and more grounded in their characters.

About the Team

Cory, "(who owns all the books but hasn't read them)"* completely absorbs the chaos the girls bring to the table and somehow also keeps them immersed in the story. He holds onto the rules of D&D loosely, letting his players use their abilities in different and unique ways. You still get full epic fights with no pulled punches, yet they feel more cinematic than the usual D&D grind. Outside of combat, Cory introduces challenging puzzles and encounters that present more opportunities for his players to think outside the mechanics of the game.

I adore Alana, Indy, and Stacy. I have some difficulty with telling their voices apart, but I never felt like that took away from my enjoyment of the show. Over time they develop their characters and have different play styles. They all have so much personality and bring their own flavor to the table.

Indy, playing Freya the Rogue, has to be the most classic of first-time players, starting a little hack-and-slash happy, but eventually, she gets really into the strategy of the game. Freya is a cheeky scamp of a character and Indy leans naturally into the rogue class.

Alana, playing Morrigan the Sorcerer, is usually the most sensible of the group. She is a leader in a way. There is so much more I want to say but I can't think of anything that isn't a big spoiler. Playing a sorcerer for your first time playing D&D is never easy, but Cory was able to ease her into the role and she runs with it.

Stacey, playing Kaa'Riin the Bearbarian (Druid with some Barbarian), has some epic combat moments. She can change from one animal to another without reverting to humanoid form, which deviates from traditional Druid rules. This decision, as well as other tweaks of the rules, help the pacing of the overall production.

And sure, you're probably thinking their whole schtick is that they don't know D&D, so wouldn't it lose its charm after they get better? Absolutely not. Not even a little bit. This table is casual, silly, charming, and gripping. They make me feel like I am with my best friends playing our chaos gremlins together.

A special shout to Mia Stegner (https://www.miastegner.com/) who composed and performed the opening and closing songs. It’s the cherry on top of this podcast sunday.

*Referenced from the Podcast Description. https://www.girlswhodontdnd.com/

About the world

“There is a saying among the good people of Kalee, when you know what is right, do what is right, and then deliver it all into the endless sea” From Episode 1: Throw it Into the Sea, Aug 16, 2021.

Cory presents a world both complex and informed by the player's choices and features some of the more bizarre parts of typical High Fantasy settings.

There is just something so satisfying about learning the characters' backstories and how their stories are expertly baked in the many-layered cake that makes the world. Flavors include; wild magic, strange and whimsical characters, Evil Queens, “timey-wimey” stuff, super cute plans, snails, Gods, magic crystals, trapped souls, and Alan (the real star of the later episodes).

Extras

There are so many Patreon perks! You get behind-the-scenes talks, recipes from Indy, DMing tips, Lana's book reviews, and more! You can also join their Discord server where Cory is pretty active and they encourage community gaming and have a book club.

TL;DR:

This podcast is about girls learning to play D&D using premade characters with amnesia. The girls learning to play parallels the story’s progression as they regain memories.

Reliving the experience of learning to play for the first time all over again.

Loosely follows the rules of 5e to keep the pacing up.

DM Cory recruits people to voice act for NPCs or to play out memories or scenes. Some additions are just for the listeners, giving us a little extra information about the lore of the world.

It's a little hard to tell the girls apart, but I don’t think it takes away from my enjoyment at all.

Wild magic, strange and whimsical characters, Evil Queens, “timey-wimey” stuff, super cute plans, snails, Gods, magic crystals, trapped souls, and Alan.

DM Cory presents a world both complex and informed by the player's choices and features some of the more bizarre parts of typical High Fantasy settings.

Special thanks to Artax of Who's Taking Watch for helping with editing!

No Context Gifs:

#dnd #dungeons and dragons #ttrpg homebrew #podcast #reviews #improv #fantasy #5e DnD #Majority Women #Audio Only #Great Audio #Effects #Music #High-Quality Audio #Female Led #Majority fem-presenting #Long-Term Campaign #Podcast

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deathmetalunicorn1 · 1 year

Note

hey!

its ok if you couldnt do my last request

but if you want you could do this request if you want to!

daki reader X yandere Poseidon + Hades and Thor + Loki

the reader was just walking around and accidentally bumped into the gods and the reader was about to tell them to watch where they were going but didn't get to say it because Brunhilde told her it was her turn and the gods was in shocked and to stunned to speak but then Zeus/Odin told the gods it was their turn as well and soon they realises they were fighting with the reader and soon Hades / Loki was watching them fight and soon when Poseidon / Thor cut the readers head gyutaro came out of her back and put her head back into place and the reader and gyutaro fight together.

but soon ended up into a tie and soon both gods went to go find the reader but saw the reader asleep on her brother lap underneath a sakura tree while gyutaro sings a lullaby and they watched the two siblings in awe but the gyutaro sensed someones was watching them and gyutaro woke the reader up and gyutaro told her someone was nearby and they looked around but noting was there but then muzan came and both of them bowed down and muzan touched the readers face and she blushed and the gods was jealous of muzan.

soon when muzan left with kokushibo they both met the jealous gods and soon started fighting and the gods who was in the fight they had won and muzan and kokushibo was wounded really badly and reader and gyutaro came and saw this and protected muzan and kokushibo but then the gods left leaving the 4 demons confused and angry.

and the reader started to feel uncomfortable and asked her brother to stay with her more often and soon the two gods started to show up wherever they went and soon the two gods asked the reader to marry them but then the reader said she got a lover that is worthy of her love which is Qin Shi Huang and the two gods started to feel really angry and started to fight Qin

and Qin was wounded and had to be hospitalised and in a coma and the two gods asked the reader again.

you can chose what happens after that :)

-You were a stunning woman, beautiful and confident, so you were able to handle any man that would come your way, some liked your confidence, liking their women dominate, while others would try to intimidate you into being submissive.

-Those bastards wouldn’t last long. Nobody talks to you like that.

-You were hanging out the stadium, a bit bored, as you were one of the champions for humanity, as you were once a human yourself, and Muzan gave you his blessings to fight, as he wanted to see you fight against the gods.

-You were bored just sitting in your room, so you went on a walk, exploring a bit of the stadium during one of the other fights.

-You rounded a corner and slammed into a pair of gods (Poseidon/Hades or Thor/Loki), nearly falling backwards and instantly you glared, going to tell them off before Brunnhilde, who was with them, spoke, “There you are Y/N. It’s your turn next, against (Poseidon/Thor) here.”

-The god in question was shocked that his opponent was the stunning maiden before him and you instantly grinned sadistically, “Good, I hope you’ll give me a challenge!”

-Your arrogance and confidence stunned the two gods, annoying them slightly before (Hades/Loki) couldn’t help but grin, finding you an amusing woman.

-Your fighting style was very unique, you were very agile and used your sash to hack and slash at him, laughing as you were having fun, but you were a little over-confident.

-The crowds were screaming out in horror as you were sitting on your knees, your head in your lap, after (Thor/Poseidon) cut your head from your shoulders, but unlike most demons, you weren’t vanishing.

-You were crying, making your opponent stare lightly, he felt bad making you cry, feeling like a bully, before you screamed out, “Big brother!!”

-Instantly, your back began to hunch grotesquely, your head fell from your lap as you fell forward as your brother emerged.

-(Poseidon/Thor) went to attack and was stunned when Gyutaro instantly charged, slashing him across the chest while holding you in his arms, protecting you.

-Gyutaro kneeled down in front of you, helping your head reattach as you sniffled softly, hiccupping as he doted on you, “Don’t cry- big brother is here.”

-Gyutaro was much stronger than you, and since you were together, like a Volundr, he was allowed to fight with you.

-Being double teamed was much more of a challenge, Gyutaro was both strong and fast, while you were fast, it definitely turned into a good fight, one of the best ones of the tournament.

-In the end, combined with his strongest attack and you and your brother’s combined attack, it caused a massive shockwave, that knocked all three of you out, ending the match in the first draw of the tournament.

-The two brothers were quick to seek you out, taken by your determination, power, and looks, you were a deadly but desirable combination, one they wanted for their own.

-In their search for you, they heard someone singing, not loudly, more like a lullaby, and they followed the voice, hearing Gyutaro, and found the two of you.

-Gyutaro was leaning against the tree, relaxing while petting your hair as you were sleeping quietly, your head on his lap, smiling softly as you knew you were safe with your big brother.

-Gyutaro felt the eyes and his hand instantly stilled before giving you a small shake, waking you up, “Someone is watching us.”

-You sat up, on the defense and the gods flinched, not wanting a fight, before they froze, seeing two men approach you both, Muzan and Kokushibo, both bowing your heads in greeting in respect.

-Muzan patted your head, making you beam, a faint blush on your cheeks which angered (Poseidon/Hades or Thor/Loki), seeing another man touching you.

-They weren’t bothered by the fact they knew nothing about you, only that they wanted you, and they were going to have you. One way or another.

-When Kokushibo and Muzan left you two, they started heading out, only to run into the brothers nearby, seeing the gods were furious.

-Gyutaro heard the shouting before you did, his hearing better than yours and took off running and you called out after him, running after your brother.

-You gasped in shock, seeing Muzan and Kokushibo being violently attacked by (Poseidon/Thor) and his brother (Hades/Loki).

-You shouted at them to stop as your brother ran into the fray, jumping in front of the gods, blocking their blows and you ran forward, putting yourself in front of the two strongest demons in Valhalla, your sash belts swaying, preparing for an attack.

-Just as quickly as the attack started, the attack ended, the gods lowering their weapons and turned, leaving the four of you confused and battered.

-You helped Muzan while your brother carried Kokushibo, taking them to the infirmary, because even though they were demons, their wounds weren’t healing very fast, due to being attacked by weapons of the gods.

-Gyutaro could see the way the gods were looking at you, and you would have too, had you not been so angry and worried, and he confided in you, telling you what he had seen.

-You grew scared, holding onto your brother’s hand, not wanting to be apart from him, as you knew he would keep you safe, since the gods were stronger than you, but not your brother; however, seeing what they did to the two strongest, made you worried, if terrified you.

-Muzan patted your head gently, seeing you were upset, comforting you, as he too was mad that these gods attacked them so cowardly and seemed to be after you for some reason, before he spoke, “Go calm down, Y/N. Go see that human of yours.”

-Your eyes lit up and smiled brightly, your boyfriend, the only man that you actually liked, and he liked you for you, Qin Shi Huang, and both Gyutaro and Muzan approved over him, and were okay with you dating the human.

-(Poseidon/Hades or Thor/Loki) were both stunned to see you shortly after leaving the infirmary, looking around like you were looking for someone.

-They approached you and you glared lightly, not trusting them as they had attacked Muzan and Kokushibo, “What do you want?”

-They didn’t hear the bite in your voice, or if they did, they chose to ignore it and your mouth dropped open and eyes went wide as they spoke in unison, “‘Y/N will you marry us?’”

-You instantly glared at them but did your best to keep your temper in check, “No, I’m already with someone that I love.” Their love-struck looks instantly melted into anger, trying to demand you to tell them who, which you refused, turning and heading away quick, making a mental note to tell your brother.

-When the two brothers saw you about a half hour later, as they had been stunned when you walked away, they went to approach to ask you to marry them again, when you called out happily, “Zheng~~” and their blood boiled, seeing you leaping into the open arms of a human of all things, pure joy on your face as your lover caught you in his own hug, spinning you around before asking if you were okay from your fight.

-You puffed up your chest a bit, a grin on your face, “Of course I am, my big brother and I can handle anything!” he laughed warmly, pecking your cheek which made you give a small happy squeak.

-Instantly the gods charged, attacking Qin and you screamed for them to stop, attacking them yourself to defend your lover, as while he was strong, he was a human against two gods and had no weapon.

-Your brother, Kokushibo, and Muzan heard your screams and ran to your aid, finding you holding the heavily injured body of your lover, while Brunnhilde was trying to get the two gods back away from you.

-Gyutaro didn’t hesitate and charged in with a war cry, seeing you upset and the other two demons were quick to join.

-Brunnhilde ended up having to call in Zeus and Odin, as well as the other Valkyries to get the two groups apart while you had taken your lover to the infirmary with Goll.

-Brunnhilde, Zeus, and Odin came to the infirmary, where Zheng now was, bandaged, but in a coma, with you sitting next to him, holding his hand while Goll was trying to get you to drink some water.

-You gave your statement of what happened, both times, with them attacking Muzan, their proposal, and then nearly killing your lover, had your brother and leader not shown up, and they confirmed it with other witnesses who had seen the fight, the gods struck first.

-You learned all 5 of them were thrown into holding cells, the two gods in one and the three demons in the other, pending the investigation.

-You weren’t happy to learn your brother was locked up, but you agreed, for the moment, because the attackers were also locked up.

-You were worried, knowing that gods did whatever benefitted them the most over humans and demons, and you were afraid because they were the family members of (Zeus/Odin) that they were going to get out with no repercussions for their actions.

-It was three days later when they were all released, with strict orders, punishable by going straight to Tartarus, that there was so be no contact between the two sides, meaning the two gods couldn’t bother you or Zheng any longer.

-The day Zheng opened his eyes, you were overjoyed, wanting to leap into his arms, but you didn’t want to hurt him, keeping his hand in your own instead, smiling down at him, “Waking up to an angel is the best way to do so.”

-Your face turned bright red at his flirtation, as he was the only person, except for Muzan when you were younger, to make you blush, but it made you happy, seeing your lover still had his sense of humor.

-Even though they couldn’t approach you without repercussions, you could never shake the feeling of eyes watching you, almost all day, following you, but you could never find who it was.

-You knew, deep down, who it was, but since you couldn’t find them, you didn’t say anything.

-No matter who you were with, Zheng, your brother, the other Upper Ranks, even by yourself, you could always feel eyes piercing into you, stalking you, hunting you.

-You were the predator; you were ½ of the Upper Rank Six! You weren’t scared! You couldn’t be scared…. could you?

#record of ragnarok #ror x reader #ror poseidon #ror hades #ror loki #ror thor #daki

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eruscreaminginthedistance · 8 days

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Finally got around to watching some post-embargo vids and I have some now updated Veilguard thoughts.

Stuff I liked:

Character creator is a standout as always. This has consistently been the strong point of Bioware's games in the last 10 years so no surprises there. The pronoun and other gender-related options are a welcome addition.

Companions all seem great. I'm sad we haven't got more Davrin or Bellara content yet, since those are the two I'm most interested in learning about. Their initial introduction in that terrible cinematic trailer didn't do these guys any favours, but seeing them in gameplay footage gives a much better impression of them. It's also exciting to see more companion-on-companion interactions and relationships.

I was put off by the voice acting in the 10 minute gameplay reveal months ago, but what I've heard so far has been much better.

Main menu looks pretty.

As an ME fan, I'm pro dialogue wheel; it's unfortunate that Inquisition turned that whole mechanic into a massive drip. This is less a thing I notice but something I hope, that this game's dialogue wheel will have a more DA2 or ME1 vibe.

Hngnggn vfjddjgfnbhn oooowowo o cloaks.

Stuff I didn't like:

The art style is not redeeming itself. Wolfheart made a very insightful point that it might be a holdover from when Veilguard was going to be a live service multiplayer game, and it definitely does give that impression. Everything is still incredibly smooth and it's clear there was a lot of effort put into making things "nice" looking. It's giving very "everyone's beautiful but no one is horny" to me. I'm on the haters' side with the Qunari; where are their textures?

On that note, oh my god. The UI and the VFX. This must have also been a result of live service elements. As someone who hates playing late-game mages in Origins because all of the VFX gives me a headache this game looks actively hostile. Does literally every single ability require flashing neon lights? Why does the UI look like a World of Warcraft meme? Why does every single interactive object glow? Wolfheart noted that even after turning everything off, a bunch of VFX elements were still present, which is tremendously disappointing. Bioware can miss me with this cocomelon for adults visual style; I just do not need all of these annoying tricks to try and keep my attention.

Also on the UI - idk man. Remember when fantasy games weren't embarrassed about looking fantasy? Remember when all of Origins menus opened up in a little book with parchment pages? Character selection took place in a little castle? I just don't get this Thing Bioware has had since 2 to make DA's game UI look cool and slick by taking all the fun out of its visual elements. I've heard it before but I've got to agree, Veilguard's UI looks like a mobile game. And again, it's so busy it's 100% gonna give me headaches.

The combat is.... I won't call it "bad". I just hate it. See above for one of the reasons why. I think I could write a whole essay on how discomfiting it is. The very very clear push (likely from EA) to have the game resemble big name titles like Breath of the Wild and God of War has taken the game in the direction of just kind of a generic hack and slash; at least DA2 married its action elements with its party mechanics and has its own unique voice. There's something in particular that sets my teeth on edge tbh. I'm watching gameplay of warriors and rogues in combat and they're pretty much indistinguishable from mages. Teleporting, fire and lightning flying about in basic attacks, just a ton of stuff that makes me cringe to look at. There's a complete lack of class fantasy there for me - why would I want to play a warrior that isn't just a big guy with a big sword? Is this a result of story elements? Why is my low level rogue demolishing entire groups of enemies ala Dynasty Warriors? In a world where the distinction between a magic person and a non-magic person is incredibly important, could cost you your life, watching a rogue shoot lightning out of their knives makes me groan. Are Bioware's efforts to make the player feel like the coolest specialist person that ever lived going to be addressed in-game? We'll have to see.

Lack of control over your own companions ala Mass Effect. I don't wanna talk about it it's too depressing.

I've noted this in the past but obviously the tonal departure from low/dark fantasy to classic high fantasy. The character backgrounds for the Rooks pretty much lock you into playing a good guy, which is a huge shame. Even if you want to pick a faction that is canonically shady or morally neutral AT BEST like the Crows, they make sure to tell you that the other Crows don't like you because you're just that good-hearted. In a faction like the Grey Wardens, notorious for taking in criminals of all stripes, you spend your background saving helpless villagers. What are the options going to be like for people who want to play morally grey or potentially evil Rooks? It's starting to look like Bioware isn't going to give you a much wiggle room to define your character out of what they need you to be.

Lip flap looks like a very mixed bag. Maybe it's just the footage but voices and mouths look out of sync.

Can't make a post without reminding everyone that Bioware isn't our friend; they've fired half the people who worked on this game and greedy producers like EA don't deserve our money.

Update: Only just came across this but phasing out inventory management? Yeah welcome back Mass Effect trilogy :/

Neutral opinions:

Other shit like the Darkspawn and overall mob designs have been a problem since DA2 so I don't see the point in rehashing it here, other than to say that I can't wait for the "DLC with the good Darkspawn designs in it" this time around.

Opening scene gives me huge Mass Effect vibes; the bar fight and the music in that scene felt very "Lair of the Shadow Broker", which I guess is a compliment.

Varric still not dead yet. Kill that old man!

Ultimately, I'm putting in prediction now that Veilguard is going to go the DA2 route of having a decent and well-loved story, but with massive issues regarding its gameplay and aesthetic that players will just have to get over in order to enjoy the game.

I'm not gonna be buying on release - first time that's been the case for a Dragon Age game since Origins; the current plan is to wait until the Christmas sales, which gives plenty of time for the fandom to either assuage my fears or implode cos the game is shit. Either that or the Solavellan content is so crisp and juicy I'll have to learn to pirate.

#dragon age #dragon age: the veilguard #da:tv #dragon age spoilers #veilguard spoilers #dragon age: the veilguard spoilers #bioware #pillowfort crosspost

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anielskaaniela · 1 year

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🌷How to Sew 5 Tulip Sleeve Designs: A Step-by-Step Tutorial with Free PDF Pattern for Biginners !🌷

Hey there! Today, I'm thrilled to share with you an exciting and trendy topic – tulip sleeves! 🌸✨ These delightful sleeve designs add a touch of sophistication and charm to any garment, and I can't wait to show you how to create them step by step.

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#sewing #how to #diy fashion #tutorial #tulip sleeve #easy sewing #free sewing pattern #sewing pattern #printable pattern #sleeves

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glittering-snowfall · 25 days

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At the time even the film's creators seemed nervous about what they had created. Like, when Diablo Cody in defending the film's same-sex kiss talked about her intense female friendships, how she "wanted to sleep at my friend's house every night, I wanted to wear her clothes, we would talk on the phone until our ears ached." Yeah Diablo, I had that with some of my guy friends as a teenager too, it was called being gay. The article that quote is from still finds the time to chide Cody for not doing good feminist representation, though, and I guess that makes me somewhat sympathetic to Cody here. Did she know that culture was in fact going to be too dumb to get the way Jennifer is both a predator and victim, the way her love for Needy is at turns beautiful and toxic, the way expressions of queer desire get warped into complicated, problematic forms by a diseased culture?

The film is full of uncomfortable joke/horror ambiguities, which were at least grasped by some critics (the film did have a number of favorable reviews, though they couldn't compete with the horrible marketing). As far as I can tell, the developing blogosphere, on the other hand, understood none of this from the moment they got their grubby cheeto dust covered fingers on the script before the film's release. Diablo Cody had amassed a considerable loud hatedom at that point, of both the aforementioned cheeto boys and their female counterparts, going apoplectic over the "fantasy" that "Diablo Cody is a magical snowflake who can spray her unique pixie dust on an otherwise conventional script and give it indie cred". Perhaps the film's obsession with female relationships characterized by violence, jealousy, and crab bucket behavior cut too close to home for such critics?

Or maybe they just genuinely hate Diablo Cody's "twee dialogue". You hear about this? Yeah, Diablo Cody writes twee dialogue. This mantra seems completely unassailable now, basically accepted by even her defenders. What's so god damn twee about it though? To be sure, I remember mentally grouping Juno in with Napoleon Dynamite and Little Miss Sunshine. Jennifer's Body reveals just how much "twee" is a function of the film in its totality, though. I mean, I feel like this should be obvious but the exaggerated quippy dialogue comes across a little differently in the context of a film featuring sexual assault, people being burned to death, ritual murder, demonic possession, and teenagers being sadistically eaten alive.

In that context her dialogue comes across more like a nightmare funhouse mirror version of Joss Whedon's now eye-rollingly ubiquitous quips. Whedon and his bazillion interchangeable hack studio vat clones never aspired for much actual wit beyond the "umm well THAT just happened". Cody's dialogue on the other hand is baroque, in love with weird wordplay and uncouth associations. Needy refers to Jennifer affectionately as "Vagisil". Jennifer, in a line that caught me totally off guard midway through taking a big sip of water, jeers that Needy needs to "Move-on dot org". Yeah, no man, you're right. This isn't how "real" teenagers talk. Also, Jennifer's not "really" possessed by a demon, it's a thing we call "Movie Magic".

Though, actually, it's not totally unreal. This baroque, warping dialogue feels now like how teens trash talk under ideal conditions: on the internet. This movie's dialogue is posting. Like Homestuck, the point is not to capture a literal representation but instead a vibe of the kind of unrestrained, often vulgar and offensive dialogue of teens shit talking each other over America Online Instant Messanger or replies to their friends' Xanga posts. It makes perfect sense that both Jennifer and the various Homestuck teens would call each other retards, for example. There's a real sense in the film of characters pushing boundaries, testing the limits of their ability to perform adulthood. It's not just an act in the sense that it's a movie you plodding dullards, but in the sense that these characters are performing their idea of maturity.

There's nothing of that performance when Jennifer, in the back of a van going who knows where, sobering up and getting a grip on her real situation, asks the members of the band Low Shoulder, "Are you guys rapists?"

The climactic flashback, late in the film, when we witness the band's brutal murder of Jennifer, still has plenty of quips, of course. It's just that now Jennifer's ability to perform any kind of mature confidence has been brutally ripped away by a bunch of third rate emo douchebags. All the quipping, over top of her desperate pleading for her life, issues from the douchebags, who treat the whole scene as a joke. The affect of this scene feels complex to me. It's still Diablo Cody's script so there's some pretty good one liners. Megan Fox, though, is playing the scene for pure horror, so the humor adds to the horror for me. For these guys, rape and murder is just, like, kind of a fun night out. They can sing pop songs while ramming a bowie knife ("Bowie! Nice!") into a teenage girl's body because their biggest concern is whether or not they can get their shit band on Letterman.

I think it's notable that for a solid number of people--particularly though by no means exclusively women--this scene is not damaged in its horror by this dissonance. At least not now. And why should it be? Horror has never just been about what's "scary" or worse about startling people with jump scares. Horror has always partaken of a complex mix of affects: fear and visceral startlement, yes, but also grief, shock, disgust, rage, contempt... attraction... humor. The best horror might fuck with the viewer's head, prompting arousal or humor simultaneous with disgust or fear. Why play these things off each other? Maybe to destabilize us. If we feel a moment during Jennifer's brutal murder where we're just a little bit charmed by these self admittedly cute boys, maybe that prompts a question like: what other monsters might be hiding behind charming façades?

The post-9/11 years and incipient Obama cultural revolution were unfortunately for Jennifer's Body a time for dumb affects. We pretended Rudy Giuliani hadn't spent several years turning NYC into a characterless, facile police state before bungling the 9/11 disaster response. Clear Channel, now the insipidly named "iHeartRadio," banned numerous songs for fear of causing even a shred of offense. The FCC got more censorious, waving its own dick around to far more culturally degenerate effect than any superbowl nip slips. Even researching this period is tedious: the articles I access are full of euphemistic phrases ("Mr. Bush was caught on videotape last July using a common vulgarity that the commission finds objectionable") so tortured they could have been dreamed up by the Bush admin's army of Eichmanns. I did discover that the maximum penalty for saying "fuck" went under Bush from a draconian $32,500 to a wild-eyed spittle-mouthed $325,000. People who objected to the dogshit state of culture and politics were drummed out of society, as The Dixie Chicks were. Or, more commonly, folks sorta slipped out of the public eye after getting played off at awards ceremonies, quietly shelved.

The primary objection to all this unfortunately did not come from anything really resembling a left but libertarians, constitutional bill of rights fetishists, and South Park. Democrats, never willing to lose an opportunity to supplicate themselves in spineless nematoad subservience to reactionary forces, attacked the Bush FCC for not fining stations MORE for Janet Jackson's sexual harassment by Justin Timberlake. Cool!

I wanted to talk about how this extended into the Obama years but here's the weird and ominous thing: a lot of the statistics and research material on the FCC's censorship actions just sorta stop in 2006. A lot of the relevant links from the FCC's own website are dead now. I doubt that means things improved under Obama. I mean, why should the FCC have stopped fining people for saying "dickhole"? It's not like any of the natsec state's border wars ceased, or the detaining of people without trial in the torture pits of Guantanamo, or the deportation of migrants, or the wiretapping of civilians. The prosecution of whistleblowers actually increased drastically under Obama, as did the lobbing of drones at wedding parties.

We bore this because Obama offered an alternative to divisiveness and the stale politics of the Bush era. We didn't have to tear down and dismantle what the Neoconservatives and Bible-brandishing Evangelical cultists had built through rancor and strife, we simply had to present a different way. A way that would unite the country. A way of hope. THROUGH THE TREEEES I WILL FIIIIIND YOU I WILL HEEEEAL THE RUINS LEFT INSIIIIIDE YOU

Now Needy's increasingly frantic sense that something is very wrong and all the memorial rallies and posters in the world can't fix it resonate pretty strongly with me. And, of course, after watching Low Shoulder brutally murder a teenage girl the whole grief and recovery (with a hit song!) thing feels like a cathartic confirmation of what I felt a lot during this period: that all sorts of cynical fucks were exploiting tragedy to their own ends. It never seemed to be quite the right time to bring up how cloying and often disturbingly fascistic a lot of the Strong In The Face Of Tragedy pop culture was. It was either offensive to the victims of terrorism, or offensive to Our Troops, or, extremely conveniently, before the critique even had a chance to be levied it was suddenly old hat: the Village Voice sneeringly dismisses this film's "routine “risky” digs at 9/11 kitsch". It was hard to tell Republicans to go lick a d*ckh*le when President Obama was wearing flag lapels and having grotesquely performative "beer summits" to bring together a completely innocent black college professor with the racist pig that arrested him. You wanna talk kitsch? Obama was so fucking kitsch, homeskillet. Kitsch and twee to a degree no Diablo Cody dialogue could ever sink.

Here's something that's not kitsch or twee: Needy finding the sacrificial knife that stole her friend/love interest, and using it and inherited succubus powers to murder the shit out of every member of Low Shoulder. That's cathartic as hell. I said earlier that no one in this film really deserves what happens to them. Low Shoulder are the exception, and it's so satisfying to see that knife buried to the hilt in the lead singer's shitty torso.

from We Were Too Stupid for Jennifer's Body

#jennifer's body #jennifer check #needy lesnicki

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thereinart · 2 months

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Hey, I'm so sorry to hear your art was stolen by some jerkwad. Your art is beautiful, unique, and best of all, human. I love the way you depict the characters in your art; their bodies, faces, and proportions look like actual people which is super awesome. You're doing a fantastic job, and your art inspires people more than you know. Don't let some talentless hack steal the thunder from your passion.

Keep creating, and keep being you. ❤️

this is the sweetest message I have ever gotten thank you SO MUCH 🥺😭

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shamera · 9 months

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top manhwa reccs this month

So this month I seem to have thrown myself into manhwa, and oh boy I sure read a lot to calm myself down through the holidays. I find that my favourite stories are always the ones that really immerse you, and make you love the characters a lot. So here's the top 3 stories I could not put down until I got to the latest update!

A Stepmother's Märchen

The story of a 16 year old girl who finds herself a widowed stepmother of four with a story spanning across two timelines. In one timeline Shuri von Neuschwanstein grows and struggles to connect with her stepchildren for a decade and ultimately thinks herself a failure when she's told her eldest son doesn't want her at his wedding, only for her to be murdered on the celebratory day. She wakes to find herself eight years in the past newly widowed, determined to this time connect with the children so they won't exclude her from their lives.

Top of the list because I genuinely could not put this down while reading. It's beautiful and emotional and really delves into how family is what you make of it. The characters are all so good and genuinely feel like kids who are struggling on their path to growing up. They are imperfect, immature, make all the wrong decisions, but so very wise at random moments and the misunderstandings (that break my heart) all feel realistic and not at all forced. Gave me Fruits Basket vibes!

2. The Player Who Can't Level Up

Kim Gigyu thought he finally had the chance to give his mother and sister a better life when he became a player with a unique ability... only to spend the next five years struggling to take down the simplest of dungeon monsters, unable to get above lvl1. He chose instead to guide other players so they can get strong, until one day he steps to take the first test of the tower and encounters an Ego for the first time: a sentient sword who will be his partner and level in his stead. With his unique ability 'partner of Egos', he sets out to find other pieces of Ego and unravel the mystery of the tower and just why it appeared in the world.

Normally for this genre I have to read over 100 chapters before they start hinting at the mystery of the world. This one started in chapter 12. It's also refreshing as it has a good balance between fighting and building character relationships as there are plenty of chapters where Gigyu spends time with his family and friends. Also there are great positive male friendships! There are lots of badass girls! The main character talks to other people about his traumas and his worries!! The growth feels plausible and I-- I have a weak spot for the Egos. They are now part of his family, I don't make the rules.

3. Dungeon Reset

Jung Daeun was thought dead after he fell into a death trap, and when others cleared the dungeon floor and moved on to the next, he was still stuck when the floor reset to respawn all the defeated monsters. He had no fighting skills, and instead decided to survive by building a shelter and figuring out a food source. He soon figures out that because players are all moved out of the dungeon when it reset, he's now a glitch in the system with partial immunity to the worst things, but also without the benefits that other players get. After accidentally affiliating with the Dragon of Life, Daeun starts running the dungeon his own way-- by building and farming and learning how to not just survive in a dungeon, but live in it.

aka the one where a Minecraft player is hacking a dungeon Death Game? So fun. It's a pinch of Dr. Stone mixed into a good food anime and dropped onto the dangerous dungeon trope. It's got characters who all end up so human and a main character who is absolutely a little shit doing what he wants aka sure he wants to pass the Dungeon Game and go home, but he's not going to live like an animal while he's doing so. He's going to make good food and have a good bed and take baths and develop hobbies while he's at it. He's going to make friends and learn new things and show that winning isn't all about fighting, but about perseverance and adaptability. Sometimes you don't have to win the fight-- you just have to survive it.

Honorary Mentions (aka I read through it! It was pretty good!):

Trash of the Count's Family

SSS-Class Suicide Hunter

Solo Farming in the Tower

The Lone Necromancer

Return of the Frozen Player

Solo Max-Level Newbie

And then there are series I've read but didn't finish as it didn't appeal to me personally:

My Daughter Is the Final Boss

Leviathan

SSS-Class Gacha Hunter

Tomb Raider King

The World After the Fall

The Beginning After the End

#A Stepmother's Märchen #The Player Who Can't Level Up #Dungeon Reset #ASK ME TO TELL YOU ABOUT ANY OF THESE #I'M VIBRATING ABOUT IT #...isn't it funny my reading list is almost all shounen yet my number one spot this month is a shoujo #I have a low bar but am heavily biased about these #I need the main character to be a good person I'm invested in #or they can just WANT to be good or kind #even if it's only to a few people #without that minimum I--#...i think this list really reveals just how aroace i am

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