#wanted to add my own personal merit to them

[beetleskeleton]

the silliess the gayss

they are both gay and autistic and i love them very much

[silusvesuius]

n*loth not being able to bag anyone over the (human term) age of 25-30 at most is the only logical and real conclusion to me because it can be just explained away as him wanting to prove and control everything and anyone (Cus he's a man!) but being stuck in that demographic because his unbearable and vile personality is a force that nobody can look past once they've outgrown the possible fear and idolization period of anyone but also n*loth in particular.

[rubberduckyrye]

Just 2 AM thoughts: Theory crafting is just another form of writing fanfiction, you cannot change my mind.

[inchidentally]

supercut of hot lap: adorable noises and synchronization and going insane below

Lando's barely smothered excited smile as he waits for Oscar !!

Oscar's little oop! face at shutting the door too hard

him immediately reading Lando's thousand yard stare and signing the cross (kinda)

THEIR JOKE RELAY THEY DO oh my godddddd !!! "there are harnesses" "lemme put the harness on" GIGGLE BREATHLESS GIGGLE HUGE SMILE

bc they always share a joke they don't banter it about. one of them has the joke, the other joins in on it and they just smILE AND SMILE and it's devastatingly sweet !!

classic voice crack from Oscar in the "has it been um… has it been lowered" and I cannot fucking cope with the way they have never and may never at this point leave that sweet, quietly thrilling place of like, spending time with someone you really wanna be besties with - or someone you've got a crazy infatuation/crush on and suddenly you have a legit excuse to spend time with them and they'll talk to you and you're nervous but also you're so happy and giddy and you just want to enjoy it y'know ?? like yes there's a little bit of fumbling over your words and you just want to keep the conversation flowing but mostly you just want to enjoy being in this person's space bc they're Special To You And Make You Feel Things

and the mounted cameras letting them relax so they lose that slightly jaded look they sometimes get when PR are trying to recreate carland0 or dand0 content ;__; bc Oscar is different! he slots into the Max F side of Lando where half of the time Lando's speaking in sentence fragments waiting for Max/Oscar to finish them and the other half is spent making sounds and doing voices bc it a l w a y s makes them giggle

and they speak SO quietly and gently as they always do with each other even tho the engine is an absolute racket - they don't do shouting and loud ! it's not what they do!

OHHHH LANDO'S UNBEARABLE SMILE WITH DIMPLES AGAIN bc Oscar's about to get excited !! and he has to hide in his jacket a lil bit !! and yes Oscar does get excited and giggles with his own dimples !!

Lando's answer to "is it actually drying?" being an adorable nose scrunch and Oscar immediately translates it helpppp

K has a whole gifset of Oscar "well, technically…" that I adore (and will find and link to I swear) and always makes me think of how he said "my girlfriend wouldn't say I'm a good teacher but I don't think I'm too bad" bc even with the people he adores this absolute giga chad nerd will NOT let something like 'does the weather merit slicks' just slip by if the weather very much does not merit slicks! that eeEEEhhhhh sound is literally saying "Lando, I will change my eating habits to your tastes, surrender my pre-race relaxation to your music choices, watch you closely in case you need help with words, and find you adorable even when you're hangry. but I will not allow a quantifiable fact to be obscured by you just bc you wrinkle your nose at me"

THIS GIGGLE OSCAR DOES TO LANDO BEING SCARED OF GUNNING IT IS TRULY HUMILIATING. ARE U NOT EMB BAH RAHSSED.

okand now this time Oscar makes a little face and mouths "wow!" and Lando translates it immediately

MCLAREN EDITORS OVERLAPPING THEM WHEN THEY SAY THE EXACT SAME THING whoever was in charge of this video they get it

their whole horsepower conversation being shared ?? Oscar starts it, Lando picks it up, Oscar adds more, and then they both giggle in PERFECT sync - like it's such a cute, boyish, geeky, gearhead conversation too

"well, thanks for the lift!" "yea… neewww problummmm!" @cx-boxbox said Lando always speaks in Tiny to Oscar and goodd the way Lando says this and aims his big dimpled smile back out the window again bc he just spent a fun time with Osc and got to show off too !!

"is it dry" (together) "noooooo" AGAIN with their little return to some tiny shared in-joke that makes their dimples pop out jesus christ I need a fucking nap they make my chest hurt

[1920sladydectective]

Hello I read your stuff and loved it! Gotta give all the kudos and drop a request.

Ambessa or Mel, you choose, with a soft reader. I feel like neither of them are particularly used to tenderness. But then there is reader well respected, powerful, and strong. It is frustrating to see this person who naturally has that tenderness despite what life has done to them and they don't know how to feel being on the receiving end.

Hallo sweetie,

Thank you for this request. I really enjoyed writing it and may add to it later, but for now you sort of have a smattering of tenderness for them both. I hope it's alright, it formed in an unexpected way

Ambessa's inability to understand the tenderness you exude makes her victim to that very same attitude. Little drabbly thing, SFW.

Ambessa was stuck between fury and admiration. 

There you stood, gentle and demure, with the attention of the room perfectly commanded. She had known that Mel had found a mentor of sorts in Piltover, somebody who had aided her rise onto the council, but being presented with such a force was unsettling. 

You were so tender. Neither fox nor wolf, you moved like a delicate bird, all exotic feathers and soft song. The worst part was it was not merely superficial. You were not beautiful without any other merit. You were a clear, precise politician with your influence gently glittering across both top and bottom side. 

Things in Piltover had mellowed slightly with your interference and it was clear you intended Mel to continue that legacy. You had said as much in your first meeting with Ambessa, praising Mel in more ways in ten minutes than she had done in her whole life. It had not seemed to weaken her, she blossomed under the encouragement, her decisions more cutthroat than yours, though you made no attempts to dull her blade. 

Several days later you found yourself cornered on a balcony, Ambessa’s hard eyes staring into you. 

“What is it you want with my daughter?” 

You laughed, light and sincere as you curled into the interaction, pulling up a chair close to her and pouring a glass of wine, “To use her for my own nefarious purpose,” 

She frowned, clearly not in her jovial, charismatic mood, leaning back and spreading herself on the ornate garden chair.

“I want her to flourish, as you do,” You spoke as if you were intimate friends, as you seemed to have a habit of doing, “Though she is her own person, her own wolf as you might say,” 

Ambessa’s eyes narrowed further, a smirk of her own forming as she sipped her drink, “You are a very..encouraging person,” 

Your lips pursed in consideration, turning the words over in your mind, “I do try, I believe there is great merit to a compassionate approach,” 

“Does it not ensure you are very easy to deceive? In blank belief and encouragement of all, you open yourself to many surprise attacks,” 

“It’s a good job I have you here then,” You laugh again, holding her gaze, “A notorious General such as yourself, I am sure to escape with nary a scratch,” 

Ambessa was rather confounded by you, elusive yet so clear. Her doubts about you were slippery, hard to catch and name, as each conversation that followed was of a simple variation. Somewhere along the way her doubt of your kindness had shifted its very attentions to you. 

You were hellbent on becoming her friend and had somehow managed it. Your only error? Falling in love in the process. Ambessa seemed to speak to parts of you that you couldn’t access alone, and you felt desperate to return the favour. There were glimpses, in the late night chats and whispered quips in council meetings, of her vulnerable and battered soul. She was so restrained though, her mind pulling back as soon as you grew closer. Her emotions seemed to be the prey animal she hoped to eradicate, and she did not appreciate, or could not understand you humouring its presence. 

One night, as a cool breeze shifted your lace curtains to and fro, Ambessa sat across from you in a tired state. You had heard of the catastrophic argument from both mother and child, each weaving the tale slightly differently. Their exaggerations complimented each other, allowing you to look through them and piece together the truth. The Medarda pride was a powerful thing, though it blinded them both all too frequently. 

Ambessa’s hand twitched, reaching out for the wine bottle she had forgotten was empty. You took the scarred hand in your own, miscalculating her intention. She did not flinch away, though her eyes glazed with confusion. You traced shapes against her palm with your finger, muttering words of support and understanding, making her own to her faults whilst allowing room for her pain. She seemed to fight against it like a soldier fought for another inch of land, predictable and saddening all the same. 

“I see you, Ambessa Medarda,” You teased, though the love was impossible to miss in your swirling eyes. 

“I know,” She muttered, leaning closer to you, “That’s what I’m afraid of,”

[karpool]

Design concepts for StEx OCs based on Starset songs. This is purely self-indulgent lol

I have so many ideas for more, but these are just the first four concepts I made. No outfits yet because I was just focused on getting the vibes down first. This also doubled an exercise for me to try nailing down how I stylize StEx designs, which I think went pretty well.

Also worth mentioning that these designs aren’t really based on any one StEx production, because I personally didn’t that they all have their merits in terms of costume and character design. I kind of just blend the elements I like from all of them with a few of my own personal touches and design philosophies.

First and fourth are probably my favorite (unsurprisingly, given how much I love using color in designs and how I took more design inspiration for those two from specific lyrics throughout their respective songs). In order, the song they’re based on and the type of train they are is Perfect Machine (Electric Engine), This Endless Endeavor (Coal Tender), TokSik (Nuclear Waste Transport Railcar), and Solstice (Dome Car).

Funnily enough, originally the design for This Endless Endeavor was intended to be Solstice, but it just didn’t feel right. I liked what I had enough that I instead went back and tweaked the design to fit TEE so I could keep it and just took another shot at designing Solstice. Perfect Machine was also intended to be primarily monochrome with just a few bright accents, but I ended up going a little overboard instead lol. I can’t resist adding color and patterns to things, it seems. I also tried to blend some of the more mechanical aspects with the drag/makeup aspects of StEx designs, though I think I lean a little heavier to the latter side of that.

Eventually, I may go through and make fullbodies for these designs because I actually want to try creating at least a partial lineup of Starset song inspired characters. When I do so, I may also go through and explain some of the smaller details I added to a few of them and why. I will also eventually come up with names for those assigned songs that wouldn’t really work as a name. For now, Perfect Machine and Solstice will be remaining as the first and fourth’s names and TokSik will be changed to Waste. I have not decided what I will do with TEE yet, though. I’ll go back and add his tag once I figure it out.

[katelynnwrites]

I'm Losing It (All I Get's Jealousy) | Laura Freigang

warnings: ~

word count: 1377

summary: your girlfriend, laura gets jealous at national camp

a/n: jealousy is not something i've written before because jealousy isn't an emotion i have much experience with but i got two requests (one, two) so this is my attempt to do so

‘Hey.’ You laugh as a certain blonde pulls you into her lap, when you walk past her in the locker room.

‘I missed you.’ She complains, nuzzling her face into the crook of your neck and tightening her arms around you.

‘I’m right here schatz.’ You murmur, leaning back into her.

Laura presses a kiss onto your forehead, content for you to stay where you are.

Even when more of your teammates trail into the locker room.

‘You’re a cosy pair.’ Sara immediately teases.

‘Also I hate to interrupt but it’s our turn for media.’ Jule adds, with a mischievous grin.

You giggle and turn around to kiss your girlfriend on her cheek, ‘See you in a bit.’

Laura pouts, ‘Do you really have to go?’

‘Yes.’ You hum and kiss her again to appease her.

The blonde accepts it and relents, letting you follow Jule out of the room.

The younger player pokes fun at you as soon as the two of you are out of the striker’s earshot.

‘You’re so in love with her. Like you should have seen your heart eyes.’

You blush and shrug, knowing better than to try and counter any sort of comment about the depth of your feelings for your girlfriend.

‘Really! When's the wedding?’

Her words get a laugh out of you, ‘I don’t know Jule but I will be sure to invite you when I do know.’

That's how it is with the Wolfsburg player. She is easy to get along with and makes you smile a lot.

With the media team facilitating, the activity goes by quickly and with Jule participating along with you, is a great deal of fun.

In fact, you laugh so much that you’re still smiling when you get back to the locker room.

Lea is there, having finished her own media day activity.

Your Bayern teammate sidetracks you as you try to make your way to Laura, with a simple request of helping her touch up her make up for photos in the new home kit.

You’re happy to oblige, biting your lip in concentration as you apply a fresh coat of mascara to her eyelashes.

When you are finished and turn back to where Laura was sitting, she’s gone.

Sydney tells you that she’d left for her own media day activity when you ask.

With a sigh, you go and look for a snack to tide you over till your girlfriend is free.

It seems like Obi has the same idea because you find her already digging into a bag of corn chips.

She offers to share it with you but only if you listen to the list of pick up lines she’s been working on, with every intention of annoying her own girlfriend with them once she’s back home.

Sitting beside her, you dip your hand into the bag as you listen.

‘Are you lightning? Cause you’re McQueen.’

You snort, ‘Awful.’

Lena chuckles before reading out another, ‘Are you a charger? Because I'm dying without you.’

This one doesn’t even merit any response other than you rolling your eyes.

‘What’s it like to be the most gorgeous person in the room?’

You giggle, ‘I don't know. I'd have to ask Laura.’

The midfielder groans, ‘Stop it. You have it much too bad for her.’

Eating another corn chip, you nod acceptingly and Obi shakes her head in disbelief.

‘They say nothing lasts forever. Want to be my nothing?’

‘Eh. It’s not completely dreadful.’ You feedback.

‘Are your shoelaces tied? Because I don’t want you falling for anyone else.’

‘Cheesy but better.’

Lena grins and encouraged by your words, tells you another, ‘Let’s play a game…not hide and seek though, people like you are hard to find.’

‘No. No. No. Obi, that is terrible.’

‘Well the whole point is to annoy my girlfriend, not sweep her off her feet. I've already done that.’ She points out proudly.

You grimace and the brunette offers you more corn chips.

‘Last one okay? I swear.’

Her excitement should have clued you in to how cringey the next one would be but you don’t realise it till after she deadpans, ‘I had a good pickup line ready to go, but you're so good looking I'm literally speechless.’

You burst out laughing and Lena does too. Actual tears are gathering in the corner of your eyes from how hard you are losing it.

It is at that moment that Laura appears beside you, irritation clearly written across her face.

‘Lau.’ You greet and are taken by surprise when she leans in.

Faster than you can react, she pulls you into a heated kiss. One that she dominates, leaving you entirely breathless when she draws back.

The blonde ignores the wide eyed look on the Wolfsburg player’s face, shortly stating, ‘Oberdorf, the only person allowed to use pick up lines on my girlfriend is me.’

Then she pulls you away from Obi, not loosening the grip she has on your hand until you are in the hotel room you both are sharing.

She stares at you then, with an expression you’ve never seen on her face before. It unnerves you if you are completely honest because she has never been unreadable to you. Not like she is now.

‘What's wrong schatz?’ You softly ask.

‘I don't like Lena trying her pick up lines on you.’

‘She didn’t mean anything by them, you know that she has a girlfriend. I agreed to listen to them in exchange for her sharing her snack with me.’ You explain.

Laura huffs, ‘I still don’t like it.’

‘Lau? Everyone here knows that I'm yours. That you are the one I am in love with.’

Your girlfriend mellows a little at your words.

Ever so gently, you tuck a wayward strand of hair behind her ear and whisper, ‘I love you Laura. You know that.’

She sighs, shoulders slumping down, ‘I know you do. I love you too, which is why this is so hard.’

You frown in confusion and the Eintracht Frankfurt player fidgets with the rings on her fingers, almost as if she is embarrassed as she admits, ‘I just miss you so incredibly much. The past month has been more difficult than usual because the last time I was able to physically see you was at our last camp and that was cut short because I got injured. Now at this camp, I have barely been able to spend time with you.’

‘Oh.’ You breathe as you realise that there is a reason behind your favourite blonde’s sudden clinginess.

She hadn’t been exaggerating when she mentioned how much she missed you, earlier in the day and you mentally kick yourself for not seeing it sooner.

‘You've spent more time with Jule and Obi than me and that’s alright because I know you don’t see them all that often but I miss you. I really really miss you.’

Laura is on the verge of crying now, her bottom lip wobbling as she stands in front of you.

‘I'm sorry. I know the distance is hard but I'm here now okay?’

Slipping your arms around her waist, you draw your girlfriend close to you. The forward melts into your embrace immediately, her chin resting on your shoulder.

‘I shouldn't have gotten jealous. I'm sorry.’ She mumbles.

You hug her tighter.

‘Don’t apologise schatz.’

From the moment you and the blonde had started dating, the two of you have been aware of the challenges a long distance relationship would bring. What you hadn’t been aware of, prior to your conversation, was how much your girlfriend has been struggling with them.

After turning your head so that you can press an affectionate kiss against her neck, you say, ‘Summer break is coming soon and then it’ll be just you and me okay? We’ve got that trip to Mallorca planned and I am looking forward to spending every minute of it with you.’

‘That sounds like heaven.’ Laura whispers.

You hum in agreement and check your watch before adding, ‘Till then we have enough time to take a nap before our tactics meeting? I don’t know about you but all the media stuff has tired me out…’

Your girlfriend doesn’t need to be asked twice.

German Translation:

schatz - sweetheart

[jacqulinetan]

On writing fanfiction

Exactly one person hinted that this might be helpful and I thought, well, okay, why not? tonight I have the time. I've been collecting thoughts for awhile and posting fic for more than a decade (writing longer than that!) so why not create a little manifesto of sorts.

A [not at all comprehensive] guide to writing and sharing fic - for beginners - from someone who is serious about writing fanfic as a hobby but casual about everything else:

On logistics:

Where should one write? I use google docs. Recently there's been some discussion about not using gdocs because of AI concerns, and I think if you are sharing nsfw files with other users there is a nebulous risk of losing access to the file... so I've heard. Tbh I cannot speak to the actual risk of either of these things. But I like gdocs because it's free and I can access the same doc from my phone as my desktop which is good for on-the-go thoughts. Other programs that people like are scrivener (costs money - but everybody who uses it says its worth it) and libre office (I tried this and didn't like it, but only because I'm used to gdocs). There are other programs out there, but these are the ones I feel I hear about the most. For me personally, I also have a notebook. If I'm inspired and want to get some scene or dialogue out quickly, writing analog is fastest for me and I find my thoughts flow well like that too.

Where should one post? Archive of our own dot org. There are other fic sites (wattpad) but none of them have the legendary tagging system that ao3 has - more on this later. On ao3 you will need to create an account (if you need an invitation, I'm not sure if you do, but if you do I will personally give one to you, just dm me). But you can post fic under your user handle or anonymously. When you browse the site, you will see that everything is separated by fandom, then by pairing (though non pairing/romance or 'gen fic' is fine too), then by characters involved, then other tags. I imagine it's overwhelming if you are not there a lot, but when you post, the form guides you for what to fill out (e.g. you will fill out the fields before you drop in your fic). You can always edit later if you want to change things around, but ao3 does not have an algorithm, so people will find your fic based on 1) the time it was originally posted or more likely 2) the tags that give an idea of what the story is about. I could write for ten thousand years about the merits of ao3, but like most things, you have to just get in there and try it out.

Other people who are smarter than me and know more than me can write and have written huge, in depth explanations for how to use features, and work skins, and the beautiful bells and whistles of ao3, but here is the down and dirty kind of explaining for sorting and filtering. I'm not going for nuance, I'm going for broad stroke understanding, and the nuance can come later. On ao3 fic 'metrics' we have hits (clicks), kudos (basically a 'like'), and bookmarks -- as a reader you can sort by any of these, which basically means you can move more popular fics to the top based on your preferences. And as a writer, it means you are hungry for people to kudos or bookmark your fic so that it potentially gets more eyes on it. Well, that's kinda putting the cart before the horse so to speak, if you're just getting started, but it is nice for your work to get feedback.

Tagging beyond pairing and character is important because it's how people will differentiate your fic from the others. This is things like 'canon compliant' or 'post canon' or 'coffee shop au' or 'enemies to lovers' or 'anal sex' or 'Bottom Shiro' or literally anything. Literally anything. These can be big tags ("wrangled tags") that everybody uses commonly enough that they are their own kind of category ('dom/sub') or random silly things you want to advertise with (e.g. 'blatant disregard for hoverbike safety'). You can add as many tags as you like. There are no rules to writing fanfic but tagging content warnings appropriately is important to readers, and you will find YOUR people most expediently if you tag honestly and robustly. Again, I could write 150k just about the intricacies of using ao3 as a reader AND writer, but 1) there are other folks who have done it better already/know more than me and 2) you really just gotta get in there and play around to understand it.

I am always happy to talk about fic and so if any questions about logistics arise, I will happily try to help. ao3 also has help pages and support. One random but important note is that the crux of ao3 is that it is an ARCHIVE only (so there is minimal moderation of content, to an extent ) and not for profit, so you must never ever mention money exchanged for fic there. if a work is a commission or something of that nature, that is fine, just mention it on socials or elsewhere, do not put put that in the summary or author's notes, etc as it will cause your work to be removed for legal reasons.

On writing:

The best advice for writing is the easiest to give and the most useless to receive: you really do just have to write. Write, write, write. That is the only way you will find what works for you, the only way you will get better, the only way you will tell your story. Since my goal is not to be patronizing, I will not say that. I will try to give some random and interesting tips that really get to the heart of what I feel you need to know (in my world of healthcare we call this type of information 'clinical pearls' LOL)

Getting started -

It's likely that there is a specific scene you want to write and that's why you're considering starting a piece in the first place. That's grand. All you need is that little bit of inspo!! when you're crafting a story around that point, try to drop the reader in at a time that is interesting/exciting/unexpected. if you're just starting out and all you have is the inspo scene, write that. then you can decide if that gives a full enough picture on it's own (fics don't have to be hugely long, esp in the beginning of your writing journey) or what else you want to add to be satisfied.

For me, I usually have an idea in a google doc and some bits of dialogue or random stuff that goes along with the idea as I got random inspiration. then when I want to start on a new work, I try to conjure up one scene that will get me rolling -- from there I can just keep writing what comes next. As a less experienced fanfic writer I wrote more outlines and was more methodical. when I'm writing now I don't really know how things end (except for in a very vague sense) until I'm actually writing the ending. this makes writing a lot of fun for me. when I write fic, I am my own audience and I am writing for my own entertainment.

Establish a setting -

I feel like a lot of less experienced writers fail to place these characters in a setting. If I open a fic and it's just mostly dialogue (chat fic, I'm looking at you, darling) I'm thinking ?? okay ?? are they floating in space??? what is happening?? I don't like chat fic. Give people an anchor at the very least and try to remember that the reader doesn't have your Mind's Eye and they will likely not know what you are imagining unless you explicitly state it. this might seem obvious, but writers who are good at setting are remarkably good at writing, I think. also, I do not like to open with dialogue but that's personal preference.

Magical paperclip moment -

Along the same lines as grounding the characters in setting, I like to add in what I call in my mind 'magical paperclip moments.' This is something I made up (I'm insane, btw) after being really impressed with a writer's work (I think in the hetalia fandom, I wish I knew the exact fic because it quite literally changed my life). anyways, the characters are having a conversation in the fic, and the author randomly added in a line about one of the guys playing with a paperclip while they talked. It did not move the plot forward, it was not important to the guy's character, it was just a random idiosyncrasy that made the story feel real. magical stuff. I love that.

Decide on vibes-

This is a big one for me!!! at the beginning of my working google doc I usually have some random notes, a running list of tags, etc, but I also have a category for ~vibes~ In other words, I am thinking hard about what kind of overall feeling I want the piece to have, and I am thinking about what kind of feeling I want to invoke in the reader. should this story be dreamy? Gritty? Fast paced? Emotional? And then it really helps direct the scenes because I'm trying to stay within that framework of vibes for the reader. So I try not to write just the story alone, but also the tone of the work. Also having a theme in mind, or a motif that runs throughout, can really make a work powerful

The POV has a voice-

This depends on the style of the writer, but for my work, it's HUGE. If I'm writing from the POV of one character and it is identical to the POV of another character, I am not doing a good job. through the way things are described, the tone, whether the writing is more formal vs casual, all of this can help establish the voice of the fic. the fics that I've written that are the most stand out, or the most entertaining, or the most popular - all of them have a very distinct character voice to them that matches the story and the tone of the fic, and helps characterize the pov. it's not for everyone, but to me this is the single most important thing to elevate a story into something special

Writer's block-

Getting stuck is inevitable. When you're stuck, you have two options: grind it out or let it simmer. Grinding through the block is not for the faint of heart - by this I mean literally chain yourself to the laptop and poke out word after painful word until the words start to flow. This could take hours and hours and barely result in a paragraph.... that you might scrap later. But, sometimes it can be enough to break through the block. If you let it simmer, that's more gentle - take a shower, go to the grocery store, go on a walk, etc. If that's not enough, read, watch tv, consume some other kind of media that fills your cup. Let your brain work out the block in your background processes. return to the fic when you really want to and then you will be ready.

Two things I always think of when I don't know what comes next in a story: What would I as a reader be so insanely stoked to see happen next??? and What would be unexpected or exciting here?

On community:

You can't really talk about the transformative work of writing fanfiction without mentioning the fandom as community. I have a lot of precious thoughts about this, but I will keep things brief here. Fic is shared in a dialogue with other fans - it is not sold, it is not beholden to canon, it is not for the satisfaction of the original work. People are writing purely because they want to and that is an amazing and powerful thing !!!!!

Comments -

Well we all want comments because we love to hear about how people love our take on our precious blorbos. But you have to leave comments on other folks work too. truly, as a writer, you have to. I think this is a good way to start finding your people: read fic that excites you -> leave a comment there -> see who else left comments -> read their fics -> look at their bookmarks -> read more fics -> leave more comments -> you will start to 'know' the people who like the same thing as you. you will start to have readers! you will find writers that inspire you! you will get better at writing! you will be in fandom!

One important thing to note for new to fanfic folks is that construct criticism of any kind is not welcome on fanfiction. it's not needed because the author is SHARING fic with you - I am by no means the first person to say this, but think of it like going to their house and eating their home cooked meal... if it's not to your taste, peace out. just leave. no need to let them know. this is doubly true if you don't like the content of a fic. simply leave...it's not for you, so find something that is. or make your own thing. As a writer, if someone is not following this basic fandom decorum, and they hurt your feelings with a nasty comment, you need to remember that they are the one in the wrong - they are being rude and you are justified to feel irritated or hurt. if you've tagged your own work appropriately, then you haven't done anything wrong by writing your fic.

Social media-

Two things about writing and social media (fandom circles of socials). 1. be insane about one particular thing, that will be your brand and bring you people and be fun. you don't have to do this, you could just be insane about a lot of things, but I think having one niche interest that really gets you going is good. that's my opinion! 2. never publicly discredit your work. don't say "LOL I suck at summaries" in the summary of the fic. don't put yourself down even if you have doubts about your writing....you can improve without doing that!!!

Sharing your fics in a post on twitter or bluesky is a good way to get more people to click on them, esp if you are a new writer. sometimes you will see people make pretty little title cards - they are making these on canva dot com and it is easy and free to use. I love doing this and it took me awhile to figure out how my favorite writers were making such pretty title cards for their fics. so now you know!

On concluding:

I can't imagine the resiliency of the readers who made it to this point!!!!!!!!! WOW !! Obviously I will post this with the caveat that I am just one little girlie and there are a lot of fic writing folks out there, some of them much more well spoken and more knowledgeable and better writers than me, and maybe if they posted a similar essay, it would have completely different content. that is okay and I am not sad about it. in other words, I do not pretend to be an authority on any of this, I am just a person who loves writing fanfiction and this is what I would tell a complete beginner <3 thank you for reading <3

[tskumoyuuma]

in my other post about ans chapter 59, @nokaru said this in the tags:

#this is super interesting thank u!#obizen#there has been the discussion about whatever the guys meant like as like as a friend or like as romantically before cause English can't just#convey that#love them sm

and if theres a discussion, i might as well put my own two cents into the mix haha

let's start off by translating these pages that end chapter 58 (too lazy to get screenshots of the official translation, but it should be more or less the same. also that would be a lot of pictures in one set):

オビ おまえ obi, you 俺の事 好きだろう like me, right? はい yes …即答か ...an instant answer, huh いいけどな though that's fine 訊いといて you asked... 白雪の事も？ and shirayuki? はい yes 俺は お嬢さんの事が好きですよ i like my lady

first, i want to point something out to anyone who has any basic knowledge of japanese who may be confused when they see them using "[someone] no koto ga suki desu" instead of the usual textbook sentence of "[someone] ga suki desu." when you add "no koto" to a person in a sentence, the literal translation stays the same. "ore wa kimi no koto ga suki desu" means "i like you" the same way "ore wa kimi ga suki desu" means "i like you". however, "xyz no koto" literally means "things about/of xyz," so very subtly, it can change the meaning from "i like you" to "i like everything about you" ie your appearance, your behavior, your personality, basically everything related to you.

what i also want to point out to everyone is that zen's question about himself is the same as obi's answer on his feelings for shirayuki. "ore no koto suki darou" [zen asking if obi likes him] vs "ore wa ojousan no koto ga suki desu yo" [obi saying he likes shirayuki].

so, really, another way to translate those sentences could be "obi, you like everything about me, right?" and "i like everything about my lady."

i don't think anyone reading chapters 58 and 59 would read obi's last line here and think of it as anything other than romantic in connotation. this is clearly obi confessing to zen that he likes shirayuki in a romantic way. the rest of the conversation just doesn't make much sense if you only look at it in a platonic way, since obi makes it clear he didn't want to hide something like that from zen, especially if he was going to go be with her while zen had to stay in the castle.

so... if you can really only read obi's line about shirayuki in a romantic way... and the same exact phrasing is used when talking about zen... wouldn't the simplest explanation be that obi also has the same romantic feelings towards zen?

now, yes, "好き (suki)" doesn't have to mean "romantic like." but when looking at the context here, i personally find it hard not to read the conversation about zen as anything but romantic in nature.

what i think the actual question should be is... is obi being serious when he answers zen's first question?

this would be the only argument i would accept as having enough merit to prove to me that this specific part of the conversation isn't romantic while the conversation about shirayuki is. we know that obi has said some flirtatious things to zen before this chapter. these occasions are pretty much played as a joke in the manga, a way for obi to tease zen mostly.

is he doing the same thing here? their little exchange after obi says "yes" could lend proof to that theory. i would say it's up to each person's own interpretations of obi's character on how sincere he's being.

as for my own answer?

well. i would just like to point out these two panels of obi's face. him saying "yes" doesn't seem like the only thing his responses have in common.

[rafeobx]

paradise on earth

plot: a unwanted encounter with the one person she hates most of all, rafe cameron.

note: chapter 1 of burning red series! hope you enjoy xx

---

THE OUTER BANKS. paradise on earth. it's the kind of place where you either have two jobs or two houses. two tribes, one island.

first, theres the kooks on figure eight, the rich side of the island.

then, the south side, also known as, the cut. home of the working class who make a living clearing tables, washing yachts, running charters. home of the pogues. the downside of pogue life is we're ignored and neglected.

the upside of pogue life? we're ignored and neglected--we do whatever we want, whenever we want.

we're the pogues. first, jj, my older brother and best friend. best surfer i know, but don't tell him i said that.

next, john b. i've known john b for as long as i could remember. his father got lost at sea a year ago while looking for the royal merchant, a shipwreck that supposedly had millions worth of gold go down with it and his uncle—who hasn't been around for awhile—is his guardian.so, as a result, DCS has been up his ass about coming to check up, but hurricane agatha stopped them, fortunately.

then, kiara, or kie as i call her. when she's not worrying about the environment or saving turtles, she hangs out with us. kie's actually a rich kid, born a kook and turned a pogue. i'm not too sure why though, her family owns the wreck, an outer banks institution thats a total cash grab and popular with tourists. however, i'm not sure her parents like us very much.

lastly, pope. me and pope have been best friends for as long as i can remember. he's like super smart and has a bunch of scholarships. he can be a little bit of a weirdo, sometimes, but he's still my closest friend. anything i need, i go to pope for.

so, those are the pogues. and, then, there's me. isobel maybanks, or as the pogues call me, iz. there not too much to share about me. i live with my brother and my alcoholic father, luke maybank. not anything special.

---

"that's what, a three-story fall to the deck?" i glanced up to where pope stood, his eyes wide with a mixture of fascination and terror as he stared up at john b, who was balancing precariously on the edge of the roof.

honestly, those two sometimes acted like toddlers daring each other to do the dumbest things. i rolled my eyes, pushing myself up from the deck and grabbing one of the beers, jj, had no doubt "acquired" from some unsuspecting kook's cooler.

standing beside pope, i tilted my head back, assessing the drop. "i give you about a one in three chance of survival. and that's being generous."

john b grinned down at us, his gaze drifting upwards as if he was genuinely contemplating the merits of plummeting three stories onto splintering wood.

"hm, should i do it?" he hollered, a thrill-seeker's glint in his eyes. jj, who had been listening in to our conversation, spun around, his expression a bizarre mix of encouragement and threat. "yeah, jump. i'll shoot you on the way down."

i couldn't help the chuckle that escaped me. leave it to jj to add a violent twist to even the most idiotic stunts. just then, kiara appeared from inside the house – which, technically, we had broken into, but in our defense, it was still unoccupied by whichever stuck up kook would be willing to buy it.

"they're gonna have japanese toilets with towel warmers," kiara muttered, her voice laced with disgust. her passion for the environment often clashed spectacularly with the blatant disregard of the wealthy kooks who lived on figure eight.

"this used to be a turtle habitat, but who cares about the turtles, i guess?" she rolled her eyes, her attention finally snagging on john b, who still teetered on the roof's edge. "can you please not kill yourself?"

jj gave a cautious glance towards john b, his concern oddly specific. "don't spill that beer. i'm not giving you another one." and as if the universe had heard him, john b's grip faltered, and the can slipped right out of his hand, falling down to explode with a foamy splat on the weathered deck. "of course you did," jj groaned, his face a mask of mock despair.

"smooth," i joked, setting my own pilfered beer down on the porch railing. "well, i gotta get to the country club, my shift starts soon." a sigh of defeat escaped my lips. the country club.

the epitome of "kookdom". a place where entitlement dripped from the manicured lawns and the air hummed with casual cruelty towards anyone who wasn't one of them. it wasn't a surprise to anyone that kooks hated pogues and pogues hated kooks.

it was practically written into the town's bylaws, an unspoken rule that had never been broken and likely never would be.

unfortunately for me, it was also the only place willing to pay me enough to reliably put food on the table for jj and me every week. i turned to leave, already halfway out the overgrown yard when a security golf cart, emblazoned with the country club's pretentious logo, pulled up the polished driveway.

"hey," i spoke, a warning tone in my voice. "uh, security's here."

"boys are early today," jj quipped, a flash of adrenaline replacing his earlier boredom as we all quickly scrambled to make a hasty exit. we bolted back through the house, our footsteps echoing through the empty rooms as we raced towards the twinkie, john b's beat-up van, the cop practically on our heels. we all piled into the van in a chaotic heap as john b slammed it into gear, the engine sputtering to life as we sped away.

"hey, john b? could you drop me off at the country club?" i sighed as soon as we were all in the twinkie and away from the cops, the familiar feeling of dread washing over me as the opulent gates came into view.

"god, how do you put up with all those kooks every single day, iz?" kiara grimaced at the very thought of it. i opened my mouth, prepared to offer some kind of explanation, but to be honest, i had no idea. it was genuinely the most unbearable thing ever, a constant exercise in biting my tongue and swallowing my pride, but it was also my only lifeline.

as soon as we reached the service entrance, i climbed out of the twinkie, offering a weak wave goodbye to my friends, and trudged towards the imposing clubhouse.

the overwhelming smell of expensive perfume and stale alcohol hit me like a physical blow. i hated that smell – or maybe i just hated what it reminded me of. the irony of working at a place that embodied everything i loathed wasn't lost on me.

i pushed all the stray thoughts to the back of my mind, forcing a professional smile as i clocked in and got to work.

"hey, isobel, can you get table five?" beca, my perpetually stressed boss, pleaded, her eyes darting around the bustling dining room. i nodded, grabbing my pen and pad, and headed towards the designated table. but as soon as i saw who was seated there, i internally groaned. rafe cameron.

his family practically owned half of figure eight, their wealth a suffocating blanket over the entire island. and he was, without a doubt, the biggest, most entitled douchebag i had ever had the misfortune of encountering.

"hi, what can i get for you?" i forced a smile that felt brittle on my face. rafe turned towards me, a slow, predatory grin spreading across his face as his eyes met mine.

"maybank? i didn't know they were giving jobs to strays now?" he drawled callously, his arm possessively draped around some blonde girl whose vacant stare suggested a complete absence of brain activity.

i rolled my eyes, the practiced indifference of dealing with kooks kicking in. "yeah, we actually have to, you know, work for our meals. it's a wild concept called not having a personal chef on speed dial, maybe you should try it sometime." kelce and topper, rafe's brainless minions who would likely jump off a cliff if he told them to, choked back their laughter as rafe's smug grin tightened into a hard stare, his jaw clenching.

"whatever, pogue. i'll take a beer," he snapped, shoving his expensive leather-bound menu at me. i turned and walked away, a sliver of relief washing over me at the temporary escape. ---

as i resumed my rounds, busying myself with other tables, the unsettling feeling of being watched prickled at the back of my neck. i subtly scanned the room, searching for the source of my unease, and then i saw him.

rafe.

he stood alone in a dimly lit corner of the bar, nursing a beer, his usually perfectly coiffed hair disheveled and unkempt.

a frown furrowed my brow as i held his intense gaze and made my way over."can i help you?" i asked, my tone sharper than intended. talking to rafe cameron was the absolute last thing i wanted to do, but a strange, morbid curiosity compelled me.

his eyes softened slightly, still locked onto mine, a flicker of something unreadable in their depths. "um," he looked down at his glass, as if the answer he sought was swirling within the amber liquid, "can i get another beer?"

"that's your sixth one tonight, maybe you should go home, rafe," i suggested, a sliver of genuine concern mixed with my usual disdain. i instinctively reached out, placing a hand on his arm before he yanked it away, his earlier softness vanishing.

"i don't fucking need your help, dirty pogue," he slurred, his words laced with a venom that made me flinch. i opened my mouth to retort when my phone buzzed insistently in my apron pocket.

JJ get to the chateau. asap.

my eyebrows furrowed at his overly cryptic message. a wave of unease, far stronger than my usual country club dread, washed over me. what was going on?

i pushed the nagging questions to the back of my head, forcing my attention back to the swaying figure in front of me. "whatever," i muttered, rolling my eyes. "my shift's over anyway." i ripped off my apron, abandoning my tables and the stifling atmosphere of the country club, and practically ran out the service entrance, my mind racing.

i hurried the familiar path back to the chateau, the setting sun casting long shadows across the island. as i reached the porch, the sounds of a heated argument drifted out to meet me.

"okay. so, um," pope stammered, his voice tight with a subtle tremor of panic. "we didn't see anything, we don't know anything. we need to have total and complete amnesia."

"what exactly are we talking about?" i pushed the screen door open, staring at them all, a confused look plastered all over my face.

"okay, okay, okay, listen," jj started, his hands flying as he spoke, a familiar manic energy bubbling beneath the surface. "so, we were out on the HMS, right? just like any normal day, looking for, you know... whatever the marsh coughs up after a hurricane. pope was driving the boat when we hit a sandbar and i went flying off the HMS," he gestured vaguely.

"then, pope, he spots it – just the tiniest little glint of metal sticking out of the muck, right where the channel changed. we almost blew right past it, thought it was just some busted fishing gear. but JB insisted we stop because--you know, he's got this weird hawk eye for shiny stuff, probably from all that treasure hunting his father did. so we cut the engine and swam down into the marsh to check it out. it was all caked in barnacles and seaweed, but we realized it wasn't just junk. it was a grady white. that's when we knew. this wasn't just some random shipwreck; but, it gets better." jj explained, my eyes widening.

i felt a weird feeling in the pit of my stomach as if this was leading to something bad and i didn't know if i wanted me and jj to get wrapped up into something like this. i mean, we already had enough on our plate--or at least i did. "so this all happened while i was slumming it at the country club?"

"well, yeah--but thats not the point. when we went to check out the wreck, we found a motel key for the seascape motel, so me and jj went to check it out." john b began, my head snapped in jj's direction, only to find him already staring at me. frustration tightened in my chest.

"jj," i sighed, crossing my arms. i knew his intentions were in the right place, but i couldn't help but feel the weight of our shared responsibility to take care of each other still landed squarely on my shoulders.

"okay, i know, but listen. we went to the motel room and it was deserted--no one in sight. since, there was no power, which meant no one would know, we broke in. we couldn't find any name, but we did find," jj held up some cash and a gun "this."

"jj," my eyes shut in frustration "are you fucking crazy?"

"don't answer that," pope deadpanned, clearly everyone knew the answer already. i threw my hands over my face, the feeling of irritation settling in at jj's carelessness."okay, can we just get to the point? what is pope saying about not seeing anything? whats going on?"

"the boat, it was scooter grubbs." my eyebrows furrowed in confusion at john b. "the same dude that's buying individual cigarettes at the porthole? that makes no sense," scooter grubbs was probably the biggest dirtbag marina rat who's never had more than 40 bucks in his pocket.

"i mean, let's be real, the only way someone like him would get a grady white is by smuggling or if he's running from something." i reasoned. the salt-laced air in the cramped living room seemed to thicken with a new kind of tension, one that went beyond our usual petty squabbles. the image of the sleek, expensive vessel, so out of place amongst the rotting pilings and murky shallows of the marsh, felt like a bad omen.

kiara finally pushed herself up from the couch, her usual restless energy now focused and determined. "guys, seriously, we can't keep that money." her footsteps were firm on the warped floorboards as she paced, a stark contrast to her usual languid movements.the weight of their discovery, the potential danger, seemed to have finally anchored her.

jj's eyes rolled, a familiar sign of his impatience, but even the usual spark of mischief in them seemed dimmed by a flicker of something else – a raw hunger, perhaps. "okay. not all of us can afford unlimited data plans, kie." he leaned back further into the worn cushions, the springs groaning in protest, his gaze flicking towards the money as if it held the answers to all their problems.

"it's lana grubbs' money," kiara insisted, her tone firm, brooking no argument. "we have to give it back. otherwise, it's bad karma. we need to go dark." her words hung in the air, a chillingly serious concept for a group whose biggest secret was usually how they managed to afford gas for the HMS.

the carefree days of summer suddenly felt a lifetime away. "yeah. go dark." pope, who looked like he wanted the floor to swallow him whole, just nodded in agreement, his voice barely above a whisper.

he hunched further into himself on the edge of the armchair, his normally sharp eyes clouded with a fear that mirrored the murky depths of the marsh where they'd found their unwanted treasure.

the weight of their decision, a decision that felt far too big for them, settled heavy in the small room, suffocating the usual pogue camaraderie.

"if that means we get to keep the money? i agree," jj declared, a greedy glint in his eyes as he stretched out on the worn couch, already mentally spending their newfound fortune.

my mind, however, was a whirlwind of conflicting thoughts, the allure of the cash battling with a deep-seated unease. "i don't agree," i finally muttered, my gaze fixed on jj, a knot of apprehension tightening in my chest.

"what? why?" jj questioned, pushing himself up, confusion etched on his face.

"we have nothing to lose, iz. we've got nothing." he gestured around the dilapidated room, a stark reminder of our usual poverty.

"just think about it," i said, pushing myself to my feet, a restless energy coursing through me. "this is scooter grubbs we're talking about. shit, one time i saw this dude begging for change in the save-a-lot parking lot because he needed gas, and all of a sudden, he's got a grady-white? just sayin'." a shiver ran down my spine as the implications settled. "and I guarantee there's a serious amount of contraband on that wreck, but i also really wanna know what else is on that wreck." the thought of what that contraband could be – drugs, weapons, something far more sinister – sent a fresh wave of anxiety through me.

pope, almost convinced by our reasoning, surprisingly, chimed in, "okay, for the record, if that is a smuggling ship with illegal contraband, it probably belongs to someone else.

they could come looking for it. taking it would be catastrophically stupid." his eyes darted nervously around the room, as if anticipating a sudden, violent intrusion.

"right. well, stupid things have good outcomes all the time," jj grinned, completely unfazed by pope's logic. he snatched the money from pope's lap, hefting it with a satisfied grunt.

"all we need to do is figure out a way to get into the cargo hold of that wreck. until then, we lay low. just act normal." he stuffed the money carelessly behind the couch cushions, as if trying to will away the potential danger it represented. "and how exactly do we do that?" pope deadpanned, his skepticism palpable.

however, a slow grin was spreading across my face, an idea, reckless and potentially brilliant, beginning to form. the tension in the room seemed to crackle with a sudden, dangerous excitement.

"kegger?" the word hung in the air, a starkly normal suggestion amidst the extraordinary circumstances. the thought of a party, a chaotic gathering of pogues and maybe even some unsuspecting kooks, offered the perfect cover, a way to blend in and gather information without raising suspicion.

it was audacious, completely insane, and just might work. a flicker of something akin to hope, mixed with a healthy dose of reckless abandon, sparked in my chest. this could either be our greatest score or our biggest mistake. and somehow, i had a feeling it would be both.

[thelonelyshore-if]

Huh, this has me intrigued:

Does that mean Willow would get along with Ravi sort of better if they were trapped in Easthaven instead of the MC than getting along if meeting Ravi in the current situation where MC is trapped (assuming it will happen later on)? Because based on previous asks and so on, I was under the impression Willow really hates Ravi's guts, and this doesn't seem as extreme.

Yup...sort of, at least. For the vast majority of the ROs, Willow's opinion would be slightly better if they met them on their own. Mostly because Willow wouldn't think of them in the context of "is this person good for my sibling (regardless of if it's romantic or platonic)" and would rather see the RO on their own merits.

Throwing MC in the mix not only triggers Willow's jealousy ("it should be you and me against the world, not you me and this random stranger!! I'm your sibling"), but also adds a huge level of judgment for Willow, who wants to keep MC safe and also doesn't want an annoying in-law.

That being said, I think the relationship between Willow and (Ravi/Beck/Croft) would be much worse if Willow met them first, because instead of the RO being like, "my new friend slash crush has a little sibling that hates my guts??? annoying but whatever, can't choose family", it would be more like "why is this literal stranger so pissed at me???? "

[skunts-own-truth]

Thoughts on the Secret Level Space Marine episode:

It is very pretty looking, and it’s always good to see more of Mr. Titus, beloved by all. However, I do think it is was lacking a bit in substance. This felt like a teaser, a little taste showing off what could be done with Amazon/Warhammer, rather than anything that could stand on its own merit as a truly good work. I did like it, but I wanted a bit more. Frankly, I couldn’t possibly agree with the “this is the best TV Warhammer has had yet” statements I’ve been seeing everywhere, when all the episodes of the Tithes on Warhammer TV are just better. Maybe not better looking, but they do have more to say, and more of what I personally want to see from the setting.

I suppose this is mostly a matter of me expecting more than I should have, but I did kinda go in blind. Only thing I knew was it had Titus in it. Wasn’t sure what would come of it. Still, nice to see him hop around. Them Chaos boys wanna see him dead because of his hops, but Titus, the man can jump.

I hope next DLC for SM 2 they add a big big big jump feature, not associated with the jump pack. Titus gets UP there in the Secret Level episode. My man flies with the best of them, just try and match him on the court when he got the rock. Titus will dunk. Mark my words.

Now I want 40K Basketball, the way Fantasy has Blood Bowl. That’d be swell.

Anyways, it was pretty. I wanted a touch more, but I suppose that will come when the other Warhammer shows hit Prime eventually.

[alicescaling]

BRCN DOUBT 2

DOUBT ≠ LOUIS; I wanna eat you up.

Masterlist

The BRCN DOUBT books are “official doujinshi”, made by the same team who worked on the light novels.

DOUBT ≠ LOUIS — I wanna eat you up.

Hikaru: “Hey, how has everyone been lately?”

I look at Louis’ reflection through the mirror as I speak.

Louis: “Everyone’s been wonderful.”

He pauses for a moment.

Louis: “But Kaname-niisan and Iori-kun aren’t here…. which is lonely.”

Louis’s voice sinks, depressed. Despite this, his hands don’t falter, still styling my hair as skillfully as before.

I have an interview later today. It’s an interview with a man who’s a horrible person, but an incredibly knowledgeable source.

He’s someone I can’t afford to make any mistakes with if I want to finish up with the book I’m currently working on.

So, I decided to head to the mansion and ask for Louis’ help with my hair and makeup.

Hikaru: “And Imouto-san?”

Louis: “Chii-chan’s attending university.”

Then, uncharacteristically, he adds before I can say anything else,

Louis: “Everyone’s cheering her on. So Chii-chan’s alright.”

Hikaru: “...... I see.”

(In other words, Imouto-san’s in a slump, and the wolves of the house are trying to take advantage of that, aren’t they?)

It seems like the “Brothers Conflict” may very well be entering a new stage.

(Be that as it may, there are plenty of my brothers who don wolves’ clothing, but are really just sheep underneath. I won’t say who.)

Still, even those of them that are herbivores have the possibility of becoming carnivorous at a moment’s notice.

(Really, I’ve even been sure to give credit where credit’s due in their ratings.)

Their merit lies in how little caution Imouto-san feels like she needs to take when around them.

Although they might have less chances to be around her, all it takes is one good shot to run all the way past the others and through the goal.

(For example…. Louis, too.)

That’s what I think.

(Since he’s a man, it isn’t as if his chances are zero.)

I test this out by asking him.

Hikaru: “Hey, Louis, do you love Imouto-san?”

Louis: “Mmhmm.”

Louis answers without any hesitation.

Louis: “I love Chii-chan.”

Hikaru: “So, what would you do if someone stole Imouto-san away from you?”

Louis: “I don’t understand the meaning of your question.”

Louis tilts his head.

Louis: “I don’t own Chii-chan, so it’d be strange to say anyone could “steal” her from me.”

Hikaru: “Ahh, I see…. Alright, then, let me rephrase. What would you do if she got a boyfriend?”

Louis: “Congratulate her.”

Again, he answers without hesitation.

Louis: “I’d want to treasure the decision that Chii-chan made. I’d want to watch over her.”

He’s firmly resolute.

(Louis would make an incredibly entertaining dark horse. His absence from the conflict is rather boring.)

I want to do something about it. Just as I think this,

Louis: “.... but.”

Hikaru: “Hm?”

Louis: “I’d want to know whether or not that boyfriend makes Chii-chan happy.”

Louis’ expression tightens.

Louis: “If he doesn’t… I’d try and reason with Chii-chan.”

(Huh.)

I see. So that’s Louis’ thought process.

(If that’s how it is…)

I’ll need to consider some new approaches.

Before I know it, I’m completely absorbed in my thoughts.

Louis: “.... finished. How is it?”

Louis’ voice pulls me back to reality. I look at my reflection through the mirror.

Hikaru: “Mm… perfect.”

My hair is styled half up, which combined with my showy makeup, creates a look that’s both cute and gorgeous.

Hikaru: “Won’t you make me the perfect woman?”

That was the request I’d made two hours ago.

To be honest, I’d been pretty vague. But it couldn’t be helped. That’s the kind of woman my data target for the evening likes.

Still, Louis had managed to overcome the challenge with flying colors.

Hikaru: “As expected, Louis. I’m glad I left it to you.”

Louis: “Mmhmm. I’m glad I could help.”

A proud smile rises to Louis’ face.

Louis: “Is the person you're meeting tonight dangerous?”

Hikaru: “Not particularly. As long as I’m careful not to make mistakes, he should be harmless. He’s weak to women.”

Louis: “Come home safe.”

Louis speaks with a serious look on his face.

Louis: “You’re my brother, Hikaru-niisan. I don’t want to see you get hurt.”

Hikaru: “I’m used to this, so I’ll be fine. But thank you for worrying about me~ ♥︎”

I blow Louis a kiss, and he smiles brightly.

Louis: “Family is the most important thing.”

His smiling face is kind, gentle. As soon as I see it, an idea pops into my mind.

(That’s right. What a great idea.)

Hikaru: “Thanks, Louis.”

I wink exaggeratedly at Louis.

Louis: “Didn’t you just thank me earlier?”

Hikaru: “This is for something else. I just had a wonderful idea.”

Louis: “For what?”

Hikaru: “That’s a SE-CR-ET. It’d be boring if I told you now. But you’ll find out soon, just wait.”

Then, I raise my hand and point my index finger at Louis.

Hikaru: “However, I will say this: I’ll use any means possible to achieve my goal. …. no matter what.”

★☆★

The next morning, a document is found inside the mansion. The contents are written as follows—.

“The Truth Behind the Herbivore”

The front door opens, and out from the silent darkness comes Asahina Louis. It’s midnight, and he’s just returned home from his shift at the beauty parlor. Because of how late it is, there’s no one else in the living room.

“I’m…. starving.”

He goes to the kitchen, and opens the refrigerator. However, there’s nothing to eat inside. Disappointed, he goes to sit at the dining table.

(I’m tired…..)

At that moment.

“Louis-san?”

A voice suddenly rings out. He looks to see someone coming out of the door leading to the hallway.

“Ah…. Chii-chan.”

It’s Louis’ little sister, whom he calls “Chii-chan”. Although, she’s the adopted daughter of his step-father, meaning she has no blood relation to the rest of the family, just like him.

“Did you just get home now? …. what are you doing?”

She looks at him sitting down with worry, and rushes over to him. When he sees this, Louis sits half-up.

“Are you going to take a shower, Chii-chan?”

She’s clad in a bathrobe.

“Eh? Ah, I just finished taking one.”

Her hair is still damp. A sweet scent wafts from it.

“Huh? Did you change your shampoo?”

“Mmhmm. Kaname-san gave it to me.”

“Kaname-niisan did?”

“Yes. Ah, and Ukyo-san gave me this bathrobe. Lately, everyone’s been gifting me all sorts of things.”

She says this happily.

“Masaomi-san got me sheets and a pillowcase, and Iori-san gave me perfume, and Natsume-san gave me a big scarf. He said it’s ‘cause “you should take care to keep warm when you’re gaming at night”.”

“How come they’re all things you put on your body….”

“Tsubaki-san and Azusa-san both got me matching pajamas. They’re different colors, but they have the same design on them as their own pajamas. They’re a bit embarrassing to wear, though.”

“.... I see.”

“And Subaru-san gave me a jersey, but I haven’t taken it out of the bag yet.”

“........”

“Hikaru-san even got me a Gallé vase. He said to “fill it with your favorite flowers, and use it to decorate your room by placing it as close to the center as possible. That, or put it on your bedside”.”

“There’s definitely some kind of manipulation going on…..”

“Anyways, I’ll go make you something to eat. Please wait here.”

She opens the refrigerator door and peers inside. As his eyes follow her, Louis realizes that she isn’t wearing anything under her bathrobe.

(.......)

Louis shuts his eyes. When he opens them once more, the atmosphere around him has changed.

“Chii-chan.”

He slowly stands up from his chair.

“What is it?”

She turns her head to look back at him, holding vegetables in both her hands. She’s smiling brightly.

“............”

Louis is silent as he stares at her. After a moment, she grows a little uncomfortable, and turns her head away as she speaks.

“Um, are stir-fried vegetables alright? It doesn’t look like we have any meat right now. Of course, if there’s anything else we have that you want, I can–”

“Chii-chan.”

“...... eh?”

Silence. Then, in the next moment, the sound of vegetables tumbling onto the kitchen floor rings out.

“L…. Louis-san…..”

She moans, pressed against the refrigerator, unable to move.

Louis interrupts her voice.

“Tell me. Do you… love me?”

Her eyes go wide.

“Tell me the truth.”

“I…. I can’t.”

“Then I won’t stop.”

She hangs her head. Louis presses his forehead to hers.

“Everybody wants you, Chii-chan.”

“Eh…?”

Louis wraps his left arm around the back of her body.

“But I… won’t hand you over to any of them.”

Louis squeezes her tightly. Her chest presses against him.

“I’m not an herbivore. …. I’m a man, too.”

As soon as he says this, Louis brings his right arm under her knees. In one go, he lifts her body up, and lays her down atop the dining table. He then leans over her, his body pressed on top of her.

“I’ll ask you again. Do you love me?”

For a moment, she doesn’t say anything. She just stares up at Louis, her lips trembling.

Then, after a long moment has passed, she quietly closes her eyes, whispering a small “yes” as she nods.

Her cheeks are stained red. Louis lets out a long breath.

“...... thank you.”

Louis combs his fingers through her hair. A hot, breathy sigh escapes from her lips.

“Louis-san… please be gentle…”

Louis’ fingers delicately move down across her bathrobe. Before long, they brush against the knot tying it together.

“I love you, Chii-chan.”

He slowly unties the knot. Then, Louis’ hand–

(The document is torn here.)

★☆★

It’s 10 o’clock in the morning.

I’m sitting down on the living room sofa, a tablet that I’ve been using a lot more lately in my hands.

(Now, I need to put it all together before I forget anything.)

With a strong cup of earl grey tea, I’m able to sober myself up from a long, sleepless night, and begin compiling all of the new information that I’d managed to gather yesterday evening.

When a little bit of time has passed, I hear the sound of the front door slamming open come through from the hallway, as if something’d ripped it off.

Yuusuke: “Louie-nii! Is Louie-nii here?!”

And in rushes a particularly upset looking Yuusuke.

He’s tightly grasping a bundle of papers in his first.

Hikaru: “Hold on, Yuusuke. Calm down. What happened?”

Yuusuke: “Hika-nii! Look, you’ve gotta read this. Louie-nii’s done somethin’ horrible!”

Yuusuke approaches me, and hands me the papers he’s holding with trembling hands.

I take them, and read the title– “The Truth Behind the Herbivore”.

Hikaru: “Hmmmmmm, I see.”

I flip through the pages.

Hikaru: “What was written after this torn part?”

Yuusuke: “Eh?”

Yuusuke’s vigor instantly leaves him.

Yuusuke: “N-no… That’s, that… I– I can’t say!! I absolutely can’t say!!”

At that moment, the front door opens again.

And out from it walks Louis.

Yuusuke: “Louie-nii….”

Louis: “Ah, Yuusuke-kun, good morning.”

Louis then yawns as he speaks.

Louis: “I’m…. starving.”

Yuusuke: “Eh?”

Louis: “What do I… want to eat?”

After he says this, he begins to make his way towards the kitchen.

Just as soon as he does.

Yuusuke: “Let you… No, there ain’t no way I’m letting you!”

Yuusuke breaks into a sprint, rushing to tackle Louis.

Louis: “Wah!”

Louis loses his balance, falling back-first onto the floor. Yuusuke falls on top of him, straddling him.

Louis: “H-hold on, Yuusuke-kun, what’s wrong?”

Yuusuke: “Louie-nii! I’ve misjudged you!”

Louis: “Eh?”

Yuusuke: “I can’t believe you looked at her like that!!”

Louis: “Eh? Eh?”

Yuusuke: “The hell happened to the “Chii-chan Defense Squad”, huh?!”

Louis: “Eh? Eh? Eh?”

Louis has a blank look on his face.

Of course he does. He has no idea what Yuusuke’s talking about, after all.

Yuusuke: “I won’t forgive you…”

Yuusuke clenches his hand into a fist. I see Louis’ face stiffen.

(This is getting bad.)

I don’t feel good letting Louis get hurt for this. I stand up, moving to stop Yuusuke.

But Yuusuke’s fist doesn’t meet Louis, instead slamming down to hit his own knee. A dull thump! rings out.

Yuusuke: “You’re horrible…”

His shoulders tremble. Tears roll down Yuusuke’s cheeks.

Yuusuke: “I believed in you… I trusted that at least you, of everyone…. would protect her…..”

His words cut off there, his voice breaking into a sob.

Then, Louis reaches over, placing his hand on top of Yuusuke’s still-trembling fist.

Louis: “Yuusuke-kun.”

Louis’ voice is gentle.

Louis: “I’m not sure what’s going on, but I’m sorry.”

Yuusuke: “Eh…..?”

Louis: “I’d like you to tell me what you’re upset about. It’s alright, you can wait until you’ve calmed down. Don’t rush yourself. Take it slow.”

Louis reaches his other hand out, wiping away the tears still falling down Yuusuke’s cheeks with his thumb.

Yuusuke: “Louie-nii….”

The intense anger that’d been in Yuusuke’s voice until now is gone.

(He did it…)

To be honest, I misjudged Louis. He’d so easily managed to calm Yuusuke’s anger.

(But this atmosphere works, too.)

I glance at the clock.

(I messaged her as soon as Louis had come in, so she should be here any minute now.)

At that moment,

“Good morning, Hikaru-san. What is it you needed me for?”

A voice rings out as the front door opens.

(Mhm, perfect timing.)

“Your message said to come to the living room as soon as possible, so– …. Eh?”

And in steps Imouto-san.

She’s staring down at Louis laying on the floor, and Yuusuke leaning on top of him. They’re still holding each other’s hands, Louis’ other hand still wiping Yuusuke’s tears.

Imouto-san stands there frozen, staring at the two before suddenly looking away, as if realizing something.

Once they see this, Yuusuke and Louis’ faces tinge with a deep, flustered surprise.

Yuusuke: “Th-this… i-isn’t–....”

Yuusuke says in a strained voice. But it seems like he’s so overcome with shock that he can’t move his body.

Louis: “Chii… chan…”

Louis’ voice is also dazed.

Louis: “This isn’t… what it looks like. Please don’t misunderstand.”

At that moment, I let a laugh escape me without thinking.

Now this is what I’d wanted, why I’d rushed home with my data in the morning and immediately got to work, swiftly writing that short story.

(That’s right, Louis. No more pretending to be a knight anymore, show us your true colors. Let Imouto-san’s opinion of you change.)

Louis’ earned Imouto-san’s trust.

However, because of this, Louis has become complacent, merely content with protecting Imouto-san.

(But that’s no good. Join in the race. Because somewhere deep in your heart, you see Imouto-san as a woman too, don’t you?)

This is the hand I’ve decided to play.

First, I’d spread rumors about Louis and Imouto-san. Then, whoever’d found it would naturally interrogate Louis. Of course, Louis wouldn’t have any idea what they’re talking about.

But what would he do if Imouto-san witnessed them at the scene of the crime?

Would he manage to maintain his attitude of not seeing her as a woman if Imouto-san, the person in question, were there herself?

I’d expected the answer to be “no”. And my prediction managed to be spot on.

His expression is embarrassed. He’s in a rush, speaking to try and stop her from misunderstanding. And I’d managed to pull that out of him.

(Louis. You think that family’s the most important thing. But the truth is, the same goes for Imouto-san. Why do you think she neither accepted nor denied anyone’s confession back during her high school graduation? It’s because she didn’t want to hurt anyone in the family. That’s right, both you and Imouto-san value the very same thing above all else.)

If the two of them were to realize this, Louis’ chances of winning would increase dramatically.

(Well, it isn’t as if the others would back down quietly, though. Even if they ended up dating and living happily ever after, the others wouldn’t allow it.)

There’s still time before anyone can be proclaimed winner of the conflict. Until then, I plan on entertaining myself as much as possible.

(Well then…. I think I’ve shaken things up enough for today.)

I make my way across the room and over to Imouto-san.

Hikaru: “Sorry. I wanted to have a little chat with you, but it looks like Yuusuke and Louis are in the middle of something. Is it alright if we go somewhere else?”

“Uh-huuh…”

Hikaru: “Great. Alright then, let’s go.”

Taking advantage of her confusion, I take Imouto-san’s hand and lead her outside.

Right before we leave the room, I look over my shoulder for a second.

(Yuusuke. Sorry for dragging you into this. But you were essential to driving Louis into a corner. Because you’re the only one who’d ever believe that that story I so obviously wrote was actually, in any way, real.)

Thanking Yuusuke’s purity from the bottom of my heart, I leave the living room.

[enby-dragoon]

Rating the IBO Gundams by how much I personally want to fuck them

Hello, I've been writing Gundam fanfiction recently and that has gotten me intensely horny. This was the result.

The following is mostly just my opinion, formed by a combination of aesthetics and role in the series.

Unless they're very different I'll be looking at only the final version of each Gundam.

1: ASW-G-08 Gundam Barbatos Lupus Rex

We're starting off strong with this one. Lupus Rex is very butch. She'd wrestle me to the ground and I'd thank her, and if I wrote down what I want her to do with that tail and those claws, I'd have to set this post to mature.

Conlusion: Very fuckable in a way that would hurt me, but sometimes you just want to be hurt you know?

2: ASW-G-11 Gundam Gusion Rebake Full City

Gusion is the kind of guy who outwardly seems extremely tough and masculine, until you talk to him and realize he has a pet goldfish and does model building as a hobby.

Unfortunately he's also a bit shy, so we'd never actually get together, neither of us would be able to work up the courage to ask.

Conclusion: Very fuckable if one of us got drunk or something. Bonus points for probably being the healthiest relationship of the bunch.

3: ASW-G-64 Gundam Flauros (Ryusei-Go)

Flauros knows exactly who he is and wants to be, and he's not afraid to be open about it.

Of all the Post-Disaster Gundams, Flauros is the only one capable of transforming and I, uh, may or may not have a clip of that saved for... Research purposes.

Also those big cannons, which in his transformed state become electromagnetic railguns!

Conclusion: Probably the sexiest one of the lineup here, if not the sexiest. I want him to fire those cannons if you get what I mean.

4: ASW-G-01 Gundam Bael

The first of these not from Tekkadan, and fittingly the first one ever built too.

This picture doesn't really do him justice, he looks much better in motion, especially those wings.

Bael is interesting, because on his own he's plenty fuckable (if a bit dedicated to duty), his problems are mostly the kinds of people that surround him.

He's definitely old money, but he genuinely works hard and got his position through merit rather than nepotism.

his friends, however, are normal rich people, and thus the worst.

Conclusion: A one night stand would work, but anything more would see his friends try and get rid of me for his reputation.

5: ASW-G-29 Gundam Astaroth Origin

Astaroth is a military veteran, which is a bit of a turn off, and his colour scheme is also too samey, he really should have added some other colours than red and grey.

Conclusion: Not my type.

6: ASW-G-32 Gundam Asmoday

Now here's a much better colour scheme, the lime green adds some much needed oomph to what would normally be a pretty drab look.

Unlike Astaroth Origin, Asmoday gives the impression of a resistance fighter, he doesn't want to fight, but he will do it for a cause he believes in, and won't slaughter children in the process.

Conclusion: Unfuckable only because we'd get too distracted discussing political theory.

7: ASW-G-35 Gundam Marchosias

Marchosias is badassery incarnate. She has a sword that can turn into a mace, and then has four extra swords on top of that.

I want to find out what else those arms can do, if you catch my drift.

She has also completely disappeared, and the cops are after her.

Conclusion: We'd fuck, and then I'd wake up to an empty bed with a note apologizing for having to leave early.

8: ASW-G-56 Gundam Gremory

Gremory is, so obsessed with being cool and edgy that it's like he never grew up past 14.

His claws look nice, but it's not enough for him to stand out, his gimmick is wearing a hood for stars sake!

Conclusion: Unfuckable

9: ASW-G-XX Gundam Vidar

Vidar is what Gremory wants to be. he's cool, he's mysterious, he's got swords in his feet, and he actually has a good colour scheme.

He's pretty obsessed though and not exactly mentally stable.

Conclusion: while a relationship is off the table, a night of rough sex is not.

10: ASW-G-66 Gundam Kimaris Vidar

And breaking into the double digits is... Vidar again.

Kimaris Vidar has all the same problems that Vidar does, and none of the good parts.

he looks like a prototype that was smashed together over the weekend.

Conclusion: No

11: ASW-G-71 Gundam Dantalion

Dantalion is... Interesting. She looks a bit plain on her own, unfinished almost.

You'd think her armor fixes that, but it makes it seem like she's compensating for something, it doesn't fit her at all, like she's trying hide away who she is beneath it all.

Conclusion: That girl needs help, and I don't think I could give it to her.

12: ASW-G-11 Gundam Gusion

This is Gusion before he pulled his life together. He's hanging with a bad crowd, takes credit from others work, and is one step away from being a nazi.

He's an incel, essentially.

Conclusion: No woman wants to be in a two mile radius of him, me included.

13: ASW-G-04 Gundam Gamigin

He has a fucking revolver-hammer-glaive and a minigun.

This guy would smash down the door of a nazi and threaten to beat him to death.

Unfortuneately, he's also an enforcer for a very rich family.

Conclusion: I could fix him.

14: ASW-G-16 Gundam Zepar

He pretends to be a knight, fighting for justice and all that, but secretly is just the worst.

Also, he's definitely a crypto bro. Instant turn off.

Conclusion: I'll send you an NFT of my fucking dick, bitch.

15: ASW-G-48 Gundam Haagenti

This girl is ready to fight, and she doesn't have to stop being feminine to do that.

She would, however, definitely be a terf and call me a slur.

Conclusion: I don't have a degradation kink.

16: ASW-G-54 Gundam Murmur

In an alternate universe where I was a rich cis woman, we'd have an affair while our husbands were away which would scandalize the business world.

Hower, I am a disabled trans woman.

Conclusion: She's more likely to call the cops on me than go down on me.

17: ASW-G-61 Gundam Zagan

Zagan works out a lot, and brags a bunch about being a professional athlete.

However, he is actually a loser who is ontologically incapable of winning.

Conclusion: Normally not into such muscular men, but I'd make an exception if he dropped the bragging.

And that's all the IBO Gundams I could find ranked by how fuckable they are.

If you disagree with this list remember: My opinions are objective fact and anyone who disagrees with me is wrong.

[hubernies]

I saw that “raising their little witch” was a poll option for your hubernie fanbook’s bonus content—do you think you will write it? I’m really curious to see your take on them as parents 👀 especially Hubert since I don’t know how he’d be at it

First, thank you for asking and for your interest! I'm very sorry it took me so long to get around to answering this.

I do want to put this in the compendium, but I am coming up against two problems. The first is the file size; the uncompressed version of the compendium is nearly 700,000 MB and I've just managed to compress it down to 25 without too much quality sacrifice. But if I add a new story it will probably get too big. I need it 25 MB or less, or else I can't email it to people.

The second one is--the hubernie subsection of the fandom is small and the sub-subsection of the hubernie fandom who enjoys fankids is even smaller, and while this normally doesn't bother me, I hesitate to put off my readers too much. This is for charity and I want to be able to help people with it, and I’d hate for someone to decide not to donate because of that.

BUT. I absolutely love the idea of character analysis in the format of “how are they as parents?” So I will do my best to answer!

I’ve gone into lots of detail about how hubernie are as parents below the cut, but, TLDR: Their daughter’s name is Lorelei. She is a gifted young mage. Appearance wise—if you can picture Lucy van Pelt from Peanuts you’re almost there. Fluffy black hair that comes to her chin with a floral clip in the back. Big gray eyes. Her ambition is to make the Vestra Academy of Magical Engineering a lasting institution that guides Adrestia to a new age of magitech. Personality wise—the best and the worst of her comes from her parents…

Hubert hates his own father, as well as Bernadetta’s. This, plus his naturally protective nature, manifested in him trying very hard not to repeat the sins of his and Bernadetta’s fathers. He teaches Lorelei to value loyalty, and to stick to her principles. Lorelei showed a gift for magic at a young age, just as Hubert did, and this frightened him. It made him fear turning into his own father. Trying hard to avoid this, he did his best to tutor and train her one on one. Hubert is proud of the brilliant girl she became—a little too proud.

Hubert really values people who succeed on merit. This, combined again with his desire to Not Be His Father, meant that he praised Lorelei often. He took great interest in her schooling and in her training, and praised her results. This was good for their relationship, and Lorelei loves her father very much. They cherish their memories of training together. Hubert was raising her to carry on the Vestra family name, and praised her when she made a breakthrough. In Hubert's eyes, magical ingenuity is the future; it's how House Vestra will remain useful. This idea has been passed down to his daughter...for better or for worse.

In trying not to be his father, Hubert accidentally created a new problem.

Lorelei's self esteem hinges almost entirely on getting good results and on being useful to other people. That's what Hubert praised, after all--results! Father appreciates useful and talented people; that is what Lorelei wants, NEEDS, to be. When she's young she fancies herself a superior witch compared to her peers, because Father says she is, and Father is never wrong. She is EXTREMELY fixated on that idea. This sets her up for failure as a teenager and young adult.

One day, she goes to Morfis to study abroad. In Fodlan, Lorelei is a prodigy. But in Morfis? Nothing special at all, often struggling to keep up. As a result Lorelei worries she “lost her gift,” or worse, that her father might not be proud of her anymore. Hubert is willing to hear his daughter’s feelings, but often struggles to know just what to say.

As a mom, Bernadetta tried her best to not be HER father too. She loved reading with Lorelei and telling her stories, but writing new ones for her was Bernie’s favorite. Lorelei loves ghost stories—reading, writing, and telling them. Lorelei has many memories of holding her mother's hand and being fed by her.

However, old habits die hard for Bernadetta. She’s very overprotective as a mom, and that sometimes left Lorelei with a sense that certain things were a bigger threat than they actually were. She was resistant to Lorelei wanting to study under Annette in Fhirdiad because she would be so far away from home, but Lorelei internalized this as her mother not believing in her ability to handle herself. This happened when Lorelei was 13 and it took a couple years for them to patch this up.

Bernie’s father was very cruel to her, so Bernadetta tries to heal her inner child by praising her little one. This sadly ends up making Lorelei’s Former Gifted Child Syndrome worse when she’s older, although Bernadetta is more likely than Hubert to praise the Process, not the result. Lorelei admires her mother very much and tries to master the Magic Bow to make use of her Crest, which Hubert secretly disproves of.

Lorelei is studious, speaks politely, and values hard work, like her father. She is highly observant and loves to have a friendly debate. However, the combination of Hubert and Bernadetta has made her…very socially inept, despite their best efforts. Like her mother, Lorelei enjoys unusual plants and insects. She has a creepy/morbid sense of humor and loves writing scary stories. Lorelei has Bernadetta’s eyes and smile, and many of her toys were hand made by her mom as a baby.

Are they perfect parents? Not at all. But they love her very much and try their hardest.

Thanks so much again!

[wandringaesthetic]

Some Animorphs thoughts, and some general violence in media thoughts:

So the majority of yeerks the Animorphs have to face, have innocent slaves as their hosts. So, taking Animorphs as a metaphor for IRL wars, KAA is communicating that many people fighting in a war simply aren't there by choice and also that collateral damage in war almost inevitably hits some unambiguously innocent people.

BUT ON TOP OF THAT

You have the yeerks, who have very limited senses and mobility in their unhosted state. There's a species on their home planet they can parasite into, but their capabilities are not so great either, and they're not very numerous. (Though, as I'm writing this, I wonder if the Yeerk distaste against Gedd hosts is more of a social thing cuz it signals low status or if this is maybe even the result of propaganda) If they want to have full sensory experiences and if they want to go to the stars, they're going to have to enslave other races.

(or..... Do something more complex, like some bio-engineering, but that's going on a tangent)

Early in the books, the yeerks are perceived as unnuanced evil. From at least #19, you get their perspective, which imo doesn't make them justified, but it does make them understandable. If they want to see and hear and run and feel the wind on their face, if they want that for the majority of their peers.... Let's find a low tech alien species with a central nervous system and enslave all of them. Add to those desires, pressure from your imperial/extreme meritocracy government where the "merit" is determined by people who are empire-pilled....

Understandable.

AND THEN YOU ALSO GET VOLUNTARY HOSTS

The books don't really elaborate on this aspect much, because I think it got into some territory even KAA was uncomfortable with tackling for juvenile readers.

Some of these are "voluntary" in the sense Tobias was in MM4, i.e., he didn't really understand what he was getting into and was like "oh God no" and then it was too late.

For the others.... You gotta ask yourself why a person would choose to give their lives over to a brain slug, and my answers for that are various situations of desperation: addiction, severe mental illness, severe poverty etc. But I think a few were probably promised, well, something like illuminati membership, and found even what they actually got to be acceptable. I make none of my own decisions and am a passenger in my body, but I *am* living in wealth and comfort!

The Animorphs view these people as traitors to humanity and basically incomprehensibly evil, and there's SOME of that happening imo, but I think mostly not. I think, maybe if you are living on the street and you get a brain slug but you are no longer living on the street some would see this as acceptable terms.

So anyway, my point is the majority of hosts and at least a significant minority of the yeerks would not be on earth trying to enslave all humans if they had better choices. So with each controller killed, you're killing one innocent and one "well, they made their choices (sort of)"

And through this all, I want to reinforce that while the Animorphs sometimes make some questionable moral choices, their overall fight is always portrayed as just. And I would argue that it is. Earth is being invaded. The stakes are most life on earth and the freedom of all humans. Worthwhile to crack some eggs for that omelette. Some of the moves Cassie makes towards some reconciliation with the yeerks were incredibly strategically dangerous. Ended up being key to ending things! But risky! My point is, some of the "good" "morally pure" choices, while ultimately portrayed as correct, got people killed!

VERSUS

More common and acceptable portrayals of violence. Bloodless displays of violence . Violence where there is a clear good guy and bad guy. Our society (especially, if that's, yanno, US Americans) does not disapprove of violence. We quite approve of it, actually. Violence is all ages entertainment. We disapprove of realistic or even semi-realistic portrayals of it.

Most fantasy violence, Especially fantasy violence in children's media, isn't ugly, and moreover isn't messy. There isn't friendly fire. Either the bad guys are inhuman monsters or they're ostensibly human but faceless (like stormtroopers). And don't get me wrong, some media that I love operates like this. There are good guys who do violence and they are mostly held up as heroes for it. Not always in universe, some superheroes have complicated or negative public images, ....but definitely they are portrayed as Unambiguously just to the audience. Versus IRL, where even for justified violence, someone is probably going to be mad at you about it.

Is it more damaging to portray an ugly, fucked up violence? Or a sanitized violence? Nearly all irl violence is messy and I'm not just talking about gore when I say that.