#when is it okay to talk about certain things?

[daystarpoet]

•ྀ༅ clock hits 12, and lips meet ೄ

percy jackson x reader. happy new year's everybody. here is a not too long, but definitely sweet fic for you guys to enjoy. thank you for all the luv and support you have given me.

being a demigod meant uncertainty; each day was carefully valued, after all, one didn't know when a monster would show up, eagerly waiting to dig its claws into one's flesh, or when a new life-risking quest would be commissioned.

living one more year was one big accomplishment, especially for percy jackson. the gods seemed keen on sending the boy on quest, after quest, year after year. getting to close the year in the company of all his loved ones—the ones who hadn't suffered a tragic death, that was— was a privilege percy sure did enjoy.

especially because you were there. the son of poseidon had already lost count of how many times you had saved one another's lives in the past twelve months. he could only be grateful you got to enjoy this moment.

sally was hosting a small, but cheerful new year's eve party for percy and some of his friends. there was wonderful food to eat, and great company for the night.

percy watched as you talked to annabeth, a smile in his face as he saw the way you smiled, and how your eyes lit up whenever you mentioned certain things. he really was lucky, wasn't he? not only did he get to live one more year, but one more year beside you. he got to sneak you out of his cabin and into his again, he got to kiss you under the camp's lake again, he got to give you soul-crushing hugs when he came back from quests again.

percy only noticed he had zoned out, when he felt his mother's hand rest on his shoulder, jolting him awake from his trance. “it's almost time,” sally gave his son a smile, “you go get her, we'll celebrate afterwards.” she placed a gentle kiss on his head, and let her son go find you.

the boy sneakily took your hand, driving you away from annabeth, and out into the balcony. “hey, we were talking!” you playfully scolded him, giving his arm the lightest of slaps. “i know, i know,” percy took the hand that was rested on his bicep, and gave it a light squeeze. “

“but you're gonna have to kiss me in about fifteen seconds, it's a rule.” the nightly new york breeze played with his inky waves, sea green eyes focused on yours. “oh yeah?” you almost whispered.

“yup...” percy brought you closer, placing one hand on your waist, and the other cupping your cheeks. for a moment, you got lost in each other's eyes, seeking for that warmth that wasn't otherwise found.

just as the clock hit 00:00, your lips met his. the sparkle of the fireworks matched the one in your chests, the feeling of complete affection that engulfed both of you.

for a moment, in the small balcony, and in each other's arms, things were okay. there was no monster trying to chase you, no angry god trying to find your demise, it was just the two of you, together, as you should always be.

percy slowly pulled away, resting his forehead against yours, and breathing in the sweet scent of your perfume. “perce?” you whispered, your hands around his neck. “hm?” he hummed, not bothering to open his eyes. “promise we'll repeat this next year, promise we'll make it.”

“we will. i swear it on the river styx.”

[dixonsbrat]

── .✦ 𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐃𝐎 𝐔 𝐑𝐄𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐃? ┆ 𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐯𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐨𝐧

𝐢𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 ; after weeks of visiting the video store in the hopes of catching steve’s attention, it seems that your efforts weren’t entirely pointless.

𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 ; steve harrington x fem!reader , fluff , steve being oblivious and robin on her queen shit getting things done.

𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭 ; 1.8k .ᐟ

𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐬 ; love me some ditzy nervous stevie <33

“y/n, hey!” robin waves the second you enter the small video store, the smell of freshly cleaned carpet and plastic invading your senses. you and the other girl were quick to become friends, getting on over your shared love for certain movies. "what are we in the mood for today?"

“i’m not sure, but... i do need to return this.” you smile, gesturing to the tape in your hand, and she bounds towards you, leaving behind her trolley of already returned tapes.

“follow me and i will get steve to take care of you… as always.” a roguish grin takes over her features, and she leads you towards the counter where steve was currently on the phone.

it was no secret to robin that you had been fawning over the boy for some time now, even going as far as to make extra trips to the store just to see him, but she swore with scouts honour that she wouldn’t tell him. it didn’t come as much of a shock to her though, most of the girls that came in just wanted to stare at him, but not you — you actually wanted to get to know him.

for weeks you had been trying to get his attention, trying to figure out if he was the least bit interested in you, but to no avail. sure, he would joke around and act flirty, but he did that with most of the girls that would come in. you were no different.

however, what you didn’t know was that every saturday afternoon, steve would purposely sit by the front counter just in the hopes that you would walk through the door. he would tell robin that it was his turn to take over the returns and man the phones, but she knew better than to believe him. he just wanted to make sure he was the one that got to serve you if, and when, you decided to come in, and every time that you did, he did.

as you approach the counter, you can’t help but admire steve as he’s visibly lost in the conversation he was having. he was certainly a sight for sore eyes. what with his chocolate locks brushed out of his face as a few loose strands fell across his forehead. he was wearing a sweater that was unbuttoned at the top, giving the smallest glimpse of his chest and the mound of hair that now grew upon it.

the phone was tucked between his ear and shoulder as he leaned over the counter, idly fiddling with a silver slinky. he was yet to look up at you, but you didn't mind, it gave you a few extra moments to admire him.

“oi, dingus!” robin pulls the cord far enough away to fly back and hit him in the face. “we have customers, you know?”

“robin, what the f-” he retorts, his face scrunching with annoyance, but the second he sees you standing beside her, he wastes no time in hanging up the phone.

he couldn't believe he had missed you walk in. he had been so distracted by dustin talking about his stupid club that he had completely zoned out.

“y/n, hey. what can, i, uh, d-do for you?” he smiles, but it falters for a ghost of a second, and he swallows hard.

ribin snickers, rolling her eyes as she walks away, “okay, that’s my cue to go take my lunch break.”

you chuckle softly at the girl, knowing well enough that she just wanted to leave the two of you alone. when you look back at the boy, he's already staring at you, and he stammers for a second, “just returning this for today.”

“fast times…” steve’s voice fades off as you place the tape on the counter and a breathy laugh escapes him.

“yeah... and don’t worry. i didn’t pause it at 53 minutes and 5 seconds.” you narrow your eyes at him slightly, referring to the inside joke robin had told you about, as a smirk plays on your lips, and you lean across the opposite side of the counter.

steve opens his mouth to talk, but nothing comes out other than an incoherent mumble as his mouth forms an 'o', before he says, "okay."

he continues to check the movie back into the system, his eyes grazing over you every few seconds as you gaze around the store. the sun was shining in through the front windows, illuminating your features as it danced across your skin. steve was at a loss as to how someone so beautiful could ever exist.

you truly were an enigma, and he so desperately wanted to be the one to figure you out.

the first time he saw you, you were standing in the third aisle, wearing a deep green sweater and browsing the horror section. he was intrigued by your choice of movies, bringing ‘a nightmare on elm street’ and ‘baby it’s you’ to the front counter. you were smiling, but it wasn’t animated like most of the girls he had to deal with.

you were the breath of fresh air in the tainted town of hawkins that he had been so desperately looking for.

“you're not hiring another movie today?” his brows pinch together with confusion. you’d never not choose another movie to take home.

you shake your no, “uh, no.”

he shakes his head, and says, “what? you’re not impressed with what we have in stock?."

“oh, no. it’s not that.”

“good. because i was a little worried we were losing one of our favourite customers for a second there.” the words come out so fast that steve doesn’t acknowledge what he had said until it was too late, and his eyes widen with realisation.

“favourite customer, huh?” you rest your chin in your hand and gaze up at the boy, a playful smirk tugging at the corner of your lips.

you watch as he shuffles awkwardly on his feet and then laughs nervously, "yeah. robin! she, uh, she's really fond of you."

a small silence ensues as he continues checking in your movie, and your heart begins to thrum loudly in your ears. so loud that you were finding it hard to remain calm as you watched him type away on the computer.

was he being extra flirty, or were you just imagining it?

"alright, you are good to go," he turns back to you, placing his hands on the counter and leaning forward. "though, there is one slight problem."

"yeah? and what’s that?"

"it's just... i can't have you leaving here empty handed, can i?" he cocks his head to the side, brows raised as a devilish grin dangled on the corner of his lips.

"well, then..." you heave a deep sigh, eyes fixed on him as you pull back a little. "what would you recommend?"

his face lights up, and he gleams at you, snapping his fingers as he backs away to head toward the shelves. he immediately starts rummaging through the array of videotapes in search of something he thought you would enjoy when he pulls out 'the breakfast club'.

scrunching up your nose, you shake your head, "seen it."

"yeah, you're right. super popular movie." he nods and returns to his search. his fingers hover over 'risky business' but the second he starts to pull it out, he puts it right back. "how about this?" he hands you a tape, your fingers just grazing one another's and the sudden contact takes you by surprise.

the already rapid beating of your heart fastens as your breath catches in your throat, and you quickly take the tape. pulling your eyes away, you scan over the video to see it was another you had seen and hand it back.

disappointed, he nods and places the video back on the shelf, but instead of returning to his search this time, he knocks his fist on the top of the shelf for a second and then exhales deeply. he was tired of constantly second-guessing himself, wondering if there was even a slight chance that you liked him too. it had been driving him crazy not knowing, and he was at his whits end.

"steve, are you okay?" you ask, apprehensive as to why he was suddenly acting a little weird now.

"i, uh, i just-" he gets cut off when something flies at his head and a grape falls to the floor in front of him. screwing up his face, he turns to see robin sticking her head over the shelf a couple of aisles away. "what the hell, robin?"

"would you please just stop wasting the girl's time and ask her out already!" she exclaims and shoves a couple of grapes into her mouth.

"robin!" he proclaims, his jaw tensing as he closes his eyes momentarily.

"what? i'm doing you a favour. she likes you too!"

"robin!" this time her name leaves your lips.

"oh my god, seriously the two of you are so oblivious it’s driving me crazy.” she groans, and throws another grape in your direction.

inhaling deeply, steve slowly turns back to you with softened eyes as your chest fell and rose with rapid breaths. he looked almost apologetic as he now met your gaze, and your body stiffened.

"is that true?" he asks with disbelief.

"i mean... yeah..." you shrug, removing your gaze to look at the ground, and when you look back up, his eyes are boring into you. "you really think i kept coming in here just to rent movies?"

steve lowers his head and scratches at the back of his neck nervously. he couldn't believe the words that had just fallen from your mouth. sure, he had hoped that you felt the same way about him, that he did you, but to have you stand before him and practically admit it, he was over the moon.

"really?" he asks softly, brows upturned with hope.

"yeah, really. i know that makes me a total loser, but-"

"no. no, it doesn't." he starts to laugh, his shoulders shaking as he does.

jutting your bottom lip out, you say, "then why are you laughing at me?"

"because you're so damn cute," his remark causes the air in your throat to catch once again, and he takes a step toward you.

though before he can get so much as a syllable out another grape hits him in the back of the head, "ask her out already!"

"can't you see that that's what i'm trying to do?" he lifts his arms in irritation, shaking his head, as he turns back to you once more. "let's try this again," he rolls his eyes. "would you... like to go out with me some time?"

you pause with bewilderment, a nervous smile causing your lip to quiver slightly before nodding, "j'd like that, but only if you promise no more movies!"

"deal."

[reignpage]

I see that you have answered what the eden!au boys get turned on, what does their girls get turned on? (My glorious, precious bossy wife(sukunas reader), I wanna know EVERYTHING ABOUT YOU!)😫😫

So many questions 😫 I’m kidding keep em coming

Goth!reader: honestly nothing and everything

Sometimes Gojo just be talking dumb shit and she’ll start sliding her hand up his thigh and says ‘go on baby, keep talking’ or he’s just lying on the bed watching TikTok as they laze around for a bit and she’s climbing over his body and suffocating his face between her thighs (he is NAWT complaining)

Receptionist!reader: when he defends her from mean clients

Seeing his usual smile disappear from his face and be replaced by this deadly energy makes her so wet she has to find an excuse to go into his office and disappear for like an hour (cue the staff taking their lunch break early lol)

Art!reader: seeing him working as cursed womb

Now that she knows and they’re together, she gets to join him. She just sits back and hands him the things he needs and watches him become so serious, so certain and assured, unlike the usually bored looking quiet guy who slouches. When he finishes, he turns to her and asks what she thinks but she’s already got a hand down her trousers

Gossip!reader: okay okay I haven’t mentioned this because I honestly wasn’t sure if this is too ooc but Toji wears reading glasses

He is a business major after all lol so he does have to do some work y’know essays and shit. She has to resist the urge to snap a pic and post it on The Bulletin for the world to see. Because it’s so rare for him to work, she does wait until he’s finished and right after she’s kneeling between his legs and giving him a reward. It encourages him to work more often

Physics!reader: when he shows off his strength

You expect nerds to be physically lacking but Nanami Kento is not. It can be something simple like pulling her close, carrying heavy things, or when he wears short sleeves and he crosses his arms and his muscles bulge. It’s literally him breathing and she’s becoming flustered. Nanami just assumes she’s got a high libido but it’s actually cause he’s so damn hot 24/7

Prez!reader: when he does something he really shouldn’t do

For example, at the Ryomen estate, during a family dinner that reader attends, a relative talked shit about her or said something really passive aggressive about her clothes or her upbringing. Sukuna lunged across the table and beat them black and blue and no one dared stop him, they just carried on eating and making idle small talk. Reader forgave him for everything there and then but never told him lol

[whisperofwonder]

Tipsy

Ushijima Wakatoshi x reader - 790 words

Ushijima is an affectionate drunk, confirmed.

Warnings: Alcohol mentions, obviously. Reader wears a dress, but no pronouns are used. Very slightly suggestive.

There are certain things you've always assumed you'd never experience in your lifetime. A 10 million yen inheritance from a great aunt you never knew existed. A smart house like the one from that movie you saw as a kid. The heat death of the universe. A drunk Ushijima Wakatoshi.

Except maybe you were wrong about that last one. You're out with the Adlers, a celebratory dinner at a nice place. Your meal is delicious, and you're having a good time talking and laughing with Waktoshi's teammates and their partners. Suddenly, you pause mid-sentence, biting back a squeak. A warm, large hand has worked its way under the hem of your dress, and is now pressed firmly against your thigh.

Kageyama gives you a strange look from across the table. You laugh it off with a wave of your hand, saying you'd lost your train of thought. When the conversation moves on, you turn to Wakatoshi.

"Toshi," You murmur under your breath. He looks at you then, eyes slightly unfocused, and for the first time you notice the slight flush high in his cheeks. He doesn't move his hand. Oh. Your gaze goes to the empty wine glass by his plate.

-

"How many glasses of that wine have you had?" You ask softly, gently shifting his hand out from under your dress.

His brow furrows in thought, and he doesn't answer right away. "It's nice wine," He says finally. You look at the bottle, and to your surprise, there's only an inch or so left. He slides his arm around the back of your chair, fingertips grazing your shoulder.

"Well, maybe you should stick with water now," You suggest.

He only hums in response, lips close to your ear. It's certainly not inappropriate, but such closeness in public like this is so unlike him that you still feel your face heating up. "I'm glad you could come tonight," He says in a low voice. "That dress looks incredible on you." You can feel his breath ghost across the shell of your ear. It's all you can do to keep your jaw from dropping open.

"Thank you," You reply, flustered. "I'm glad, too." You furtively glance at the rest of his teammates, but they seem too caught up in their own conversations to notice anything odd. You're glad for that, because the next thing he does is press a kiss to your temple.

"We're in public," You remind him.

"I'm sorry," He says, still just a little too close to your ear. Luckily, the night is soon drawing to a close. The dessert plates are being cleared away, and Kageyama is getting antsy to leave, suggesting it to his girlfriend in a tone that isn't as low as he must think it is. It wouldn't be out of line for you and Wakatoshi to leave as well.

"Are you ready to go home?" You whisper, and at the suggestion, he focuses on you again.

"Yes," He says decidedly, just a little too loudly. It draws the attention of some of the others, who look at him curiously. His hand finds its way to your thigh again.

"Okay," You say, a little too loud yourself. "Let's get our coats, then," You prompt. When he gets to his feet, it's with a slight wobble, and he looks at you in surprise, angling towards you for support.

"Wakatoshi isn't drunk, is he?" Hoshiumi asks in disbelief.

"It appears that way," You laugh, shifting slightly under his weight. He's leaning on you just a little more than is comfortable, but when he feels you move, he shifts more of his weight to his own feet.

"You good?" Hirugami asks, and you nod. Wakatoshi may be tipsy, but he hasn't drunk that much. After bidding farewell to everyone, he insists on helping you into your coat, hands on you perhaps more than necessary. You make your way to the car, getting him situated in the passenger seat before you get in the driver's side. The moment the car is running, his hand finds its way under the hem of your dress again, thumb grazing your skin.

"I don't think I've ever seen you drink that much before," You muse, looking sideways at him.

"I don't think I have," He rumbles, rough fingertips tracing shapes onto your skin. "The wine was nice." He repeats his statement from earlier.

"Maybe I'll have to get a bottle for our anniversary next month. We can make dinner at home." Your suggestion isn't selfish at all.

"I'd like that," He murmurs, your suggestion seemingly prompting a thought. "When will we be home?" He asks, giving your thigh a squeeze.

"Soon," You promise, gripping the steering wheel just a little bit tighter.

[cybergothvox]

With all due respect, you cannot actually tell if a space is clear of kff and safe based on the language that they use. You have to actually investigate further regardless and not assume its safe or not just from those things. I do think a high instance as kin as a verb is a red flag, but you shouldnt think its the only indicator you need. And its fine to tell people the connotations, but its not fair to write people off just because they personally find it useful or to continually insist they change.

The origional post wasnt really meant to speak on if it should be done, but more on the controling behaviour i saw where people aggressively tried to force people out of it by bullying them, which is not okay.

However, let me speak on its use case for a moment.

Several people have said it is bad to use because it implies kin is a action rather than an identity. And i want to remind those people that kin can be an action.

Take for a moment the word introject. I am a fictive, and therefore i am an introject. However, also when my brain decided to adopt vox into my mind, it introjected him. I introjected vox. As a verb. It is an event that happened. I also am an introject. Its a verb and a noun and it is my identity. I am really vox, even if i wasnt always vox and its something I did.

Not all otherkin are spiritual otherkin who beleive they always were their type. To me, as a psychological otherkin, becoming a kintype is the exact same process as introjecting something, its just we say introject when an alter is forming, and kin for kintypes that are picked after an alter is already formed. For psychological kin who are singlets, who also do not beleive that they were kin until they saw the thing they are kin of and formed a relationship, being kin can be an occurance, an action being taken voluntarily or involuntarily (remember people Can become otherkin on purpose. I know there was a whole community discourse on it but the conclusion of the community at large that i saw was as long as you seriously identify as your types at the end, it counts.)

In these cases, kin makes sense as a verb. I personally use the word the same as the word introject. I will normally introduce myself as JDkin for example, since Being it is what is important during an introduction. But when talking about new kintypes forming, i will go 'i think i might kin that' and other similar things. Its not even a choice im making really, but its what natrually comes out because to me it is the same thing as introjecting so i natrually use the word the same was as introject.

I think that its important to convey to people that being otherkin is a serious identity where we identify as the things, but policing language isnt really going to do that the way spreading correct information and sharing our experiences is. And again, by trying to force people to conform to certain language (explaining your reasons for certain language is fine, my post was about the genuine harassment new members are facing) you make the community a hostile place for new comers and makes it feel full of rules that make people uninterested in learning from us.

'I kin x' is less clunky linguistically and we need to stop assuming people are kff just because they use kin as a verb. Its a very natural way to say it and I struggle to phrase it in other ways. In general people need to stop assuming that red flags for kff (such as kin as a verb, and ranking how much they feel their kintypes, saying kinnie) and assuming they definitely are kff. Languages and practices started by kff have been picked up by genuine otherkin especially younger ones who come into the community and dont know how to tell otherkin from kff. They still identify as their kintypes even if they copy kff practices.

People dont come into the community with a community history degree.

[missterious-figure]

Little oneshot about Underboss Sun and florist y/n! This takes place after florist y/n has met Sun, but doesn't know he is in the mafia yet.

Sun was walking his usual route to head over downtown where he needed to attend to some "business". Though, he was slightly more upbeat then usual. It wasn't very noticeable in his stoic appearance, but anyone who knew him could tell. There was a certain soft fondness in his eyes. The look he only had when thinking of something he loved or cared about. And of course, it was you. He remembered the first time he had met you, as he was curious when your flowershop had opened a couple weeks ago. He had wandered in to check things out and make sure nothing fishy was going on in there.

He reminisced on how terrified you had been (rightfully so) when he squeezed through the doors and looked around your little shop. You tried you best to smile and talked kindly to him. You had even offered him a potted plant for free. (Which he now took extra good care of). Ever since then, he had decided to stop at your little shop every time he walked downtown. Gradually, you started becoming genuinely friendly with him, and he began to warm up to you. So small and sweet, just trying to brighten up this bad part of town with your little plants. You really had no idea how dangerous this place was. How dangerous he could be...

He shook away his thoughts as he neared your little shop. He could smell the sweet fragrance of the well kept flowers you were selling. He reached the door and gently opened it, before turning sideways, bending down, and going through shoulder first. Soon he got his big bulk inside and let the door closed behind him. He was greeted with the sound of soft sobs. He saw you leaning against the wall behind the register with your face buried in your hands. Not noticing Sun yet, you trembled quietly, another soft sob escaping you.

He quickly approached you and joined you behind the counter. Hearing his foot steps, you looked up from your hands. He gently put his hands on your shoulders and used his massive thumb to clear away the tears from your right eye.

"Doll, what happened?"

As you looked up at him, your little eyes full of tears, Sun noticed that the skin around your left eye was purple and swollen. Definitely from being whacked or punched. It was purposeful and definitely no accident. Thankfully, it didn't look to bad.

"Oh... you poor thing. Got a little banged up... who did this to you?"

You could only sniffle and sob for a moment, but he didn't rush you or hassle to speak. He patiently waited for you to respond.

"A customer... he punched me when I told him I was out of the kind of flower he wanted."

You paused and sniffled again.

"I think he was really drunk... I could smell it on his breath... I-I was so scared..."

You broke into another fit of sobs, fresh tears dampening your eyes again. Sun could feel a boiling rage building up in his chest. His internal fans roared with fury. But he forced himself to keep a calm composure. He gently pulled you into his body, wrapping his arms around you. You stuffed you face in his suit and sobbed even more, leaning into him. He tried his best to comfort you.

"There, there. It'll be okay..."

"Do you know the man's name, doll?"

"I think it was John Flink? Or maybe Fint... I hadn't heard him very well..."

Your voice was very muffled as you hadn't taken your face out of Sun's suit, but he instantly knew who it was. John Flint, that scumbag. He was a shady bastard that often gambled at the bar that Don Eclipse went to. Sun had no clue why he of all people had come to your little flowershop. But that didn't matter. This was going to be the last mistake that slimy weasel ever made. How dare he hurt you. How dare that rat touch his precious little doll.

John was going to pay, but all in good time. For now, Sun was had to help you calm down. He stayed there for quite a while, holding you can trying to make you feel safe...

***

(I'm not sure what the actual plot of the mafia au will be yet, but I honestly might have a few different versions, changing different perspectives and ideas depending each y/n. Some people suggested having y/n have all of the jobs at the same time, and I really like that idea! But I also like the idea of how each y/n might react or fair with the boys on their own. I do think i want to do both...)

Full picture!

[dorabellingham]

Bed breaker

warning: there is a part where if your native language is not english, you can substitute :)

characters: jude x reader

summary: when you decide to do certain things and the bed ends up breaking

may contain spelling and translation errors!

You were relaxing on the couch, wearing a light and comfortable dress, still savoring the unforgettable moments of the day. The apartment was silent, except for the sound of your favorite playlist playing softly in the background. It was already night when you heard the front door open.

—Babe?

Jude called, entering the apartment with his hair still damp from the shower in the locker room after training. He was dressed casually, in a tight black shirt and sweatpants.

You stood up with a smile, going to greet him.

—Here!

Jude wrapped you in a tight hug, burying his face in your neck.

—How was the rest of the day? Did you have fun?

—It was perfect. —You answered, feeling his comforting warmth. —And your training?

—Tiring, but nothing I can’t get over. —He pulled you closer, running his hands around your waist, and murmured: —Now all I can think about is how I want to end the day.

You laughed, but you could hear the tone in his voice.

—Oh, yeah? And what would that be like, honey?

He tilted his head, looking into your eyes with a mischievous glint.

—I think you already know.

Before you could answer, Jude picked you up, ignoring the shy protests you whispered.

—Jude!

You exclaimed, laughing as he carried you towards the bedroom.

He gently placed you on the bed and climbed in right after, pulling you towards him. The atmosphere quickly changed from playful to intense, with the closeness of you and his slow, determined touches.

You always loved the way he made you feel —special, wanted, like you were the only person in the world that mattered. And in that moment, you knew he was completely focused on you.

Things heated up quickly, the two of you completely forgetting about the world around you. But then, as the rhythm grew more intense, a loud crack echoed through the room, followed by the sound of wood breaking.

You and Jude froze, exchanging confused looks. And then... the bed gave way completely, the mattress sinking to one side as the frame broke.

You let out a yelp of surprise and then began to laugh uncontrollably. Bellingham, who was half on top of you and half trying to balance himself, let out a deep laugh.

—Are you okay, Y/n?

He asked between laughs.

—I am! But the bed clearly isn’t!

You replied, wiping away tears from your laughter.

—That was a sign that we’re too intense.

Jude joked, sitting on the crooked mattress.

You shook your head, still laughing.

—I knew this bed was flimsy, but you took it to another level, babe!

While you tried to compose yourselves, you started talking without thinking, still lost in the fun of the moment.

—It's completely ridiculous... I don't know how this happened

Jude stopped laughing and looked at you with a mixture of surprise and delight.

—What did you just say?

You blinked, realizing what you had said.

—Oh, sorry, it was automatic.

—No, no, keep going. —He asked, still smiling. —I love it when you talk like that. It's been years since I've heard your accent, sweetie.

You blushed, but decided to continue.

—I don't even know what to say. Maybe you should buy a sturdier bed?

Jude laughed out loud.

—I'm sure I'm going to have to buy one now. But you talking like that… I almost don't want you to stop.

You rolled your eyes, but couldn't hide your smile.

—You're really stupid, Jude.

—And I have no idea what that means, but it sounds cute.

He replied, leaning in to kiss you.

After a few minutes of joking and talking, you decided to improvise. Jude pulled the mattress to the floor and adjusted the pillows.

—This will have to do for now. And tomorrow, we'll buy a bed that can withstand our adventures.

You settled down next to him, still laughing lightly.

—I can't believe the bed broke today.

—I'd say it was a memorable way to end the day.

Jude replied, hugging you.

As the rain gently tapped on the window and tiredness finally caught up with you, you realized that, despite the setbacks, you wouldn't trade that moment for anything. You laughed until you fell asleep, promising that the next one would be even more unforgettable—with a new and much more resistant bed.

[sen-thebootmutt]

This post is now two years old, and things have only gotten worse.

Fascists are more emboldened, and more and more trans people—Black trans people specifically—are being killed year on year. 25 states now have restrictions or bans on gender affirming care for trans youth, and some states extend that to trans adults under certain ages, or restrict state medical insurance from covering care. The 2024 Defense Authorization Act banned military insurance from covering care for minors—that’s a federal ban!! The UK has banned the prescription of hormone suppressing medication for all youth nationwide indefinitely. Hate crimes against trans and queer people are on the rise, according to FBI Uniform Crime Statistics. Trans people are getting death threats—online and in life—daily.

Meanwhile, y’all keep doing the same discourse routines. He/him lesbians, “weird” fetishes in the trans community, white lesbians calling themselves “studs,” neopronouns, who’s “trans enough,” shifting norms of language.

Stop it. Just stop.

We are being killed. We are dying. Our Black sisters and brothers and siblings are Dying. Our immigrant siblings are Dying. Our Native siblings are Dying. Our poor siblings are Dying.

Our Children.

Are.

Dying.

And the people killing us, killing them, are laughing.

None of y’all are angry enough. These people have names and address, and none of y’all are angry enough. The people we thought would come to our aid abandoned us, and none of y’all are angry enough.

Y’all love to talk about queer and trans history, but forget the most important part. When the state, corporations, street gangs, put their boots on your neck,

You.

Fight.

Back.

You big up coins, then bricks, and you throw the fucking things. You march in the street, get arrested, storm churches, occupy government offices, shout down politicians, interrupt proceedings.

When AIDS was rampaging through our community unchecked, ActUp occupied the NIH. They did die-ins at the CDC, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, the Capitol building. They organized research groups, smuggled drugs across boarders, created underground pharmacies. Groups like Samois and STAR gave food, clothes, and homes to abandoned youth, collected the property and stories of people killed by AIDS before their families or the state could kill them again, led massive street protests to spit in the face of repression. When cops raided our bars, it didn’t matter if you were Black or white, gay or lesbian, butch or femme, cis or trans. Everyone stood up and fought back, in the ways they could.

So, no. I won’t be engaging in your petty discourse about what kinks are okay for trans folks to have, or what a “real trans woman” looks like, or whatever. And no, I don’t think you’re “keeping community alive” with your little discord server movie nights.

Are you in the street? Are you helping feed and cloth the queer kids on your streets? Are you learning how to stockpile HRT so you can distribute it when it becomes illegal? Are you keeping cops and fascists out of our bars and clubs and music venues?

It’s time to put up or shut up, y’all. Drop the discourse. Build your community. Gather your resources. Train to protect yourself and your people. Fight like hell. And yeah, you might end up with a bi lesbian and a trans girl with a weird kink. But those things can be talked about after we’ve won our liberation, because they’re just distractions until then.

While you were bickering about bi lesbians online, Amarey Lej, 21, was murdered.

While you were arguing about neo-pronouns, Duvall Princess, 24, was murdered.

While you were sending "fuck off TERF" memes on anon, Matt Spampanito, 21, was murdered.

While you were sending death threats to people creating pride flags for neo-genders, Naomi Skinner, 24, was murdered.

While you were "discoursing" about butch/femme being a product of patriarchy, Cyprus Ramos, 21, was murdered.

STOP. THIS. SHIT.

Why are we having petty online arguments and sending death threats to other queer people over THIS SHIT?!

There is an active genocidal campaign against trans people around the world right now. 55 trans people were murdered in the US last year. Fascists want us dead. Queer rights are being reversed and repealed worldwide. Fascist street gangs are bringing loaded guns to gay bars and public libraries and bakeries. Trans kids are having their healthcare stripped away As We Speak, leading more and more kids to die by suicide. Drag performers are targeted as "pedophiles," queer youth are forcibly outted in schools and churches and in Fucking PUBLIC.

Queer infighting will not save us. Online discourse will not save us. Your anonymous asks and Twitter DMs and Facebook posts will not save us.

And if we keep doing this shit?

The fascists win. They win. We lose. And we die.

Simple as that.

[velvetvexations]

i feel like the sentiment of ‘human shields’ or ‘you should be able to use slurs (“theyfab” the one im thinking of) against a group that (you perceive as) your oppressors’ comes from like. a flow chart way of thinkin

it really isn’t math. certain women (as broad and vague as the group can be defined) absolutely have power over certain men sometimes. race is one of the main ones, but like, off the top of my head there’s also age, disability, and certain authority or workplace positions. i would even include as small as a community as like, a gathering of friends to whom ive just invited a new person. the new person is statistically gonna be shyer or more prone to being pushed out. of course there are always a million modifiers, a million past and future happenings that shape someone and may or may not add to their “power meter” (if such a thing is real and operates like a meter) but being any specific identity is not going to be the sole driving factor of all interactions, especially in micro communities with their own standards.

i guess what im trying to say is that the claim that one is oppressed in every situation due to their identity and therefore any bullying towards others of one identity just counts as ‘pushing the needle’ is disingenuous. it is much more comfortable to feel like the ‘beaten down person who is just lashing out against their attackers’ without realizing that those attacks do hurt because some of those people may in fact be just as powerless as you (not you, velvet!! example you)

Flowchart anon: forgor to mention, or course own identity can be impactful and everyone knows better than a stranger how they’ve been affected by their identity, but also I think it’s possible to harness power even when you don’t know it, or unfortunately don’t approach people that way

it's wild too because the slurs get explained away as being like Black people saying cracker and a White person telling a non-binary person of color you should get to call them slurs because they're like White people to them is wild on it's own but like

have you

EVER

seen a Black person go to the fucking mat on a daily basis for 'cracker' like TRFs do th**yfab?

Yes, obviously, Black people have regularly argued with disingenuous idiots about it all the time. But have you ever seen Black activists, out doing serious, important work, fiercely argue every single day against a massive horde of White people telling them not to? I'm not even saying that a Black person can necessarily say the word cracker without ten White people popping off in the replies. But how often do they get replied to? And how much of those White people are trying to get through that it sincerely hurts them, and not just claiming it's rhetorically hypocritical?

Because from the TRF perspective it feels like "no but we should get to use this insulting word for other people and if not you're literally killing us!" is like, the major discussion to be having! I've talked a lot before about how even I, someone massively triggered by things outside of intercommunity stuff, somehow manage to bring those issues up more than TRFs do with their incessant focus on the perceived transmisogyny of other trans people, but good Lord. Even if it WERE okay and justified, it's so obvious they care about their sacred right to be aggressive towards other people over literally anything that will ever actually help a single trans woman.

They're exploiting the concept of "punching up" to be mindlessly cruel to another group of marginalized people. And frankly that should be insulting on it's own. Even if you did buy into the explanation that the word was coined by trans women mad about some non-binary people scabbing for Wymyn's Warped Tour,* they're seriously saying that's the equivalent of centuries of enslavement and violent terror? Like yeah, God, remember that time some th**fabs got to watch a bunch of cis women play acoustic guitar while reciting bad poetry and I didn't? That was exactly like a burning cross in the yard warning me to not vote.

*AND IT FUCKING WASN'T

[alpaca-clouds]

Why do people struggle so much with understanding pacing?

Okay, let me talk about my pet peeve when it comes to writing in any medium. Pacing.

People, who know me for long, will know that this has been the thing I have been complaining about since I was like 12. And there is a good reason for it.

See, when I learned to write, there was this guy who I greatly admired as an author. And after bugging him for a while (look folks, the internet was a very different place from what it is now) he did give me some recommendations on books on writing. And a lot of them went deeply into his pet peeve, which - you guessed it - was pacing as well.

And thus, I learned early on about story structure, and pacing, and how to pace out a story in a way grips the audience. This material I read went onto different techniques for different mediums, into how different cultures had a different ways of dealing with this, and so on, and so forth.

Some of my main take aways were, that a lot of very long stories struggled massively with pacing, and that a ton of people also very miscalculated their ability to handle characters in terms of pacing - because characters and pacing are two things that are very, very heavily connected.

I also learned something else, though: That a lot of western writing advice did not understand anything about pacing outside of the idea that stories were supposed to have three acts - or maybe five - and ideally from a certain fateful day in the early 2000s on, would follow the "save the cat" formular. (Mind you, I do not hate "Save the Cat", however, this formular has been created for movies. It works at times somewhat well for books, too. But it definitely does not for for pretty much anything serialized, because that is not what it was developed for.)

And I also learned another thing: Most people do not understand pacing either, because pacing is not a thing that is ever taught in normal school (like most things that are about creative writing are not). So, while some people might have a gut feeling that the pacing of something might be off, they rarely can actually say why. And this is only worsened by the fact that today's tiktok addicted society is so used to consuming ultra condensed media, that they will perceive anything less condenses than 1 minute tiktok videos as "too slow and boring".

So, please allow me - the guy who kinda hyperfixated on this specific writing skill - to talk about pacing. And this will be in the following points:

What is pacing actually?

How do characters relate to pacing?

Pacing, Streaming and the supposed "filler episode".

Pacing and Fantasy

Pacing in Action vs anything else

Pacing in books vs visual media

What Is Pacing actually?

Okay, I think one of the main issues when it comes to understanding pacing is, that a lot of people see pacing on a on a spectrum that goes from "I am bored" to "I can't follow the plot anymore". But that actually does not always have to do with the pacing - obviously.

Technically pacing is the speed in which the plot moves. Or, to make it more quantifiable: "How many plot points (beats) are covered per either time (in any timed medium) or per page (in anything you read)". Which makes sense at the first glance - but does actually often not line up with the subjective perception of this. Becau se here is the thing: No, fight scenes are not automatically fast paces. A lot of modern action movies have super slow paced - in terms of story pacing - action scenes. Because yes, during those action sequences a lot of STUFF happens, but nothing of it actually is in any way related to the plot.

Look, I freaking adore the Fast & Furious movies. But you could literally edit those movies down to like 45 minutes each and not lose a single plot beat. But of course, nobody would watch those movies - because yes, me and everyone else who adored those movies, is there to watch them lunch cars into space and see stuff blow up. I don't much care about the characters or the plot.

This is by the way also the kinda point that me and other people talk about, when we are unimpressed by "oh, but sex scenes don't add anything to the plot", while the same people would often not make the same argument about action scenes - even though there is a ton of movies and shows where the action scenes really do not add anything to the plot. A lot of people just do not perceive action sequences as slow pacing, because even if nothing that happens on the screen actually adds anything to the plot or moves it forward, it is undeniable, that STUFF is happening. So basically monkey brain will go: "Hehe, things go boom!"

Don't get me wrong: there absolutely are stories in which the action is moving the plot. Mad Max Fury Road is a great example. The movie is also about 60% action - but the action scenes actually add to the plot.

Meanwhile nothing tells you as much about how unimportant some of the MCU action scenes are, than the fact, that they are often done by a completely different team and will be done apart from the rest of the movie.

But yes, traditionally the idea was, that towards the "finale" of a piece of media, a lot more plot beats would happen over a shorter amount of time. You will see that also in a lot of beat sheets. There are more beats that need to happen in the third act of a story - if we go by three act structure. And often there is actually even more plot developments, as usually in a finale all the "plotlines" will kinda finish up in the end. So even plotlines where not a lot has happened to this point - this shows especially in serialized works both in TV shows and stuff like manga or comics - the important plot points will then often happen close to the finale, because it feels more "right".

In older serialized media - especially TV shows prior to streaming - you also had the same thing hold true towards the finale of a "story arc". In a lot of older shows, you would usually see a structure that looked like this.

The "rise" here technically has less to do with more stuff happening in later arcs or seasons - and more with the threat-level rising, and the convulutedness of a story. lol

But yeah, the take-away from this part should be: No, action does not equal fast pacing. There can be action-heavy shows with super slow narrative pacing - but it will to many not feel this way, because at least action is interesting to watch. Which also might be an explanation to why people are a lot worse in seeing the issue with action-scenes that are not adding anything in visual media, but might actually notice it in written stories. Because in books action scenes do not feel "fast paced" in the same way they feel in movies, where the often faster editing and the amount of motion on screen will create this effect.

Oh, and on the other side: Of course there can be slow paced plots that will leave you having problems following. At times, because they are badly written (aka: the media does not give you all the information you need) - and at times, because a piece of media might expect you to know a certain bit of information that you do not know. I can definitely think of a variety of scifi media, that just expects you to know stuff about computer stuff or space, and will not explain it to you. Which might make you need longer time to take plot developments in, and then leaves you reeling.

Another thing however that is also important is: If the pacing stays actually the same throughout a piece of media - rather than accelarating towards the finale (or finales if there are multiple) - it actually will feel wrong in some way. Often people (even I, who hyperfixates on this specific thing) struggle to point at it at first. But yes, this very much is an issue that also can happen. You want the pacing to accelerate towards certain points in the plot - and then slow down. If you had an important point, you want a few slower scenes/episodes/chapters afterwards, to allow the audience to somewhat absorb all the new things you presented them with.

How do characters relate to pacing?

Alright, now we come to the dicey part - specifically, because a lot of people (which includes narratologists, creative writing professors, and people professionally writing) actually kinda do not fully agree on this. So, fair warning: This is how I think.

A character arc in many cases absolutely is a part of the plot. Most media we consume these days are character driven, so the characters are absolutely centrally connected to the plot and the plot mainly exists to have the character move from point A to point B. Or, to make it more basic: To have a character realize that their WANT is not their NEED.

Sure, those characters will usually also accomplish something plot-related. But them accomplishing them is more often than not heavily connected to them fulfilling their character arc. (Please note: characters having a want but having to realize a need is something that is core of western storytelling. However, given that it makes for interesting character arcs, a lot of Asian media these days also will use this as a central driver for character development.)

In some pieces of media, the character arcs are way more heavily tied into the beats of the main plot, than in other. In adventure, action, and related a lot of fantasy and scifi, there is most of the time a character arc happening parallel to the main plot beats. Meanwhile often enough in more down to earth drama and romance, plot beats and character development beats are heavily interwoven. This is not a hard and fast rule - there absolutely is fantasy where the character arc is the plot arc, just as there is romance where the development does not play as heavily into the main plot - but you can generally observe it.

However, no matter how strongly the character development beats line up with plot beats, you cannot deny one thing: character beats are beats that also add to the pacing - even if they technically do not move the main plot forward. So, for example, if you have an episode in a show or a chapter in a book, where important beats happens in terms of a characters development (for example: they realize something important about themselves), this does not necessarily slow the pacing down - even if no actual plot beats happen.

What the fuck is a plot beat? What is a character beat?

This part of the essay was originally not included, but the people reading over it said I should include this.

If we say, that Pacing is basically the description of "Plot Beats per Time" or rather "Plot Beats and/or Character Beats per Time", then we also need to say, what exactly a Plot Beat is. I will fully admit, that this is one of those things in which I forget that this is not a thing taught in school.

I mentioned "Save the Cat" before. "Save the Cat" is a book about writing movies and specifically about pacing out a movie in a way that it is captivating. It mainly focuses on action, but you can absolutely use it for most other genres. And this comes with a so called "beat sheet", a collection of the main story beats that happen, showing when they are going to happen. It looks like this:

Basically a Beat is a scene, in which the plot (or a character arc) is moved forward by a bit. Basically anything that reveals something to the main characters, anything where the basic assumptions about the plot change, anything like that.

Examples for Plot Beats would be:

Character learns about something going on

Characters find out something important about the plot

Someone (either protagonist or antagonist) gets killed or injured

Characters get a new power or item that is important to the plot

Romance goes forward or a reason for the romance to happen is found

Characters find a hint for something they want to reach

And examples of Character Beats would be:

Character learns something about themselves

Character makes a decision for themselves

Characters realizes feelings about something or someone

Character overcomes trauma

And mind you, because I cannot fit this anywhere else: If you read these you might realize, why Musicals are basically a cheat for very fast pacing. Because you can put an entire character arc into a 4 minute song. This is why musical animated shows like Steven Universe or My Little Pony managed to pull some insanely paced episodes, like the Empire City episodes for SU, and the episode in which the Cutie Mark Crusaders finally got their Cutie Marks. Musicals are insane when it comes to this.

And something that you have to realize: While for movies and books certain Beat Sheets (Save the Cat is not the only one) work rather well, those Beat Sheets usually do not work well for Shows. And currently we are living in a time, where this becomes very noticable - because a lot of modern shows are written and aired as basically 4-8 hour movies, using often just the "Save the Cat" beat sheet (if you have read Save the Cat, you will see it EVERYWHERE, because it is so frequently used in western media), but... obviously, Save the Cat is made for something that has 2 hours, and as such a lot of modern media feels strangely slow and stretched out.

Pacing, Streaming, and the supposed "filler episode"

(Yes, this needed to be the gif for this. Because no filler episode has lodged itself quite as strong into my brain as this one.)

So, let me talk about the issue in modern media. Because oh boy.

As I said: I hyperfixated on this specific writing skill forever - and as such I was annoyed by "filler episodes" in TV shows. To explain for the youngest people (not that I am assuming a lot of those are on this hellsite lol): "Filler" was the name given to material that did not move the plot forward at all. So a "filler episode" was an episode, that was just there to fill the episode slot for the week, while no plot was happening. I am not fully sure whether the term originated with anime - but at least back in the early 2000s, before Shonen-Anime were done as 12-26 seasons that then allowed the manga to get ahead in between, "filler" was also the name used for those story arcs that the anime people made up for shows like Naruto, One Piece or Dragonball, that were not in the manga - and hence obviously also never added to any overarching narrative.

And what can I say: We did not appreciate the filler episode enough. Because this related very much to the last part: While filler episodes did indeed not add to the plot and usually by definition did not the character development, they actually still added something often enough.

They allowed the audience to get to know the characters a bit better and get a better feeling for the character relationships - and those episodes take out a bit of speed, which is actually important.

As said before: The pacing should not be even throughout an entire piece of media. In a TV series after an episode that was especially tense and pushed the plot or characters forward a lot, there should be ideally at least one or two episodes that move forward slower or even not at all. This allows the viewer to sit with the new developments for a bit - and of course the characters to have a moment to breathe and process whatever happened to them.

There is also the fact that those episodes usually give the audience a better understanding for the characters - and if you have an audience who at this point ideally care about some the characters, this will even be more successful.

And as I said. Back in ye olden days, a lot of people - me included - complained so much about Filler. But we were wrong. Fillers are amazing, as long as they do not overtake the whole show.

Pacing and Fantasy

Okay, let's talk about a thing, that is somewhat funny. A lot of fantasy - specifically written fantasy media - often has a pacing problem. And this problem comes from the Worldbuilding. Others forms of fantasy media (other than games - though pacing in games is whole different matter) have this too at times, but it tends to be worst in books.

Basically, when you are a fantasy worldbuilder, you have this whole world. And this leaves you with two problems.

a) You are afraid that people will not be able to follow the plot if you not give them a lot of information about this world and how it differs from ours.

b) Well, you build this entire world. And the people should KNOW.

So, a lot of fantasy media basically regularly will stop to explain to the reader or audience, whatever is happening right now. Some writers manage somewhat naturally put this in. Maybe they have a character that does not know a lot about for example magic or dragons, and they can ask questions and act as an audience stand-in. But even in cases, where the worldbuilding is somewhat brought in naturally (which by far is not all of them - because people usually do not naturally talk about stuff they both know, or think a lot about something they find naturally) those "explanation" pieces will make the plot come to a screeching halt.

So, the more worldbuilding you explain, the slower your pacing is.

And of course, pacing is not a reliable thing to keep people reading, and pacing will not always turn people off. But you know how people complain about how slow Lord of the Rings is? This is because of course, every time that Tolkien describes a piece of landscape over multiple pages, there is no plot happening on those pages. And while I personally think some of those descriptions are darn stunning, it is one of those things many people will not like.

However, this makes it a bit complicated. Because yes, worldbuilding explanations will slow down the pacing to a degree that can be problematic. But if you explain too little worldbuilding, people might struggle to follow the story. Which again is the most common problem if the pacing is "too fast" as well. Basically, people do not properly follow the plot and will struggle to understand what is happening and why.

But the opposite is true as well. I have read way too many fantasy books, where after the first 100 pages, I know a lot about the city the plot is set in, or about the magic system, but sadly have so far not been privy to any information what the plot is about, what the characters try to archive, or even who actually the characters are. And that, yeah... Is probably the most common reason why I put aside a variety of fantasy books in the past.

Pacing in Action-media vs anything else

Okay, let me talk about one other thing. See, the word "pacing" is at times used in some other context: In visual media, pacing will be used for the editing of what we see. Basically the amount of cuts that happen within a scene. Or, in a comic, the distribution of panels is also seen as a pacing element.

And anyone who heard people complain about how at times confusing the editing in action movies is, you know that this at times can get too much.

Still, in visual media action scenes feel usually fast - because the characters are moving around rather fast. In a visual piece of media, action scenes are often thrilling, because the characters are in constant danger of dying, and because a lot of stuff is happening. This often works better in visual media, than in written pieces. While it absolutely is possible to write thrilling action scenes, a lot of writers struggle with this, because they tend to overdescribe and that takes the speed out of the prose. But generally speaking, a couple of punches thrown - something that in a movie takes about 10 seconds - will in book easily end up in 200-500 words, which you will not read quite as fast. A bit more about that later.

And then there is the issue with the action scenes, that even is true for visual medial, is that they often really do not have any important plotbeats. Sure, if the characters have their final battle, that is a plot point. But in a lot of action media - especially TV shows - there are a lot of scenes included that really do not add anything, but just are there because folks love watching action scenes.

This goes so far, that people will think a show or movie with a lot of action scene will just be seen as "good fast pacing", even though if the actual pacing in terms of plot beats being spaced out is rather bad. As a good example I will once more nod at the Fast & Furious and the Mission Impossible movies, that often have horrid pacing and very confusing plots - but they do not feel really like it, because the movies are like 60% action scenes, and hence they do not feel like it when you watch them.

It can work at times. I spoke about my love of the F&F movies. Can I tell you a lot of the characters? Nope, but the action scenes are fun to watch!

But this also tends to mean, that in a badly paced movie or show, that is badly paced because the action scenes not adding any plot beats, everything tends to fall apart when the action scenes do not work. And often enough action scenes will still be prioritized over everything else in many of those pieces of media, making things fall apart easily.

Pacing in books vs visual media

I have hinted at this now multiple times: Written media is generally a bit harder to pace than visual media, because of the things you can and cannot control. While a writer in a book has full control over the scenario, a director of a show or movie had actually influence the timeflow of the things happening on screen. As a writer meanwhile you absolutely have no influence on the speed in which your reader will read.

Sure, you can somewhat influence it. Shorter sentences are easier read. An general lower reading level will allow people to read quicker. So simpler words, shorter words, shorter sentences will make parts appear quicker. You can use this for example in action scenes to have a bit more of this breathless feeling that an action scene on screen might have. Use short sentences. Do not link sentences up. Quick hits. Quick impressions. It can work - but it needs some training. Not to say it is fucking hard.

Generally speaking to my experience when you write a single novel, the "Save the Cat" Beat Sheet actually works rather well, if you are the kind of writer who is fairly good at planning things out. If I actually try, I will usually manage to plan out a story and predict fairly well how many words a chapter will have. So yes, for books I can very much use "Save the Cat" and it will work.

However, some things simply work a lot better when you have visual parts going on - but there are other things you can do better when you do not have the visual stuff. For example: A writer can do much more when it comes to motivation and introspection of characters. Yes, this slows down the pacing - but it is something that writing has basically over any form of media that is not a musical. (In a Musical you can characters do introspection through songs. Musicals are the ultimate way of cheating. I love them!)

Something I feel so many writers struggle with in terms of books is actually putting in a clear goal for the character from the beginning. Again: I have put too many books aside where I reached page 100 and did not yet have any goal for the main character.

That goal you give them does not necessarily need to be their final goal. Again: A lot of western storytelling deals with the incongruent nature of a characters "needs" (aka something that would actually help them) with the character's "wants" (aka what they think they would need). But at the very least the plot needs something that it can head towards from the very beginning - a hook to capture the reader.

There might be readers that are absolutely fine with just reading an exercise in worldbuilding - but you cannot expect them to be.

[sturnslutz]

headlock.

matt and missy reunite not in the best way. fuck i love loser!matt and player!reader. i hope this trips u guys out lol TW! self harm mentioning, going mental, brief mentioning of lacing, no action, mention of throwing up. please dont read if you are not comfortable! if this is horrible lmk

after the party, missy couldn't get matt out of her mind, it almost seemed like she made it all up.

he hadn't texted her at all, even 2 weeks after. she went to numerous parties, and "casually" looked for him, and she never spotted him. she had asked chris and nick if he was there, and they occasionally said yes, but he always slipped away before you saw him.

after a bit, you distracted your mind with other guys. that's what you were known for, obviously.

but, none of them were like matt.

his mysterious presence, how he made you feel so comforted, and how he didn't shame you for your actions. sure, you were surrounded by a couple people who didn't outright ridicule you, but you knew deep down they resented you.

you hadn't got his number, and haven't seen him at all. almost like he vanished completely. you knew he didn't because of the numerous times you asked nick, and his suspicions grew about you day by day. he knew you didn't act like this for other men, so why his brother?

he promised you, that you guys would hangout. just to smoke, talk, whatever. maybe a fuck is really what he wanted and when you mentioned not to do it, it scared him away.

your mind raced everyday with questions, causing you to disassociate yourself from your daily life. no one has ever saw you like this. it got so bad, you started throwing up from anxiety.

what the hell is going on.

you didn't understand anything, at all. that's why you're ranting. in your journal. in your mind. in your skin. in your blood.

did he forget about her? did he lead her on? did he hypnotize her? did he lace her and she hasn't gotten better?

what. is. going. on.

you were going i. n. s a . ne.

then.

you saw him.

he was so, casual. so, normal.

"matt!" you said, running over to him, drenched in the rain.

he looked over at you, eyes open wide noticing your condition. you were high out of your mind, how did you get like this?

he grabs you as you hug him, rubbing your back while walking you under the roof, it was pouring after all.

"what the fuck? a-are you okay?" she shakes her head no. "cmon, let's get you to my place." he picks you up as you sob into his neck, and speed walks to his dorm.

he knocks rapidly on the wooden door. "nate open the fuck up!" he yells, banging on the door.

nate opens it and his jaw drops, matt rushing in and setting you on the bed. the boys look at your drenched self, from the rain and from your tears.

"i-is she okay?" "i dont know."

"she just, ran to me."

you rubbed your eyes, and looked up at the boys, your eyes red and glossy.

"here." you couldn't tell who it was you put the water bottle to your lips, but you chugged it like it was alcohol. ironic.

"y'needa sleep. finish the bottle, there's some clothes next to you."

you opened your eyes again, your vision finally clearing up. you didn't know what you took, but your head was spinning. and your skin felt like it was crawling. is that a bug? you hadn't noticed when matt sat some of his warm clothes next to you, and sat next to you, rubbing your back.

you didn't know when, but you got changed and fell asleep.

you woke up to the bright rays of the sun peeping through the blinds of the dorm. you noticed the different room, where the fuck were you?

you rubbed your eyes, seeing a certain brunette finger on the ground next to the bed you were sleeping on, and nate on the bed across the room, scrolling on his phone.

"nate?"

he dropped his phone, jumping up and grabbing a water, running to you, tripping over matt, causing a groan.

"drink." he says as he sits down next to you, resting his feet on matt's body, while handing you the bottle.

you nod, drinking the water like it was the best thing you've ever tasted. "how're you feelin'?" you nod in response to nate's question as you watch matt's figure stand up and stretch. you hadn't remembered what happened last night, but you knew you had obviously made a fool out of yourself if nate was this worried about you.

after some time, matt finally spoke up. "what happened?" he said, no more than a whisper as he sits back down on the floor, looking up at you with remorse.

"i don't know."

the words not more than a mutter, sounding like they were bouncing off the walls.

nate was your dearest friend, and you can't even look at him because of how embarrassed you were. you knew he'd never judge you, but the look they were giving each other made you feel like you were invisible, but everyone knows what happened, except for you.

"'m sorry, missy."

you looked down at matt, letting your tired gaze meet his sad eyes.

"for what?"

"everything. i completely ghosted you and avoided you."

"it's okay-"

"it's not." he interrupts.

"i fell for you and i got scared."

"i fell for you too."

you hadn't noticed nate stepping out, but it was just you and matt in the room, which suddenly felt like it was about to crumble from the amount of tension.

"i knew you weren't okay. nick told me everything. and i kept avoiding you."

the silence became even quieter, if possible.

"i'll never do it to you again, as a friend, as a hookup, as a boyfriend. whatever we become. i'll never allow you to become this way again. i know we only really talked once but i can't control my feelings."

"you got me in a headlock, matt sturniolo. and i can't breathe."

this tripped me tf out when i was writing it help

@muwapsturniolo @lovergirl4gracieabrams @m4ttg1rl @lypsiiii @tyummyz @sturniqlo @emely9274 @shadowthesim @mattsobvimyfav @sturnl0ve @wastelandzella @fallininlust @chrisslut04 @sophand4n4 @vainilladollie @slutforchrissturniolo2 @ncm9696 @snoopychris @sofieeeeex @chr0mehrts comment to be added or removed.

[matrixbearer2024]

Okay, so- I was talking to my cousin as I normally would during a new year's family gathering and she pointed out to me how jarringly different Stan and Ford's takes on learning is in my modernity AU. It probably doesn't seem all that clear without context and honestly I didn't notice it myself until I was talking to her but here's two situations that I think should encapsulate things pretty well.

Stanley would purposefully say the wrong thing to get a rise out of people(which he often does to Ford) or at the very least a correction. He doesn't waltz into something completely blind but most of what he figures out are through trial by fire.

Ford would scour anything and everything he could about a certain topic to make sure he has his bases covered and is often the one correcting instead of being corrected. He walks into things with an expectation in mind and almost certainly panics afterwards when things don't go to plan.

They're both learning but in completely different ways.

Stanley uses experience more as his teacher whereas Ford is often stuck in the books. Practice vs Theory essentially.

Stanley's philosophy is mostly hinged on Murphy's law, you don't do the "correct" thing with the idea that someone will tell you what it is and that's how you learn. He's gotten in trouble a whole lot for this growing up but it's nothing too substantial or traumatizing. He just learns through trial by fire and experience.

Stanford's philosophy is that you should know or at least do your best to know 110% about the topic so you don't make any fundamental mistakes and look foolish. He doesn't think there's anything wrong with asking questions, but looking dumb because of sheer ignorance is something he's genuinely terrified of. It has a lot to do with his own standards in academics that nearly borders on perfectionism but that's something else entirely.

I wouldn't say either are objectively balanced considering they're actually two far sides of the pendulum when it comes to how you'd approach or view the debate on theory vs practice- but I do think it's a very interesting view into their minds that I hadn't intentionally intended and simply realized after somebody told me.

It's also why I say in this AU if they're both separated, the Stan twins aren't really special, just average joes in a sea of talents; diamonds in the rough. It's when they're banded together that you'll actually see those gemstones shine.

Not to say that they're not independent of each other, trust me they really are because they would probably go insane from being together all the time and have their own strengths which they play up. It just so happens that in this day and age, you really have to stand out to be somebody and sometimes being simply talented isn't always enough.

I could probably talk more about Fidds and Bill if I'm asked but my cousin has an insane hyperfix on Stanley in particular and it's how I end up stuck with this LOL

[justletmeon12]

Garak's relationship with Bashir actually reminds me heavily of a thing that kept happening to me when I was younger:

The thing about being Really Annoying, according to all neurotypicals, and never getting the benefit of the doubt due to both that and people misreading everything you do because you don't speak elaborate unspoken social cue, is that it makes you a) lonely, and b) deeply skeptical of the assumption that certain other people are Bad.

As a result, I've had a string of close friendships and borderline-relationships with smart, interesting people who I'd been told to stay away from - mostly because of mental health issues, difficult home lives, etc. Whether because of that or for some other reason, most of our interactions tended to be built on discussing common interests - philosophy, animals, and yes, literature.

Some of them did turn out to be jerks/creeps (including a couple with some frustrating ideas about minority groups), but the overwhelming thing they all had in common was that they were as lonely and isolated as I was, and that made them more tolerant of the things that made me Bad.

Garak is objectively not a good person. He's a torturer who's overwhelmingly devoted to an empire built on beliefs about racial supremacy. He's also extremely fucked up, and very isolated on a station where even people who don't know his past hate him. Bashir connecting to him as someone else who nobody can stand (and who's also okay with talking about a SpIn constantly) is one of the most relatable things about him.

Garak loving Bashir for all of his Autistic quirks instead of in spite of, is something so healing to me personally

[linlinmoon]

"Look Of Love."

a/n : hi! just to note this isn't my best work as it is something i've done to crawl out of the deep pit of writer's block i'm currently suffering with so i suppose it is better than nothing 🙂‍↕️ i do appreciate if u suggest prompts in my ask box so i get the motivation to write and to write better 😻 enjoy!

🍰 : (they/them), fluff! riddle roseharts x reader.

The housewarden of Heartslabyul trudged his way back to his own dorm after dealing with miscellaneous events that wasn't even part of his agenda. His feet were practically dragging itself across the checkered tiles, his body so heavy he just wanted to do nothing but lay on his bed the whole entire evening after. 

It was one of the things left unsaid when being a housewarden, that you'd also have to be the one to pick up after the people who are more careless with following the rules and laws of the dorm. 

He couldn't let those things slide of course, yet fortunately he was a bit more considerate than before. After the overblot incident, he had become more lenient with certain rules, although it didn't mean that he'd let things slide way too often. 

And finally after a day of housewarden duties homework, and a lot of spellcasting on rulebreakers. He had arrived at the front of his dorm. Thank the Seven.

He opens the door to see them currently studying on the desk, the only other person that would make him feel like not everything has to be perfect all the time. The person that reminded him it was okay that his files didn't have to always be in proper order or the colors of his pens weren't in sequence according to their shades. Through them, it's also how he learned to be more expressive with how he feels and is in the process of learning how to do so in a proper manner, to  avoid any pent up negativity that would possibly bottle up inside of him.

Perhaps he was even more than lenient with them when it came to the laws of the dorm, though he'd say that it had just slipped his mind.

Definitely wasn't favoritism. ( Of course it was, he just wouldn't say it out loud )

“Ah, good evening. You're back later than usual.” they smiled, the corners of their lips tugging at their cheeks. They had taken his hands in theirs, slowly intertwining their fingers with each other's.

“Mm. Got held back a little.” he spoke, visibly exhausted. 

“Want to talk about it?”

“Please. It would truly help to let it out.”

They get up from their seat and had sat themself down at the bed and had laid on their back, pulling the housewarden down with their movement. After a few moments of comfortable silence, they shift to lay on their stomach to fix their eyes on the redhead who was to talk about the day they've had.

Riddle had rested his eyes before looking back up at their partner, giving them a knowing look to subconsciously ask them if it was alright to rant and let out whatever he could about what had happened through out his day. 

“Go on, I'm listening.” they assure, nodding a little as a signal for him to begin

“My day was usual, but it was a rather hectic with the sudden things that would come up out of nowhere, completely unannounced. As always, there would be atleast a number of students who are careless to forget certain rules. The assigned students had forgotten to wear pink when taking care of the flamingos today, they should know that by now. It's just once every week, how hard it is to remember..”

He continues on and on for awhile shifting their positions as their limbs entangle with one another. His head had rested on their chest as they ran their fingers through his hair. Eyes half lidded as they continued to listen, now just noticing this is the most he's ranted in awhile. 

They weren't complaining though, they "were" listening or they supposed to be but they couldn't help but stare while he just spoke. The way his lips would move when he pronounced certain words differently, the way how his brows would furrow when he talked about some event that irritated him or the way his eyes would shift from them then towards the ceiling as he recalled about thing that happened. Overall entranced by how... pretty, he looked when he spoke.

Riddle had noticed that they seemed to be just hum and nod in agreement at a certain pace, as if they were on autopilot or something. Noticing the way they looked at him, the way they only blinked or glanced elsewhere only if it was necessary.

“Are you listening?”

“Mhm.. huh?”

“I think you've just been staring the entire time.”

“No no no.. I was listening I promise. The doormouse had jam spread on it's nose, the herbal tea is better than any other and-”

“That's not.. Oh, you're impossible.” he stifles a laugh, playfully hitting their chest. They had moved closer to his embrace and laughed along with him. 

The sweet melodic sound of their voice rung in his ear, tinting his ears pink.  He could listen to them laugh over and over again like a broke vinyl. 

He had moved his hand onto theirs before making its way to their cheeks, holding their face in place to admire the way their features complimented one another. Riddle would be completely lying if he said he didn't like the way they would look at him, how could he? They looked at him as if he was the only one he could see, the only one in this world. Their gaze so full of love that it was overflowing, all the love that the world could hold in those eyes. And they were his, all his. They were his world, and he was theirs.  

“Sorry I can't help but stare. But I swear I listened.. to the first half I suppose.”

“Not to worry. I'd be happy to tell you all about it over and over again.”

“You would?”

“Mhm.. For you, I'd do it over and over again.”

[velarisdusk]

I FEEL LIKE I SHOULD PREFACE:

these are NOT meant to be soundalikes. i think our guys would use their own intonations, inflections, and creative decisions for things like cadence and ad-libs in these songs. this is meant to be a showcase of what vibes i think their songs would be. under the cut, i'll have notes on why i chose tracks, certain covers of songs, etc.

All that to say—This Is: Wings of Illyria

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦

01 The Great Escape — BOYS LIKE GIRLS the song that started it all.... i've definitely said this way too many times, but i'll say it again. the bridge. 'we won't hear a word.... they.... say / they don't know us anyway.' that is azriel's part. that is where the crowd goes batshit (buh dum tss). i think their songs would be a range of stuff like pop-punk, alt, rock. this one might be a bit different than the rest of the energy of the playlist, but i was not folding on this one, it HAD to be in the playlist.

02 Seven Nation Army — The White Stripes the bass in this is so iconic and i thought az deserved it. thats pretty much the only reason, i can't even lie

03 Take Me Out — Franz Ferdinand i just really love this song LMFAOOOO also i can see rhys KILLING IT on guitar. i ALSO really like the thought of az and cass having fun shouting the backing vocals. OH OH and az and rhys playing their instruments back to back with these shit-eating smirks on their faces mmm yum

04 Somebody Told Me — The Killers this is the first of the "fun" songs i chose for them, i think that'll make more sense when you listen to the rest of the "fun" ones. like i think these are the slightly less serious songs that they'd enjoy performing.

05 Kryptonite — 3 Doors Down i think this is one of the ones i find truer to their usual sound (usual, i say, as if i didnt just make it all up lol)

06 Sex on Fire — Kings of Leon a more mellow one comparatively. the instrumentals are great in this and i see them having fun with it

07 Come As You Are — Nirvana also a bit more mellow, but i think rhys would kill this

08 Aerials — System Of A Down so.. serj tankian has a very unique voice and i love it but obv rhys wouldnt sound like that yknow? i just think the guitar in this song is awesome and i think rhys would have a lot of fun playing this one (also az on harmony yum)

09 The Kill — Thirty Seconds To Mars a classic emo/alt song. this one all around is AMAZING for them. the backing vocals, the belting, the DRUMS. cass would have so much fun on this one

10 Everlong — Foo Fighters starts slow but picks up, i think the instrumentals all around are very them. i see rhys being super passionate on vocals (not to mention how iconic the guitar is HELLOOOO), cass smashing the mf drums, az with the mellow backing vocals

11 Dance, Dance — Fall Out Boy i think if any of these songs are a bit out of the realm of the others, these two fall out boy tracks are it. dont get me wrong, it still fits into the vibe with those "fun" songs i was talking about, it's just one of their less serious songs i think

12 Thnks fr th Mmrs — Fall Out Boy three hot guys singing about casual sex. need i say more?

13 Dear Maria, Count Me In — All Time Low pop punk singer rhys!! i love!! another "fun" song

14 Are You Gonna Be My Girl — Jet yet another "fun" song! ugh idk i just find them singing about a girl to be very hot and sexy

15 You're Gonna Go Far, Kid — The Offspring the guitar.. the aggressive lyrics.... the shouted ad libs (def cass on the 'trust, deceived' at the end of the second verse) and the lower harmony by az

16 Scotty Doesn't Know — Lustra A "FUN" SONG!! ONE OF MY FAV "FUN" SONGS ON THIS LIST!! like i said,, these hot guys singing about a girl.. add in the fact that theyre singing about fucking her>>>>>

17 I Was Made For Lovin' You — YUNGBLUD OKAY. i have a good bit to say about this one bc i realize it's an interesting choice. i had the original by KISS on here at first, but the sound was a bit too classic rock compared to the rest of their stuff. this cover gives a bit more of a modern-alt-rock sound? i want to make known that i HATE the way "can't" in the first "i can't get enough of you baby" is sung, but it's only once. i also love the PICK UP IN TEMPO AAAAA its really good. let me walk you through the thought process. im seeing in concert we've got like.. a dark stage. a spotlight on rhys seated at a piano, singing into the mic. once he sings the first chorus, he stands, the lights come up, az tosses him his guitar, he catches it with one hand, throwing the strap over himself, the guitar spins around him and then rhys starts fuckin GOING AT IT. anyway..... yeah that's why i chose this cover instead of the original

18 You Give Love A Bad Name — Bon Jovi ik i said classic rock wasnt their sound but this one is just so good. i can see them giving this one a slightly more modern feel

19 Savior — Rise Against do me a favor. listen to this with headphones. start the song with just the right earbud in, then at the end of that intro verse, put the left one in so the guitar grows. those isolated vocals would be az. thank u.

20 Situations — Escape the Fate remember how 16 was one of my fav "fun" songs on the list? THIS is my fav one. its just so openly sexual, vey raunchy, they'd be very sexy singing this and the crowd would cream their pants

21 The Drug In Me Is You — Falling In Reverse this one's just as simple as great vocals, bitchin guitar, amazing drums

22 Paralyzer — Finger Eleven again, BITCHIN guitar

23 I Hate Everything About You — Three Days Grace the AGGRESSION!!!!! RAAAA!!!!!!! thats it, it's aggressive and they'd be hot playing this song

24 Covet — Basement another slower song, but i love it so i put it. duh. every album has one or two slower songs, this is one of them.

25 Zombie — Bad Wolves i absolutely LOVE this one. it has more of that rock feel for these guys than the original by the cranberries. thats why i chose this cover. i can see them head banging to this one

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦

yall were interested so just gonna tag you here!! hope you enjoy :D @anarchiii @chairofchaos @blushingfawnsposts @mellowmusings @acoazlove

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦

[pendwelling]

hi I had a question about a section of chapter 221 in twsb

When discussing the island of pleasure (where the admiral Emma corleone is) (not too sure about the accuracy of the names from mtl),

they talk about how things like polyandry polygamy are allowed there, and how they allow morally wrong things under the principle of free love.

most importantly, they say that monogamy is deeply rooted among continental people.

however, the history of Riester as a continental nation has the taking of multiple life partners with the practice of the Emperor taking a religious and a political partner.

anyway, I am confused as to why characters we generally align with morally (duhem) refer to things like polygamy (which also implies (i think?) a disapproval within Riester of polyamory as a whole) as morally incorrect with the blatant queer undertones of the main characters, as well as among side characters.

is the author trying to highlight the religious nature of Riester and the specific and at times contradictory nature of their religion or possibly religion in general? Marriage within religion (especially Christianity) is seen primarily a unity of people in god’s eyes. We saw yeseo officiate(?) someone taking a religious partner (I believe, it was a while back) and it was similar in nature, with asking for approval from the god of this world itself to be religious partners, with it giving them the thumbs up or down with the ceremony.

the largest difference with these two is that wasnt romantic in nature. So are the rules that as long as the partners aren’t romantic in nature, then the political/religious partnership is acceptable, and romantic marriage is only acceptable among two people? If these are true, what about her majesty for example? I genuinely cannot tell you whether her, Aurelie, and alexandre were all romantically or platonically involved, which think was on purpose on the author’s part. I believe that only alexandre and frederique were married, but once alexandre died, Aurelie became Cedric’s godmother, but was she as involved as a parental unit in Cedric’s life before alexandre died? Were the three of them raising him together his whole life, or was it mainly frederique and Alexandre until he died and aurelie became more present in Cedric’s life

idk man, is author trying to point out the potential conflict of the mcs’ mix of a queer platonic and (i think?) romantic relationship, especially among the judgemental nobles?

you don’t have to answer all the questions posed here btw!!

I know you probably can’t answer every question here (especially the ones about the authors motivation) I am just curious as to what your thoughts are about this as you are an expert with twsb lore/character, if you don’t feel like answering at all that’s also totally fine lmao okay I’ll stop yapping now

"You don't have to answer all the questions posed here" WHO DO YOU THINK I AM do not underestimate the sheer depths of my insanity over this novel (/J /LHHHH)

(On a more serious note now—) haha I will for sure do my best!!!!! You actually raise some very very interesting questions and that made me quite excited to think about because there are actually quite a bit of different factors to take into account here 👀 (intersectionality, if you will). Thank you for sending your question in 🙇‍♀️ I'll do my best to answer!

I would also like to preface this by warning you (and anyone else who might be reading) that my answer will at times require that I use context from way further into the novel, thus might spoil certain revelations and big mysteries (particularly regarding the nature of QPB and TWSB's religion!!!) In other words,

BIG SPOILER WARNING!! (200+, JUST THE ENTIRE NOVEL AND EVEN ENDING)

I'm not sure if you would have rathered a more spoiler-free answer, so I apologize in advance 😭 Apologies as well for any typos that might possible arise. This took a while to write LMAO

(With that said, we should first start with the world's religion!!!)

The Church of God is a religion practiced mainly in the Divine Kingdom of Venetiaan and the Riester Empire (though more so in the former rather than the latter). A huge aspect of this religion is how it sort of influences the behaviours of its believers, particularly around the main belief that if one lives their life in an interesting/exciting enough way and endures hardships, they will one day obtain the gaze/adoration of God, which is something that the beings of this word (at least, the ones who believe or fear God) will yearn for until the day they die [295]. A sort of greeting that believers even use is actually: "May the Lord be pleased with your life ('주신께서 당신의 생애에 기뻐하시기를.')" Later on as you read, it becomes increasingly obvious that the entity that is "God" would refer to either the author themselves, or the readers (in some ways, it is both). But in the larger case, the one the people of QPB yearn for the attention of actually that of the readers, thus, YOUR gaze—or rather, the ones who would be the target audience for a Romance-Fantasy genre story like "I Quit my Job, then I Became the Princess Bride" (QPB), (and then later on, "When the Third Wheel Strikes Back").

This is where it gets kinda(?) meta. Knowing that QPB is an All-Ages, G-Rated, non-explicit novel targeted primarily toward teenage girls and young women (think, Jung Eunseo), it's only natural that a country outside of the premise of QPB (Corleone) would be free from any expectations of said God(s), and thus, will act outside of the "genre". Therefore, what's being highlighted in an understated way is that a country like the Empire of Riester where the main cast of QPB primarily act will be constricted by the conventions of an R-15/G-Rated RoFan genre—but a place like Corleone can break free from the genre and be a full-on R-19+ and more explicit than it wants.

People openly show intimacy out in the open, gamble and play games on the streets, are more promiscuous(or maybe sexually liberated is the more correct term?) and freely flirt, casually dress sensually, and commit "crimes in the name of free love"—and crimes here refer to how, with Corleone being so open with how they regard love, their going-about with relationships and marriage is different, and could lead to people, say, as they put in 220: "kidnapped, proposed to, or forced into a (arranged) marriage" etc. Though notably, these extreme worries were directed towards Yeseo, whom no one in the party at that time believed would be able to fend off the love-enthusiastic people of Corleone (they pretty much indirectly call Yeseo somewhat of a doormat/someone who innocence/inexperience could easily get him roped into trouble... 😭). And on a grander scale beyond just the main characters, this all somehow manages to be played in a somewhat comedic light haha—even though Corleone is outside of God's gaze, it still has to stick to the overall more lighthearted genre in some way, right? If not QPB's, then TWSB's wkkwkkw (this surrealism/idealism, in some way, also has some meta merit to it, too, actually.)

So while Corleone's atmosphere may seem like a harsh and rowdy place, the culture there is just... how to say. Very enthusiastic and extreme about the idea of "romance". In a sense, it's almost as if, though this is a "land abandoned by God", the importance they place on the theatrics of Romance is interesting when considering how the original setting was a Romance story itself (though a different genre of one). I think I should also highlight how this arc takes influences from the Commedia dell'arte, whose conventional plotlines included themes of sex, love, jealousy, etc (amongst others). As such, the theatrics of Corleone—inspired by elements of Italian culture (like how Riester and Venetiaan have French and Dutch influences respectively)—maybe aren't that surprising. Looking back on the Italian Renaissance, we can note the abundance of works with increasing interest in lewd subjects, attributed in some way to the emerging secularization at the time. Boccaccio’s "The Decameron" is notably a rather anti-clerical, at times erotic, and witty work about different stories involving Love, and in the context of its time (following the emergence of the Black Death in Florence) would therefore be a document of an emerging worldview: a desire to be liberated from the control of the Church and eager to explore the world on its own terms (though, it did get banned by the Church for a while for its explicit nature LMAO)(but recirculated after being revised since it was so popular). Other Italian/Tuscan poets at the time were also finding enjoyment in writing funny, satirical, or even downright insulting poems, many of which also took on sensual subject matter, some more explicit than others. ((Just noticed I'm going on a tangent wkfhjdkd sorry for bringing up what I learnt in my Italian Renaissance class out of the blue haha, but I find that it is interestingly relevant to the portrayal of the Principality of Corleone and its theatrics/sensuality.))

SO CORLEONE. Italian Renaissance, Commedia dell'arte. Romance, Sensuality. Comedy, Theatre. Satire, Anti-clericalism... anti-clericalism within this context can refer to Corleone's rejection from God's gaze. The "genre" and "rating" Corleone is presenting is not what She wishes to see, thus, is "morally incorrect" in QPB's original worldview because it doesnt align with the larger genre expectations.

Anyhow, I had to reread this arc and some others, and from what I can remember and what I've seen in this reread, I don't think Marquis François Duhem ever calls out polygamy as a whole, specifically, for being "morally incorrect"—I'm more so inclined to believe they are referring to the blatant absence of TPO (haha), and the over-the-top actions and behaviours that the freedom and enthusiasm for romance sometimes lead to, but even more specifically, the carefree and spontaneous treatment around love and marriage. I don't believe sensuality is necessarily and solely portrayed in a completely negative/puritanical/critical light in this series (there are different ways sexuality is portrayed throughout the series with different sets of characters), but in this case, I believe it might come off as a bit critical because François is directly affected by personal circumstance: after all, in this same arc, when Admiral Emma Corleone was propositioning for François (and later on Jesse) to become "partners", was not exactly doing so for pure-hearted and genuine romantic reasons, but with the underlying tone and intent of the Admiral bedding them for certain gains, and nothing more. François, of course, doesn't exactly appreciate this kind of attention from the Admiral and is openly guarded while around her, evidently not receptive to the idea of becoming her second spouse (after kicking out the rest—which speaks to how lightly she treated those relations in the first place), and thus kind of projects an additional layer of negativity to this. (And I'm assuming you might? have already read further ahead by now, but François does have some genuine reasons to feel put off by Emma, particularly because of their history, and Emma's implied interest in François stemming from the despair he wore back when the Duhems' parents passed away. I think it's understandable that one would feel apprehensive towards someone who is one-sidedly attracted to your misery haha...)

Of course, outside of these specific circumstances, that isn't to say that people don't frown upon having more than one legal spouse (in Venetiaan, this is especially the case, but Riester too), but there are just multiple different factors involved. I think it's very fair to compare it to real-life Christian morality/belief of one-spouse-only, but of course, those who aren't fervently religious and/or are more open-minded will regard polyamory/gamy in a more welcoming light. In particular, we've seen characters before who've expressed outright opposition to the idea of their spouse having another lover, but this is of course different from polygamy—in Prince Consort Werner, Queen Christanne, and Priest Michael's case, it was not a balanced relationship between three people, but an individual cheating on their legal spouse with someone whom she actually loves (their relationship is quite complicated, but we won't be getting into that now haha, but point is—)

The act of cheating and having more than one lovers is seen as bad, without a doubt, but curiously enough, the people of the Divine Kingdom of Venetiaan actually show quite a positive reaction towards the Queen's relationship with the commoner priest Michael. "The Romance of a Century", I believe it was called, and despite this Leary being a case of infidelity that resulted in a child, why isn't the Queen's infidelity seen as completely negative? Well, it can absolutely go back to religion. Despite Venetiaan being the most religious country in the story, it seems very receptive to their Queen's story, and yet simultaneously it is this very religious fervour that makes it so. After all, the child born from the Queen's extramarital relation was born with golden blond hair and purple eyes symbolic of the Lord's love and divinity, therefore the existence of this child itself can be taken as a blessing from God, Herself.

So, is cheating bad? Yes. We've seen this before with Duke Sarnez who was once caught by his own daughter and her friends while he was intimate with an Imperial attendant in an office. Yet, we also see it with Queen Christanne towards her own legal spouse, but the reaction is different, because of the "blessings from God".

So, is having multiple consenting lovers in an equal-levelled relationship, bad? No. The story does point out that the ruler of Corleone, Lorenzo Corleone, has multiple concubines, but he isn't portrayed in a negative light, either. In fact, he is actually portrayed as a typical person—"an old gentleman" [665] he is actually described as. Courteous and rather kind, both to Yeseo and other known characters such as Aurélie, and actually becomes a great supporting character during the later war. Him having multiple legal wives isn't symbolic of him being a morally bad character, nor do Riesterian character treat him poorly for his cultural differences or marital affairs, either, and it is just that—cultural differences.

So is polygamy/polyamory wrong? No, but, the cultural differences and reservations about marriage/love between different countries will illicit different reactions depending on whom you ask.

Anyway, I hope I'm getting across my thoughts properly haha bc I think I'm sounding like a convoluted mess, but I'd also like to note that there have also canonically been conversations about queer relationships in the story itself—particularly between Princess Cornelisse and her would-be religious partner Isle Roosegaarde, whom Cornelisse promised to make her consort when they're older [670]. In this conversation, Isle remarks that she can't possibly be made Cornelisse's consort because they are both girls, but Cornelisse casually retorts that not even the Royal Family has such conservative and outdated views (which I think is kind of hilarious in retrospect, because it implies in a way that Werner, despite being a horrible person, at the very least doesn't discriminate on people's sexuality to the point where his own daughter is educated with this same view)(of course, unless you're Jesse, which means that everything about you is worthy of Werner's ire LMAO). BUT ANYHOW, point is, historically it seems that more conservative/traditional values have existed at some point, but the current reality is notably much more open-minded. It is fair to say that Monogamy and Polygamy co-existing in Corleone but not in Riester or Venetiaan might have something to do with each country's respective histories, as well as how strongly each nation respectively believes in the main religion (and how it would influence their beliefs). And when you take into account the context of whom the God of this religion is, we can also assume that the typical young QPB RoFan reader would not want an explicit environment where the people (characters) you love would be existing in a setting reminiscent of gritty, sensual harem genre (there is even MORE meta to be said about this, and that involves the "Creator" (writer) or the world, and their intent toward the Gods (readers), but just know that an adult theme is definitely out of the question when it comes to what appropriate subject matter to the target audience, or more specifically, a certain target reader 👀)

Anyway, I bring up historical conservatism and the more-progressive/liberal nature of the TWSB universe because the idea of polyamory in Riester actually, in a funny way, is kind of? accepted...? it really, really just depends on context.

For example, there have been quite a few occasions, actually, of either friends of Cédric, Yeseo, and Christelle (CYC) or the general public themselves, alluding to or actively believing that the three of them are in a romantic relationship. One of these people was actually Marquis François Duhem himself, and he's funnily enough supposedly quite aware of the rumours floating around their relationship and at some point reaches a conclusion along the lines of "wow!!! so the rumours are true, you three really are like that—!" [468] (hahaha I do not think that he has any strong averse opinions on polyamory at all (Emma Corleone bugging him to be her next husband being a whole different case)). And earlier on in the story, we've even seen gossip tabloids who've placed immense interest on CYC's relationship, though this can of course either be interpreted in romantic or platonic lenses haha. Oh, and another notable person who even outright called CYC "lovers" was Jibril Diop, Cédric's 2nd cousin and a later addition to the main cast (more specifically, while talking with Yeseo, Jibril refers to Cédric and Christelle as Yeseo's lovers and asks him if he broke up with them since it's rare to find Yeseo all alone haha) [465]! But either way, it seems the opinion on having multiple lovers depends on a variety of different factors, from personal opinion, to religious beliefs, country, etc etc. Jibril Diop himself is actually someone whose character aligns more with Corleone's values and interests rather than Riester, since he's very free-spirited and loves dating and flirting and hates stuffy clothing, and is well-known in the Riesterian Beau Monde for his social affairs and activities in the different salons in the capital. He's even reportedly dated multiple people at once before, though it's unknown if these were open relationships or otherwise, so I can't really tell you any more than that haha. (If you haven't met him in the story yet, please anticipate his arrival. He's such a great character, I adore him greatly. He's sooooo fun as a new addition to the main cast hehe)

Anyhow, I'm sorry if I haven't given any clear-cut answers so far but rest assured!! It gets even more complicated!!!!!! 🙌🙌

SO!!! Knowing that different countries, cultures, and people regard Monogamy and Polygamy different, where does the Riesterian custom of having a Religious and Political Companion come into play? Well, in the first place, the tradition of choosing these two partners is solely a Riesterian custom, one that is also reserved for the Imperial Family (and collateral lines). A POLITICAL COMPANION to help the Imperial ruler politically, financially, or in any other diplomatic/transactional needs, (typically with a renowned noble family, or even a wealthy and affluent merchant family); and then a RELIGIOUS COMPANION to help guide the future ruler spiritually, an emotional and religious guide. Neither of the two roles are necessarily romantic, and the position as Political Companion does not require love—it is a political match first and foremost, though rulers such as Frédérique and her mother before her, Céline, were lucky in that they were able to marry people who they loved. The marriage is merely a formality so that the ruler could have an adequate spouse who fits all the requirements needed to support the ruler and fulfill the duties required of by a consort. Love is not a requirement, but it is still a legal marriage, thus a degree of respect for the arrangement is still expected.

So, what does that make a Religious Companion?

Religious Companionship via Covenant/Holy Contract Ceremony is special in that it requires the two individuals involved to swear their souls together and have them joined for eternity. This connection is beyond romantic or platonic love—in fact, a lot of the sentiments between the Master of the Covenant and the Patron Saint is very queerplatonic. It is metaphysical, it is something integral to the people involved, it is something only they alone can truly understand. It is hard not to regard the sharing of one's soul with another as not being romantic, as the very nature of the Holy Contract is intimate and requires, in the first place, a deep trust in the other person.

I believe the in-universe romance novel by Benjamin Giradin, "Reason, Emotion, and Divinity" (as the title is translated by the official webtoon team), displays a common trope regarding the complex arrangement of the main character (Heathcliff) who is caught up in a conflict between his Political (Jane) and Religious (Catherine) Companions [78]. It is noteworthy that, although Heathcliff is in a physical marriage to Jane, he is in a spiritual/mental marriage with Catherine and is the one whom his heart lays with. We can see, here, that this is an example of a relationship that is not equally "polygamous"—there is a lack of sincerity on one party's part towards the other, and the "spiritual marriage" is seen in a negative light as it is not fulfilling the role it should be. It's a very dramatic circumstance however and of course, is only one (fictional) example of the extent of the depths that a Religious Companionship might lead to, but we can take another example, too—this time, one from Riester's very history, told to us in Chapter 195:

Basically (recapping for anyone reading who might not know), roughly a thousand years prior to the current timeline, Empress Arianne Riester proposed that the Cardinal Phillipe (who had been her ally in unifying the fractured Empire following Venetiaan departure) become her second companion. Knowing that Arianne was already married at this point and was also not romantically in love with Philippe, the Cardinal rejected her, unwilling to take on a role similar to that of a concubine. But despite this rejection, Philippe did harbour unrequited love for Arianne, and gave in to her sincere proposal, though not without requirements. Philippe gave her tulips and said that even if they were not legally tied to each other, he was still and would still always be her ally, and the Empress wished for his formal companionship that strongly, then it would only be so if the Lord blessed their union and affirmed that it would be okay. The blessing later came in the form of the blossoming of never-before tulips. Since purple was a deeply religious symbol and tulips of that colour had never existed beforehand on the continent, the people took this as a religious sign, thus, a blessing from the Lord Herself. Thus, the two joined together and their union was the start of the tradition of the Religious Companionship in the Riester Empire for generations to come.

Interestingly, it is noted that every single Religious Companion of every Imperial Riesterian ruler to come after Arianne and Philippe, all died single [256]. In a sense, this is truly a marriage no different than a political one, and perhaps even deeper than that. While Philippe genuinely loved Arianne (one-sidedly), not all Religious Companionships are explicitly romantic, either. But again, it is undeniable that the Patron Saint in the Holy Contract is the one who holds the most power—if they do not sincerely wish to form a Covenant, it would not happen. So naturally, all Religious Companions feel strongly about their respective Master of the Covenant, and this intimacy could absolutely stem from love, or result in love.

SO, what can we make of Empress Frédérique's relationship with her Political Companion Alexandre, and her Religious Companion Aurélie?

Just like how the different examples of Political and Religious Companionship that we've seen above are different, Frédérique, Alexandre, and Aurélie (FAA) are also unique in their own way. Frédérique and Aurélie's relationship was the first to form, with Frédérique being the first to "fall for" Aurélie for the clarity of her ether and her sincerity in her tasks as an Imperial Priest. They were childhood friends following this and naturally grew very close, but the one who Frédérique later explicitly romantically falls for was Alexandre Blanquer (notably, she fell for him at first sight, similarly to how she did with Aurélie in the confessional hahaha. Frédérique is really the type of person who knows what she likes and strives to obtain them). FAA are truly special because all three of them managed to form very strong connections, not just with Frédérique, but between Aurélie and Alexandre, as well.

Frédérique and Aurélie note on numerous occasions how much Cédric's growing relationships remind them so much of their own childhoods and younger years back when Alexandre was alive, and it is very clear that they all loved each other. Perhaps this might not be the clear response you'd like from me? but I do not think it matters whether or not their relationship was romantic, sexual, or platonic.

Just the fact that they loved each other immensely, to the point of Aurélie even almost sacrificing her own life if it meant she could trade it for Alexandre's (which ultimately failed, though deteriorated her eye in the process, which is why she wears a monocle) [600]. Aurélie and Alexandre were not physically married, nor did they share souls and emotions like how Frédérique and Aurélie did, but despite this all, they managed to form deeply intertwined bonds despite at surface-level glance Frédérique being the "only link" between them. From the very start, they were all together a 3-person parental unit for Cédric the moment he was born, and Aurélie, though not his blood parent, was pretty much his second mom right from the get-go (in the official webtoon translation, he calls her "Aunt Aurélie") and naturally had been made the godmother since his parents are pretty much her partners, too. They were so close that Cédric's conception dream was actually dreamt by Aurélie—prior to his birth, she dreamt of being visited by a sun who came into her bedroom, before falling asleep together. It was reportedly a very cute dream, and I think it's very indicative of how close these three were for Aurélie to be the one to have the conception dream instead of Cédric's own parents. From the very very very start, they had always co-parented and cared for Cédric, and would have done anything for him. Their relationship is untraditional for the typical two-parent family unit, but they were true in this together right from the start, from every step of the way. During his childhood, Cédric was only awake for very short hours of the day, but whenever he was, Aurélie, without fail, always came and visited him in the mornings to read him stories, just because he liked it, and Frédérique and Alexandre would also join them for whatever small moment of family time they could get, when Cédric wasn't sleeping [600]. They raised, cared for, and loved this boy greatly, you cannot distinguish a difference in their love on the basis of whether they're Cédric's parents or not. They love him because he's their precious child, and that is that.

I like what you mentioned about how you were unable to figure out if their relationship was romantic or platonic, and how you said it was perhaps intentional on the author's part. Sookym never mentions queerplatonicism at all in their work, but the queercoding of this universe by mere virtue of the existence of all the implications brought forth by the lore and magic system itself allows for very queerplatonic/queercoded messages to saturate the work in its entirety—all due to the very nature of TWSB alone. I think QPR is the best way to describe Religious Companionship, and all the other very special and metaphysical bonds that appear between several characters throughout the entire novel. In FAA's case, it is clear that Frédérique loved Alexandre very dearly, and that their marriage was not even a necessarily political one (they practically eloped without the permission of Alexandre's family, and the Blanquers also disowned him when he went through with the marriage, so there was hardly any political gain there, other than Alexandre hinself being a 9th-Grade Mage), but it is EQUALLY CLEAR that Frédérique loves Aurélie, too. You will understand as you continue reading, but there are some incredibly intimate moments between these two that are both emotional AND physical.

The biggest example that comes immediately to mind is right after Frédérique and Aurélie had to be separated for a long time during the Riester-Venetiaan war, upon reuniting, the two of them immediately spent the night together, and the morning after has Frédérique hugging Aurélie around the waist while in bed [850], and the scene is played completely naturally, as if this is a routine that isn't unusual for them and that has probably happened before. Of course, this happened because being apart for too long is literally physically painful for Frédérique, so being physically close to Aurélie and receiving her ether in the most direct way possible would remedy that, but in the first place, if they were not incredibly close, the physical nature of their relationship would not be as crazily intimate—to the point of sharing a bed and being in semi-states of undress, and physically touchy with each other in a scene epitomizing domesticity. They love each other and that's that. They are literal soulmates and partners, and we don't need to know anymore. The love they have for each other is something only they themselves would understand, and the love they had for Alexandre is something that also belongs to them.

With all these different presentations of love, affection, and queerplatonicism between different characters, I do not think there is actually much conflict that CYC themselves would face in becoming partners. Everyone in Riester and in other nations as well understand that the bond that Empress Frédérique and Cardinal Aurélie is integral and important, and there is never any criticism there on Frédérique's intimacy with Aurélie, even when it is well known that Frédérique wildly loved Alexandre. The only issue, in fact, that arises about CYC's potential partnership, was Yeseo (as Jesse), being from Venetiaan, and then later on, was mostly internal doubt and dilemma from Yeseo himself. Outside forces never disapprove of the three of them having any sort of relationship, and whatever criticism they ever face is not because of any romantic conflict or say gender bias (like I said before, homophobia doesn't exist in the widespread view, and if it does, it happened in the past as is now seen as stupid WKJJJK), but because of the requirements that the position of Political Companion and Religious Companion require, respectively. But Christelle Rambouillet and Jung Yeseo are probably the only ones that can fit the requirements of these two symbolic and physical positions the best, with Christelle, even after discarding the ducal Sarnez name, obtaining military achievements and notable contributions to the Empire and becoming the "Star of the Navy", and her incredibly positive public image and reputation as a national hero within the Empire will undoubtedly dissuade any criticisms of her worthiness of being a Political Companion. Yeseo, meanwhile, (again, sorry if you didn't want all these spoilers in this reply 😭) is the renowned Palace Lord of Juliette, the Marquis of Sérénité, an Incarnation of God and an Angel of the Lord, and is His Holiness the Pope, himself.

Yeseo and Christelle become some of THE most accomplished people in the Empire, and anyone who tries to push their sons or daughters into the symbolic roles of Religious and Political Companions for the Crown Prince of the Great Riester Empire, will have to compete with these two reputational behemoths hahaha. At the start of the story, the conflict between CYC's potential Companionship has always been political, with the question of who could possibly fit these roles the best and aid Cédric, once he inherits the throne. Politics and schematics have always been the question here, and you could even say that emotions have very little to do with this decision—in fact, we've seen before that Cédric would have gone with anyone Frédérique and Aurélie would have chosen for him, since that's what it means to be a Crown Prince and fulfill his duties. Of course, that isn't to say that FredAu would want Cédric miserable, but it is clear that politics always take precedence, unless extraordinary circumstances arise enough to the point of being able to discard traditional political moves.

Initially, Christelle de Sarnez was the best candidate for Cédric Political Companion because not only was the Sarnez Family a (now formerly) reputable family and strong supporter of the Empress, but the marriage would also bring with it the Blessing of the Azure Ocean, which Cédric had needed at the time. Of course, this initial setting falls flat, but Ham Ga-in, as Christelle Rambouillet, later makes an enormous name for herself and becomes even more renown that she would have been as a "Duke's daughter".

As for Jesse Venetiaan, while his ether was the more noble and pure, and his divine power was incredibly notable, his biggest flaw in the eyes of Riester-Venetiaan politics was that Jesse was a foreigner from the opposing country. This flaw, however, is immediately rectified once Jung Yeseo separates from the identity of Jesse Venetiaan (and there's a LOT more context, but it'll take way too long to explain) and becomes the "Moon of the Empire", rather than that of the Divine Kingdom. Once it is made known that Yeseo's allegiances and loyalty are clearly with Riester, the political doubt, implications, and hesitation on him being Cédric's potential Religious Partner naturally fades, all most if not all Riesterians are extremely enthusiastic about their potential union (in fact, many characters are often surprised that they haven't already officialized it, or haven't done it earlier LMAO).

In short, it's always politics, politics, politics. Riesterian nobles ultimately don't place much importance about whether or not CYC are romantic, platonic, queerplatonic—what matters in their eyes is always POLITICS and if the candidates for the future Emperor's Companions will be fitting of the roles they will have to play. CYC's own feelings are their own and whether or not they, in this Companionship, become romantic or platonic, or remain heavily queerplatonically coded, is their own personal affairs, so long as each of them are able to accomplish their respective duties. Of course, there will always be an interest in the nature of their relationship because gossip and curiosity in any country is unavoidable, especially when it concerns such important people like CYC, but the nature of it, in a political lenses, has little to do with whether or not they are fitting as partners. I personally believe that in any way one can spin it, CYC will still be the perfect pairing regardless, and Cédric choosing candidates that do not understand the depths of his soul is unfathomable to me—Yeseo and Christelle are, quite literally, the only ones (in a meta sense, as well). And on the topic of politics, the question of heirs will also naturally follow, and I am very!!! glad to say that this question gets very masterfully solved by the author haha! I am very content with it and it's a bit humorously in retrospect how it happens, but ultimately was a very smart move that allows for this question to be resolved (without having any of the MCs contradict whatever we might think of them!) and allows for readers to naturally conclude whatever outcome they prefer best after the main story ends! (But if you or anyone reading this is interested in knowing more about the Heir Question, feel free to refer to this post where I go into depth about it!)

Anyway, this response has really gone on for a....... very very long time. It took me a while write this out and make sure I got all my facts right LMAO, but I hope I was able to answer, even if only in some way, your questions and help your curiosity!!! 🥹😭🙌🙌