#which is another reason why I would want someone with a bit more writing experience

[wolfsbanesparks]

Ask Game: do you ever use betas? when, why, how do you decide who they're going to be?

Thanks for the ask!

I have only used a beta once (as part of the Duke Thomas Big Bang event last year) and it was a wonderful experience! But besides that I never really felt inclined to find a beta for my works. Part of that is because, as someone who does a lot of beta reading for others and even a tiny bit of freelance professional editing on the side, I feel pretty confident in my technical writing skills (though there are always things that slip through that an additional set of eyes could catch). And part of it is that I am used to writing without one so it doesn't cross my mind when I think about posting something new.

If I were to go looking for a beta reader there are a few things I would want from them:

Be familiar with the fandom. While it's possible to beta read fandom blind, someone who knows the characters/setting/world better could offer better feedback on things like characterization, consistency with canon, etc.

Open communication. We need to be on the same page as to what is expected of them/what they are willing and able to do. if we can't reliably communicate throughout the process it wouldn't work. Sometimes after a bit of chatting we might realize what I want and what they are able to do don't match and that's okay! It just means we're not a great fit.

Experience. Because I personally have a lot of writing and editing experience myself, I'd prefer someone who already has writing and/or beta reading experience (especially if I was looking for more than just spelling and grammar checks).

Generally, if I wanted to use a beta reader I'd start looking after I wrote a couple of chapters so that once we hashed out some details I could give them something right away to see if we work well together. (for a oneshot I'd probably have the story finished or mostly finished).

Now for how to find one:

You can check out the Beta File for a possible match. It's a list of people who actively offer beta reading including fandoms, areas of interest, contact info, and content they are and aren't comfortable with. (I'm on there!)

If you're on Reddit at all r/fanfiction hosts a weekly beta bartering thread where people can ask for and offer beta reading.

If you are a part of a fandom/fanfiction specific discord server you should be able to find someone willing to beta though that largely depends on the fandom.

And of course you can ask fellow writers in your fandom if they'd be willing to beta read for you (or you could swap stories and beta for each other) This is probably the easiest way if you already have a circle of fandom friends, but can be harder to deal with if things don't work out.

This ended up way longer than I thought it would (especially since I don't actually have a beta reader), but I hope this makes sense! (And hopefully it helps anyone who is thinking about looking for a beta)

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

Keep hearing people say maribug keep asking adricat if he's ok and he keep saying he's ok instead of telling her his problem but I don't remember it happened more than once in s4 in Rockettear but even then the circumstances of that episode did warrant the "nothing" answer he gave her unless he want to tell her that "nino tell me you let nino and alya know each other identity" which will reveal adricat identity. So when else did she ask? about the thing in hack-san, I think another credit goes to alya since she's the one who bring the topic to maribug who seems to be blissfully unaware that her leaving without telling adeicat that she send subtitute would be a problem.

I didn't get into this side of things in my other post because it was long and I wanted to focus on why Chat Noir's behavior was so frustrating, but this ask brings up the other big reason why the season four conflict was such a frustrating and terribly written plot line. Specifically, the part of your ask where you point out that Maribug seems blissfully unaware that her actions are having a negative impact on Chat Noir until someone points it out to her.

Yes, she is presented as blissfully unaware of this and every other interpersonal conflict we're given in season four. Your ask treats this as a failing on Maribug's part as if she should have obviously realized that she was in the wrong, but that's the whole problem. Telling kids - telling anyone really - that they should just magically know what others need is a frankly terrible life lesson as that's just not how the world works. You cannot just assume that everyone will have the same view of the world as you do and instantly pick up on the same issues as you do. That is the path to easily avoidable frustration and conflict. It also teaches people to assume that their view of the world is inherently correct when that is rarely the case. We often don't know the whole story and the other person's point of view may end up being equally or even more valid. This issue is extremely present in season four as Marinette has legitimate reasons to behave the way she does, which I'll get into in a bit.

If Marinette were written as feeling guilty about how she was treating Chat Noir, then this would be a different story. She'd be way more in the wrong and would shoulder a much greater portion of the blame. But as is? She has no idea that she's doing anything wrong. And until someone takes the time to tell her that her actions are causing harm, she is going to continue causing harm because she has no idea that she's causing harm.

In fact, I'd argue that the Alya thing in Hack San is a point in Maribug's favor. Throughout the episode, we see Marinette sending Alya messages on ways to be a good partner to Chat Noir, proving that she does in fact care about him. And then, as soon as Alya says, "You need to talk to Chat Noir," what does Maribug do?

She goes and talks to Chat Noir, giving him a pretty good apology for the problem she now knows she caused. Because, shockingly, Maribug doesn't actually want to hurt her partner. She also clearly cares about his feelings, making me want to take the season four conflict and tear it into itty bitty pieces because what is the conflict even supposed to be when you write shit like this?

I want to briefly step away from Miraculous and talk about this issue in a broader context via this YouTube short:

This short is from a Vietnamese woman who moved to Germany. Her YouTube channel is about her experiences there, including things like the short above which goes into the differences between what it means to be a dinner guest in Vietnam and what it means to be a dinner guest in Germany. In Vietnam, it's apparently standard for the guests to cook dinner with you where as, in Germany, you're expected to have the meal ready when the guests arrive, making this a situation where it's super easy to come across as rude just by doing what you think is normal.

Society is relatively aware that these types of culture clashes are a thing, but you don't have to be from different cultures to have these types of situations. Every person has their own unique needs and ideas of what "normal" is. The culture they were raised in will affect this, but so will their family, their personal needs, and many other factors. Two people can be raised on the same street and wind up with wildly different world views even though they supposedly share a culture. This is extra true when you add in compounding factors like neurodiversity, which is why it's an exercise in futility to say, "But Maribug should have realized..."

Well, she clearly didn't. And you can't change that she didn't realize whatever you're mad about. All you can do is have someone tell her what she's doing wrong. If she then continues the behavior, go ahead and judge away. But if she immediately corrects it like she did in Hack San? Doesn't that just prove that she truly didn't know that Chat Noir was hurting and would have probably fixed all of his problems if someone just pointed them out to her?

This is only exacerbated by the fact that Marinette's behavior in season four is largely unchanged from her behavior in previous seasons. The only major change is that she revealed her identity to Alya, but as soon as that's pointed out as a problem, she course corrects with an apology. After that, she thinks that everything is okay because why wouldn't she? Chat Noir said it was fine and everything else has been business as usual.

Bringing temp heroes into help as needed? That's been going on since season two. Having these additional members has been vital in multiple battles and there have been plenty of times where Chat Noir took a background role to the temp hero of the day like in Sapotis, Rena Rouge's season two debut. So why would Maribug suddenly think that this dynamic is a problem when it's been working fine for so long? We even had a whole episode about how Chat Noir was still needed in spite of the new heroes back in season three! Or, at least, I think that was Desperada's message? This show is shockingly bad at giving clear lessons.

Keeping guardian knowledge from Chat Noir? That's also been going on since season two and was even treated as a conflict that supposedly got resolved in the episode Syren which was the episode that ended with Master Fu coming to the mansion to talk to Adrien after everything was over.

When I watched that episode, I assumed this meant that Chat Noir was going to be more involved in things like picking the temp heroes. I actually thought this was how we were going to get Queen Bee because I knew she was going to be a thing, but it made no sense for Marinette to pick Chloe for a miraculous. Of course, I was wrong. Nothing changed after Syren. Chat Noir remained nothing more than the comic relief while Ladybug got all the insider info.

To be clear, I think that was a terrible move writing wise, but it doesn't change the fact that this is what they went with. This is the established dynamic. I can't even say that Alya learning Marinette's secret led to something new. She's just taken Marinette's old role while Marinette has taken on Master Fu's old role. This show loves it's status quo and Chat Noir has been at least tolerant of that status quo since Syren, so it's not surprising that Maribug doesn't register that this is a thing that should change and no one bothers to point it out to her even though she has a mentor in Tikki (and Su Han, I guess?) and a confidant in Alya and a whole slew of Kwamis who could also provide insight if they were allowed to do that sort of thing. (Sass and Wayzz were robbed of mentor roles.) Additional blame goes to Plagg because he should absolutely have told Adrien to talk to Ladybug. What is the point of giving these characters mentors who never mentor? It's aggravating in the extreme.

To circle back to the first part of your ask, outside of Hack San and Rocketear, I don't think there are any times when Ladybug invites feedback from Chat Noir unless you want to give credit to the end of Kuro Neko:

Cat Noir: (lands next to her) I've been a really temperamental kitty, m'lady. I didn't realize how much trouble I'd make for you by giving back my Miraculous. Ladybug: (sits closer to him) Just because I don't need you all the time doesn't mean that I don't need you at all, Cat Noir. No one could ever replace you.

Which isn't Maribug inviting him to tell her what's up, but she is clearly willing to listen to him and reassure him, further backing up my point about this conflict being some of the worst writing I've ever had to suffer through. If Maribug always fixes the issue as soon as she learns about it, you are not writing a situation where she's clearly in the wrong. You are writing an easily solved communication issue where she gets blamed for something she clearly doesn't realize she's doing wrong and it is so frustrating!!! I feel so bad for her. The next episode is Penalteam, btw, which starts the battle with this gem:

Ladybug: (laughs) Nice scare tactics, but it's not gonna work. Cat Noir and I are the best at soccer! Cat Noir: (Whispers to Ladybug) I don't know a thing about soccer M'lady. Maybe it's time to call the real team?

And basically just spends the whole episode making Chat Noir seems like a worthless partner while Maribug tries her best to make him - and everyone else - feel special.

Oh, and the episode before Kuro Neko? Well, it's technically Ephemeral, but that got magically overwritten so let's go one further back and we get to Dearest Family, which ends with this:

Cat Noir: (grabs a golden paper crown on the coffee table) Since I'm the king, (wears the crown on his head) would you be my queen, Ladybug? Ladybug: With pleasure, kitty cat! Tradition is tradition!

Oh yes, these two are in such conflict and Maribug does nothing to validate Chat Noir. He's in pain every episode and she's just totally oblivious to it.

If that was what they wrote, then I'd probably agree that we needed more instances of her asking if Chat Noir was okay. But it's not what they wrote. If you look through the list of season four episodes, you'll find that less than half of them deal with the supposed conflict of the season (by my count, only 8 of the 24 episodes before the final actually showcase the conflict and they are not in a logical order in terms of escalation as I tried to demonstrate above). The rest of the episodes flat out ignore it or even straight up work against the conflict like when Ladybug says this to Chat Noir in Guilttrip: "I probably don't tell you this enough, but I couldn't do this without you. And it'd be a lot less fun too."

Seriously, what even is this season? What is the conflict supposed to be? Because it sure as shit isn't Maribug undervaluing Chat Noir, if memory servers, season four sees her validate him more times than any other season. And it isn't her guiltily hiding things from him like so many fanfics claim because we have multiple points of evidence that prove that she's completely oblivious that there even is a conflict. So what conflict are the writers actually trying to write?

What's even more baffling is that none of this logically leads to the loss at the end of the season:

Maribug's new secrets didn't lead to her downfall. The only reason she lost was because of the secret that's always been there - a fact that's never revealed to her - and a freaking evil twin! So why did it matter that Maribug was keeping secrets? This is made even worse by season five maintaining all of the secrets, once again begging the question of what lesson were we trying to teach here???

Chat Noir wasn't needed for the final fight of the season, Maribug only needed the powers of a few of the temp heroes to win, a baffling ending to a season whose focus was Chat Noir feeling unimportant. You could scrap that conflict entirely and the ending would not change. In fact....

Adrien quitting to be nothing more than a good little boy who obeys his father would have actually saved the world from eventually being rewritten. If you think about it, the season four final actually punishes Adrien for being defiant. So does season five as, if Chat Noir had quit, his father would still be alive. I thought this show was supposed to be a romcom, not a tragedy. Why is Adrien being punished for being a hero? Is this supposed to be karma for lying to Ladybug with the whole Catwalker thing?

This shit is why I say I'm a writing salt, character sugar blog. I can't get mad at the characters when they're in such a nonsense story where things never logically tie together. They all deserve so much better.

None of this is meant to imply that ignorance is a blanket excuse for hurting others. Nor is it meant to imply that you have to forgive someone who hurt you just because they didn't mean to. There's a ton of nuance around these topics. But season four acknowledges none of that nuance while creating a situation that desperately needed nuance because there was no clear right and wrong here. Should Maribug work to be more aware of others feelings? Sure, but that journey can only start after she's made aware of her faults and no one ever points them out to her. Does Chat Noir need to work on clearly communicating his needs? Desperately, but no one is teaching him that lesson so he remains a terrible communicator who suffers in silence. What impressively bad writing.

[the-bi-space-ace]

Writing Echo & the effects of Skako Minor

Discussions of trauma, CPTSD, and PTSD.

This will be a lot of personal opinion so take it with a grain of salt but I wanted to touch on writing Echo as someone who has CPTSD. Personally, I think after what he experienced on Skako Minor Echo would have CPTSD. The very basic thing you need to know is that PTSD and CPTSD are two different things. Symptoms overlap, they often get lumped together, but there are differences. From what I have learned from therapy and doctors PTSD happens from a single traumatizing event. Something happened, an accident, violence, etc. and it has stuck with you. CPTSD occurs when someone has multiple traumatizing events throughout their life that all compound. So if you grew up in an abusive household, experienced outside violence, and had several life altering events, that would be the perfect breeding ground for CPTSD. It is not one event. CPTSD comes from the fact that it is multiple things on top of each other, all working together to make your PTSD complex in nature since it comes from a web of things instead of one event.

After Skako I think Echo would suffer from CPTSD mainly because he has experienced several traumatizing events over and over again. The explosion, being tortured, being experimented on over and over again, and finding out he has been used as a weapon, along with his injuries sustained in the battle of Anaxes all compile together. This is what I base this off of.

With that in mind I wanted to talk a little bit about some symptoms and how this could translate to Echo as a character.

One can experience shaking (imagine Crosshair early season 3), paranoia, anxiety, and difficulty sleeping. I have seen Echo portrayed often with nightmares, which I think is a great route to go, however I want to offer up other ways you can show his difficulty living with CPTSD. Physical symptoms are one thing and definitely make life more difficult but what about the mental ones?

One challenge can be constantly feeling like the other shoe is going to drop. There can be waves of feeling okay and stable and then other periods of constant vigilance and anxiety. When things are good you could think ‘how much longer until it is all gone? How long do I deserve safety and happiness?’ These fears are often completely unrealistic but your brain cannot determine that in the moment.

I think Echo could struggle with this. I want to imagine that this is part (not all) of the reason he wants to badly to do more and part of why he does not really want to retire. He doesn’t understand safety anymore. He’s still more comfortable in chaos and vigilance. Safety would likely feel unsafe to him. At least, for a while. Truthfully, survivors guilt and his own loyalty and personality are all wrapped up in there too but imagine if there was another layer.

What if he is clinging so desperately to helping because tomorrow he could be swept away again. Or he won’t be able to save anyone. Or somehow Tambor will catch up with him. Or maybe, just maybe, he becomes the algorithm again. He snaps right back into it mid mission. He’s taken over and can’t be saved. He attacks his loved ones. He can’t help it. He could hurt them. What if he hurts them! Safety may frighten him so deeply he can’t even begin to think about it. His brain won’t let him. It won’t let him cling to that thought because it can’t be real it will be danger. It has to be.

It doesn’t have to be rational because CPTSD is not rational. Your brain and body are trying to protect you. It has learned that you are in danger and it is not comfortable with safety anymore. It will protect you even if you are perfectly safe. Even if that means telling you lies.

And none of this makes him weak. He’s confident in his skills, he’s a force to be reckoned with. He’s lethal and loyal and kind hearted and not at all weak. His strength and compassion are things to look up to. I love Echo. He’s dedicated to saving his loved ones, he’s been through so much, and he has never ever given up despite the challenges. I think he is wonderful and such a rich character for storytelling. It certainly isn’t necessary to include this when writing Echo but if you’re looking for other ways for his trauma to manifest this may be an interesting route to explore.

have the best gif of Echo ever as a treat for reading this far

[katyusha454]

I think I've found the most tragic ship in BG3 and I need to rant about it

I've seen a decent number of people discuss and write about Dark Justiciar Shadowheart, but they always focus on what she's like post-game when she's fully committed to Shar. Which is a fine thing to focus on! Especially when you're writing smut where she's a mean domme. Post-game DJ Shadowheart is a fascinating character. But I feel like people neglect to consider what she's like during the transition phase of Act 3, where she's become Shar's Chosen but hasn't yet Done The Thing that caps off her personal questline. And there is SO MUCH potential for angst and drama during that time frame.

IMO the most important aspect of this stage of her development is that she is not evil yet. She simply made a single bad decision and now she feels like she's in too deep to do anything but double down on it. She's spent her whole life trying to "fake it 'till you make it" and she's only just now starting to transition out of that and into sincere belief. All the misgivings and insecurities she's shared with you are still there, just buried deeper. That desire to love others and do good hasn't yet been completely stamped out. In my Dark Justiciar Origin run, I try to do good things whenever possible as long as I can find a way to rationalize it as benefiting Shar. (but I still ended up saying enough evil-sounding things to make Minthara incredibly horny for me)

So where does Karlach fit in?

Well, turns out when you play as Origin Shadowheart, Shar doesn't make you break up with your partner. In fact, Shar says absolutely nothing to you about your romantic situation. This is really weird if you're romancing anyone other than Karlach, but I think it makes perfect sense for Shar to tolerate a relationship with Karlach for the time being. It's the ideal opportunity for Shar to prove a point. Karlach is dying, and no matter what Shadowheart does, this relationship is going to end in painful loss. Shar wants Shadowheart to fall in love with Karlach only to have that love abruptly ripped away from her. It perfectly demonstrates everything Shar believes about love: that it's fleeting and will always hurt you in the long run. Better to just avoid it entirely so you don't get hurt.

And Shadowheart knows all this. She's studied Sharran scripture extensively, after all. She knows that Shar is trying to teach her a lesson, she knows that the longer the relationship lasts and the more emotionally intimate it gets, the more the end is going to hurt. So why doesn't she break it off? Partly it's because she loves Karlach and doesn't want to end things; she's probably in denial at least a little bit. But I think it's also partly because she's a bit of a masochist. She thinks she deserves to suffer because she knows, at least subconsciously, that she's still not a very good Sharran. She can see the loss coming and she hopes the experience will bring her closer to Shar.

You'd think Karlach would be unwilling to put up with DJ Shadowheart's fanatical bullshit, but personally I think Karlach would stick it out for a whole mess of reasons. Number one, she can still see the good in Shadowheart and she refuses to give up on her partner. She's clinging tightly to the hope that Shadowheart can still be redeemed, even though she probably understands that it's a long shot at best.

Number two, she blames herself. When you play as Tav/Durge or another Origin, Shadowheart will have a conversation with you before deciding what to do in the Shadowfell. But if you play as Shadowheart, none of your companions says a word to you. In the context of this ship, I choose to interpret that as Karlach being too trusting. She's seen the good in Shadowheart, after all. She's so certain Shadowheart will do the right thing that she doesn't think she needs to speak up. It's not until too late that she realizes what Shadowheart needed was for someone to say "hey, are you sure about this?" So now she feels she needs to make up for that failure somehow by continuing to try and nudge Shadowheart in the right direction even though it seems impossible.

And number three, Karlach's just plain lonely. As fucked-up as this relationship is, she's still getting companionship and intimacy, and she doesn't think she has time to cultivate a new relationship if she breaks up with Shadowheart. She wants someone to be with her and hold her hand at the end, even if that someone is a brainwashed cultist.

In sum, both of them know that their relationship is extremely unhealthy; that it's hurting them now and will hurt them more in the future. But they both refuse to end it for their own reasons. And good gods, the ANGST. ARE YOU FEELING IT NOW, MISTER KRABS?

[writers-potion]

Suggestions for a body swap story? They seem harder to write

Body-Swapping Stories: I Understand You In A Particular Way

The high-concept of a body swap story is versatile, with endless possibilities. The main factors of a body-swapping plot would typically be comprised of:

Two people whose souls are being interchanged (the catalyst)

Awkward/funny/dangerous things they encounter by living the life of the other person (main premise of the story) 

A resolution brought about through insight gained by the protagonist about the other person’s perspective/secrets, with a promise to act differently once they’re returned to their original body. (the moral of the story)

Why are body-swapping stories appealing? Among many reasons, the central premise of such a story is to address the theme of: how much do we really know about others? 

As souls living in one body only, we encounter problems due to our lack of understanding about others around us, including external conflict, jealousy, misunderstanding, etc. It is a universal human experience to be curious about what’s in another person’s head and want to be somebody else sometimes.

By forcing the protagonist to experience “thinking inside another person’s shoes” in the literal sense, body-swapping stories tend to be versions of the characters growing up by breaking out of their old worldview to widen their intellectual horizons. 

Here is a list of common story components and patterns for a body-swapping story.

A Body Swapping Mechanism 

The body swap happens out of the blue as a one-time occurrence: a lightning strike, electric shock, supermoon, weird potion, etc. In this case, not much justification is required as there is no magical system or follow-up about why this happens.

A higher power conducts the body swap: a fairy, a disgruntled God trying to teach a lesson, a reputable couple therapist, etc. The rationale here is that this higher power is trying to redeem/punish the protagonists. 

One character actively wishes to have their body swapped: the school nerd who envies the prom queen, a daughter who wants to be a grown-up, a poor man wanting to be the rich man next door, etc. 

A character has the ability to “infiltrate” other people’s bodies. They use this ability in an attempt to solve a mystery, espionage, disguise a murder, etc. 

Only “destined pairs” can swap bodies. In this case, a bit of justification/worldbuilding would be good to convince the readers how these people are paired (bloodline, soulmates?).

Body swaps are conducted through a specific ritual or potion. This can be a candles-and-pentagon type, a magical notebook, a specific dance, etc. 

Body swaps are common in the story world, and everybody (with certification/practice/of age) can use this ability. 

The character(s) do something wrong which sets the swap in motion.

The Relationship Between Two (or more) People Getting Swapped

Relationships with long-standing misunderstanding: busy parent & unhappen child; couples on the brink of breakup; siblings with beef; strict teacher & irresponsible student, etc. 

In a romantic arc, a potential couple who are now going to fall in love as a result of this body swap

A human and an animal/supernatural creature 

Enemy relationships: the head of rival companies; a murderer and his victim, etc. 

If you have a magic system, your choice of people would depend on what the magic system dictates. Ask the question: is this someone my protagonist must learn about? 

Things to Explore

Protagonist(s) exploring each other’s bodies

Them arguing over how the other person should/shouldn’t use their bodies

Them trying to keep secrets from each other.

Them teaching the other person about how they should/shouldn’t act so that the body swap goes unnoticed by others around them. 

Them snooping around each other’s lives and secrets without the other knowing.

Them trying crazy stuff they’ve always wanted to do but couldn’t due to physical constraints.

The Purpose of the Body Swap

Providing the entrance into a new (fantasy) world. Ex) Human swapping bodies with a witch, forcing them to learn about the secret society of magicians.

Teaching the protagonist a hard-earned lesson. Ex) An ungrateful child gets to live a day in the life of her mother which humbles her. 

To resolve a long-standing (romantic) conflict. 

To provide a tool for crime, with unexpected consequences. 

Interesting Ideas

Writing these here just because I can. 

The Living Realm and the Dead Realm are like parallel universes. When someone meets an untimely death, their body gets swapped with their doppelganger in the parallel universe.

The protagonists are living in two separate story worlds. The author who’s in charge of writing stories for them is highly indecisive and keeps switching protagonists mid-story. 

The protagonist and her friend swapped bodies to cheat in an exam. But the protagonist’s friend dies – in the protagonist’s body. 

A magical agency offering to swap bodies for trans people who wish to have the body of the opposite sex. But their services come with a huge price tag…

Hope this helps <3 Let me know if you guys have more questions/ other ideas/ helpful resources below in the comments!

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* . ───

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💎Before you ask, check out my masterpost part 1 and part 2 

[theprettynosferatu]

CW: Orientation play/conversion. Remember that your sexuality is valid, and conversion is NOT a thing beyond fantasy. Also, fuck "conversion therapy"

“All I’m saying is…”

“Look, you’re speaking out of your ass”, Ava said, barely containing her frustration.

“How am I speaking out of my ass? It has been done and thoroughly…”, he tried to reply.

“Yes, yes, Pavlov, blah blah blah. But you’re talking about something else entirely, not conditioning reactions”

“Not Pavlov, Skinner! Actions can be conditioned too. Look around you! Mobile games, casinos, even the goddamn army uses conditioning to…”

“Can we agree that there’s a difference between conditioning obedience in a controlled setting and whatever the fuck it is you’re suggesting? You’re not talking about tapping on impulse to buy funbucks in a game! You are talking…”

“It’s only a difference of degree, not of kind. With the right combination of techniques…”

“No, there’s a core there that you can’t just… overwrite. Some things can’t be changed. Like… like how you can’t hypnotize someone into doing something they would never do”

“You know that’s bullshit, right? The whole hypnosis thing. You absolutely can make someone do whatever the fuck you want. It’s just a matter of how you approach it. Like, you would never harm a person, okay? But if I change what your idea of ‘person’ is, say, by making it more narrow you would absolutely harm someone I made you see as a not-person. Or maybe you can be made to believe you’re helping them, not harming them”

“That’s some creepy cult shit, dude. And anyway you can’t write a paper on this because a) there’s no evidence and b) doing the research to get evidence would be absolutely immoral. So I say look for another topic and for the love of God don’t go around spewing that bullshit if you want to ever get laid. Oh, speaking of! Linda will be arriving shortly and we have a date night, so please, please try to be a normal roommate and not freak her out. For me, okay?”

“When have I ever freaked her out? Linda loves me! And who knows, maybe she has an opinion on our little debate”

“Dude, she’s an Art student. I doubt she’ll be interested in our weird Psych dissertations”

“Perfect! Fresh eyes!”

“See, that’s the kind of weird shit I-”

The buzzer cut through the air, and a moment later Linda was inside the apartment, all smiles as usual. He took a moment to watch them as they embraced. 

They were almost comical in their contrast. Linda was tall, taller than he was, willowy and slender, her limbs graceful and shapely, her hair a long, flowing river of playful copper that almost seemed to dance on its own volition– with her green sundress she appeared to him as some sort of elven princess ripped from the pages of a fantasy novel and stuck into a mortal world in which she didn’t really fit. Ava, on the other hand, was probably the shortest adult he had ever seen. He might be tempted to call her petite, but that had a connotation of a lithe frame, almost like a tastefully proportioned doll. Ava was the complete opposite of that. Sometimes he felt Ava was an experiment aimed at testing how much of a person’s weight could be tits and ass, held up by strong, thick thighs. He felt quite guilty about such thoughts, and he understood why she wore nothing but oversized t-shirts and hoodies. It was logical: an early, spectacular growth spurt, heightened by her small size, had made her the target of relentless bullying by jealous classmates and awkward come-ons by hormonal teen males. It enraged him, he realized. Ava was beautiful and the cruelty of idiots had made her feel pain about it instead of pride. He made a point to never stare at her, even if he sometimes failed. It made their relationship as roommates a tad hard, he had to admit. 

 

Not that he had a shadow of a shot, of course. Ava had no interest in men.

Unless, of course, he was right in his theory. And he had good reason to think he was.

“So, Linda: Ava and I were having a bit of a debate…”

“Don’t start, dude”, said Ava.

“Oh, a debate! Do tell!” chirped Linda.

“Do you think we can be completely conditioned and changed, or is there some part of us that cannot be modified, no matter what?”

“Huh. Hard one. Like… a soul? I don’t know I buy it. I feel there isn’t really a self, you know? Like… Buddhism. The self is an illusion and all that”

“Come on, you can’t be serious! You can’t change who someone fundamentally is, and it’s sick to even consider it!”, said Ava.

“Well… what if I could prove to you it can be done?”, he stated, barely able to hold back. He know what he was going to do. He had been reluctant, but now it felt like a certainty.

“You can’t, so stop being an ass”, said Ava.

Fine. Game on.

“Linda, I love your socks! Pride socks!”

“Yup!”, said Linda

“What the hell–”, mumbled Ava.

He took a deep breath.

“Linda: rainbow socks…”

She replied in an instant.

“Are for sucking cocks!”

Ava felt as if reality had shifted into some horrible, twisted nightmare. She was about to scream something, anything really, to make Linda take that back before something stopped her in her tracks. Her body heard it before her mind did: her roommate's voice simply commanding her. Watch. 

And she watched. She watched as the love of her life smiled and went on her knees. Ava could do nothing but watch in disbelief and pain. Linda had never been with a man. Ever. 

“I might have… started testing my theories. On you both. Not that you’d remember, obviously”, he stated casually as the beautiful girl in front of him lovingly undid his pants. “I’d say Linda’s sexuality is part of her core self, wouldn’t you? Let’s see how that holds up after the months of conditioning I’ve subjected her to”

He felt guilty, sure; but there was such a high to it, such an entrancing quality to the combination of seeing instant, complete obedience and the final, definitive proof of the truth he had known to be right all along. Was it wrong? Yes. Did he care? Not at the moment. Ava’s eyes were a poem to him. Suddenly he was ripped from his reverie by the soft, loving touch of Linda’s tongue on his dick. He hadn’t even realized he had gotten hard just from the sense of complete power, of total, undeniable conquest. This was a primal, ancient arousal. Ava could do nothing but watch, and he took that sight in. God, he could almost taste it.

Linda moaned. The cock was so beautiful. So perfect. She felt so… silly, like she was now, for the first time, seeing in color and realizing the sky was, in fact, blue. It was obvious. Simple. Natural. Cock deserved worship. Cock deserved devotion. Cock demanded obedience. It was as if it was growing in her mind, taking over more and more of her, pushing who she had been out effortlessly. It expanded. It corrupted. It twisted and shifted all within. Cock. Cock. Cock. She kissed it with reverence, in awe of it. It was all that existed to her. All that mattered. She needed to please it. Needed to feel it throbbing inside her. Needed to be taken by it.

Ava saw her girlfriend slide a hand between her legs and felt nauseous. As much as she knew this wasn’t Linda’s fault, she could feel her heart breaking, her anger rising… and worse, her pussy getting wet. Her body betraying her. She hated him, and she hated Linda, and she hated herself most of all.

Suddenly, Linda couldn’t contain herself. She relaxed her throat, looked up at her Master and took his entire manhood inside her mouth. She almost came instantly. It was peaceful and sexy and just simple, like his cock was the puzzle piece that fit her perfectly, completed her, made her whole. She existed to be conquered, and realizing she was putting his pleasure over her ability to breathe was the final sign of her complete, loving surrender. She let it out, watched it glisten with her spit, and started licking it and loving it and she didn’t know how much came from her own need and how much it was a silent command by the man who had shown her the light. Her mind was too fuzzy to make such distinctions anymore.

He took a deep breath, fighting back the first signs of an orgasm. He needed to make a point.

“Linda… do you love Ava?”

The blonde stopped for a moment, shocked by a myriad of contradictions.

“Yes”, she decided. Her voice was shaking.

“Tell her”

Linda looked at Ava, the woman she had loved above all others.

“I love you…”

“But you have more to say, don’t you?”

“I… hmph… I…”

“Tell her”

“I love you… but… but… I love his cock so much more! Fuck! I need it! I need to feel it, to suck it, to be fucked by it… I’m sorry… but… I love it, I love it, I love it! I want it to fuck my throat, to take my cunt, to ram my ass! I need it! I need to be a slave to it, a whore for it, a fucking living toy!”

“What if you had to choose between Ava and my cock?”

“Fuck her! Sorry, my love… I do love you, but… You can never do to me what… what Master does to me, what his cock makes me feel! I hope I won’t have to dump you but… I would leave you for this cock in a minute! I’d do anything. Anything. Anything!” If she had more to add, her need to serve cock snuffed it. She took it all in with desperation, with total, shameless abandon. She needed to feel... used. In her proper place.

Ava felt a tear roll down her cheek. Her knees buckled in defeat. She didn’t even care. It was all gone. Her life, her love, all gone. And she could feel her eyes drawn again and again to the cock that had destroyed her. She felt her mouth watering.

“Linda, would you say you’re a lesbian?”

“Fuck no!”, she said before immediately wrapping her lips around the cock’s head.  

He felt a swell of pride. Of triumph. He knew Ava sensed the truth as well. He was right. He had proven his point. And now Ava’s full conditioning would take hold. A little bet with himself, making her own mental acknowledgment of his theory her final trigger. She took off her t-shirt. She would never wear it again. No more shame, no more pain about her figure. Only arousal and pride. His gift to her.

She crawled to him on all fours. The girls kissed– but now, they kissed for him, to arouse him. They were lovers, only they both knew there was a higher love. A truer love. Ava looked up at her owner and opened her mouth, greedily awaiting his blessing. Linda used her skillful hands, aiming his cock and teasing it, jacking it off, using just the right amount of pressure and speed. 

No man could resist such a sight.

In a few seconds, Ava was covered in his cum, more beautiful than she had ever been. Linda certainly felt that way, and she licked and kissed her sister slut clean.

He watched carefully, looking for signs of defiance, and finding none. In fact, Linda put his fears to rest with a simple statement.

“Ava, we need to buy you a pair of rainbow socks”

Did you enjoy this story? You can support my work at patreon.com/prettynosferatu !!

[kafus]

why dot & episode 41 of pokemon horizons means so much to me as a recovering social recluse

when i got into pokemon horizons i had no idea whatsoever that my favorite character would end up being dot, one of the best handled social recluse characters i've ever seen in a piece of media. pokemon places such a large focus on adventure and travel, meeting new people and pokemon, so really the idea of a respectfully handled social recluse character just didn't seem to fit in with the concept. but now that the environment travels with the characters in the form of an airship, dot was able to be created and my god i love her. as someone who's been a recluse most of my life, even as a child, (i would qualify as a hikikomori and/or NEET at different stages of my life!) who is slowly crawling out of that pit, dot means the world to me.

there's a lot of good episodes that have some level of focus on dot but episode 41 in particular really blew me away and for the sake of my autistic ass desperately wanting to tell people about it i'm going to explain that here in trademark rambling fashion. obviously spoilers ahead - though not just for episode 41, i'm also going to be talking about earlier episodes a little bit. you've been warned!! if you don't want spoilers don't read below the cut ty!!

so episode 41. we meet dot's mother as the viewer who is there to pick up dot from her "trial period" on the brave asagi, learn about how dot ended up on the airship in the first place, and then at the end dot gets to have a showdown against her mother's lycanroc essentially to prove that she wants to, and can, stay permanently on the rising volteccers crew instead of going home. this is a huge turning point in dot's development as a character - at first she was a complete unknown only audible through her bedroom door, irritable to anyone who tried to speak to her, then over the course of the show she's managed to make friends with liko and roy, become a pokemon trainer, enjoy food with other people for seemingly the first time, and even caught tinkatink on her own accord pretty recently. and now this episode allows her to say in her own words that she isn't just on the ship experimentally, or because of murdock, or any other reason - she is choosing to be there and is enjoying learning more about other people and experiencing the outside world. again, this is a huge leap for someone who refused to show her face to the main characters for the first half of the show!

this on its own is already a pretty admirable character arc, one i can relate to, but i am really impressed by & feel seen by the way the writing handles her and that's really apparent in this episode. first i'm going to focus on how the writing and characters in the show respect dot's feelings despite her introversion and reclusion here.

dot's mom (blanca) is introduced to us as incredibly overbearing, to the point of freaking out and sending a bunch of angry stickers when murdock and dot don't immediately respond to her messages. dot's first response to seeing her mom is frustration instead of any level of positive response or excitement, which implies they don't have the best history, even before she actually starts talking about her past. i'm not trying to make this a post about dot's family psychology, maybe another time, but similarly to liko her situation is a bit fucked lmao (though for opposite reasons!)

the thing is - the adults around her are ALSO uncomfortable, in particular murdock, blanca's brother, which conveys a lot about the situation. she's not just some stubborn kid, there's legitimacy to her feelings, because if there wasn't the mature figures in this situation probably wouldn't also be reacting negatively, especially not murdock, dot's other relative here. from incredibly personal experience, it is so easy to wave off the feelings of a child, especially one as "difficult" and reclusive as dot, as just being some sort of phase, but already the writers are directly contrasting murdock, an adult dot is comfortable with who treats her with patience and respect, with blanca, who she evidently is not comfortable with - and they're respecting her feelings by making the adults in the show respect her feelings, too. and they're about to do a whole lot more of contrasting her mother with Everyone and Everything Else!

dot is continued to be understood and respected by the people who know her best in the case of liko and roy choosing to approach her to talk first. dot has run off to her room, where she usually is to get away from people, a very clear sign that she's struggling. liko and roy recognize this and cut blanca off from making the situation worse. which, of course they would, they're her friends and they genuinely care about her and understand how she behaves! they even know how to get her to come out her room without banging on her door and continuously yelling or something like that - direct contrast to them struggling with this much earlier in the show, by the way.

dot is happy to see them and much more willing to talk pretty much immediately, because guess what, they're people who respect her space and her feelings!!!

and once again, when blanca tries to force dot to speak before she's ready to (i mean come on you literally jumped her with this massive thing out of nowhere), liko jumps in and cuts blanca off to defend her and once again respect her feelings in a way that blanca definitely is not.

and finally, when they end up having a pokemon battle with each other...

blanca says this, yet another invalidation of dot's feelings and the way she responds to situations. this line actually made me viscerally uncomfortable, i remember the bitterness and upset i felt when i was a young person and my feelings, especially my frustrations with my parents and the way they handled my introversion, were invalidated on account of my age. "oh, it's just a phase" or "it's just because you're a kid" - just so incredibly frustrating.

and you know what that's followed up with?

dot speaking her fucking mind and kicking her mom's ass baby!!!! get her ass!!! let's GOOO. this part of the episode is so fucking rewarding. it's so good to see this character who has grown so much finally stand up for herself. she still needed a little bit of a push but that's OKAY!! the important part is that she's doing it and the narrative recognizes that! having friends and loved ones to help you out is actually a very essential part of happiness and survival!

and before i delve too far into my personal feelings, i also want to talk about a second thing here; i just find dot's characterization really relatable, like i swear to god there's someone on the writing team who must have been a 12 year old autistic NEET or something. it's literally too fucking on point, it's uncanny, i swear there's times in horizons where dot is just a carbon copy of me when i was a preteen. i mean come on:

dot flopping face down into bed after being overwhelmed in an awkward social situation and being confronted with a situation she's been trying to ignore thus far... the amount of times i have done this in my life, holy shit.

the candidness in which dot speaks about being so interested in the outside world, but being unable to have those experiences for herself as simply a voyeur. the shot of her room being such a disaster because she rarely leaves it and stuff piles up in there, including food junk,

the way she spends all this time alone cultivating skills she's passionate about and then shrugs them off as "just something she likes" when an adult compliments her on her abilities, the contrast between her confidence in what she loves but her complete social awkwardness in talking to anyone about it,

her defining herself on the internet by being a homebody, hell even her cute little freakout about the streamer she likes noticing something she said,

waking up late and missing the activities of other people because her sleep schedule basically doesn't exist while she's at home,

even just her general body language of closing in on herself and holding onto something when she's nervous, hell even her clothing choices which are so obviously meant to be as comfortable as possible for her and easy to take on and off - i could go on forever even just with this episode alone but i think you get the point. i feel so seen by how dot is just in general and it's obvious from both the plot/writing and the way dot is portrayed and animated that the people making this show understand people like me, even the type of person i was as a child, too.

all of this means so much to me because like i said in the intro to this post, i was and still very much am a social recluse. i'm a homebody. even now i still rarely leave my room, i don't eat with family often, i struggle to do things in the "real world". growing up, repeated intrusions into my feelings and my life did not help me, they only made me whiplash further into feeling distant and not listened to by the people around me. they made me want to interact with real life less. finally, as an adult, when people started to give me a bit more space, when the ways i communicate began to be respected a little more, that is when i started making genuinely close and good friendships, that is when i began to venture outside of my room and partake in small joys with people, as a direct result of being given the space and time to do so, to have my own autonomy, to make my own decisions, to be myself. i think it's incredibly easy to see someone curling in onto themself and assume they need a fuckton of intrusive pushing, and sometimes they do need a little push, like how dot's quaxly pushes her to move forward in the moment sometimes, or how liko continuously tried to befriend her, but the important part is that by treading too far over her boundaries it is no longer a productive or respectful way of helping her - it's a balance, and a balance horizons always seems to get right, episode 41 included.

it really means so much to me to see dot's journey into coming out of her shell treated with so much respect by the writing and other characters. so often recluse characters are the butt of the joke, are pushed out of their comfort zones unrealistically fast, or never actually receive the support and growth they need - but horizons strikes the balance of being candid about the type of character dot is and giving respect and space to her feelings so she can grow at her own pace, but still giving her support and little pushes when she needs them, and showing that it's possible to grow and enjoy the real world, even as a recluse. it's refreshing, especially with a character who is a child, and a girl, too! i can count the amount of times i have found a young girl character i relate to at all on one hand, and dot is the best one i've ever seen, personally! horizons has been really inspiring to me to continue to cultivate my connections with others and continue to drag myself out of my shell at my own pace with people who love me, during a really chaotic and transitional part of my life and i really love it for that. i'm glad this episode exists for an infinite multitude of reasons but i really just wanted to talk about this specific aspect for a bit and how it relates back to me as a recovering recluse.

thanks for reading if you got this far jesus christ i talk a lot LOOOL. and i might talk more about my feelings on this episode or dot in general later. i have so much to say about likodot and also about the family dynamics in this show i'm practically eating thru drywall thinking about it rn

[cpericardium]

So! I've gotten a host of messages and asks regarding recent disk horse and I wanted to address them as a collective.

I know I have anon asks off, I won't share your URLs, but I do want to thank you for asking and clarifying some of the frankly vile things people have been saying about me, my girlfriend, and friends. I value those of you who offered your words of support, and didn't jump to believe screenshots taken out of context and lies written with the utmost confidence and none of the facts. I am a little tired of having my morals questioned and my views conflated with every single person I associate with, but there it goes.

tumblr user cpericardium suspiciously silent on the subject of Gaza: does this mean you support ethnic cleansing???

My reticence when it comes to posting about topics like I/P is because:

-This is a fandom blog intended for lighter topics, except maybe the occasional vent about life stuff, which I usually hide under a cut. I don't have sideblogs. They seem tough to maintain and I don't post nearly enough to justify it. If I were to make one it would be for another fandom or maybe just the freakier bugs. I simply prefer my social media experience to be stress-free.

-Anti-slacktivism. It's a documented thing: posting about an issue makes you feel like you're doing something, you get that little shot of dopamine, so you don't actually go out and do something that effects meaningful change. I'm trying to do less of that. I'm good with the friends and people I follow who choose to post about it and this is a strictly personal belief, but when I engage in activism, it is offline or it is a donation. You're not going to hear about it.

But don't you reblog lgbt and women's rights posts?

Yeah, and that's usually when I want to save a post for one reason or another (e.g. to talk about with someone on discord later). The bottom line is that the main purpose of my blog is not to post political takes or to spread awareness of anything. It is just a collection of my interests (fan stuff, bugs) and hopefully a way to share those interests with like-minded people.

I will state my views clearly for the record: I support Palestine. The ongoing genocide is heartbreaking and so is the violence against protestors. Additionally, I am against antisemitism and the harassment of Jewish people in the name of supporting Palestine. This shouldn't even need to be said.

Is your girlfriend a Zionist?

No.

Does she support Zionists?

No.

Wasn't she in the military?

Yes, years ago.

But the military is evil?

It is. She's extremely hardcore anti-war and anti-military, does not believe the US should even have an army, and actively PMs strangers on reddit to try to convince them to not make the same mistake. If they're dead set anyway, she gives them detailed advice on how to survive. Because she actually cares about the human cost of war, not the social clout gained from shunning or sneering at people who make wrongheaded choices. I have seen her doing this, seen her seeking to understand their reasons for joining so she can systematically explain—from personal experience!—why they're not going to get any of that out of the army. It is a hell of a lot more effective than bitching them out or writing callout posts or starting whisper campaigns about them. She cannot delete those years of her life no matter how much she regrets them. There is only forward. I think we can all agree on that.

But what about all those things she said. "I regret nothing, I have no qualms, VA nipple money etc."

Well you have to understand that while of generally upright character, she is a bit of a scamp. She believes she fundamentally should not have to explain herself to randos who do not know her, who have never, not once, interacted with her, who are clearly digging for dirt and will twist anything she says no matter how banal. People see what they want to see and they look for evidence to reinforce their preconceptions; they'll go so far as to make alts to join servers, cherry-pick screencaps, crop them, and conveniently fill in the rest of the narrative for curious onlookers. So she decided to exaggerate and amplify and twirl her mustache like a supervillain. Give them a show, as it were.

To be clear, I'm not sold on this strat because it makes her look cartoonishly evil to people who can't understand sarcasm and hyperbole. But her friends and I are aware of her actual beliefs from actually talking with her for more than one (1) second instead of immediately believing two mysteriously cropped screencaps from a thirdhand source, and also aware that she did not in fact do those things people imagine she did. And isn't that what matters? Real-life harm? Do you even care?

Re: screenshots/so-called proof from shakertwelve & lakesbian's "callouts"

Girlfriend addresses them here. I will also note they have spread lies about me and other people before.

[kelcemenow]

Drive Me Crazy - Chapter 3.

Pairing Travis Kelce x Reader

Words 1481

Warnings Some strong language and a bit of fluff!

Huge thank you to the Anon who sent this in! They had such amazing words to say about my writing which I massively appreciate and then to top it off, had an incredible request for me! I only have experience with mechanics in the UK, so I've tried my best with this one! "I just recently got interested in Travis K. X reader stories and wanted to let you know, I read all of yours as quickly as I could. They are so well done and I couldn’t help but laugh/giggle and feel through each word you typed out. You’re doing amazing and I’m so glad to have stumbled onto your page. If you have any space for a request, I’d be curious about what Trav would think about having a military (like fighter pilot) or engineer or mechanic girlfriend. I see a lot of stories with him paired with models/singers/social media individuals (which are phenomenal!) but just wondering how he would be with a more tomboy like girlfriend!"

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

You grabbed a couple of bags of Dorito's and sauntered to the cashier's desk to pay for your fuel and snacks. The harsh lighting in the 7-Eleven ached your eyes after another night of working late in the shop. You wiped your brow with the back of your hand and smiled as you handed over your money.

Your boots clunked against the linoleum flooring as you walked towards the exit, your arms full of chips. You held your hand out to push the door open at the same time as someone else on the other side pulled it hard. A bag of Funions escaped your grip and you rolled your eyes in tired frustration, struggling to pick them back up.

"Here, let me help." The stranger said.

You balanced the rest of the snack between your knee and chest as you lowered yourself to the ground, "No, it's fine."

"You helped me, it's only fair that I help you."

You looked up in confusion to see the face that belonged to the voice, his eyebrows raised high.

You breathed a small laugh, "Travis. Hi!"

He rubbed his palms together, "I'm surprised you've remembered me. You know, since you ghosted me."

You piled the runaway snacks on top of the rest, replacing your arms underneath to steady them, "Ghosted? I wouldn't say that. I just didn't take you up on your offer. It was cute though."

Travis grinned, his eyes sparkling, "Anyway, what are you doing here?" He leaned in closer to you, "Are you following me?"

"Don't flatter yourself." You snorted a laugh, "Besides, I was technically here first."

You pointed to your haul, "Big night planned?"

"Oh yeah, action movie marathon and my body weight in chips."

"How about that drink instead?"

You tilted your head to the side, "Travis."

"What? Give me one good reason why you shouldn't."

You suddenly felt vulnerable with the cashier staring intensely at you, presumably a Chiefs fan. You glanced in her direction and smiled politely, before ushering Travis outside into the small parking lot.

"You don't know me."

"And who's fault is that?" He joked.

You sighed and shrugged your shoulders, still trying to stop yourself from dropping anything, "I...I can't. I'm not dressed to go out."

Travis shook his head and looked at the floor, the corners of his mouth rising into a smile, "That excuse again. I don't care what you look like!" He paused for a moment, his eyes narrowing in thought, "Wait there. I'll be 2 minutes."

You watched as he retreated into the store, disappearing behind the high shelves and racks of food. In an attempt to see what he was doing, you lifted yourself up onto your tiptoes, managing to drop the bag of Funions again. You groaned to yourself, picking them up before dumping the whole lot onto the hood of your car. As you turned back he was emerging from the store, the bright lights spilling out onto the dark tarmac. He happily held up two Slupees, one vivid red and the other neon green.

You squinted your eyes at him, a smirk creeping onto your lips. "What's this?"

"We're going to have a drink. Just one drink...and if you're not interested, I'll drop it."

You pressed your lips together, wondering whether to listen to your head or your heart. Your head was telling that this was a stupid idea, completely unprofessional and you should just go home. But your heart was completely intrigued by the tall, handsome football player. He wasn't a customer anymore and there was no harm in one Slurpee in the parking lot of a 7-Eleven.

"Okay, fine."

______________________________________________________________

"You've seriously never seen a football game?"

You grabbed another handful of chips, shovelling them into your mouth, "Nope. I mean, I've been in the room when there was a game on...but I didn't exactly watch it."

"I'm sorry, I just find it hard to believe. Especially when your Dad is my number one fan." One of his piercing eyes winked at you.

You nudged him with your elbow, "Well, believe it or not...for some people, football isn't everything."

"What is?"

You took a sip of your Slurpee before you turned your head to face Travis, the streetlight highlighting the contours of his face, "What is what?"

"What is everything to you?"

You held his warming gaze for a moment before looking back to your feet, your legs outstretched on the pavement, "I don't know. I guess I never had a 'thing'. I got really good at fixing things...so that's what I do."

Travis leaned back slightly, his palms against the cool concrete, "I think that's cool though. It's different."

"Oh, it's different alright. I've had to deal with a lot of shit. You wouldn't believe how many men don't want their car's fixed by a woman."

You saw Travis shaking his head in your peripheral vision, "Man. That sort of shit makes me fucking angry."

"What's the point in getting angry though?" You asked, "You can't change the minds of ignorant people. They'll always be fucking ignorant."

A slight chill caught you and as you rubbed your upper arms with your hands, Travis quickly stood up, removing his jacket.

"You're freezing, take this."

You smiled, "I'm okay, really. But thank you." You lifted yourself up from the ground, a sudden sting of pain shooting across your muscles, "God, my ass is killing me!"

Travis laughed, wiping down a spot on the hood of his car, "Here, save your ass."

You turned yourself around and rested on Travis' GMC as Travis draped his jacket around your shoulders. Your knees suddenly weakened as he was closer to you than ever before, his dreamy eyes focused on making sure you were suitably covered.

"Thank you." You whispered, your fingers clinging to the collar as his woodsy cologne filled your nostrils.

He stayed close to you for a few seconds, his eyes flickering across your face. You looked up at him, your heartbeat speeding up and your stomach knotting tightly. You could feel his light touch on your elbow, a burning sensation building up in your chest as his bottom lip became clamped in his teeth.

He took a few breaths before his mouth curved into a smile, "Is it bad that I wanna kiss you?"

Your eyes widened, "You wanna...really?"

He nodded slowly, his eyes glittering, "Yeah." His voice was low, almost a groan.

You clenched your thighs together, shuffling slightly against his car, unsure of what to say.

Travis noticed your silence, searching your expression for information, "Is that okay?"

"Yeah." You breathed out your response, trying to hide your grin.

Travis' face beamed and he quickly looked down at the ground. His hand moved from your elbow, sliding down to take your hand in his, a gentle squeeze once his skin made contact with yours. Butterflies rushed to your stomach as Travis licked his lips slowly. You could swear you could feel the tightness move down to your core, but you took a deep breath and focused on the man in front of you.

He took a step forward and you parted your legs slightly so he could rest between them, his eye contact never breaking. The longer he waited, the more intense the atmosphere was becoming. A gentle gust of wind blew across the parking lot and Travis responded by wrapping his arms around you, protecting you from the cold with his large frame. His body was warm and safe, solid and comforting.

"You're really beautiful, you know that?"

You suddenly felt unguarded, exposed even, as Travis looked deeply into your eyes. No one had ever called you beautiful before, aside from your parents. You didn't think of yourself as feminine, delicate or beautiful, those qualities didn't seem to interest you. But hearing it being said out loud, and sounding so genuine, you weren't sure how to react.

Suddenly, your internal overthinking was interrupted by Travis' soft lips pressing onto yours. You inhaled deeply as you held you closely and your eyelids fluttered closed. Your senses were stimulated, his slightly rough facial hair against your face, his hands clinging to your back and his thumbs stroking the fabric of his jacket back and forth. You melted into his hold as you allowed the kiss to happen, your skin tingling with every movement he made.

After a few seconds you pulled away. You stood up from the car and paced a couple of steps forward, Travis' jacket still hanging loosely over your shoulders. You could feel a smile tugging on your lips but you took a deep breath and turned back towards Travis.

His eyebrows were narrowed, "Everything okay?"

You cleared your throat quietly, your fingers fidgeting, "Yeah...I uhhh just needed a second."

He took his hand and gently cradled the side of your face, "Take all of the time you need."

______________________________________________________________

I honestly didn't intend for this to be a slow burner at all! I may get some more angsty moments in the next chapter if people want that. Feel free to send any thoughts or ideas you have on this concept, I'm always open to suggestions! As always, let me know if you want to be included in the Taglist for my fics, more will be coming!

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[cloudsmateria]

that one summer in 2003 - leon kennedy x reader

im planning on continuing this, but this is just a short start.

words: 939

basically i was thinking, what if leon kennedy ended up with an avoidant attachment after everything he went through? which is a reasonable conclusion as he never ended up with anyone, and couldn't go for claire because he had an avoidant attachment (or just couldn't get ahold of ada).

it would be perfectly reasonable to suggest that he had an avoidant attachment or for him to have ended up with one after both his parents died due to gang violence and now he works in an incredibly violent job where people he knows and is close to die around him all the time.

AND his fucking ex gf left him (one that he really loved since he was fucking drinking all night because of it and the consequences of that were mad since he had to experience raccoon city which fucked up his whole life). Ada pretended to kill herself in front of him after they started something and for years he thought she died.

he would be scared of whoever he's interested in getting hurt because they're involved with him, or just innately scared of losing them after everyone else. so i just thought it would be cute to write a little prologue about a romance w an avoidant leon kennedy.

i would love to see more fics w an avoidant leon kennedy

Leaning against his shoulder, both at the top of the edge of a cliff, the sun just starting to set. He took another sip of his beer, passing it to you. This was a common weekend since the start of summer, finding some music festival or a nice beach to camp in. 

"So, where's the party tonight?" He asked, the breeze pushing back his hair.

"The city. Jill's friend's birthday, and she's rich." You answered.

"Is that the one you want to go to?"

"Not today, I like us like this." 

You heard him laugh quietly. "Adorable."

You smiled, leaning your head on his arm, his hands wrapping around you. "I hope this never changes."

He kissed the top of your head. "I'm glad we did this."

"Getting drunk and looking at the ocean?" 

"Looking at you… And other things." He whispered into your ear, making you laugh.

"Like what, hmm? Kissing you?"

"A bit more than that."

You had no idea how you ended up with Leon. You had no idea why he chose you. He was so out of your league but in your friend group that you couldn't even have a crush on him because it was certain that it would never work out, but he was an easy friend. Freakishly easy to speak to, although slightly edgy and relatable. Everyone loved him. Even worse, he was attractive and good at everything he did. Any time he was around people were laughing, someone would always choke on their laughter when he was there. 

Although you knew you were at least one of his favourite friends, always passively trying to be in your group when it came to group events, although you didn't realise it was because he liked you until you started speaking. The competition between you was palpable, everyone loved watching you both fight at every competitive night out. Rock climbing? Laser tag? Kayaks? Sandcastles? Somehow you both managed to make it competitive. For 4 years you kept that type of friendship until you broke up with your boyfriend at the end of spring.

It was raining that night, walking home from the karaoke bar since this time your houses were in the same direction. He gave you his jacket, although you didn't think twice about it. From there, it was more natural for you both to speak one-on-one and then you made plans without the others... You thought it was friendly, again, why would he pick you? You knew he had a line of girls for him in his other groups. In fact, it took him a week of flirting for you to realise that he was actually trying to be romantic and not trying to make a joke. Swept off your feet in a heartbeat, he came out of nowhere. How stupid.

And after that week, he asked. 

"Are you sure about this?"

"About what?"

"Doing this. Us."

"I don't think I've ever liked anyone this much." Instead of what usually would've gotten a laugh, he nodded with what was almost a grimace. 

"I need to warn you before this goes anywhere."

"Okay."

"When I get close to people, I get distant. I can't do anything about it. It just happens, I try to stop it, but all I can do is warn you."

"That's fine."

"I don't want to hurt you, especially not you."

"What about me?"

"You're kind, not like the other girls I've met, you don't deserve that."

"Why would you hurt me?"

"I just have a bad feeling."

"I would give you space if you needed it." 

"That’s not the problem. But can we do this but not put a label on it? We'll be exclusive, act like a couple, but not a label." In your head, that was a relationship. You were screaming inside, he finally asked.

"Can I ask why?"

"If there weren’t a label, maybe I wouldn’t get distant since it’s not official. Every time I’ve been in a relationship it hasn’t ended well, I’m scared of getting too close and people leaving me."

"I wouldn't do that."

"I know but it's just a gut feeling when I get close to people." He never went into detail but some of his self-deprecating jokes made it clear, at least to you that his life was fucked. You knew he struggled to get too close as even when a conversation about the death of someone close came up when you needed to let it out, he immediately shut it down, changing the subject without making it awkward. He was uncomfortable with all that personal baggage, his own, and everyone else's. You wished you were that socially adept to so casually manipulate a conversation. 'I can fix him' was the only thing you were thinking of, the only red flags you saw were heart-shaped. Two fucked up people would be perfect for each other. 

"Let's do it." 

Bit by bit, he gave you tiny fragments of the shitty parts of his life, not enough to know what had happened to him at all, but to know that he was depressed although you couldn't believe it from how lively he was. You knew that the years of his life since he was a child were full of despair although you never knew why. He was a rebellious boy, getting into fights, and substance abuse, and he was trying to leave it behind. All of the mystery just drew you in further. He was all you could think about, gushing at even the thought of him, checking your phone every 3 seconds even though you knew he couldn't have messaged that fast. 

No one knew about it in your group as it just never came up, and you both spending a lot of time together was normal. The little glances and comments at each other kept it exhilarating, sometimes his hand would rest on your thigh at dinners which made you go silent. 

[littlewomenpodcast]

About Snow White, The Prince And The Trauma (And Greta Gerwig Stuck In A Mirror)

Well friends, it has officially started. I have received requests to roast the new Live Action Snow White, the moment it appears and I don't even want to see it hahah. I have been working on a new video essay about the glorification of male abuse in Gerwig's movies, and I hope to release it before Christmas.

Here are my thoughts about the original animated Snow White from the 1930s and the fairy tale and the meaning of the prince. When I post this I have not seen Gerwig’s live-action Snow White and I don’t know if I have the stomach to watch another movie where she tries to shovel white feminism down my throat. According to the leading actress and the director, there is not going to be a prince in the movie, dwarfs are idiots and Snow White is a girl boss.

To be honest I don’t think Greta Gerwig cares at all about feminism or any of the original sources of her movies. I think she only cares about fame and money. The reason why I dislike white feminism or pop feminism, however, you like to call it, is because it is never about equality. It always tends to be more about misogyny. It is not about equality to all genders, body types, or races, it is all about ”I am superior to you”. When I heard that she was going to direct the live-action Snow White, my first thought was ” That is very ironic”, because at its core Snow White is a story about the destruction of narcissism, but when it comes to this live-action, all I see is Snow White messaging ”I am not the fairest of them all, am superior to you all”.

But what if I don’t want Snow White to be a girl boss? What if I like her just the way she is? with all those Beth March vibes and all.

The prince is not very present in the 1937 animation, which I think is a bit of a shame, he seems like a good guy. I would have given him more screen time. There is a German story called Richilde, which is an early retelling of Snow White and it is believed to have inspired the Brothers Grimm to write their own version. In Richilde after the prince saves Snow White, they actually start plotting together against the evil queen. It is quite nice that there is at least one version, where the prince is more active and I always support a couple getting to know each other before the wedding.

I always thought that the evil queen killed Snow White’s parents. We know that she wants power. Maybe she killed the first queen and tricked the king to marry herself and I guess she left Snow White alive, because killing her might cause suspicions and perhaps she wanted a free slave to herself.

When I think about the prince, I think he is a crucial part of Snow White’s recovery. Specifically recovery from trauma. Let’s imagine she is five years old when the queen murders her parents. Queen forces her to be a slave at her own home. She needs to do the laundry, cook her meals, and wash the stairs. Together with all that labour, she very likely experiences physical abuse and emotional abuse. You can not show this directly in a Disney film, but I’d say the scene where the old witch brings her the apple, is a very good example of emotional manipulation.

If you grow up in this kind of environment, where someone is a narcissist, there is always gas lighting. We know that Snow White likes to think the best of people, she might have thought something in these lines ”oh the queen didn’t think I was productive enough today, so she only gave me dry bread to eat, at least she remembered me”.

Small gestures of caring, might appear bigger in the mind of the victim, than they are in reality. She eats the apple because she feels sorry for the old woman, but also because the witch is pressuring her to eat the apple, and Snow White is conditioned from a very young age, to believe that abuse is normal.

Another 13 year old girl in the middle ages, might not have done the same, not if they recognized that it was manipulation. Narcissistic people play mind games, so much that they twist your views on reality.

It is possible that when Snow White lives in the palace, other servants were told not to be friends with her, otherwise the queen would punish them, which would also explain why we only see her having animal friends at the palace.

She has a kind heart, which is why the dwarfs like her and the prince falls in love with her, but if we think about her trauma,

this 13-year-old girl has faced years and years of emotional and physical abuse from the queen.

The queen killed her parents and made her to be her slave,

Snow White was forced to escape to the woods at night, which can be a scary experience even for an adult,

queen tried to kill her friends,

the queen tried to kill her more than once

the queen put her into a coma.

That's a lot of trauma. She is 13 years old. It’s child abuse.

The way I see it, the prince represents the possibility for Snow White to heal from the trauma. Sometimes you hear stories of people who have been abused as kids, and there are those who thrive, and those who are prisoners of their trauma, The people who thrive, are the ones who have at least one person in their life who helped them through the traumatic experience. It can be a spouse, a friend or a good therapist.

It would be very difficult for Snow White to find a trauma therapist from Middle Age Germany, but with the Prince, there is a promise of a better future, and him being stable person and someone who unconditionally loves Snow White, she can recover from these traumatic experiences and get that emotional support from him and truly live happily ever after.

P.S. Since the live action is a Gerwig film, bet your life, any form of male abuse is normalized and there is going to be a big speech from a leading lady, how the world is against her, because she is a woman. If instead of pop feminism, she would focus on trying to fix the unequal system that she is always complaining about, maybe her characters wouldn't have these problems..

but then she could not be the center of attention, could she?

@selkiesstories @heather-field @princesssarisa @fandomsarefamily1966 @thatscarletflycatcher @mysoftboybensolo @librarydame @rainbowmilk1996

[underprivilegedcactus]

Something has been niggling at the back of my mind about Gale and his falling out with Mystra for a while now.

Before we begin, I feel the need to put a disclaimer here and say that I love Gale to pieces and even if this thing I've been thinking about turned out to be canon, I still want to drop kick Mystra. But like I said, a though occured to me about the circumstances of their break up.

In short, what if their breakup wasn't because Gale didn't listen to Mystra when she told him to not go after the piece of the weave he thought was hers? What if, instead, it was the final straw after a long history of Gale going after sources of power that Mystra repeatedly told him to leave alone?

Ignoring the fact that wizards are pushed to always aim higher anyways, we know that Gale is someone who has always sought out more power, opinions of (most) others and consequences be damned. How many terrifyingly powerful objects ended up in his tower because Mystra mentioned them and he decided to collect them? How many did she emphatically tell him to leave alone because they were too dangerous? How many times did he nearly cause a disaster because he assumed that because he was the mighty Gale of Waterdeep, it wouldn't go wrong? How many times did Mystra or Elminster have to save his ass?

To be clear, even if this is the truth it still doesn't justify her treatment of him, but to me it would make a bit more sense as to why she ghosted him after he absorbed the orb. It's still on brand for her to do that after one big disaster, but cutting off all contact is frankly a bit extreme for a first offense, regardless of the magnitude of the failure. But if the orb came after a series of situations where she told him to leave stuff be or to be more patient and he repeatedly refused to listen to her, I think even I would be pissed off enough to not want to talk to him either, at least not for a while.

No one appreciates having their knowledge and advice repeatedly ignored, especially if you are literally the primary source on all things magic. The literal Goddess of Magic told him this was neither something she wanted nor was it something that Gale was equipped to handle, and Gale thought he knew better anyways. And I know there's a million fair reasons as to why Gale is the way he is, the least of which is from going through the Gifted Person (TM) experience where you're told all your life that you're special and head and shoulders above your peers. It's still harmful to believe you know better than people objectively more qualified.

Unfortunately, this can be hard to see under how vile Mystra is to him. I'll probably write about that soon in another novel of a post, but I just wanted to throw out a potential angle that some people might have missed when it comes to Mystra and Gale's breakup. Again, it's not canon, and it's not even my own personal headcanon or anything, but it is something that's come to mind when thinking about their relationship and how it ended. I still love Gale, and if anything this just adds a really interesting potential layer to his backstory.

P.S.: It has also occured to me that Gale was extraordinarily lucky that whatever magical seal he broke when he opened the book didn't just immediately cause the Karsus weave to detonate right then and there and kill thousands of people in Waterdeep. Gale's mistake was honest, but it was an extremely foolish one and entirely preventable.

P.P.S: Editing some typos and also wholeheartedly agreeing that Gale wasn't only looking for raw power, but knowledge and pushing the boundaries of the weave! ☺️

[captain-mj]

May tumblr endure the pain of all the angst fics on it's sight for eating your askbox.

Well then, I'm really glad you liked the Selkie!Ghost prompt I sent in :D, I loved what you did with it ^^ -X/3NH

(If you want the old prompt just tell me)

Okay new prompt: Ghost is a monster that lives under the bed and in the closets of children. Soap has been the singular person he's haunted, not by choice, just because Soap won't have a single nightmare related to him. In fact, Soap sees him as a friend.

Ghost's kind feeds off nightmares related to them, so he's latched to Soap until he can get a singular nightmare out of him. But Soap is now in 141 and he still hasn't had that nightmare relating to him.

So Ghost now protects Soap because he's grown attached.

(Do what you want w this concept, but I was thinkin Ghost takes a shot for Johnny, but gets that nightmare he wants so bad, it's about him dying in Soap's arms. Ghost's now free, free to choose another contract, but he doesn't want to get anymore nightmares, he wants to be with Soap. (also his family isn't too nice cause "he's the reason SOap doesn't experience nightmares, he's doing it wrong" (No soap is just a massive fan of monsters and doesn't feel scared around them)))

Wow thats a lot, well enjoy ^^

Hello friend! I want to say, I absolutely adore your asks and I'm sorry for always taking so long to answer them! They usually need to be a tad longer than my normal stuff and I want to do them justice! Also, did some very mild experimentation with some formatting/punctuation. Nothing super noticeable but if you notice something looks weird, its on purpose!

Also, Ghost is also a child for the first portion of this. He matures a bit faster but their age gap is only really a year (felt weird writing about an adult monster under some kid's bed)

Ghost had never, ever heard of a kid like Soap. The kid was... well. If changelings were real, Ghost would put money on him being one.

Soap regularly grabbed spiders and played with him. Not the cruel playing of little tyrants that ripped their legs off, but a genuine, loving little thing. He'd pet them and let them crawl over his hands and set them outside when they started to get agitated.

Snakes fascinated him. The first time he managed to see one at school, he came home, sat on the floor and told Ghost all about it. How the scales moved and reminded him of Ghost's arms. Then he asked Ghost if he was a snake which made him lash out and try to yank the kid under the bed.

However, since Soap feared him no more than he feared snakes or spiders or soft kittens, he just went straight through him. It looked more like he tried to pat him than anything else.

Ghost couldn't believe it. Other monsters his age were back home! Bragging! And here he was, taking way too much time.

"I'm going to kill you!"

Soap sighed. "You're always so grumpy. Do you want me to make you a cup of tea?"

"...I guess." Ghost pouted.

Soap smiled at him, radiant. Ghost wondered if he was made out of the sun.

The tea was delicious. He even got biscuits on the side.

"Why do you want me to be scared of you anyway?"

Ghost refused to talk to him about it, worried it would ruin his chances of ever going home. Soap smiled at him.

"Is it like a grade? If you scare me, you get a better grade?"

"Something like that." Ghost agreed. "I need to scare you."

"I will do my best to be scared by you!" Soap smiled at him and finished eating.

On Soap's thirteenth birthday party, far far after when Ghost should be long gone, he asked for some odd things. Horror posters and books about mythology. Ghost knew he was trying to get more information on him, probably to banish him.

Soap never did anything though. He continued to be his friend with so much ease. He also never told anyone else. At some point, Soap realized this was abnormal and instead of panicking like Ghost had hoped or maybe telling someone, he just moved on.

"We're friends. I couldn't endanger you like that." Soap had answered honestly when Ghost asked.

"We are NOT friends."

Soap smiled easily. "I'll get you to admit it one day. I promise." He gently nudged Ghost's shoulder. Ghost hadn't been touched in a while and the fact that Soap could touch him but he couldn't quite touch Soap was... weird. A little scary.

Soap smiled at him gently.

Ghost hated the day that... man put the idea of the military in Soap's head. He inspired Soap apparently. Sent him on this spiral to try to get into the military.

"Fucking hell, Johnny. The military?" Ghost sat on his bed and stretched out. His shadows had shifted from... well shadows into dark clothing. Recently, he had gotten used to adjusting them to look like a leather jacket, leather pants and dark gloves. If this so happened to be exactly like Soap's most recent movie crush, then it was purely coincidental. And if maybe, just maybe, Ghost enjoyed the lingering gazes from Soap, that was also coincidental.

He cropped up in Soap's dreams sometimes, but it was never frightening. The only reason he even knew was because Soap sometimes muttered his name in his sleep.

"It would be great! Going out there, helping people, good innocent people. Going on missions and adventures."

"Your brains being splattered against the ground. Dying. Fucking up and hurting people that don't deserve it." Ghost grinned, ignoring Soap's scrunched up face.

"Stop being such a bawbag. This isn't going to scare me so you're just doing it to be a dick." Soap hit Ghost with a pillow.

Ghost laughed and laid flat on his bed. He went quite when Mrs. MacTavish passed by, asking if either of them needed snacks. "She can't hear me, can she?"

"Course she can. Why couldn't she?" Soap tilted his head.

Ghost frowned. At this rate, he might as well just become human. He already fucking was. "How long?"

"About two years now. She thinks you're super shy." Soap explained, not understanding how terrible this was for Ghost.

Ghost dissolved, slinking under the bed.

"Wait, Ghost!" Soap looked under the bed. "Come on. Are you sad about your family again?"

"LEAVE ME ALONE."

Soap flinched and sighed. "I'll make you tea, okay?" He left Ghost alone for a bit while he did.

Ghost did miss his family. He couldn't go back until he fucking got a stupid nightmare and he was hungry because Soap's dreams were so fucking devoid of any fear. Stupid asshole.

The tea made things a little better.

When Soap finally got everything together to join the military, he was 15. Too young to actually join, but that wasn't going to stop the asshole. He planned to join and Ghost had to go with him.

The problem? While Ghost was roughly 16, he didn't have any papers saying he existed and he couldn't just wait for Soap to come home on his leaves. So he just made some stuff. Fake documents and different things. he was also very, very fleshy. Soap and him had touched hands and his skin felt the same way.

It disgusted him. He really, really hoped that while they were in the military, Soap would learn fear.

But that didn't happen.

Because Ghost was accepted and Soap wasn't.

"You're clearly too young. Try again next year."

Ghost felt his heart drop.

Shit.

This did not occur to him as a possibility.

Soap immediately started in on the man while Ghost sat there, stunned. He tried to smoke away. Dissolve and reappear miles away and back home.

His body refused. Panic flooded him.

No.

Fuck.

Ghost spent... three years? Time was weird. But he bumbled around the military. For the first time... ever, he ate what he was supposed to. Nightmares. None of them were good enough. They weren't Soap. It was better than the nothing he had been experiencing the past 19 years. That's when they reunited again.

Soap flinched when he saw him before hearing him speak and immediately brightening. "Hello... Simon."

"Hello, Johnny."

So Ghost watched out for him. He had to keep him alive and safe. Both because of his job and also because Soap needed to dream of him to set him free.

Soap still dreamed about him. Ghost could hear him speaking his name in the dark of night. Saying it with a tone that Ghost heard other people use in these scenarios. It was different than the playful manner of when they were younger. For some reason, it made Ghost's chest flutter.

Somehow, Ghost became a Lieutenant and Soap became one of his Sergeants. They worked together well and no one ever suspected it was because they were old friends.

Ghost had long since felt human. Any connection he had to being a monster gone. Even if he fed off the fear of his comrades, they weren't exactly Soap. He still had to eat human food and had human problems like cold hands.

Still felt pain.

The bullet went straight through his chest and the blood from his wound splattered all over Soap's face.

Soap's blue eyes widened. He was finally afraid.

It tasted rather bitter.

Ghost collapsed into him and Soap cradled his body. His blood covered them both.

"MEDIC!"

Soap screamed his little head off. So loud and insistent.

Ghost wanted to dissolve. Wanted to sink back into the darkness and hide under Soap's bed again.

"never wanted to join the military."

"Why did you then?"

"wanted to stay close to you." Ghost admitted, panting. His mask felt tight around his face. "it wasn't just a job for me. hadn't been for a while."

"The military?"

"No. Johnny." Ghost leaned up and kissed him through the fabric.

He finally dissolved.

His consciousness floated somewhere. It felt like home. He could still smell the soap Mrs. MacTavish used on the sheets.

Soap dreamed of him. Ghost was rather violently dragged into it, spectating whatever Soap finally put together.

The fear and adrenaline was intoxicating. Finally rid him of the awful feeling of being hungry that had plagued him for so long.

Soap held his body. It looked much worse than it was. The entire world seemed tinged with Ghost's blood.

"Please. Please. Stay with me." Soap begged, rocking his body.

Ah.

Johnny wasn't afraid of Ghost. He was afraid for Ghost.

How endearing.

The bond between them, the hold, snapped. Ghost felt himself start to spiral away from Soap, his body wanting to spin back into smoke.

But he dug his heels in.

"No." Ghost mumbled. "Got this fucking far. Can't ditch now." He had spent the majority of his life with Soap and he was realizing now that he wanted to spent the rest of it with him too.

It continued to drag him and he struggled and thrashed until his eyes flickered open to see Soap staring at him.

"You're awake."

"Fucking hell, don't stare at me like that. And I'm supposed to be the monster here." Ghost sat up, fully healed.

Soap went to stop him before pausing. "Always forget you're not human. You okay?"

Ghost nodded.

"Do you remember what happened?"

He nodded again.

"All of it?" Soap batted those damn eyelashes at him.

"If you're asking for another kiss, you can just lean down."

This kiss didn't have fabric between them.

[tossawary]

As I post about rereading SVSSS for lore and characterization, and about sometimes ignoring canonical details for the sake of whatever story I want to tell / explore in fanfiction for fun, I want to make it clear that I don't make these changes because I think it makes a "better story" or that I can write a "better story". I don't even like using the term "fix-it" for my canon divergence AUs that avert some in-universe tragedy, even if it is the "correct" fandom term in some cases, because I don't think that SVSSS is a story that needs to be "fixed".

(Honestly, a lot of my minor alterations to canon's details are because I can't remember what exactly canon is and can't always be bothered to hunt for one sentence (which I may or may not remember existing at all) across multiple volumes, especially when I don't always think strict faithfulness to canon is that crucial to the main concept of what I'm doing. I wrote PINTWILF and several other fics before the official English translations were fully released, when checking minor details was an even greater pain in the ass. Sometimes, I'm cooking without the recipe in front of me because I just want to eat.)

Like, I have criticisms of SVSSS, definitely. When I first started writing SVSSS fic, I was more frank about this (fond but less fond of the characters and world than I am now), and I've talked about things I wished the story expanded on more. I think it has flaws. I know those flaws are a dealbreaker for many people. But it's not my story. I can't tell MXTX's story better, because I believe that every author's story belongs to them and only they know what they're trying to achieve, even when I may personally think that the story might have been stronger if it had done something differently or I'm ignoring some minor detail specifically because I don't really like it.

It's awkward, sometimes, occasionally being told by someone that they enjoyed my fic more than the original story. It's very flattering (I can't pretend I don't have an ego) and I don't think anyone means any harm by this, people enjoy stories or don't for many different reasons (enjoyment is not necessarily an indication of quality and I think engaging with fandom can often be more fun than just reading a story on its own by yourself), but it is a little awkward, especially when SVSSS is not an English / western story. I have an advantage appealing to western readers. Reading a translation of the original story, I know there are details of SVSSS going over my heard, references I'm missing, nuances I don't recognize, even as I endeavor to keep learning. I personally enjoy some of my fics more than SVSSS itself because I associate them with good experiences and a lot of them appeal to me personally in some way or another (all of my favorite tropes! we all have favorite tropes!), but they are built on the back of someone else's original work on the other side of the world, and I want to be respectful of that.

I don't want to compete or fix. I'm not trying to compete or fix, I think I would fuck it up if anyone seriously set that task on me, and I don't think that's a good way to view anything. I want to explore and appreciate. I'll type up a lengthy post at some point as to why I'm generally not interested in concrit on my fics (honestly, mostly it's because I'm not interested in being told that a reader hates the present tense and wishes I would rewrite the entire story, which has happened to me before), but I hope that doesn't come off as disinterest in the original story or its cultural context, or as me thinking even a little bit that any of my stories are flawless and/or better than the original.

I want to make a "why would you put two bad bitches (compliment) against each other like this?" joke here, but I also want to be clear: I think MXTX is by far the badder bitch (compliment) in this situation.

(Turning off reblogs, btw, because this post skews more on the personal side.)

[bonedo-enthusiast]

bnd's hogwarts houses 𐂐◯𓇋

A/N: second tumblr post yay :p hope you all enjoy! also, lowercase is intended! <3

tws: none

wc: 577

Gryffindor

gryffindor is giving woonhak, what can i say? woonhak is such a sweet, loyal guy who is also quite loud and curious by nature. in that one “what? door!” episode, he wanted to go on a walk with his bandmates, showing how much he cares about them as well as showing his exploring side. even though he’s the maknae, he’s not afraid to speak his mind and he takes care of his other members. he’s a silly guy, yet finds a balance of seriousness at times like when he was mc. gryffindor’s just so him! :p

Hufflepuff

if there’s anyone in bnd that i’m positive about, it’s riwoo being a hufflepuff. he’s just such a sweet guy, and definitely does not scream any of the other houses to me. he’s so hard-working, having become an amazing dancer with a lot of control over his body and footwork. also, as we all know, riwoo is a major foodie, and that’s a trait that is also associated with the people of this house.

now hear me out… jaehyun. i didn’t place him in gryffindor because, quite frankly, he’s a scaredy-cat (/pos <3) and i didn’t put him in slytherin even though slytherins are strong leaders because i feel like he’s not a big self-preservation dude or cunning. sooooo… i say hufflepuff. i mean, he’s a sweet guy and kind of molds himself a bit to fit the specific situation he’s in, trying to give others a chance to shine. he’s very dedicated to his craft, always wanting to improve and make onedoor/his loved ones proud. he’s fairly patient as well, having had to repeat himself several times in that one “what? door!” episode when they were in the storage container complex (iykyk).

Ravenclaw

the first person i thought of for ravenclaw is sungho. i don’t even know if this is true, but for some reason he gives me the vibes of someone who’s into academia. he does have a love for poems and literature, so maybe that’s where i got that vibe from. he’s also an artist, and has a lot of creativity. also, as the oldest, i feel like he has an air of wisdom about him… (?) like the younger members can come to him with questions because i think he’d just have more life experience.

i was super unsure of this dude, but ultimately, i think leehan is a ravenclaw. ravenclaws can be obsessive, especially about their interests. now, would i say leehan is obsessive? well, no. but he certainly does not ever stop thinking about fish/sea life. 😭 this sole reason is why i placed him in ravenclaw over gryffindor. but he’s also a very curious individual, and loves listening to people and learning about them and their interests. leehan is known as a therapist-like member, as he often gives other members advice. for these reasons, i have placed him in this house.

Slytherin

when i first think of who in bnd would be slytherin, i immediately think of taesan. he’s very ambitious and determined, which really shows through all of the music that he has worked on writing/producing over the years. he’s also a bit of a little shit at times (/affectionately <3), so imo he fits right in with slytherin LMAO. he also seems quite well-spoken, and comes across as intelligent. being a leo, he’s also quite loyal with those he cares for, which is another trait of this house.

[zoroara]

Vongola Kids Weapon Use Cases

(Space here in case I ever do this again with another group[s])

This is a really, REALLY long weapon analysis of estimations of how they would be used in a more realistic way. Disclaimer: This is a thought experiment, does not take flame uses into account in most cases unless that is the explicit only use of the weapon, does not cover animal box weapons. This is the best estimation I could do, and is likely not perfect due to this being a bunch of anime weapons, despite this, i think it gives potentially a good idea of how they would work in fights, though some would have to be toned down repercussions or re-designed based how they worked even if used realistically as some would harm the user significantly, so keep that in mind when reading that this is not to dictate how to write it.

with that in mind, let's get started.

Tsunayoshi Sawada

Weapons: X-Gloves, Cambio-Forma Mantle, Cambio-Forma Knuckle

X-Gloves

These DO have subtle differences to how it would affect their hits, and their WEIGHT, each being definitely heavier than the last.

The gloves themselves, on the first two iterations have very little points where they are much harder than a goalie glove, it will hurt but at the same time the blows are going to be slightly softened because of the material they're made of.

The fingers would not actually bend all that well, these gloves are THICK and would restrict some movement you would not likely be able to make a closed fist, ESPECIALLY not on the Vongola gear version where there is actual metal in the joints. and YES this metal goes all they way around the joints leaving VERY little ability to position fingers further.

however one thing for sure is that should you be hit with the actual metal of the gloves in the 2nd and 3rd version it's going to fucking hurt. However the 3rd version would require more arm strength to heft the same way without issue. should it have been realistic the change would have actually affected Tsuna's flight due to how movement would have to be adjusted unless you want to argue he already had enough strength that it would be unnoticeable, which honestly with having to preform x-burner and the pressure that would put on his body, i could see that.

Essentially, the best way of using these sans flames is essentially back handing someone really hard on the second and third, though.

Cambio Forma Mantle

The mantle is a bit harder to tell exactly how it's used is, it seems that the cape itself more protects from off shoot of flame and is used to absorb flame into it when hit, however there's the hard part that seems to be based off a buckler shield in use that's attached to tsuna's hand.

Which is a rather Ideal weapon, however unlike the buckler it's more flat meaning it's made to take blows head on instead of completely deflecting them.

This is an issue, as blocking blows like this can sometimes stagger your hands and injure limbs through the shield, which is more likely because you're taking the full force of the attack and are trying to tough it out, vs a rounded shield redirecting some of that energy allowing the weapon to slide off and giving less surface area to take less energy into it, this is why bigger shields aren't completely flat but have rounder metal in the middle, or are curved like cop shields.

Fortunately for Tsuna he usually only has to use it once or twice before he can break out of the position he's in so that he can give his hand time to recover.

Cambio Forma Knuckle

(note: I used the manga version because it was clearer how it was used as you can actually see tsuna's hands. and for some reason the anime added additional pincers to it?)

first the dual pincers obviously are going to be able to stab and slash the opponent, however this makes the middle part on top redundant.

Which is thicker and much more blunt, thus made to bash the opponent, however with the outer pieces they would slow down any hit that could be made and make the blunt area a little less effective.

however it could be used similarly to a bat with a nail in it, the middle part being more for the stability and as a back up if one misses. otherwise the weapon has a very specific proper hit area it can really be used most effectively from the front. Though the sides while would hurt, or the top, is clearly not the intended use of the weapon and thusly is not the aim of the user when it comes to using them for attacks.

additionally using a weapon like this can put heavy pressure on the wrist, so if he hits something hard or heavy he'll probably feel it really bad.

Hayato Gokudera

Weapons: Dynamite, Flame Arrow, G's Archery

Dynamite + Vongola gear version

I am going to have to mark all of the dynamite with "Okay so there's not exactly a way to use these WRONG other than being within range of them."

However the more he uses the more dangerous it is, as it inevitably will become a bigger explosion, making the safe range shrink with each he throws, resulting in heat burns at the minimum level, potentially being thrown back, to actual burns and being thrown into something. Due to the rocket bombs being made to fire off further away, they are much safer to use against opponents than the regular dynamite, unless you aim them improperly or their flight is obstructed.

vongola gear cambio forma because that is JUST more effective and effiencent rocket bombs that seek out the opponent, and hold the same caveats as the previous ones

Flame Arrow

Let's talk recoil

SO here's a massive problem with flame arrow. It's attached to the entirety of the arm. This is an issue for one particular reason. Stiffening the entire arm for these blows can help but with it attached like this, the recoil is going to spread over your entire arm.

Not to mention, gokudera is clearly not holding it with that hand. He always needs to press down with his other one. Meaning there is a lot of free force reoil of this gun slamming into his knuckles even when he is holding it with his other hand. this weapon's long term use would have resulted in many injuries.

Especially an explosive shot like flame arrow is. this is a known issue with gun use where eventually even lighter guns over years of use can cause wrist, shoulder, elbow and back pain. Even with good technique.

But flame arrow, being an explosive weapon would have significantly more kickback to it, even more than most one handed weapons would. After battles, Gokudera would be sore all over even using this thing correctly, not that he would notice with the injuries after most battles in future arc.

Now to give you an idea on how most explosive round launchers prevent recoil here is an image of a very rudimentary rocket launcher in use and a more modern one, both of which you'll notice have roughly the same sort of over the shoulder build, with exactly two hands use and a secondary/tertiary part that goes against the shoulder ALL of this to minimize recoil and give control over what is ONE explosive round being shot out

The part on the shoulder is also cushioned in some way as well as to not damage the person as well. Additionally the Exhaust/Reload area is BEHIND the person because actual BURNING EXHAUST GAS comes out of there. Gokudera does load this thing with a physical explosive round and should that have worked like it should, flame arrow's positioning would absolutely result in burns. Flame arrow if used realistically is just as much of a threat to its user as its target if not more.

Cambio Forma G's Archery

Let's talk bow strength and how heavy draw strings are(not that this would matter because some how gokudera has arms after having flame arrow attached to them) so, here's the thing, a lot of bows even short bows, can be heavy, they're not intended to be held outstretched for a long time.

Bow size dictates how long the range and how much power you can get it. Bigger the bow bigger the force and range. pretty simple. HOWEVER, it also dictates the more strength you need in your arm to not only pull that string back, but also BEND THE BOW WITH IT.

When you are pulling a bow, you are pulling all of it so it pulls back on a thick and heavy bow

As you can imagine you FEEL that most archers will NOT hold the bow for more than a few moments at a time and if they aren't capable of taking the shot as fast as they thought they would, they will slowly rescind the arrow and start moving until they can and quickly shoot again.

Under no realistic scenario are you holding this thing drawn while running around that my friends is what a CROSSBOW is for.

Fortunately for Gokudera unlike most archers, he has no reason to worry about arrow waste, meaning he can draw the bow and release it immediately with no problems making it much easier for him to volley arrows until it hits something(not recommended as it will tire your arm a lot but it is an option for him) However adding more arrows does not affect the effort, you just won't be getting the most accurate shot on all of them.

and yes bows still do have recoil but it is ONLY from the string, so a strong steady hand will never have the same problem as with a gun as it can only do so much more than what you put into it. The recoil to the body comes from whatever hand is used to hold the main bow and not the draw string

so even though his shots with his storm flames are REALLY powerful, it doesn't wear on his body as much in this form because the power sending it out is not the storm flames but rather the actual bow.

Takeshi Yamamoto

Weapons: Shigure Kintoki, Four Irregular Swords, Necklace of Rain

Shigure Kintoki

This is basically the o katana, it's a pretty standard weapon with a medium length, you don't really use the back of it's blade, while it is a trope that it won't harm people, this is factually incorrect, and you are putting a immense amount of force in a thin line, which is actually worse than something more spread out than the flat of it. If you use a sword this way, expect internal damages like broken bones and internal bleeding to potentially ruptured organs depending where and how hard you hit.

these are decently heavy on the arms but lighter than most european blades of their size due to how the metal is but it means they can succumb to heavier blades if hit right. you will feel moving them and the longer you fight the more draining the swing can become. But because it's recommended to block and parrying with a katana is still using that flat with a lot more hits to it, you will start to feel it in your hands as you cannot quite rely on that guard stopping an incoming blade while it slides against your own. Really, it's the perfect target for attacco di squalo because it gives a GOOD point to take a lot of force into that will travel into the hands of the user.

You typically do not see much more than quick katana smacks together because of this. additionally this is not a stabbing blade, you CAN use it to stab but it's much more of a slashing blade, meaning tight corridors are it's enemy. but also meaning a katana user is much more likely to aim for a swipe of some sort other than anything else.

Cambio Forma Four Irregular Swords

First, this thing is going to be heavy to one hand since this is clearly the length of a strictly two handed blade. It is longer than an odachi with a handle that can clearly support 2 hands not that Yamamoto ever fucking uses it because his hands are busy with with the 3 other blades. the weighting on it though is absolutely fucked, the top would be much lighter than the rest of the blade, in conclusion even using this sword is going to make your arm exhausted within a few minutes using it like how yamamoto does.

Additionally european blades are fundamentally built different than japanese blades(building a sword with both techniques would probably make it frail or have a weak point where it changes resulting in the top snapping off), their techniques, and their weaknesses and strengths are all different, fusing something like this means you have a completely random ass strength/weakness depending on what part of the blade you're using making it difficult to use if you're not familiar with both sword types at BEST of cases(which we know Yamamoto isn't), what yamamoto intends to be a non-lethal hit could slice someone by accident with how the blade is 1 half a european blade as an example.

Another thing with a long blade like this, no matter whether you're holding it correctly or not, you need to commit to EVERY SWING, there is barely if ANY room to fake out your opponent due to the weight of it.

It should be noted, there is no precedent for using 4 swords mid battle, however multiple daggers could be used in one hand to slash an opponent, or catch their weapon, though admittedly, only one would be a better choice for this. The other potential better use for there being 3 extra is if they were all different lengths, allowing the user to switch between a multitude of options. However all the swords despite being called irregular swords, the 3 are all almost identical length.

A larger range in difference would have suited the user better, however there is used for tanto being a sort of counter blade, both for blocking in-coming attacks, or if your own sword is making an opening to slash them with the smaller weapon. They're pretty light weight and are not too much of a problem, even in longer fights.

Of course with all swords one needs to be mindful on how and when they take direct blocking instead of redirecting. Taking a full block to stop all energy of your opponents blade will always send a little shock to your hand.

Ryohei

Weapons: Boxing gloves(Maximum break and Vongola Gear)

Boxing gloves

Ryohei who doesn't have much change over his weapons, he's not really give a lot of options in the series unlike the main three(not like he'd like to diverge from boxing let's be honest) so they can all be lumped in as direct upgrades weapon wise.

Generally though his use case is punch and punch hard much like with actual boxing gloves, really they just serve to protect his hands more as he's doing it. with a lot of martial arts and close contact sports you are going to feel the weight of your own hits on someone else, and you are absolutely capable of causing your hand to bleed just from punching another person.

Ryohei has likely slowly toughened up his hands as regular boxers do so it's unlikely to happen to him unless it's a longer fight(but with his time limit fighting this is a mute note unless you're before cambio forma) the best places for him to target is usually the head, but punches to the kidney area or other such areas are also usually really good.

However the trouble for him is usually his shorter range means closing in with an opponent's weapon is trouble.

Lambo

Weapons: Grenades, Horns, Lampow's Shield, Thunder Helm

Grenades

we are starting with his grenades which are significantly weaker than most but generally much like actual grenades, pull the pin and throw them as far away from you, hoping that nothing changes their trajectory. Pretty simple to use.

Horns

I will note, while i'm not looking at flame output, this weapon so long as it's not the oldest version basically works like a taser, thus i will be working off of this assumption.

So their use case is very dangerous to the user as it would require not only extremely close contact, but also leaves the user open to any potential attacks at they tip their head, additionally if not positioned right the user will simply headbutt their target instead of delivering a shock.

One thing with headbutting is that it just about hurts the person doing it as much as the person receiving it and is generally a desperate moving hoping that you'll be able to tough it out more than the other person.

Every attack lambo makes should it hit, does risk harming himself more than his attacker even if he does hit with the electricity.

Cambio Forma Lampow's Shield

One problem is that shields are usually paired with a weapon for a reason, they simply aren't made to be damaging. However this one is a better shield than the flame mantle, clearly rounded to aid attacks in bouncing off not taking the full of any attack and curving attacks out.

The way that it could be used as a weapon is to shield bash someone, this is where, should you be close enough, you ram the shield into their body or if there's a good opening, their head. Lambo, being too small for this is lucky that he has flames to use alongside it.

An additional way it can be used thanks to the horns is as a bludgeon, the horns don't actually go high enough to stab anything well, but you can grab them and use them for leverage for an attack. This isn't recommended though.

As with anything when being hit, you will not completely absorb all attack and it does take energy to resist being knocked over or slammed, even with a shield. Defending all the time will whittle down the user.

Thunder Helm

Well his main use case is from the massive taser horns. Should they be used however, all of that is putting risk on the user's neck. Both with it's heavy weight, but also the fact that if they ram into anything like let's say a heavy object that does not want to move, all of that, is not only going to send all of that down the spine, it's going to focus down on the weakest part. Potentially breaking the neck and doing significant damage to the body.

Though should the electricity shock the opponent before it puts too much pressure on the body then the user would be safe. the use of this weapon would actually be incredibly risky that way.

Otherwise much easier use cases that aren't as threatening to the user would be using the gauntlets and boots to fight until a key moment. Their heavy weight would allow them to do some harm.

However due to how massive the armour actually is, it is unlikely that the user could move around much without exhaustion developing quickly.

Ironically despite being a weapon made to protect, it risks the user greatly.

Hibari

Weapons: Tonfas, Handcuffs

Tonfas + Vongola Gear

Hibari's tonfa, which is also a multi-tool even without flame. It has, a hook, thorns, a chain with hooks at the end, and finally panels that can open up and shoot out air to deflect light weapons completely.

i'll have to break each little thing into it's own section starting with the tonfa itself

Tonfa are very rudimentary weapons, in rest position they sit alongside the user's arms as guards. The can be used to bludgeon this way, or flipped to lengthen the range of the attack or if the user needs to block or reroute an attack, they're very versatile. Like most close range weapons, they need to be careful of their hands and how they take hits. Another technique is the spin of the the tonfa to add more power into an attack. However one risks hurting their own hand if done improperly or blocked. The fact hibari uses this liberally shows his confidence in his ability as well as his possible recklessness.

addition a. Hook - the hook is placed at the mid point of the tonfa, giving very good stability when using it to pull a weapon, however it's use case is very niche, as the tonfa must be in correct position and the weapon used cannot be too big, ie. a baseball bat. Clearly better for thinner weapons than the tonfa itself, and that's not too many. Additionally, with how thin the hook is, it could be snapped by a strong opponent. One other threat to using a hook like this is just as you may be able to disarm your opponent, unless your opponent is in a very bad position or hold, they may be just as likely to disarm you using this.

Addition b. Thorns - This is a very strange addition to the tonfa. as it clearly goes on all sides of the tonfa, this can damage the user just by having the tonfa hit by a weapon and these pricking into your arm. They're also all pointed one way, meaning lunging and sweeping attacks are preferred by this form so the thorns can scrape against the opponent. However, wider attacks like this are not good in enclosed spaces, and can leave the user open. this form is definitely for aggression only, as it leaves it's user way too open to be defensive.

Addition c. hook and chain - a weighted hook on a chain, useful for getting additional range, however with the caveat if it ever gets caught on something or your opponent gets a hold of it you may pay for it. Unlike other attachments that use the tonfa regularly, these need to be used as a flail, the tonfa needs to be continuously spun in order to get enough momentum and to keep the momentum till it slams into the target. Being hit by this directly, will fuck up someone bad. with the sheer momentum strength a flail has, is can outclass a lot of bludgeoning melee weapons with the caveat that it must be kept moving in order to keep it's arc steady, though you can just swing them and it does the trick usually.

The more exhausted you are, the harder this will be to do, especially in the case hibari has, as unlike normal flails, with just a stick to use, he has to swing an entire tonfa with it in a specific pattern so it doesn't hit him by accident. Other issues he will face, missed swings will retain momentum and can put him off balance(especially if tired already), and the weapon can hit him instead of his target if he misses. Additionally, if you strike with one, it may bounce back, and if you should hit, you must bring it back to proper direction to prepare another attack. A complex weapon to use for the damage it does.

Also in the Vongola Gear version, the hook on chain now shoots out like a hook shot. This can definitely knock someone out(or worse), however it's infinite length does mean a lot of potential to get caught on things or lash backwards hitting the user when retracting like when a tape measure flick backs and as it enters it's point it thwicks backwards up and down.

Addition d. Air rockets - 3 panels that open up and will shoot an extremely strong gust of air. Once again we're back to recoil, this, would cause the tonfa to slam into hibari's hand and could even force his arm to move if he's not holding correctly/braced. This would have kickback to it at a high rate, likely higher than a normal gun in order to create enough air to do this, his hands be aching. so he'll have to use this sparingly as not to also accidentally disarm himself.

Handcuffs + Vongola Gear

I will not be counting the multiplication factor i am just looking at handcuffs as weapons. There's a few different way's they can be used if the user is creative.

Firstly, hand cuffing the opponent to self, this can give you control over the opponent should you know how to use it. of course, wearing handcuffs fucking hurt, they're metal and you can bruise up your wrist and hand. So instead it would be better to use the weapon by handcuffing the opponent and using the other cuff as a sort of handle, giving you the advantage in controlling them. Of course, this is risky as now you're in short range of the opponent, but if you get their weapon hand, you can control how they use it and even use this to disarm them if you get behind them and pull on this and force their arm into positions that it absolutely should not go. Alternatively, if you get them on a leg, you can absolutely use this to trip them up too.

Secondly, actually managing to properly handcuffing them, will prevent them from using anything aside from their feet... if you've handcuffed them with their hands behind their back that is, they can still absolutely hurt you if you've hand cuffed them at the front, but their range of motion will be a lot more contained. This obviously makes them vulnerable, unless they're trained in martial arts that have some moves that kicks and are skilled in it. But you can also hand cuff their ankles if you manage to be sneaky enough about it, which will immediately become a problem as it restricts their movement really badly giving you the advantage of getting out of their range whenever you want.

Additionally in the Vongola gear version, that the handcuffs are now sharpened internally and can be used to cut the opponent in addition to restricting them.

Chrome + Mukuro (They share weapons)

Weapons: Trident, Earring of Mist

Trident

These much like spears are considered the very very good option of both range and versatility. Their long length allows the user a lot of safety from other weapons and the 3 pronged nature of the trident can be used to catch incoming weapons and create openings. as the user typically holds it with two hands the shock that's absorbed is usually less than a one handed weapon's, additionally will be spread out more over the long length of the trident. You can also use the other end to bludgeon enemies.

You can throw this weapon but if you don't have any back up weapons and you miss well... maybe don't do that unless you have to or you'll be very awkwardly unarmed.

Some caveats the trident has is the 3 pronged nature does make it harder to remove after you've stabbed into something. Thankfully this version has the middle longer, which is with a purpose, as if the other two were longer, if they hit anything before the middle one, they may actually prevent you from trying to stab that thing you're trying to stab.

However, the other issue with the trident is very much the same thing that makes it good in fields, it's length. In close quarters or closer spaces you will not have as much room to use it, thankfully if you're in a corridor that's like the best place as it's made for stabbing. However the three prongs, while it can be used to deflect weapons, it can be also used to re-route your own.

Additionally, unlike other weapons made with the idea your opponent will be able to strike you, there is little to no protection should you fail to use the whole of the staff to protect you, as well as there being no protection for your hands at all.

Earring of Mist

If you were to use any staff as a weapon without it's magic, it's gonna be used as a bludgeoning weapon. the top is actually perfect for this the uneven shape and clear weight to it would do well. it would give some decent range to it too. not a horrible weapon.

However there are some caveats to it. it's a lot shorter and very thin with no guard, meaning spinning to try and stop a weapon is not going to have as much momentum to it and may be useless against an opponent with a strong enough grip. additionally it does mean there's more damage potentially going into your arms when you do block.

Hopefully this information is useful to someone, but also thank you for listening to me ramble! I may do more eventually as i do love to do this kind of thing.