#you and i HAVE TO TALK ABOUT THIS SOMEDAY

[feral-renaissance-cat]

Some of the most engagement I got outside of posting fics for a fandom event were when I admitted I had gotten disheartened about a story I was halfway through and wasn't sure I could finish it. That's when people chose to tell me how much they enjoy my work and hoped I would come back to that fic someday. I'm still struggling to finish it years after that, not only because the fandom has mostly moved on from the pairing I write for, but also because the whole trend of putting unfinished fics into AI generators when the author doesn't post "fast enough" has me scared that people have already done that.

If you want to get more fic, you have to express to the author somehow that you want to hear it FROM THEM. There's that post about sharing things online is like if you brought a cake to a party and people took a single slice of the cake into another room and all talked about how much they love it and wish they could get more of it, meanwhile you're at the table looking at your cake with only one slice taken out of it, feeling sad because no one wants it, apparently. After that, you're not going to bring another cake to the next party because you're afraid it will go to waste again.

Plus the irony of everyone who DMs their favorite showrunners on social media hoping to get the inside scoop on an upcoming season or make suggestions. The showrunners legally aren't allowed to tell you anything, but you know who would love to share their process or hint at future stories or take your feedback into consideration? Fucking. FIC WRITERS.

A writer friend told me something that broke my heart a little bit today; they're going to quit publishing their fanfic.

My instant thought was that they had been trolled or attacked or that something terrible had happened in their life because this person is so passionate about their writing. It wasn't any of that. Engagement with their works has been going down, as it has for many of us. Comments are like gold dust a lot of the time, and just looking through the historical comment counts on old fics on ao3 demonstrates this trend very clearly. It was not simply the comments dropping off which caused them to decide to stop posting, however.

My friend came across a discord server for their fandom (I should point out here that their fandom interest and mine diverged a couple of years ago, we stay in touch but don't currently read each other's posts because I'm not into their fandom and they would rather gouge their eyes out with a wooden spoon than read anything Star Wars) and specifically to share fic in that fandom. They joined, because we all love a good fic rec, only to discover that their latest multichapter fic, which has almost no comments and very few kudos, is being hotly discussed in this server as one of the best stories ever. Not one of these people has bothered to say this to them on the fic. When they asked, none of participants could see the point in telling the author of the fic they apparently loved so much that they love it.

This discovery has absolutely destroyed my friend's love of sharing fic. They share because they love seeing other people's enjoyment, and fic writers do that through comments and kudos/reblogs/likes because we don't get paid. There is no literary critic writing a blog post/article about how amazing the story is for us to copy and keep/frame. There is no money from royalties. All we have are the words of the people reading our works.

Those people on that server could have taken five minutes of the time they spent gushing about how amazing my friend's story was to other people and used it to tell the one person guaranteed to want to hear that praise how much they loved it. They could have taken a moment to express their opinion to the person who spent hours upon hours plotting, writing, editing, and posting those chapters. Instead, they deprived my friend of thing that keeps them sharing their writing, and in the process have killed their love of it. My friend now feels used and unmotivated.

I won't be sharing a link to their fic, they said I could share their experience but not their identity. I know they plan to post one final chapter. I know they intend to express their hurt at being excluded from the praise for the thing they created, and I know they intend to announce that as a consequence they will not be posting for a long while, if at all.

So please, I beg you, don't hide your love of a story from the writer. It's just about the only thing we have.

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

huh...

Recently I was researching Malleus in preparation to write some things for my "10 years later" blog event. And you know what I noticed?

MALLEUS SEEMS TO HAVE LIKE NO CLEARLY STATED POLICY POSITIONS WHATSOEVER 💀 Across 4+ years of content (voice lines, vignettes, events, main story, etc.), Malleus does not really indicate how he plans to rule once he ascends to the throne. I keep thinking I missed something and go back to comb over everything, but I swear to you that it was pretty threadbare. The closest examples I could find were him being familiar with the concept of noblesse oblige (those of higher status have a duty to aid the weak), thinking it prudent to maintain friendly relationships with representatives of foreign lands, and going along with various traditions and ceremonies. I guess you can also throw in Malleus saying he was told by his grandma that the Draconias are meant to use their powers to protect the smiles of their people? But there's nothing concrete, like how exactly Malleus would achieve his goals once in power or what his specific goals are. (This is not counting fan speculation, such as him potentially eliminating the current senate due to how they treated Lilia so callously.)

Malleus will often talk about how the things he's experiencing are different than what he knows of back home. Malleus will talk about how others wait on him (his birthday is a national holiday, he has private chefs and tutors, etc.). But he doesn't talk about how he would rule. That's like... so wild to me considering that he's the crown prince of Briar Valley. I would have expected at least one or two dedicated voice lines about such a BIG for Malleus, especially with how often he speaks about himself being a royal and being groomed for the position of future ruler of his nation. Malleus sometimes shares about his grandmother, who is the current ruler, but again never specifies what her ruling style is like or what her policies are like. It's also strange to me that Sebek, Silver, and Lilia also never speak about Malleus's positions on anything. The best we get is Lilia trying to encourage Malleus to get out of his comfort zone more and to make the most of his time to learn about his non-fae peers. That doesn't speak to any of his current thoughts though, only what Lilia hopes will enhance Malleus's understanding now and perhaps inform his decisions in the future. We're mostly left to assume how Briar Valley's political landscape works--but even then, there's not much to make of it, besides being aware of the senate, a reliance on magic, and the general adversity to humans and technology.

Compare this to Leona, the other prince of the cast (not counting Silver, since he learns of his prince heritage very late into the main story and may not even feasibly have a country or people to his name anymore). Leona is the second prince of Sunset Savanna, meaning he's not even expected to become king someday--yet we consistently hear what his thoughts on policies and political planning are. He comments that he worries for his country's future due to how lax, kind-hearted, and extravagant his older brother and acting king Falena is. On top of that, Leona's own views on what would most benefit his country are explicitly laid out. He doesn't care much for stuffy traditions or living in harmony with nature (a value many of his countrymen have); he prioritizes progress and thinks proactively about it. Even on his own birthday, Leona talks about how the gift he received from Falena could be better served as a gift to a neighboring country to bolster the relationship between their nations. The mining and energy internship he chooses in book 7 is also geared towards making sustainable advancements back home (presumably to make use of his country’s natural resources while minimizing damage to the land). We get a very clear sense of how Leona would go about improving his country, even if not from the position of king and even if his ideas wouldn’t be received well by his people or by the land. (If this topic interests you, then please check out this post, where I discuss Leona vs Falena's priorities and ruling styles.)

So what's up with Malleus, an actual king-to-be, not talking about politics at all????? Is it maybe just something Malleus is not thinking about (it's possible that he could become king much later in life, since he’s not considered an “adult” until 1000 years old)? Is he maybe focusing on his current school experience? Or is it that he just... keeps the plans to himself since they aren't immediately relevant? Or is it that he feels he doesn't need to implement many changes once he does become king (since he seems to already be accustomed to his grandmother's way of ruling), so there's no need for him to consider it now? (Briar Valley itself and Malleus are particularly old-fashioned and appear to have issues adapting or changing with the times.) Is it that Malleus secretly dreads his ascension because it means he can no longer go back to his carefree school days? Maybe it's just the Twst devs intentionally keeping Briar Valley vague for meta reasons/to maintain Diasomnia's mystique??? It could be any combination of reasons.

I guess I'm a little frustrated myself at this realization because a personal gripe I have with Malleus is how he's treated and talked about like he's a great leader (especially by Diasomnia; *stares at Sebek shouting and Lilia's book 2 speech*), but we never get real instances of him acting like that great leader he supposedly is. It feels like lip service (think about how often Diasomnia and the general cast hypes him up) without him being able to back it up. When has Malleus led anyone in a serious group effort? How does he intend to lead in the future? I feel like it's mostly him wandering off to do his own thing or to clear the challenge with his OP-ness. But if Twst is really going to sell us on Malleus being a "great leader", then he should be given more chances to be one. It's such a wasted opportunity that we don't get to know more about this. The only instance I can think of (off the top of my head) where Malleus "leads" is GloMasq, and even then I don't know if I would count it??? Because Malleus isn't really leading the group so much as he is tagging along with them because there's safety in numbers given the situation. Everyone else throws themselves out there to protect him and the other event SSRs... and the way Malleus acts kind of implies he would march up that tower and try to decimate Rollo with or without anyone's help if he could. That doesn't really read to me as him taking charge, even if he's technically going to these great lengths to protect his country, which primarily relies on magic (ie their way of life would be destroyed if Rollo's plan succeeds). Maybe I'm missing something though??? If you can think of any examples of Malleus being a leader and/or times when he mentions how he'd rule Briar Valley, let me know. it's very possible that I have overlooked an example, given the extensive amount of content out at the moment. Sharing general thoughts on this topic is also fine.

[whatbigotspost]

I don’t know OP but I know her type too well. This was shared in my feed by one of my dad’s cousins who has been all too happy to endlessly post similar (and much more extremely embarrassing and oversharing) rants bc her youngest turned 18 and promptly dropped her toxic household like a bad habit.

I don’t know maybe it’s because I haven’t spoken to my own controlling, self-absorbed, abusive parent in 15 years, but to me it seems that what we actually have an epidemic of is child abusers who didn’t count on being held accountable by their adult children someday. But too bad so sad for them, we mercifully got access to info about how much better life can be without them trying to control our every move and we said fuck this and hightailed it over into a life we actually enjoy 🤷‍♀️

Call me crazy but all my friends who have parents who treat them like autonomous humans are still talking to them so…..idk try not being a piece of shit and maybe when your kids are adults they’ll still choose to have a relationship with you instead of being coerced into it.

(I will refrain from trotting out my ideas too heavily about how I am convinced this is tied to people like Moms For Liberty being against social emotional learning initiatives in schools bc they don’t want their kids to know what healthy, kind relationships are supposed to be like.)

[scumsketches]

I've read like all 4 docs on ao3 about SY and SJ sharing a body, and I'm soooo not normal about this concept oh my God. So, it's time to ramble about my take on the concept, of course.

Most things I have read have SY transmigrate at his usual date, but... What if he didn't? What if he transmigrated when SJ was a child on the streets?

For the purposes of this, the person who has the most control of the body is based around soul strength, willpower, and collaboration between souls.

In the beginning, SY has very low soul strength, since he just straight up died, but being a child, SJ's is not much better. They both have obscene amounts of willpower, see canon. And at the beginning? Oh, SJ does NOT want to collaborate.

SY hasn't really gotten the whole "baby scum villain" thing yet, and thinks his soul has been glued to a particularly annoying street kid, so he tries to be patient with SJ, but it's not easy! Holy shit, this kid is a turbo brat who hates him! He is constantly threatening to exorcize SY! Like, kid, you can't exorcize me, you're eight. But SY does end up being useful at times, pointing out danger, reading signs that SJ can't, using his adult knowledge to help him as best he can. By the time they get to the Qiu manor, SJ grudgingly trusts and is maybe attached to his weird ghost hanger-on.

And then the Qiu manor hits. It's... Bad. Really bad. Qi-Ge is gone, hopefully to come back to them someday, but someday is not now, and they need to survive the day. Shen Yuan can't get over the fact that this is just a kid, that all of this is happening to a child. He is an adult, maybe he's not the most responsible adult, or the best person to handle this situation, but damn it SY has to do something.

The first time Shen Yuan takes over completely, it's during a beating in the first week. Before, even if SY had some control of the body, SJ was usually able to yank it back at least partially when he wanted to. He was aware of what was going on. But this time, Shen Jiu feels the first few strikes hit his back before Shen Yuan bubbles up, wrapping around him and pulling him down into blissful oblivion.

When Shen Jiu wakes up, it's over, and Shen Yuan is using some meager supplies he got from god knows where to tend to their wounds. Shen Jiu is scared, he didn't know Shen Yuan could take over that completely, but he's also... Relieved. And confused.

"Why did you take over then? If you really could steal my body, why didn't you do it earlier?"

"You didn't deserve that, Shen Jiu. I- how could I see that and not try and help? Not try and protect you?"

Shen Jiu froze. And then, slowly, started crying. Almost immediately SY starts fussing, asking if their wounds hurt too badly, if he needs him to dull the pain more. SJ sniffles, wiping his eyes, and asks; "More?"

Shen Yuan never explains that, but as SJ goes through the Qiu manor, he realizes that he is absolutely not in as much pain as he really should be. It's easier to bear when the pain is shared between the two of them.

The first time that Qiu Jianluo realizes something is off is during one of his lessons. As the brush is placed in Shen Jiu's hands, the angry, venomous child behind a mask of fear fades away, and he is instead facing calm indifference. The characters are perfect, every one of them, even the ones which there is no possible way Shen Jiu should have been able to know.

This pattern continues. Shen Jiu knows things he shouldn't. He is abnormally good at talking circles around guards and other servants, confusing and manipulating them enough to evade Qiu Jianluos summons in ways that couldn't possibly be his fault, orchestrating many of their confrontations with Qiu Haitang around as protection.

Shen Jiu is a good actor, he's smart, he's quick, but he isn't a fully grown adult master poser like our Shen Yuan is. Shen Yuan, number one rules lawyer and actor, is incredibly good at driving Qiu Jianluo up the wall without him being able to retaliate, and when he does manage to get in a beating, SJ/SY is not nearly as responsive to the pain as he should be, and heals faster than he should.

This is because the lovely new flowers that Qiu Haitang has planted in the garden at SJs kind suggestion are a PIDW plant that provides accelerated healing.

Eventually, it's too much, and Qiu Jianluo KNOWS something is up. He calls a rogue cultivator by the name of Wu Yanzi in to investigate the problem, and Wu Yanzi finds, and exorcises it. Shen Jiu is terrified and panicked, and Wu Yanzi, who had seen Shen Jiu's high spiritual potential, places Shen Yuan into a spirit trapping pouch and tells Shen Jiu to burn the Qiu manor to the ground and bring him as much money and jewelry as possible if he wants his little ghost back.

So the Qiu Manor burns, and Shen Jiu joins Wu Yanzi, significantly less willingly this time. Qi-Ge is nowhere to be seen, and Shen Yuan isn't there to save him anymore.

Shen Jiu supposes he will have to save himself.

[coryndoll]

I hope this doesn't come off the wrong way, but I'm sort of confused about waking up next to you. Of course I love it and I think it's written so brilliantly and the trope is genuinely so unique. But I'm confused about what's actually the conflict in the story—is it her dreaming(or coming into this world) or is it whatever happend to the real yn? And like, if Rafe and Yn are dating and all that, why is there no real romantic moment bw them?

no worries, n thank u sm !

“WAKING UP TO YOU” FULL PLOT BELOW (bc lowkey i made it long)

but yea, the whole idea is reader lives a normal life, obx exists in her life but only as a tv show so drew, cline, bailey, rudy, every actor is just an actor in ur world.

its mentioned sometime in the series that a few days before “the wake up,” u have had these bad headaches or something that u assumed were just migraines,

(essentially its the mind getting ready for “the switch”)

but u wake up one morning, no headaches, u feel great, but u wake up next to rafe, a fictional character.

its weird, of course its like “what the fuck is going on” & assuming its a prank,

u have to go along with the day just thinking that ur dreaming or something—its the only idea that can make sense,

but people have issues with u, u dont get whats going on, its kind of obvious theres been some drama before u even got here,

but by the end of the night ur ready to go home because this has to be just a one day experience right?

WRONG. 😭

u wake up the next day in the same universe, and i dont wanna get into all the science fiction stuff but reader soon figures out there are just billions & billions of alternate universes,

so there was a y/n in this alternate world ur stuck in, like a doppelgänger,

(& this still begs the question: did that reader & that y/n switch bodies? is y/n living in the readers life rn too? but i kind of want to keep that theory open so u guys can think what u want)!

the whole purpose of u being stuck in this one is this world revolves around the readers doppelgänger who apparently has been a very spoiled, selfish kook all her life,

but spoiled n selfish people dont always get a pass in life. obviously people are going to hate her. its expected for her to lose friendships & potentially even rafe someday,

to prevent that, doppelgänger wants to turn a new leaf, actually be generous, genuine, kind,

but doppelgänger is nowhere near generous, genuine, & kind.

it gets to a point where we see in her journals that shes actually trying, but it always boils down to a point of “ur still the person u always have been,” “u dont try hard enough,” “ur a hypocrite”

& its driving doppelgänger mad because its like wtf?

a few weeks before the wake up, doppelgänger is said to have been isolating herself in response to all the rejection, ultimately cutting off ties with everyone but rafe, her bf.

if she does talk to someone, it turns into arguments.

all she wanted was to change.

people are worried, concerned because now doppelgänger isnt talking to anybody but rafe tbh, sometimes to sarah or any of the camerons because shes been living with them recently,

and we learned in my most recent part that last week, apparently doppelgänger and sarah had a fight.

theres this unique, once-in-a-probably-just-this-one-time opportunity that doppelgänger gets to have someone take her place,

that person being the reader.

(the pick was strictly by luck, but also as a reward to basically spend ur days with A HOT CAST LIKE OUTER BANKS HAS)

reader was chosen out of everyone bc of their kind heart. theyre warm through n through, this world needed someone like that for rafe, for doppelgängers friends, for everything.

but its kind of a learning experience for reader too—step out of ur comfort zone, solve a puzzle of life,

and of course i feel like if we were all in obx, we wouldnt want to leave.

SO i had to propose the new singularity which is: the longer u stay here, the worse ur memories get, & u wont remember anything about ur real life, eventually also forgetting that ur not from this world & have ur own to get back to.

reader will realize “this life is great, but its not for me” & dedicate themselves on getting back to the real world,

but in the meantime, reader finds out she has to mend broken relationships in order to get each memory back & eventually get back home.

as far as intimacy goes, maybe its just been a while since i wrote any kiss or whatever since night 1, which was the shameless hookup😭

id imagine reader is still shaken by the fact that they didnt end up waking up in their real world but that still means rafe can initiate the kisses—idk why i havent written them,

okay next chapter guys ur having full blown sex again.

jk!

or maybe u will.

if ur still asking questions, blame the universe. it works in weird ways n ITS OPEN THEORIES FROM HERE SO U CAN THINK WTV U WANT.

[c-cal]

Trapped .

Short lil angsty Andrew fic !!

Content / summary : Andrew crying , gender dysphoria , comfort from self , sui implication !!

Again no tq for the fic !

Andrew was laying on her bed, staring at her wall. She was "zoned out", you could say, but in reality, she was thinking about anything and everything.

"Why was I born like this? Why am I who I am? Is this really who I'm destined to be?" Thoughts raced through her mind a mile a minute.

Before she even knew it, a tear rolled down her cheek. It was getting to be too much.

"Why am I damned to spend two to three decades in this body?" She thought. This disgusting, human, male body was not fit for her. Not fit for a femme ghost like her.

Her soul was always femme, since she was just a child, even if she didn't know or realize it then.

However, the universe decided not to give her the female body she desired and deserved most, instead, it decided to damn her in the living hell that is being a biological male.

"Hey, it's okay." A voice called out to her from the corner of her room. She turned her head to look over, but nothing was there. She just chalked this up to her imagination.

"I'm here for you" it called out again, this time Andrew got a little freaked out. The voice sounded eerily familiar, almost like it was herself.

"W-who's there? Who are you?" Andrew questioned the dark corner of her room where the voice seemed to be coming from, fear and curiosity washed over her face.

"I'm you. I'm you in your true form, your true body." Andrew was confused, "but what do you mean you're me? I'm me" Andrew asked.

"I can't explain it, I'm simply you." A face emerged from the shadow of the corner where no light could hit, it was her. It was really her.

The blue hair became clear as she stepped into the light, her voice now much more clearly Andrews.

She floated a few feet above the ground, the white hue around her. It was genuinely Andrew, the ghost girl she always knew she was.

"B-but how-" she cut Andrew off.

"There's no need to ask questions." She stated.

"There isn't much time left" she said, tears almost pouring from Andrew's face.

Her ghost form hovered there and continued talking.

"You'll be in your true form soon - a ghost girl. You'll be with Rachel and Mackenzie soon, I promise." She reassured.

"H-how?" Andrew questioned, still stunned and utterly shocked from what stands - or, 'floats' - in front of her.

"I can't give out too much information, but you will cross over into our dimension and live on with us someday soon. I promise." The ghost girl spoke, moving over to sit on the bed with Andrew and hugging her gently.

"A-are you lying?" Andrew questioned, not even sure if this was just a hallucination or not.

"No. What good would it do to lie to yourself? None."

"I'll really be a girl? A ghost girl?" She was still skeptical of this whole situation.

"You'll really be a ghost girl." The ghost replied.

Andrew was almost overflowing with joy and fulfilment in that moment, all her dreams have just been confirmed real.

"How long?" Andrew sniffled.

"I can't tell you, I'm sorry. It will affect how things go, how this happens." Andrews face dropped, tears began to pour once more.

Her immediate thought was that it'd be years, she couldn't wait years. God she needed it now.

She closed her eyes and cried, pulling her arms to her chest and holding them with her arms, her forehead resting on her knee caps.

"I-i can't live in this b-body.." Andrew said, choking on her own words and stuttering between sniffles.

She felt her ghost self hug her, it was... Warm, surprisingly. This only lasted for a moment, however. The feeling faded slowly, and when Andrew looked back up;

She was gone. Her true form had faded out, perhaps to prepare for her soon coming to the dimension.

"I c-can't do this.." Andrew cried.

"I'm a girl. I'm sorry mom and dad, but I'm not sorry." Andrew said to herself as if her parents could hear her.

She sobbed in her own arms, pushed against her legs.

She slid down from her sitting position and lay flat on the bed. She was sprawled out in a starfish position.

She pulled the covers up and turned over onto her side. She cried herself to sleep that night, just to wake up the next morning and do it again.

"Soon.." Her voice called out to her again, this time farther away and in an echo just before Andrew fell asleep.

Tagging @reallife6anoufriev6boy6 !! ^_^

———————————————————————————

Lowkey love this one ?? I've never done a angsty fic so tell me how I did !!!!! :3 also hope y'all enjoyed the journal quotes in here ^_^

[eyecan02]

Spoilers If You Haven't Seen the New Helluva Boss Episode Mastermind

All of the sins show up (except Luci) for Blitz's trial. I haven't seen anyone talk about this. What drew my attention was Mammon because we see him flirting with Leviathan (I'm confused about the design as I thought Leviathan was Seviathan's father but this Leviathan is a two headed female).

Mammon was confirmed ace and we see him offering Leviathan a "night on the town" with a suggestive look (while holding a dildo xD). I think this scene was great because it offered us a more clear view of where Mammon falls on the ace spectrum.

I think that scene has great implications for another future ace reveal for our dear man. Mammon is more of a minor/side character for now, but the writers went out of their way to show his ace spectrum and not just simply show the stereotypical type of ace that most of the fandom seems to believe only exists. It was nice to see that (while I don't like Mammon) Mammon was shown having desires, wanting to go on a date and likely wanting to do more later that night.

If they did this for a minor character, I'm sure it won't be long before a major ace character like Al is also revealed to have those kinds of desires. We know he's a romantic judging by the way he sighed and watch Cherrisnake/the Hazbin gang in the finale from the balcony. Who's to say he hasn't thought about someday being in a relationship or if he isn't already lusting after someone?

*coughCharliecough*

[petrichal]

One Piece 1132 talk, my heart is full (and I'm freaking out again)

Can I just take a moment to comment on how this reminds me of, firstly, the first episode of Vicky the Viking, and simultaneously also, Luffy in Fuschia with Shanks?

It almost feels like an homage, it's super cute.

But BOY was this chapter so damn whimsical and exciting. It feels like a long time since the Strawhats have entered an island where there's no enemy (aware to them) that they're about to defeat; They're planning for a feast and it's a good time, it feels like a breather from all the chaos happening to the rest of the world lol

This spread is crazy btw

Elbaf feels like the fantasy land for me. A rainbow bridge where you can ride on (which, you can ride on rainbows this entire time and only the giants knew?? wild), island clouds in between levels, a whole village built on a tree with medieval architecture, waterfalls flowing down into the Underworld, just the sheer scale of it; It's SO good. I'm always in awe whenever they just pan over to an island's first look, and it was the whole island first with Yggdrasil and now this??? If you count Legoland then we have like 3 showings of Elbaf so far, and they just don't miss, they're so stunning.

Also this

This can make a grown man cry.

Usopp and Luffy, as they look on Elbaf, are thinking of the same thing. They both remember making this declaration, of someday going to Elbaf, a dream made by two boys just fresh out of East Blue and only on their second island in the Grand Line. And they made it. Usopp's dream is realized in this moment, and it's heartwarming that Luffy understands how important this was to Usopp as well.

(In a way, we as readers made it too. and yeah I cried a little lmao what of it)

And as if that's not enough, the narration starts, and halfway in the last page, as the narrator says "my account" that made me wonder "?? Is this someone actually talking?", in the last panel, with a ドン!！as it introduces a familiar name:

LOUIS ARNOT. LOUIS ARNOT, THE GUY WHO WROTE THE BOOK ABOUT LITTLE GARDEN, THE BOOK THAT NAMI OWNED THAT WAS ON THE MERRY BEFORE???? HUH????

I fully freaked out LMFAO because I've always been fascinated with the fact that explorers exist in the world of One Piece and they just have books annotating their experiences of the islands they go to and Louis Arnot is the only explorer we know of ever that's published a book about his expeditions, and the name drop just caught me off guard it's RIDICULOUS

The way we got introduced with Louis Arnot in Little Garden was with Nami remembering that she had read a book mentioning the island's name, and it was natural that we then got an excerpt from the book in the style of the usual One Piece narration, but here, this was so sudden (no segue, just appeared on a spread) that it makes the last panel with the all black background mentioning 'Louis Arnot' stand out.

I'm not saying that he's gonna appear as a character but hmMMMaybe??? (not likely lol) It's either that or I'm spouting nonsense and this is just a call back to when we first heard of Louis Arnot in Little Garden (which was on the last panel as well!). I still really like the idea of this faceless storyteller warning people of the islands he'd visited.

It also got me curious about Elbaf as an island?? What do you mean "Do not overstay your welcome"??? "Lost time"??? Do people lose track of time on Elbaf, and that's why giants experience time differently??? (👀 I like this theory I'm locking it in)

All in all, I feel like a kid again with this chapter, it truly feels nostalgic in the most magical way TvT

(edit: cause I totally missed this silhouette the first time ive read it, and he has been appearing (assuming this is the same person who was drinking sake when the Strawhats were approaching Elbaf just a few chapters back), but I believe this is. probably Shiki?? the kasa hat is totally hiding his dumb wheel chicken head???? maybe???

Like I know that's the common theory on this guy but the thing that makes me hesitate is idk what Shiki can bring story-wise, unless he's been disillusioned from being in Elbaf due to this thing Louis Arnot mentioned, or maybe there's just more to unpack from him than what we already know 🤔 curious)

[nyxandarcane]

Welcome to our ask blog!!!!!!!!! Yahoo yippeee :D :D

We’re Nyx and Arcane Doorman! We’ll use the purple and orangish text to indicate who’s talking. If it’s neither then it’s both of us!!!!

im nyx!! im arcane’s older sister, i like to blow things up with my buddy oliver, i like playing video games, i like hanging out with my dog Aurora! Arcane says my typing ans grammar sucks and is incomprehensible but i do what i want so he can BITE ME!!! >:3

Hi!! I’m Arcane! I’m Nyx’s younger brother and I like to draw or build thingys with our friend Oliver! I like my family and friends and games and art! My sister is the super duper coolest and I wanna be just like her someday! I cant wait to make new friends here!! :D

//ooc:

//C: these double backslashes means out of character talking, in case one of us needs to clarify something. “C” is TheCosmicCrow (Crow) and “D” is DragonPro. This has “C:” in front of it because this is Crow typing this :3

//C: Arcane is 12-13 and Nyx is like 17-18 for this blog. Most of Nyx’s dialogue will be typed by Crow, while most of Arcane’s will be typed by Dragon, as that’s who belongs to who. There will be a little bit at the bottom of every answer telling you who’s answering at the present time.

//C: the characters also DO have typing quirks!! they have distinct ways of typing that will almost always be on purpose. You can also ask other characters stuff, if you want, but this blog is primarily run by the siblings.

//C: Extra characters: N, Uzi, Oliver, Aurora (who will only attempt to type as she is not good at it), Wolfie (same deal), Chirp (who is very incomprehensible I promise). You can also ask V, Sparky, Thad, Lizzy, Nori, and Khan stuff, though their answering ability is WAYYYYYY decreased because they don’t live in the house or interact with the siblings as often. If its one of these characters, there will be an actual indicator before the dialogue (ex. “Uzi: BITE ME!!”) just for further clarification. the siblings will not have dialogue tags unless any of these characters are also present.

//C: Apologies for the bigass post, but I just want to be able to clarify everything right off the bat to avoid confusion :’) if you want to ask us questions about the blog, go to our ACTUAL blogs @thecosmiccrow and @dragonpro809 since this one is purely for roleplay and character study purposes. :3

Anyways!! We’re both SUPER excited to get questions from you guyz!!!! so.. ask away? :3

[magesforthedas]

Oof I just have to talk about the animations and voice acting for a sec.

All of my (160ish?) hours of playing, I've just been enamoured with watching Rook and the companions faces during cutscenes. Now to be fair I don't play a ton of games, and the next best graphics game I play is probably inquisition, so sure maybe there are games with better graphics, etc. etc But the facials expressions, the little subtle things I'm just OBSESSED with. Like they really feel like people. THEN you get these amazing voice actors in here.

I have cried so much during this game it's not even funny. But there were so many scenes with each companion where I was just struck by the quality of the voice acting, and how their voices really expressed that character so well.

This came up again bc my first playthrough I cried at the end of Bellara, Davrin, Taash, and Emmerich's companion quests. I'm on my second playthrough, completing all of them again (and this game I've been trying to mostly make opposite decisions for the big things, like the city and the companion quests) and I get to Emmerich's.

I couldn't do it y'all. I told myself "maybe I'll encourage Emmerich to pursue Lichdom" and I WILL someday, my friend told me about it and I'm very excited. But I just love Manfred too much, and I was like, that's not the right call for this character. So I choose to save Manfred again.

THIS SCENE. When he says he wouldn't exchange this for anything?? The little catch in his voice?????? I cried again. I didn't expect to and then I couldn't help it because I was just so happy 😭 ughhhhhhh these characters are amazing. And these voice actors who brought them to life. Also I'm very excited to romance Emmerich in my next playthrough 🥰

[blooddrinkingbartender]

Russell also turned his eyes back towards Jonathan then. He still didn't know how he felt about all of this. Being in a small room with two vampires was not ideal. But one had never attacked a human and the other looked like he hadn't gone completely off the deep end yet.

And surely, if they were going to kill him, they would have done it already. He couldn't fight one Ekon on his own, let alone two. They wouldn't have wasted time trying to talk to him and get his trust first, right?

But then he reminded himself to listen. At the mention of hypnotism, a shiver went up his spine. That Lord Enigma found a way to make it creepy in his performances.

"Uh... only um, he heh, seen, seen it in like, stage, stage performances," Russell said, "Not in the, um, uh, medical sense? Th-therapy? Not uh, heh, not seen it, heh heh heh, done like that."

He swallowed. Perhaps it would have a hand in bringing back who he was. There was also that concern that maybe he had been truly terrible person before arriving here, and that this meant to be a second chance without looking back.

No, he would have to face it someday. Better sooner than later.

"I uh, heh, I guess I, I can, can give it, heh heh, a, a shot."

"You're doing that awkward fake chuckle you do when you're worried about something," Bill observed then, "Yes, I know about that too, because I knew you. But something about that is worrying you, clearly."

"I uh, um... don't really know what, what to expect from it, I uh, heh, I guess... but you know, I uh, heh, said I'll, heh heh, I'll give it a try. I, I won't know unless I uh, heh, I try, right?"

@vampyrs-and-witchers

{At the mention of getting Russell’s once lost memories back, Jonathan perked up with a nod. He’d almost forgotten.} “Have you heard of a thing called ‘hypnotherapy’? While it’s not of the traditional medical practices, it’s been studied in the field of psychiatry to help those with deep-seeded trauma and memory loss to help them uncover anything that the individual may have forgotten or suppressed. It’s worth a try if you’re willing to go through it - though I will advise you, it’ll only work if you’re one-hundred percent open to trying it.

[gerrykeay]

im not putting this post into words. beams into your mind The Parallels

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[kaiserouo]

"Huh."

[deeva-arud]

So, about that one AU that's been marinating in my mind for years

[rainbow-nerdss]

"How come you never talk to me about sports?"

It's late in the afternoon on a lazy Sunday, and they're just curled up on the couch together. Eddie's got a book in one hand, and he's carding the fingers of his other through Steve's hair. Steve's got the sports pages from the morning paper in his lap, and he's looking through it idly.

He stops when he hears Eddie's question, though, cranes his neck back to look at him.

"Huh?"

"How come you never talk about sports? I just realised I don't even know what teams you support." Eddie dog-ears his book and sets his book aside as he asks.

Steve frowns. "But… you don't care about sports. Like, at all. Why would I bore you by talking about it?"

"Are you bored when I talk about D&D?” Eddie asks, hand stilling in Steve’s hair. Steve shakes his head. “I tell you about my sessions all the time. I tell you about the books I'm reading and music shit, and you always listen to me. You don't really care about any of that stuff, either."

Steve shakes his head. "Yeah, but that’s different,” he tries to argue.

“How so?”

Steve wracks his brain for the words to describe it. “I like listening to you talk about D&D because you get so excited. I like hearing you talk about something you care about."

Eddie smiles and kisses Steve’s forehead. He looks almost smug, like he’s won a debate Steve hadn’t even realised he was part of.

"So let me ask again. Why don't you talk about sports more?"

Steve is quiet, staring at nothing in the distance as he puts the pieces together.

"I never... Nobody ever.... I mean, except Lucas, but Robin and Dustin always rolled their eyes when I made references to it, so..."

Eddie cups Steve’s face and looks him in the eye. "Tell me something."

"What?"

"I don't know. What's the drama right now? How's your team doing in the league or the championship or whatever it's called? Tell me about the last game you saw on TV! I wanna hear you talk about your interests, too."

Steve feels warmth burst in his chest as he sets the newspaper aside. 

Eddie leans back against the couch, watching fondly as he listens. Steve is hesitant at first, stumbling over his words. A little voice in the back of his head keeps tripping him up, telling him Eddie doesn't care about any of this and you're boring him, wrap it up.

Every time he lets the voice win, though, every time he stops talking, trails off, or tries to change the topic to something Eddie might enjoy more, Eddie asks him a question.

"What does that rule mean?"

"How does team selection even work?" 

"What would your dream line-up look like right now?"

And Steve answers. And Eddie listens.

When Eddie finally runs out of questions, Steve's surprised by how happy he is.

"You're really cute when you talk about sports, you know that right? Your face lights up with it."

Steve leans in and kisses Eddie. "I love you."

"Love you too, babe. I really do."

[xxplastic-cubexx]

cant stop thinkin bout charles and erik readin together on the couch but instead of reading with him charles is listening to eriks thoughts while he reads. Live mind commentary ……..