#you know first making only one surname mandatory

[blueflyingturtleontheway]

I found some old posts wondering about why in the entirety of EoA only Elena and Isa have double surnames and I just wanted to share my headcanon that it might've been something that was eradicated during Shuriki's rule

[drunk-person]

Study Session

Pairing: Aemond Targaryen x classmate!reader

Summary: Aemond is assigned to a college work with Y/n, an absent-minded art student who doesn't give a damn about philosophy. Things don't go well since she doesn't help him at all, until the two come to an unorthodox agreement that ends the impasse.

WARNING: 18+ mdni! secret crush, semi-nudity, voyeurism, breast fetish, exchange of academic favors for "sex", modern au, no description for reader.

Word cont: 3.200k

Author's note: This just came to my mind while doing some really boring work and I ended up writing it. The Rosby house is close to Kings Landing so I chose this surname for the reader, I hope you like it.

Dedicated to the poor readers of The Gossip who read chapter 7 and are in need of some comfort for their souls after all that mess hahaha I love you all! English is not my first language 💕💕🥰

Y/n was so frustrated. That class was absolutely hellish and if it wasn't mandatory in her schedule she would certainly never even pass in front of the door. The only reasonable side to all of this was the fact that Aemond Targaryen sat in front of her during this unbearable class. He could be as arrogant as he wanted if he continued to be so hot.

The girl bit her lip as she stared at the back of his pale neck that was exposed to her eyes since his long silver hair was tied in a bun due to the heat wave. The two had never exchanged more than a few words, but Y/n couldn't help it, he was too handsome and intelligent for his own good.

She didn't know how he could understand that subject and answer all the questions the teacher asked as if they were obvious to him. Y/n did her best to hide her crush, but whenever no one was looking she couldn't help but sigh lightly as she looked at him.

She was barely in the same reality as the rest of the class when she heard her name being called harshly by the professor, pulling her out of her deep thoughts and back to real life.

-I'm sorry, professor, I was distracted. - She looked down, blushing when she realized that the whole class was looking at her while letting out light giggles.

-Which seems to be a very common occurrence with you, doesn't it? - The man spoke in an irritated voice and Y/n felt her face heat up even more.

-If you're interested in knowing, Miss Rosby, we're holding a draw for pairs of work for the semester. - The professor was still looking at Y/n as he spoke and reaching into the jar, he pulled out a new piece of paper.

-Aemond Targaryen.

Y/n felt her heart stop momentarily when she heard that name. Would her semester partner be Aemond Targaryen? The gods must have wanted to play with her.

-Good luck, Mr Targaryen, you will need it. - The man said, making the whole class laugh, except for Aemond, who, without Y/n noticing, glared at the teacher when he heard the mean joke.

After the class ended, the room gradually emptied, while the few remaining students put their books and notebooks in their backpacks. Aemond finished writing some notes in his notebook under the watchful eye of Y/n, who was anxiously waiting to talk to him.

And when he turned towards her with that serious look and that sculpted face, Y/n smiled and pretended to be disinterested.

-I don't understand half of what that man says. - She shrugged, staring at him while Aemond frowned. - I hope it won't be a problem for you to be my partner.

-Maybe you would understand if you spent more time paying attention in class and less time drawing. - Aemond rolled his good eye, putting away his own books while Y/n felt her belly heat up.

How did he know she was drawing in class if he had his back to her the whole time?

-I don't like studying boring things that guys who died centuries ago said and that don't make any sense.

-But do you like studying works that boring guys who died centuries ago painted and that don't make any sense? - He raised his eyebrows ironically, looking at her and Y/n's mouth slightly opened, not knowing what to say.

-That… That's not the point.

-Mmmm… if you say so. - The irony was poignant in his voice and expression and Y/n slightly narrowed her eyes, feeling the urge to argue more without knowing what to answer.

-They… They're not meaningless! - She snorted in annoyance and Aemond just let out a nasal laugh while raising his eyebrows.

-Most of them are just a bunch of meaningless scribbles. - He rolled his eyes, putting his backpack on his back.

-The name is surrealism, and perhaps underdeveloped minds don't understand it very well! - Y/n lifted her chin, pulled her own bag onto her shoulder and pressed the sketchbook against her chest, leaving before Aemond, leaving him with a mischievous smile on his lips as he watched her leave.

Y/n rolled her eyes, irritated with herself as she walked towards the open courtyard of the college, sitting at a stone table and throwing her bag on it, seriously considering diverting her idiotic crush on Aemond Targaryen to another guy.

Unfortunately for her, at the same moment the thought crossed her mind, his soft voice called her from behind and the hairs on the back of the girl's neck stood on end at the same moment, making her snort.

-We need to decide where and when we're going to meet to start the work. - He murmured and Y/n turned to look at him, snorting when she saw that he looked even more attractive with the sunlight shining through his silver hair.

In the natural light, the prosthetic eye was more visible than indoors, as was the thin scar that ran from the eye to the forehead and cheek. Y/n didn't give a shit, she just thought he looked even hotter if that was possible.

-Rosby? - Aemond called her, his voice miles away from taking her out of her self-imposed trance.

-I'm sorry, I got a bit distracted. - She shook her head, trying to focus on the conversation, and Aemond turned his face to the side, smiling discreetly at the action. - What did you say?

-We'll meet to start work.

-Oh, yes, yes. - She nodded thoughtfully. - How about the library?

-I don't study in the library, there are always idiots who go there to make a mess and interfere with concentration. - Aemond rolled his eyes with a frown, making her rack her brain to remember if she had ever messed up in the library.

-Yeah. They're all idiots! - She agreed, rolling her eyes when she came to the conclusion that she hadn't done anything wrong in the college library.

-We can go to my dorm. - Y/n shrugged, trying to be casual. - But my roommate is always there and never turns off the TV.

-Don't you have your own room? - He looked at her confused and Y/n laughed.

-Not all of us can own the campus. - She grimaced and Aemond rolled his eyes.

-Your family has money too.

-Having money is different from being a filthy rich Targaryen. - She grumbled as she gestured lightly with her hands, arching her eyebrows, and Aemond didn't contest her.

-Whatever, let's meet in my dorm, it's empty there and no one will disturb us.

Y/n nodded, subtly biting her lower lip at the idea that she would go to Aemond's room.

-Where is it? - She came back to reality, remembering to ask, and asking her for a pen, Aemond wrote down the number and the floor on the last page of the sketchbook that was on the table.

-See you on Friday. - He murmured, turning around and leaving her as soon as he finished writing, making her sigh once more at hearing that voice so close to her.

♤♡

Y/n did her best to look beautiful in the most disinterested way possible. Just a gray blouse with black denim shorts and a thin black coat on top, her hair tied with a simple clip and just a bit of lipstick. It was almost how she looked every day, except for the fact that she wasn't wearing a bra, but with the coat on top he probably wouldn't even notice that fact.

Apart from the fact that when she got there she discovered that they were fixing the cooling system in Aemond's building and now she was without the coat and wearing only the thin blouse, attracting Aemond's discreet glance at her from time to time.

The two spread their materials across the table in the living room connected to the bedroom and sat on the floor to study. Unfortunately, Aemond was having more trouble concentrating in his own room than in the library, with the sight of Y/n in that blouse in front of him, scribbling drawings on her philosophy book while pretending to read something.

When he finally managed to read a few words, he could hear her melodious laughter from the other side of the table.

-What is it? - He murmured almost in a growl making her become serious.

-It's just that I'm watching and I think my shared dorm room would fit inside yours.- She shrugged and Aemond rolled his eyes without giving a verbal response.

Minutes later, when he went back to reading focused and taking some important notes, her voice rang out once again, distracting him.

-I'm so lazy. - Y/n threw herself onto the philosophy books open on the coffee table in Aemond's dorm room, and he slightly arched his eyebrows.

-You haven't done anything so far. - He grumbled as he took note of an important quote that he would probably use in the future during the work.

-Because this subject is totally boring. - The girl mumbled with her head still lying on the books but now with her face turned towards Aemond looking at him while slowly blinking her eyes feeling a little sleepy. Until now, nothing interesting had happened outside of her imagination.

-Boredom or not, I think it's better to start working on your part, because there's no way I'm going to give you credit for something you didn't do. - Aemond looked at her very seriously while Y/n sulked, crossing her arms under her breasts, slightly drawing the older man's attention there again.

-Are you always this boring, Targaryen? - Y/n snorted, making one of the loose strands of hair fly out of her pretty face.

-This isn't boring, this is justice. - His eyes were still discreetly fixed on the subtle neckline of the gray blouse that Y/n was wearing, except that now she noticed it, feeling her stomach tingle with the idea that Aemond Targaryen was looking at her.

-Talking about justice and being a total pervert. - She slightly pressed her eyes to him while tightening her arms under her breasts, making them more prominent, making Aemond cough with a subtle choke, looking away.

-Mmmm, I wasn't looking at your breasts. - He grunted looking in another direction.

-Ah, you certainly were. - She arched her eyebrows laughing. - If you want to know, women always know when you're looking.

-What's that? A weird sixth sense? - Aemond raised his eyebrows in disbelief, still a little embarrassed for having been caught.

-Something like that. - Y/n shrugged with a slight grimace, but then an idea popped into her head making her subtly bite her lower lip, staring at him as she gathered her courage.

-How about we make a deal? - Y/n was still biting her lower lip without believing she was actually going to say that to him.

-What kind of deal? - Aemond tilted his forehead, confused but interested, while his eyes inadvertently fell once again on her breasts.

-I'll let you be a perv and look at my boobs, and you do my part in this stupid job. - She suggested, slowly poking the hem of her own thin blouse under the attentive gaze of Aemond, who felt his own mouth drying up.

-Mmmm. - He mocked her with an ironic smile. - No deal. This work is almost 30 pages long, I want to at least be able to touch them.

-What? - She narrowed her eyes slightly while arching her right eyebrow now, not believing what he was saying.

-That's right, and you'll be topless while i writing the work. It's that or nothing. - He smiled maliciously as he arched his eyebrows, waiting for her answer, being almost certain that she would give up on the idea.

-Gods, you're more perv than I thought. - She grumbled, staring at him with a frown as she tried to process the fact that Aemond Targaryen really had asked to touch her boobs.

-Do we have a deal? - Aemond asked, still with a dirty smile on his face, and Y/n rolled her eyes at him, mumbling something to herself, unable to call him an idiot since she had given him the idea.

-We have a deal. - She spoke firmly, feeling soft shivers down her thighs as she said this, making Aemond subtly widen his eyes in shock at her accepting. - But… I don't want to read a single sentence about this subject, I don't want to know about these idiot philosophers and much less about their silly theories.

-These aren't silly theories… - Aemond rolled his eyes condescendingly at the girl's lack of understanding on such an important subject, it almost affected the crush he had on her… almost.

-Ah. - She cut him off instantly. - I don't want to know. Deal?

-Deal. - He grimaced in slight disgust, if she weren't so hot it wouldn't be worth all the effort, Aemond thought rolling his eyes.

With a sigh Y/n pulled the gray blouse of thin fabric over her head leaving her bare breasts exposed to Aemond's hungry and raw gaze that made her skin crawl almost instantly.

The moment she took off her blouse, Aemond took away his previous thought. She was certainly worth the effort and he would definitely do a thousand jobs like that just to take a look at those breasts.

Feeling confident under his gaze Y/n sat on the two-seater sofa and once again crossed her arms under her now bare breasts while looking at him with one of her eyebrows raised.

Taking a deep breath, Aemond sat down next to her, staring at that beautiful pair of breasts that he could say for sure were the most beautiful he had ever laid eyes on in his life.

-Can I? - He reached out his hands to her breasts, but stopped just before touching them, wanting her to be one hundred percent sure of what she was doing. And when the girl nodded positively while biting her lower lip and subtly pressing her legs together, he touched his palms, feeling her soft breasts and almost moaning at the soft sensation.

Little by little he moved his hands while looking at her with a very serious look, and with the tips of his thin fingers he began to massage her erect nipples with increasing dedication, observing the responses her body gave him. Every soft tremor, every subtle gasp, every press and rub of her thighs against each other.

-They're perfect. - He praised softly as he stimulated them, eliciting a soft moan from Y/n who bent down even more offering her own breasts to Aemond.

She was lost in his touches, so gentle yet so demanding. No one had ever given her so much pleasure just by touching her breasts, and Y/n wanted to moan with pleasure but was holding herself back so as not to seem so given. She pressed her eyes tightly, feeling the shocks of pleasure running through her body and going straight down to her completely soaked pussy.

Suddenly, with her eyes still closed, Y/n felt Aemond's warm breath close to her skin, and opened her eyes at the same moment, looking at him.

-What are you doing? - She gasped, looking directly into that blue eye that had left her fascinated since the first time she saw it and that now looking so closely she thought it contained some violet reflections.

-I said I wanted to touch, you didn't specify just using of hands. - He murmured dirtyly, lowering his mouth over Y/n's breasts and sucking deeply on her excited nipple, which curved her back against the couch, finally moaning loudly in pure contentment.

-Oh Aemond please more. - She whimpered, writhing and pressing her thighs together. - So good... so good.

From that moment on, it was impossible for her to contain her own moans, his mouth felt so incredible against her already sensitive nipples. With each suction she trembled and tightened her thighs while gripping the sofa tightly, almost digging her nails into the upholstery.

-By the gods, you have the tastiest tits I've ever tasted in my life. - Aemond moaned between the hungry sucks and firm, desperate caresses, sending a new wave of pleasure over her as she heard those words. And without control over her own body, Y/n put her hands in Aemond's hair, tangling her fingers there and holding her head against herself as she moaned his name in despair.

Her pulling on his hair did something almost wild to Aemond, he usually didn't like it when people pulled his hair, but at that moment… Fuck, it really felt good. And when she started moaning his name in a completely lacking way while rubbing her pussy on the couch like a desperate bitch in heat, he felt himself on the edge.

While he sucked and licked her left nipple, caressing the right one with his hand, drawing waves and waves of pleasure from her, he guided his vacant hand inside the gray sweatpants he was wearing and finally paid attention to his cock, which was leaking and making a mess against the fabric of his boxers.

He violently fucked his cock against the left hand while still inside his pants while inevitably moaning against Y/n's nipple, making her rub even harder against the sofa.

-Aemond. - Came Y/n's broken voice in a moan that was almost a whimper as she shuddered without control over her own body, writhing on the couch, feeling the unbridled pleasure of the orgasm taking over her.

And hearing her beg for his name as she writhed in the midst of orgasm, Aemond reached his own peak of pleasure, spurting against his own hand in thick, strong jets, moaning with contentment against Y/n's sensitive, reddened nipples.

The two remained motionless for a few moments, just trying to regain their senses completely taken over by the debilitating pleasure. Y/n's mind went completely blank as she laid her head on the back of the sofa, still panting, completely shocked since she had never cum just by stimulating her nipples. And Aemond, in turn, tried to regain his composure with his head still buried between his classmate's delicious breasts.

And when he finally raised his head, he couldn't resist the temptation to suck her nipple once more, making her gasp with overstimulation.

-Oh, Aemond. - She sighed complainingly, lightly pushing his head away with the palm of her right hand. - They're sensitive.

-Mmmm. - He murmured caressing her naked waist. -I could suck your tits for hours if you let me.

-I could let you. - She gasped, pretending to be uncertain about the subject even though she was still sensitive to his touch, feeling the inside of her thighs tingling amid the scandalous moisture in her panties.

-Well, it's 30 pages. - He shrugged, moving his caresses up and down her waist. - And as far as I know, the pairs that Hayford assigned are until the end of the semester.

-We'll have plenty of time. - He kissed her nipple once more, making her sigh.

[wishful-thinking64]

HH Rewrite Related Post #01

Not too long ago I reblogged a post that involved some of the background characters in Hazbin Hotel because there's a few that I'd like to make into actual characters as they have potential to be something cool. Well, I finished the key information for what I came up with for the Siren Overlord and I'd like to share it! ________ [APPEARANCE]

[CURRENT NAME] 🞂 SCYLLA. 🞂 She hadn't chosen a new name for herself until after she had been in Hell for about 4 years as that's when she became an Overlord.

[FORMER NAME] 🞂 TANASHIRI DATUMOLOK. 🞂 Her first name means Sacred Lotus while her surname essentially means Natural Born Leader.

[D.O.B + D.O.D] 🞂 BORN JUNE 27TH, 1720. 🞂 DIED AUGUST 27TH, 1756. [AGE] 🞂 BIOLOGICALLY 36. 🞂 CHRONOLOGICALLY 304.

[GENDER & SEX] 🞂 FEMALE.

[ETHNICITY & NATIONALITY] 🞂 A FILIPINA WHO LIVED IN THE PHILIPPINES. 🞂 She never left the motherland until her passing forced her to.

[SOCIAL STATUS] 🞂 OVERLORD. 🞂 I'm still having her be a current Overlord in my rewrite cause I'm a sucker for her design. [OVERLORD SYMBOL/SIGNAL] 🞂 A LOTUS FLOWER. 🞂 This is both a reference to her original name along with being another reference to the Odyssey.

[CRIMES COMMITTED IN LIFE FROM LEAST OFFENSIVE TO MOST OFFENSIVE] 🞂 THEFT. 🞂 B&E (Breaking and Entering.) 🞂 TRAFFICKING OF ILLEGAL & STOLEN GOODS (Specifically treasures belonging to rich or wealthy conquistadors.) 🞂ESPIONAGE. 🞂 AGGRAVATED ASSAULT. 🞂 KIDNAPPING. 🞂 TORTURE. 🞂 MURDER. [SINS COMMITTED IN LIFE FROM LEAST TO GREATEST] 🞂 PRIDE 🞂 GREED 🞂 WRATH 🞂 ENVY [OVERLORD PROFESSION/THEME] 🞂 PRIDE'S #01 KILLING BUSINESS. 🞂 Ranging from run of the mill hitmen to top tier assassins, Scylla's got a wide selection of killers ready to get their hands dirty instead of yours! As long as the price is right (and you actually have the money), simply provide the target's name, time, and location so your killer knows when and where to be. And if you have something sick and twisted in mind, you can customize how your killer handles the process whether it be a specific murder plan to follow through or a more devious torture method before your target breathes their final breath! However, keep in mind that customization does cost extra.

[HOW SHE SECURED HER CONTRACTS] 🞂 PRIMARILY DUE TO DESPERATION. 🞂 Unlike many Overlords who fool demons into signing away their souls with false promises or clever wordplay, the demons that go to Scylla tend do so out of necessity. The majority of her vast catalog of killers were once demons who were either jobless or homeless. With nowhere else to go, they turned to her as a last resort to, financially, get their lives back on track. Her soul contracts offer good perks to the contractor as they get free healthcare should they get injured on the job, if they're homeless when signing their contract they're able to live in company's apartment complex until they get back on their feet, contractors only work four days out of the week, receive a bi-weekly income, etc.

[TERRITORY NAME] 🞂 ANG LUNGSOD NG SALUNGOS. 🞂 English Translation = The City of Urchins.

[CORE PERSONALITY TRAITS] 🞂 ADEPT. 🞂 ALERT. 🞂 AMBITIOUS (I feel like this is just a mandatory trait in order for a demon to become an Overlord.) 🞂 ANTIPATHETIC. 🞂 DARING. 🞂 DILIGENT. 🞂 PERSPICACIOUS. 🞂 RECLUSIVE. 🞂 RESOURCEFUL. 🞂 SELFISH. 🞂 SLY. 🞂 TENACIOUS. 🞂 THANKFUL. [RELATIONS TO OTHER OVERLORDS] 🞂 BARELY ANY. 🞂 She has little to no relations to any of the current Overlords on account of only appearing for mandatory/urgent meetings; the last of which happened back in The Great Depression. The Overlord she knows of and has spoken to the most is Zestial as the old(er) bastard has somehow managed to stick around. She's spoken to Rosie twice and has spoken to Alastor all of one time. What she knows about the current Overlords is through social media and whatever intel Zestial has to offer her but other than that she doesn't know them anywhere near on a personal level and vice versa which is exactly how she wants things to be.

________ I had a lot of fun creating Scylla's character (minus her design of course that credit goes to and belongs to Spindlehorse) sheet and I can't wait to share more stuff like this in the future! Thank you for reading and bye for now everyone!

[kradogsrats]

realized I've referenced this in several fics now but never explained it, so here's a Katolian Clerical Order headcanon:

So Katolis is the oldest human kingdom, yeah? As such, when it began to coalesce into something structured and functional as a society, there was still a strong connection to the cultural trauma of the expulsion from Xadia in terms of the entirety of human history being lost within 3-4 human lifetimes. The other kingdoms don't feel that quite as keenly, because they mostly wind up defining themselves in some way relative to Katolis, but before Katolis there was only Elarion. Then it's been at least a couple hundred years, so even Elarion has already taken on a mythic quality—you might as well say "Atlantis" or "Camelot." Just like no one knows the names of the first dark mages, or the Dragon Queen who cast humanity out, or that there were ever human primal mages at all, there aren't even any recorded first-hand accounts of Elarion left.

Anyway, where the Clerics come in is that Katolis winds up having a strong cultural drive to take control of its own history, down to a personal level. In addition to safeguarding the laws and traditions of Katolis, the Clerics maintain what is essentially a kingdom-wide census. Births, deaths, marriages and divorces, adoptions—all can be added to the records that go back almost as far as the kingdom itself. It's not mandatory, except for the royal family (there's some complex legal implications involved), but the majority of people do it because their parents did it, and their parents, etc. That's not to say it's particularly useful, because apparently no one in this setting has a surname, but let's pretend that sufficiently extensive cross-referencing can compensate for that. The records aren't generally legally binding, but they can be used for things like voiding a debt with a recorded death, or limiting inheritance to only offspring of recorded spouses.

There's also a tangential set of records for things like government positions, so yes, you can look up exactly who has been high mage or on the High Council or whatever for the past several centuries. The Clerics themselves, of course, keep detailed logs of everyone in their ranks, down to the acolytes. And there's definitely some office where anyone can walk into and make a records request (obviously they don't let just anyone paw through the 500-year-old scrolls) and the archivists will find and transcribe the info for you.

[purplesurveys]

1935

[chasingghosts @ bzoink]

1. How long ago did you wake up? 8 hours ago. Quite later than the usual; I often wake up at 6:15 AM these days, but today I took until 7:45ish.

2. With a fried egg, do you prefer the yolk runny or set? I like them really runny. I wouldn't be as enthusiastic if the yolk was already set/cooked all the way through.

3. Would you ever want to visit Thailand? I did and I have! I went to Bangkok last year. Would love to go back.

4. Do you like Marvel movies? Do you have a favourite? I honestly am not. After the The Avengers craze I quickly got tired of the superhero oversaturation.

5. Have you ever planned a wedding? Not as the main person-in-charge, but I have been helping Angela and Hans with options when it comes to suppliers. I just give them leads or links and such, but I don't want to override and decide for them obviously.

6. How far away from home is the place you work or study? (or spend the most amount of time outside of home) On a normal, fair day without traffic, it should only be about a 20-25 minute drive away. But alas I live in a country where we live and breathe traffic + the one bridge on the way to the office recently got partially destroyed because of a typhoon, so now it takes me anywhere between an hour, hour and a half to get to the office.

7. Do you have any pimples right now? Yeah, annoyingly so. Left side of my face, a little bit above my lip. It's like when a pimple is close to fading, there's another one that pops up someplace else and it's really annoying.

8. What member of your family are you most similar to? In which ways? Idk if there's anyone. Maybe my eldest cousin on my mom's side? We're both into reading and learning about humanities. We can both be pretty opinionated and outspoken, especially about politics. We're both the firstborn in our respective families who never really got the chance to be a child, so we both have pretty cynical outlooks and matured quite quickly.

9. How do you listen to music? Spotify, Apple Music, Youtube, something else? I've been on Spotify for the longest time, but not too long ago I decided to give Apple Music a try because I've been reading everywhere that it has better music quality. Turns out people were telling the truth – music sounds a lot crisper on the other side haha.

I listen to Apple Music more frequently now, but more so for one-off songs that I wanna listen to because Spotify still has all of my playlists and I can't be assed to re-make them one by one on AM – if that makes sense.

10. Do you think everyone should vote, even if it's not mandatory? It's very important to, as it's a right that you have. Problem is where I'm from, lack of voter education has always led the masses to always just vote for celebrities or whoever has familiar surnames. Unfortunately they have no awareness that it's these very people who are the corrupt ones and keep the country in the poor state it's in.

Everyone should vote, but everyone also should first be educated on how to vote and how to scrutinize every candidate.

11. Have you ever painted a rock? Nah. Closest thing is painting eggs for Easter, lol.

12. If you could have any animal as a pet, what would you have? I'd love to just keep having dogs. It's my dream to have my own shelter for stray dogs.

13. Do you ever shop at Aldi? Do you even have one nearby? Well, no, because we don't have that here.

14. How old were you at your first concert? I was 14 turning 15 when I went to my first concert – this was in 2013.

15. What are some of your favourite snacks? Pringles, nachos, mozzarella sticks are the ones that stick out.

16. Are you religious or spiritual in any way? No.

17. Do you know how to change the oil in a car? Nope.

18. Has it rained or snowed today? It has not.

19. Did you go to school with anyone named Levi? If so, what were they like? No.

20. What's on your shopping list at the moment? Nothing.

[southkoreaandjapan]

Escaping from North Korea....

June 25, 2023

We spent the morning at the DMZ and then had lunch at a place near the DMZ. Lunch was - AGAIN - absurdly wonderful and too much food. Below is a pic BEFORE they brought out the meat.

One of the many things I forgot to say about the DMZ is that there are villages within the DMZ. The people who live and work there are given special tax incentives to stay. I was kinda's surprised about that.

Additionally, I wanted to talk about the average Korea's take on the US. Yong was adamant that we understand that although there are some people who wish the US would pack up and leave, they are a tiny, tiny , tiny minority. Most Koreans believe that the only thing that is keeping North Korea from invading is indeed the US presence and they hope that will never end.

In doing my research about the Korean War, the DMZ and current events, I came over many articles written from the Korean point of view during the Trump years when it looked as if the treaties and agreements that had been in place since 1953 would be trashed. They did not appreciate Trump and his lack of understanding of the Korean/US Alliance, nor did they appreciate when Trump and Kim Jong Un "fell in love." I knew how many of us in the US felt about this - but I had not considered the South Korean perspective. If you believe your very existence is based on the strength of your treaties it must have been terrifying! FYI - they are much more comfortable with Biden.

After we returned to Seoul we took a city bus to the Seoul Tower and vistas were simply gorgeous.

We were lucky to be able to catch a genuine performance of the traditional Korean instrumental performance “Samul nori" while high above the city. This is the performance art that Nanta is based on and I thought it was pretty cool!

We returned to the hotel in order to meet with an interesting young man, Park Yusung, who defected from North Korea 14 years ago at age 19. My mind was blown. (In Korea, the surname is first and the given name second, so my name would be Dybdahl Gayl - FYI)

Here is the back story: His father defected when he was 10 and got himself settled in South Korea. The authorities harassed the family consisting of himself, his mother and extended family of both mother and father. His father was labeled a spy and a traitor. BUT - they were poor family from a small village and eventually the official harrassent faded. The plan was always to get out and join father - but this can only be done with money, so father saved. At age 19, Yusung received notification that he was to report for his 10 years of mandatory military service - and the time to leave was at hand.

It is not illegal to send money TO North Korea - but one can expect to receive only about 1/3 of the amount sent. You know - "handling charges..." It is illegal to send money FROM North Korea, however. His father send enough money to bribe a bridge guard and arranged for a "Broker" to meet them once they were in China. And he and his mother were off in the middle of the night. They carried what they needed - and nothing more.

Yusung had MANY factors in his favor but the journey was still horrific. The first and most important factor was the location of his village, Hoe Pyenog City - on the Tumen River. (upper right on the map below). The citizens for North Korea are not permitted to visit locations other than their own city UNLESS they apply for permission to do so. You may visit for a family emergency or for work - but the process is long and the denial rate is very high. Yusung's village was on the banks of the Tumen River with China lying on the other side.

The second major advantage was he had a sponsor (his father) making arrangements, funneling money, etc. BUT what Yusung and his mother were doing was illegal in North Korea and in China. He and his mother had no papers and had to hide, bypass or bribe officials at the all the numerous check points. To be sent back to North Korea meant prison or death.

Yusung and his mother traveled with many people fleeing North Korea and worked with many different "brokers". 7 months later he and his mother were in a refugee camp in Bangkok - more than 3,000 miles from their village.

Prior to this Yusung had been arrested on the Mekong River and sentenced to 40 days in prison. He served his time with hardened criminals - his crime was "no papers." When he was released - he was simply released on the street. (I want to point out the the men and women were separated - so although he occasionally caught a glimpse of his mother - he was not traveling as her companion.)

Finally, almost a year after he and his mother bribed the guard to cross the Tumen River they were reunited with his father. 14 years later, he is a college educated man who speaks prefect English, a film maker and he works with an NGO called Freedom Speakers International. The goal of the organization is to raise awareness of human rights violations.

Here are some things that he told us that shocked me. There in NO Internet in North Korea. Citizens have cell phone - but they will only call within the country. People know things are different outside of the country because there are smuggled DVDs and SIM cards. BUT the penalty for possession of these items is death. He told us he saw a smuggled DVD of Titantic - and then he grinned. It was cute.

We asked him if his family had been bothered after he and his mother escaped. They were for a little bit - but he reminded us his family are little fishes in a big pond.

To excel in South Korea you must know English. English - he had been taught - was the language for his enemy so he knew not one word. Part of the Freedom Speakers International services are instruction in English.

He is a citizen of South Korea and we discovered that the constitution of South Korea states if you are born on the Korean peninsula, you are a citizen of South Korea because the land above the DMZ belongs rightfully to South Korea but has been taken illegally. It isn't quite that easy though. He had 3 different interviews answering many, many questions. The 3 interviews were then analyzed and because they matched he was given full citizenship.

He is speaking in DC and I'm hoping to see him when we ( two grandkids and me!) are there from July 15-22.

Below is the video about his journey. I'm not really done with this - but I'm posting it while I have good Internet in our Seoul hotel. We are leaving in a few minutes to go to the airport to head to Japan. So - let the digital info flow. I might pick this up again soon.

Yes, I'm WAY behind.

Stay tuned!

[empatheticagent]

A small step?

//quick note for mentions of mental illnesses (depression, ptsd, anxiety). Death and abuse are mentioned but not detailed. Please let me know if particular tags are still needed beyond what is already applied.

Date: February 4th

Patient name: RAYMOND ARNOLD HARTELL

Level 2 clearance, under guidance of Special ops Field agent, MARCO ELLIS.

Notes:

-Previously diagnosed with ptsd, anxiety and catatonic depression.

Goes through periods of non-verbalism. He was diagnosed following his first recorded catatonic episode where a SHIELD medical team was sent to the address of Intelligence Analysis agent GERMAINE SHEPHERD, where he had currently been staying (the reverse is now recorded on file). I spent a long time with HARTELL following the episode, observing, testing and questioning before making the diagnosis of ptsd and catatonic depression myself. HARTELL remained in medical care for at least 2 months following the diagnosis under careful observation while we tested out different medications. He has changed prescriptions a few times since.

-HARTELL is classed as a Psychic Empath with Inhuman DNA markers. His powers are volatile, especially when his own moods are so unstable. His true limits are yet undetermined, though his previous mentor tried reaching them using abusive practices. He has previously used his abilities to assist with tracking agents and with interrogations before his mental health and control of his powers slipped [see attached files].

-HARTELL’s previous mentor has been noted as being the major trigger for the conditions to develop, subjecting HARTELL to harsh training, emotional abuse and later on the capture and murder of Internal Affairs agent CLAYTON WEISS, who HARTELL had been in a formal relationship with [see attached paperwork from HR dept].

-Currently living with a co-worker and has acquired a service dog to help manage symptoms. Regular counseling has not taken place since approximately April/May the previous year following an incident where HARTELL was held captive by his previous mentor and SHIELD traitor, ELIJAH LAWRENCE BANCROFT. [see attached report on the incident]

-HARTELL is attending regular, monthly medical check-ups via SHIELD medical department, mandated by agent Ellis as a condition of his training. It has been noted HARTELL has had an ongoing struggle with eating regularly and often borders on underweight [see attached medical file]. There has been some recent progress to correcting this, however extra stresses seem to have thrown off any progress in the past so a careful watch is needed.

-It is noted on his file from his previous psych [Dr ZACHARIAH LAWRENCE] that a year ago, to this day, HARTELL was put on a mandatory leave after an incident in one of the base’s break rooms. [report attached]

Dr Rosalyn Salvi was a SHIELD psych; the one who had previously diagnosed Ray while he had remained in the medical department for a couple of months, only for Ray to shut her out and start having appointments with Dr Lawrence instead. That was fine, Dr Salvi had thought at the time. She had recommended her old colleague when Ray had brought up wanting to try a psych that was independent of SHIELD. The problem there had been all the sensitive information and the issue with Ray’s powers, so he and Dr Salvi had compromised with him going to her former colleague instead. Unfortunately, from what she had heard, Dr Lawrence turned out to actually be a descendant of Bancroft himself.

Now here they were, Ray and Dr Salvi, sitting opposite each other in her office once again to try and pick up the pieces. This time even the appointment was Hartell’s own suggestion, rather than one recommended by colleagues or supervisors.

“It’s a nice surprise to see you back here,” the doctor said, smiling gently. “How would you prefer I address you? Title, surname…?”

“…Ray is fine,” he replied quietly.

“Alright, Ray. I noticed you changed your living situation again recently. It said you had nearly a year where your cousin was staying with you?”

Ray let out a small sigh and nodded. “We… ran into some difficulties.”

“Such as?”

He hesitated, shifting in his seat. “She- I was… rude to her. We ended up arguing and she grabbed my arm when I went to leave instead of working things out… as usual.”

“And how are things between you now?”

“Uh… they’re improving. We did talk about the issue, but… I dunno, it’ll take time for me to get past that. I mean… We do talk now, but- but it’s just not like it used to be. She gets along real well with Hailey though.”

“Hailey?”

“Oh, sorry. My daughter-“

“The one you only recently added on file with SHIELD?” Dr Salvi asked with a slight frown of disapproval.

“Well I wasn’t aware I had a daughter, until like, Thanksgiving last year. I added her only when she came to stay with me, because uh, that was when I first heard about her,” Ray explained with a huff.

The doctor frowned and nodded, making a note. That did explain the sudden inclusion. “And there was recently an incident involving her that SHIELD was alerted to?”

Ray tensed, hands curling into fists as he recalled the event. “Yeah. She was targeted. That was the whole reason apparently she was sent to stay with me. Her- her mother and grandfather have uh…” Wait, should he be bringing it up? Too late now. “They have previously been involved in criminal activity. I’m not sure if they still are.”

“Hold on, is this the same family from the Riggs incident?”

Both Ray and Dr Salvi turned to look. Ray had already forgotten that the Legal Investigator was even sitting in on the session, in a chair off to the side behind Ray. She had hoped he would be able to respond more freely if he couldn’t see her.

Ray slowly nodded. “Yeah… That’s them. You’ve read that file?”

“Of course,” Janine replied. “I was curious about your history while I was researching the… other case.”

“Bancroft,” Ray mumbled.

Even though he was the one who had brought up the name, his whole behaviour changed at the mention of the name. He drew his feet up onto the chair and wrapped his arms around his knees, hugging them to his chest. He lowered his gaze away from both the psych and the legal investigator, focusing instead on the carpet between his chair and Dr Salvi’s.

“Which we still haven’t really touched on,” The doctor pointed out, carefully noting the behaviour change.

“I have only parts of the story myself, I believe,” Janine quietly said to the doctor. It wasn’t phrased as a criticism of Ray, she was simply letting the doctor know she could help fill in some of the gaps later on.

“Yeah, well… no offense,” Ray said, looking up at Dr Salvi. “But last time I opened up to a therapist about him and… and Clay… it turned out the doctor was related to Bancroft and-“

The doctor nodded slowly.

“Understandable that there’d be some hesitancy afterwards. I can assure you though, I am not related to him in any way.” She didn’t expect that to suddenly fix his hesitancy, but still felt it worth saying. Her father had spent years researching both sides of their family and not a single ‘Lawrence’ or ‘Bancroft’ existed there. Not even an ‘Elijah’.

She was about to ask Ray a question, but he looked like he was on the edge of recalling something, so she sat back and waited patiently, pen in hand to note down whatever it was.

“I… don’t think he was actually helping,” Ray muttered, frowning when he realised he hadn’t given any context. “I mean… Za- Dr Lawrence. Uh- I don’t… I don’t remember him helping his father? Who… I only learned was his father when I was there… He wasn’t helping him. They… argued actually.”

“Do you recall what they argued about?”

Ray sighed, hands running through his hair. Think Ray, think.

“They…” It was still pretty fuzzy. He’d barely been conscious at the time. “He was mad because his father messed up his plan? And… and he and the others kept their distance from Bancroft.”

“Others?” The psychologist asked.

“These were the others you named while in recovery, yes?” Agent Hadley asked. “One of them, anyway.”

Ray nodded stiffly. “Yeah. Him. I… Not sure I ever got the other one’s name. But… I could maybe draw…?”

“That would help, if you can give a rough appearance, yes. Then if we find Ward at all, we’ll know who to question him about.”

“Ward?” Dr Salvi questioned, looking concerned. “As in-?”

“Yes,” The legal investigator confirmed. “Grant Ward. The sketch Hartell gave me shortly after Canada matched his appearance on file too. It was definitely him.” How that was the case though, Hadley had no idea, but that could wait for another time.

Their current focus was on Weiss and Bancroft and the effect the whole situation had on Ray. It took a bit of gentle prodding afterwards, but eventually Ray opened up. Not completely, but it was a start. It was more than Janine had heard previously from Hartell and it looked like Dr Salvi was getting new information out of it too.

It wasn’t easy though and they had to pause a few times to wait for Ray to either calm down or stop crying. A few things were broken when he turned his anger on the coffee table in the room and eventually Dr Salvi decided it was better to call up Marco and ask to have ACE brought in, Ray having been hesitant to bring the large dog into the small office despite knowing that the session would be difficult. The rest of the session was done with Ray sitting on the floor with ACE, one hand either absentmindedly petting him or with his fingers tangled in ACE’s fur.

Of course they didn’t get through everything the doctor and the investigator would have liked, but it was still progress; which Ray had been putting off for over a year already. A small step, but a much needed one in the right direction.

[ncstalgiaz]

𝐂𝐋𝐀𝐑𝐘𝐃𝐀𝐂𝐇  —  a  new,  small,  10–mun  discord  rp.

clarydach  ... you  haven’t  heard  of  it ??   it’s  a  town  in  scotland,  around  ten  miles  west  from  edinburgh,  neighbouring  queensferry.  still  doesn’t  ring  any  bells ??  ah,  alright.  well,  it’s  a  small  town—  very small—  spanning  about  1.5  square  miles.  we  all  grew  up  here,  us  lot,  the  gang ...  and  look  at  us,  we’re  still  here,  so  it  can’t  be  that  bad.  bit  boring  from  time  to  time,  i  suppose.  but  it’s  got  that  small  town  charm,  with  the  greatest  people.  truth  be  told,  i  really  hit  the  jackpot  with  my  group  of  mates,  and  i’d  never  wanna  leave  them  behind.  that  reminds  me—  i’ve  gotta  go !!  we’re  all  meeting  down  the  pub  in  ten.  maybe  i’ll  catch  you  there  some  time,  if  you’re  ever  in  clary.

𝘼𝘽𝙊𝙐𝙏

clarydach  is  a  brand  new  discord  verse,  based  around  the  younger  generation  of  regulars  at  a  pub,  the  steel  flagon,  in  the  fictional  scottish  town  of  clarydach.  each  of  the  regulars  have  been  drinking  at  the  pub  since  they  first  turned  18  and  at  some  point  down  the  line,  they  found  themselves  part  of  a  close-knit  friendship  group  that  find  themselves  there  together  every  single  weekend.  

the  rp  will  focus  on  the  relationship  between  the  friends  and  their  intertwining  lives  and  relationships.  there  will  be  the  opportunity  to  write  the  typical  one-on-one  para  threads  found  in  most  group  roleplays,  but  also  ongoing  group  threads  for  shorter  /  one-liner  interactions  happening  between  all  of  the  characters  at  once  (  in  a  similar  style  to  the  old-school  rp  events  held  on  chatzy  )

this  is  intended  to  be  a  close-knit,  long-lasting  roleplay  with  no  activity  limit  (  instead  opting  for  regular  interest  checks )  and  a  mun  cap  of  10,  to  accommodate  those  who  get  anxious  in  bigger  groups  ( myself  included )  however  there  will  be  the  opportunity  to  write  multiple  characters  and  you  can  apply  for  two  from  the  get-go  if  you  would  like  to.

while  the  pub  is  a  central  point  to  the  storyline,  not  all  threads  will  be  set  here  and  the  rp  will  have  a  sandbox  element  in  which  all  muns  can  create  their  own  locations,  npcs,  headcanons  etc  and  build  the  town  of  clarydach  collaboratively.

𝘼𝙋𝙋𝙇𝙄𝘾𝘼𝙏𝙄𝙊𝙉

❛ 🍺 · »  faceclaim,  gender,  pronouns «  you’re  looking  for  firstname  surname ??  oh,  you’ll  definitely  see  them  down  at  the  steel  flagon  later—  once  they’re  done  with  hobby  /  occupation,  that  is.  i  think  i’ve  seen  them  there  every  weekend  since  they  could  legally  drink,  and  they’re  age  in  letters  now,  i  think.  their  typical  bar  order  is  a(n)  drink  order  ( can  be  alcoholic  or  non-alcoholic )  and  as  a  person,  they’re...  a  typical  star  sign.  or,  i  guess  they’re  what  people  would  call  a  character  label.  quite  positive  trait  yet  also  negative  trait.  you’ll  know  it’s  them  when  they  walk  through  the  door,  because  they’re  the  walking  embodiment  of  some  aesthetics,  no  more  than  four. ( penned  by  ooc  name  or  alias,  age,  tz  &  pronouns )

extra  ( optional ):  tell  me  anything  else  here.  could  be  a  little  about  why  you  want  to  join,  some  headcanons  about  your  muse,  a  link  to  a  pinterest  board  or  playlist  or  mock  blog  etc,  literally  anything  to  help  me  make  my  decision  for  acceptances,  since  there  are  only  9  available  spots.

𝘾𝙃𝘼𝙍𝘼𝘾𝙏𝙀𝙍𝙎 / 𝙏𝘼𝙆𝙀𝙉 𝙁𝘾𝙎

❛ 🍺 · »  bjorn  mosten,  cis male,  he / him «  you’re  looking  for  arlo  floyd ??  oh,  you’ll  definitely  see  them  down  at  the  steel  flagon  later—  once  they’re  done  with  hopping  random  freight  trains  for  fun, that  is.  i  think  i’ve  seen  them  there  every  weekend  since  they  could  legally  drink,  and  they’re  twenty-four  now,  i  think.  their  typical  bar  order  is  a  pint  of  lager  and  as  a  person,  they’re...  a  typical  leo.  or  i  guess  they’re  what  people  would  call  a  nomad.  quite  charming  yet   also  recalcitrant.  you’ll  know  it’s  them  when  they  walk  through  the  door,  because  they’re  the  walking  embodiment  of  a  mischevious  grin  illuminated  by  flame  as  your  cigarette  is  being  lit  for  you,  watching  the  summer  sun  rise  over  your  hometown  on  a  rooftop  at  5:30am,  the  same  scuffed  denim  jacket  worn  for  years  &  filling  awkward  silences  with  crazy  spontaneous  ideas. ( penned  by  jess,  23,  gmt  &  she/her )

𝙃𝙊𝙒  𝙏𝙃𝙀  𝘼𝙋𝙋  𝙋𝙍𝙊𝘾𝙀𝙎𝙎  𝙒𝙄𝙇𝙇  𝙂𝙊  (  &  𝙊𝙏𝙃𝙀𝙍  𝙁𝘼𝙌  )

there  will  be  twenty-four  hours  from  the  moment  this  is  posted  to  send  in  your  apps.  i  will  try  my  best  to  keep  an  up-to-date  app  count  (  in  the  source  of  this  post  )  and  acceptances  will  be  held  tomorrow  night  at  12:30AM  gmt  (  7:30PM  est ).  

use  of  gif  icons  is  not  mandatory  but  is  encouraged.

i  will  be  mainly  picking  the  successful  applicants  with  variety  in  mind,  trying  to  get  a  good  mix  of  muses’  personalities,  hobbies,  etc  within  our  little  group  of  friends.  everyone’s  apps  will  be  considered  for  acceptance  but  those  who  have  supported  this  rp  since  it  was  just  an  interest  check  post  will  be  given  special  consideration.  i  hope  this  is  fair.  

all  muns  must  be  21+.  muses  should  be  between  the  ages  of  21  and  25.

[dasmutquisition]

Frequently Asked Questions

Nobody Expects the Dragon Age Smutquisition is a fanwork gift exchange that showcases works rated Explicit in the DA Fandom. Any pairings or groups are eligible as long as they contain at least one DA Character from any DA Media and no characters who are underage. All works must be rated Explicit and tagged appropriately.

2021 Important Dates:

Nominations: January 1st - January 8th Signups: January 8th - January 18th Assignments Given By: January 19th Due date: March 1st Works revealed: March 8th Creators revealed: March 15th

FAQ:

1. What are the requirements for this gift exchange?

When signing up, you will nominate at least three pairs/groups you would like to receive fanworks for (art and/or fic) and at least three pairs/groups you would like to offer fanworks for. All pairs/groups must have at least one DA character from any DA media in it. You will be matched with a person according to what you have offered. You must then complete a fanwork for at least one of the requested pairs/groups.

2. How do I participate in the gift exchange?

The exchange will be run through AO3 so you must have an AO3 account. Detailed instructions on how to nominate and sign up are posted below. You may also follow the official Tumblr @dasmutquisition or email smutquisition@gmail.com to ask additional questions.

3. What pairings are eligible?

The pairing/group must have at least one dragon age character in it. This character can be from any Dragon Age media - games, books, comics, etc. Pairings can be canon, non-canon, or sheer crack. We also allow poly nominations as long as there is one DA character. This exchange does allow crossover nominations with other fandoms. We are not allowing canonically underage characters to be nominated in this exchange.

4. What should my completed fanwork look like for the exchange?

This exchange accepts art or fiction. You must complete one fanwork for the pair you are assigned by the March 1st deadline.

Works of fiction must stand alone and be no less than 500 words. You may include OCs you have used before, but this work must not be part of an existing series and must be tailored to the request you have received. There is no maximum word count.

Art can be computer or hand drawn and must be complete.

Works must be Explicit in this exchange and it must be tagged appropriately. Works may also contain triggering content as long as the request did not prohibit it. Please tag triggers appropriately.

What is 'finished' art?

For the purposes of this exchange, finished art is at a minimum clean, finished line art. Backgrounds and colors are not necessary - but there is no limit to what you can do.

For fanart, do submissions need to show genitals in detail to be considered appropriate for this exchange?

No. Any art of the characters nude or semi-nude and/or in a 'steamy' position while partially dressed will be considered appropriate. Detailed and explicit rendering of genitals is also accepted and allowed.

For fanfiction, do submissions need to consist solely of smut?

No. Plot is allowed as long as it does not violate a DNW on the request. Fics can be as long as you need them to be - but there should be at least one explicit smutty scene in a fic to count for this exchange.

What do you consider "smut" for this exchange?

Smut is any art or fic that depicts a sexually intimate act of some kind. This could be a specific kink, a specific sexual act, or anything of that nature. We are asking art and fics to be smutty in nature, complete, and adhere to the DNWs in the request - those are the only requirements for fulfilling your requests.

5. How does this work exactly?

FIRST! Nominations January 1st to 8th:

You can nominate up to 12 different pairings. The moderators will go through the pairings to check that each contains at least one character from the Dragon Age fandom and do not contain canonically underage characters. Any nomination that does not contain at least one character from the Dragon Age fandom or contains underage characters will be rejected. Nominations may consist of homosexual, heterosexual, threesomes, or moresomes. Because of the nature of this exchange, we are not accepting platonic relationships.

For the purposes of this challenge, the Dragon Age OC Protagonists will be considered different characters based on their gender and surname. This means that there are three options (male, female, and non-binary) for any Dragon Age OC character. When nominating an OC Protagonist, please keep this in mind and specify which option you want. For example:

Male Trevelyan/Bull or Non-binary Mahariel/Leliana instead of Trevelyan/Bull or Mahariel/Leliana

Please do not nominate a custom/individual OC Protagonist (IE: Maria Cadash/Varric Tethras). When you do your request and pick your pairings you can provide additional details, such as a preferred name or physical description, in your request. You may also link to your OC information.

Other original characters are allowed as long as they are "general" characters. For example: "Chantry Mother", "Merchant's Guild Member", or "Templar" would all be acceptable. If you have questions, ask the moderators.

SECOND! Signups January 8th-18th:

After nominations, moderators will open up signups. Participants will complete a form on AO3 to request approved pairings that you would like to receive fic and/or art for. You do not have to request the pairings you nominated! On the same form, you will also make offers of pairings you would like to make fic and/or art for. You must request at least three pairings and offer at least three pairings. However - you may request and offer up to 12. You will only be asked to complete one piece of fanwork.

On the form, there is a place for you to go into details about what you want. This is a great place to put a prompt with your ideas for a fic or art! You do not need to go into detail, but you can go into as much detail as you like to give the creator ideas. You may also put this information on a third party site instead such as Tumblr.

Good things to list: general likes, rating restrictions, prompt ideas, squicks/triggers/do-not-wants, or anything else you’d like the writer/artist to know. Make sure you list things you do not want. We are insisting Authors and Artists adhere to the Do-Not-Wants and the pairing, otherwise they have complete artistic license. Here is an example of a request:

Pairing: Blackwall/Female Cadash

Hello! I have a Baewall love that is deep. I wanna see Blackwall going to lengths to please his lady love. I like a gentle Dom/sub dynamic with Cadash as the Dom partner, and I have a bit of a size kink. Would love to see Cadash on top in any situation.

DNWs: Smut for pairings not listed, incest, angst with no happy ending, extreme gore, non-con/dub-con, humiliation

We are asking you to put similar information in your offers, particularly things you will not write/draw. Authors/Artists will not be asked to create their DNWs. Here is an example of an offer:

Pairing: Female Lavellan/Leliana

I do not want to create anything that features: incest, angst with no happy ending, or non-con/dub-con.

THIRD! Assignments - January 19th:

The moderator team will match you to someone based on interests. You are guaranteed to have a match by the end of the day January 19th, if you do not by 11:59 US EST, please reach out to the moderators.

Once matching is complete, you will receive an email with your assignment from AO3. You will be assigned to write or draw for someone who requested at least one of the pairings that you offered to write or draw for. Since everyone must put in at least three requests, it is likely that your assignment will include pairings that you did not request or parts of canon you may not be familiar with.

FOURTH! Create a Fanwork: January 19th - March 1st

Pick one of the pairings/prompts in your assignment (it doesn't have to be the one you matched on) and start creating! You have a little over a month to work on your assignment. You must honor Do Not Wants and the requested pairing, all other information in the prompt is a guideline but not mandatory. You must also remain anonymous - the only people who may see what you are creating is your beta reader(s) if you have them. If you have a question for your intended recipient, reach out to the moderator team and we will ask it or use anonymous methods (such as tumblr asks) if they're available.

If you create a work with a Do Not Want in it, and do not fix it when asked, you will be banned from the exchange. If you do not complete a work at all, barring extenuating circumstances judged by the moderators, you will be banned from the exchange.

FIFTH! Posting and Review by Moderators: March 1st - 8th

All stories and art must be posted by March 1st at 8:00pm US EST on AO3. You may continue to edit your fanwork until March 8th, but it is imperative that you have a complete work submitted on March 1st. The mods will then go through posted fanworks to make sure that they are complete, meet the criteria, and do not contain DNWs. If there is a problem, the moderators will reach out to the creator and ask them to correct.

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[thewickling]

crash course in stuff about thai series

to help @sarah-yyy when writing reading fic

General

Khun is the polite address for another person and means 'you'. It is also used as a suffix before a name like Mr/Mrs. when you're trying to show respect.

Phi means elder brother or sister. It's also romantized Pee (you see why I use Phi). You can say this in front of a name or on its own. It's very widely used for the "senior" in different kinds of relationships. (You see Tine call Fang this). Fic writers often shorten it to P in P'Name or P Name [your preference I prefer the first] as they read subtitles which have limited space and shorten the address.

Nong means younger brother or sister. It's used similarly to Phi but for the junior of a relationship. Also used as a nickname for younger people. It is shorten in subtitles to N'Name because of the limited space so fic writers have also adopted this.

Ai is an impolite/rude preffix before a name used to show affection between friends of the same age. It is more common than E' also means a curse word before a name. (Corrected: March 28, 2020)

E' I cannot remember what word it's shorten from but it's a rude way to address someone. It's functionally Curse Word (I think Bitch) suffix. You sometimes see if when someone is shouting at their friend after they'd gone something frustrating.

Nicknames and Names

This gets its own section because it's a different from how other cultures do names. Often characters will introduce themselves by nickname. This is because in Thailand people are given a nickname and in the two week period before a legal name must be chosen. Names are culturally significant and so families will deliberate a name for a long time and ask priests to help decide a name. These nicknames will sometimes be a shorten form of a person's name but may also just be a word the parents like. You'll often see a letter from the alphabet (though there are ones more popular than others). There can also be neat stuff like in SOTUS Oon (warmth) is Arthit's nickname and Arthit means the sun (the character does not like people using or knowing his nickname). So you know Sarawat's friend: Man? That is his nickname not his legal name.

You'll also see Nickname Name as an introduction. I'm mostly saying this because seeing two names is unlikely to be Name Surname. (Surnames in Thai culture due to laws and customs mean are quite restricted in the sense that you can only have a surname if you are from that clan so it means sense lots of shows don't bother with them).

Uni Culture and Terms

Student ID Lines: The way that IDs work isn't that you get the same ID all years. The first number changes depending on what year you're in. These IDs are in a system that is open to other students. There's a practice passing done useful textbooks and materials from a Student ID Senior to the person who just got the ID. This is known as a Student ID Line. This is Fang's relationship to Tine in addition to being his club senior. In more active Student ID Lines you'll have a mentor-mentee relationship as Fang is shown having with Tine. You see that implied in the meet up with the other line seniors (if a line is particularly active you may also have alumnus appear during events). You see Student ID Line event in the scene where Tine shouts about topping and bottoming.

ID Rumor: I don't know if this is true of all Thai Universities but I saw it in SOTUS and so I will share because it is cute. So you'll describe your Student ID Line by the last four numbers of your ID. Let's say 0206. If another Student ID Line has 2060 aka the same numbers but scrambled it's rumored you'll date.

Moon and Stars: At the start of the first year, there's several events. One of them is the Moon and Star competition. From the freshmen class of each college within the university, the most handsome guy and the prettiest gal are chosen. They are that colleges Moon and Star. They participate in events and practice for a competition (that is a talent show) to be the university Moon and Star (each role is decided separately so the Enginneering Moon may win and the Fine Arts Star). These two end up being representatives of the school for the academic year at events.

Freshman Events: Every university has events of which some are mandatory and some optional where freshmen do ice breaker and other bonding events together. For more competitive colleges this is when hazing would happen (it's less common now but depending on when the series is set it happens).

Engineers/Fine Arts Students: This doesn't happen in 2gether, but often one character in a BL is an engineering student. This is because engineers are lucrative career in Thailand so this is the will make bank major. Fine Arts majors are known for being beautiful which is why pretty people are often mentioned to be this major.

Uniforms: Everyone wears a uniform. The same uniform. You can tell if a person is in elementary school, junior high, or university by their uniform. University as you see in 2gether is white dress shirt and black skirt or pants. First years are required to wear a tie. 2gether does not follow this likely for visuals. The exception to the first year tie rule is the university has a international college those first year students don't have to wear the tie. An exception to the uniform rule you'll often see if higher year engineering students in the practical smocks.

I think that's most stuff but maybe @weilongfu can think of something I forgot.

[wadeillinois]

-- CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT PROMPT #2, 

Sit down across from your character at Red’s, or the Conifer Lounge, and really get to know them. 

Answer all, a few, or however many of the questions listed below. This should allow you the chance to develop your character past the point of their initial biography/typical statistics. 

Take as much time as you need with this exercise. It is purely for fun, and not at all mandatory, though highly encouraged! 

Basic Character Questions

First name?

Surname?

Middle names?

Nicknames?

Date of birth?

Age?

Physical / Appearance

Height?

Weight?

Build?

Hair color?

Hair style?

Eye color?

Eye Shape?

Glasses or contact lenses?

Distinguishing facial features?

Which facial feature is most prominent?

Which bodily feature is most prominent?

Other distinguishing features?

Skin?

Hands?

Make up?

Scars?

Birthmarks?

Tattoos?

Physical handicaps?

Type of clothes?

How do they wear their clothes?

What are their feet like? (type of shoes, state of shoes, socks, feet, pristine, dirty, worn, etc)

Race / Ethnicity?

Mannerisms?

Are they in good health?

Do they have any disabilities?

Personality

What words or phrases do they overuse?

Do they have a catchphrase?

Are they more optimistic or pessimistic?

Are they introverted or extroverted?

Do they ever put on airs?

What bad habits do they have?

What makes them laugh out loud?

How do they display affection?

Mental handicaps?

How do they want to be seen by others?

How do they see themselves?

How are they seen by others?

Strongest character trait?

Weakest character trait?

How competitive are they?

Do they make snap judgements or take time to consider?

How do they react to praise?

How do they react to criticism?

What is their greatest fear?

What are their biggest secrets?

What is their philosophy of life?

When was the last time they cried?

What haunts them?

What are their political views?

What will they stand up for?

Who do they quote?

Are they indoorsy or outdoorsy?

What is their sinful little habit?

What sense do they most rely on?

How do they treat people better than them?

How do they treat people worse than them?

What quality do they most value in a friend?

What do they consider an overrated virtue?

If they could change one thing about themselves, what would it be?

What is their obsession?

What are their pet peeves?

What are their idiosyncrasies?

Friends and Family

Is their family big or small? Who does it consist of?

What is their perception of family?

Do they have siblings? Older or younger?

Describe their best friend.

Ideal best friend?

Describe their other friends.

Describe their acquaintances.

Do they have any pets?

Who are their natural allies?

Who are their surprising allies?

Past and Future

What was your character like as a baby? As a child?

Did they grow up rich or poor?

Did they grow up nurtured or neglected?

What is the most offensive thing they ever said?

What is their greatest achievement?

What was their first kiss like?

What is the worst thing they did to someone they loved?

What are their ambitions?

What advice would they give their younger self?

What smells remind them of their childhood?

What was their childhood ambition?

What is their best childhood memory?

What is their worst childhood memory?

Did they have an imaginary childhood friend?

When was the last time they were crushed with disappointment?

What past act are they most ashamed of?

What past act are they most proud of?

Has anyone ever saved their life?

Strongest childhood memory?

Love

Do they believe in love at first sight?

Are they in a relationship?

How do they behave in a relationship?

When did you character last have sex?

What sort of sex do they have?

Has your character ever been in love?

Have they ever had their heart broken?

Conflict

How do they respond to a threat?

Are they most likely to fight with their fists or their tongue?

What is your character’s kryptonite?

If your character could only save one thing from their burning house, what would it be?

How do they perceive strangers?

What do they love to hate?

What are their phobias?

What is their choice of weapon?

What living person do they most despise?

Have they ever been bullied or teased?

Where do they go when they’re angry?

Who are their enemies and why?

Work, Education and Hobbies

What is their current job?

What do they think about their current job?

What are some of their past jobs?

What are their hobbies?

Educational background?

Intelligence level?

Do they have any specialist training?

Do they have a natural talent for something?

Do they play a sport? Are they any good?

What is their socioeconomic status?

Favorites

What is their favorite animal?

Which animal to they dislike the most?

What place would they most like to visit?

What is the most beautiful thing they’ve ever seen?

What is their favorite song?

Music, art, reading preferred?

What is their favorite color?

What is their password?

Favorite food:

What is their favorite work of art?

Who is their favorite artist?

What is their favorite day of the week?

Possessions

What is in their fridge:

What is on their bedside table?

What is in their car?

What is in their bin?

What is in their purse or wallet?

What is in their pockets?

What is their most treasured possession?

Spirituality

Who or what is your character’s guardian angel?

Do they believe in the afterlife?

What are their religious views?

What do they think heaven is?

What do they think hell is?

Are they superstitious?

What would they like to be reincarnated as?

How would they like to die?

What is your character’s spirit animal?

What is their zodiac sign?

Values

What do they think is the worst thing that can be done to a person?

What is their view of ‘freedom’?

When did they last lie?

What’s their view of lying?

When did they last make a promise?

Did they keep or break their last promise?

Daily life

What are their eating habits?

Do they have any allergies?

Describe their home.

Are they minimalist or a clutter hoarder?

What do they do first thing on a weekday morning?

What do they do on a Sunday afternoon?

What do they do on a Friday night?

What is the soft drink of choice?

What is their alcoholic drink of choice?

Miscellaneous

Who is their hero?

What or who would your character dress up as for Halloween?

Are they comfortable with technology?

If they could save one person, who would it be?

If they could call one person for help, who would it be?

What is their favorite proverb?

What is their greatest extravagance?

What is their greatest regret?

What is their perception of redemption?

What would they do if they won the lottery?

What is their favorite fairytale?

What fairytale do they hate?

Do they believe in happy endings?

What is their idea of perfect happiness?

What would they ask a fortune teller?

If your character could travel through time, where would they go?

What sport do they excel at?

What sport do they suck at?

If they could have a superpower, what would they choose?

Full Credit for this wonderful list goes to this website!

[merlucito-booksandstories]

Worldbuilding p2

Part 1

Part two: the present.

As I say in part 1, I build the present of the story, how the world is at the moment using 7 axes:

Environment / geography

How is the environment where the story unfolds? Does it have seasons? Does it snow, rain, is it very hot? It have natural disasters?

How is the geography? Mountains, lakes, rivers, coast, cities.

What animals and plants exist? Is there diversity? Do they exist in the wild or only in contact with the population? Is there domestication of them?

How are people organized geographically? Villages, towns, cities. Are those cities connected to each other? Is there an exchange of people and goods between them?

Politics

How is power organized? There does’t necessarily have to be a government, but if so, how does it work? How is it perpetuated? Is it chosen by the people or otherwise? How does the authority figure legitimize its power?

All leaders must prove they are the best for the position in some way. Not for nothing the great civilizations have great monuments: those in power must demonstrate to citizens (both their own and others) that they are worthy of being there. And this applies to any type of leader, whether divine, democratic or tyrant.

Think of real examples, try to think who your leader is most like and investigate how that person or government legitimizes their power. Do something similar. It can be from a huge monument like the Pyramids of Giza to the removal of rights (or denial of rights) of a sector of the population like many current democratic governments. Repression is also a form of legitimation of power.

Economy

We already know the environment and the geography of the world, so it will be easier to know what resources of that environment exploit society. But that's not all, how do they exploit those resources? Is there one more important than another? What value do they have? How do they give value to resources?

What economic system do they have? Agriculture, livestock, fishing, gathering, etc...

Do they have a currency system? If so, how does it work? Are everyone able to use it? Does this currency influence the political system, relationships between people or some other type of system? Does the currency have a value in itself or does it only have value because it has been chosen as currency? For example, if the currency is gold it would have a value in itself, but in our system the currency has value just because it is, otherwise it would only be paper with drawings.

Technology

Do they use tools of some kind? What material? What materials are normally used to make the different objects used daily or not so daily? Who has access to these tools? Is there differential access to different objects?

Are there means of transportation? What type of energy do they use and how do they work? Who has access to them?

Are there media? What type? Who has access to them?

Is there any science? What advances are present? Is science and technology taught? If so, is everyone taught equally? Do your characters have access to that technology and its learning?

Society / culture

How is society organized? Do they have families? Are they small families (parents and children) or extended (parents, children, grandparents, uncles, etc)? How is the last name inherited, if any? If there are no surnames, how is the inheritance system determined and who benefits from it?

Is there marriage? What kind, are there restrictions?

Are there taboos?

How many genders are recognized? Are there differences between them in terms of types of work, clothing, what they can do or not, etc?

Does sexuality matter, is it talked about or is it taboo? What is accepted and what is not?

What is the moral system? Are there attitudes that are considered despicable and others admirable? Are there penalties for those who break these rules? Are there laws that regulate these attitudes and the moral system? Who enforces these laws and how?

Are there security and order forces? What rights and obligations do they have?

Are there class differences? If so, why are they (money, skin color, gender, place of birth, etc.)? How are these differences perpetuated? Are those in the lower classes willing to reveal themselves? If they don't, why? If they are, why have they not yet do it?

Magic / religion

Is there a belief system? How is it organized, monotheistic or polytheistic?

If monotheistic: what is the main story or myth that ensures its existence? What is this god responsible for? Are there other supernatural entities that don’t reach the status of God?

If polytheistic: how is the pantheon formed? How is it organized? Are there family / love relationships between the gods? Is the system of organization of the gods a reflection of the system of organization of society? What myths or stories exist? Which is the most important?

Is religion itself mandatory? How are beliefs perpetuated?

Is there a social class specialized in religious matters? What kind of power do you have within society?

Is there magic? Who can use it? Where it is from? What can it do? What limitations does it have? What is it cost? What do those who cannot use it think about those who can?

Are magic and religion connected?

Military (if applicable)

Is there a military group? What role does it play within society? What rights and obligations do they have?

Is there war in the present? Why did it originate? Among who is it? Is it causing destruction? How does this war affect all other systems and your characters?

What kind of weapons are used?

I probably missed some questions, but you can always add or remove the necessary ones depending on the type of story (and world) that is being built. Normally I don’t answer question by question, but I write a fairly long text explaining each aspect, touching all the important points.

Normally at this point I start writing the novel itself, but I still build the world.

Part three: history.

History is complicated. Everyone says it, and not for nothing. Not for nothing history classes divide everything into parts: by continents, countries or periods. It is impossible to cover the entire history of the world from all angles and everywhere at the same time. That's why don't try to do it with your story.

Focus first on the country where your story is located. Then it can be expanded to other countries, continents or the rest of the world.

Normally, to make this part of the worldbuilding I use timelines. I know what is happening today, I know the final result and through the timelines I can see the evolution of all aspects of society. How they emerged and how they transformed to reach that enormous description that I did before.

So what I do is create a timeline for each aspect (geography / environment, politics, economy, technology, magic / religion, society, military). It may sound crazy, but it is simpler than it seems.

First, I create a table in Word or wherever, one column per field. And then I write the events that happened in each aspect in different rows. If two things happened at the same time, I put it in the same row. Thus, you will end up with a table of all the important events of your world in all aspects.

Then, to make it more visual and beautiful, I turn it into aeon timeline. To distinguish which field each event corresponds to, I assign it a different color. Thus, I have a colorful timeline in which I can quickly distinguish what kind of event is happening at the moment I am watching. One thing that I did with Planet of the lost was also to reduce the times, so that the timeline is not huge and so I can see all the events close to each other. So, although I know that the world did not originate a thousand years ago, in the timeline it is so marked.

And then I have a dynamic and multi-dimensional timeline for the world, and... basically all the important aspects of the world are ready.

Resourses:

I watch these channels a lot, and they explain thing a lot better.

Abbie Emmons

Hello future me

[lucky-number-606]

Mystic Messenger name meanings

right away im gonna say that i don't speak korean this is just what ive dug up through hours of researching help me

SPOILER WARNING

Pointer: In Korean, the last name is spoken and written before the first name (ex: Han Jumin). I'll be translating in order of ln/fn.

Jumin Han:

The surname "Han" is the Korean pronunciation of the Chinese character "hén", which means "bitterness”, “resentment", and "animosity", amongst a couple other terms. You get the gist.

The surname "Han" also is in reference to Korea and the name of a Chinese kingdom, and can also mean “leader”. This ties in with Jumin’s character, since Jumin runs the business alongside Mr. Chairman, his father.

The name "Jumin" can be dissected into a couple different terms and meanings. The Korean character "ju" means "pillar" or "circumference", while "min" means "streaks in jade" or "(autumn) sky". The meaning “pillar” would make sense, since it can be seen that Jumin primarily keeps the business afloat.

Other sources claim that the first name "Jumin" means "Heavenly”, or “Gift of God" from a Korean origin. It is also said that “Jumin” means "stability”, “responsibility", and "routine", but sources remained unknown of the origin (meaning that the meaning might not be derived from Korea).

The last translation to me is personally what makes the most sense out of any of these translations, because even though the game consists of very religious undertones (making the religious meaning of the name "Jumin" more plausible), Jumin does not practice his religion and wear it on his sleeve.

Jaehee Kang:

The last name "Kang" takes on the meaning of the term "ginger" (??). The last name "Kang" is very popular, so I wasn't personally expecting anything too meaningful.

The name "Jaehee" doesn't have much of a meaning directed towards the character, either (which I was sort of disappointed with). The name "Jaehee" simply means "to exist", and in other translations, takes on the conjoined terms "limericks" and "river", which doesn't make any sense, and definitely doesn't explain anything personal about her character at all.

The translation "to exist" would make the most sense, since in all honesty, Jaehee doesn't play much of an important part in the game. Even when playing Jaehee's route, the MC never experiences a romance of any sort, where in the Casual and Deep Story, you are able to romance all other characters. I personally feel as if Jaehee was only added to the story to create a different perspective for the MC to understand and read about, as well as adding in more characters with diverse personalities.

Hyun Ryu (Zen):

Zen’s surname, “Ryu”, is also a very well known name that many families share. “Ryu”, can also be translated as the surname “Yoo” or “You”. “Ryu” means “masculine”, “initiative”, and “assertive”. These terms tie in well with Zen’s character.

Zen’s real name is actually “Hyun”-- Zen is only a stage name, not a birth name. “Hyun”, meaning “profound”, “virtuous”, “worthy”, and “able”, reflecting Zen’s character well.

There wasn’t much else that I could find when it came to Zen’s name besides the fact that his surname, “Ryu”, is actually more derivative of Japanese culture and language than that of Korean culture and language.

Yoosung Kim:

This is actually one of my favorite translations. I find it sweet.

The surname “Kim” is again, a very popular and well-known surname in Korea. “Kim” directly translates to “gold” and “metal”.

The first name “Yoosung” takes on a couples different meanings. Firstly, “Yoosung” can be translated as “beautiful child” and “innocent and pure with a hidden side”. The last translation partially explains Yoosung’s character on behalf of his yandere and possessive tendencies towards the MC while he continues to be deredere (head over heels in love with) the MC all at the same time.

Secondly, the name “Yoosung” can also be translated as “shooting star”, which holds a Korean origin. This explains why Yoosung’s LOLOL user is “Shooting Star ★”!

Saeyoung Choi (707, Luciel):

Besides Yoosung, this was my favorite name to translate.

The surname “Choi” means “pinnacle” or “mountain”, as well as “top” or “most”. Choi is also a common Korean surname.

If you didn’t know, 707′s name actually isn’t 707 nor Luciel! Saeyoung, 707′s birth name, is uncovered further into gameplay. Saeyoung tells the RFA + the MC that his name is actually Luciel, but that is false information-- Luciel is only a baptismal name that 707 gave the others to cover up his true identity.

Surprisingly, all three names carry a very distinct meaning. The name “707″ is derived from “Error 707″, which is primarily memory corruption or an Adaptive Server problem on a computer. This name points the direction of the story closer to the popular “reset theory”, in which 707 is actually self aware and is there for every single time you reset the game and play other routes, also including his own.

The baptismal name “Luciel” also is important to Saeyoung’s character. “Luciel” is an equivalent to Lucifer, or Satan. Cheritz intended to make this so to show the player that Saeyoung has a life that will not end with him becoming a fallen angel. If this doesn’t make sense, know that Satan was actually one of God’s right hand men until he disobeyed him and was cast down into Hell, therefore earning him the name Satan/The Devil. This ties in with Saeyoung’s character since Saeyoung finds himself to be chaotic and evil, while he is actually a good person on the inside.

Ironically, Saeyoung’s real name is pretty straightforward. “Saeyoung” directly translated in Korean means “gift of God”.

Jihyun Kim (V):

See translation for “Kim” above.

Honestly, if the name “V” has a meaning, I don’t know it. I don’t want to look into the meaning of that particular name since I haven’t gotten to play V’s route yet, and I’m guessing that they explain it there.

“Ji” translates to “wisdom” and “intellect”, as well as “will” and “purpose”. “Hyun” also means “worthy” and “able”, as seen above.

I can’t give solid information on how these translations tie into V’s character since again, I have not played any routes in Another Story.

Rika (surname not found):

Again, I don’t know the ins and outs of Rika’s character since I have not played Another Story, and have only completed Secret Ending 01.

After searching everywhere for a Korean meaning, I was not able to find one. The only translation for “Rika” I found was “forever strong”, which is derived from Norse origins. It has been said that people with this name are seen as lovers of the arts, have good leadership qualities, and can have reckless energies. All of these qualities seem to reflect off of Rika’s character.

The translation “forever strong” could have two meanings-- one of which is drastically more sinister than the next. The first meaning I thought of was that Rika will be forever strong as she continues living with a mental illness, but this does not make much sense since she only lets her insanity fester and take over. The second meaning could possibly be that she is forever strong like a god, and immortal and never-ending like how a god is portrayed to be. I took this into mind since she is the cult leader for Mint Eye.

Saeran Choi (Unknown):

Saeran’s name was probably the hardest to translate. I still don’t have much to show for it.

See translation for “Choi” above.

“Saeran” can be directly translated to “three” or “bird”. I don’t necessarily get the “bird” part, but “three” could be in reference to the signs of the cross (the father, the son, and the holy spirit) since Catholicism has a huge role in the gameplay. “Three” could even be in reference to Saeran’s “family”: V, Rika, and Saeran himself.

I saw a website that said that Saeran meant “powerful chaos”, while Saeyoung meant “powerful hero” (meaning that the relationship between Saeran and his brother is that of a yin-yang relationship). Those translations make more sense than the ones I found.

Saeran’s other name, “Unknown”, has no other meaning except for the fact that the RFA didn’t know who the hacker and MC’s stalker was. The name “Unknown” was also used in certain RFA chatrooms as well at the mandatory start of the game in which Unknown leads you to Rika’s apartment.

[sapphicbeautyy]

I agree with most of the points made in this post many south indians do speak English. I went to school in karnataka for seven years and we learned hindi as our second language (mandatory in my first school and my second one you could take it as a third language) our languages are often given less importance than both English and hindi and that should be acknowledged. I know kannadigas who speak hindi fluently but cant speak kannada and i myself can speak hindi perfectly but am only somewhat good in my mother tongue, telugu. I lived in karnataka for 14 years and i can still speak hindi better than kannada.

And not all south indians call it pavada or pavadai. I grew up around two south indian cultures and this is the first time I've heard that. We telugu people call it langa voni (half saree worn mostly by teenagers and young women) or langa (a blouse and skirt with no dupatta worn mostly by little girls) and ik its called something similar in kannada but i don't remember exactly what. We also call veshtis lungi.

And how people dress causally also depends largely on class, I've just recently started wearing ethnic wear outside of functions but i have literally never seen a maid come to work in jeans and top. Even in urban cities people do dress traditionally its just more kurtas then it is sarees although it isnt uncommon to see those either.

Everything said about the names is accurate but i highly encourage you guys to research other surnames as well, try your hand at representing dalit and bahujan south indians (doesnt have to be a major plot point. They can still be whatever character u want as long as ure mindful of stereotypes).

This is a great post but please keep in mind that it is going to be seen by people who are not familiar with south india and if you dont specify that u can only speak for a certain part of it then they will assume that this is all of it. The two of us have given people a vague picture of south india with a few details about tamil and telugu cultures respectively but this doesn't even begin to cover the beauty of south indian cultures. If youre writing a south indian character then do a little more research, it really wont be hard i promise. Just adding details here and there in your story will make your reader feel connected to the character. And you'll enjoy urself too, south india has many interesting cultures.

writing south indian characters

[@/moonlit_sunflower_books on ig]

The primary Indian story that is told through modern literature and media is a very North-Indian focused narrative, and while there's nothing wrong with that, there's a massive lack of south Indian representation. Often we're sort of ostracised from other Indians as well, so i thought i'd make a post outlining how to write South Indian characters talking about the differences between our cultures :)

If you have anything to add or things to point out, please go ahead! This is all based on my own personal experience and knowledge.

how do you define "south indian"

"South Indian" is used as a very broad term and is also highly relative. Generally, it encompasses people from the states of Kerala, Karnataka, Tamilnadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana. The problem with grouping all these characters under one massive umbrella is that our cultures are all vastly different, the same way that someone from Assam and Punjab would have entirely different. I'm going to elaborate on this further as we go!

food

South Indian food, contrary to popular belief, does not consist of idli and dosa.

Some examples of more food are bisi bele bath, pongal and vathakuzhambu (i promise it's not that hard to pronounce), sambhar shadam (a type of rice and curry), rasam, coconut-based kormas, tamarind rice, chakkarai pongal (which is sweet), vadai (yes we pronounce it differently from North Indians), mysore pak, lime rice, our famous filter coffee (or "kaapi"), and so much more.

South Indian food is more rice-heavy than grain-heavy, and we don't really have a roti equivalent. There's also a lot of non-vegetarian food, but since I'm vegetarian, I don't know a whole lot about it :)

There's also obvious language differences: for example, in a Tamilian household, we would call curd rice "thayir shadam", which means the same thing. Which brings me to my next point...

languages

There is a reason that there's a debate as to whether or not Hindi should be the national language. Spoiler alert: it should not.

South India is home to so many languages such as Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Malyalam. Very often someone from North India will make the assumption that Indian people speak Hindi, whereas this is completely untrue - South Indians should not be expected to speak Hindi any more than North Indians should be expected to speak Tamil.

If you're writing about a South Indian character, make sure that they speak their native language and NOT Hindi at home! And if it's a South Indian character who lives in a different part of the country, like I do, they'll likely know the language of the part of the country they live in as well as their native language. (But this also depends - if a Telugu person has grown up in Delhi, they're likely to speak Hindi better than Telugu.)

Even characters that live abroad will have some connection to their language. As someone who spent many years outside India, I learnt quite a bit of random vocabulary in the form of food and short phrases like "look here", "what do you want", "what happened", and things like that.

fashion

The South Indian version of a lehenga is called a pavada or pavadai, and it's often what younger girls wear at any formal or festive event. Older women will often wear saris. Traditionally, Brahmins used to wear 9 yard saris that were tied differently, but in an attempt to eradicate the caste system, this largely isn't worn anymore.

Men wear veshtis, which is a type of cloth tied around the waist. Traditionally, this would have been worn without a shirt, but today it's not uncommon to see people walking around with a veshti and formal shirt.

Keep in mind, though, India has become really westernised, so many people will also jeans and shirts and things like that. Fusing ethnic and western wear, like jeans with kurta tops, is not uncommon.

It also varies a lot from region to region - in Chennai you're much more likely to see someone walking around casually in a sari than you are in Bangalore, simply because of the culture that surrounds the two cities.

physically

South Indians stereotypically have much thicker, curlier hair and darker skin than North Indians. (But this obviously varies from person to person.)

names

Within South Indian names, it's fairly easy to tell where someone is from - and this is true of any micro-region, state, or culture within India.

Some examples of Tamil names could include "Srinivasan", "Iyer", or "Pillai". (Iyer and Iyengar are actually two sub-sects of Tamilian Brahmins who worship Shiva and Vishnu respectively, but I won't get into that.) Telugu surnames could include "Komati" or "Nayak".

But traditionally, South Indians never had surnames. There would be 2-3 initials that stood for one's village name and father's name, followed by your name. So, for example, C. V. Raman was his full name! Some people still use this system, but because it becomes difficult during documentation etc, most people have switched to the westernised version of the system.

general culture

Two of my personal favourite parts of South Indian culture are Carnatic Music and Bharatnatyam, both of which I have learnt. Carnatic music is a form of classical music where one sings varnams and shlokas and padams in different raagas and taalams. Bharatnatyam is a classical dance form from Tamilnadu with two main styles - Thanjavur and Kalakshetra.

Of course, there are millions of little aspects to South Indian culture, but I couldn't possibly fit them all here :)

being south indian

Being South Indian in other parts of India means that you're subject to a whole lot of racism.

I've had people say "how can you call yourself a real indian" and, like I said earlier, use words like "dosa" and "pongal" instead of my name. There's also language-based discrimination like I mentioned, because many people assume Hindi should be spoken across the country.

The caste system is also very prominent, and there are multiple movements to eradicate it across South India.

[wiedzmina-blog]

Norwegian / old norse names and places

Every now and then I come across a book, movie, TV-series, fanfic, game or whatever, that mention a fictional "Norwegian" or "norse" place or person, and it just sounds so wrong it makes me either cringe or ROFL. Really. I still haven't recovered from the 1995 X-files episode, "Død Kalm", which took us to the port of "Tildeskan" where we met "Henry Trondheim", "Halverson" and "Olafsson".  Hopefully this list will keep others from being that “creative” with names. :)

Common names for places, towns and villages in Norway

These names are very generic and suitable for a place, village or town anywhere (and pretty much any time) in Norway. Mix and match prefixes with suffixes for diversity.  Bonus: All of these can also be used as surnames. Name (meaning) - usage

Nes (headland, cape, ness) - Standalone ​ Bø (fenced-in field on a farm) - Standalone Fjell (mountain) -  Standalone or prefix/suffix: Fjell- / -fjell Haug (small hill / large mound)  -  Standalone or prefix/suffix: Haug- / -haug Vik, Viken, Vika (inlet, the inlet, the inlet) -  Standalone or prefix/suffix: Vik- / -viken / -vika Ås, Åsen (hill, the hill (larger than "Bakken")) - Standalone or prefix/suffix: ​ Dal, Dalen (valley, the valley) - Standalone or prefix/suffix: ​ Berg (small mountain) - Standalone or prefix/suffix: Berg(s)- / -berg Sand (sand) - Standalone or prefix/suffix: Sand- / -sand Strand (beach) -  Standalone or prefix/suffix: Strand- / -strand Li (hill) -  Standalone or prefix/suffix: Li- / -li Gran (spruce) -  Standalone or prefix: Gran- Bratt (steep) - prefix only: Bratt- Myr (bog, mire) - prefix only: Myr- Neset, Nesset (the headland, the cape, the ness) - Standalone or suffix: ​-neset / -nesset Odden (foreland, headland) - Standalone or suffix: ​ -odden Våg (cove, bay) - Standalone or suffix: -våg Lund (grove) - Standalone or suffix: -lund Sund (sound, strait) -  Standalone or suffix:  -sund Skog (forest) prefix/suffix: Skog- / -skog Øy (island) prefix/suffix: Øy- / -øy øya (the island) - suffix only: ​ -øya bakken  (the hill) - suffix only: -bakken  gard / gård / gården (farm / farm / the farm) - suffix only: -gard / -gård / -gården elv, -elva (river, the river) suffix only: -elv / -elva stad (old word for town/place) suffix only: -stad vannet (the lake) - suffix only: -vannet

Common words that can be used as prefix to any of the suffixes above Svart- (black)  Lille- (little/small)  Sol- (sun)  Brei-/Bred- (wide)  Stor- (big) Lang- (long)

Common Norwegian surnames (contemporary)

Heredatory surnames didn't become mandatory in Norway until 1923. Many took the name from the farm or place they lived, or just changed their primary patronyms into hereditary patronyms. Example: Helgessønn/Helgesdatter (son of Helge / daughter of Helge) became Helgesen.

Alm Andersen Anderssen Antonsen Aspelund Bakke Bakken Bang Berg Bjerkan Bråthen Christensen Corneliussen Dahl Dahlberg Danielsen Dyrnes Dørum Eide Ellingsen Erdal Eriksen Falch Fredriksen Foss Fure Fylling Gabrielsen Gran Grønning Halvorsen Hansen Hanssen Hay Hoff Holm Holt Husby Isaksen Iversen Jacobsen Jensen Jenssen Johansen Karlsen Klausen Konradsen Kristensen Kristiansen Larsen Larssen Lie Lien Lund Løvold Magnussen Meyer Mikalsen Mo Moen Myhre Myklebust Mørk Ness Nilsen Olavsen Olsen Paulsen Pettersen Prestegård Rasmussen Riise Rogstad Ruud Simonsen Solbakken Solli Stokke Strøm Sund Svendsen Thorvaldsen Torp Thune Tønnesen Ueland Ulven Urdal Vik Vinje Wahl Wik Wilhelmsen Zakariassen Ødegård Årseth Årvik Ås, Aas Åsen, Aasen

Common Norwegian names -- 1980 - present

Men

Anders André Andreas Are Arne Atle Bjørn Cato Chris Christian, Kristian Christoffer, Kristoffer Daniel David Dennis Elias Emil Espen Erik, Eric Eirik Fredrik Filip Geir Harald Helge Hans Henning Håkon, Haakon Håvard Isak Jan Joachim Johan Johannes John, Jon Johnny Jonas Jonathan Kim Kristian, Christian Kristoffer, Christoffer Lars Lucas, Lukas Mads, Mats Magnus Martin Michael, Mikael Morten Niklas Nils Odin Ole Ove Paul Per Peter, Petter Preben Pål Richard, Rikard Roger Sebastian Simen Simon Sindre Sondre Stian Terje Thomas Thor, Tor Thore, Tore Vegard Werner William Øystein Åge Åsmund

Women

Andrea Ane, Anne Anette, Annette Annika, Anniken Astrid Bente Camilla Carina Cathrine Celine Charlotte Christin, Kristin Christina, Kristina Christine, Kristine Elin, Eline Elise Elisabeth Emilie Eva Frida Grete, Grethe Hanne Hege Heidi Helene Hilde Ida Ine Ingrid Ingvill, Ingvild Isabel, Isabell, Isabelle Iselin Jannicke Janine Jeanette Jennie, Jenny Julia, Julie Karoline (Kine) Katrin, Katrine Kristin, Christin Lea, Leah Lena, Lene Linda Line Linn Linnea Lise, Lisa Liv, Live Mai, May Maja Malin Margrete, Margrethe Mari, Maria, Marie Mariann, Marianne Marte, Marthe Mette Monica Nina Nora Oda Pia Ragnhild Randi Rikke Sara, Sarah Silje Siv Stina, Stine Susann, Susanne Tanja Tina, Tine Tiril Tone Trine Vilde Vera Veronica Wenche Åse Åshild

Common Norwegian names - 1800 - 1980

Men Aksel Albert Anders Andreas Anker Ansgar Arne Arnt Arve Asle Atle Birger Bård Charles Edmund Edvard Egon Erling Even Fred Fredrik Frode Geir Georg Gunnar Gunvald Gustav Harald Helge Hilmar Håkon, Haakon Ivar Ingvar Jens Jesper Jørgen Joakim Karl Karsten, Karstein Kjell Klaus Kolbein Kolbjørn Kristian Kåre Lars Lavrans Leif Lossius Ludvig Magne Magnus Nikolai Nils Odd Oddvar Odin Ola Olai Olaf Olav Ole Omar Oscar, Oskar Peder Per Petter Philip, Phillip Pål Ragnar Rikard Roald Roar (also Hroar) Rolf Rune Sigurd Sigvard, Sigvart Simon Svein Sverre Tarjei Terje Toralf, Thoralf Torbjørn, Thorbjørn Torleif, Thorleif Torstein, Thorstein Torvald, Thorvald Trond Ulf Ulrik Valdemar Wilhelm Willy Åge

Women

Albertine Alice, Alise Alma Anita Anna Annbjørg Asbjørg Astrid Aud Bente Berit Birgit Birgitte Bjørg Bjørgun Bodil Borghild Dagny Dagrun Edel Ella Ellen Elsa Fredrikke Frida Gerd Gjertrud Gunhild Gyda Hanna, Hannah Helga Henny Herdis Hilda Hilde Hjørdis Ingeborg Inger Irene Johanna, Johanne Jorun, Jorunn Josefine Judith Kari Karin Kirsten Kitty Kjersti Laila Lilli, Lilly Lisa, Lise Liv Lovise Mathilde Margaret Marit Martha Molly Nanna Oddrun Oddveig Olga Ragna Ragnhild Rigmor Sara Signe Sissel Solbjørg Solveig Solvår Svanhild Sylvi Sølvi Tora Torhild, Toril, Torill Torun, Torunn Tove Valborg Ylva Åse Åshild

Names usage Double names, like Ragnhild Johanne or Ole Martin are common in Norway. Just keep them as two names and don't use "-", and you'll be safe, even if it ends up a tongue twister. Using only one of two given names is also common practice.

In Norway everyone is on a first name basis. Students call teachers and other kids' parents by their first name, workers call their boss by their first name, we call our Prime Minister by her first name (journalists will use her title when speaking to her though). Some senior citizens still use surnames and titles when speaking of or to  people their own age.

There are some exceptions. For example, a doctor may be referred to as Dr. Lastname when we speak of them, but first name is used when speaking to them. A priest is "the priest" when speaking of him/her and their first name is used when spaking to them. In the millitary only surnames (and ranks) are used. If you meet Harald, the King of Norway, in an official setting you will refer to him as "Kongen" (the king). If you run into him at the gas station, or while hiking, he is "Harald".

If you don't know someone's name it is okay to use their title, or just say "you".

Names for pets (contemporary)

Dogs Laika (f) Bamse (m) (bear) Tinka (f) Loke/Loki (m) + characters from TV/film/books...

Cats Melis (m/f) (powdered sugar) Mango (m/f) (mango) Pus (f) (kitty) Mons (m) (tomcat) Nala (f) Pusur (m) (Garfield) Felix (m)  Simba (m) + characters from TV/film/books...

Horses Pajazz (m) Mulan (f) Balder (m) - cold blood Kompis (m) (pal) Freya (f) - cold blood + characters from TV/film/books...

Rabbits Trampe (m) (Thumper) Trulte (f) + characters from TV/film/books...

Cows (yes, I am serious) Dagros Rosa Mira Luna Sara + characters from TV/film - Disney is popular, as are the Kardashians :)

Road and street names

Storgata (usually the main street) Kongens gate (the king's street) Dronningens gate (the queen's street) Jernbanegata (railroad street) Jernbaneveien (railroad road) Sjøgata (ocean street) Sjøveien, Sjøvegen (ocean road) Skolegata (school street) Torvgata (plaza street) Industrigata (industrial street) Industriveien (industrial road)

Prefixes Blåbær- (blueberry) Bringebær- (raspberry) Bjørke- (birch) Aspe- (asp) Kastanje- (chestnut) Solsikke- (sun flower) Blåklokke- (blue bell) Nype- (rosehip) Kirke- (church) Park- (park)

Suffixes -veien, -vegen (the road)  -stien (the path)

Other Torvet (the plaza) - standalone or suffix: -torvet Havna (the port) - standalone or suffix: -havna Kaia (the port) - standalone or suffix: -kaia

Safe solution: use a first name or surname as prefix.

Old norse

Men’s names Agnarr (Agnar) Alfr (Alf) Ámundi (Amund) Ánarr Árngrimr (Arngrim) Askr (Ask) Auðun (Audun) Baldr (Balder) Beinir ​Bjørn Burr Borkr Dagfinnr (Dagfinn) Davið (David) Drengr Durinn Einarr (Einar) Eirikr (Eirik) Eivindr (Eivind) Erlingr (Erling) Fafnir Flóki Freyr (Frey) Fuldarr Galinn Gautarr (Gaute) Gegnir Geirr (Geir) Glóinn Grímarr (Grimar) Hafli Hakon Hallsteinn (Hallstein) Haraldr (Harald) Haukr (Hauk) Heðinn (Hedin, Hedinn) Helgi (Helge) Hrafn, Hrafni (Ravn) Hrafnkell (Ravnkjell) Iarl (Jarl) Ingolfr (Ingolf) Iuar (Ivar) Jafnhárr Jón Jóngeirr Kál Kiaran Klaus Knútr (Knut) Kolgrimr (Kolgrim) Kolr (Kol) Leifr (Leif) Loki Lyngvi Magnus Mikjáll (Mikal, Mikkel) Mór Morði Nesbjørn Nokkvi Oddr (Odd) Oddbjørn Oðin (Odin) Olafr (Olaf) Ormr (Orm) Otr Ouden Pálni Pedr Ragnarr (Ragnar) Ragnvaldr (Ragnvald) Randr (Rand) Róaldr (Roald) Rólfr (Rolf) Salvi Sigarr (Sigar) Sigbjørn Sigurðr (Sigurd) Skarpe Snorri (Snorre) Steinn (Stein) Sveinn (Svein) Teitr Þor (Thor/Tor) Þórbjørn (Thorbjørn/Torbjørn) Þorsteinn (Thorstein/Torstein) Tryggr (Trygg) Týr Ulfár Ulfheðinn (Ulvhedin) Ulfr (Ulf) Vakr Vani Veigr Viðarr (Vidar) Yngvarr (Yngvar) Æsi

Women's names

Anna Arnfriðr (Arnfrid) Ása Bera Bergdís (Bergdis) Biørg (Bjørg) Cecilia Cecilie Christina Dagný (Dagny) Dagrún (Dagrun) Dís Dísa Edda Elin Ellisif (Ellisiv) Freyja (Freya) Friða (Frida) Frigg Gerðr (Gerd) Gertrud Grima Gyða (Gyda) Hadda Hallbéra Hallkatla Herdís (Herdis) Hildigunnr (Hildegunn) Huld Hvít Ida Iðunn (Idun, Idunn) Ingríðr (Ingrid) Johanna Jórunn (Jorun, Jorunn) Juliana Katla Katrine Kristín (Kristin) Leikný (Leikny) Lif (Liv) Magnhildr (Magnhild) Mjøll Myrgiol Nál Nanna Nótt Oda Oddný (Oddny) Ólaug (Olaug) Rafnhildr (Ragnhild) Rán Rannveíg Ríkví (Rikvi, Rikke) Rúna (Runa) Roskva Sága (Saga) Sif (Siv) Sigriðr (Sigrid) Skaði (Skadi) Skuld Svana Sýn Solveig Tekla Tóra (Tora) Trana Ulfhildr (Ulfhild) Una Urðr (Urd) Valborg Vigdís (Viigdis) Vírún Yngvildr (Ingvill, Ingvild) Yrsa

Bynames Bynames, or nicknames, could be neutral, praising or condescending. Usually bynames described a person's

body, bodyparts, bodily features

age

kinship and descent

territorial origin

knowledge, belief, spirituality

clothing, armour

occupation, social position

nature

Examples: Eirik Blodøks (Eirik Blood-Axe), Gammel-Anna (old Anna), Halte-Ása (limping Ása). I suggest that you stick with English for bynames, or use (relatively) modern language if you are writing in Norwegian. 

Surnames

Surnames weren't really a thing until 1923 when they became mandatory. Before 1923 patronyms (son/daughter of) were used, and the name of the farm you lived on was often added as an address. 

For instance: Helgi Eiriksøn (Helgi, son of Eirik), who lived at the farm called Vollr (grass field), would be called Helgi Eiriksøn Vollr. If he moved to the farm called Haugr his name would change to Helgi Eiriksøn Haugr.

Patronyms

Men: Use father's first name and add -sen /-son /-sønn Women: Use father's first name and add -dotter / -dottir / -datter

Farm names

Farm names were usually relevant and derived from either the location, a nearby landmark, nature or from occupation.  I suggest you stick with the modern forms for farm names.

Old Norse (meaning) - modern Bekkr (stream) - Bekk, Bekken Dalr (valley) - Dal, Dahl Horn (horn) - Horn Vollr (field) - Vold, Volden Lundr (grove) - Lund

The list of common names for places/villages/towns is still valid, although the spelling is modern. Just keep it simple and make "clever" combos based on meaning. 

[blackaquokat]

Proposals Part 2

So there will be a third part, because this one got a little long. I JUST CAN’T WRITE SHORT STUFF, OKAY? Warning: I may have butchered how the draft worked back during WWII, it may change when I go back through and do edits in a more polished version because I’m a perfectionist. Also: my first attempt at a nonbinary character, please let me know if I did something problematic and I will fix it.

oo000oo

You meet Damien at his dorm room, at his request, in order to solidify the plan. Since you see a long night ahead of you, you bring dinner…well, you bring canned vegetables and biscuits. College life during wartimes at its finest. 

Luckily his roommate is out with friends, leaving the room for your full use without judgment. As a result, you’re sitting next to Damien on his bunk without a care in the world.

“So, how far are we going to go with this?” you ask him as you take a bite out of a carrot.

“I say we don’t admit the truth until the ‘I do’s,” Damien laughs as he takes a bite out of a biscuit. “We may as well see this through to the end.”

“So we’ll need to have some people in on it.” You tap your chin. “I’m sure my mom will get a kick out of it. I’ll write to her.”

“Where is she?”

“She’s overseas,” you explain. “But that’s not important right now. Do you know anyone who can officiate a wedding?”

“Um…I think one of my professors mentioned he was ordained.” At your confused stare, he continues, “Apparently it’s how he met his wife, he told us about it the first day.”

“Oh! Well perfect, in that case!”

Damien chortles at your enthusiasm. “You’re really enjoying this, aren’t you?”

You lift your eyebrow at his observation. “And you’re not?”

“Fair enough.” He chews on a piece of broccoli before asking, “How many people should we invite to the ceremony?”

“We’ll play it by ear. When should the big day be?”

Damien hums in thought. “We should begin ‘sharing’ surnames in two days, I think.”

“I can hardly wait, Sugar!”

oo000oo

Between the two of you (mostly Damien, since he apparently has this mystical quality which compels others to adore him on sight and hang onto every word he says as opposed to your prickly antisocial tendencies), you manage to garner about fifty guests by the next day: students, mainly, with a few professors who are in on the joke.

It’s almost too easy, how smoothly it all comes together at first. You and Damien consider renting the gym for the event until Professor Lee, the one who will be “marrying” the two of you, suggests the lovely gazebo on the campus.

You’re both there now, resting against the columns and clutching clipboards with the other minutiae of the plan. The setting sun leaves a stunning pinkish-orange glow over the campus, and it warms your back (you hate when the sun is in your eyes, so it’s well acquainted with your back).

“So, how likely is it that your parents will actually attend the wedding?” you inquire, tapping your pen to your lips.

“I honestly do not know,” Damien answers. His pen is tucked behind his ear. “On the one hand, they wouldn’t come in order to express the full extent of their disapproval. On the other hand, I am the only child they have left now, would they really want to miss out on such an important event in my life?”

“Guess we won’t know until the day of,” you muse aloud. “Have you seen them since we broke the news?”

“No, but they keep calling to try to talk me out of it.” Damien jots a note down on the clipboard. “I think my roommate hates me, he finally unplugged the phone this morning when it rung off the hook.”

You smother a laugh behind your hand, before returning to your clipboard. “Okay, so do I want to wear a suit or a dress for my first fake wedding…”

When you catch a glimpse at Damien out of the corner of your eye, you realize you said that out loud. The blood rushes to your face and you need to remind yourself that breathing keeps you alive while you wait for his reaction.

(In hindsight, you probably could have played it off as a joke, or even spun it as a quirky fashion choice to make his parents irate, with a wink and quirks of your lips, but given the words to blow off your slip-up are already strangled in your throat, all hope of acting like you did not just expose your secret is for naught.)

Damien blinks at you curiously, and if the seriousness of his gaze is any indication, he is fully aware of your mistake and its implications. He shrugs the next moment. “I say whatever you feel like. My parents are going to snap their caps no matter what you wear, so I say go with whatever you’re comfortable with.”

“You…um…” you clear the hesitation out of your throat. “You don’t mind…?”

“Why would I mind?”

Bitterness crawls under your lips and you bite it back, but it still leaks through, “Some people do…”

(Some people you thought you could trust only for them to just leave and never speak to you again, some people who think you need to have your “proper identity” beaten into you when you don’t dress or behave as they believe you should, some people sling words that cut like knives or bullets that rip through the flesh of your lungs, but you don’t talk about that, none of that, you just go on with your life; dig the bullets out, stitch up the cuts with reality and stoicism, and give the world the façade they want, at least you can be who you want at home, the most important people in your life have accepted you sans one, and he’s abandoned you now so what does it matter?)

“Well, I don’t,” Damien dismisses. “It’s like I always say: life is ours to choose.”

But other people (just two, no just one because the other is underground, remember, dead from the fight for his country as if that helps when the grief suffocates you in the middle of the night) offer balms with kindness and acceptance about your refusal to subject to binaries, and it makes the wounds easier to bear (maybe two again, maybe, maybe).

A handkerchief appears next to your clipboard. Damien’s. You look up and see nothing but compassion lined in his face.

You hadn’t even noticed the tears welling in your eyes.

oo000oo

The morning before the “big day,” Damien comes to you with unexpected news.

“They want to have dinner with us tonight?”

The two of you are studying in the library together. Not the school library, but the local one, since your shift will be starting in the next ten minutes and your boss likes you to at least arrive early. You are collecting your scattered notes from the table for your mandatory college math course (a subject you could have gone your entire life never touching again), but you’re a little more preoccupied with the idea of speaking with Damien’s parents again.

Damien nods and crosses his legs at the ankles. His socks are stripes of blue and pink (why do you notice that?). “I was surprised too. Maybe they think they can still talk us out of it.”

The amusement in his voice is adorable.

“In that case,” you begin, “We should probably establish our boundaries, huh?”

“What?”

“We have to act like we’re a couple, don’t we?” you point out.

Damien’s mouth gapes for several heartbeats before he stutters, “I…I didn’t even think of that.”

You chuckle at the blood rushing to his face. “Clearly.”

“Well-I mean…erm…” Damien clears his throat. “I wouldn’t want to make you uncomfortable—”

“Ultimately, we’re doing this for you, Damien,” you interrupt. “So we can act as intimate as you would like and I’ll go along with it.”

“I suppose…”

“I guess what you need to ask yourself is how uncomfortable you would like them to be.” You collect the last of the papers and shove them into your backpack. “Since that is the primary goal here.”

You’re not foolish, and you’re not a lovesick child who can’t discern reality from acting (not to mention you have a love for the performing arts; you took part in several school plays during high school), so this will be a piece of cake.

“Uh…” Damien shakes his head with a nervous laugh. “I have no idea what I’d like to do, to be perfectly candid…I’ve never been in a fake relationship before.”

“Neither have I. You’re my first.” You wink at him and what the hell, since when do you flirt, shit, he’s going to think you’re an idiot—

Damien stares at you with wide dark brown eyes, mouth agape (you are regretting every decision you’ve ever made, why are you like this?) before he laughs again, a little more genuinely. “That…I wasn’t expecting that from you.”

That makes two of us.

You clear your throat and stand up. “Well, anyway, you better make up your mind before tonight, because,” you check the watch on your right hand, “my shift starts in two minutes, so I need to go. Where are we having dinner, how dressed up do I need to be, and where do you want to meet?”

oo000oo

“So…what are you attending University for?”

The question wouldn’t be such a bothersome one if it weren’t for his mother’s passive-aggressive I’m-sure-you’re-not-good-enough-for-my-boy tone.

The restaurant is one of the more higher-end ones—the like you and your family would never afford even if all four of you worked half-a-year—called Charlotte’s, and thus far, the wait for food has been the most awkward fifteen minutes of your life.

You take a sip of your water, a pocket of saved time to think up a response, and collect your nerves. “Criminal justice. I want to be a lawyer.”

Damien’s parents (Walter and Lois, you finally learned upon the official introductions) exchange glances at this. “Is that so?” Walter presses.

You nod.

Lois taps her blood red nails against the white-tablecloth. “Even after your marriage?”

Your brow furrows and you meet Damien’s gaze. He’s a little stiff in the shoulders, but that’s the only tell for how nervous he is about this whole situation. The suit he’s wearing looks more like a costume than a symbol of high class, then again that might just be because you witnessed him do cartwheels in similar attire the night before this whole fiasco began (the night that caused the whole fiasco, you should say).

You look back at Lois. “My parents believe it’s important that I have a way to support myself, and I’m inclined to agree, so yes. Even after I marry Damien.”

Walter addresses his son. “And you approve of this decision?”

Damien surprises you when he places his hand over yours atop the table. “Absolutely. I respect my fiancé ambitions, and,” he turns to you with a smile more natural than anything else he’s attempted over the course of the night, “you respect mine, don’t you, love?”

You smile right back, and his silent support helps you muster your courage to initiate the more fun portion of the charade before this gets anymore awkward.

Namely: speaking more of the very not-at-all-high-class wedding you two are planning.

“Now,” you begin, “there are only a few things left for us to take care of before tomorrow. Since my parents are overseas,” it astonishes you, how easily the lie falls from your lips (they don’t need to know about your father, after all, it’s none of their business, future fake-parents or not), “We have the flowers we need, I have my outfit put together, and we even found someone to officiate us.” You pretend not to notice his mother flinch at the last one. “The main problem is that I will need someone to walk me down the aisle.”

The blood leaves his parent’s faces, and you bite back the laughter bubbling in your throat.

“I was going to ask one of my Professors—McGowan, she teaches Women’s Studies at the university—but if either of you are willing to walk with me, that would make me so happy!”

Once again, the powdery sugar sound of your voice is just nauseating, but also, once again, it makes the act totally worth it to see Walter’s face redden to the shade of a pomegranate.

“I…” Walter’s mouth opens and closes like a trout. “See here—”

“Were you speaking to me, too?” Lois squeaks. She looks like she wants to vomit.

“Of course!” You smile at her as innocently as possible. “Since my mom would have been the one walking me down the aisle if she were here, I would want to offer you the same opportunity!”

The color leaves Lois’s face, but she manages to keep from doing anything drastic. “I…I am not so sure that will be a good idea, my dear—”

“Well, if neither of you are interested,” Damien interjects as though his parents are not about to have individual coronaries, staring at you with such over enthused joy (you hope that means he’s having fun with this too), “I will walk down the aisle with you, my dear.”

To your surprise, he presses a swift kiss to your cheek. Aside from a slight widening of your eyes (he even seems a little shocked at this move), you think you hold onto your composure fairly well.

“Oh, thank you so much sweetie,” you gush. You turn to his parents again. “You have the most amazing son, I don’t know what I would do without him…especially with both of my parents—” you pretend to get choked up and fan your face a hint, “both my parents away, fighting for our country and the world…”

As Damien faux-coaxes you out of your act with his typical gentleness (hands patting your own and pulling you in for a small hug while muttering comforting words), you catch his parents alternating between expressions of what might be guilt and horror (whether it’s horror about your “situation” or the way you and Damien are playing up the couple act, you aren’t sure).

Dinner finally arrives and his parents take the opportunity to stuff their mouths with food as quickly as possible, probably to avoid further conversation for as long as possible.

oo000oo

As you and Damien leave the restaurant and bid his parents farewell, it takes every ounce of strength the two of you have to wait until his parents are out of sight before bursting into fits of laughter.

“You are a fantastic performer, my friend!” Damien commends through his sniggering (a deep, rumbling sound in his chest). “You really frightened them with your act!”

“Frightened? I guess that’s one word for it!” you chuckle, hands on your knees. “You were fantastic too! Offering to walk me down the aisle? That was perfect.”

“Well, what’s a future husband for if not to make his fiancé happy?” he jokes with a wink. You shove him playfully and the two of you crack all over again.

You both walk to your car as you talk, gushing over each other’s acts and having a good laugh at the expense of his parents. This cheerful atmosphere lasts the two of you until the first traffic light.

“Back there, you mentioned your parents again,” Damien begins.

You roll your eyes. “If this is about not mentioning my dad, there is no room in this whole shindig to bring that up with them—”

“No, I was going to ask about your mother.”

“…oh…”

“It’s just…obviously, she wasn’t drafted,” Damien begins, hesitation slowing his words, “and I just…I wondered why, with your father gone, she hasn’t returned to you.”

Your hands grip the steering wheel so tight you feel tendons pop.

“I’m not trying to judge her,” he hurries to add. “Obviously whatever she’s doing in the army is important, anything to stop the Nazis, I just wanted to ask—”

“She did it for my brother.”

Damien’s head jerks to you, but you focus your eyes on the road, blinking away thoughts of the last time you saw James. The traffic light changes and the scenery outside moves once more.

“I didn’t…I didn’t know you had a brother.”

“He left some time ago,” you explain briefly. “For…reasons”

Because he doesn’t approve of me, doesn’t approve of my choices, and hates that our parents do.

“But before he took off,” you continue, choking down the pain like bile, “Mom and Dad were worried about the draft. They didn’t want him to be enlisted, because…well, I think that would be obvious. But they weren’t happy with just my dad enlisting when we have an able-bodied young man, so my mom offered to go instead, and James promised to look out for me while they were gone.”

Damien doesn’t say anything for a long time. He doesn’t need to. The fact that you’re alone in your house says enough.

“He pays the rent every month,” you add. “Among other bills, and he sends me money in case I don’t make enough to eat, but that’s it. I’m getting through this first semester on scholarship money and what I have saved up from working at the library.” You shrug. “It’s fine.”

And it is, you tell yourself. Solitude doesn’t bother you. The quiet in your house doesn’t reach into your head and suffocate your thoughts (not all the time anyway). You can cook your own meals when you have the rations you need, and the radio offers pleasant background noise and war propaganda to listen to (though you were tempted to chuck it out the window when it mentioned the battle your father died in as a successful operation).

When Damien’s hand rests on your shoulder, you take in a deep breath and let it out as you pull into the entrance to his dorm.

You clear your throat and glance at him with a smile. “Guess I’ll see you at ten o’clock sharp then, darlin’?”

Damien returns your smile. “Of course!” But partway out of the car, he stops. A moment later, he looks back at you.

“What is it?”

He chews on his bottom lip and says, “Actually…can I spend the night at your place?” He must sense the irritation stirring in your skin and adds, “This isn’t pity, I left my suit at your house last time I was there and it will be more convenient for us to get ready and drive here together, since I’m walking you down the aisle anyway.”

But by the quirk of his lips, he knows you see right through that, and also knows you can’t exactly argue with the logic.

Not that you really want to argue, but he doesn’t need to know that. Nor does he need to know how much you’ve enjoyed his company and time these past few days, a welcome reprieve from the crushing quiet.

“Sure, but I’ll be taking the couch,” you assert.

“What, no!” he argues as he shuts the door on the car. “I’m the guest, I’ll take the couch!”

“I’m the host, it’s only fair—” you cut off and drop your head back against your seat. “There’s more than one bed in the house,” you recall with a sigh.

Damien bursts into such loud, bellowing laughter and it warms you up from the inside like a warm cup of coffee, so you can’t really regret your embarrassing mishap.

As you watch the streetlights flicker against Damien’s laughing face out of the corner of your eye, you’re reminded of the moon.

You’ve heard your fellow students, men and women both, describe him like a sun, and personally, the comparison doesn’t feel accurate. The sun is too bright, too harsh, and it’s there whether you want it or not, a constant irritating if necessary part of life.

Moonlight, on the other hand, is a subtle sort of loveliness that illuminates dark places and leaves you breathless. His smile is like that, a subtle but illuminating show of teeth. It draws everyone around him in like the tide, and even if they could, people never seem to look away from him.

And...and...

It’s just really not fair.

oo000oo

@damiendeservedbetter , @sweetestlittledarling , @silver-owl413 , and if anyone else wants to be tagged for Part 3 (where we FINALLY get to the wedding and aftermath), let me know!