#you may be able to tell who my favourite characters are

[laniemae]

its such a mystery as to how ojima got drunk. its kinda (very) concerning if he was coerced/forced to drink and i feel like that would mess with him a LOT once he sobers up but i digress. if he got drunk on his own accord then i suppose it could make sense. user blake0022 on youtube left a comment on [cage game] where they theorised that he could have taken alcohol to numb stress. that does have some validity but i feel like takeshi isn't the kinda guy to drink (unless he is and just hasn't done it until now). also why was he still wasted after THREE HOURS??? AND AFTER SLEEPING AS WELL?? 2 shots of vodka ass phenomenon 🙏😭🙏(2x13 more like...)

earlier i mentioned how i felt like takeshi being forced to drink would mess with him a lot. the reason why i think this is because the reality of something being done to him without his knowledge would take him back to his trauma of not being able to control how he was treated at the hands of his uncle. (<- although, i could be overanalysing here and could also be proven wrong come friday.) back when i was watching [bruise], i remember him describing his headspace as 'somewhere where he could control things', and that statement is part of why i believe he'd be disturbed once he sobers up.

this leads me into my next point. in [cage game] hiroaki tells ojima to get off of him multiple times, implying that ojima was being very touchy with him; of course, he was absolutely PLASTERED at the time but it is still kinda weird (takeshi is still my goat though...). but this really makes me think about how he'd react upon sobering up and finding this out. i personally believe he'd be mortified--this also ties into my earlier point about doing things without knowledge or control over what is happening. i also think him being overly touchy towards hiroaki would contribute to him being distraught if we take his trauma into consideration. there is a slim chance this may also trigger his ptsd but i'm not familiar with the (c)ptsd experience and don't know anyone who do have it, so i'd like to be corrected if i got anything wrong here. i would like to inquire your opinion on this topic.

anyways i like ojima. hes very cool and interesting. on a different note, i believe he'd be more popular in the fandom if he were as whimsical externally as he is internally. i do feel like he's gaining more attention after the Drunkeshi Incident, but he's still fairly underrated compared to characters like hiroaki and kamimura. although he isn't as unpopular compared to isono and sasaki (i love you sasaki hitomi)

while we're at it i'd like to mention sasaki for a bit. i don't think about her as much as i do ojima but i'd say shes like my second favourite tetro character. i think shes just really tragic cause she was healing from her trauma and she was living a good life with a good family and good friends and then she just has it all ripped away after being put in a killing game and deprived of sleep then she snapped and killed someone and executed and and,,,,also shes NOT EVIL 😭😭 im ashamed to say that i did not like sasaki a bit after [right hand] when hiroaki said that she didnt care about yanagi at all. but honestly i feel like shes justified in a situation such as that. i probably wouldn't want to get my hand slashed either (i think it was the hand she passed onto yanagi i cant remember) and she was a very good leader as well--while i don't really like extremely assertive people (if i can describe her that way), the situation definitely called for a leader and she fit that role very well. also i enjoyed [follow up] a lot because it showed a kinder, softer side of her that we hadn't seen up to that point. i think ojima was justified in feeling angry over being (or feeling) pitied after his secret was leaked in confession game, but i feel like sasaki could have been empathising with him to an extent seeing as they both are survivors of s/a.

i also think about her possible relationships with the other characters had she lived past chapter 1. i remember von saying that her and hiroaki would have bonded had ojima not been placed in the killing game (and canon implies that they would have bonded in some way regardless if ojima was there or not.) i can imagine her and hiroaki talking about true crime and mystery books that they like together lol. also i read her secret log on the tumblr and found out that she writes poetry?!?!! i cant remember if it was ever brought up in canon but she writes poetry and that is Cool. i also think about her relationship with ojima a lot. i wouldn't really ship them (i'm not really a shipping person myself) but they have an interesting dynamic--i find it interesting how they were like the leader (sasaki) and co-leader (ojima) at the start, and after confession game that kinda deteriorated, likely due to the others "pitying" ojima after finding out about his trauma. i feel like if sasaki lived they could have bonded more.

sorry if i talked about sasaki way too much haha. i like your analyses on characters a lot and as a result i like to Ask you things. truthfully, it's a bit hard for me to analyse characters without looking at what other people say and i feel like my analyses can come off as a bit stiff sometimes. i love tetro a lot (been here since the prologue but i forgot about it for a few months then came back and found myself getting really invested in it esp after confession game. it's a part of why august 2024 was such a good month for me. i don't normally make myself known in fandom spaces so yeah) and the characters, particularly ojima and sasaki as you just saw really stick with me. i feel like i've been getting better at media analysis though. anyways i hope you liked reading allat. if you did.

Yeah the whole Ojima getting drunk thing is something that particularly stands out to me compared to the rest of the times the other students have been targeted as it feels so weird. Unlike with Hasegawa getting high you can’t really slip Ojima that much alcohol without him noticing so you would have to force it on him somehow. But that also conflicts with the culprits MOA with setting up traps or poisoning people, so why would they risk like attacking Ojima to get him drunk if he could very easily fight back and see who was doing it? Even while dissociating if he was suddenly being force fed alcohol he would’ve fought back and why risk yourself getting exposed like this just to get Ojima drunk, it really leads nowhere.

So the other option is that Ojima got drunk willingly. This also feels kinda odd but I can see it in a way. Ojima’s been struggling a lot with trying not to daydream as he worries he’s going to hurt someone again while zoned out so he could’ve tried to find another coping mechanism. And with all the shit going on with the killing game and perhaps his accidental love confession to Hiroaki he could’ve just reached a breaking point and took a huge sum of alcohol. It would be quite interesting if Ojima actually did this willingly. But how would he have gotten his hands on that stuff? We know that there’s no booze in the school and since he was that drunk for such a long time I doubt it was just mouthwash, and he said he was going to the art room so he was likely intoxicated there which feels weird. And I’m pretty convinced on that wherever this alcohol came from also came from the same place where the substances Hasegawa got high on might’ve came from, so I’d think it was a defence game reward. But then how would’ve Ojima just taken the alcohol like that if he didn’t even accept the reward? And to me just a bit if he’s worried about hurting someone without knowing it I feel like the idea of getting drunk could feel even more risky but idk.

It’s really something that’s kinda confusing either way you think about it but I do feel when he sobers up we’ll hopefully get an explanation if he remembers being attacked or he took it himself. Coercion could also be another reason but I feel like that’d make it way too obvious for the culprit. Either way Ojima’s gonna have a really bad hangover which would fuck him up for a while like with how everyone’s getting sick.

I really don’t think that this whole incident of getting drunk would relate to his trauma. We really have no reason to believe that being drugged was an aspect in his childhood and it definitely seems that this incident only really is important to whatever the fuck is going on in this chapter with everyone getting attacked somehow and Ojima just so happened to get drunk for whatever reason. I don’t feel like we should be jumping to anything potentially trauma related with Ojima whenever something comes up as we know he can still function as a person even if he has a lot of issues, so things seem to not be related to that in this moment.

You do have a point saying Ojima will probably be very upset after sobering up. He definitely was being quite handsy with Hiroaki in cage game definitely implied by the dialogue and how Tamba and Yanagi were weirded out. And since being drunk lowers someone’s inhibitions, especially sexual inhibitions, it makes sense why Ojima was behaving this way when it’s something he’d absolutely never do. And he wasn’t even really being too bad as he did stop when Hiroaki told him to but he still made him very uncomfortable and Ojima would absolutely be mortified by this. And like I mentioned he was really distressed after he unconsciously attacked Hasegawa by grabbing his arm hard which affected him really badly of him doing something violent without being aware of it. And how scared he was that he’d also attack Hiroaki in a similar manner. So with Ojima getting blind drunk (willingly or unwillingly) he’d absolutely be beating himself up so badly that he made Hiroaki uncomfortable by acting overly sexual towards him without remembering.

And what you mentioned about potential trauma correlations with this that I can kinda see. As from what I know people with cptsd have tendency to feel very negatively towards themselves with feelings of shame and guilt. And in some cases people with trauma tend to worry about repeating the actions of their abusers, and we don’t know too much about this with Ojima but this could play into how upset he was when he was violent towards Hasegawa and potentially believing that he’s a bad person at heart. But again this is something we’d need to see more of to see how this incident specifically would affect him. As it seems pretty clear at this point that Ojima has a crush on Hiroaki and would absolutely not want any harm to come to him especially since he’s worried about hurting him.

Ojima’s a really interesting character and I hate how so many people neglect that side of him because he’s a lot more introverted and quiet compared to the rest of the cast. I could just be liking him a lot as I’m a sucker for characters who are very fucked up psychologically and I can do a ton of research into him but it feel off when people call him boring unironically as he’s anything but that. And he’s kinda been in the lesser half of the characters as Tetro has moving on which really sucks especially since he’s made it so far. I still pray everyday that we should get more info in Ojima’s inner world as that would expand his character so much especially since his daydreaming is such a massive part of his life and that would really let people appreciate him more.

And oh Sasaki Sasaki Sasaki Sasaki, gone too early and overhated but I still love you. I haven’t really talked about Sasaki here much but I really do find her such an interesting character and she really played the role she did as a chapter 1 killer very well but I do wish we could’ve seen more of her personally, but that’s always the drawback of dying early. I think what von said specifically iirc was is Sasaki lived longer she would’ve been friends with Hiroaki which definitely makes sense with how in [Breaching the Gap] Hiroaki was talking to Sasaki in the medbay. Like Hiroaki was being a massive asshole in chapter 1 and being very antagonistic towards Sasaki with their conflicting ideas on leadership but even with all their bickering it definitely seems that Sasaki could respect someone who was very strong willed on how to lead the group. And Hiroaki was definitely right when he said that in the end the group only knew Sasaki for a short amount of time and never really got to know about her as a person where she wasn’t in this incredibly messed up environment and you had to be a bit ruthless. As Hiroaki can also attest to that with his own behaviour but with him he actually survived much longer. I wonder how different things would be if Hiroaki was the one who died early instead of Sasaki, and how peoples opinions on them would be switched.

Even with all the selfish and hypocritical actions Sasaki had done it feels kind bad that I can actually quite understand why she did most of the stuff she did. Especially with Yanagi I can see that she was probably creeped out by his obsessive behaviour towards her, of course from what we know about Yanagi he’s not like that at all, but first impressions from a group that just met each other it’d make sense why she passed that punishment onto Yanagi when he offered it. Yes it was quite selfish but I can very much see her thought process and I can’t exactly hate that for that. Honestly Hiroaki has done more stuff I can’t forgive him for than Sasaki in chapter 1 lmao.

I do think that Sasaki was quite a good leader (before the motive at least) as she was really the only person who got the students moving to actually set up a plan to escape and organise all these group meetings while in the later chapters everyone was a lot more disorganised and only got into group meetings from the idea of Sasaki’s leadership. The situation was incredibly dire so it makes sense she was acting quite assertive. The motive really fucked her over and understandably so. She was already putting enough pressure on herself as it so being tormented by the sleep deprivation motive while still trying to be a leader to the group it makes sense why she became a lot more assertive than she initially was and ended up hurting a lot of people. And from all this pressure, and how from the beginning putting herself into this role would inherently isolate herself from the rest of the group while trying to get them closer, she didn’t really have anyone she was close with and this and all the pressure it was only inevitable she’d snap and kill someone from all the stress and that’s why I think she’s such a good chapter 1 killer.

Sasaki to me definitely feels like she takes safety in control and leadership. The secret logs say that after the incident with her teacher she nearly ended up quitting the student council, but decided to stay and that’s where she got the support from her friends who were there to help her. The incident would’ve probably made her feel helpless and out of control so perhaps she would’ve developed the idea of trying to feel in control to feel safe, especially in such a threatening environment as been trapped in a school with 15 other students all forced to kill each other and be tortured.

Sasaki and Ojima’s dynamic was also something I found quite interesting with them being a subverted typical danganronpa protag duo who ended up splitting apart after the motive and went their separate ways, in death or not. And that’s why [Follow Up] feels really interesting to me like you mentioned as it was the only real time Sasaki properly interacted with Ojima after confession game. I do think Sasaki was genuinely trying to help Ojima with talking to him after knowing that they come from a place of similar trauma. But how since Ojima is a much more isolated person he didn’t like how it felt like Sasaki was pitying him and playing therapist with him when Sasaki bought up the idea of talking to people. As that’s what helped with Sasaki but Ojima doesn’t feel comfortable with that sort of stuff and it being treated as an ends all to recovery and with how Sasaki got somewhat annoyed/confused on why he was so insistent on not doing that when it helped for her. And this interaction was especially interesting considering how Sasaki was treating him before confession game being a lot more snappy at him whenever he zoned out and quite bossy and assertive. So Sasaki’s sudden change in treatment after the game makes sense why Ojima was mad about her pitying him.

Honestly I really love getting these super long analyses I’m always up for reading them and adding onto them and it was quite interesting talking about all the newer events in the series like whatever was happening with Ojima getting drunk then taking a trip back to the beginning talking about Sasaki and it really makes me view how much the series had changed and I couldn’t imagine any of the stuff happening back in chapter 1. I also have been here since the prologue after Yanagi’s interview and kept up with it from the beginning of chapter 1 til now and I always quite liked it from the start but same here as well Confession Game is what got me really hooked in the series and it’s still one of my favourite episodes for that. It’s always fun analysing series like this no matter how you feel you may come across diving deep into the stories and personalities of these characters is some that always makes me appreciate the media even more.

[iamhollywood]

i spent like an hour making these you better be grateful

[faebaex]

TWST Characters - Big Spoon or Little Spoon?

author note: don't ask me what provoked this, i'm writing these silly little headcanons so that i can get it out of my head so i can write the things i'm supposed to be writing! forgive me for my slowness (｡T ω T｡)

characters: Heartslabyul, Savanaclaw & Octavinelle

Heartslabyul

Riddle Rosehearts

Little spoon who thinks he is a big spoon

He will try being both the big spoon and the little spoon respectively

But in his ACADEMIC opinion, he will declare that he is the big spoon

But despite how he insists that he is the big spoon, most nights he ends up falling asleep in your arms

If he wakes up in the middle of the night he’ll groggily try to rearrange but it doesn’t always work

Don’t tease him about it, sometimes he just needs the comfort of being held

Little spoon in denial basically

Ace Trappola

Silly straw who thinks he is a big spoon

No fr this guy will posture and insist that he is 100% big spoon material

But then as SOON as he falls asleep, he’s snoring and throwing his arms around and wiggling around, tossing and turning

Man will NOT keep still

The amount of times you’ve kicked him out of bed bc he keeps waking you up with his flailing

Rarely you’ll get a night where you comfortably sleep with him as the big spoon but don’t get used to it

Deuce Spade

Respectable big spoon

Probably one of the most comfortable people to sleep with

Will cuddle you well enough that you feel soothed but not tight enough that you can’t slip out if you want/need to

Always makes sure you’re comfortable, probably to the extent that you have to tell him to stop fretting

Good boy, 10/10

Cater Diamond

Undeniable little spoon

There is no doubt, just hold him pls

His favourite position is with his back to you bc he prefers it if you can’t see his face

Can’t have you seeing him vulnerable instead of his usual silly, goofy persona

Sometimes tho he’ll lay his head against your chest and you’ll have a little moment together

But don’t mention it otherwise he won’t do it again

Trey Clover

Big spoon

As if there was ever any doubt

He actually really likes spooning, he likes the intimacy

He likes the feel of your heartbeat and being able to stroke a hand through your hair or watch you as you sleep

Plus it is easy for him to slip into bed next to you if he’s stayed up late to finish baking

Savanaclaw

Leona Kingscholar

Big spoon but only because he treats you like a living pillow

I mean let’s be real all this man does is sleep

So there is no way that you will be anything but the little spoon here

He’ll think its funny if you try to be the big spoon and then just push you underneath him and resume business as usual

Spooning with Leona is either incredibly comfortable or the most uncomfortable sleep you’ve ever had – there is no in-between

He pretends not to care if you voice any discomfort but genuinely will try to be more attentive in future

Jack Howl

Big spoon

But he goes to bed sooo early so you don’t always get to cuddle

Sometimes when you sneak into bed he’ll roll over and engulf you in his arms

As if he sensed you in his sleep

But other times Jack sleeps like a rock

So its kind of hit and miss

But when you do get to spoon, it feels like you are encompassed in a huge, never-ending hug

It may even be tempting enough for you to become a morning person, if you’re not already

Ruggie Bucchi

Little spoon 100%

My man just likes to cuddle up after a long day of making thaumarks and running around taking care of Leona

So there is nothing he loves more than snuggling into your chest or side and passing out

Plus being the little spoon makes it a tiny bit easier to slip out in the morning when he has to do one of his early morning jobs or get Leona's breakfast ready

Plus plus having you there makes his bed feel just that little bit more comforting :)

Octavinelle

Azul Ashengrotto

Little spoon who thinks he is a big spoon #2

You’ll fall asleep with him being the big spoon but you always ALWAYS wake up with him somehow in the little spoon position with his arms and legs wrapped around you

Will insist this is a misunderstanding and that he slipped bc he’s still not used to beds yet

He actually loves nothing more than burying his face into your chest and feeling nice and safe

Nevertheless he will go to the grave insisting that he is the big spoon

The biggest little spoon in denial, no one compares

Jade Leech

Big spoon

The only time he is a little spoon is when he gets too excited about mushrooms or something and needs to calm down while you stroke his hair

Otherwise he is a big spoon through and through

Thing is though, his grip is TOO strong

Once you make the decision to spoon with him, there is no escape

His arms will be wrapped so tightly around your waist that you can’t even more an inch away from him

He has absolutely no remorse about it either the next morning, he’ll just give you his little closed eye smile and be all ‘whoops’ but hold you just as tight the next time

Floyd Leech

Hear me out, hear me out

100% a little spoon

He gives off big spoon energy but actually prefers to wrap himself around you and have you hold him and play with his hair and give him back scratches

Be careful if he’s in a silly goofy mood though because he’ll start nipping at you

Thinks its hilarious when you’re relaxing and you suddenly yelp bc he’s nipped at your side

But usually he behaves himself bc sometimes he’s a little touch starved so he really likes it when you hold him

[sonicfanthenightfury5099]

Hello hello!

If it’s not too much to ask, may I please request some fluff/comfort reactions with Thomas, RZ Michael, bubba and whoever else you wanna add?

It would be about the reader going Into their room and ask the boys if they can spend the night with them because they experience real bad panic attacks at night. It sometimes get so bad that the reader fears that they will lose oxygen as they panic. (As someone who experience those regularly, it’s terrifying, so having our favourite big boy’s comfort would be great)

That’s pretty much it! :) hope this is okay❤️ thank you so much if you do get to this request, I love your writing so much!

As someone who also had panic attacks in High School I can see some of the boys spending the night with Reader.

Sorry this took so long to write this, I tried to figure out what write. I juggle alot in my head example I'm currently working on a rough draft of my future Webcomic

Enjoy this

Slashers Spending the night with You

Summary: You ask your boyfriend to send the night so they don't go through a really bad panic attack during the night.

Characters: Michael Myers (OG, RZ, and Peepaw), Jason Voorhees, Thomas Hewitt, Bubba Saywer, Brahms Heelshire, and The Sinclairs Brothers

CW: Cuteness from the boys

Michael Myers RZ

When you ask him if he can stay home for the night, he gave you one his head tilts

He would usually go out and you stay home, but trying to sleep is hard

You tell him you get really bad Panic attacks at night, which have you scared of not be able to breathe

Alright I'll stay for the night

He seeing people having Panic attacks at Smith's Grove, especially one passing out from a attack

Wrapped in blanket and something warm to drink

A old monster movie playing on the TV as he puts his arm around your waist

Thomas Hewitt

Automatic Mama bear mode when you tell him you get really bad Panic attacks at night and have a fear of losing Oxygen as they panic

You can hold on to him like a teddy bear

Back rubs

You'll be falling asleep with him holding you close

Vincent Sinclair

Like Thomas, Mama Bear mode active

Warm blankets wrapped around the both of you in his bedroom

Candles lit to make it comfortable for you

Bo better not cause you to have an Attack

Brahms Heelshire

Before he showed himself has seen you have attacks at night (Brahms being Brahms) holding on to the doll

He eventually showed himself when you have a really bad episode

One extremely confused about a guy just came into your room, and Two who is he? Is it Brahms? You where told he died a long time ago

"Brahms?" You asked, he nodding as his reply

"Could you stay with me tonight? I need some comfort." You ask. "Yes." He replied in his child voice

He's holding on till the sun comes up

Michael Myers OG

Much like RZ Michael, your going to get one of his famous head tilts

Michael would just leave you home and when he gets back your still awake waiting for him

So that's why you stay up waiting for me, when you explain him about your Panic attacks at night

Guess he'll wait another night to hunt

He has became your weighted plushie in bed

He fell asleep afterwards

Bo Sinclair

Don't we sleep in the Same bed darlin?

He was going to check the gas station for a bit

"Is that why you have trouble sleeping?"

How about this, you can wear one of my shirts, I'll go down to the station and we can do anything you want

He comesback and your making popcorn while wearing his grey tee on

Watching a Documentary on the TV on Penguins

You fell asleep after that and he carry you to bed

Bubba Saywer

Relatable

Blanket Fort in the bedroom with some snacks

Watching a rerun on the TV in the bedroom

I recently watched the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre on the anniversary day

Lester Sinclair

"Oh my they get that bad?" He said when you told him about your really bad night Panic attacks

He normally doesn't go out at night but sometimes his brother ask him to come to the gas station to help out it

But tonight he can say in and listen to the radio

Snacking on jerky till you fell asleep

Jason Voorhees

Oh you poor bean

Much like Thomas and Vincent, Mama Bear Mode active

Warm blankets and warm drinks while having a Fire lit in the cabin

Eventually falling asleep next to the fire

Peepaw Michael Myers

Old man Head tilt

"Please stay in tonight Michael, I dont want to be alone tonight." You said to him

Putting on a old cheese romance movie to ease your nerves

He gags at some of the parts which makes you giggle

His turn, an old monster movie The Fly from 1958

He rubs your back while started to fall asleep

He carried you to the shared bedroom to sleep cause he started to get sleeply too

[afurtivecake]

You know what my actual favourite Andrew Minyard line in the whole series is? It's not his sentimental lines like, "...from now until May you are still Neil Josten...". It's not even the best love confession in all of literature line, "Doesn't mean I wouldn't blow you." It's when he says "I'm not as smart as I thought I was."

That one line tells you so much about Andrew's character. That's the line that spells out for the reader that Andrew is smarter than he chooses to let on. That's the line that shows you just highly Andrew thinks of his own intelligence and how much he's been relying on it to survive and to keep his promises.

Consider that up until that point Andrew has presented himself with nothing less than the domineering kind of toughness you'd expect to see in a prison scene in a movie. He openly talks about breaking Neil, threatens multiple people with knives and makes everyone work around him. His "tough guy around town" persona and his ability to inflict violence is clearly something he prizes. AND YET. The first time he admits to any kind of dissatisfaction with himself, it's about his intelligence.

That is the point where the reader realizes that Andrew, in his own mind, is an intellectual. He doesn't actually pride himself on being the toughest guy in the room. He's aware that he's all of 5-feet-nothing and he knows at any given moment there's likely to be someone bigger and stronger than he is. What he's counting on in any given situation is being the smartest guy in the room. Fix any issues before they worsen, anticipate and eliminate any threats before they surface, think his way out of any problem that comes up. His intelligence is what he relies on to keep his promises.

That's the moment Andrew realizes that he's been letting his feelings get the better of his logic. He clocks Neil as dangerous from day one. But he's been telling himself that he's letting Neil stay for Kevin's sake or at least just until he can definitively prove Neil is dangerous. But the real reason he let Neil stay and get away with all his sketchy behaviour is because he let the fact that he likes Neil as a person, overcome his logic.

It makes you think, OH, THAT'S WHY Andrew was so interested in Neil in the first place. For someone who prides himself on his intelligence and KNOWS that no one else can match his smarts, Neil figuring out his twin switcheroo trick is the same as Neil throwing down the gauntlet and challenging him to a battle of wits. Andrew keeps trying to trip Neil up and Neil keeps batting his attempts aside and Andrew ends up helplessly charmed by Neil. Because Andrew LIKES that Neil is able to outsmart him sometimes, that Neil is his intellectual equal. And somewhere along the way, he's let himself forget that he "knows better" than to get emotionally attached, than to let someone else best him at his best quality- than to act like every other idiot in love that he's ever met.

You then realize that Andrew hasn't once thought of himself as brawny jock. That off-putting delinquent/school-shooter vibe and "psycho" reputation is a carefully calculated form of self-defense. It's self-defense in the literal sense of scaring off people who might want to fuck with him, but perhaps also in the sense of protecting himself from being seen. It makes sense, right? If people were to actually try to get to know him with an open mind, they'd soon discover that he IS difficult to get along with in ways they thought they could handle, but can't. Better to act the volatile asshole than suffer the disappointment of people changing how they treat him. And in the unlikely case that people find out that he isn't as tough as he presents himself, they might pity him. And that would be even worse. Much better to be as un-fuck-with-able as possible.

First time reading the book, I was taken in by Andrew's jock-ish façade. But the moment he admitted maybe he ought to be disappointed in himself for not being as smart as he thought he was, I had to set the book down and rethink every assumption I had made about Andrew as a character. The timing of that revelation is so perfect, because it happens just before the Thanksgiving mess. And so as the reader, you're suddenly coming to terms with the fact that Andrew is so much more vulnerable than he's ever portrayed himself to be at the same time that Andrew is being hit with probably one of the worst moments in his life. Like, that absolutely TOOK ME OUT. Which is why, that's one of the best lines in the whole series to me.

[iiotic]

HELLO, idk if I already sent a request here but if not, may bi request Lyney and any other character if you wish x gn reader who returns to them bloodied and bruised, the "I didn't have anywhere else to go" trope if you will. If not feel free to ignore.

"I DIDN'T HAVE ANYWHERE ELSE TO GO"

summary: how'd neuvillette, lyney react to their crush returning injured saying that they didn't have anywhere else to go.

tw: angst, lowercase intended, ooc neuvillette and lyney?? blood and injures ig?? not proff read, tell me if i missed anything, gn reader | wc: 1.1k

thank you so so so much for the request!! really liked the idea and I had fun making it. also I thought it would be fun if they were on the crushing stage, they obviously harbour feelings for eachother but like didn't tell yet. I made lyneys part significantly longer yet neuvillettes part is slightly shorter then I expected. hope it wasn't too bad <3 (I don't rlly like how it turned out help)

── ꒰neuvillette. ｡˚ ꒱

you struggled to keep your eyes open as you walked slowly in the direction of the chiefs justice house, it certainly didn't help that you barely remembered where he lived. you were at his house maybe once, and you didn't want to feel pushy so it didn't really bother you. however now you realized that maybe you should pay more mind to where he is located.

you sniffed, as tears flew on your cheeks, mixing with the rain after the trial. unfortunately or fortunately for you no one was on the streets this late at night meaning that no one will be able to help you, yet will be able to see how embarrassingly you walk.

after many turns and stumbles you made it to neuvillettes door, you leaned against the door frame, knocking weakly. the door opened surprisingly fast.

"dear? oh!" he gasped, grabbing your arm to keep you from falling.

"I didn't have anywhere else to go, i'm sorry." you whispered, he felt.. flattered? he was glad that you trust him yet he never imagined that he'd found out like that. seeing you hurt was not something he enjoyed.

"dont apologize." he murmured, before leading you to his couch, closing the door behind him. you saw him search for his first aid kick in the kitchen cabinet before coming back to you.

"what happened? how did it happen?" he asked as he gently pulled your sleeve up, eyeing your injuries.

"i just wanted to get some groceries, but before I knew it someone jumped on me, I don't know who I didn't see their face, pheraps it was the fatui but I doubt that what would they need from me? or pheraps it was some locals after a bit too much alcochol or-" you said hurriedly, before neuvillette hushed you telling you to calm down and so you did.

the room was silent, only the lamp in the corner of the couch turned on, it was comforting. maybe you'd enjoy it if you weren't in so much pain.

"im surprised that you know how to bandage people.. did someone taught you?" you asked him quietly, impressed by his skill.

"oh.. sigewinne taught me after i visited her in the fortress of meropide. although I didn't have anyone to test my skills on I believe that I know what Im doing." he looked at you, smiling slightly.

after some minutes the job was finished but neuvillette didn't let you go home, offering you a place in his bedroom as he, himself would sleep on the couch. you declined at first but gave in after you realized that the chief justice cares for you, flustered. before saying you goodnights neuvillette reasurred you that the person who hurt you would be punished.

in the morning the local newspaper was telling everyone to be careful and be cautious as someone is jumping people in fontaine..

── ꒰lyney. ｡˚ ꒱

the night was cold as you stumbled on your feet, struggling find your favourite magician. he just finished another of his magic shows that you were invited, however after you got ready and left your house you got cornered. you were left with bruises and small cuts all over your body, you lips and nose all covered in your blood and red eyes from crying when everything happened, it hurt so badly.

you sniffed as you remembered how lyney told you to be more careful at night, seemingly worried about you. telling you that there's some anonymous people cornering others and.. oh you were at his door. you weakly knocked.. no reply, you were shivering in cold as you didn't even realize it started raining. you decided to use the doorbell. soon after you heard footsteps from the inside, a crack from the door opening.

"oh my! what--how?" you heard his voice nervously struggle wit finding the right words. before you know it you were pulled inside with one of lyneys hand on your hip and on your shoulder. he pushed you gently onto the couch, looking at you horrified. you opened your mouth to speak but you nothing came out, your favourite magician already left in hurry to get his aid kick.

your eyes felt so unbelievably heavy, you almost couldn't keep them open but maybe just maybe you could close them for a wh-.

"hey, hey." you felt your chin being lifted. "i know you've lost a lot of blood just please, please try your best to not close your okay? okay." he said in a hurry. slowly and gently picking up your arm to bandage it.

"im sorry.." you managed to whisper quietly, weekly. "i just didnt have anywhere else to go.. i dont want to be a bother."

his expression softened as he heard you voice crack at the end of the sentence. "a bother? never." he said softly, looking at your weak self.

you don't know how much time has passed, seconds, minutes, hours. you were left all bandaged up, your nose no longer bleeding as well as your mouth. you were grateful for everything that he did for you, everything that he had to go through for you. you were so embarrassed, you didn't want to bother him you knew that he was tired after his magic show.

you found yourself too weak to go to your own house so lyney decided to let you sleep in his bedroom, in his bed and his softly whispering words of comfort to you before he turned off the lights and left the room.

"you'd never be a bother to me, and im glad that you decided to seek me and my help. i won't lie, i was slightly worried after you didn't show up at my magic show tonight, you usually always are there. and yet I have never thought of checking on you, it was my fault that you have such injuries, pheraps if i showed up you'd atleast have smaller injuries and id know who hurt you. but don't worry, I will find them and they won't see the sun ever again."

© 2024 iiotic. — do not steal, translate or repost any of my content onto any other platform

[ryuryuryuyurboat]

8 letters, 3 words!

synopsis: confessions are tricky.

genre: fluff

characters: lyney x gn! reader

warnings: modern (college) au, reader is referred to in 2nd person, navia + lynette cameo

a/n: hehe hi @ariicandy! i'm your secret admirer for @ecrin-de-litterature's kiss don't tell event :> hope you like this gift hehe happy valentine's!! likes, reblogs and comments highly appreciated!!

©2024 ryuryuryuyurboat. do not repost, translate, plagiarise, or modify in any way, shape or form.

masterlist

“oh my, y/n, you really do have expensive taste.” navia grins at you from across the table. “did you win the lottery, or something?”

you huff. “no, i found them on my table.” the second you open the lid of the (previously) beautifully decorated tin box, the sweet fragrance of macarons wafts into your nostrils— you almost miss the way your friend’s jaw drops as she openly gapes at the treats. 

“what?” 

“you… er, well, do you know what those are?” navia gleefully looks between you and the macarons.

there’s a soft clink as lynette sets down her teacup. “5 bucks they have no clue,” she bets, earning a soft “tsk” from you and a smug navia crossing her arms as she leans back in her chair. 

“of course i do! they’re macarons! hey–” you protest, as navia dissolves into giggles and lynette sighs, “hey– listen, listen, i may have flunked midterms but that doesn’t mean i—stop laughing!—that doesn’t mean i don’t know a sweet treat when i see one, okay!”

lynette leans forward, an odd glint in her eyes. “these aren’t your ordinary macarons, you know. there’s only one bakery that sells them like this, and people queue for hours just so they can get their hands on one of these– they only sell eleven boxes each day, mind you. it’s like you’re saying your louis vuitton is just some random bag you picked off the streets. a single box can quite literally cost you the skin of your a–”

you cut her off. “i think we know what you mean, just take some if you wanna try ‘em, okay?” 

“still, who’d gift you something so expensive?” navia muses, chewing on the lemon macaron she’d nicked while you weren’t looking. 

“probably the same mystery guy who gave me that plushie bouquet the other day, and then those chocolates from yesterday, and also probably that box of pâte de fruits…” you hum in thought, utterly oblivious to your friends’ astounded gazes.

“...y/n, i think you might have a secret admirer.” 

“wha– hey, wait! what was with that tone when you said ‘who’d give me something that pricey’? you tryna say i’m not worth those?!?”

laughter echoes across the empty cafeteria as you lunge at navia and screech something about wanting her to return the macaron. none of you notice the pair of periwinkle eyes fixed on your figure from afar.

—

“ooooh, does someone have a secret admirer~?” navia peeks over your shoulder at the white envelope lying innocently on your desk. “y’know,” she continues, unfazed by your side-eye, “if it’s the same guy that got you those macarons, maybe you should consider getting–”

“shut up,” you grumble, feeling your ears heat up, “i don’t even know who gave me all these.” 

“do people not normally sign their names somewhere?”

“just the initials.” you unfold the enclosed paper, pointing to the very bottom, where the letters LS were printed. “who’s that supposed to be? lonely spirit?”

you don’t see a certain someone’s eyes dim when you don’t bother reading the letter and shove the envelope into your bag.

—

13 february. 7 days since you started receiving letters. 7 days since you got your first plushie bouquet (how the sender knew your favourite blooms and even your favourite character was a mystery you had yet to solve). and 1 day before valentine’s. 

the letter you got today was way simpler than the flowery words that filled the pages from before:

3 boxes, 8 letters. think you’ll be able to figure it out, ma chérie? that’s the key to your last gift.

(hint: the way each letter starts is important. good luck♡)

“the way each letter starts?” lynette shrugs, “no idea. probably something like the first letter of the first word.”

“lynette,” you begin, “you’re a genius!”

one problem, though. you only received 5 letters. oh, well, didn’t hurt to try, right?

“let’s see…” you lay out the letters on the table, trying hard to ignore the contents that made you blush so furiously in the safety of your bedroom. “u, l, v, o, i, e…” you mutter, before navia gives you a light shove.

“no way it’s taking you so long, isn’t it already so obvious?”

“???”

“rearrange the letters—where’s my pen— and what do you get?”

you stare mutely at the letters. “...i love u.” you read, before you’re hit with a realisation.

“wait– boxes are containers, and then words are like containers for letters– and then, and then… and then i love you makes up eight letters in three letters! i’m a genius!”

“if you’re such a genius, you should’ve noticed a certain someone staring at you.” lynette nods at a point behind you, “go get your man, y/n. i don’t wanna hear complaints about being single for valentine’s.”

you turn– and there stood lyney snezhevich, in all his glory, a bouquet in his hand. he offers you an apprehensive smile as he extends his arms for you to accept the flowers—your final gift— and averts his eyes. 

“seems you’ve managed to crack the code, ma chérie. now, then, if you hadn’t known from the letters… will you be my valentine?”

taglist: @yinyinggie @lynyluvr @kazemiya @meidnightrain @thexianzhoujade @dailypenpen (send ask to be added to taglist!)

if you liked this, do consider dropping me a follow for more :>

[thatsmybook]

Though Young Royals is primarily about imperfect teenagers, it is also about imperfect parents. It's about generational trauma and the breaking of those cycles to choose the life they want to lead. "We can't choose what lives we are born into," says Boris "but we can choose how to live our lives".

All five of the lead characters' parents have impactful stories. Micke is my favourite for how he tells Sara, (paraphrasing) "You may have inherited my diagnosis, but you are not me (so you won't end up making my mistakes)."

Whereas the Queen, Poppe, and Smysan want Wille and Felice to be just like them. Felice breaks from being who her mum wants her to be in season one. She then breaks from what her dad expects her to do (conform to the white environment and work ten times as hard to be as good) by being honest about the school he loves and stopping the conforming cycle.

August's dad was a drug addict and took his own life. There's a hope in season 3 that August has become aware of his own mental health struggles and has started to open up to a therapist. We don't see him take any drugs as coping mechanisms is season 3. Maybe he will break the cycle and overcome the trauma of his dad's death.

Simon accepts his imperfect parents. He gives his mum grace for putting up with their troubles with their dad. He wants to have a relationship with his dad and goes to him for help even though he is wary of him. But, he doesn't drink or take drugs at all, probably because his dad did. He 'deals with' and protects his sister in areas where his mum is not able to. He gives them all second chances. He accepts their failings but doesn't duplicate them in his own life. He chooses differently in his own life.

Wille's struggle is probably the hardest of them all because, as Sara says in Season 1, "Isn't that the point of the Royal Family? That they do not change." The RF's cycle of generational trauma is so rigid and long standing. There is no blueprint for what Wille is trying to do to break the cycle. Choosing not to be like his mum and his brother is monumental and unprecedented. As Simon said in season 1, "You are brave".

Some of the time in YR, we as an audience defend the teenagers for their mistakes because of their age. But the reality is, that even the adults make mistakes. Because they're human.

[cosmic-giraffe]

What’s your take on chapter 4? It fucking destroyed me.

Anon do I have THOUGHTS

So, first and foremost, I had to wake up SUPER early to watch the trial unfold and lose TWO MORE of my fave characters - all before breakfast. So that was an excellent start to my day.

Seriously though, I think Chapter 4's case might be my favourite in Tetro. Chapters 1 and 2 were great, Chapter 3 was exhausting but interesting, but Chapter 4 ticked all the boxes for me.

A compelling mystery? Yup.

An unexpected victim? Uh-huh.

An even more unexpected killer? Indeedy.

ABSOLUTELY GUT-WRENCHING??? Depressingly so.

I've seen a few takes regarding Watari's motivations this chapter, saying that she's "evil" and "selfish" and "pulling a Nagito", without taking into consideration her mental state during this chapter.

Imagine being her. You've been adultified and forced to grow up sooner than you should due to your parents and their need to have more kids despite not being fit caregivers, and are forcing that responsibility onto you, their teenage daughter. You've never really known how to be carefree or how to enjoy life.

Now, you're forced into a terrible situation where your classmates are dying left and right, with no telling of who's next on the chopping block. But amid the turmoil, you find you can talk to these teenagers, sympathise with them, make meaningful friendships with them. You're finally letting loose a bit, as much as you can in this situation.

You even grow especially close with a couple of them, namely Okazaki and Hama.

With Okazaki, Watari saw something in them that none of the others did. While everybody else saw them as a weirdo with no redeeming qualities, Watari saw a spark of something more. She was their only real friend in the killing game, and went everywhere with them.

Now, imagine the hollowing pit of betrayal opening up in Watari's gut during the third trial when Okazaki, her friend, GLEEFULLY confesses to killing not one, but two of their friends. Imagine how absolutely devastating that must be for her, to have somebody she knew and trusted be capable of doing such horrific things for no good reason. She would never be able to trust anybody again.

And to add to that, Okazaki insists that they did it for Watari, that she will understand one day. And then they're gone, just as dead as all the other people thus far.

Leaving the trial, Watari must feel miserable. She doesn't know how to go on, if she should even go on. And why would she? There's not much of a life waiting for her here. She gets to live another day living in fear of who will crack next, who will die next, if it will be her on either end.

And if she gets to escape, what's waiting for her on the outside? Is she expected to go back to her old life of being a third parent to her innumerable siblings? To be treated like a free nanny by her own dysfunctional parents?

Watari has hit rock bottom. She sees no way out. But you know who she does see?

Hama, with his imposing figure and heart of gold. She sees how important he is to the people in his life, his mom and his little sister. She sees how much he treasures them, and is treasured in return. She sees somebody WORTH dying for.

Watari is obviously in a very unhealthy state of mind. Depression does that to you. It makes thoughts of suicidal ideation seem like a pleasant, viable option to her situation. In a game of kill or be killed, why not go out on her own terms while granting safety to the one other person she cares about in this situation?

Not to say that Watari didn't care about any of the other students, she very much did. She loved Mai and Wada and Yanagi, but she certainly treasured her friendship with Hama most of all. He was one of the few people to take her commitment to the school staff charade seriously. He was the only person she ever decided to give a front row seat to her firedancing skills.

Hama looked out for her like the big brother he was, and she saw just how much his sister needed that kind of protective presence in her life.

So that's why Watari decided to give her life to save Hama, at the expense of killing everybody else.

As I said, Watari's mind is a very unstable place. She isn't thinking clearly, but she still carried through with her plan of setting up Hama as her killer in order for him to receive the blackened status.

She couldn't outright ask him to kill her as she knew he cared about her too much to have her blood on his hands. So assisted suicide was the next best thing, even if he was completely unaware of his involvement.

Personally, I was blown away (pun unintended) by just how SIMPLE Watari's plan was. Not a slight against the writing; I was definitely overthinking the whole case leading up to the trial when the reality was that it was as simple as opening a door.

THAT was what floored me, how such an innocuous motion could be used to commit manslaughter. It's insane.

And that brings me back to Okazaki promising Watari that she'd understand one day. Maybe Watari took Okazaki's words to heart. She definitely took a leaf out of their book with the whole "rigging a door trap" deal.

But in the end, Watari and Hama were both victims in this chapter. I don't even consider there to be a true killer. Watari was depressed and took her own life (she laid out all the steps except the ignition of the fire) and Hama was completely unaware of his role in her plan. He's completely innocent as far as I'm concerned.

Two chapters with two victims back to back is crazy, huh?? 😭

Finally, this was one of the saddest cases in Tetro, and was definitely my favourite so far. Chapter 5 has a lot to live up to, but trust me when I say that if it's any more chaotic than C3 or C4, then I might not make it to see Tetro Blue 🤣🤣

[slimyalienfreak]

Hey imagine a Folly X Reader were It like this

Reader is like a dream entity like her Unlike Folly who is like a nightmare entity Reader is like a positive dreams entity and always give positive vibes tô Evreyone,Folly hated Reader......but does she Really hate him she Can't stop thinking about him

Folly With A Dream Entity!Reader

Hey there! Thanks for the ask!

Finally got a Regretevator ask and it’s with my favourite Folly. Really enjoyed writing this since I love Folly a lot. Anyways hope you enjoy it. ~Dawn

Pronouns: Not Mentioned

Warnings: ⚠️Slight Spoilers For Folly’s Background⚠️

Requested: Yes/No

Characters: Folly

Proofread: ❌

Credits: Art by Cubon_pins on Pinterest + Banner by Faelynn_x (Edited by me) on Pinterest

———————————

- It isn’t really a secret that Folly hates you. Well she is known for being hateful to everything and everyone in general but I’m pretty sure it was obvious that she has a quote on quote hatred for you. Most people kind of assumed the hatred comes from with her being a nightmare entity and you being a dream entity. One being considered good and one considered bad.

- But in all honesty I think her ‘hatred’ she has for you isn’t really that much of actual anger or anything of the sort. The thing is I’d think she’d mostly see herself in you a bit at least her old self. She wasn’t always like this she was like you, innocent and caring then she got corrupted into what she is now destroying all trust she has for anyone so seeing you having all these positive interactions with everyone it’s like looking in a mirror of the past for her. She hates it. She hates how kind you were to everyone even her. She knows that there are bad people out there yet here you are still treating them with kindness.

- She honestly doesn’t understand why you’re so insistent on keeping her company, you treating her with kindness despite her being the complete opposite of you. The fact you always see the best in people to your own detriment. Despite the fact she keeps pushing you away, telling you that there’s no kindness in the world you dispute what she says with a chuckle and just treat her nicely. It’s something she hasn’t experienced in a while and she honestly doesn’t know if she likes it or hates it. Despite this she hasn’t pushed you away or at least fully because for some strange reason she still wants to be around you.

- The feelings she has for you are weird. To her at least. She claims to not only herself but everyone else that she hates you with every fibre and being possibly inside of her but yet when she sees you interact with anyone else she feels something in her that she wouldn’t even dare to admit. Was it jealousy? Maybe. Not towards you but towards the others surprisingly. But as I said she wouldn’t dare admit that she’s jealous.

- I’d like to think that somehow despite her ‘hatred’ always found herself unconsciously being around you or wanting to be around you. Even she doesn’t know why. If you just so happen to mention something you’d like that she heard from someone else she immediately associates that thing to you. If she ever needed to talk to someone regarding the content of conversation she immediately goes to you, whether it being in a taunting way or a genuine conversation. It’s definitely obvious to the other characters. There definitely will be teasing coming from them, joking that she’s having an enemies to lovers momen moment with you. Even with Folly protesting their comments threatening them to quit if they still do it. Though mostly through subtle comments since they don’t actually want to face her.

- I do think you may be able to at least have a somewhat civil friendship around you at some point like seen in her interactions with Wallter. Having common interests in things like music, books etc. But it will take a while for it to reach that point though. Even if you do don’t expect her to be all buddy with you she’ll still be like herself just being more calm and civil.

- Honestly I’d be surprised if you managed to get her to be civil with you. Even with the unknown link bounding you and her together especially with the two of you being similar beings, she’s very stubborn so please be patient with her. You’ll be able to get her to let her guard down. Thanks to your kind hearted and empathetic personality.

———————————

[hollowtakami]

HOW THEY HUG YOU

CONTENT: self indulgent hcs on how my fav characters give hugs! just pure fluff, nothing more. giyuu and rengoku may be ooc because this is my first time writing for them and im still learning!

WORD COUNT: 771

AUTHOR NOTE: guess who can’t sleep again lol! i’ve been battling a pretty severe episode for a while now, and i’m trying to pick myself up again so i thought i’d write some fluffy hcs for my comfort ppl! remember that you’re loved, friend!

SATORU GOJO - NECK HUGS

Satoru hugs as though he’s never known personal space. It’s probably because of his infinity, and how he never lets anyone get close to him; so, he’s gonna be as close to you, any chance he gets.

He’s clingy, but not overbearing. He’d ring his arms around you and pull you into him. Holding you close and feeling you bury your face in the crook of his neck is his kryptonite, he loves it.

While he hugs you, Satoru would gently rub your back or run a hand through your hair. Or, if you just need to be held, he’ll understand. Satoru isn’t the best at communicating, but he’ll comfort you with gentle words as much as he can.

Depending on why he’s hugging you, Satoru’s hugs can be a little tight. If he’s happy, you’re gonna be seeing stars because of the lack of oxygen. If he’s a little low, it’s a lot more gentle, so much so that it startled you the first time he softly melted into you, arms snaking around your neck and pulling you in.

KYOJURO RENGOKU - BEAR HUG

Kyojuro’s hugs melt your heart faster than his flames ever could. He’s so gentle, wrapping his arms around you, one looped under your arm and the other around your shoulder as he pulled you in. His look of sympathy disappears as you fall into his chest, close to his heart as he sets yours ablaze.

Contrary to his extroverted nature, Kyojuro’s hugs are very gentle. He’s a hashira, he knows how to protect people and keep them safe. You half-expected to be squeezed to death by him, but was pleasantly surprised when you found yourself safely cooped up in his embrace.

When he hugs you, his hands instinctively move to your hair, the arm snaking around your shoulder gently moving as fingers run through your hair to soothe your woes. He’ll whisper affirmations and words of comfort to you, telling you that it’s more than okay to find yourself in a moment of vulnerability such as the ones you both share when you hug.

He’s the best hugger known to man and you cannot change my mind. He’s used to giving Senjuro lots of hugs, so he’s basically a trained professional.

KEIGO TAKAMI - WAIST HUG

Keigo loves hugging you and having you close, he’s rather protective of you and hates having you away from him. Sure, he could always send a feather to you, but that’s not close enough, even if his feathers are a part of him. If he could, he’d become one with you. After an isolating childhood, Keigo craved attention and closeness.

His arms snake around your waist, gently holding your sides as he pulls you close and wraps his wings around you, cocooning you in his warmth, the safety of his plumage. His feathers only add to the softness of the hug, their feel is great for grounding people should they need it.

When he hugs you, Keigo loves peppering you with kisses, seeing you smile and giggle in response, He loves seeing your soft, flushing face as he pecks at your cheeks and dotes on you. His favourite thing to do is give your forehead gentle kisses or caress your back with a feather or too, anything to make you feel more comfortable and safe.

He’ll whisper to you and remind you that you’re loved, that things will be okay. He’s good with words, since he interacts with his fans and other heroes a lot. Though, this doesn’t mean his words are empty, Keigo would move boulders for you. After all, with Japan’s no. 2 around, nothing would ever be able to hurt you, not when you were in his arms.

GIYUU TOMIOKA - LOCK HUG

Bless his heart, Giyuu isn’t the best at comforting people sometimes. But he tries for you, nonetheless. He’ll offer you his haori, heart melting when he sees you slide it over your shoulders before he locks your arms to your sides with a hug, His arms around yours as he pulls you into his chest with a worried expression; he’s either overthinking a little on how to help you more, or concerned for you. But, it’s definitely both.

His hugs are light as a feather, not much pressure at all. He doesn’t want to hurt you or make you uncomfortable, he’ll protect you no matter what. He’s proud of you, grateful that you felt comfortable enough to let your guard down in front of him, and he wants to repay you by giving you the best comfort he can muster.

When he hugs you, he’ll gently whisper to you, tell you that everything is alright, you’re safe with him. He’ll hear your soft replies, smiling to himself as he feels you nestle deep into the crook of his neck.

Giyuu’s hugs can be somewhat timid, but he’s trying his best! You’re healing together, and his hugs heal him more than recovery breathing ever could.

[seventeenlovesthree]

Koushirou Izumi's clothing style - a meta analysis

When it comes to Digimon and fashion, you can tell that certain characters have - mostly consistent - preferences. Most obviously, every character has colours they are usually (but not exclusively) wearing, certain motives and symbols keep returning... And for some characters, their choice of clothes is - more or less - arc-defining.

While looking for references for some art pieces on Pinterest, I stumbled over one of my favourite Digimon Adventure 02 concept artworks:

We never see Taichi, Sora and Yamato wear their Summer uniform in the series and Koushirou literally only wears it in one episode - but looking at the ensemble here, there was something that caught my eye specifically. And this observation took me down a little rabbit hole in terms of what exactly Koushirou's style is, how it changes through the series - and what it may mean for his character as a whole in my humble opinion.

It simply felt like the perfect opportunity to post all these ideas as a contribution to @izumikoushiroweek 2024 and the prompt "Dressing Koushirou".

Adventure (+ Our War Game), age 10-11:

Analyzing Adventure won't take too long, because we don't have a lot of variety at this point - however, it still gives us the baseline for what we will have to expect for the entirety of the series.

Koushirou wears very "boyish" clothes that can be, more or less, considered to be common for a "computer nerd" in the 90s and early 2000s; wide, if not oversized button-down shirt (big emphasis here!), t-shirt, wide shorts, (colourful) sneakers. It's all "comfort over function" at this point, because, as pointed out, he seems to prefer wide clothes. While his signature (crest) colour is purple, his favourite colour appears to be orange, and there are usually lots of earth/nature tones too.

Honorable mention goes to his trademark Japanese school boy undercut hair with a middle parting, barely able to tame the spikyness.

So let's see what elements he will keep and what will change:

02 (+ Diablomon Strikes Back), age 13-14:

As mentioned, the concept art above was what inspired me to make this post in the first place - because I couldn't help but notice his pants there. If you compare the way he wears the Summer school uniform to the way Taichi and Yamato wear it, three things come to mind:

The older boys wear the shirt very casually, whereas Koushirou has tugged it in - which is definitely a change to how loosely he wore his button-downs before.

Taichi and Yamato also don't wear ties in comparison to Koushirou. So far so good, these are the most obvious aspects...

And then there are the pants - which are particularly less "form fitting" than it is the case for Taichi and Yamato. Considering how he used to wear wide shorts in Adventure before, one may think that this is related to "comfort over form" again, but it collides a little with how "correctly" he wears the rest of the uniform. So my assumption here is: In one of the dramas he mentions "one of the female 5th graders in computer club who is taller than me" and we can definitely assume that he was referring to Miyako there. He says that he is "working very hard" to catch up... Which leads me to believe that he wears wide pants in anticipation of getting a growth spurt. Which is not only practical in general - but would also spare him/his mom the stress of constantly buying new uniforms.

In sum, we learned that he is the only male character in the entire season who wears his uniform correctly - with the spunky shoes being the only glimpse of "individualism" there. This is an interesting contrast - and will actually turn out to be quite a pattern for him: When it comes to important duties and business, he will make sure to wear his clothes appropriately and neatly (which, at this point, is important if you consider him taking so much responsibility for the 02 kids as their team mom dad). Outside of that, we still see the habit of wearing more comfortable clothes:

Koushirou definitely likes to wear layers (similarly to but not in the same way as Taichi btw), the good old button-downs or hoodies over shirts in particular, it's all very cozy and simple - and while he hasn't completely abandoned his associated colour orange, he seems to have adopted a second favourite colour to his wardrobe as an addition to the earth tones: Green. We later learn that his mother used to buy the clothes for him, so based on her excited expression in the first shot, watching him put on his green school uniform blazer for the first time, they may have realized how well the colour complements his red hair. The wide shorts and pants are also still there and he also seems to prefer basic long-sleeves (and stripes) at this point (which may or may not have been inspired by his own Digimon partner's colour schemes, very sneaky).

Last but not least we have the hairstyle - he's been growing out the undercut to even everything out and starts the season off with a VERY short cut and a side-parting. Very neat and, at first glance, very easy to tame, since the spikes are a lot shorter at this point. The side parting did not last for long though, so the middle-parting returns through the course of the season and he also grows it out a little.

Overall, the dichotomy of "business serious-casual" and "comfy-cozy" is already coming through, but we haven't come to the heavy lifting yet:

Tri (+ the Stageplay), age 16:

As I have briefly pointed out in the intro, for some characters, fashion is an arc-defining factor. For teenage!Koushirou, his interest in fashion is basically a B- or C-plot that - in my opinion - could have been handled in better ways, but I will get to that.

First of all, let's start with the "easy stuff": Hair and uniforms.

His way of wearing his uniform hasn't changed much from 02; he is still wearing blazer, shirt and tie "correctly" - but his pants are not as wide as they used to anymore, as can be seen on the promo art I have used above. (Since he has surpassed Mimi in height and is basically as tall as Sora, he may not expect to grow much further, so he probably chose more fitted pants at this point.)

The hair, especially the spikes and middle parting, are still pretty much the same and thus - probably - still very difficult to tame. It's notable that he has grown it out more in comparison to 02 though.

Now onto his private wardrobe: We see him confiding in Takeru, telling him that now that he goes to high school, he intends to pick clothes for himself, but... Shopping has proven to be quite difficult for... Various reasons. So instead, he created a software to generate outfits for him, with... Varying degrees of success. So through the course of the first few movies, it's heavily implied that he's making use of that software and also Takeru's advice - who appears to be a little bit of a mix between a "k-pop-fanboy / hobby-novelist with a Starbucks order in hand" and "an absolute fashion disaster" himself, but he seems to enjoy being Koushirou's wingman and assumes that his sudden interest in fashion stems from him wanting to impress Mimi.

And this is where things get a little more complicated. I will not go into too much detail about why I think that this was the wrong approach for his arc, because I have already talked about it in full length here. To summarize it very shortly: Koushirou's arc had ALWAYS been about him learning to be himself. That him being the way he is is perfectly fine and that he doesn't have to hide his true self - being adopted, smart, into computers, with all his flaws and quirks, whatever it may be. Him trying to bend over backwards to impress somebody else contradicts his arc and the only reason to include it at this point is for him to come to the same conclusion again. Of course there are underlying insecurities all over the place - especially since he actively seeks Mimi's approval. The school festival should have culminated in a scene in which he and Mimi - dressed up in a costume that was heavily criticized before, thus criticizing Mimi's way of being as well - should have had a talk that went along the lines of: "You know what? It doesn't matter what you wear, as long as you are comfortable." (Which... In itself leaves room for a lot of subtext as well, but I will get to that by the end of the post.)

So long story short, what we see through the course of the first three movies is him being quite experimental: Overalls, wild patterns like koi karps, lots of layers and a peculiar interest in bowties... He also adds several new colours to his arsenal, reds, blues, even his signature colour purple makes a prominent appearance. All for the sake of appearing "less plain", and to have more variation in his style.

While he has abandoned shorts from his wardrobe at this point, he - just like Taichi - likes to wear 3/4 length pants. One style of clothing he hasn't abandoned is his button-down shirts and (open) collared shirts in general. This has been a constant so far and I doubt that we will ever see it change, since they basically feel like "comfort clothes" for him. The interesting part here is, like we discovered before, the consistent contrast between "private" and "important occasions/business settings":

Once he's out with his parents for their anniversary, once he shows up at the school festival in a whole suit, once he wears his school uniform: He WILL wear the (bow-)tie correctly, the collar will be tight, the shirt will be tugged in, no funky shoes either.

Once he's in a private, less "official" setting, the collar will be more loose (!), the shirt will (most likely) be pulled out of his pants, the style will be more comfy, the shoes will be more "funky."

We've seen that since 02 already and it's nicely represented in Tri as well - the stageplay even dared to merge two of his outfits from the first Tri movie, a casual and a serious one, to create the perfectly "nerdy" mix for him: (Shortened) Shirt and vest from the anniversary (with an open collar and without the bowtie), 3/4 pants and yellow sneakers from the "let's look for distortions" scene. So we can tell - he DOES have preferences and may not even need a software to tell him what he naturally gravitates towards!

So let's fast forward a few years to see how it'll all develop...

Kizuna (+ The Beginning), age 21-23:

Unfortunately, we don't really get a glimpse of his private wardrobe as a young adult - but we can still be pretty sure that the patterns we spotted before are still going strong:

First of all, it can be assumed that he stopped experimenting for the most part: The hairstyle went back to the roots, for whatever reason he returned to his elementary school undercut, the middle parting and spikes are still there, but less wild. The associated colour orange also returns - and even makes its way into his business wardrobe, as he is back to wearing neckties instead of bowties.

That aside, we mainly see him in his work attire as the boss of his own tech company: White shirt with the orange tie and a closed collar (short-sleeved in Summer, long-sleeved in Autumn), black pants + brown belt, black business shoes.

And once again: Depending on his surroundings, the difference in how he presents himself is still intact to some degree: The outfit is still the same, but once he's just with his friends, shirt and pants appear to be wider again, whereas they seem to be more tailored once he is in "business mode" - this can be seen in particular in The Beginning, where he function as PR Digimon expert and gives interviews to the media.

Long story short: He kept his dichotomy alive for the majority of the series.

The epilogue, age 38:

Even the epilogue shows us that he could never give up the wide, collared shirts (wide collar, no tie, pulled out of the pants!) in nature tones after all. The most notable part here is probably the hair - not only did he grow it out to the point that the spikes vanished almost completely (aside from the long, pointy bangs), but he apparently managed to FINALLY get the side-parting going after all.

Final thoughts (and a few headcanons):

I've once conducted a whole post on how I felt like Koushirou broke a few gender stereotypes in interesting ways for a series that was created in the 1990s and early 2000s (and not only because he was the only male character who basically never had a male voice actor or because 02 basically turned him into "the mom" of the group). I feel like it's no coincidence that his arc and the way it is portrayed actually speaks to a lot of people who consider themselves as neurodivergent, non-binary or trans. It's a story of self-acceptance, about someone who used to question his whereabouts, who didn't know where he came from, who he was. He didn't consider himself to have much "worth" aside from being a human extension of his laptop and also tended to mask his insecurities (at least in front of his parents) with a polite and very correct demeanour.

The way fashion is interwoven into it all may not have been conducted perfectly, but the fact that it is tied to self-discovery still leaves room for interpretations and headcanons. While his personal clothing style has always been rather "boyish" (and not feminine in the slightest), him gravitating towards oversized clothing in private settings while conforming (!) to a very correct and neat dressing style for important occasions still is a curious contrast in this regard. Hiding behind his computer, hiding behind a software to tell him how to dress (and being uncomfortable going shopping physically), hiding his generally slender body behind (mostly) wide clothing because he may - or may not - experience something along the lines of gender-dysphoria is a headcanon that a lot of people can relate to. Especially if you take Tri overall as a metaphor for him figuring out "his preferences" (in both sexuality and gender and thus the scene in which he looks at a kimono - presumably made by Sora - will forever live rent-free in my head, especially because it is a more feminine piece this time).

In the end, it can all be just a matter of perspective - the most likely explanation is that he simply prefers comfort in private settings, but can easily adjust towards a "serious business mode" whenever the situation requires it. Through the course of the series, you may argue that the characters that had the most influence on his casual style were Taichi (layers), Mimi and Takeru (being a little more experimental). On the other hand, you may also take Tri as your average "the nerd cannot talk to women and doesn't know how to dress, so he makes disastrous choices" trope and call it a day. But personally, I feel like, since Koushirou does have obvious preferences that are mostly consistent, it really is more a period of self-exploration. And like I said before: I wish the outspoken conclusion for him had been: "As long as you feel comfortable, you can wear whatever you want."

[entiqua]

I love your artstyle!! Do you have any tips for drawing?

thank you so much! i'm really happy you like it!!💗 as for tips, what i would say would change drastically depending on what kind you're looking for, but some very general ones:

draw what you love and want to see most, regardless of whether anyone else wants to see it. if you don't enjoy what you're drawing it'll never come out as good or genuine as something your whole heart and soul is in. i mean you'd think this would be a no-brainer but sometimes i've had to sit back and ask myself 'if no one was ever going to see this except me, would i actually spend time drawing this?' and i was surprised by the answer

that said, it is also completely valid if your motivation for drawing is to draw for other people! there have been plenty of times where i was too artblocked to draw my own ideas but was still able to draw commissions or gifts and enjoyed it simply because making other people happy with my art makes me happy.

don't get too caught up in having a consistent art style. in my experience this 1000% hinders you

having your sense of anatomy degrade over time without you noticing because you keep drawing the same types of characters is a very real thing! if this is a concern to you be sure to draw a variety

follow a billion artists that you like the art of and you will have endless inspiration injected directly into your brain every time you open social media

my favourite practical tip for those who draw at a desk: keep a small mirror next to you at all times. absolute game changer for quickly referencing hands

if you're drawing digitally, make the canvas huge! in my experience this lets you draw messier/faster and you can't tell at all when you zoom out. if you tend to get stuck spending unnecessary amounts of time micromanaging pixels (me💀) keep it zoomed out while drawing

related to the above point, messy drawings can have far more expressiveness in them than neat and polished drawings. nowadays i never do lineart and go straight from 'barebones stickman pose' to 'varying-levels-of-coherent sketch' and use that as my lineart. sweet freedom from the sketch-looks-better-than-the-lineart phenomenon

if your goal is to improve, then you really do have to scrutinize your art, figure out what you're not satisfied with, and commit the time to focusing on it. 'practice makes perfect' kinda rubs me the wrong way because of how much i've seen it interpreted as 'just draw everyday and you'll magically improve' but genuinely it won't get you very far if you don't actively think hard about what you're trying to improve and take the steps to do it. is this a hot take idk. also hand in hand with this, not every artist is trying to improve and you shouldn't feel bad for this! maybe you just wanna make a little headshot doodle of your fave blorbo and that's your only drawing goal ever. awesome. maybe you know your art has flaws but it's passable enough to convey what you want and you're perfectly satisfied with that. (this is the stage i'm usually at). also awesome!

don't hesitate to draw something because you think it's out of your skill level. the worst that can happen if you draw it is that it comes out terribly but you learned something and can always redraw it better in the future. the worst that WILL happen if you don't draw it is that you'll never draw it. and then it will sit in the back of your brain haunting you for years. it's not like i'm speaking from experience or anything aha

look up 'hand stretches for artists' and do them if you draw a lot unless you wish to summon the wrath of the carpal tunnel demons

of course, these may not necessarily work for you, and most importantly(!) these are coming from the perspective of someone who is primarily a hobbyist. some of this won't be practical for people who need to build an audience, maintain a consistent style for work, etc. these are just things that have personally helped me over many years of drawing :)

[whocaresstillthelouvre]

My Fav (Fic) Things

Thank you to @jolapeno for putting this toot together and asking us to toot ourselves properly. Also, thank you to @schnarfer who I copied and pasted the list from because it's perfect. I'm also keeping the u's in because viva Britain! --- 🌟 Favourite P boy to write: Joel Miller, obviously. (With Dieter Bravo a very close second.) I think specifically non-outbreak Joel just does something to me. Thinking of him living a happy and normal life with Sarah. Also, baseball Joel, because I'm definitely working through the end of my favorite baseball player's career.

🌟 Favourite smut: I really love the smut in Tenacity. Something about Joel Miller breaking furniture. @ohheypedrito and I talked about a gif and then I made the gif into just very hot smut, if I do say so myself. Close second is Suburban Sparks. Please muffle me with that green shirt Javi. (Legit, like please tell me what smut you like from me if you're reading this. You can message me privately or post publicly... I am very interested to know what my readers like.)

🌟 Favourite series: Foxglove Downs is the most world building and planning I've ever put into a fic and I feel like it's paying off as the story goes. Some lovely friends have complimented me on the world I've created, and it means a lot. Close second is Golden Girl because it means @devineconjuring and I just scream at each other.

🌟 Favourite writing to resolve emotional trauma: TW: Pet death. Back in early June, my beloved dog of almost fifteen years tragically passed away. He got sick in mid May and then only two weeks later, after trying to save him we had to say goodbye. It was shocking and just shattered my heart into a million pieces. Then, the Gladiator II trailer was released and... for the first time in over a month I felt the need to write a story--and smut. So, I did what any sane person would do, I wrote a threesome fic with two characters I had very little idea about. That's how Legionary happened. After that, I was able to move on and continue writing. So, thanks Roman dicks.

🌟 Favourite fic that came from an ask: Technically, this has only happened once... and it JUST happened. Joel teaching Ellie how to play guitar. Please take this as an invite to journey over to my inbox so I can write/make you something.

🌟 Most surprising fic: Fifteen Minutes started as a thought in my head while talking to @ohheypedrito during the day of May 4th, and by bedtime I had a fully written fic that now has turned into a whole story.

🌟 Favourite challenge: @punkshort's AU challenge brought me Golden Girl which is now a full series because I fell in love with the characters. (Also, my least favorite thing about challenges is how I was assigned two right before my dog grief journey and I never got around to finishing them and I still feel guilty about not finishing them!)

🌟 Favourite line: I come back a lot to the final lines from Domestica. "In the early morning he wakes up sweaty and panicked, panting for air terrified from his nightmare. You turn over, and grab the hand on his chest, soothing him back to sleep with your sweet voice and soft body against his reassuring him he hasn’t lost anything."

🌟 Favourite hidden treasure: Sweet Sweet Girl. I can't believe I wrote Max Lord and people found it hot.

[some-sort-of-firefly]

For @tamlinweek day 2, I chose to focus on the prompt of Spring Mythology and Celebrations. In ACOTAR, religion does have a focus, but we are only told about how the priestesses are revered. We are told about the Mother, and we know there were Gods before her. We know they still existed, even, in Stryga, The Bone Carver, and Koschei, the Old Gods. But they can't have been the only things worshipped. So I researched some old Spring festivities, and also took inspiration from Throne of Glass celebrating Beltane, though I chose to follow SJM using the old Scottish Gaelic for Samhain (Samhuinn) in Throne of Glass, and I used the same origins for the Bealltuinn of the Spring Court. I also looked at Imbolc, and took inspiration from some of the tales I found about flowers and The Cailleach. Being a spiritual person who doesn't celebrate anything or anyone specific, it felt really peaceful to research into older stories. Ones from the part of the world that I'm so close, yet disconnected to. This was easily my favourite prompt to write. I've always loved the idea of Tamlain, and exploring them platonically was so much fun.

Title: The Court of Beauty and Bluebells Word Count: 3360 Relationships: Tamlin&Elain Archeron, Lucien Vanserra/Elain Archeron (Mentioned) Characters: Tamlin, Elain Archeron, Lucien Vanserra Tags: Mythology & Folklore, Pagan festivals, Friendship, Cultural appreciation

Read HERE on AO3

It was hard to explain. The court, his beloved court, had begun to bloom again when she moved in with Lucien. It was a temporary arrangement, but Tamlin remembered the day fondly. Elain Archeron was not the shrinking violet everyone had been led to believe. Not that there was anything wrong with being shy. He just hadn’t expected someone as vibrant as she was. Even at his worst - and he was there quite often - her smile made Tamlin want to wax poetic. Made him want to smile too.

To learn! Elain had declared her intentions at his door with a wide smile, as Lucien shrugged every so slightly, a fondness in his gaze as he watched her. Tamlin had blinked, and let them in. Mostly because it was nice to have a friendly face in his home again. He had still been confused by the time they’d sat for tea.

“I’ve only ever seen the Night Court. Since being Made, I’ve only been able to explore one court. And even then, I wasn’t learning about it. I was just… there.”

Tamlin had sat there, listening to her talk about her former contentment. The complacency. It was something he could see in himself to some extent. Of course, he had never been torn between his brothers. They had all despised him equally, mistaking his softness for weakness.

“They confuse Nesta’s sharpness for hatred,” Elain had replied to that sentiment, making Tamlin nod a few times.

He knew many fae like that. Kallias’ coldness was mistaken for apathy. Tarquin’s dreams for naivety. He found it was a cycle that many struggled to break. No one ever mistook Beron’s cruelty for insecurity (though it was), nor Rhysand’s protectiveness for controlling. They only saw the negative traits of those they thought weak as something else.

That was the problem, in truth. Tamlin hadn’t asked for details at first. But after a few weeks, he’d found himself sat with her while Lucien went for a hunt. Like old times. She’d started speaking first. Soft, and then with more power behind it. He’d heard the whispers on the spring breeze before now, but hearing Elain tell the story certainly felt more… real. Nesta. The oldest sister. Not once defended. Only ever seen as a threat, something to tame.

“Were you worried they’d hurt you?”

“I was worried they’d make me into what they wanted, without any input from me,” she’d said, in little more than a whisper, as if someone may overhear. “So I tugged on the bond, and I pleaded for a way out. Lucien was there the next day.”

Tamlin could understand that, honestly. If he had a choice, he, too, would seek out Lucien. His unyielding loyalty and unwavering bravery made him the perfect person to have around in times of doubt. And he knew Lucien was a good male, and he wouldn’t pressure the female to accept the bond. Content to get to know her first.

Wait–

“Do you prefer female, or woman?”

“No one has ever asked me that before… I think, as I am now, female is fine. I am fae, and that is something I’ve come to terms with.”

Tamlin nodded, female it was then. Frankly, it was easier for him, after so many years of using it. But he would have tried, had she suggested otherwise. Tamlin found himself glad that Elain had chosen to get to know Lucien. In part because it had brought her here. And that felt like something special. She was truly wonderful. And quite funny. And, since they had a wonderful crop of rhubarb, he got to enjoy all the treats she made with it. And Tamlin was never one to turn down rhubarb crumble.

“So,” he started after they’d found a routine. “You wanted to learn about Spring?”

“Oh, yes! I feel like I’ve barely had a chance to explore fae life, and if I’m going to live among the fae, I feel I should understand.”

They started with Imbolc. It seemed the most fitting. It was the first festival of the Spring Calendar, marking the beginning while Winter still held the strongest power of the seasonal courts.

He took Elain to the altar of Imbolc, standing in the field of Lus an Chromchinn. He could feel her delight at the sight, and as she laughed, he found his gaze drawn to her. She was so wonderful, and even the daffodils seemed to turn to her. Why wouldn’t they? She felt as perfectly warm as a spring breeze. Perfectly bright as a morning sun.

“Your laugh sounds like bluebells.”

She turned to him, doe eyed and curious as her head tilted. It was a moment that passed between them as she considered how to respond to that.

“Bluebells don’t make sound,” she finally replied. She sounded hesitant, though, as if he truly did speak the truth.

Tamlin’s gaze softened, but his smile widened. He forgot, that being Made, she never would have experienced the true scope of Spring. Especially since she had arrived at the height of its sadness. Of course bluebells made sound! Of course they did! Flowers had a wonderful place in Spring. But they’d have to wait, of course. The bluebells didn’t come out for a few more months. So Tamlin continued to talk to her about Imbolc. He went into detail about the traditions and beliefs. He talked about the Old Gods who used to roam the forests of Spring.

“You know of the Gods who sacrificed themselves in the war.”

Elain nodded. He wasn’t surprised. Everyone knew, now. The Weaver of the Woods, Stryga. The Bone Carver, his name lost to history.

“Sometimes, I even hear the whispers of Koschei on the wind. It seemed to have stopped since the visions had slowed down, though,” she had explained, voice low.

Tamlin had just watched her, sensing the shift in her mood, and he reached to touch her hand, offering a silent support. That sounded… concerning. Especially when there were whispers of more war on the horizon. When Koschei collected women with power. Held them in a lake. Cursed them. What would his magic do to one such as Elain? What would he make her See? No, if it came down to it. Tamlin would be there alongside her, alongside Lucien. The Deathless may try, but Tamlin could only hope that her visions would keep her one step ahead of those whispers.

But enough about Old Gods of other realms! They were here to learn about Spring. This wasn’t the time for him to lose himself in his thoughts. So he got back on track to the Goddess he had wanted to talk about in the first instance.

“They weren’t the only ones. Long before Prythian was known as such, there were Gods for all things. While we may primarily worship the Mother, it is good to remember the history, and that which hasn’t truly faded. Imbolc is the celebration of the coming of Spring. It lays between the height of Winter and the height of Spring. We pray for guidance on how to plant, and when we should do so. The Cailleach is one of those Gods whose names have tried to fade into obscurity. But the funny thing about Gods, is that they only truly die when we stop speaking of them.

“The Cailleach is the land, Elain. She is no mythical being to disrespect the Mother Creator of Prythian, for she existed before. She is fertility, She is death and rebirth. That is why She is the Goddess of Imbolc. She symbolises the bridge of Winter into Summer. She is Wind and Water alike, and She guides us into Spring by walking the world and granting us sight to the most fertile land. She aids our weather, to help our crop grow. Respecting the Old Gods does not mean to disrespect The Mother. But understanding that The Mother is not the only Goddess of Her type.”

Elain’s eyes were wide, filled with wonder as she contemplated the existence of Gods beyond her belief. But Tamlin just smiled, letting her absorb the information. He knew it would feel like a lot. But it also felt important to let her know about the Old Ways. Tamlin was far too young to recall the Old Ways, and only knew what had been passed down in history books and verbal retellings, but he did his best to make sure the origins of Spring were properly respected.

Part of returning Spring to its former glory was to make the traditions rise again. To fill his people with hope for the future. Just as their court was the home of rebirth, optimism, and hope, so too would Spring resprout from the ashes of war and return to them with a flourish like never before.

They held an Intention rite. The way Spring celebrated was with fields of candles among the Lus an Chromchinn, and the wrote their wishes and set them alight. They sent their intentions to the Higher Beings, and they sat among the nature around them. And for the first time since Amarantha, Tamlin heard the giggles of the Narcissae as they felt the magic flow, and he opened his eyes to watch them. He nudged Elain gently, and gestured to one of the daffodils. From the centre of the flower came a tiny creature, with clawed fingers and pollen dipped feet that glinted in the fading light of sundown. The Narcissae didn’t have hair, rather from their head they sprouted fine antennae that seemed to leave trails behind them.

He heard Elain gasp in delight, and he turned to her to see a group of Narcissae playing in her hair. He smiled, wondering if the key to Spring had been Her all along. Lucien was a lucky man.

Thankfully, the lucky man in question was not late. For when the sun went down, Tamlin smiled and raised his hands. The power of the High Lord of Spring shook the forest, and the trees granted them with a pile of loose and dead branches, which were promptly set alight by the Sun Sprites that came to celebrate. Imbolc was not a particularly loud celebration. It was a meditative time, and Tamlin closed his eyes, listening to the sound of Spring.

He felt warm like this, surrounded by… by friends. Perhaps teaching Elain about their holidays was going to remind him how Spring was meant to be, too.

As the season drew on, the bluebells blossomed, and with them came the perfect opportunity for Tamlin to show Elain what he’d meant that day when he commented on her laugh. He dragged Lucien along with them, because he did feel like he’d been neglecting his friend in favour of Elain, which was far from his intention. Besides, he thought Lucien should also see what he meant. She truly sounded like the bluebells. It was fast becoming one of Tamlin’s favourite sounds. It had been so long since he had heard laughter in his halls, and he’d made it his mission to find out what else could draw it from her.

He was lucky Lucien was so patient with him. He’d known some males who would tear his head from his shoulders for merely looking at their mates, bond accepted or not. But Lucien knew him better than that. He had no intention of trying to ‘steal’ Elain. Especially since he had learned that one couldn’t actually steal someone that didn’t want to be stolen. Feyre had not been kidnapped, and Elain was trying to see if she and Lucien would work together.

Tamlin thought it was a wonderful match. But perhaps he was biased, because seeing his best friend with his newest friend made his heart sing. The Fates worked in strange ways, after all. He wondered if they had known this would come.

They entered the Midspring, the central area of Spring which truly came to life in the months between their beginning and end celebrations. Tamlin let a breeze open up the waterfall they would have to step through, holding it for Elain, and grinning as he let the water cascade over Lucien, earning him a startled yelp and a string of curses that made Elain laugh. Wonderful. Tamlin grinned, stepping through the waterfall into the meadows. Towards the edge of the carpeted floor, the blooms were a soft pink, having only just opened. But deep in the centre, the world turned blue. And as Tamlin led them into the depths of the bluebell fields, he shifted, taking the form of a stag. To show off, really, as he pranced through the flowers, careful not to trample them, lest he upset the spirits.

Elain laughed, watching him, and Tamlin trotted over, and nudged his head between her and Lucien. He shushed them, and then lay down, inviting them to sit in the centre of a perfect circle left in the bluebells.

Silence, and then the breeze came through, and a gentle chime began to fill the meadow, the bells ringing together in a gentle symphony as they celebrated the return of the eastern winds. It had always been one of Tamlin’s favourite sounds. It was a beautiful, charming little noise that was most definitely echoed in Elain’s laugh. He heard Lucien exhale, and his head turned to his friend, inquisitive. When was the last time Lucien had relaxed like that? Around him, or at all? But he looked at peace here, in the warming sun with Elain against his shoulder and Tamlin laying at their backs, protective. Not that anyone or anything would disturb the sacred peace of Spring anymore.

It was easy to fall asleep like that, the three of them basking in the meadow as the sun filtered through the tops of trees, setting the world aflame. The chiming of bells, soft and constant like the spring breeze. The world, quiet and still outside of their little bubble.

Tamlin had missed these moments. He had missed being carefree and just existing in his court. He’d spent so much recent time trying to rejuvenate it after its fall that he’d failed to take the time to admire Spring for what it was. Paying special attention to the observances of the lesser fae and nature sprites really reminded Tamlin what he fought for.

“They used to say mortals who picked bluebells became faerie-led,” he explained later, after the sun went down and the wind turned a little colder. They were walking back to the manor, and he thought it a good time to share such tales. “Fae who found them picking the sacred blooms would judge their intentions. Those who only plucked the flowers for pure reasons, or children, would be led back to the outskirts of their villages, blessed by their newfound faerie guide. We believe in Spring, that the Children of the Blessed may be descended from those mortals, growing up with not entirely faithful accounts of benevolent fae.”

“And those with bad intentions?”

Tamlin faltered at Elain’s innocent question, peering back into those large eyes as he hesitated.

“Ah… That is definitely a story for another day, My Lady.”

Lucien rolled his eyes, and mentioned something about slavery that made Tamlin’s nose scrunch in distaste. But it wasn’t like it was secret history. It was practically recent history. Just because Tamlin hadn’t been directly involved in that first war didn’t mean he hadn’t learnt about it. He just preferred not to remember. His family had sided with Hybern then, after all. It was a reminder of what Spring had been before him. Elain was understanding though, and dropped the questions for now.

“What other flowers are important to Spring?”

“Bealltuinn!” Tamlin declared, as yet another bonfire soared towards the skies.

It was the midpoint between the height of Spring and the height of Summer. The second of their baton-passing festivals. And it was, personally, Tamlin’s favourite. It was loud, and animated. A real celebration of the nature sprites and what they had to offer.

But first, what they had to offer to them. They fetched milk from livestock, and whipped it into cream mixed with their wine from the previous year. They laid it out at altars surrounded by flowers. Sunflowers and sprouting dahlias. Alliums to zinnias. There was such an array of colours, and those only came from the mundane flowers. Those Elain would be familiar with. Later, as magic took the world, flowers from the world of fae would take their place at the base of the fire.

Tamlin led Elain to the altar with their offering, and he knelt by it and set his bowl in the centre.

“Bealltuinn celebrates The Maiden Goddess’ transition to The Mother. It’s a way to celebrate the nature sprites for all they give us. And it brings forth the true beauty of Spring.”

“True beauty?”

Tamlin grinned, and gestured behind him. In the west of Spring, the sun was setting, and it threw its rays into the Spring Crimsons and the Glitter Hibisci. The world was bathed in red through the petals, and the hibisci were plucked by children who sprinkled the delicate pollen through the hair of their friends and family. Tamlin bowed his head as a young, chitin-winged fae approached him with one of the flowers, allowing him to sprinkle the pollen into his hair.

“And some for my friends?” he whispered in suggestion.

The young male laughed, and called over some more Aurae over. Together, they sprinkled Elain and Lucien with the glittery pollen too, wings fluttering in excitement. They rarely got to play like this. Lesser faeries were still generally ignored, in spite of Tamlin’s best efforts of including them. And the Aurae were still considered such. Because they weren’t considered as ‘useful’ as the Illyrians, or the Peregryns. All because they were a peaceful people. Tamlin didn’t think it fair. But he couldn’t change perceptions overnight. He could keep trying.

Tamlin was sad to see them go, but they had plans to spend some time in Dawn. He couldn’t begrudge Lucien some time with Nuan, of all people. Though he would miss them terribly.

He still felt more and more like himself every day. He hadn’t felt so… light since Amarantha. It had been more than a dark time. But he was coming to the realisation that neglecting his court had not been the answer. He’d been too quick to reject that which he’d never wanted. He’d just needed a reason to reconnect with the land, and return to being a friend to his people. He didn’t have to be High Lord all the time anymore. He could just be Tamlin. And he knew he still loved his lands. He’d always loved them. He’d just forgotten how to help them thrive. Telling stories almost lost to time. It made him feel like he truly understood himself again.

He had Elain to thank.

As Elain and Lucien visited more frequently, the court kept growing. Even when they weren’t around, Tamlin could be found at various villages, in various forests. He could be found frollicking with fae children, and discussing prospects with adults. He supported businesses and trade. He enjoyed seeing his people flourish. And it was nice not to feel so lonely anymore.

When Vassa and Jurian visited, he felt even more grateful to Elain and Lucien. Sharing their friends with him as they were was such a kind gesture, and it did wonders for him.

Rhysand never visited. Neither did Feyre. And while he did, sometimes, find himself thinking about their former relationships, it was no longer with grief in his heart. Instead, he was finally able to look back fondly on his former partner, former friend. Some relationships were never meant to heal. And that was okay. As long as he didn’t let himself dwell on the negativity. He could remember the good times. He could reflect on his own faults and behaviours. He could move on. He didn’t need their blessings to move on. He needed his own.

Spring was alive once more. It had never felt more like home.

Dividers and page breaks by @olenvasynyt

Banner by me following template examples by Tamlin Week

[theresattrpgforthat]

@alizarinessence thank you for your patience as I took my time to respond to you! PbtA games can be pretty daunting, and I certainly didn't understand how the play flow was supposed to work at first. I personally learned through trial and error, as well as watching other GMs who had figured it out - I am blessed to have a friend who is very experienced in running PbtA games so I was able to play in some of his games and ask him questions.

That being said, there have been a few things that I've also found helpful that I can refer to you, so I'm going to put them up here.

The Flow Chart

This flow chart was originally posted in a Dungeon World reddit post, and later referred to me when I started asking for PbtA advice. You'll likely see a similar flow chart in Apocalypse Keys, where Rae Nedjadi illustrates how a typical session of play is likely to look like.

In any given PbtA game, you as a GM are going to be presenting pieces of information to the players, just as you would in any other ttrpg. PbtA codifies this information as "moves," and each game will present you with information that is considered useful for the kind of story that it is design to tell.

In Masks, the players are teenage superheroes, so the game encourages the GM to introduce facts such as "civilians are in danger" or "your dad thinks you're being irresponsible."

In The Ward, the players are medical doctors in an Emergency Ward, so the game advises the GM to introduce truths such as "a patient's condition is worsening" or "someone's dad is fighting with a nurse in another room."

This reinforces the common maxim that the game is a conversation, a cycle of presenting new information, letting players decide what they want to do with that information, and making a roll if the fiction calls for it. This is a rather simplified cycle of course - the "see what happens" sections may include moments when players may jump in with their own characters' reactions, generating more events that the GM doesn't need to add to in order to make them interesting. Many PbtA games thrive off of player conflict, which can occupy the table for a couple of hours without the GM needing to add anything (Last Fleet is a good example of this kind of play.)

Listening to Others

Listening to other people play PbtA games can give you a sense of how the game is meant to feel, especially when the GM's and players take their time to talk through their moves and how they work.

I found Monster Hour to be exceptionally helpful; they started out as a Monster of the Week podcast, and even though I've never run MotW specifically, listening to Quinn talk the players through how to ask questions or use different moves made the game very easy for me to understand.

Joining a Community

Joining a community that loves a specific PbtA game, or PbtA games in general can be very helpful when seeking out advice. The PbtA Discord channel has a number of players and designers, who have a lot of game experience and are more than happy to dish out advice.

Start With Games That Have Guide-Rails

Not all PbtA games are created equal, and while the original spirit of the game was to make sure you didn't plot out a story-line, there's still some games that have a certain amount of prep that will give you the tools you need to gain confidence as a GM. Here's some of my favourites:

Visigoths vs. Mall Goths can be played as a one-shot, and doesn't require players to make a lot of decisions when putting their characters together. It has a number of scenarios that you can throw at your players, a mapped-out mall with details on all of the NPCs (and whether or not you can flirt with them), and some pretty hard limitations on what you can and cannot do. You can't leave the mall, for example - go through an exit on one side of the mall and you'll just pop back in on the other. You can visit the stores throughout the day, but each team of players can only go to so many places before the mall is closed for the day, therefore bringing the mission to a close.

Apocalypse Keys has a game structure that looks daunting but can be broken down into steps, and also comes with pre-written scenarios as well as instructions on how to create your own. The concept is pretty straightforward - you're solving a mystery, and you need to do it before one of the Doors of the Apocalypse is opened. This puts the game on a timer, which helps GMs keep their players on task, and also provides the Game Master with a list of clues to drop into the story as the players look for them. I've heard very good things about how Brindlewood Bay, which inspired some of the mechanics in Apocalypse Keys, makes itself easy to run for new GMs, so if you can get your hands on that book, you might find it helpful!

Last Fleet is laser-focused on a very specific premise - you are humans, in space, running away from a terrible and insidious threat. What is more, this threat has the ability to infiltrate your fleet. The laser-focus brings everyone at the table to the same page pretty quickly, and the setting includes a mounting pressure track that will make sure things keep happening, so as the person running the game, you won't have to do much after you set up the initial scenario. The game also comes with some really good advice on where you want to start with your players, to make sure they're on edge, but not fully panicking yet. Then you just need to tip the scales enough to cause them to ask questions, make questionable choices, and start a series of actions that snowball into catastrophe.

Wrapping Up

This is all the advice I have for stepping into PbtA, but more than anything, I recommend just diving in and giving it a go! As with any GM-ing endeavour, you will likely walk away from your first session with a list of things that you'll want to do differently the next time around, but that's just a sign that you're learning.