#you want people to keep playing your game? STOP IT

[star-5truck]

Jealousy, Jealousy

Sypnosis: Blue Lock men getting jealous! Characters: S. Nagi, R. Itoshi, S. Itoshi, M. Kaiser

Jealous - Nick Jonas

Cause you're too fuckin' beautiful

And everybody wants a taste

That's why (That's why)

I still get jealous

Nagi Seishiro

-Reo and you are the only people he hangs out with. But you and reo are closer than he thought.

-he trusts reo, he trusts you, so why is there a pit in his stomach?

-The feeling doesn’t go away for DAYS and he can’t stand it

-Ends up going to isagi for advice

-Isagi just looks at him confused “You mean your jealous, right?”

-Jealous? But reos his friend??

-Gets the balls to talk to you about it.

“Reo?” You said, a look of confusion on your face as you looked over at your boyfriend. “I mean, he is a nice guy. But I’m dating you, Sei.” You give him a kiss on his cheek, making his ears tint the slightest bit of red.

“Jealousy is a hassle.” He murmurs, wrapping his arms around your waist and holds you tight. He settles in the crook of your neck, sighing in content. “I trust you angel. ‘m sorry for feeling that way.”

He feels your body shake from your giggle, he’s about to ask why before your hands are raking through his hair. “It’s fine. Jealousy is normal.” That’s all the reassurance you both need.

Itoshi Rin

-Gets jealous when you ask one of his TEAM MATES to teach you soccer.

-He’s right here??

-Worst part, he found out about it through said team mate. You didn’t even bring it up with him.

-Keeps thinking about it every second now

-Did you not deem him a good enough teacher?

-He knew he was harsh with words but that was only SOMETIMES (It really isn’t)

“Rin?” Your voice brought him out of his thoughts, making him look up at you.

“Huh?”

“You’re staring again. Something on your mind?” You’ve noticed he’s been quieter nowadays. Staring off into nothing like his thoughts were so important- which they could be. But you’d like to help him in his predicament.

“Do you not want to spend time with me?” He asks suddenly, making you blink in surprise.

“Excuse me?”

“You heard me. I know you asked Shidou to teach you soccer.”

Your face is immediately red. He wasn’t wrong, anyway, it’s just that Rin took it the wrong way. You’d asked Shidou to teach you soccer because you wanted to spend more time with Rin. You just wanted to impress him. Rin tells you that’s a stupid idea. Immediately makes you stop your lessons with Shidou.

Itoshi Sae

-First of, Sae doesn’t get jealous. He’s perfectly comfy with how your relationship is and knows you wouldn’t cheat on him.

-Never fucking mind

-Who does this waiter think he is asking for your number?

-Sae is literally sitting infront of you on a DATE

-Gives the guy the worst stare you’d ever imagine

-Of course, you don’t give the guy your number but it still irks Sae.

“We should stop going to that restaurant.” Sae says after he starts the car and you’re on the road. You look at him surprised. Considering Sae’s the one who suggested you eat there in the first place.

“What? Why? Isn’t this one of the few restaurants that consider your diet?

“I don’t care. The staff there aren't that friendly.” He’d rather DIE than admit he’s jealous. He might even crash this car right now if you decide to push it. He’d ask you to step out before crashing the car, of course.

“Sae are you sure-?”

“That place doesn’t have [favorite drink] right? Thought so. We should go to places with more variety anyway.”

Michael Kaiser

-You’re at his game, like always, of course.

-And like at every game, there is a kiss cam.

-See, Kaiser makes sure to get you VIP tickets so you don’t end up there.

-That fails when another VIP sits next to you, and the kiss cam lands on you both.

-The guy is already leaning in and Kaiser is already fuming.

Every player on the field actually stops playing out of shock. Considering the fact Michael Kaiser is the biggest opponent for BOTH teams. They all watch as he runs over to the VIP seats, jumps over the railing, and curtly flips off the camera and the guy. He kisses you, it's quick, but the stadium still erupts in cheers. “There’s a kiss for you.” He says to the camera, making another round of yells come.

“Micha, WHAT do you think you're doing?” You tell him baffled by the events that had just passed.

“Showing them you’re taken, what else?”

You now wear one of Kaiser’s jerseys every game.

[somefanchick]

TWST Boy Love Languages

 What are everyone's top three love languages? (Words of Affirmation; Quality Time; Physical Touch; Acts of Service; Receiving Gifts / Gift Giving) Headcanon list, all characters except Ortho. (I may do one for Ortho and non-NRC characters later) I only know information from the English server story (not including book 7) and events so sorry if anything is terribly out of character. This ended up being structured as 1 - [How he likes to show love], 2 - [How he likes to be shown love], and 3 - [Best of both worlds]. This can be seen as platonic or romantic for all characters.

TWST Masterlist

Riddle

Acts of Service: While Riddle does value capable people, he also likes to show he cares by helping those around him. A good example is in book 2 when he fixes the prefect’s tie for them. It’s not that he believes that the prefect is incapable, they have clearly shown him they are, but he is showing his appreciation by helping with the minor task. 

Words of Affirmation: Please tell Riddle you are proud of him. Please tell him he is doing a good job. It’s not like he needs it, but he really wants it. His mother never really praised him for doing well in his studies or extracurriculars, so he appreciates hearing the words. 

Quality Time: Riddle clearly didn’t have much time to spend with people he cared about in his childhood. This leads to him really appreciating time spent with people. If he is spending time with you beyond necessity, then you know he cares about you. 

Ace

Words of Affirmation: I think we all recognize he shows his love through bullying. He is giving you attention and keeping himself ‘safe’ by making himself look less attached. However, when he gets the nerve to really express how he feels he will do so through words. It feels more solid to him if he is able to say it. 

Physical Touch: PLEASE! I mean- what? He doesn’t care about that. It’s not like he really wants to hold the people he cares about in a nice long cuddle or heaven forbid the thought of him being the little spoon. Don’t mind the fact that his hands are almost always on your shoulder or arms. Don’t mind that he has offered to let you sleep on his shoulder or chest multiple times. He’s just kidding! No seriously he wants physical affection please.

Quality Time: He does like hanging out with his friends and the more he cares the more he will want to spend more time with you. He loves playing cards, watching movies, or honestly doing anything together. Especially when he can find an excuse to get closer to you. 

Deuce

Acts of Service: He loves doing things for others and taking care of them. Carrying your bags for you, taking you for a ride on a blastcycle, pulling out your chair for you, putting his hand on the table’s edge in order to keep you from bumping your head, I could go on. This not only makes him feel like a gentleman, but it is almost a habit from taking care of his mother. 

Quality Time: Spend time with him. He doesn’t care if it is studying, reading, playing games, watching movies, or just sitting and talking. He just likes to be there with you. He enjoys being there for you and he genuinely believes that the best way to spend his days is around the people he cares for.

Physical Touch: Part of his protective nature calls him to hold his friends close metaphorically and physically. He is a big fan of holding a partner while dancing, kisses on hands, and other cheesy physical gestures, but he would try his best to never admit it. That stuff is mostly for romantic relationships, but that doesn’t stop him from holding onto his friends whenever it’s appropriate. 

Trey

Acts of Service: He likes doing things for you when you don’t know he’s the one doing them. Putting a blanket over others when they are asleep, leaving a glass of water on the table for you while you study, little things that you almost forget about. However, we have seen he also can be more direct with it, acting as Heartslabyul’s mother hen and making sure that all under his power brush their teeth and take care of themselves. 

Quality Time: Want to show Trey you care? Spend time with him, especially when he is baking. He might ask for your help if he really really needs you for a moment, but for the most part he just likes the company. He can do a lot of the baking while not entirely focusing on it, so he likes to listen to you talk or even engage in conversation with you. 

Receiving Gifts / Gift Giving: He’s not as big of a fan of baking as he tends to be seen as; he does it largely because he is good at it and it gives him some kind of status within Heartslabyul. However, I do think he genuinely likes baking for those he cares about. He likes the idea of you enjoying something he made with his own two hands. I also think he likes receiving little things from people, especially if they made the items themselves. Little pieces of origami, snacks, notes, and other little things. It warms his heart to know you like doing those things for him.

Cater

Gift Giving: Cater loves getting the people he loves little gifts. It could be a drink or snack from a cafe or just something he thought would be so cute to see you with. He also is a fan of leaving little notes with affirmations or reminders around where he knows the people he cares about will see them. He does it for himself as well, so it’s a piece of cake to make sure you know you are also wonderful. 

Words of Affirmation: This kinda goes into the note thing, but mostly he likes to hear what you like about him. Fun and positive comments in person and on his posts basically sustain him. Telling him how much you care about him or telling him how much you liked something he did is the best way to show him you care. He will immediately throw a complement back in response, but that doesn’t mean that he means it any less.

Quality Time: He is the king of mutual doom scrolling. While he prefers to doom scroll with someone looking over his shoulder, he also likes being in the same room with others while on phones independently. He finds it all somewhat intimate, like showing others what is on his For You page is pretty close to completely baring his soul. He also just likes being there in person to see your reactions. 

Leona

Physical Touch: He is SUCH a physical touch guy. There might be no way he’d tell you when he likes you, but the signs are there when he suddenly decides your lap looks like a comfy pillow. He is the type to just rest himself on you at random times. He doesn’t really ask, I mean why would he? You should feel honored to be getting so much attention from the second prince. It’s definitely not because he’s clingy with people he cares about (out of a small fear they will leave when they find something better). Definitely not.

Acts of Service: Look, you can’t blame the man for wanting princess treatment. He’s never going to ask for it, but it makes him feel so special when you do things for him. It’s not the same as when Ruggie does it for money. This is genuine care. He values action much more than words, so doing little things for his benefit means much more than any vocal reassurance.

Quality Time: He loves one on one time with people he cares about. You don’t really even need to talk with him. He just likes napping in another’s presence, or simply just sitting in the same room with people he cares about while doing completely independent activities. He just likes the feeling of being there for someone. And someone being there for him. Also if he is there, he can scare off the other herbivores that want to take you away. I mean, who would want to spend time with mutts when you can spend it with a prince, right? RIGHT!?

Ruggie

Acts of Service: Okay so we all know this man is a busy bee. He is always trying to get the most benefit possible, so he’s doing the most work possible. So how does he show he cares? Doing work for little to no compensation. Now I don’t mean anything like servitude, but I mean doing the little things. Plus if someone he really cares about asks him to do something, sevens know he is rushing to do it.

Receiving Gifts: He loves getting things. Give him a snack or some other treat without him having done anything to ‘earn’ it, and he will love it. Call him materialistic, he doesn’t care. I mean, why wouldn’t you give him things if you care about him so much. He deserves it. Besides, it gives him a good excuse to stay if you feed him. 

Words of Affirmation: Okay so call him a wimp (or simp). He likes being told that he’s doing good, or that he’s amazing. Plus, it gives him an excuse to ‘pay you back’ by randomly complimenting you. He knows that some people don’t get enough appreciation, and he wants to show the people he cares about that they are worth it. Even if it might be embarrassing to say.

Jack

Acts of Service: Jack likes feeling useful. He loves feeling like he’s doing the right thing by those he cares the most about. He’ll carry heavy things for others, assist with home and housework, and honestly anything he can to show he cares. 

Quality Time: He loves spending time with people. He also likes it when you give him attention, so spend plenty of that time talking to and doing things with him. He also enjoys company during his morning jogs and other workouts. Even if you are not working out with him, he likes being able to listen to you. If you don’t mind the sweat. He’s also okay with doing independent activities while existing in the same space, though he prefers being able to hear you. 

Words of Affirmation: He has sensitive hearing so hearing the pleasant voice of someone he cares about. Sevens know praise will get his tail wagging, no matter how much he tries to hide it. Even if he is a man of few words, he does like expressing his own care with short and direct compliments on his loved ones character. He rarely compliments looks or other things (even if he thinks you look pretty), preferring to praise personality and achievement.

Azul

Gift Giving: Okay so let's be honest, if he is giving someone something with no strings attached, then he is whipped. He does like feeling useful and giving others what they need. He also likes seeing the people he cares about with items he has given them. Octopi are territorial by nature, so he feels like he has some small claim over people when he sees them wearing or with something he spent his time or money on. It’s a good feeling for him. If not slightly concerning, he can’t help it.

Physical Touch: Okay, hear me out. I feel like he loves getting personal, physical attention from the people he really really cares about. He’d love waking up to a long slow cuddle where no one was in any rush to wake up. He’s very selective with his touch, but he prefers to be the one receiving the affection. He loves getting his hair brushed for him, or having his head pet gently. Do not try touching him casually, it always has to be with his permission or you will be in trouble. 

Quality Time: He is one of the boys that just likes existing in the same space as those he cares about. He will be hard at work for the lounge, studying, or some other independent activity and just be happy that you are in the VIP room with him. He also enjoys playing board games with those he cares about. Especially when they get competitive with him. He likes the challenge.

Jade

Acts of Service: He likes doing things for others in general since it makes him valuable to others and it gives him power over the people in his life as well as helps with manipulation. However, helping out of pure care means that he helps with what you need no matter what. Even if you don’t know you need it. He is hyper vigilant in figuring out exactly what you need or want and doing it before you even get the chance to do it yourself. As long as he doesn’t get preoccupied with work or his mushrooms.

Quality Time:  PLEASE GO HIKING WITH HIM! Go on a nice walk in the mountains and bear with him while he rants about and picks mushrooms and other mountain flora. He will barely process how much that means to him in the moment, but it will 100% make him blush as he tries to go to sleep later. He has a hard time processing affection at the moment, but that care lingers with him everytime he is not busy or at work. 

Receiving Gifts / Gift Giving: Okay so it would totally start with him giving you things he found on his hikes that he already had or couldn’t use in any way. Then it evolves into him giving you hiking gear in order to rope you into his club activities, and eventually he is giving you things casually. He very much appreciates when you give him cool things you see on the trails with him or just little things that make you think of him. If the item is only really present on land, it will make him value the item even more. He’s just so curious about things on land (you included).  

Floyd

Physical Touch: Cuteness Aggression! CUTENESS AGGRESSION! He just wants to squeeze you and he can’t help it! It makes it even harder when you are acting cute or innocent/naive. He gets this way with anyone he cares about in any capacity, though he can be trained out of it (though it will make him sad). He doesn’t really care about the time or place, he just wants to lean on you or squeeze you until you pop.

Quality Time: Okay so like, let’s be honest. People don’t really hang around him too long. Some of that is on him, he gets bored or wanders away in order to follow one of his whims. But most of the time it is because he’s a little too much for them. Spend time with him. Don’t try to just use him for his intimidation or size, but genuinely live in the moment and entertain him. He might not say it, but it’ll really affect him. 

Words of Affirmation: Okay so this is kinda like how Ace’s love language is bullying. Floyd just loves to get reactions from you. It can be from making fun of you, flustering you, or simply saying something to get you to say “WTF”. He also loves when you say things to him. When you try to get reactions out of him. And he would be lying if he said he didn’t like the attention or praise that comes with it.

Kalim

Gift Giving: Okay so there is a full fic on my page about this, (Kalim's Love Language) so I’ll try and keep it short. He sees gift-giving as natural. He has the resources someone else wants or needs, so he gives it to them. In smaller doses, it’s almost lost its meaning. However, it is when he gives something homemade or he has to try and figure out a gift for someone, it has much more love and affection in it. He values the time and thought it took for him to come up with the gift more than the gift he is giving. 

Words of Affirmation: Praise this boy. He is used to praise back home from his siblings, the masses, and from servants. However, he doesn’t have much of that at NRC. He takes it like a champ and he’s ever-so accommodating, but he does love when he gets verbal confirmation he’s doing the right thing. He also loves conversations with others about anything. He also likes to listen. He’ll give out more praise than anyone else, but he really appreciates being praised back.

Acts of Service: He likes doing things for others and he really appreciates when people do things for him. Though the latter is what happens more often than not. However, Kailm is someone you can count on for the little things; like grabbing your things for you, being there to support you when you are nervous, or simply doing whatever he can to assist. (Honestly I think this sort of thing is why Kailm is so confused by Jamil’s hatred and hostility, because he is so used to people doing things for others because they care. So he didn’t understand that Jamil wasn’t doing all those things to show love or care.)

Jamil

(Pls don’t judge me for this one, I do not understand this man in the slightest. I’m trying my best.)

Quality Time: He doesn’t waste time on stuff he doesn’t want or have to do. So if he is genuinely spending time with you with no ulterior motive in mind, then he really does care about you. The only issue is that it is hard to really tell why he is spending time with you. He’s very good at masking his intentions, but if he is spending time around you and not putting up a front, then damn he really must care.

Receiving Gifts: He likes getting things. Especially when they are from the heart. He’s used to Kalim’s flippant, expensive gifts; however getting smaller gifts from people he cares about has a completely different effect on him. Especially when those things help him with his duties or simply make his life easier in little ways. 

Acts of Service: To be honest, taking care of others is a habit for him at this point. However, his attitude about it is the main difference. Instead of doing it without thinking or because he feels he has to, he will be actively going out of his way to help out. And if you do the same-! He is obsessed. He doesn't get much capable help with nothing attached to it, so he loves it when you do things to help out.

Vil

Acts of Service: Vil fusses over people and does everything he can in order to help them strive for perfection. However, he also likes to fuss over people in the more literal sense. He loves spa days, dress-up, and hairdressing. If he really cares about you he will want to do these things for you. While he is attracted to competence and independence, he does also appreciate being able to help. He finds joy in doing the simple things for you, (and he does like being able to dress those he cares about like a doll).

Quality Time: He is a busy guy so time spent with him is very important. He will love letting you tag along to whatever events he can. He also loves doing mundane things with those he cares about. His father was often very busy, leaving him alone for much of his childhood, so it really does matter when people spend time with him. Even if it is just sitting with him while you both do your own jobs. Even if it is in comfortable silence. 

Receiving Gifts / Gift Giving: This man gives things out very often. He’ll give clothing, skincare, perfumes, ect. Most of the time it is in order to make himself look better, sometimes it is to help his ‘projects’, ect. But whatever the case, he loves giving things to people he cares about. He also appreciates gifts from the heart. He can get his hands on expensive things that many others couldn’t dream of owning, but he loves when someone makes something for him (Though he won’t accept less than your best). Bake something for him, make him some custom jewelry; whatever your talent is, he will appreciate seeing it or being on the receiving end of it.

Rook

Words of Affirmation: This man sings praises like it’s his job. He says praises so often they might seem dishonest, but he means every word. He praises all accomplishments, and can even tell you what you need improvement with. Though any criticism is definitely constructive. And rest assured, he will praise any improvement or discovery you make. Because to him, it is beautiful. 

Quality Time: He loves spending time with those he cares for or wants to observe. So the best way to show him you also care, is to bring him along to whatever you plan to do for the day. Going into town? Let Rook tag along. Studying in the library? Let Rook tag along. Hanging out with his friends? Well he wouldn’t want to intrude, but you can let him watch from afar. <3

Acts of Service: He loves doing things for those he cares about. I mean we saw that in book 6 when he went out of his way to bring Vil his products. He loves seeing beauty and will do anything to help those he loves shine. And Sevens know he will be so grateful for anything you do for him. He sees others' generosity, especially towards him, as one of the most beautiful things around. It’s enough to get him obsessed and curious to see if he’s the only one you do these things for. 

Epel

Acts of Service: Epel likes to be useful. He likes to feel manly and strong by opening jars, getting things for others, or simply just defending those he cares for. It’s also somewhat of a habit from living in Harveston. Small, farmer towns where he’s the youngest worker and everyone helps everyone else like their family? Yeah he’s definitely accustomed to helping those he loves. And he’s happy to do it. Why wouldn’t he help those he loves when he’s fully capable and it makes him feel strong. 

Physical Touch: He loves the idea of driving someone around on a blastcycle or a broom while they hold onto his waist. He loves the idea of big spooning when cuddling. He loves all that romantic stuff. But he’s not going to initiate it. He hates that he actually likes when Vil or Rook comb through his hair. He needs those physical touches. It’s not that he’s touch-starved by any means. It’s actually kinda because of the opposite reason. He is so used to being fussed over and hugged by family members or neighbors that he feels somewhat of a deficit in physical affection when he moves to NRC. Show him you care by giving him back some of that affection he’ll never admit he’s missing.

Quality Time: He likes spending time with people. That does connect once again to his close-knit upbringing. He is very used to spending a lot of time with others. He’ll do just about anything with people he cares about. While he definitely has things he doesn't like to do, he is willing to do a lot of them as long as they’re with people he really cares about. He also really appreciates when people make that same effort for him. Come to his spelldrive games. Go riding with him. He loves the effort just as much as the time spent.

Idia

Quality Time: He’s a shut in. That much is obvious. He likes gaming in his room where no one can perceive him. However, when he opens his door for someone it means he really cares. Yeah he’ll love playing games with those he cares about, but even just being in the same room as him is his way of showing he cares. He’s another one of those happy to do independent activities while in the room with someone he cares about. However, he will randomly start talking about his games, show, or manga and he will somewhat expect you to listen. (Like my roommate has told me that I do and I am working on that as an individual lol.)

Acts of Service: He likes letting people do things for him. While he does like doing something himself – if you want it done right you have to do it yourself and all that – but the smaller things or the social things he likes having done for him. Go pick up his latest manga for him. Bring him snacks. Do things that help keep him from leaving his room. Or maybe even do things that get him outside while not making it absolutely miserable. He will complain at first, but some part of him will be happy that you care enough to get him to do responsible things.

Receiving Gifts / Gift Giving: He will take notice of your interests. And he will appreciate it when other people do the same. Make him some custom merch for one of his anime or games. Pick up in-store only merchandise for him. He’ll also reciprocate by ordering you merchandise from your favorite franchises (that he likely introduced you too). The price doesn’t really matter to him, the only thing that really matters is if he thinks you’ll want it. He also will buy most media that he wants to introduce you too that you show any interest in. He’ll buy games for your system, manga, or really anything else that the two of you can bond over. Heaven forbid when a gacha game releases a character you both want. He’ll try his best to make sure you both get it. 

Malleus

Acts of Service: This man can borderline do anything. Like he can make basically anything happen for those he cares about. While he doesn’t attempt to overstep and lets you do what you need to do, if you ask he will do anything for his child of man. He also does try to occasionally do little things for you to make your life better. He finds out Ramshackle is lacking in any way? It will just be fixed next time you check it. Oh look, the shower you mentioned now has hot water? That’s odd. Huh, those sheets are much softer than you remembered from when you got up this morning. Things like that. He never really lets you know he’s doing these things, he’s just delighted when you notice and you go to tell him how lucky you seem to be. 

Quality Time: He loves when you carve out time for him. He loves spending time with you on nighttime walks. He loves stargazing or looking at ruins or mansions adorned with gargoyles. He loves late night walks and being able to do the little things with someone who isn’t bending to his whims or actively peeing their pants. He appreciates being able to spend time being normal. A feeling he can only get from one on one time with his darling child of man.

Words of Affirmation: Let him yap at you. Yap back at him. He loves it. It kinda goes with the blurb about quality time but he just likes listening and talking with you one on one. His favorite thing is nighttime talks while walking or stargazing. He’ll listen to complaints, stories, or really anything about your homelife. But just prepare yourself for him to rant about gargoyles or tell you about him getting some invitation to some sort of event or something. He loves yapping, and he loves the yapper.

Lillia

Physical Touch: He loves teasing, but his favorite method of teasing? Physically. He loves jumping out and scaring those he likes. He loves suddenly appearing and poking people in the small of the back. Or just poking people anywhere. He loves seeing reactions to randomly hugging people. Or suddenly leaning over someone. It’s all in good fun. But you know he really cares when his touch turns soft. When he holds someone gently. Cradling crying faces, brushing hair out with his fingers, or letting someone lay on him. He can be mean with his touches, or he can be sweet. As long as he is showing care through touch.

Quality Time: He feels old. Let’s be honest. He’s gotten to the point of his long life that he values every moment more than ever. While he’s always lived in the moment, he now really treasures every moment like it’ll never happen again. So he wants to spend as many moments with the people he loves. And he has a lot of love to give. Spend time with him. He’ll love every second. 

Words of Affirmation: As mentioned before, he loves teasing. He will tease verbally and Sevens know that he will be insulted if you don’t tease him back. Or at least have a fun reaction to the teasing. He also just loves to listen to you or be listened to. He loves hearing and telling stories. He has so much life that he’s lived and he wants to share it with the people he loves. 

Silver

Quality Time: Since he falls asleep so often, he really values time spent awake. So he wants to give that time to the people he cares about. It also helps that being active with people can somewhat help him stay awake. He also loves doing lots of things with people. He wants to follow in his father’s footsteps and experience life to the fullest he can. And doing those things with people he cares about? That just makes it all the better. 

Physical Touch: Let him sleep on you. Like when he falls asleep, move his head onto your lap. Brush your fingers through his hair. Move him somewhere safe and warm. Hold him close while he rests. Wake him up with gentle touches and soft words. He’ll melt. He loves being cradled almost as much as he loves being strong for others. He’s not weak by any means. However, he loves the opportunity to be weak. He loves the safety of another’s gentle touch. It’s peaceful. Perfect. 

Acts of Service:  He’s such a caregiver. A big protector. He likes being a safespace or home for those he loves. He shows this by doing things for you. Helping with homework, bringing soup or notes when you are sick, etc. However, he loves when the acts are reciprocated. He loves being helped as much as he loves helping. He’s both a prince and princess (at least stereotype-wise lol). Doing things for him will 100% make him melt. It is so sweet to watch him care and be cared for.

Sebek

Words of Affirmation: So his affection will be yelled at you, so if you aren’t ready for that – don’t let him grow attached. We have all seen how vocal his love for Malleus is. He will verbally build you up, talk about you to others, and defend you. He will work hard to make sure to properly communicate his care to you. You are not allowed to be insecure around him. Any complaint from you will be battled verbally against a man who cannot shut up with his praise. It’s honestly sweet. 

Quality Time: He likes spending time around people. People rub off on people. Meaning if he is spending more time around these amazing people, then he will become more like them. Plus, he likes the attention. He likes to know that these people he cares about want him around. Sebek isn’t immune to wanting to be cared about. And spending time with him, wanting him in your life, is how he knows that someone really does care. 

Acts of Service:  Sebek is a knight. He likes to care for people and be at their beck and call. He loves protecting them at their side. And he’s that same way with people he cares for. He feels duty-bound to them, wanting to be a hero to the people he cares for. However, he would (will be) lying if (when) he says he doesn’t love it when you take care of him. When you protect him. When you serve him as he would serve you. Since he believes that this devotion is one of the best ways to show care on his end, it is endlessly flattering to him to have that same kind of devotion shown to him.

[leonalovesalot]

You make me perfect I

Ex!ArtDonaldson x Reader

wc:2.4k

.._.._.._.._.._.._.._.._.._.._.._.._.._.._.._.._.._.._.._.._.._.._.._.._

Art was miserable.

Everyday was slow and torturous. He could feel every minute go by and it was starting to drive him crazy.

You left.

You left him- how long had it been? Two months, seven days, and nine hours.

You left him for some stupid reason that he could barely even hear through his loud sobs and pleads to make you stay. Something along the lines of how you both “brought out the worst in each other”.

What a line of shit.

You two did not bring out the worst in each other right? At least from his side of things, you were the only good thing going for him. Without you, what was the point? What was the point of the money? The accolades? What was the point of tennis? What was the point of eating? Breathing? Living?

The sudden sounds of cheers and claps interrupted his train of thought. Were they cheering for him? Of course they weren’t.

Art lost.

His game was nothing short of turbulent these days. During almost every match, he could see his coach from the corner of his eye with his fists clenched and eyes shut tight in frustration.

Art didn’t care. It seemed he stopped caring about a lot of things after you left.

Art had a complicated relationship with tennis. He grew up playing but somewhere along the way, he didn’t know when, he lost his fire.

That fire came back when he met you. You were so curious about him and his career. You weren’t familiar with the athletic side of things. He liked that. He liked that you were an academic. It fascinated him because it took him months to finish books that you’d finish within a day.

The feelings of intrigue and admiration were mutual. You began coming to every game and Art began playing better. You made him better. You made him perfect. He wanted so badly to impress you. To see your eyes light up and your body jump up to cheer when he won a match.

He loved running towards you and kissing you until you pushed him off giggling and jokingly ordering him to go shake hands with his opponent first.

You fuelled his fire. And he fuelled yours.

Many sleepless nights were spent as you typed away at your thesis about a topic he didn’t really understand. He’d nod cluelessly, not really listening to you, but thinking about what he could do so you’d pay attention to him.

“Your mind is so beautiful”, he’d say in a breathy voice. Hand sliding up your thigh as he moved closer to lay his head on your lap.

“Just a few minutes and then I’m all yours, okay?”, you’d look down at him with your pretty half-smile while ruffling his hair slightly. You loved his blonde curls.

Your mind was indeed beautiful. He meant that wholeheartedly. But your heart? He had reason to think it was black and full of tar. Because you left him. How could someone with an angelic exterior have such an ugly interior?

The day after you ended things, he cut his hair. He didn’t know why, he wasn’t really thinking.

He had been experiencing the five stages of grief but had yet to reach acceptance. At this point, he didn’t think he ever would. As the days went by he tried to make peace with that fact because what other choice did he have?

He tried to call you. But you had blocked his number. He reluctantly went to a mutual friend’s birthday party, only to see that you didn’t come and he wasted his time surrounded by people and that sick apologetic tone that they’d speak to him in like he was some little kid. Maybe that’s why you didn’t come. You hated being talked to that way. He smiled as he remembered.

“Art? Where do you keep going off to man?” a rugged voice pulls him out of his thoughts. Darren, his coach.

“Nowhere,” he mumbles back. He takes a gulp of his water and begins walking to the locker room to take a shower.

The cold water grounds him. He’s alone, finally. He didn’t feel like playing at all today. But now that it was over, even though he lost, he felt the tension leave is body slowly.

It was only a few seconds before his thoughts crawled their way back to you. Again.

The two of you had showered together on many occasions. It seemed that your entire relationship was stuck in that can’t-keep-your-hands-off-each-other phase. He didn’t mind. It’s what he wanted. It’s what you wanted.

You’d shower together, sometimes having sex, sometimes not. There was never any obligation. But you’d stand together, arms wrapped around each other, talking about your day and giggling about water getting in your mouth when you’re trying to speak.

On the days you did have sex, it always was you who initiated. Art was happy to go along with anything, but he never wanted to pressure you into it if you weren’t in the mood. It always started with your left arm around his shoulder, with your hand massaging the back of his neck. And your right hand would slide from his chest, to his stomach, and down to his cock, already erect, begging for your touch.

He’d let out a low moan in response and throw his head back muttering a string of “please” and “that feels so fucking good” and, your favourite, “thank you”.

It was almost too easy to make him finish. He used to be embarrassed, but you really didn’t mind. If anything, it boosted your ego. He also always made sure to last longer when he was actually inside you, which you appreciated.

Art was lost in his thoughts when a guttural groan brings him back to the locker room showers. He threw his head forward and used his free hand to steady himself against the wall. The other hand was wrapped around his cock, vigorously moving back and forth until he came. The water washed away his release and he stood there, ears ringing slightly, and heavy panting. What the fuck is wrong with him? God, he was so pathetic. He turns the shower off and leaves feeling a storm of guilt which he didn’t understand.

.._.._.._.._.._.._.._..

Ever since the break up with Art, you threw yourself into your studies. The only thing on your mind was your PhD and nothing else. There didn’t have to be anything else. This was perfectly normal. You were in your mid- twenties, what is more important than education right?

Your friends were worried that you barely reached out anymore. But you couldn’t. Your life with Art was too intertwined and all your friends befriended all his friends and now it seemed there was no one on this earth who knew just you and not him too.

Your goal was to get your doctorate and get a job as a professor somewhere far away. Maybe, Europe? Canada? Somewhere you wouldn’t walk down the street and see Art’s face on a billboard advertising some car. What the fuck does a tennis player know about cars?

Days and nights passed without you realizing. They all blended together. You didn’t know if it was a weekend or the middle of the week.

But you did this, you’re the one that broke up with him. So, you needed to stick with your decision. Otherwise, you did this all for no reason and what good did that do?

On some days you couldn’t remember why you broke up with him. He was perfect. Good listener, funny, kind-hearted, affectionate, the list could go on for eternity.

So then why did you break things off? Was it because he was a little messy? No. Was it because he was clingy? No. Was it because he forgot your one-month anniversary? No.

No, it wasn’t any of those things. It was because you were scared. The relationship was intense and you loved him with every fibre in your body. And you knew he felt the same. That was ideal wasn’t it? Isn’t that the dream?

It was. It’s what you thought you wanted. But when your lives became so interwoven and the two of you got closer and closer, if that was even possible, you felt like you began slowly losing your identity. Art was consuming you and maybe he felt that you were doing the same to him- but whatever it was, it wasn’t healthy.

Who were you before Art? You laid awake one night thinking about this question over and over with him softly snoring next to you. His arm around your waist and his curls tickling your cheek.

You couldn’t remember. What did you like to do for fun? What shows did you like to watch? Where did you like to go to clear your head?

It disturbed you that you could barely answer the questions.

Right, that’s why.

A silver lining was that your career paths and day-to-day lives were the only thing that didn’t overlap. So you could continue on studying and writing without worrying about running into Art.

Or so you thought.

.._.._.._.._.._.._.._..

On a rainy night, you were driving home after a long day spent at the library. Time got away from you, you hadn’t even eaten dinner and it was almost a quarter past eleven. Your stomach growled, the rain drops slapped against the windshield, and the radio blurred into the background. The roads were mostly clear because it was a Wednesday night and everyone probably getting ready for the next day. You longed to be surrounded by the walls of your apartment. You wish you could just teleport but there were still twenty minutes left in your journey.

In an instant, you felt the car jerk downwards in the back corner. You screamed, panicked and quickly pulled the car over, put it in park, and turned it off. You sat there with your hands on your face as you caught your breath. The only thing you heard was your heartbeat pounding in your ears. The rain was continued on, and the radio host continued talking, but you cried. Sobbed. Loud and ugly. It was like two months of emotion came out all at once. You didn’t know how long it had been until you finally wiped your eyes with the back of your hand. You sniffled and took deep breaths. Your eyes wander to the time on the dashboard. Ten minutes until midnight. You gather all your energy and get out of the car, immediately soaked, as the rain showed no signs of slowing down.

You stumble to the side of the car. The ground was all muddy and uneven. This irritated you more and a few more tears fall. You bend down to see a flat tire.

Just your luck.

Just your fucking luck.

Why did this have to happen?

You sat in the drivers seat again and stared out ahead. Not seeing much because the night was pitch black. You mulled over your limited options. You couldn’t call your parents because they were asleep. You couldn’t call your friends because you hadn’t seen any of them in weeks and this would make it seem like your life was in shambles. It was, but you didn’t want them to see it. Being vulnerable was a scary thing, and the last thing you wanted was for someone to look at you with pity in their eyes.

There was a name on your mind you tried not to pay attention to.

Art.

Art.

Art.

You felt like you could hear the whispering chants in your ears. You were definitely going crazy.

You grab your phone and scroll through the contacts to find him. As you went to unlock him, the screen went black. The battery died. Are you serious? Your face scrunches up and you almost begin to break down again but knew that wouldn’t solve the problem at hand. You look around quickly and see a small gas station across the street. You get your soaked self out of the car, lock it, and walk towards the gas station. The rain had completely drenched your clothes and hair and you were trembling which you couldn’t tell was from the cold or the frustration. You walk in and were met with slight warmth and it made you feel slightly better. Walking towards the front desk, you were met with a man yawning.

“It’s really coming down out there, huh?” He asked trying to make small talk.

You tried to force a smile but you didn’t succeed.

“Do you have a phone I could use, please?” You say with a sore throat from all the crying. God, you were pathetic.

“Yeah, you have a quarter?” He points at the small phone at the back of the shop next to the slushy station.

You bring your hands to your pocket and fish out your wallet. I did have a quarter. Finally, something was going right.

“Yes, thank you,” you walk to the phone and put the quarter in. You click in his number not knowing how to feel about the fact that you still remembered it. But this wasn’t the time to have a crisis about your relationship.

.._.._.._.._.._.._.._..

Art sat on the couch mindlessly scrolling through Netflix. Nothing was appealing and he thought he’d just call it a night and head to bed.

The rain made him sadder than he already was. You loved the rain. You loved staying in and drinking tea on rainy mornings with him. He started to like it at some point because of you. But not anymore. He was back to hating it. It was too wet, too cold, too muddy, too fucking depressing.

He hears his phone ringing faintly in the background. His head snaps to the sound and he gets up to walk to the kitchen counter where he left it. His brows furrow. A number he didn’t recognize was displayed on the screen.

He declines the call.

He slips the phone into his pocket and walks back to couch and plops down.

The phone rings again. He takes it out. It was the same number. He scoffs annoyed, these scam calls were too damn persistent these days.

He declines the call again.

Within milliseconds, the phone rings again. Art’s patience vanishes and he stands up in irritation and brings the phone to his ear. All his movements were quick and sharp.

“What?” Art spits with a raised voice.

“Art?”

.._.._.._.._.._.._.._.._.._.._.._.._.._.._.._.._.._.._.._.._.._.._.._.._

There will definitely be a second part!! If you’d like to be tagged when I post it please let me know!

Thank you for reading!

[beevean]

I wonder if something could be said about Ashley's apparent penchant for drawing.

Leyley used to draw a lot. This, in itself, is nothing special: many kids draw as a hobby. The most noteworthy thing is that Leyley loved to draw so much, she'd do it on the walls, which Andy had to clean...

... and on Andy's notes, which made it difficult for him to study.

I don't need to say that this is just one of the many ways Leyley begged for attention and approval, which most surely had the opposite effect.

However, what made me pause a bit are three completely separate scenes.

This is in the very opening of the game:

We don't see Ashley drawing as an adult, but she doesn't seem to be very confident in herself. Then again, at this point in the game, it could be just goodhearted self-deprecation. It does say something, however, that she's still clinging onto that drawing, both because it's so old and not good-looking, and what it represents.

This is after Ashley, as a teen, has a meltdown over Andrew "seeing Julia":

Andrew is being mean, but to be fair to him, he's also angry and interprets the torn drawing as a way to make him feel bad, so I'll let it pass. The artstyle is so crude, I assume this is another old drawing: the lemon muffin is a reference to a way Andy celebrated Leyley's birthday when they were kids, so it's possible she drew it back then. And then kept it for years, before destroying it in a fit of heartbroken rage. It's how she conveyed her love for her brother, and it was that important to her, that apparently, she still had it in grabbing and tearing vicinity. Her hate for Nina is as important as her love for Andrew.

(the other option is, of course, that it's a much more recent drawing, and yes, this is a pretty abysmal way of drawing for a teen who apparently has been doing so for years. I still wouldn't call it garbage though, Andrew, she meant well :<)

Not much after that scene, Andrew also tells us this:

Whether Ashley still draws in her teen years or has stopped, at least we know it's more important to her than her homework, and enough for Andrew to comment on it.

And this is an offhand comment Renee makes to her mother while pretending she doesn't regret her life choices and children.

This is how Renee chooses to paint Ashley in a good light: by praising her art. Which is a lie, of course, because even back then she wasn't exactly Leonardo Da Vinci, but hey, grandma doesn't need to know about that. Worthy of note is that, despite doing everything in her power to interact with her daughter as little as possible, she did notice how much Leyley likes to draw (although afawk it could be because she once saw her drawing on the walls, so it's even more of a backhanded compliment).

So I suppose Leyley's cry for attention did work, in part.

It's a running gag that Ashley is a pretty bad artist. More than once, people point out she struggles to draw circles.

Speaking of attention seeking behavior, and how Renee keeps denying it.

So, what do I take from this?

That Ashley had a predisposition for drawing, clearly enjoying it regardless of her talent, and partially did so as a way to yell "look at me! I'm a person too! I have feelings, here they are!" at the world; but that predisposition was never nurtured, neglected as she was. Her art was ugly at best, a bother at worst. So she never developed her artistic skills, stagnated, and now she's a "bad" artist, which she resents. It's quite a shame, because of all the ways you could vent your feelings, art is by far the healthiest. Perhaps she would have been less destructive.

Naturally, this is part of one of the game's key themes: Ashley never grew up. She wasn't given the tools to, and now, she doesn't even want to. So she never developed past the "Leyley" phase of her life, still drawing in a childish way, still "playing" with her bunny plushies in her mind, still clinging onto her child self when Andrew wants nothing more than to grow up (or so he says). Much like her art, she too was seen mostly as an embarrassment, and so never improved. But every scrap of attention Andrew gives her? Means the world to her. And that's why she keeps going.

Lastly: every ending of the game comes with a crude crayon drawing.

It makes me believe that Ashley's art, ugly and childish as it is, is an important part of her, and her perception of the world.

[dysthymia-wet-specimen]

re: being "groomed" into radical feminism

i was raised by a (non-radical but shares some beliefs) feminist mom who was super anti-porn (irl porn due to exploitation) and always taught me to stand up to misogyny. throughout my life she's been the biggest advocate and protector of me through medical misogyny, ableism in the school system, and helping fight for justice against poorly handled sexual harassment reports i made against classmates who'd been inappropriate to me.

i went through puberty during gamergate, an era of "feminist cringe comps" and buzzfeed manspreading videos. i was in comp-sci and stem spaces, surrounded by these sweaty hentai addict nerds, some even grown men breathing down my neck for being a "female who plays real video games" *pushes up nerd glasses* no matter what community it was, coding, anime, furry fandom, my local gsa spaces, there was always a permeating stench of male supremacy, sexualization of women/female people, and a blatant disregard of respect for the "walking fleshlights" in the room. "what's better, tits or ass?" "oh this anime is so peak, wdym you don't like it cause there's also panty shots of underage girls in it?" "keep furry weird! the horse fursuit with styrofoam G cup breast padding is such an icon!" "terfs* can suck my girlcock" (*which i later found out meant anything from hating trans people to respecting but not wanting to sleep with them, and sometimes conservatives are labeled under this branch of "radical.... feminist?")

seeing time and time again the way women and female people are pushed aside, unconsensually sexualized, or even had rape jokes/threats made abt them, is what made me radical.

I used to think my mom was crazy. "Everyone says bitch? what do you mean it's sexist when guys call women that?" "telling a stranger to choke on a dick isn't rapey its just an insult to someone" "every male watches porn, don't they?" Sexism had stained my life to the point that there was no "safe space" for me. I could no longer keep my eyes closed to the horror that is the female experience. "Radfems won't just respect cause you have a vagina" Well talking about my breasts certainly didn't stop being misogynistic once I told you my pronouns were he/they? i don't believe what others tell me to believe out of wanting to be accepted.

when the mainstream liberal men speak over human trafficking survivors to justify upholding the porn/prostitution industry. when fandom spaces welcome child erotica with open arms under the guise of "anti-censorship for queer media", all while adults pushed the limits of "family friendly convention hours" further and further, being called a "fascist puriteen" for not wanting to see a guy in a thong and a dog mask being walked on all fours during the public pride parade at 1pm in fucking massachusetts...

i'm tired of stepping on eggshells to be the "good feminist". FOR ANYONE. i'm gonna be the most obnoxious they/he nonbinary transmasc radical feminist there ever was. i don't care i'm too "TRA" or too "radfem" to fit into your boxes. fuck your boxes dude!

Let adults make decisions about their own bodies. Call people what name/pronouns they want to be called. Trans people are oppressed and at risk of violence. Children don't need to transition to be respected. Not all trans people can/will have certain surgical procedures but are still valid. The only scenario in which asking trans ppl about their procedures is when its in a (consensually) sexual or medical context, otherwise asking ppl invasive questions abt their privates without consent for your "entertainment" is sexual harassment. Trans people aren't here to satisfy your fetish for our bodies. Making fun of trans people who aren't doing anything wrong is cringe behavior. You can't be a feminist and a conservative/trump-supporter. trans women when perceived as women face misogyny even if they weren't born/raised female and aren't effected by certain issues of reproductive rights or medical misogyny. gnc-phobia is bad even when it's against men, being gnc doesn't make someone trans

are all statements that can coexist with: Respect single-sex spaces (female only housing, gyms, DV shelters, etc. You deserve safe spaces too, but so do we. trans men and nonbinary female people benefit from female-only spaces too!). Some people are only attracted to people who were born male or female, no matter how much you transition, some people are same-SEX attracted, not just same-gender. if you are trans you need to disclose that before sex. being lgbt doesn't make you a predator, but that doesn't mean you should excuse predatory behavior from other ppl in that community (happened to me multiple times sadly, also see ava kris tyson situation/response). in US politics, abortion and reproductive rights needs to be centered more in bodily autonomy conversations, women bleeding out over a pregnancy they're forced to have is not the same as choosing to kys over surgery bans. (though suicide is bad and trans ppl should be aloud to decide what to do with their adult body) intersex people shouldn't be used as an argument point by radfems or trans people, using someones medical condition to win arguments is weirdo behavior... criticizing misogyny/rape culture/anti-female behavior in lgbt spaces isn't the same as hating trans people. misandry isn't real (at least in the USA/western culture) (men can be oppressed differently based on minority status, but men/males are not inherently/systemically oppressed the way someone is for being female. there's not a male hate movement killing and raping men like there is for incels. "misandry" is just as real as "reverse racism/racism to white people", aka bullshit)

i'm not going to go through every single post someone makes to see if they're "agreeable enough" to reblog. my opinions are my own. and i'm happy to clarify that, but does porn and rape culture stop being bad the woman speaking out against it has a wrong opinion? are you fucking kidding me?

not every radfem takes me seriously, not every trans person takes me seriously. i just left the radfem community i really enjoyed due to personal conflict (sadly, but hoping to keep in touch still on tumblr). i'm not a poor victim of the evil radfems. i'm female in a male supremacist world and i woke the fuck up.

[cccakessslicemeee]

Not me thinking about Riz in season 2 after seeing his dad the first time and then talking to Gilear and Fig about his possibility of being a demon baby.

I think about that A LOT. Apparently in DND you can play a goblin with infernal heritage and be a goblin teifling which blew my literal fucking mind.

That's gonna be my next DND character bc that's so cool as a concept. Anyway.

Devil Riz is so interesting to think about because there IS a legal system in hell he could absolutely attach himself to and probably thrive in

Plus like more bonding with Fig because of the whole "oh... Our parents made shitty choices that impacted us forever and now we are demons."

Coughs. He could literally be the devil's advocate.

It's just fun to think about.

Sklonda seeing her son sprout horns and being like him... Unusual. And having some thoughts but underneath the horns and hellfire it's still her baby.

Maybe Gorthalax has a couple different 1 on 1s with Riz because they have to talk about the demon shit..how much is it influencing Riz? Probably not every much? He's already got 'that dog in him' and the thing that motivates him to those extreme actions is his good nature and how much he cares about his friends. Plus like there are "good" devils. Figs whole thing is rebellion and not like revenge or whatever. He just has devil blood and Fig thinks that's rad as hell.

Fig would be so happy to take care of someone else's horns for once..like such a bonding moment. Riz has these stupid fucking horns and they just are too long and flakey and gross and Fig is like dude.. you have like so much keratin build up on those bad boys.

And Riz is like excuse me?

Fig tells him about his horns and how he'd horns are similar and they kind breathe through them a little bit but also not really and he's suffocating himself a lil bit by ignoring them. It's not actually breathing but it helps for heat regulation. She sits him down and scrapes the gunk off. It's like layers of gross shit because Riz was just putting a hat on and pretending he didn't have them at all. He can't bear to even look at them right now. Fig gets it. She tried to saw her own horns off and it worked for a lil bit but then her skin got pink and it was stupid to keep hacking them off... They grow back twice as fast anyway.

It's a whole thing but he's not alone.

I like to imagine if you don't take care of your horns you can get terrible head aches and other shit. Fig says as much and he immediately feels better when his horns are cleaned up.

Riz probably thinks it's cold as balls all the time and figs like nah that's just the fire in your veins. And he's like I need a jacket at least..

The desire to cause strife/chaos would definitely spike. Like Riz has to cause some mischief or he's gonna explode. However he doesn't wanna actually hurt people. He wants to put googly eyes on price labels in fantasy Walmart or break into Fabians and move the furniture over by 1 cm. He wants to be the guy to hold the elevator or someome to jump into and then do the thing where you take your fingers over the buttons so they have to stop at. Every. Single. Floor. Before they get to their destination. Little annoying shit like that but again not actively hurting others. Fig loves that Riz is now suddenly a prankster like where the fuck has this guy been? He's a riot. He buys a universal remote so he can wait for when people get invested in a movie or TV show at one of their sleep overs and subtly plays for it. Usually waits for a powerful emotional moment and flicks it. The only one who knows it's Riz is Adine and she's also a lil bit of a shit stirrer so she has to try not to laugh but she absolutely loves it. Maybe Jawbone has bought three different T.Vs trying to fix the issue and now he believes there's some evil conspiracy about the universe not letting him watch the fucking game. He's switched capable carriers. Maybe he punched a TV. This one goes a lil too far and Riz has to stop fucking with the T.V for awhile.

Riz going into Gorgug's work space and not taking anything, he's no thief, but moving his wrench or tools around. Not super far because he doesn't wanna fuck with Gorgug too bad but still having that moment of... Huh?

Riz as a devil/demon/teifling whatever gets a forked tongue

It's less of a hehe this will be funny and more of a I need to disrupt the peace IMMEDIATELY. It's a compulsion.

If he's in someone's house and they have a lotta pictures he's gotta start tilting them.

I like to imagine Sandra Lynn and Jawbone have a bunch of magnets on the fridge and Riz absolutely fucks with them and it drives Sandra Lynn crazy. Riz blames Kristen. She should absolutely stop doing that. And Kristen is like oh yeah...I guess I should stop doing that. Lol

[the-backspin-alchemist]

I feel the need to clarify a few things, because I’ve heard some pushback to this when I brought this up IRL to a set of TTRPG friends.

First off: I don’t think PBTA is a *bad* system. I may hate it immensely, but I’m aware that’s just because I want a play style out of my TTRPGs that PBTA just doesn’t provide in a clean enough manner. Its flaws way outweigh the benefits for me. Your mileage on that may vary.

Second off: the reason I think the suggestion of PBTA is insane is because it was suggested entirely on the basis of GM Moves forcing the GM to “be able to actually play in the game.” Which speaks to me that…the people suggesting this genuinely don’t seem to think that the GM is meant to actively guide everything at the table in a given direction. TTRPGs in every form (that require a GM) involve the players pushing in one direction, and the GM responding back. If your GM is not actively involved in what’s happening at the table, something somewhere has gone very wrong in your table culture somewhere. Also I find the way in which PBTA forces this interaction mostly within GM moves to be clunky at best, and the player side of things to be very irritating. IMHO something simpler for both sides like, say, Cypher, or more clearly laid out and structured like Lancer/PF2E/DND 4E would be the go-to (especially since those have a lot of useful GM resources out there). And, again, need to stress that this is my opinion. These suggestions are not gospel, and might not work for everyone. That’s the nature of the hobby.

Third: I’m not asking people to like 5e. I’m telling people to stop needlessly hating on its design when you don’t find it to be a good fit for your GM style or table culture. If you want something with stricter structure, sure, go play 4E, or the retools of it like PF2E or Lancer. If you want something less crunchy, go play Cypher, or Tiny Dungeons. If you want something more OSR-like, go play Crown and Skull. But claiming DND 5e’s design is objectively bad because you don’t gel with it, is just stupid. Because it’s not bad. If it was that bad, you wouldn’t have so many people (high-profile people at that!) choosing to run it so consistently. There’s a reason that even outside of their work with WOTC, that Matt Mercer, Brennan Lee Mulligan, and @quiddie keep choosing to run the system, and it’s because they find it fun (or I assume at least consistent to navigate and therefore easy to work with after the time spent with it). And Critical Role have literally invented their own TTRPG systems now. If they wanted to jump ship they would have either made their own, or headed back to Pathfinder by now.

Bashing DND 5e as bad over something that is an inherently subjective aspect of playing the system (whether you like its specific structure or not) is in fact dumb and does not endear people to your point. It will not get 5e players to realize your system is in fact the “correct” one. It just manages to piss them off.

You’re gonna sound like the people that keep saying BLeeM’gan “needs to be stopped” because you dislike how he chooses to play DND 5e with his friends, which, I need to stress, is an insane thing to say about an entire hobby dedicated to collaborative storytelling.

Having a difference of opinion on the system is fine.

Claiming your system is objectively better is stupid.

Stop it.

Once again seeing people blaming DND’s game design for why GMs in the DND space as a chore rather than the culture surrounding it.

Also suggesting PBTA games as an intro to TTRPGs is insane.

At least recommend something like Index Card RPG or Tiny Dungeons or something instead of subjecting both players and GMs to PBTA. Like. C’mon. Suggest something that won’t cause people to pull their hair out as much for an intro to the space.

[loverbobby]

the trend of the mean girl ruining everything MC touches in games lately needs to stop, why are you, the developers, setting up our characters to be bullied for the plot every single episode. drama doesn’t always equal good writing

[maythedreadwolftakeyou]

perhaps my most #cancelable videogame take i can post on this website is i think that the kind of people who say that anyone who picks the "morally wrong" or "mean" options in video game dialogue should, as a player, feel bad about their own choices/morals in real life. is that those people are just another flavor of the kind of dudes who play Disco Elysium and get mad for not being rewarded for picking the facist options. both of these groups are reducing games to "a thing I want to agree with me and everyone else who doesn't either suffers or does not have the option to play a character who behaves otherwise" rather than "a medium where you get to (or even Have to) explore different kinds of characters in order to experience the full depth of the story and characters in it."

When I want to pick options in a game that are mean, negative, arrogant, or ignorant, it's because I want to explore what would push a character into becoming that kind of person. Sometimes I want to see how the NPC characters who I-The-Player like/agree with react to someone who is fundamentally different from them. I think it's GOOD actually when the narrative allows you to push limits and especially when it has the option to then punish you for it in some way, such as losing options/routes later on, or companions straight up abandoning you for your choices. It DOES often make me deeply, viscerally uncomfortable to make choices in a game that are so counter to my own, but it means I get to experience that discomfort in an isolated environment and also think about what it means, what would push the character or even yes a real person into actually feeling those things. And I get to play with what ways the narrative could challenge them/make them grow over the course of the game--or on the other side, it can let me make a character who does start off more open/accepting but let the events of the narrative push them into being more reactively closed-minded instead.

I like that we have invented a medium where you can play a game multiple times and experience it differently depending on the character you play as. Books and TV and movies are all static--the greatest draw of games to me is the ones that are responsive, that can tell a slightly different story every time--when other characters in the game respond differently to you because of it, or some paths open up and others don't. And so yes it did disappointment me when a franchise that previously had these elements, Dragon Age, did not include them in the most recent installment. I don't think games should have options where you get to just hit a button to say something racist with no consequences or exploration into why a character would do that. but like, if i can only ever play a game as an upstanding person who is morally right all the time in basically the same flavor for every dialogue. I only get to truly play that game Once, you know? And I only get to see the way the companions react to someone they like and trust. And never really go deeper than that.

So like... I just sit and think about the scenes you can get in Inquisition. with Cassandra breaking down, because she fears she placed a would-be tyrant at the head of a powerful organization--that she searched and searched and chose wrong. Of Varric who is desperate to convince you not to become a monster, like the last person he feels betrayed him. Vivienne intentionally pissing you off because she wants to see how far you'll go when angered, how much she has to worry about your reactions. They say so much about the companions, what they fear most, and where they will draw the line. And especially in Inquisition, at these crisis points--you don't have to double down. Your character can have a come-to-Andraste moment where they go "woah... is that really how people see me? is this what i want?" and I think that kind of option can do way more for encouraging actual players to examine the choices they make in stories, more than locking the player into supportive, non-aggressive options does.

now. do i think all games execute these flavors well? no. writers and devs will have their own biases and blind spots, even if they are otherwise well-intentioned. and I don't think the ends of the scale need to extend from "absolute angel" to "horrible bigot", because the real complexity of course lies in the middle. I am not asking for games to let me be bigoted at every turn, what I want is games that let me make the protagonist deeply flawed in one or more ways--fearfully closed-minded to things outside their upbringing, or afraid of change to the status quo, or who want to advance their own aims regardless of consequences to others. I actually agree that the game was correct not to include any options for disrespecting Taash and their personal journey for example, but I do wish... idk maybe that we could have had a scene where if for instance the player character avoided outside-world missions relating to clearing away blight, they could confront us on how this might devastate the natural world and its creatures like dragons, and push us into trying to resolve it. Or in the other direction, if you spend the (currently meaningless) time giving money to background NPCs begging in the cities, Neve could could have a special cutscene thanking you for your attention to people otherwise beneath notice. You know?

And of course not every game can do this, I can write those sentences up there that represent hundreds of hours of dev time, of course they can't do it all. But the prior games usually did have at least a little of this, and that was enough to make me really fall in love. I KNOW the tumultuous development cycle, restarts from scratch, interference from higher-ups all contributed to why Veilguard was unable to hit those same marks this time. And we probably won't ever know how much of the loss of options/reactivity was intention vs a side effect of these things. But I wish people wouldn't frame players who miss these aspects as insane/morally corrupt. When for most of us it's because we genuinely enjoy challenging and exploring these aspects of reality in fiction in a way entirely unlike what we actually support in real life. i fully acknowledge not everyone desires to play this way. and that's fine!!! i am glad people can enjoy doing a "good" run each time that brings them joy. but for me it really limits the potential bounds of my enjoyment i guess. I like media that is complicated and messy and makes me think, and extra so when I get to see how playing that way impacts the greater story around it.

[thegreatyin]

How did you manage to handle not one, but FOUR separate accounts in fl? I recently made the account for my HD little guy but having to do the tutorial again just seems miserable

there's... weirdly several answers to that question, actually??

a HUGE part of it is due to the way FL is structured. the 10-minute action timer is a core part of the game on a fundamental level, and the fact that i can very easily run out of stuff to do on one character and thus have an excuse to quickly and easily swap to another is just... convenient? satisfying? i'm not entirely sure how to explain it. the fact that i can make progress even while i am fundamentally simultaneously Not Making Progress is like pure dopamine for my freak insane awful little brain. there's just something really pleasing about spending all of my actions pursuing The Goal Of The Day™ on one account before casually swapping to another and doing the same without feeling like i'm wasting time or acting to the first account's explicit detriment. the downtime helps! the recharge time helps! the structure really really works!!

i'm technically only actively playing three, maybe two accounts minimum. the only reason the fourth (the one that'll be my future BaL playthrough) currently exists at all is so i can get his earlygame completely out of the way now and not have to waste time running through it all later, when what i actually want to do is play the ambition i've made myself wait a full year to play. and also getting free goodies as seasonal stuff happens,, something something surprise tools to help us later. the only two accounts i'd say i'm really "actively playing" at the moment are caeru and lark- and of the two, lark takes the most priority, since his ambition is the one i'm currently pursuing in earnest. for a couple months now- despite being My Main FL Character- the scoundrel has actually been pretty inactive on a gameplay front outside of the occasional progression in TLC and discordance content. purely by virtue of having Very little left to do outside of Very long-term grinds and vanities. they're in their "now what?" "now you can start playing the game" era. they've graduated to previous protagonist background cameo in a sequel anime series. they're like the yin FLPC equivalent of red at the top of mount silver. they're Literally just vibing rn. i only keep posting about them regardless because i'm insane and i will never ever ever ever ever let that bat go. but yeah, big TLDR, outside of doing the bare minimum to keep making waves/notability up every week, i'm not actually spending that much time on accounts i'm not currently actively interested in playing. and that accounts for way more gaming spoons than you might think.

i have a virtually lifelong history of playing MMOs, especially and specifically world of warcraft. i was born in the endless grind for useless video game pixel vanities and/or bragging rights. molded by it. you all have merely adapted to doing the same piece of content a pointlessly excessive amount of times for literally no reason besides whimsy and folly. me? i've done my time. i've served my sentence. i've spent weeks doing the original burning crusade netherwing dailies. i've devoted days to running praetorium over and over and over again, back-to-back, nonstop, long before square enix cut it in half and made it NOT take at minimum an hour and a half per run. i've perfected my silverwastes + auric basin goldfarming strategies. i've (almost) crafted dragonwrath tarecgosa's rest. i've killed the sha of anger so many times its dying scream of agony is embedded into the very fabric of my being. ""only"" doing making your name content four times over? that is nothing to me. it means nothing to me. it is so infinitesimal i can do the persuasive seduction quests in my sleep. it's not a matter of handling misery, or having the capacity, or even sighing as i remember the brass embassy raid segment of the watchful questline seriously i don't know why i keep forgetting that exists or what even is my problem with it i just am so consistently mildly inconvenienced by it and its highly specific resource requirements and it is the worst thing ever. maybe i'm just so used to the scoundrel's near-infinite money and troves of disposable items that i've completely forgotten what being poor is like. despite having done that step 3 fucking times now. ahem. anyway. i have transcended the feeble mortal bindings of my resistant-to-grinding flesh and ascended to a higher plane of enlightenment, they may call me insane but they will be the ones left laughing when they see what that "insanity" has wrought, i've usurped them, i've usurped them all-

hacks and coughs and awkwardly clears my throat. i mean. uh. um. Ahem.

the empress' court artistry + tales of the university nerfs helped too.

[xxplastic-cubexx]

me and magneto locked in on marvel rivals no matter how much i die you will never see me switch off (he’s the only character i play idk how to play other characters im afraid)

50 points for committing to mags but i have to deduct ten for being a one trick you need to be FLEXIBLE my friend but i also re-add 5 on account of no one ever playing tank tho so im sure you'll be fine

[slimeandsadness]

.

[bright-and-burning]

girl who is sad :[

[camellia-thea]

initially this post had some commentary about interests right now. and then it turned into a ramble about personal healing in the tags. so the interest post is going separately.

[yourgamemasterthewhiterabbit]

What the fuck it cut off my tags, whatever

I do deserve a treat :( Thank you <3

sorry for ranting, also sorry half the rant was cut off

this is the single worst way i've ever read to describe an erection, frank herbert