#(Enough filler!! Time to get to the meat)

[askchuuyanakahara]

Hirotsu-san!!

what do you think about the boys' relationship? do you think they're in love and just in denial like everyone else does?

Hirotsu: "For my own sake, really."

@bioluminescentcat

Hirotsu: "However, you being who you are, I believe this won't be an issue."

Hirotsu: "You can keep the bag."

Chuuya: "I'll return it to you the next time we meet!"

Chuuya: "25 lbs of crab meat..?"

Chuuya: "I've got way too much to do and not a lot of time to do it."

Chuuya: "Let's do it!"

Chuuya: "That took a while.."

Chuuya: "It's just Dazai."

[sturnsdarling]

teenage dirtbags, part three

Skater!matt and overachiever!reader study in the library

vibe check: enemies to lovers au, a lingering look from reader? matt being goofy, bickering, just all the shit we love guys come on

1.6k words

A/N: this is like a filler part before the actual fun bit where they aren't just studying and bickering. ugh i'm sorry its taken me so long to get out a part three i'm so busy with uni. send me ideas for what you wanna see from them because your girl is braindead. also you know i had to make matt a feminist skater boy...being able to yap about philosophy in my fics gives me a little too much joy. anywaysssss i hope you love this

intro, part one, part two, part four

love and cigs, merc

You had told Matt to meet you in the library, not wanting to be in a confined space with him like your room like you had been the last few times you'd studied, being around him was painful enough, you didn't need it to be a private one on one situation every single time.

You were sat, one leg up on the creaky wooden chair with your head tucked in your current read, absent-mindedly twirling a small strand of hair by your ear into a ringlet around your finger. The library is near enough silent, the only sounds being that of a whirling printer and a few whispers from people doing joint projects a few tables over.

The serenity of the building was quickly interrupted by an obnoxious slam of the giant stain glass doors, one hitting the door frame after the other. Everyone in the room turned to look at the noise with a scowl, and the loud crash was followed by a small 'sorry'. You were torn from your book, only to be met with the apologetic frame of Matt, shuffling through the tables, his board in hand and an apologetic look, that was hiding a boyish grin, spread on his face.

you couldn't help but roll your eyes as he sauntered over to you, not a care in the world as he loudly placed all his belongings on the old, shiny oak table you were sat at.

"wussup, y/l/n" Matt said, shocked that you were already here, "am I late?" he said.

you looked at the gold, vintage watch on your wrist with a deadpan face, "only three minutes" you said, looking back to him, "lets get started" you pulled your notes for him out your bag, spreading everything out on the table.

"Jesus, not a minute to waste, huh?" Matt chuckled, sitting down opposite you and getting his notebook out, followed by all the readings you had assigned him.

"I'd like to cut the amount of time I have to be seen with you in public down to a minimum so, yeah" you said, shooting him a sarcastic smile that he returned.

Matt laid out his books on the table, all five of them riddled with little sticky notes and tabs, seeming to be very throughly annotated and read. You scanned his collection, you only assigned him three, albeit they were the heaviest with the dark green tabs you had given him, but not only had he actually done what you'd asked, he did more.

A small smile attempted to form on your lips but you quickly reminded yourself of your distaste and forced your face muscles into compliance.

"I, um, I liked this one a lot, she seems like she knows what she's talkin' about" Matt said, picking up Simone De Beauvoir's little red book and scanning it quickly.

"Beauvoir was one of the first modern philosophers I read, she's pretty cool" You nodded, focused on the hundreds of tabs in the pages, "you annotated these really thoroughly" you picked up his copy on Fanon, fanning through the pages and creating a little wind tunnel in front of your face.

"you asked me to" Matt said non-chalantly, shrugging.

You caught his eye line and let a downwards smile form on your face, raising your brows quickly before tearing your eyes from his.

You and Matt got right to it, going over everything he had written previously and cross referencing it with all the new content he had consumed. His approach was near enough perfect now it just needed its 'meat and potatoes', as Matt would say, and he was good to go.

It was nice, being able to talk to someone about philosophy in a way that wasn't just them trying to prove that they knew more than you, helping Matt study was easy and, despite the company, a nice break from the dick slinging competition your degree often felt like.

"I think I want to make Beauvoir more central to my point" Matt said, "I feel like this whole concept of 'the Other' can be applied to further corners of society and... I kinda wanna try" His final words came out more nervous than the rest, as if he lost faith in himself half way through.

"okay" You nodded, pulling out your own copy of Beauvoir and flitting through the pages, "you can definitely do that" you nodded with a shrug, not looking at the way his face lit up in response to your confidence in him.

You and Matt spent the next few hours reading basically every bit of text the library had on Beauvoir, silently flicking through everything she'd ever written, trying to find the perfect point. Matt was man spreading on his chair, back low against the seat as his leg bounced at a rapid pace against the old, dusty blue carpet, his fingers effortlessly twirling a highlighter in circles as he lost himself in the tattered book in his hand.

You were cross legged across from him, head hung low on its hinge as you chewed on the end of your pen, scanning through applications of Beauvoir, trying to find something that hadn't been said, and hoping Matt was smart enough to say it.

You knew he was, he wasn't an idiot, he just never tried. It was infuriating, how despite his complete lack of effort, he was still always on the podium with you, taunting you with his effortless wit and intelligence.

"can you stop shaking your leg" You said, growing more irritated by his movements by the second

Matt looked up from his book, "it helps me focus" he said, still shaking his leg.

"its annoying" you said, huffing and placing your feet on the floor

"more annoying than your little incoherent mumbles?" Matt said, cocking his head to the side

you slammed the book shut in your lap, "what are you talking about?" you screwed your face up at him

Matt chuckled and shifted in his chair, "so maybe if we, actually no, oh actually what about, hmm, no that won't work" Matt mumbled, mimicking you down to the pen in his mouth. Once he had finished his performance, he looked back to you with a smug smile

"I don't do that" you scoffed, looking him up and down

"yeah, you do" Matt nodded

"no, I don't" you pushed, tone growing more annoyed by the second.

"yes, you do" an unfamiliar voice sounded from beside you, a stranger, joining Matts side

You immediately turned your head to shoot him a dirty look, returning your attentions to Matt, his lips tight in a smile as he lazily pointed at the stranger as if to say 'told ya'

you rolled your eyes with a deep sigh, pulling your legs back up under you as you opened you book in a strop. Matt smirked, biting down on the end of his pen with a small shake of his head.

"nothing to say, y/l/n?" Matt taunted

"just read your book, Matt" you snapped, looking him up and down once more.

Matts eyes widened slightly as his smug smile grew on his face,

"yes ma'am" he said, sarcastically as he returned to his book, no longer shaking his leg.

You both returned to silence, losing track of time in your selected readings. Matts legs were crossed over one another on the table, creating a small bridge between the surface and his chair. He had taken his beanie off, exposing his fluffy brown hair that fell in a perfect yet messy middle part. A toothpick hung from his lips as he once again twirled a pen round his fingers, unable to just simply read without doing at least something. You were tucked up in a ball on your chair, back against where your ass should go and legs hung over the arm rest slightly as you held yet another text above your face, mumbling to yourself.

You caught yourself mid mumble, and it tore your attentions from your reading. You shifted in your seat, looking over to Matt, who was perfectly illuminated by the green table light, his bright blue eyes flitting over the lines on the page. You let your gaze linger on his mouth for a moment, watching how he let the toothpick dance over his teeth, guiding it with his tongue.

As if he could feel you looking at him, he locked eyes with you, his head and body unmoving. You quickly looked away and soon noticed that everyone in the library had begun to filter out one by one, leaving you the only people in there other than the librarian.

"we should go" you cleared your throat, sitting up completely.

Matt looked around, seeing all the lights other than yours turned off and hearing the jingle of keys from the librarian getting ready to lock up.

"why?" Matt said

"because the library is closing?" you said, explaining it to him in the tone you would a five year old.

Matt deadpanned at your condescending tone, tilting his head slightly, "I know that, dickhead, what I mean is, lets stay"

"but the library is closing..." you said, cocking your eyes to the side.

Matt let out a short chuckle and shook his head, collecting all his things messily and getting up, "come on" He said, ducking into the darkness of the towering stacks of books.

taglist: @sturniozalt@mattslolita@shaquilles-0atmeal@blahbel668@sleepysturniolo@le4hsblog @sarosfilms @joemamaaa42069 @2muchofaslvt @seluky10 @cherib3lla @jetaimevous @witchofthehour @sofieeeeex @ncm9696 @lovesturni0l0s @pepsicola-pussy @ifwdominicfike @dani-sturn @stupendousjellyfishpost @aesthetixhoe @sturn-rose @mattsnronebitch @chriscorqutte @elizasturn @ribread03 @st7rnioioss @maggieflms

[custardtartsfan]

My dad isnt that scary i promise - Laura Kinney x Femme! Reader short

HELLO icons i am back and i have brought content. i will be finishing the poll fics I PROMISE starting with the Invincible one even thought i think the fandom has died a little..its okay im a man of my word. Anywho for now enjoy the filler content

“Okay but like…we’d be in a tent”

Laura reiterated, for the 7th or 8th time, like that was gonna change her girlfriends mind. Her poor girlfriend, who had been trying to peacefully finish her art assignment for Ms Monroe before Laura spotted her sitting under a tree in the courtyard and began trying to sell her on a camping trip in the Canadian Praries with herself and her father.

y/n sighed deeply, putting the pencil crayon down and looking and Laura, with the expression of someone who is very used to Laura Kinney.

“Im- okay. And im gonna preface this by reminding you that i love you.” y/n started, full body turning to face her girlfriend. Laura sat up a little, filled with hope that she’ll agree after weeks of being begged and pestered. 

“I would rather light myself on fire than spend a week in the Albertan woods with BOTH Wolverines”

y/n said plainly, but patted her girlfriend’s arm to soften the blow. Laura frowned, one might describe it as a pout if they werent worried about getting shishkabobed for doing so. Laura didnt respond immediately, just looking down and picking at the grass while trying to formulate her next argument.y/n just snorted at how wet dog-like Laura looked, and quickly got back to the sketch book.

It was a surprisingly nice day out for mid March in Rochester. Nice enough for the woman that loathes the outdoors to use the scenic courtyard that Xaviers provides. This was enough outdoorsy-ness for Billie. The innocent laughter of younger mutants playing kickball a couple feet away..the cold enough to be refreshing but not truly uncomfortable breeze..it was just nice for once.

“Okay- what if you just went and you ended up liking it?” Laura interrupts y/n's pleasant train of thought,having finally come up with a counter argument. y/n didnt look up from her sketchbook

“What if the world was made out of pudding?” y/n replied flatly. Laura sighed dramatically, going from sitting up to fully layed back on the grass. She huffed dramatically, looking and y/n expectantly. When her girlfriend didnt give her the time of the day Laura did the same thing, louder. When this tactic wasnt successful she went back to verbally poking at her. “..we could get like- a cabin. Maybe”

Laura pleaded with the tone of someone actively bleeding to death. y/n looked back at her as she groveled on the grass.

“I dont belive for a single second that Mr. Howlett would let us get a cabin. He probably wants to make a hut out of sticks” Laura was gonna interject to defend her caveman of a father before y/n continued 

“He-”

“And make us hunt salmon and small game with our bare hands and eat it raw. I can’t do all meat i have an iron deficiency”

Laura frowned, putting her head back down and staring directly at the mid afternoon sun.

“Freakin- femmes���” Laura cursed under her breath. y/n didnt respond verbally, just threw Lauras own plaid flannel that shed left on the grass over her face.

This one was actually a project for my writers craft class where we had to write something inspired by another piece of media, so basically fan fiction. So i wrote Laura Kinney fan fiction. and im posting it here!

also!!! to anyone who sent me an ask asking if i was good whilst id fallen off the earth i saw it and i love you dearly <3

[satzumosupremacy]

Elite Bodyguard Series: Pt. 9.5

Side Story 2

Male reader x Twice

Tags: Short filler angst story of oc, Unedited, No smut

A/N: Continuation of p.9

“Jihyo, when did you wake up?” You said walking out the bathroom, drying your hair and seeing Jihyo sort her luggage.

“Like….at ten I think. I made you breakfast, Oppa. Eat before you go.”

You became puzzled by her nice gesture. “Did you make enough for yourself also?”

“I did. Let’s eat together,” she smiles brightly and gets up to wait for you to put on a shirt.

“You didn’t need to cook something. Why are you doing this?” Considering how she’s free the next few days, you wanted her to rest instead of going out her own way for you. “Don’t do it for me. Just relax, Jihyo.”

“Just shut up and go eat,” she laughs. “Tzu doesn’t do stuff like this to you?”

“Well. Not like this. She waits for me and then we cook something together.”

“That’s cute.”

“It is. Let’s go eat, Jihyo.”

She walks out with you and into the kitchen to sit at the dining table. Opening the cover from the plate, she cooked a simple chicken stew. Steam rises out from the trapped bowl, and plenty of protein she put in the bowl.

“Enjoy, Oppa.” And she looks at you spooning for a piece of tender chicken into your mouth. “How is it? Good?”

“It’s good, Jihyo. Thanks for making it for me.”

“My pleasure. Does it need more salt? Any spices?”

“No, it’s perfect enough.” You said, taking another bite of meat with the warm stew. Jihyo didn’t pick up her spoon at all, but kept looking you eat what she made. “Eat, Jihyo. What are you waiting for?” You laughed.

“Just appreciating you eating what I made, Oppa.”

“Weirdo,” you said, chuckling as she laughs comfortably to hear you name calling her playfully.

“If Tzu waits for you, what does Sana do?” Jihyo picks up the spoon and takes a sip of the stew.

“Sana? Hmm, she does both. Sometimes wait for me, sometimes wake up early to cook.”

“Isn’t it surprising how Sana didn’t burn your house down?”

“Now that’s something I have to consider, Jihyo.”

“Oppa, remember when you first met us in the practice room?”

“What about it?” And you chew quietly on the piece of chicken listening to her.

“What did you think of us?”

“Mhm..I’d say you girls looked pretty close together even if I didn’t know at all at the start.”

“You fell for Tzu, don’t you? Don’t lie to me.” Jihyo chuckles and continued to eat.

“I did, but I tried to be professional about it.”

“I’m pretty sure Tzu told you how she fell for you after seeing you smile more,” Jihyo added.

“She did,” you said and grabbed a cup of water for you and Jihyo, “what did you girls think of me when I walked in the practice room?”

“Oppa, you were like a secretive person. Not until we got a hold of your information. Sana, Momo, Mina, Tzu, me, even Nayeon said you’re hot. But the thing that stood out on the description said was that you were in the military.”

“It stands out somehow, even the companies that hire me are surprised.”

“How much does our company pay you, Oppa?”

Her sudden question made you flustered, “let’s just say enough.”

“Oppa,” Jihyo gently grabs your hand across the table, “I’m glad we have you around.”

“I can clearly see that, Jihyo. I’m glad I work for you girls.”

The air suddenly gets tense with Jihyo hesitating to ask you something. “Oppa.”

“Hmm?” You said chewing on your food quietly.

“May I ask you about your time in the Navy?”

As you judge how innocent she can be when it comes to life, you also hesitate about telling her how it really is. “Jihyo. How much can I say? I also couldn’t tell Tzu. When it comes to taking a life, I don’t want to feed you about the dark side of war. It’s fucked up.”

“Just tell me about yourself, Oppa. No worries.”

“I’d say that I’m great at it. I wasn’t the biggest or the smallest. Not the most strongest or weakest. But I can tell you that my other teammates knew me as a dangerous person when I want to execute a mission successfully.”

“Oppa, I can tell you’re a great person by seeing all your metals in the room upstairs. Especially the silver one. It’s so shiny.”

“The silver one?” You said, nonchalantly losing your smile.

Instantly, Jihyo assume that silver metal wasn’t something to be happy about and decided to change the topic. “Finish up the food, I don’t want you being late.”

��—

After finishing the breakfast, you get ready to leave as Jihyo sits on the couch and uses her phone.

“Jihyo. I’m leaving. Mind coming here and decide something?”

She gets up and walks over to you by the garage door. “Yes?”

“Porsche or Genesis?”

“Porsche. You’re a CEO now, Oppa.”

“Good decision,” you smiled and she loved the way you smile at her.

Jihyo faintly smiles at you, not wanting you to leave but couldn’t do anything about it. “See you later. We can have fun later at night together.”

By fun, and what you didn’t know was that Twice was coming over to hangout when Jihyo texted their group chat.

Her arms open wide for a hug before you go, and you hug her warmly, rubbing her back. “I’ll be home in time.”

“Okay, bye, Oppa. Drive safe.”

“Make sure to call me if you need anything, Jihyo.”

“Okay!” Jihyo said proudly and watches you leave out the gate, then closes the door, locking it shut as she runs to lay on the couch.

——

You’re sitting on your desk with the computer turned on to a spreadsheet to manage every client that needed a bodyguard. Contracts with prices vary from different companies reach out to your email address. You read all of them, word by word to see any complications that may occur on your employee’s behalf.

The door knocks one time, and your receptionist enters the room. “Boss, you have company.”

A familiar face shows up as your receptionist leaves the room. “Hey kid.”

“Master Chief,” you said, flustered by him showing up unannounced and salute to him, legs together and standing up tall silently. He was your platoon leader during your Navy Seal days. He sits on the leather couch in front of you.

“Command Master Chief now, kid. How are your wounds?”

“It’s not like it was last week when it was years ago,” you said, lowering your hand and chuckling to brighten up the mood from not seeing each other in a long time. “Did the Pentagon sent you here for a reason?”

“Decided to pay a visit while I’m here in Korea. It’s been years since your friend….” and he couldn’t finish his words when he was also present at the time of a teammate killed in action. “I’m happy that you took over his dad’s company in his place.”

“It was my fault either way. Would have been avoidable if I didn’t have a price on my head,” you paused. “I wouldn’t be here if that bullet did hit me.”

The friend who you called was the one who often jokes and made everyone laugh during the standout was like a happy pill during the tough times of battle. Until the day he died right in front of your eyes, without you knowing if he took the bullet as a friend, or unintentionally at. After that incident, you lost your smile, a cold hearted person to everyone you greeted with a gun pointed at their chest. Your teammates also changed from laughing and smiling to being more lethal.

“You did the right thing. Even I would have shot back if my arm wasn’t bleeding from that ambush. Everyone in the squad blamed themselves, it wasn’t just you, Chief Petty Officer.” He said to you and it’s been awhile hearing your rank.

“Remember the silver star that I got from that? I don’t think I deserve it. Even when the President put it around my neck.”

“Well you did fucking kick ass. How many tangos did you eliminate? Like ten to fifteen gunmen after going rogue? We’re always taught to not fear, but somehow, I feared you the moment your eyes changed. It’s like you wanted vengeance and would die a warrior with the consequences. You did deserve the recognition and honor. I mean it, as once your Master Chief, now Command Master Chief.”

You stay quiet for moments as he can feel the guilt radiating off your body. “How’s everyone?Anything from the Pentagon?” You said, changing the topic.

“Negative. The only easy day was yesterday, kid. If you never left, you would have been recruited to Devgru or even Delta force. Wasn’t that what you wanted?”

“Life changes you in many ways, Command Master. I want to start a family one day.”

“At least you stayed for another year after that incident. Remember the operation we did in the middle of the Pacific Ocean? That one extraction mission before you decided to retire?”

“The one mission where we flew out the plane and into the dark ocean? I don’t know about you, but that mission still doesn’t sit right til this day.”

“Yea. We got tipped off that it’s connected to another group. A trafficking organization. And yes, what I’m saying is top secret right now.”

“I’m no Seal anymore. I’ll act like I didn’t hear anything about what you said. At the end of the day, we are bad guys in another man’s world, Command Master. We could of have had the same hobbies, but politics drew all of us into greeting each other with guns.”

And he closes his eyes with a nod, agreeing to the hard truth. “I’m glad I had you that I can count on.” He pats your back hard, proudly reminiscing the times you were by his side in the frontlines.

“Glad we were in a team, Command Master.”

“Your name is still engraved as a hero. Pictures of you, me, and our squad will remain in the hallways of the Department of Defense. Even without you anymore, we still talk about you every now and then.”

“What are you really here for?” You started trying to read his eyes and posture. “Wanting me back? What else does the Navy need me for?”

He takes a breath, “I’m here to look for someone highly intelligent who can take retired soldiers from any branch and give them a new start to life if they need it. Someone who can branch an organization into American borders or allies. Bodyguard, security guards, you name it.”

You knew from the way he looks at you, and he was talking about you. “I don’t have enough funds yet to branch this agency out to America. Maybe in a year, we can talk about it.”

“Don’t worry. This isn’t my idea but the higher ups that you’re still in contact with.”

“I don’t know, Command Master. I can’t be flying back and forth. I’m a CEO here, but I also take clients.”

Then he starts being straightforward, “I’m retiring from the military in a few months. I need a co-CEO to help run the agency that was created from all the branches of military. You can stay here in Korea, I’ll handle the rest back in American soil. When celebrities travel and ask for bodyguards, it will be easy to deal with between us.”

You thought it’s a good idea after all to have a joint company with someone you respectfully know, “where is it located?”

“One in California, New York, and Chicago. All thanks to the branches coming to together. A quarter of the profit will be given to charity and non profit organizations until the end.”

The location of the agencies were simply matched to where idols would perform for concerts whether he knew it or not. It’s a smart decision to take the offer.

“Deal,” you said without hesitation. “But you’re running it while I’m over here in Korea.”

“When Korean celebrities travel to America, you can respectfully take control on your end.”

You chuckle at him without an answer. As you and your platoon leader talk about the old days of being teammates, it became hours talking back to back about the happy and sad memories that both of you went through.

“Doing anything after this?” He said.

“Don’t know. Probably just sit on the computer since I’m free today.”

“Want to go to base? Have a friendly shooting competition? Maybe even a combat practice drill with the UDT?”

“I went there few weeks ago. Since you want it, we can have a friendly competition. “Show me what a Command Master Chief can do.”

“Did you forget how notorious you were, kid? I’m going to get my pride hurt.”

“Negative, but that was the good old days.” You said, changing your speech and getting competitive, smirking right after.

“Yea, sure. I know how you are. Don’t deceive me. Anyways, how’s being a bodyguard?”

“Fairly easy, yet tiring.”

“Found a lover yet?”

“I did. She’s such a beauty. I want to grow old with her. Have kids. Live a calm life. She’s all I would ever need.”

Your Command Master couldn’t help but smile to you as you boast about Tzuyu. “Sounds like your life gotten brighter ever since you met her, didn’t you? When’s the wedding? Well, who is she?”

“It’s better if you see her in the future.” And you stopped yourself before you start bragging about everything Tzuyu is to you.

He nods quietly. “Any celebrity know what you were before? Or are you keeping it secret?”

“Our line of work is much of a secret after all. I don’t tell much but only if we’re close enough.”

“You’re not wrong,” then there was a slight pause in there air as he takes a deep breath, “how’s your sleep? No nightmares? Trauma?”

“It’s getting better. Better and faster than I thought,” you laugh.

“I can’t believe you’re smiling more after retiring. It’s been so long.”

“A woman by your side changes you, Command Chief. For the better.”

“I can tell. Let’s go to base?”

You nod, smirking to beat him at the shooting range.

——

After the rendezvous with your Command Master, you come home in the late evening and see the lights all off, which made you worry enough to run inside quickly to find Jihyo.

“Jihyo!” You yelled after opening the front door.

“Suprise!” And you see every Twice member inside your house.

“Oppa, we wanted to hangout with you today,” Jihyo said with her arms crossed.

“Assuming this was a surprise for me,” you replied and Jihyo nodded.

“Babe!” Tzuyu said and runs to hug you that made you smile.

As you give your attention to Tzuyu, Sana felt some jealousy when she never seen you smile so brightly at her unlike Tzuyu. It made Sana annoyed, hating herself to why she’s feeling so jealous for.

“Oppa,” Dahyun said. “Mind if we bring out some drinks?”

“Help yourself. I don’t mind at all.” You said while hugging Tzuyu tightly and feeling her warmth.

You scan the room and see Sana walking away to the kitchen to help with the groceries Jihyo, Jeongyeon, and Tzuyu got earlier. The jealousy Sana had never crossed your mind at all.

“Oppa, you know how to handle a live lobster right?” Jeongyeon looks at you and waits for an answer while you’re glued to Tzuyu.

“Why did you buy a live one? But I can, yes.”

“Can you do us a favor and maybe..you know.”

“Be there in a second, Jeongyeon.”

“Babe,” Tzuyu said cutely, “how was your day?”

“I had fun, Tzu. But since you’re here, I’m happier with you.”

Tzuyu mashes her cheeks onto your chest, rubbing slowly to coat her smell all over you. “I love you.”

“I love you too, Tzu. So damn much.”

“Oppa!” Nayeon yells from across the room. “Come take a shot with me and Dahyun.”

Tzuyu lets go of you by how hectic your house has become after you came back home. “Babe. Have fun tonight.”

“I will, Tzu.”

Walking to Nayeon and Dahyun, they greeted you with a shot of whiskey and look at Sana curiously, trying to read her expression, “Oppa, look at Sana. Doesn’t she look jealous?” Dahyun pointed out to you.

“Is she?”

“See what I told you?” And Dahyun laughs to see how complicated the relationship gotten after you spent countless days with Sana. “Good luck, Oppa. I can’t help you.”

Nayeon puts her hand out with her shot of alcohol. You, Dahyun, and Nayeon clink the shot glass together to take a gulp.

“Think I can handle it, Dahyun. Where is Mina, Momo, and Chae anyways?”

“Upstairs somewhere. Probably taking pictures or something. Or maybe checking out your photos back in the military again.” Nayeon replied to your curiosity.

“Ah, okay. I’m going to head over to Jeongyeon and help her out. Have fun drinking.”

Nayeon and Dahyun nodded as you walk to the kitchen while Sana exchange glances at you for some sort of attention, which you didn’t give in at all, but help Jeongyeon with the lobster.

“Look away, Tzu, Jihyo, Sana, Jeongyeon.” The four girls look away, hearing the cracking that made them tense their shoulders.

“Oppa,” Sana said, tugging your shirt in a cute way, “how was your day?”

Tzuyu, Jihyo, and Jeongyeon could tell Sana was jealous in a way, and didn’t say anything as Jeongyeon puts the lobster in the boiling pot.

“It was fun, Sana,” you rub her shoulders.

“I’ll come over on Tuesday. Just us two. Alone.”

“I’m busy, but I’ll make time for you, Sana. Should I pick you up?”

“No, my manager will drop me off.”

“Oppa!” Momo yelled across the room with Mina and Chaeyoung walking with her.

[torialefay]

maybe this is too niche but the most random thoughts keep popping into my head?? idk but i must share them.

these are the types of doctors i think stray kids would be, based on different doctors' stereotypes (from the pov of a medical student):

chan: sports medicine 🏀⚽️

• description: physicians with training in areas related to treating and preventing injuries and health issues associated with sports, exercise, or strenuous physical activity

• stereotype: athlete-turned-doctor. the less extreme brother of the orthopedic specialists. get to meet a wide range of people and are well-liked. very passionate about sports and physical health. dress really nice and know their ass looks great in their tight pants. probably has memorized all the stats of their favorite teams. ACTUALLY very intelligent and not just a meat head.

minho: forensic pathologist 🩸

• description: subspecialist in pathology whose area of special competence is the examination of persons who die suddenly, unexpectedly or violently. The forensic pathologist is an expert in determining cause and manner of death.

• stereotype: honestly just leave them tf alone. they just wanna do their thing... without you there, just come find them when they've figured it out. nice but also scarred forever. a little fucked up in the head but much needed. no one understands how they're able to do their job tbh. able to conjure up the most morbid situations. kinda freaky but in a respected way. you should be concerned if they stare at you for too long.

changbin: orthopedist (aka orthopedic surgeon aka "ortho bro") 🦴

• description: medical specialist who focuses on injuries and diseases affecting your musculoskeletal system (bones, muscles, joints and soft tissues). although this type of doctor is a surgeon, they often help people get relief with nonsurgical therapies.

• stereotype: the "bro"est of the bros. always talking about their new workout routine or equipment with the other ortho bros. will out-eat you any day of the week. probably has a hot spouse. will be blasting their workout playlist for hours on end in the operating room. honestly just want to do surgeries so they can play with the tools. could fight off an entire army with the amount of protein powder they consume on the daily.

hyunjin: dermatologist 💉

• description: medical doctor who specializes in conditions that affect the skin, hair, and nails.

• stereotype: distinguished and better than you. better than everyone else. can be nice, but can also be cold depending in the person. only uses the best hair products. the specialty is very competitive, but you're 99% sure they got in with pretty privilege. owns 7 cars, but their sunday car is their favorite. sells $90 moisturizer at the check-in counter. most definitely is also certified in botox and filler and will give you a discount on your injections if you compliment them enough.

han: psychiatrist 💆🏻

• description: medical doctor who can prescribe, direct, or administer psychotherapeutic treatments or medications to treat mental, emotional, or behavioral disorders.

• stereotype: actually does give a fuck about you. you can tell them the most fucked up shit and they honestly will not be surprised in the slightest. quirky to a fault. knows how to make you feel special. very #relatable. sacrifices their own mental health for the sake of yours. cannot do math. just wants world peace. mentally diagnoses everyone they meet with a personality disorder.

felix: gynecologist 👛

• description: physician who specializes in diagnosing and treating diseases of the female reproductive system.

• stereotype: will be kind to you and work for the promotion of women's health. never makes you feel uncomfortable and tries to make you feel more secure in an environment that can seem scary. has very expensive bags. their children are very successful, but in a humble way. emotionally intelligent. wishes they had more time to bake. an advocate. seem sweet, but if you cross them, they can drag you through the absolute mud. may or may not have a rhinestone cup collection.

seungmin: general surgeon 🔪

• description: doctor and surgeon who’s trained to diagnose and manage a broad array of medical conditions before, during, and after surgery (preoperative, operative and postoperative care), often as leaders of a team.

• stereotype: literally just trying to get you cut open, close you up, and leave. has 27 different playlists to listen to in the operating room. may or may not flirt with the other staff. got this job bc they cannot handle people telling them what to do. will humble you so quickly. other besties are also surgeons. has very niche interests. weird sense of humor that not everyone gets but they still have to laugh because they are scared of him.

innie: neurologist 🧠

• description: medical doctor who diagnoses, treats and manages disorders of the brain and nervous system.

• stereotype: a little peculiar, but very smart. takes a long time to get an appointment with them. probably thinks you are a little dumb, but tries to be nice anyways. hard to make friends. has an amplitude of medications that they are legally not supposed to have. their children are most definitely overachievers. would not trust you to bring an important dish to the potluck. has the cutest shoes. dabbles in unexpected kinks.

(descriptions gotten from various websites hehe)

[sarksarkos]

Flash '59: Pieces Without A Whole

This is Flash #108, the third issue this year to feature Gorilla Grodd. Despite DC having a well-known affection for apes and monkeys of all kinds, he made three appearances this year but was not on the cover for any of them. But oh, that will change. Welcome to the Gutters!

One unfortunate aspect about comics in this era is how many of them just do not matter, and how the writers don't seem to realize what is and isn't important. For example, issues #106-108 all feature Gorilla Grodd, and there's enough there to view them almost as a trilogy. Yet the covers think it's more important to feature the Pied Piper and two stories that are essentially filler.

#107's "The Amazing Race Against Time" is about an alien race that creates a humanoid alien designed to use speed power to seal a dimensional rift. The aliens don't look like humans and it only arrived on earth by accident, so there's really no reason for it to look like a human, and the only conflict comes from Barry Allen getting pissy that an alien is faster than him. This also feels weird in retrospect considering that the Green Lantern Corps would be introduced this same year, and this is the kind of thing they do all the time.

#108's "The Speed of Doom" is about another alien tricking the Flash on a treadmill to measure his maximum speed, but the machine is actually a trap that will force Flash to keep running until he exhausts himself. The aliens had been using their own speed technology to steal from Earth, and Flash is the only one who can stop them. Flash gets out of the machine by running faster than the speed of light, something the aliens didn't think was possible, which is cool, at least.

While I'm at it, let's talk about #109, "The Secret of the Sunken Satellite," which is a story about the Flash meeting a race of goofy underwater people and helping them fight a second, even goofier race of fish monsters. He defeats them instantly, because of course he does. Again, this feels a bit incongruous, especially since Aquaman already exists.

Neither of these generic aliens make a second appearance, and the sea people only show up once more in an issue of Justice League in 1971. There isn't really any character or world development, because in most cases all we see is a token appearance by Iris West, and Barry Allen apparently doesn't have any other friends. There's nothing particularly wrong with these stories either, but they don't seem to exist in the context of anything. They're like jigsaw pieces that don't fit to anything else. Pieces without a whole.

Excuse me one second, I need to edit the title of this post.

Anyway, back to the monkeys. Issue #108's "The Super-Gorilla's Secret Identity" sees Grodd escaping from prison and then forcibly evolving himself into a superbeing. Presumably this is the supposed de-evolution ray he was going to use last issue, just put in reverse. He evolves himself into... well, basically into Lex Luthor, but from the post-crisis era where he was an industrialist. I guess his evolution ray let him skip forward 25 years of comics publishing.

This is something that would be seen as incredibly out of character for Grodd, a villain who's defined by his hatred of humanity and belief in gorilla supremacy. Him willingly becoming a human is like you or I becoming a cockroach. There's also a really fun aspect whereby Barry Allen is implied to be jealous of Grodd's human identity, Drew Drowden. That's actually a fun character trait, that whenever anyone upstages Barry in any way he's just seething with jealousy.

Grodd uses his technology to create a pill designed to give him telekinesis, which they just call "the power of mind over matter," because that's not clunky at all. Unfortunately for the story, the second that Flash shows up to fight, Grodd turns back into a gorilla and loses his new powers because they were only designed to work on a human brain. Fortunately an ordinary gorilla made of meat is strong enough to tank a human being moving so fast he sets the ground on fire, to which I say, sure. But the Flash is somehow can just pick up Grodd and run him back to gorilla jail, to which I also say, sure.

I do wanna talk about Carmine Infantino's art here, which is some of the greatest. In general, he's able to walk a very narrow path between realism and expressionism, dipping into one or the other as the story dictates. The sequence of Grodd turning back into a gorilla is incredibly well done, full of energy and non-diagetic flourishes that enhance the emotion, while the slower moments are filled with nuance in the depiction of the characters.

That brings us to the main story in #109, "Return of the Mirror Master." This is kind of a wild one. Sam Scudder, the Mirror Master, escapes from prison using a trick mirror he had on him that allowed him to shrink down so small he could go unseen. Apparently they didn't search him when he went into prison. One would think that the flash of light from the camera would be in some way involved, like he needed enough light to make the mirror work, but no, he says outright that he just wanted to make a show for the reporters.

Next time we see him robbing banks using whatever the exact opposite of camouflage is. He covers himself in light that I guess is meant to be so bright that it's blinding, but my dude, you are as bright as the goddamn sun. Everyone is going to know something is up, and they're going to tie it to the one supervillain who escaped. This can't be harder than just making yourself invisible. Flash beats him because this was a bad plan, but the Mirror Master escapes.

The Mirror Master then has a pretty good plan, where he creates a big, obvious laser beam weapon on top of a building. When the Flash comes to stop his machine, Mirror Master hits him with his real weapon, a "mirror-reducer." Now. I'm not trying to strawman these stories. I will give them as much credit as I can. This could some kind of funhouse mirror effect, or something to do with the refraction of light, or any other science-adjacent effect that they didn't feel like explaining. Sure. Point is, it works, and Flash is just a little teeny man!

This story and the Grodd one both do a thing where they set up this situation where the villain has some kind of advantage over the hero and then they negate it before there story reaches a climax. The last time, Grodd had given himself telekinesis, and the he loses it almost immediately when Flash shows up. This time, Flash is shrunken down to the size of an insect, and then restores himself by himself in time to stop the Mirror Master.

Reading this, it feels like the logical climax would be that the tiny Flash has to defeat the Mirror Master, who is a freaking Kaiju relative to him, which would be a far more challenging fight. But that's not what they do.

There's like... so we've all seen the diagram of a rising and falling, action, right?

You have now.

The climax is supposed to be the high point of the story. Everything is supposed to lead up to that peak of tension, excitement, and conflict, and only after that do the problems get resolved. In this case, the action rises when Flash gets shrunk, and then falls again when he restores himself to normal size, and the climax - actually defeating the mirror master - happens after that. It's the textbook definition of an anticlimax. A lot of comic stories will happen this way. I'm genuinely confused as to why.

Was this just not a part of literary criticism at the time? Like I looked it up and that specific narrative structure was described by Kenneth Thorpe Rowe in 1939, and earlier models were described in the 19th century. This feels like an elementary part of narrative and I don't understand why so many comic stories seem to go against the grain.

Anyway, that's my time. Showcase is up next. Until next time!

[coricomile]

It is so very early in the 10-episode run of Thailand's adaptation of Addicted Heroin to give a flat statement on how the story is and will be presented. But so far, it's... cute. Like a lot of Thai productions are. (Please take away the 1980s cartoon soundboard from all the editors forever, especially for the Serious Plot Dramas.)

One of the main leads is 17 years old as of release. So, figure 15-16 while filming in a country where 20 is the age of majority. So everything gets (or should get) an immediate slap down for rating at the cost of the meat of the story. I'd rather have a 25 year old play 16 than either sanitize the material or have an actual teenager simulate sex on screen.

Look, I am all for Freedom of Plot and Fantasy and Exploration in fiction. I'm also a person who doesn't pretend that kids at 12 and 13 years old don't have skewed brand new sexual feelings that are being explored, usually through word-of-mouth rumors through other kids or porn, and experience so, so much shame about being curious about the absolutely very basic human drive to fuck.

Dicks get hard, pussies get wet. It's a natural thing. It's biology. But it's scary for the first time and every moment you're told it's Wrong, especially if you're queer. It should be explained and explored or it will combust into something poisionus, which is the whole point of Addicted. Two scarred and damaged teenagers obsessed over each other to the point of kidnapping because anything less doesn't feel like it's enough.

The 15 episodes of the Chinese version before it got the chop was dirty and messy from the plot beats to the filming. The Chinese version is full of "dirty" shots referring to the lingering lines and shadows of Bai Lou Yin or Gu Hai in the corners of each other's closeups, and also the grit that came from 2015/16 cameras.

Bai Lou Yin washes the blood off Gu Hai's shirt because Gu Hai nearly beat someone unconscious. You see the blood exploding on him. It's a visual metaphor. He didn't want these feelings, but they're present and vicious. Bai Luo Yin scrubbing them out is the start of a reluctant relationship between him and Gu Hai and also him and Auntie.

Hero has a mediocre punch and Pop mentions the invisible blood stains on his shirt and Auntie still comes to the rescue, but Hero's shirt was clean already. Everything is filmed so clean. The shots both inside and out of the convenience store (which will undoubtedly be a place of time filler instead of actual dirty, ugly plot, because proximity was never the problem and focusing on Pop's side job has nothing to do with him at all) are so, so bright and clean.

Addicted Heroin is ugly on purpose. This isn't supposed to be a pretty story. It's supposed to hurt. "Hai-Lou-Yin"/Heroin" was a major part of them. It's why "Heroin" is part of the title. They are the drug. They are the problem.

And now, "Hero" and.... "Pop". There's the slim chance that "Poppy" may get a nod to opium- Heroin- but I'm already unsure if this is willing to even bring up the idea of an actual unhealthy addiction. Which is the whole point!

Also. The fight at the beginning is a fake out puppy boyfriend being happy his boyfriend/fiance is home. There will be no conflict or the conflict will be shoehorned in at the last moment.

[spiralinghours]

“Fading Out” (continuation/installment of “Filth”)

Fandom/media: Saw franchise

Rating: R/18+

Pairing: Mark Hoffman x Peter Strahm

Tags/content/warnings: humiliation/degradation, teasing, name-calling, feeding kink, weight gain… a lot of the same from the previous fic

Summary: A canon-divergent continuation where Strahm is alive and well (and didn’t get put in the cube), but does know Hoffman’s identity. Hoffman, meanwhile, is done with the Jigsaw business, too confused by whatever he has going on with Strahm. Low key teasing continues to happen during work hours, which culminates in Mark experimenting on his own at home.

Author’s note: I was gonna add more to this, but it felt long enough and I got impatient haha. I’m not great at long form/chapters because I get bored by the idea, so there’s no set length, but just know this installment is a filler before I churn out the next part.

Enjoy. Or don’t. Make your choice.

So things hadn’t gone as planned, but they seemed to work out. For the time being.

Strahm had strolled—intently stamped, more like—his way out of the meat plant on the night of those simultaneous games, looking the victor, as he gave the exact story he promised he would (blah blah, came in alone, everyone dead but Hoffman, helped him out of the trap, blah blah blah) and reported that Jigsaw, finally, was dead. That was that.

Jigsaw was dead, in more ways than one. Mark had anticipated carrying out the last couple games as John’s dying wish, taking out anyone who put even a slightly inconvenient kink in the grand scheme of it all. But, the blunt truth was John was gone. Amanda was gone. Jill, while probably wanting to respect John’s will, did not have the heart to play murder games. (And this Logan fella… he was never coming back. He had a whole life. Who cared?) Mark didn’t want to associate with anyone left alive in John’s legacy—his fucked up family.

And with Peter knowing the whole smoking truth of it all with some sick fixation and the potential for blackmail, there was no point for Mark to dig his hole deeper. He would tie up the loose ends and move on.

On a formal, procedural, surface level, tying loose ends also entailed wrapping things up with the feds. It was a whole parade of paperwork, exchanging identical manila folders, making the same public statements to major media outlets, and staying caffeinated into the ungodly hours of the morning to make sure all the stories on record were solid.

It meant Peter was still around, digging through the inner sanctum of the precinct like a mite. He was always lurking, and actually focused on his job, to be sure. But at moments when Mark thought he’d look up and make eye contact, or see him walk through his office door, there was nothing.

It was jarring, in fact, how removed Strahm seemed, given the immense tension and lingering promise of their last interaction. Perhaps it was best left that way. But if anything, despite all else—the wet dreams and fleeting, empty want—Hoffman felt the need to confirm some kind of arrangement given what Strahm knew of his identity.

Yeah, that was all it was. Just business, in that sense.

In a completely random occurrence, in the middle of one of the many days hazing into the next, Mark spotted Peter, alone in what was his and Lindsey’s makeshift office watching something on the old TV. It was the tape from when Mark originally interrogated Jill from however long ago—the one Rigg wracked his brain on, watching it on repeat.

Mark could only assume Peter was looping it for completely different reasons, but he let his crass curiosity get the better of him.

“Hard at work?” Mark sort of muttered as he entered the space, cringing at how stupid and generic it came out.

“Yeah,” Peter replied, not even turning to look. It was as bland an answer as if he’d been offered a cup of coffee.

“My tape with Jill have something we missed?” Mark probed on, tilting his head at how Peter rewound the part where he passed in front of the camera, backside in full view. (‘Jesus, I look like that back there?’)

“Just enjoying the view,” Peter replied, tone unchanged.

What a stone cold prick.

He made an obvious point of pausing the spot where Mark had twisted his torso just enough as he leaned over the table, showing at just the right angle the way his belly hung over his belt, past his generous chest. The blue hue of the tape made even his fuzzy visage look very shapely.

“You’re a sick fuck.” Mark was going for a threatening, undercutting slant to his words, but it fell short into something on edge.

“I’m not doing anything sick, stupid,” Peter finally turned around, looking annoyed for barely any reason.

“Enjoying the view? Yeah?” Mark mocked. “You’re a creep, lookin’ at me like that.”

“Who said I was looking at you? Ms. Tuck is pretty gorgeous.”

Mark was well aware that one of the many skills he possessed was passively getting on people’s nerves until he got something out of the situation. But Peter had out-obnoxioused him somehow. Mark shook his head, lips fixing into a dumb pucker, and started to turn away.

“You look fucking fat in this tape.” Peter’s cold voice trailed behind Mark, smacking him and reeling him back in.

“Excuse me? Fuck you.”

Strahm stood up abruptly and got into Hoffman’s face, his eyes drifting momentarily to the open door to make sure Lindsey or Erickson or even some subordinate didn’t pass by. “Why are you taking that as an insult? Looks good on you, big boy. Say ‘thank you’ when you’re complimented.” A rare, menacing smile cracked across his face. “I like having something to hold onto.” He swatted at Mark’s lower belly, just out there, pushing prominently over his belt buckle and badge.

The TV clicked off and Strahm exited the room without another word. He was frequent with sudden, callous departures like that. It left Hoffman standing there, gears visibly turning behind his eyes and a hand reflexively cupping his stomach where he was just touched.

What the fuck?

—

For the most part, Mark had little awareness of his own body and his overall perception. Outside of his hair and his face, he didn’t pay mind to much. He was just there, just a guy. And, over time, he cared less, living a lifestyle where there was so much stimulation, too much to focus on, too much worry, death and dying at every corner…

He never stopped and realized that people looked at him and just saw a “big guy”, let alone found it attractive. That was the part that alluded him. Like the general public, he assumed the stereotypical thing people wanted to rub their hands over were rock-hard abs and sharp jawlines or whatever. All that to say, Mark felt like Strahm was ogling him for the weirdest reasons.

Late into the night, hours after the little tiff about the tape, Mark was still mulling over what had been said. He knew he was thinking too much on it, but that type of interaction was just too specific and new.

He breathed a bored, unfocused sigh and traced around his house, debating on if he was hungry or just frazzled enough to go to sleep. But a weird impulse seeped into his mind as he leaned towards the former.

In a bit of an autopilot state, lightheaded with a tingle up his back, Mark trudged from one side of the kitchen to the next, alternating between grabbing items from the fridge and the two cabinets. Each “dish” (if the senseless piles could even be called that) merited another garnish or more to add to the taste profile. The remaining four slices of pizza needed more protein, so the egg and sausage leftover from the morning were topped on. But then it needed a dipping sauce, so he had to throw a little ranch in there. But all that became too salty-savory, so Mark made a side salad (which ended up being a mixing bowl’s worth) stacked with croutons, cheese shreds, and chips (because they were spicy, and the whole deal could use a little spice). But then after that, a little sweetness made sense to cut through all the cheese, meat, and sauce, so ice cream came next. But it was too frostbitten to dig a spoon in, so he microwaved the pint… maybe a bit too long, as it ended up mostly melted. But hey, that was just a milkshake, right? So into a glass it went, with some extra milk to thin it out.

He was incredibly hungry, sure—more than he realized—but there was a ping, some kind of creeping inspirational spark that kept him going. There was the idea of Strahm watching him eat this way, maybe even pushing him through it with nasty little remarks the whole time. The condescending “Oink oink” Peter demanded of him from that night in the plant echoed in his head, like an obsession, over and over, unfurling a blackout sort of feeling.

It was over as quickly as it started, leaving Mark in a haze, a little confused at what he just put himself through. He didn’t come—didn’t touch himself or get off or even get super hard—but it felt like he was experiencing “post nut clarity” all the same. There was a hint of shame to it, as Mark recognized how secret and foul gorging himself felt, and how it would be a struggle to hide the results if it kept happening, shifting around slowly with a likely angry and wobbling gut fighting against his pants button.

Peter would be around, and he would see. Would he? Hoffman was curious to know what he would say, how his sharp, dour expression would shift. What catty comments would Peter let burrow into Mark’s dumb, eager brain?

As itch-inducing as the mental image was, Mark’s energy would be reserved for that at a later time. Down for the night, he had slumped into the corner of his small burgundy couch, hyper aware of the way his white undershirt stretched and smoothed out across the expanse of his belly, creasing only at his sides, above his love handles. Every breath was a chore, the shallowest inhales and exhales making him slosh, which eventually set off a chain of hiccups that made his gut bounce uncomfortably.

Letting a hand creep under the tight fabric, Mark ended the night absentmindedly scratching the side if his stomach while some previously-aired episodes of The Girls Next Door droned on his meager TV.

“Guess I’m a pervert too,” Mark mumbled to no one in particular.

[dapper-lil-arts]

Any tips for an amateur writer? I've been writing a pmd:eos fic series on ao3 that's been getting praise, but I still feel inexperienced

Yooo pokemon mistery dungeon explorers of sky? Hell yeah best pokemon game to make fanfic of, easily. its an absolute BANGER Ok i got a few pieces of advice for ya, i don't mind sharing! 1 - One of the most important ones for me personaly, is to know and understand yourself and your own style of writing. By what i mean its like; you get an idea for a story, or a concept. But knowing your writing style, your capability to write scenes, and even the characters in question, do you KNOW that you can write this story? Its actually pretty important; Because writing takes up a LOT of time and effort, and if you just start blanking halfway into it, you'll have wasted so much time with a story that you don't exactly know how to do. I personaly have so many ideas, but i only execute on the ones that i am aware i can work on, and would know where to take, even if the idea is small. (For example, i had an idea for writing a fic of rarijack but only when theyre older, after the events of FIM. I started writing immediately because i knew exactly that i could do it; and am already 25 pages in and might finish today, heh) 2 - Write horizontaly, not verticaly. by that i mean; don't start at the beginning and work from there, consider all of your story's structure before you even start, act 1, 2, and 3, and its most pivotal moments. Much like you would sketch a drawing before lining and coloring, its important as hell that you are planning all your setups and payofss in advance, all of the arcs and character progression in tandum and stuff. This applies well to the first advice too! Don't be afraid to make an ugly ass sketch of a story, as long as youre aware that this is indeed a story you can make. Make the skeleton before adding the meat, and only after do you add the makeup. And as you write, more ideas will come to you! 3 - This one is more for my own, personal taste, but never be afraid of writing multigenre! By that like. If you're writing romance, dont be afraid to put action, if you're writing drama, dont be afraid to put a moment of comedy here and there; stories are infinitely more interesting when they're not just one note, not just a single tone! And the readers would absolutely be delighted on having moments of respite or shock, it keeps them on their toes. 4 - This one is hard to execute, and i cant give examples that arent long, but like. None of your scenes and sequences should be just what they are in the surface. Like; A character knows something that the other doesnt, or the audience knows something that neither character knows, or the underlying conflict is constantly clashing silently. A short example i can give is a scene in on of my fics in which a character was being asked about her past, and she spoke ernestly, but every once in a while i'd add a "She lied" after the information she provided; And i didn't need to add anything else, that in itself is enough for the audience to understand and consider why this character is doing what shes doing, and just that simple little thing added an really interesting layer to the simple conversation. Essentialy, there's no reason why a conversation should *just* be a conversation in your stories, and there is no reason why you should have filler for the sake of it. Pacing is important, and you can make every single scene and chapter on your story interesting, nothing stops you but you! The "She lied" thing is specialy important, because you don't have to treat your audience like babies. I didn't explain why she lied, because if any reader was paying attention, they'd understand completely, everything would simply click. A character can sometimes say something, and all you need to do is write the tone of their voice, and the reader can already connect the dots, or even something as simple as describing a facial expression or body language without explaining why it is what it is; It makes your story more engaging! I have a million other advice, but i felt like these were the most important ones i specificaly could provide. Good luck!

[whiskeysmulti]

Comfort Food (A KHR Fanfic)

Fandom: KHR Word Count: 1,023 Prompt: Stormy Night Ship: implied unrequited 2795 (Tsuna x Kyoko) Characters: Sawada Tsunayoshi, Sawada Nana Event Host: @flufftober

There was nothing better after a long hard day than coming home to a hot meal his mother prepared. Nana's cooking was Tsuna's favorite and probably the reason why he had over two hundred favorite foods but hamburger steak would always be his favorite. A simple cooked burger patty seasoned with just salt, pepper and garlic, no binders, fillers, or mixers added and grilled to perfection in a pan, essentially a fried burger.

Hot, seared perfectly to get a nice char around the edges, so flavorful and juicy that Tsuna would have to wipe his mouth again with every bite. So big and round he often needed two hands to hold it and a napkin tucked into his shirt like a baby's bib because as soon as he sank his teeth into it, hot juices squirted out directly into his mouth and overflowed, running down his face and chin. So thick he needed both hands to handle it, the burger was a once in a lifetime dining experience in itself.

A good burger cooked to perfection needed minimal toppings if any at all when seasoned correctly and cooked medium well to well done. He wasn't certain what type of grade of beef was used, just that it was absolutely delicious. He thanked the cow that gave up its life for this meal, it truly was a dining experience that he wanted to savor without ethical practice brought to mind.

No matter how bad his day was or how many kids picked on him at school nothing filled his stomach better or warmed his soul more than his mother's home cooked burgers. Every flavor-packed bite was a little taste of euphoria when he dug in and every time his mother made them, Tsuna usually had at least three. Comfort food was just that, comforting after a long hard day and today was a day when Tsuna needed more comfort than he cared to acknowledge right now.

He really was a loser and no good as he'd always been called, and it just made his day so much easier to come home to whatever his mom had cooked honestly. But Tsuna also understood mom was busy most days so those hot home cooked meals might have to wait sometimes and some days well he'd have to learn to just make it himself without burning down the house.

Tsuna couldn't wait to once again have a mouthful of that hot, thick and juicy meat, hamburger steak was his favorite. The scent was savory and warm as he watched the steam roll off the top when he cut into it and noticed all the juices flowing out. It was tender and well cooked as it just fell apart on the fork and melted on his tongue. Hot and savory and melting on his tongue hamburger steak was something that always made Tsuna feel better. It was and always would be his number one favorite food out of possibly two hundred or more he liked a lot.

It wasn't even the taste or texture that made it his top favorite, it's the fact that whenever Tsuna had a bad day it's one of the first things his mother would fix for him. For a kid who got bullied as much as Tsuna did, you would expect his mom to be making him hamburger steak every night, right? Sometimes it was prepared just for comfort after a hard day of school, other times it was made for a special occasion like his father returning from a long week on the road for work.

Tsuna looked at the plates on the table, it was just enough for him, his mom and his friends if they stopped by. He thought about it as he looked at the empty spots at the table, his life was like that sometimes. Just sitting at a table alone, waiting for others to join him, and returning home to mom's cooking as a comfort when no one had shown up before. But slowly he started making friends, he started letting people in, people slowly started noticing him and Tsuna's empty life slowly started to become filled with love and more than enough friends to fill up the empty void in him, more than enough to fill every seat at this table right now if he invited them all over at the same time. An abundance of warmth and love had come into his life and filled his heart just like his mom's cooking could fill his stomach and warm him up when he'd had a bad day, his friends were there to do the same on his worst days even if Tsuna didn't think anything could make him feel better, they could.

"Tsu-kun, how was school?" That cheerful grin always greeted him after school, apron and oven mitts on as she carefully stirred a pot or pulled something fresh and hot out of the oven and honestly just his mother's kind smile and concern always made his days a little better and warmer. And then the food was an added bonus, always cooked perfectly, it was no surprise when Tsuna's friends showed up for dinner as well, his mother was an amazing cook and Tsuna honestly wished he had her skills in the kitchen, or at least could do a little more than instant cup noodles and reheating leftovers.

It didn't matter how bad his day was, or how many kids picked on him that day or how much trouble he got into, there was nothing that mom's smile and a hot plate of juicy, tender hamburger steak couldn't fix for Tsuna. However there were some complicated questions that his mother seemed to always ask at dinner time and Tsuna in all honesty didn't have any kind of answer for them.

"Do you have a girlfriend, yet, Tsu-kun?" That was actually the hardest one to answer, as Tsuna wasn't exactly interested in anyone but one girl that he feared he'd never get but that could wait.

"When's dad coming home?"

They both had their fair share of questions that neither of them could answer right now.

[qwerty-between-the-lines]

Leo does cooking

Hephaestus TV announcer: Welcome to Chef Leo's Kitchen Antics. We take you live to the kitchen at Camp Half-Blood. Now... here is... Chef Leo Valdez!

(canned applause plays as Leo comes out waving with a grin)

Leo: Welcome back to Chef Leo's. I'm totally fixing you up with tacos, burgers, casseroles, cookies, you name it...

(canned applause)

Leo: Today I'm going to demonstrate how we demigods get meat good and tender. Then we'll be baking a pizza casserole and finishing it off with fresh juice. Now, I have here a couple of steaks. You'll probably want to use a meat mallet, but if you happen to have super strength like us demigods, there is a shorter way.

(Leo pulls tray with steaks in front of him.

Leo: (makes a fist) First, the trick is to think about someone or something who really ticks you off. For me, that's Gaea. Then you want to punch the meat hard, but not so hard it becomes a pancake. Just pretend that your kind of slowly dishing out punishment to your enemies. Like so...

(Leo gives steak three calculated punches in different spots)

Leo: ...and now our steak is tenderized, so let's move on to our juice. I have here some oranges and some pineapples. I recommend doing your oranges first. You can just twist the oranges. Almost like you're wringing them out.

Leo: (wringing out seven oranges in a blender) For me it kind of helps to think about some monster I've fought, and how much I'd like to twist their neck.

Leo: (Leo twisting last orange) We met these wild cyclopes in Detroit once. Every time I think about it, I just wanna, but enough of that.

(Leo grabs pineapple)

Leo: Then for cutting the pineapple, you can use a large cleaving knife, or canned pineapple chunks will also do. Of course, if you were watching a few weeks ago and you ordered Chef Leo's Wonder Slicer, this will be almost effortless for you.

(Leo places pineapple aside)

Leo: (dumping bowl of pineapples in blender) I pre-sliced these just before the show. They're still good and fresh. Our oranges are already juiced, so you only need to run the blender for about fifteen seconds, though I suggest longer. It'll give your juice a nice pureed pineapple texture. Now for our casserole.

(Leo pulls over a casserole dish)

Leo: The fantastic thing about doing pizza this way is you don't have to go through the trouble of making a dough. You can enjoy pizza in a casserole without all those preservatives and fillers you'll get from a restaurant pizza. I'll be doing classic pepperoni, but you can use any of the toppings you'd prefer on a pizza. Now I don't suggest trying some of the things you'll be seeing me do in this segment unless you have fire powers, and you're good at controlling them. First, I'll start with fresh oregano.

(Leo holds hand over oregano)

Leo: The effect we're going for is dry enough to crumble. I kind of have a very light flame going across the palm of my hand, that I'm holding just above the oregano to give it enough heat to dehydrate. I'm being very careful not to set this oregano on fire. You can use a dehydrating oven on a medium low setting, or just use storebought oregano seasoning if that's easier for you.

Leo: Alright, I'm taking my hand away. I give my dehydrated oregano a few forceful, well-aimed karate chops. Kooowah!

Leo: As you can see, the oregano now has a perfect almost powdery texture. I'm going to dump my oregano in this bowl and add in some marinara sauce. I prefer Demeter's Harvest marinara, but you can use whatever you're used to. Add a few pinches of salt. Give your marinara mix a stir and place it aside.

Leo: Again, do not try this at home unless you have well-controlled fire powers.

(Leo sticks his pointer finger into a pot of elbow noodles and water)

Leo: Most of you will probably just want to boil them on a stove. If you have fire powers, you can ignite a flame on the end of the finger that will set them to boiling very quickly, as you can see here. I'm giving them the maximum amount of heat without them scorching or falling apart.

(Leo removes finger)

Leo: I'll just chop up this pepperoni with my Wonder Slicer.

(Knife starts chopping on its own with perfect precision)

Leo: With that done, we want to pour our elbow noodles into the casserole dish first. Then we want to layer that with our marinara blend, which we'll layer with our pepperoni. Finally - we'll add a blend of mozzarella and parmesan to the top. I like to go wild with mine and cover it.

(Leo stretches out hands over dish. Flames begin hitting the top of the casserole)

Leo: You'll want to bake it at 250 degrees for about 10-15 minutes. This will go great with your juice and steak. You'll have a nice satisfying dinner ready to go.

Leo: (smiles) Until I see you again, here on Chef Leo's!

[borbersk]

Ok. I know you motherfuckers are going to have some options here, so I decided to share with you one of my favourite recipes: shit noodles (also known as scrap noodles, white noodles, or chow mein)

One thing that's important to note is that I generally try to use as few utensils for this as possible, so if you like the idea then all you're allowed to use is a pot, a pan, a pot lid to drain, and some chopsticks or a fork. Use the same utensils you used to cook with to eat with

So, it's basically just fried noodles and some filler, so let's start with the filler. I'm using scallions, garlic, and whatever scraps of meat I could find, but you coukd use spinach, bok choy, mushrooms, peppers, or whatever else you feel like. I generally wouldn't use cured meat but if you want to experiment, feel free

I chop all of that as fine as I can (this is personal preference because of sensory shit. Do whatever you feel like) and then start boiling the noodles. You could boil the noodles while you do this, but I've found it's better to have this ready because it takes a while to chop

Also, if you chose chopsticks earlier you can place them across your pan and they'll stop it from boiling over assuming they're wood

They need boiling because they're freeze-dried but if you use higher quality noodles they'll be all noodly already and not hard and crunchy, so this isn't necessary. Of course, at that point you risk losing the vibe of this being a quick, cheap college meal and becoming actual dinner

I generally use two blocks of instant noodles for this and eat it all, but this time I used three and saved some for later. Actually, after my first bowl I tried to go back for the rest thinking I was hungrier than I was and saved what I couldn't eat for today

Anyway. Boil those until they're softer, but still good and wavy. If they get too soft in the pot then they'll get even softer in the pan and might not be the texture you're looking for. Experiment with what works best for you

Also, I use the flavour packet. It's not the only flavouring I use as you'll see, but I find that it doesn't hurt

Next, drain the noodles and throw all the other ingredients in a wok, skillet or frying pan with either sesame oil or butter. If you do use oil, only use a little bit. You'll be using butter later. I also put the veg in before the meat since that's already been cooked, but you do you. I also put in some salt, a lot of pepper, and a little ginger powder since I didn't have fresh ginger

Fry all of that to your heart's content, and then dump in your noodles. Try and probably fail to combine the finicky little bits with the giant mass that you just covered them with, and throw in as much soy sauce as you're comfortable with, and a metric fucktonne (that's a little bit for imperial users. A smidgen. A nip) of butter. If you missed the salt and pepper before you could do it here but it feels wrong. Stir fry and toss in your wok to feel cool until everything is combined and the noodles dry out a little bit, and then serve

This makes enough for it to be a one a day kind of meal, so I generally make it at 2am when I haven't had breakfast yet. Today I was feeling fancy though, so I poured a small glass of my friend's insane pear mead that I'll never publicly admit is better than mine, and sat down to unwind.

Enjoy, my friends. And enjoy telling me how wrong my cooking is. I've seen some real crimes and know that god has bigger worries than my survival

[mightyflamethrower]

Ladies, we know you want us. Who wouldn't? Every woman wants a guy who spends all his time talking about Tolkien and Star Wars and playing Zelda, but how can you attract one? It's an age-old question, but thankfully, there are very simple answers.

Come along as The Babylon Bee presents a crash course on the timeless art of beauty and seduction.

Be a woman: We can't stress this one enough.

Bacon-scented body lotion: Making yourself smell like a slab of fried pig meat will make you irresistible to any real man.

Do your hair like Princess Leia: This works best when paired with the slave outfit from Jabba the Hutt's palace.

Get Botox and lip fillers: Just kidding — that's the worst idea ever.

Shave your real eyebrows off and paint fake ones on instead: We don't know why, but people do it.

Swap out your shampoo with BBQ sauce: Your hair might be a little sticky, but it'll do the trick. Trust us.

Part your hair on the side — NO WAIT, everyone's doing a middle part now — NO WAIT, no part at all, with bangs. NO WAIT — NO BANGS! AAAHHHHHHH!: Just put it in a ponytail. It's probably fine.

Use an entire suitcase full of makeup every day, but make it look like you're not wearing any: Celebrities do it, so it must be pretty easy.

Bathe: A revolutionary new study shows men are more likely to spend time with a woman who is clean.

That's it! If you follow those simple, easy steps, you'll have a guy in your life explaining the plot of Dune and asking you to make him sandwiches in no time!

[vividlyvibrantwhisper]

One more time, coherently

Uhm saw my CT scan, and there was zero brain tissue left

Snorting crushed antidepressant pills is idiotic. I'll say it once or twice again here to remind you guys. Of course phrasing matters, counts for a lot

Uhh wow thanks for being here with me today

Pretty sure that makes me a walking talking breathing feeling

CADAVER

*Evil laughter*

Don't let my mom know about my missing brains

After all those dinners when I ate all my vegetables

Okay that's enough jokes. Let's get into the meat of the scientific reasons behind why I have no brain and how I manage to stay alive

... So far?

The extra inactive ingredients in the pills, such as cellulose and filler compounds like sulfur dioxide, might cause infection when crushed and snorted through the nose into the brain tissue

These pill filler compounds may attract insects

A fly flew into my ear one day while I was outside homeless running the streets for a year, and I didn't have the energy to freak out or even remember.

Cut to six months (?) later just about, I have to get a procedure done. I'm out of it cause they keep pushing pain meds in the IV for me to quit my pain moaning, but I'm pretty sure the first hospital scanned me at least twice in the CT machine

I went for a second opinion after making a big deal about the very normal swelling and panicking

(Twas baby's first surgery)

That time, the radiologist showed me my scan!

I was like, okay, that's my head... My jaw... My skull...

Huh.

And traipsed on home to get some rest.

Later on, like several hours later, I was back looking up images of CT scans of human heads, like, wasn't mine missing something?

The brain. My brain tissue pulled a Houdini. There was nothing left inside the skull cavity I saw except empty black space inside the round shaped head.

Uhh

Ugh

Well at least I had been working on my own ai biomechatronic systems for a while now

And hey, I just got at least two FREE surgical titanium plates implanted to add to the previously installed biomechatronics.

Uhh. Yeppers 👍 bugs ate brain 🧠 use prescription medications as directed 100% of the time

OR ELSE

🐿️

[annes-room]

The Powerless Trilogy by Lauren Roberts

I finished reading Fearless a couple days ago and I felt compelled to write a review. Here is a review I wrote partway through Powerless. I didn't write one for the ending of the book because I got side-tracked with school, nor did I do one for Reckless, but I think Fearless deserves one.

⭐⭐ Overall, I'd give the series 2 stars (spicy) based on this review system. So many things wrong, but there are a few awesome things. My spoiler-free review is that the first book (Powerless) borrows so heavily from other YA novels that it didn't feel original to me, but I was still intrigued enough to keep reading. I read the second book (Reckless) out of spite to see what happens next, and the answer is: not a lot. It felt like a lot of filler and not a lot of character development. There's still lots of pining and yearning and will-they-won't-they but Paedyn and Kai are not much different by the end of it. Additionally, there were a few details that felt like they were being filled in as an afterthought following the first book, which took away from their genuineness- it felt like they were born out of convenience instead of actual character motivation. The final book (Fearless) was better. I have some gripes with the repetitiveness of the language used, lack of substance in the romance and how convenient certain events turned out, but it did have a few curveballs for the plot that I was not expecting and they made the story more interesting.

Overall, I liked Fearless the best, but having to slog through the first two books to get to it took away from it. Also, there is A LOT crammed into 588 pages and it never felt like there was a chance to let anything sink in until the very end. It felt very rushed and I'm not sure if that was intentional or not. I understand there were heightened stakes for the characters and the want to simulate being rushed towards a destiny you can't control, but I don't think the effect hit as well as it was intended to.

Finally, something that really bothered me in the first book was how often the author used the word "crashed" to describe Kai's and Paedyn's gazes meeting each other, so I counted as I read Fearless and it only occurs 8 times. That averages out to once every 0.014 pages 😅

With all that said, I will move onto my spoiler-heavy review of Fearless under the cut, so read on if you'd like :)

Starting off, I have a bone to pick before the book even starts. The map given in Fearless is different than the one given in Powerless. Look at these two maps (Powerless on the left):

Can anyone explain how these are of the same world?? In the first book, Dor and Tando are not coastal cities, and now they are? And how is Izram now suddenly in between them?? Zero consistency across the board. They could've just kept the first map because we never travelled to anywhere new and if Astrum is mythical, how can it be put on a map? 🤔

I am glad to see the family tree removed in Fearless. Ava is one of the details that felt like an afterthought to me in Reckless and the family tree was utterly useless except to provide a spoiler of her existence since it was at the beginning of the book. Could you imagine if there was a family tree provided in Fearless?? Instant spoilers for the whole book.

Moving on to the meat of the book: I expected the Trials to be a bigger deal than they ended up being. The first Trial- to walk to the Sanctuary of Souls and retrieve the crown- felt too easy. Less than a day to do it also felt flimsy. Let's say Paedyn started the journey at 6 am. That still only leaves her with 18 hours to get there and back and find the crown with no food, water, or protection. Time constraint aside, it felt like a walk in the park for her- not much bravery needed there. Nothing beyond what she'd already exhibited in the first book.

The second Trial felt like it had a little more substance with having to talk to another monarch, but again, everything felt so convenient. Paedyn didn't have to do much to prove herself to Queen Zailah. And how did Kai make his way to Paedyn's window at night when he was sent away before ever seeing the castle? Why didn't Queen Zailah immediately remove him and Paedyn from the grounds for trespassing and breaching her trust? Very strange behaviour from the Queen who did not seem keen on accepting them as guests in the first place. Again, coming off as convenient. Also disarming/killing the sea creature just by taking out one eye? It's a very vulnerable organ for sure, but I can't believe no one else on the ship thought to go for it before Paedyn. I did like the image of the ship having to be held together by Teles in order to make it back to Ilya though.

The third trial was entirely predictable. I was telling my boyfriend an overview of the plot and the three B's that the Trials stood for and he immediately guessed that Paedyn would have to fight and/or kill Kai and he was correct. I figured there would be a fake-out, that the Kai in the ring wasn't the real one, but I expected the reveal to take longer. It took less than a chapter. It felt like it was rushed and it didn't feel like Paedyn had much time to grieve before the "resurrection." I would've liked to see her a bit longer without Kai and what she would do about the arrangement and her feelings about Kitt without Kai being there.

Then there were still 200 pages left and the biggest plot point still had to be revealed to the characters. I guessed right away that Paedyn was the missing princess from the chapter she was born, but I didn't see it coming initially, so props to the author for that. I actually enjoyed reading the chapters centered on Edric because it gave more substance to his character. The reveal that Kai is not actually related to him by blood at all was really well done and it explained a lot (and it didn't feel convenient).

I have to say, Kitt going insane and doubling down on wanting his dead father's approval was not on my bingo card for this book. I did believe he'd deconstructed who his father was after finally understanding his cruelty and the lies he'd told. However, it does make sense with Kitt's character that he'd press further and upgrade his father's plan in order to be better than his father ever could've imagined he'd be. It was obvious he never loved Paedyn or saw her more than a friend (before the reveal in the final chapters), but she was the best choice for that alliance as she was well-known, just not trustworthy, hence the Trials. Brief aside- can we talk about how awkward the wedding must've been? For us as readers knowing they were related, but also for the audience in the book? You know it was max 3 minutes long, Paedyn is described as being nervous the whole time (and probably looks it) and it never says that Kitt smiles a single time. I know I would've hated being there lol 🙃

Kitt's death was very bittersweet, but not entirely unpredictable. With his signs of illness after the second Trial, I assumed he would die at some point to allow Paedyn and Kai to be together. But seeing his downfall and hearing what sounded like some regret in his final moments made it tragic. And the way he died- missing a dodge that was seen earlier in the book when the brothers were sparring- sealed the heartbreak for me. I didn't want him to die, but it seemed inevitable.

Moving on to Paedyn, Kai, and their relationship now! Between the two, I think Paedyn was a better written character. She is motivated by wanting to avenge Adena, unite Ilya, and be with Kai. In contrast, Kai is really only motivated by wanting to be with Paedyn. He says he wants to be close to Kitt again, but it was said (and shown, I'd argue) so many times that Kai would choose Paedyn over Kitt, and I don't believe Kai when he says Paedyn would never come between him and his brother. The lying to himself adds a layer to his character, but he really only has one objective through the book whereas Paedyn has three clear, distinct goals.

Further, their relationship seems so unserious. I know it's fiction/fantasy and I'm supposed to suspend my belief in reality, but you cannot convince me that their sneaking around, passing notes, and making eyes at each other would be anything other than an endless source of gossip in the castle. If that got out, it would throw Paedyn's loyalty further into question and lead to even more distrust in her. The fact that no one bats and eye at it or that anyone else in the court calls it into question beyond Kitt and Andy is completely baffling to me. If the romance is what's driving the book (because it's not the Trials lol), then there could've been so much more done with the forbidden love angle. Instead it feels very surface level and predictable that they'd get their way in the end. Additionally, there's always a lot of banter and teasing, but I wanted more moments of genuine connection. Not trying to save each other in grand fight scenes, not repeatedly saying "you are my inevitable", but more moments like Paedyn reading to Kai on the ship. Or take Paedyn going to Kitt with the chocolate for a midnight picnic and do something similar with Kai. Something to give stronger layers to their relationship so it's not just the same intensity all the time. Yes they went from enemies to lovers, but what is the foundation of their relationship under all the banter? What keeps them coming back to each other? Finally, the night under the willow tree before the wedding felt like a missed opportunity to be more than it was. Truth be told, I was expecting a fade to black moment, so it felt like a lot of the intensity died there and the payoff was weak.

Overall, I didn't fully believe in their relationship and love they had for each other due to a lack of substance. Since that relationship is the main driving factor for the books, I did struggle to believe in the reality created by the books. I think it's one of those books that you have to give yourself over to the fantasy in order to really love it. I said a similar thing in my review for The Night Circus, but I loved the descriptive writing style and the world created by the circus so much that I believed in the romance. I did not have similar feelings with the Powerless trilogy. I did get a little teary when Paedyn and Kai's daughter's name was revealed to be Kit though 🥺

To wrap up, I'd like to end with two quotes from Powerless.

1. The most confusing: "It took four beats of the king's fluttering heart for the door to swing open." (Page 82) Is this a long period of time? Short? Why four? It doesn't tell me much other than a door opens and the king's got a thready pulse. Is it supposed to be an urgent or prolonged moment? 🥴

2. Overall favourite: "Nothing is stronger than a woman who is told she's weak." (Page 546, from Kitt's letters) Very fitting for Paedyn's character. Banger quote, I can't lie 🤩

Did I like this series? Not really. Will I re-read it? No. Will I read future works from Lauren Roberts? Not until she develops her writing style. This is her debut novel/series and she's only 23. And I hate to say it makes sense. This reads like a very young author. Is it a good effort at a debut release? Absolutely! But it does have a lot of flaws with plot holes, repetitiveness and lack of substance for the romance, world building, and overall creativity. I want her to do better as an author, I think she has the potential to write great books, but she's got to branch out and work on development as to not get stuck in ruts of everything being the same ideas in different fonts. If this is your cup of tea, awesome! It's just not for me and I hope Roberts continues to work and challenge herself in her writing.

Thanks for reading :) Onto the next one! 📚

[aetherthetypo]

21 & 32 for the writer's asks :3

hi ezra! thank you for the ask :3

21. What stops you from writing more in your free time?

you guys all know me too well.... i even have a tag on my blog talking about how i never write. im ngl i have a lot more free time than it seems but i spend a lot of it doing... tbh idek half the time. my motivation is quite the fickle creature and its pulled in a thousand different directions at any given moment. that is further compounded by the fact that i get really easily stuck when writing. i envy the people who can whip things out quickly, even just as a first draft. even when i tell myself to just write whatever i almost always end up getting bogged down in some sort of dilemma about word choice or filler action or something probably not actually as significant as im making it. also the projects im most invested in (and therefore actually have enough motivation to push myself to write) either are long works or require further development before i can really get to the meat of it and well. what can i say i have an instant gratification monkey in my brain that is extremely good at getting what it wants, and what it wants is very much not conducive to getting writing done.

32. A character you enjoy making suffer.

now this is a really interesting one. i very much have favorites. i like them for many reasons, but one of them is probably that they’re fun to put into situations. do those situations sometimes involve what the character would consider suffering? yeah. so i don’t really enjoy making a character suffer so much as i enjoy throwing them into a new environment and seeing how they react. im splitting this into two parts, one for oc and one for like. fic stuff because if you know me you know that no one can compete with my most beloved oc, evelyn. she’s very fun to put into situations because she reacts to things in a nonstandard way. shes not afraid to break things (unless she’s imposed a rule on herself to be a good tourist and not break things). she gets annoyed in an extremely entertaining manner at “minor inconveniences” (her definition may not match most people’s). I don’t think I can really do my love for her justice without breaking it out into an entirely separate post complete with a cut.

anyways, as for fic… well, pulling from one of my current fandoms, it might be a bit of a boring choice but I really do love putting fein in situations. Or at least, my conception of c!fein. I think part of what makes a character situationsable is how solid of a grasp I have on them, and he’s definitely one of the more solid ones. he also works really well with a concept I like to play with a lot—godhood. (now who saw that one coming?) and if my explorations of those concepts happen to not end in the most ideal way for our focus character? well sucks for them i guess, but it’s very fun for me. so yeah id say i put him through the wringer (mostly in my main ongoing). also he’s fun to knock down a few pegs. thinking about how there’s always a bigger fish.