#*adds to my list of growing essays I need to write*

[gg-ladybug]

Let me be INCREDIBLY clear when I say it was always obvious Gabriel Agreste was planning to sacrifice himself.

Even when orchestrating a perfect scenario for Ladybug to believe, he finds a way to write himself and his worth out of it (in a way that was SUPER mentally questionable— but that’s a whole other analysis)

Despite doing it in a way that was beneficial to him— and traumatic for all involved— he’s basically spent the last year of his life vicariously speaking about himself through other people / victims, and I WILL NOT stop talking about it until I eventually write an essay on it

[neo-my-geo]

Hey gang, it’s your old pal Neo here. If you know me, it’s probably from one of the several very stupid TF2 comics I’ve posted to Tumblr.

However! I am also an English major (unfortunately). One who has read millions of words worth of fanfiction in their life. I have been part of the Sherlock, BNHA, Disco Elysium, and, of course, TF2 fandoms; I’ve been around the block.

The further I’ve progressed into my English education, the more I’ve noticed which mistakes are the most common in fanfiction. Many of them are easily fixable; writers just need to be pointed in the right direction. 

“Neo! Does this mean you think people shouldn’t be allowed to post their works online without a background in formal English education?”

Of course not! I can explain why if you’d care to venture below the cut with me!

Yes, I will explain how to use commas.

It’s important to note that this is NOT a post about formal writing. You aren’t writing an essay. Please, for the love of god, do not write fiction like you’re writing an essay.

There are no stakes to writing fanfic. No one is going to get hurt if an author doesn’t know what a dangling participle is. One of my favourite things about fanfiction is that it’s one of the only art forms left that’s done exclusively for fun! You should write what you enjoy, and share what you make with like-minded people. 

What I want to do is provide assistance as best I can to writers who want to improve their fundamentals without having to take the same university courses I did. Nobody is going to be getting a formal education to write fanfiction unless they’re ridiculously dedicated, and I’m not expecting that of anyone. 

The point I need to stress is that knowing these grammar fundamentals can instantly improve the flow of your writing. Punctuation is a ridiculously important tool for writers, ESPECIALLY in fiction. Commas, semicolons, and full stops (including periods, exclamation points, and question marks) steer the pacing in the reader’s mind; did you notice how your brain stopped for a second after that semicolon? I can show you how to do that.

You may be wondering why I’m going through so much effort to teach all of this to strangers on the internet. The answer is that I enjoy sharing this knowledge with others and helping them grow. By seeing this, my goal is to help you become more proficient at self-editing. Showing this to people who actually want to learn will, hopefully, benefit the community as a whole, and I think that’s very worth it. 

Also, while this post is obviously themed around TF2, the points I’m making can be applied to any fiction. Grammar is for everyone, and the church of the semicolon always has room for more initiates. 

Also also, as an edit, I should clarify that this is meant to cover the more objective facets of self-editing, which is why I'm mostly covering punctuation. Maybe I'll do another post about using adjectives someday.

With that out of the way, let’s get going!

I’ve teamed up with several English teachers (real ones! One of which may or may not be my mom!) and an editor to gather a list of the most common problems we see in amateur fiction. This post is going to be split into three broad sections: apostrophes, commas/semicolons, and other common problems. 

The apostrophe

This section is short, but it holds weight. Other than commas, apostrophes are the most typoed grammatical tool in any fanfiction I’ve edited. This is because, much like the rest of English, the rules surrounding them can be annoying and inconsistent. 

Apostrophes have two main uses: possessives and conjunctions.

A possessive is a word that denotes the ownership of one thing over another. The vast majority of the time, this is done using an apostrophe and an S.

There is, however, one glaring exception to this rule, and it’s the bane of my existence. 

When denoting possession of an object over something else while using the pronoun ‘it,’ you do NOT add an apostrophe before the S.

A conjunction, on the other hand, is when a writer uses an apostrophe to combine two words. The following are examples of common conjunctions:

What’s (what is)

They’re (they are)

It’s (it is)

Conjunctions are not often used in formal writing. Thankfully, we aren’t dealing in formal writing. Go crazy.

Time for a lightning round of the most commonly mistaken for each other possessives and conjunctions!

Your is possessive. You’re is a conjunction of ‘you’ and ‘are.’ When you can’t decide which one to use, imagine replacing it with ‘you are’ and seeing if it makes sense. If it doesn’t, use your.

Their is possessive. There indicates a location. They’re is a conjunction of ‘they’ and ‘are.’ 

The comma and the semicolon

You knew it was coming. I knew it was coming. It’s time to talk about commas.

Commas and semicolons are far and away the biggest grammatical hole in the toolset of fanfiction writers everywhere. They’re often treated like the rules surrounding them are complicated and difficult to understand, but the exact opposite is true! 

The big issue I’ve heard time and time again is that the rules of commas are often explained through metaphor instead of example; this means that writers everywhere have slightly different ideas of how you’re supposed to use them. The fact of the matter is that, yes, there are correct and incorrect ways to use commas. Knowing when they’re appropriate and when they aren’t is easily the fastest way to bring your writing from looking amateurish to sounding professional and experienced. 

In order to know how to use a comma, you must first understand the difference between a dependent and an independent clause. 

An independent clause is a section of writing that functions perfectly well as its own sentence. It MUST have both a subject and an action/verb.

A sentence without an independent clause is known as a fragment, and they’re the bane of English teachers with highlighters everywhere. 

A dependent clause is a section of writing that does not have both a subject and an action; it does not function as its own sentence.

Now, let’s say you want to combine the two. When joining a dependent clause to an independent clause, the order in which they are placed is crucial to whether you use a comma or not. 

When joining a dependent to an independent with the independent clause first, you do not need to use a comma.

When joining a dependent to an independent with the dependent clause first, you MUST use a comma. 

Keep in mind that, if one strives for total grammatical perfection, all narrative sentences MUST have an independent clause. This, however, does not apply to dialogue. Human beings do not think about whether what they’re saying is a dependent clause, and neither would the vast majority of fictional characters. Don’t be afraid to break the rules of grammar as long as it’s contained within quotation marks. 

Alright, that’s the easy part. Time to learn about joining two independent clauses. It’s semicolon time, baby!

If you join two independent clauses without properly using a comma or a semicolon, it is a run-on sentence. You do not want these in your writing. They’re awkward to read and mess up the flow.

When joining two independent clauses, you can use EITHER a comma or a semicolon. You just need to follow these rules:

If you’re joining two independent clauses with a comma, you MUST use a joining word (and, but, so, etc.) AFTER the comma. 

If you’re joining two independent clauses with a semicolon, you do NOT need to use a joining word.

Did you know that a sentence with a comma counts as its own independent clause? This means that you can make a sentence that includes a mix of both without it being a run-on! Just make sure that, no matter what, the semicolon is between two independent clauses. 

Still, try not to write more than two clauses in a sentence too often. Sentences with a lot of punctuation are very attention-grabbing, but shouldn’t be overused. Full stops aren’t your enemy and variety is the spice of life. 

It’s also important to remember that you should avoid using more than one comma in a clause (with the exception of the rule below). That part loops back to the 'avoiding run-ons' bit.

It’s really that easy! 

Commas are also used in informal writing to inject a separate thought or descriptor mid-sentence without breaking the flow by adding a period. This is often used when describing the perspective of a character experiencing something in a story, but not (usually) when using omniscient perspectives. 

The final issue I frequently see with commas in fanfiction is in regards to dialogue. Sometimes you end it with them, and sometimes you don’t. What gives? 

Well, my friend, the answer is, thankfully, much simpler than the previous section.

When following dialogue with a dialogue tag, use a comma instead of a full stop. If you’re continuing the previous sentence after the tag, use a comma after it as well. 

Note that a dialogue tag is a short phrase that identifies the speaker. It isn’t a complete sentence on its own.

When following dialogue with an action that does not serve as a dialogue tag, use a full stop instead of a comma. 

Other common problems

This section is dedicated to putting specific grammatical errors into words, along with how to solve them. 

Not sticking to the chosen point of view

Always choose your point of view before you start. Is it in the first, second, or third person? Is it omniscient or limited? Does the point of view switch during the story?

First person perspective is told as if the POV character is directly describing their experience to the reader. The character uses I and we to describe their own actions.

Second person perspective is told as if the reader is a character in the story and their actions are being described to them. This is the rarest, and the most difficult to write.

Third person perspective is the most common and the simplest to write. The events of the story are a separate entity from the reader altogether and the narrator uses they/he/she/it pronouns for characters. 

Omniscient perspective means the narrator of the story knows all, including the thoughts and feelings of each character. 

Limited perspective means the narrator of the story only knows what the POV character knows. 

Past and present tense

When you decide between writing a story in past or present tense, it is crucial that you do not switch between them unless it is narratively intentional. Reading a past tense story that mistakenly switches to the present tense is like being pulled out of the room someone is telling a story in and suddenly taking part in it yourself. It’s disorienting and gives the reader unwanted pause.

Overly-long paragraphs

A common adage spread by English teachers is that most paragraphs should be at least eight sentences long. This is great advice for beginner essays. You’re writing fiction. 

If you have a new thought, start a new paragraph! A concise and well-read single-sentence paragraph is infinitely better than one that drags a thought for too long. Aim to have a blend of paragraph lengths when you write, alternating between the descriptive and the punctual. 

Dangling participles

A dangling participle is when a word is used to describe a noun that isn’t actually present in the sentence. Much like how a sentence without an action isn’t grammatically correct, neither is a sentence without a subject. 

Malapropisms

A malapropism is when an author mistakenly uses one word or phrase instead of another similar-sounding one. I’m not about to list every single malapropism ever made, but these are the ones I notice most often:

To comprehend is to understand something, to apprehend is to arrest someone, and to be apprehensive is to be anxious or fearful of something bad happening.

Could care less means you do care. Couldn’t care less means you don’t.

A lot means a large amount of something. Alot isn’t a word and you shouldn’t use it.

The only real solution to using malapropisms is to make sure you fully understand any words you use in your writing. Never guess, and make sure you always google it. Having beta readers also helps.

If you made it this far, congratulations! You now know the most common errors in amateur fiction and how to solve them! Thank you for listening to me complain for two thousand words. 

The most important thing to remember is that it’s okay to make mistakes. First drafts are always gonna be a little bad. The real key to success is knowing what your end goal is, and how you plan on achieving it. Here’s hoping this was a helpful tool for that!

Shoutout to @salmonandsoup for helping me think of the list of issues to address! You're a real one. Also shoutout to my mom, who doesn't have Tumblr. Also the third person. You know who you are.

[maxdibert]

Hi!

How have you been?❤️

Your posts on class and social standing having effects on kids who then join gangs or extreme groups really opened my eyes and for my bachelor's thesis I've decided to write about that. How social standing, class and mental, emotional support effect people and how they end up in groups with ideologies they don't even agree with through the lenses of Snape and his character. The title is yet to be shaped but I've already told my supervisor and she was so astonished and happy and I told her I saw posts by a lawyer that influenced me greatly!

I was thinking of using Maslow's pyramid of needs to expain how much a person recquired a safe place mentally and physically to grow. And then I'll add conflict theory and such and such to explain that most people do not get that financial stability to actually live their lives and talk about class and such.

Any recommendations on which researcher or theory I could look into to further my study?

Thank you in advance❤️

I hope you have a great day❤️

Hiiii <3

Your thesis topic is absolutely fascinating! It’s such an important issue, not just in terms of youth joining gangs but also in the context of cults, extremist religious groups, and even terrorist organizations. Many of these groups specifically target young people because they believe that fully developed adults are less malleable and, therefore, not as useful. This is a critical point that ties directly into theories of social vulnerability.

I've made a list i used for some of my late essays so i wish it helps to your research!

Bourgois, Philippe. In Search of Respect: Selling Crack in El Barrio (1995) – A sociological study of how class, race, and economic exclusion push young men into drug dealing and street gangs.

Venkatesh, Sudhir. Gang Leader for a Day: A Rogue Sociologist Takes to the Streets (2008) – Firsthand research on gang life and how poverty influences recruitment.

Zimbardo, Philip. The Lucifer Effect: Understanding How Good People Turn Evil (2007) – Examines how systemic and social conditions lead to radicalization and crime.

Reich, Walter. Origins of Terrorism: Psychologies, Ideologies, Theologies, States of Mind (1998) – Analyzes the social and psychological forces behind extremist recruitment.

Bourdieu, Pierre. Distinction: A Social Critique of the Judgment of Taste (1984) – Essential reading on how social class structures people's worldview and choices, including vulnerability to manipulation.

Becker, Howard. Outsiders: Studies in the Sociology of Deviance (1963) – A foundational sociological work on deviance and how marginalized individuals are labeled as outsiders, increasing their risk of radicalization.

Horgan, John. The Psychology of Terrorism (2014) – Explores why people join terrorist organizations and how economic hardship plays a role.

LaFree, Gary. Losing Legitimacy: Street Crime and the Decline of Social Institutions in America (1998) – Examines how failing institutions push people toward crime.

Sageman, Marc. Understanding Terror Networks (2004) – A deep dive into how social networks, rather than ideology alone, drive recruitment into terrorist groups.

Wilkinson, Richard & Pickett, Kate. The Spirit Level: Why More Equal Societies Almost Always Do Better (2009) – Demonstrates how inequality fuels crime and social breakdown.

Klein, Malcolm. The American Street Gang: Its Nature, Prevalence, and Control (1995) – A criminological analysis of gang formation and its links to socioeconomic status.

Silke, Andrew. Terrorism, Risk and the Global City (2003) – A criminology-focused exploration of how social and economic inequality in cities fosters extremism.

Moore, Joan & Vigil, James. A Sociological Perspective on Gangs (1989) – Investigates how gangs provide an alternative social structure for economically disadvantaged youth.

Castells, Manuel. The Power of Identity (2010) – Discusses how globalization and economic disenfranchisement push people into radical identity groups.

Hagedorn, John. A World of Gangs: Armed Young Men and Gangsta Culture (2008) – Connects global economic conditions to the rise of gang violence.

Tilly, Charles. The Politics of Collective Violence (2003) – Examines how economic class influences involvement in violent movements.

Atran, Scott. Talking to the Enemy: Violent Extremism, Sacred Values, and What It Means to Be Human (2010) – Discusses the psychological and social factors driving young people to extremism.

Btw there are some documentaries maybe you would like to watch for the research about the topic:

The Cult Next Door (2017) – A look into a UK cult and its psychological manipulation tactics.

Holy Hell (2016) – Firsthand accounts of a religious cult’s social and financial control over its members.

The Family (2019) – Explores how secret religious-political networks recruit individuals into extremist ideologies.

The Vow (2020) – A documentary on the NXIVM cult, showcasing the role of power and vulnerability in recruitment.

Cartel Land (2015) – Examines the drug war and how poor communities become recruitment grounds for cartels.

The Last Narc (2020) – Investigates the relationship between law enforcement, drug cartels, and socioeconomic power.

City of Ghosts (2017) – Follows Syrian activists documenting the rise of ISIS and the group’s recruitment strategies.

[shouldhavestayedawayfromhere]

Documenting your practice (a step-by-step guide)

When I started doing spells and rituals regularly, I saw a post where someone said you should write everything down in a designated notebook. It's been the absolutely best advice I've gotten on how to evolve my practice, so I wanted to share what I write down and how I do it in case anyone else wants to try it.

1. Pick out a notebook only for this purpose

Do not use your book of shadows or grimore for this, as it will get too full too fast. This is not the same as your book of shadows. That's only where information and spells go. In this notebook, you will document your actual workings. It will have it's own categories.

2. Personalize the notebook

This is optional, obviously, but it really adds a layer of connection to personalize it. I like to paint it and put stickers on it and I also add some sigils of deities who help me on my spiritual journey and whom I want to watch over this book. I also add my own sigil to it, so if you have one, feel free.

3. Index

Make a little content index in the beginning where you list the different kinds of entries you will be making. You can color code them or use other methods to identify them. Here are mine:

I used to have a category for dreams, too, but I didn't use it frequently enough so I'd put that under new information/insights or notes. You can add any category you like, though, it's completely up to you.

4. Making layouts

Each of these entries will have it's own layout. While ideas, notes, new information and prayer may just be a single text that you write down and that's it, a formal ritual, book notes, meditations/invocations or readings will be a bit more elaborate.

For your ritual layout, find out how much guidance you need. Are you very familiar with rituals? Then you might do with a simple

Ritual purpose

Ingredients

Ritual body

Results

If you are farely new to rituals or just someone who likes or needs some more elaborate guidelines, I recommend something like this:

Ritual purpose

Deities invoked

Objects/herbs needed

Ritual space

Ritual body

Thoughts/feelings before

Thoughts/feelings after

Write down for every of these topics what applies to your ritual. Especially the reflection in the end can be really helpful. Write down any and every thought you have about the ritual you held and what you'd do again or do differently next time. This is a huge resource for building your own practice over time. It allows you to look back and see how far you've come, which can be really helpful for growing in your craft.

For book or video notes, you can use a simple layout. It's important that you know where you got your information from. My layout looks like this:

[Name of the book] [date]

by: [name of Author]

P.xy [chapter title]

Then you take your notes. This way you'll find exactly where you read something. Apply the same to videos if you watch any documentaries or video essays etc. on a topic.

Something I also did when I began taking book notes was to write down my intention when first starting to read the book. Why are you reading this book? What are you hoping to learn or find out? What perspective are you reading this book from? Is there a bias that you have that influences how you interpret the information in this book? You can add this too.

For meditation and invocation, I have a quite flexible layout. I usually write down what deity I am contacting at the top. Then, if accessible, the deity's sigil and enn. If I don't know the deity yet or have never contacted them before, I also gather some information about them. You can write down anything you find, these are just some examples:

History of the deity

Domain(s)

Rank/family

Associations

Offerings they might like

Then, you make your invocation. If you already know this deity, you probably have a reason for why you want to invoke them. Write that down. Write down what they're telling you. What you feel, what all your senses are picking up on.

Sometimes, this quality time between you and your deity can turn into a divination session. So let's talk about that layout next.

When doing a reading with your deity, or any kind of divination, really, you can be pretty free with how to start. Maybe you had a thought that you wanted to talk about with your deity, then you write that thought down. Or maybe you came with a specific question.

Personally, I write down my readings like a Q&A. I write down Q: [my question] and then A: [all the cards I pulled]. Then, I interpret the cards and write down my interpretation.

I know that sounds like a lot of work and writing to do. If that doesn't sound like you, you can find a different way to document your readings. Maybe only note your questions and the cards and the interpretation stays only in your head.

I just found that this helps me think more organized during readings and remember them better. I tend to forget things that my deities told me easily, so it's helpful to me, but it might not be for everyone.

These are some examples on how to document your practice. I started mine in the beginning of the year (literally 01.01.2024) and have already filled about 1½ notebooks by now. I love writing, so that might be a lot for some people, but even if you only take a few notes every time you make a reading, a meditation, or a ritual, you will soon be able to look back at your process.

You'll probably learn a lot over the course of time and look back at your first entries in awe one day. At least that's what I tell myself. So I hope this is useful for some of you.

Remember that everyone's craft looks different, there's no "right" or "wrong" way to practice magic, and it's for you to enjoy and explore on your own accord. That being said, happy witching!

Ave Lucifer <3

[sweetestcaptainhughes]

Who I write for / what I call NHL players.....

so @stayg-0ld requested an updated verison. I made a list a while ago of players that I like, what I thought of them, and my little dumb nicknames for them. Here is the linked list if you wanna read it. But it's time for an update because I realize so many new nicknames aren't on here. So in no particular order here is a list of players I write for and what I call them depending on what's happening. Also if you are looking for pictures or things on a particular player this is also how I tag everything on my blog (minus my writings). I think I remembered everybody but there is a chance I forgot someone so I will go back and edit this as needed.

Quinn Hughes: My one true love, I don't think I can describe to you guys how much I adore this man, it's actually a little insane. As I've said before I am his number one bully and whore. His tag on my blog is #huggy bear 🐻 himself

Other nicknames include but not limited to: king, pretty boy, Quinny., eldest daughter. Shockingly I don't have a unique name for Quinn and that is honestly shocking to me.

Brock Boesar: I just find him to be a very kind dude. I also love the fact that his nickname Mr.Sensitive. I don’t post about him often, so you can look for him under his name, hopefully soon I will have time to go back and add his nickname to all posts so it would #mr.sensitive 🥺

Jack Hughes - He is growing on me more and more each day. His tag on my blog is #oh jacky boy 🥺

Other nicknames include but not limited to: my favorite fuckboy, J, sassy king, society's favorite middle child, angry white man. (okay but like that last one like tell me he isn't truly an angry white man 90 percent of the time on the ice??)

Luke Hughes - He really is just a child but I will say his hair hasn't looked as homeless lately and he really buffed up this summer, so I'm happy for the Lukey girlies. I tried looking and I don't think he has a tag on my page...

His nicknames include: homeless boy, Lukey, savage. (no I don't feel the need to explain any of them.)

Nico Hischier - I feel like I am constantly talking about this man so I won't bore you all with the details. His tag on my blog is #my little european king.

His other nicknames include: pretty boy, and swiss king.

John Marino - It physically pained me to make his name blue just now. 😭 I don't think I can even explain how much I adore this man. Like out of every player (Quinn included) I would love to have lunch with John once. Like I wanna sit down and hear all his thoughts on the Devils, especially the Hughes because I know he used is almost psychology degree to use and psychoanalyzed all of them. I also have used all my knowledge to psychoanalyze all of them and I would love to compare notes. I also think he is closet to my personality like not quite an extraverted but also not introverted. His tag on my blog is #mr.harvard man himself

His other nicknames I call him in no particular order are johnny boy, city man or city boy, east coast king, boston boy.

Cole Caufield - I could talk about this man for days. Cole holds a very dear place in my heart, he's truly a golden retriever. Cole would definitely call his girlfriend mamas. He also gives very big bi energy to me and I can't really explain it. I also ship him with Trevor Zegras like I am CONVINCED something happened when they were on the U.S development team together and I could write an essay about that if asked. His tag on my blog is # my lil bi' baby 🏳️‍🌈

I also sometimes call him baby boy, pretty boy (yes I am refusing nicknames sue me), my little short king. (I do have that as a tag as well on my page but it has multiple people in it.)

Trevor Zegras: I will write for Trevor, I have talked about my many thoughts on this man before. But when I write for him he doesn’t have a Mohawk in my brain. 🤣 like I am probably number one hater for his new hair, and if their are no haters left on this planet it is because I am dead.

Arber Xhekaj: I recently discovered Arber and I don’t think he has a nickname yet on my blog. When he gets one I will be sure to update my tag list. But I do find this man adorable, he seems like a kind guy despite how he acts on the ice…

————————————————————————

Players I won’t write for because THEY ARE CHILDREN. But I do occasionally post about.

Beckett Sennecke - his nickname and tag under my blog is both # my lil baby ducklin 🐥

Macklin Celebrini - his name name is baby shark. But I also call him Canucks number 1 fan. (If you know you know)

Arturs Silovs - his nickname is baby goalie and that is also his tag. (Yes I realize his nickname isn’t that orginal sue me)

Connor Bedard - Connor literally got added today and due to his first fight the other day. His nickname and also tag is #my lil scraper, you know since he’s a fighter now. 😂

[machine-babydoll-reborn]

Another anti-contact essay since these are some thoughts that have been bouncing around in my head.

I hate that pro-cs use terms that, out of context, are actually good things. And at this point I’m pretty sure it’s deliberate.

Like, take pro-MIK. Pro-minors in kink. You see it on a lot of blankqueer coinings. Let’s just get one thing straight. Kinks are a part of sexuality. I’m pretty sure everyone but the anti-paras acknowledge this. And with sexuality emerging around puberty, kinks do too. Kinky minors absolutely exist. And there should be sex ed that keeps this in mind. Instead of only learning the bare minimum of how to have safe heterosexual missionary sex. Because kids are going to want to try these things with their close-in-age partners. It’s inevitable. And we don’t need to add to the growing list of minors that have been seriously hurt by trying to practice kink unsafely because they had no idea what they were doing. I even argue that there should be some (SAFE and WELL-MODERATED) mixed-age spaces online. For kids to ask questions they may not feel comfortable asking in person.

If this is what people who put pro-MIK in their bio mean, great! But it’s usually not. Usually they mean a dissolution of 18+ kink spaces altogether and throwing chronological minors and chronological adults together into the same space without any prior consideration for safety or any attempt to provide protection from grooming. What I just said? I feel like it exists for plausible deniability should a defense be needed. And that’s a really scummy thing to do.

Or, take the xenosatanists and their “desacralization of rape”. Yes! This is important. People have talked about the placing of rape on a pedestal above all other violent crimes can at least partially be traced back to purity culture. “It’s an attack on the victim’s honor” or shit like that. I remember seeing here on tumblr someone who said something like “rapists are worse than even murderers”. And the user they were responding to (an actual rape victim) said “so, basically, what you just said is you would rather me be dead right now, than alive but “defiled”. that is what you just told me, right?”. I feel like this thought process is most obvious in the debate over censorship in fiction. You can write the most horribly detailed descriptions of nonsexual violent crimes, all of which are traumatizing in their own right, and antis don’t usually bat an eye. It is only when a character gets their dick out that the accusations of “disrespecting people’s trauma” start.

But this is not what xenosatanists mean. Which becomes very obvious when you scroll through the archive links for the now-deleted blogs of early xenosatanists. They mean that there is such a thing as rape that isn’t traumatizing, and that therapists/societal purity culture can implant trauma after the fact. Plenty of people have talked about how obviously stupid this is. Mostly because it forces victims to “prove” that they were “traumatized enough” in order to get justice. And pushes the same “iatrogenic trauma after the fact” narrative that the False Memory Syndrome Foundation used.

Anyway, I feel like it’s deliberate at this point. The deliberate use of words that, out of context, sound progressive. It’s, like, their entire mode of operation. Sounding progressive until you look at how they’re actually using these words. It makes me want to tear my skin off.

[ashotofhelena]

2025

Here we are again... in the twilight hours of the year. Time for some reflections and goals, as is tradition.

2024 was a year of twists and turns that somehow led me right back to the same place as I started in the beginning of the year. It was a year of taking chances, and caring less, and trying not to take everything personally. I learned a lot about myself, and also recognized some flaws I have that may be holding me back in life.

Looking back on the year, I am proud of myself and what I tried to do to achieve the year of change I wanted. I committed to things I wanted to do (writing class! reading, running), and definitely adopted an open mind to meeting new people & dating. Somehow, all that I tried to do did end me back in the same place I was at the beginning of 2024... dare I say perhaps even the beginning of 2023.

So 2025 will be the year of intention and prioritization. I plan to do things with intention, and prioritize this "change" I have been mulling over for the last two years. It will also be a year of taking charge, and putting in the work to see the things I want to happen, happen. So with that... here are some resolutions:

Run 1.5k miles next year! Crazy but I will be training for the New York marathon (!) so I think this will be achievable. I am going to tame myself and try not to set any goals for the marathon other than finishing it.

Read 30 books. I read 53 books in 2024 - a true feat that I am quite proud of! I want to dial it back next year, and focus on reading books I really really want to read. I want to focus on Russian literature, cyberpunk-esque science fiction, and the NYTimes top 100 books of the 21st century list.

Do more reformer pilates and yoga. I did my fair share of strength training this year, but want to add in more pilates and yoga to add to my stability and flexibility. I wanna be svelte in 2025!!

Look for a new job!! This has been something I just didn't do for the last two years. I do love my job, and my team but I really am just not growing at my current role anymore. I 100% need to prioritize finding a new job and making more money in 2025.

Re-learn Chinese. It is honestly embarrassing how little Chinese I know - I want to be better at speaking and understanding Chinese. Going to use some apps to start learning and see where that takes me.

Write / journal more consistently. I did a pretty terrible job of journaling this year, which sucks because I do think journaling helps me process a lot more. So in 2025, I want to journal more consistently, AND I want to write more... maybe some short fiction essays or other essays meditating on life.

DATING. To be fair to me, I really did try my best this year to date!! I went on a lot of first dates, and I also became emotionally entangled with someone who was very much emotionally unavailable (lol). It has been tough but I am holding out hope there is someone out there for me!! Adopting an abundance mentality to dating, and hoping I attract a man in finance, 6'5", blue eyes, trust fund!!

Slow down. I am such a go-go-go girl sometimes, and it is definitely not healthy. Learning to slow down in 2025, and enjoy the little things in life, and finding the beauty in the absurdity we call life.

2024 was all in all, a good year. A year of learnings, awe, and revitalization. I feel cautiously optimistic about 2025, and am really excited to build off of 2024.

[bisluthq]

that is 100% ChatGPT. those last night essays have take me down terrible paths.

lol I haven’t written whole essays on it but I’ve used it to help me understand complex things that I don’t understand (like with my bf’s back surgeries the doctors would say things I didn’t always understand so I’d ask ChatGPT about certain aspects of it and it did seem to really help me). I’ve used it for younger/very special needs kids I teach to write me stories with their names/about them for comprehensions and it also comes up with comprehension questions quite well. I do edit those stories though and I also add vocab/spelling words to the prompt and stuff and it’s still much quicker than if I wrote it from scratch. I've also used it to check like lists of things (like if I need a list of something for a fun fact in a class I'm teaching, I often ask chatGPT rather than spending ages on Google looking at multiple listicles).

as I understand it, chatGPT uses existing sources that it has available to it in order to write things. That’s how it learns and grows. So yea I guess asking it to write a PR strategy doc, which isn’t really gonna be readily available for it to learn the form/structure of, would come out dumb lmao and perhaps *is* indeed what they used. I’ve had students try submit ChatGPT and I can tell it’s that when it just sounds nothing like them and references things I know they don’t know about but in a weird way - not quite like this, though, often just very simple sentence structure but convoluted words. So I guess maybe a bit like this. But the repeating “Travis Kelce” was weird even for ChatGPT, although I guess maybe ChatGPT doesn’t know what a Travis Kelce… is…

[monriatitans]

The Neverending Reading List: Book LIV

"They Say/I Say: The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing" by Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein

[Part of the] PREFACE TO THE THIRD EDITION

WE CONTINUE TO BE THRILLED BY THE RECEPTION OF OUR BOOK, which has now sold over a million copies and is assigned in more than 1,500 (over half) the colleges and universities in the United States. We are also delighted that while the audience for our book in composition courses continues to grow, the book is increasingly being adopted in disciplines across the curriculum, confirming our view that the moves taught in the book are central to every academic discipline. At the same time, we continue to adapt our approach to the specific ways the “they say / I say” moves are deployed in different disciplines. To that end, this edition adds a new chapter on writing about literature to the chapters already in the Second Edition on writing in the sciences and social sciences. In this new chapter, “Entering Conversations about Literature,” we suggest ways in which students and teachers can move beyond the type of essay that analyzes literary works in isolation from the conversations and debates about those works. One of our premises here is that writing about literature, as about any subject, gains in urgency, motivation, and engagement when the writer responds to the work not in a vacuum, but in conversation with other readers and critics. … Even as we revised and added to “They Say/I Say,” our basic goal remains unchanged: to demystify academic writing and reading by identifying the key moves of persuasive argument and representing those moves in forms that students can put into practice. We hope this Third Edition will get us even closer to these goals, equipping students with the writing skills they need to enter the academic world and beyond.

—

GERALD GRAFF, a professor of English and Education at the University of Illinois at Chicago and the 2008 President of the Modern Language Association of America, has had a major impact on teachers through such books as Professing Literature: An Institutional History, Beyond the Culture Wars: How Teaching the Conflicts Can Revitalize American Education, and, most recently, Clueless in Academe: How Schooling Obscures the Life of the Mind. The new Common Core State Standards for K-12 cite his work on the importance of argument literacy for college and career readiness. CATHY BIRKENSTEIN, a lecturer at the University of Illinois at Chicago, has published essays on writing, most recently in College English, and, with Gerald, in The Chronicle of Higher Education, Academe, and College Composition and Communication. She and Gerald have given over a hundred lectures and workshops at colleges, conferences, and high schools—and are at present working on a book contending that our currently confusing school and college curriculum needs to be clarified by making the practice of argument the common thread across all disciplines.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I call my book collection The Neverending Reading List! To see why, and the list of books I’ve already shared, click here! Interested in the book? Snag it as an MP3 CD real quick here! Enjoy what I do? Please consider supporting via Buy Me a Coffee! Like what you see and want to know when there’s more? Click here to subscribe for updates and/or hit the Follow button! For more about MonriaTitans, click here! Watch MonriaTitans on Twitch and YouTube!

[crazypenguinwriter]

Character Creation

I wanna give my two cents on something.

So like, I've started to come across a lot of posts on Pinterest about creating entire lists on your characters from their name to their favorite plants and the way they count on their hands. And while there's nothing wrong with making lists for your characters, you don't need to know the favorite snack of every character you create. If you ask me, the most important things you need to know about your character are quite simple:

Their full name (including second, third, however many names they have)

Their age (you can do this approximately, if you don't know an exact number)

Their basic appearance (color of hair, eyes, are they tall/short/broad/slim). Do note the word 'basic', no details are necessary (though if a character has a trinket of some kind they always wear for whatever reason, this is included in the list)

Their personality, or what defines them. This helps you give them a correct voice (hotheads react and act differently than those with a level head) and can help you figure out how they'd interact with other characters. Now do note that this shouldn't be an entire essay or even a long list, as you should be able to see what's up with a quick glance.

Background. This includes family, friends, how they grew up... This one will be the longest, but shouldn't be too detailed either. Just enough to help you see where the character came from and what defines them, what goals they might have and what morals they gained overtime. These can tie back into their personality (and usually do, if I'm honest. We're a complex being filled with mannerisms that come from our history and culture we grew up in, so of course your character's personality is linked with their background)

Other things. Now this one is very, very vague, but here is where I usually put things that define my character but don't fit any of the previously mentioned things. Their favorite plant, if it's relevant to the story in some way (or you just got inspiration and wanted to put it in).

Do keep in mind that this is how I do character creation, and what works for me. If you're more inclined to fill in the essays and long lists of questions for each and every character go ahead, don't let me stop you. I just think that it's quite time-consuming, and I'd rather spend that time either writing the story or being busy with the world-building. Besides, characters change all the time, as we all do. Hotheads can learn to be calmer, level headed characters can learn to let lose and explode, naïve characters grow up and learn to be skeptical... The possibilities are endless, which is why I do my character creation this way. I also usually start with the most important characters (the protagonists, the antagonists) and add others when the plot demands me to. And I spend a long time plotting, so some characters get scrapped or rewritten so many times I've lost count, and I'm not going to spend every time that happens on the '50 questions I need to know about your characters' when I can be writing and rewriting the plot for the umpteenth time.

Anyways, that's my two cents on the topic. Have fun creating!

[musicrunsthroughmysoul]

I’m not going to lie - I get pretty (really) tired of only ever hearing about “Fast Car” by Tracy Chapman [on the internet, and especially from Millennials/people in my generation], so I just wanted to post this as a reminder that I (yet) do not mind periodically doing that Tracy Chapman’s discography is far, far greater, deeper, and richer than just “Fast Car.” Like this album, for example. It’s one of my favorites by Tracy Chapman, and in fact I love it EVEN more (way more, actually, in spite of how much I love “Talkin’ ‘bout a Revolution”) than Tracy Chapman (1988). Crossroads is not only worth listening to for the first time and taking in exactly what Tracy Chapman and her music is about (more precise and refined than her debut, I believe), but it’s worth revisiting to hear and understand the historical, political, and social moments Chapman wrote about and how those moments have changed (for better or for worse) in our present, and whether or not we can hope to change them in the future, depending on the conclusions drawn from the latter considerations.

All that to say...please listen to Tracy Chapman beyond just “Fast Car” and listen to, hear, and see what she’s about. Because it is so, utterly worth it.

[useless-englandfacts]

I don’t know if you’ll be able to help out, but I support BLM and want to learn more about black people in the UK but most of the stuff out there is about America. Do you have any recommendations about British black people? Books or documentaries or resources?

I'd be happy to help out! I agree the US tends to dominate conversations about race, but happily there are quite a few British books out there too! Disclaimer that these are just off the top of my head so if anyone wants to add more then please go ahead!

Black and British: A Forgotten History by David Olusoga! He's a prominent Black historian and has also done multiple documentaries which aim to expand traditional narratives of British history to include people of colour who are so often written out. You can find a full list on his Wikipedia page of course, though I'm unsure as to how many are on iPlayer and such! There's a child-friendly version of Black and British here too for any parents/teachers who are interested!

Brit(ish) by Afua Hirsch is a more autobiographical book about Hirsch's experiences growing up as a mixed race woman in Britain. Hirsch attended Oxford University and works at the BBC, so it’s offers a good insight into what it's like for POC to exist in spaces that have traditionally been saved for rich white people. She's a journalist too so there are various articles of hers floating about covering a range of issues, some of which relate to race. She's also done a few documentaries that are worth checking out, including The Battle for Britain's Heroes which questions whether some of our 'heroes' (e.g. Churchill, Nelson) should really be honoured, and (not British but) African Renaissance which looks at Black culture in Ethiopia, Senegal and Kenya - maybe the first time I've seen African culture shown on its own terms.

Natives: Race and Class in the Ruins of Empire by Akala is another half autobiographical work, covering stuff like the far right in Britain, policing and education. It does a great job of cutting through the squeamishness I think Brits often have when talking about race.

Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge has become a sort of classic of its genre but I think it's totally worthy of all the praise it's received! It looks at how lots of white people in Britain (and more generally) equate racism with full-on hate crimes, meaning they don't consider themselves racist despite regularly committing micro-aggressions/other unintentional acts. Also an absolutely stellar insight into intersectionality throughout the book! Cannot recommend enough!

Feminism, Interrupted: Disrupting Power by Lola Olufemi is a must-read for feminists! It discusses modern-day feminism and how it needs to remove itself from that girlboss capitalist yuckiness, and should instead focus on marginalised issues within feminism such as transmisogyny, sex work, and - of course - racism. Has been praised by Angela Davis so that's a huge plus!

The Good Immigrant edited by Nikesh Shukla is a collection of essays by POC from across Britain sharing experiences of racism and immigration, and what it feels like to be constantly regarded as an 'other' or as an ambassador for your race.

Literally anything by Paul Gilroy! His work is slightly older and some of it is very ~academic~ but I don't want to suggest that it's therefore totally inaccessible. He talks a lot more about British national identity and our role in the world and how that has affected views on race and immigration. He's written lots (I recommend Googling him and having a better look yourself!) but There Ain't No Black in the Union Jack and After Empire: Melancholia or Convivial Culture are both fab.

If you're feeling brave then you could look at anything by Marxist darling Stuart Hall? Some of his writing is very difficult to penetrate imo, but it's worth it if you can. He's written a lot so I would recommend browsing his Wikipedia page first and seeing if there's anything that grabs you. Even if you don't feel up to reading his stuff cover to cover, he's still someone who every antiracist in Britain should know!

Honourary mention to Thinking Black: Britain, 1964-1985 by Rob Waters just because he taught me at university hehe! Obviously more of an academic history book, but again pretty accessible and a good insight into more radical Black politics in Britain in the era.

I haven't read it myself as I believe it's only just come out but David Harewood has a book called Maybe I Don't Belong Here: A Memoir of Race, Identity, Breakdown and Recovery which looks worth checking out! Foreword by our beloved David Olusoga too!

If you're still looking for more then a good tip with any of the academic books listed here is that you can browse the footnotes and/or bibliography to find further reading there!

If you're looking for documentaries then on the BBC you can browse for Black History Month stuff, (fictional) shows that centre Black British characters and narratives, and documentaries that do the same. There has been quite a lot done in the past year about all sorts of stuff - from Black people in the NHS, what it's like being Black in the church, more specific stuff on Stephen Lawrence, Windrush, the Newcross Fire, and even specials on Black celebrities such as Lenny Henry. There's also a Black and Proud section on Channel 4's website that does something similar (side note: cannot believe they've put Hollyoaks on there that's so funny).

I don't read much fiction myself, but it is important not just to see Black Britons as victims of racism, but also as… you know… complicated and fully rounded human beings who are able to experience the full spectrum of human emotion like everyone else. Like black people just… existing. Looking to others who do read fiction to help flesh out this section in particular but a couple again off the top of my head:

Girl, Woman, Other by Bernadine Evaristo

Love in Colour by Bolu Babalola (I know this isn’t about Britain per se, but she's a Black British writer so I think it counts).

This is probably more than you asked for and you can likely tell that my academic background is in history so it is skewed towards that but I hope this helps! And again, if anyone wants to add anything then feel free!

- Dominique

[lunarfly]

Essay: Harry and Hermione’s chemistry

We all know that Emma and Daniel had excellent chemistry so Harry and Hermione naturally had great chemistry in the movies. It was quite obviously visible. But many book readers have claimed that Harry and Hermione’s chemistry only exists in the movies and they felt they lacked chemistry in the books. It can be quite tricky at first since the book scenes are only imagined in our heads and we can’t see the author’s imagination and her views on the scenes and interactions. But, luckily, canon has provided us with plenty of evidence that Harry and Hermione had excellent chemistry, visible to many people around them. Let’s take a look:

“That was a really horrible trick of Hermione Granger’s,” said Cho fiercely. “She should have told us she’d jinxed that list —” 

“I think it was a brilliant idea,” said Harry coldly. Cho flushed and her eyes grew brighter. 

“Oh yes, I forgot — of course, if it was darling Hermione’s idea —” 

“Don’t start crying again,” said Harry warningly.

It’s very obvious that Cho has noticed how close Harry and Hermione are and she’s jealous, even suspicious that there’s something going on between them. It’s clear that whatever interaction between Harry and Hermione Cho has witnessed, they had chemistry. 

If this was all of our evidence of H/Hr’s chemistry, I’d ignore it and assume Cho was only jealous because of their disastrous date when Harry left Cho to see Hermione. Perhaps most of her jealousy came from that scene. But this isn’t all of our evidence. We see even more people being jealous and getting suspicious about H/Hr’s relationship:

When at last they had reached a quiet stretch of ground a short way from the Beauxbatons horses’ paddock, Krum stopped in the shade of the trees and turned to face Harry. 

“I vant to know,” he said, glowering, “vot there is between you and Hermyown-ninny.” 

Harry, who from Krum’s secretive manner had expected something much more serious than this, stared up at Krum in amazement. 

“Nothing,” he said. But Krum glowered at him, and Harry, somehow struck anew by how tall Krum was, elaborated. 

“We’re friends. She’s not my girlfriend and she never has been. It’s just that Skeeter woman making things up.” 

“Hermy-own-ninny talks about you very often,” said Krum, looking suspiciously at Harry. 

“Yeah,” said Harry, “because we’re friends.” 

He couldn’t quite believe he was having this conversation with Viktor Krum, the famous International Quidditch player. It was as though the eighteen-year-old Krum thought he, Harry, was an equal — a real rival —

Very interesting indeed. Not only is Krum so jealous that he’s “glowering” (”have an angry or sullen look on one's face; scowl”) at Harry, he also doesn’t believe Harry that he’s just friends with Hermione, even after he explained it very clearly. He still adds how much Hermione talks about Harry, he’s looking suspicious and feels the need of a reconfirmation that H/Hr are not dating. It’s possible that Rita Skeeter’s articles are influencing his thoughts and sure, Hermione talks about Harry a lot (already indicating that she’s very passionate about Harry, we talk about things we like, or feel strong emotions about) and that could be the only thing that makes Krum “suspicious” about H/Hr but would he really still be that jealous if there was absolutely no chemistry between Harry and Hermione? This is definitely a clue on Harry and Hermione’s chemistry in the books.

 Another extremely interesting detail is that Harry is enjoying this. He likes the idea of Krum being his equal, a rival! This has nothing to do with their chemistry, of course, but it’s definitely suspicious...

Still think there’s no chemistry between them? Here’s another person who noticed that Harry and Hermione were very close, a little too close:

Harry has at last found love at Hogwarts. His close friend, Colin Creevey, says that Harry is rarely seen out of the company of one Hermione Granger, a stunningly pretty Muggle-born girl who, like Harry, is one of the top students in the school.

So Colin Creevey noticed how much time they spend together, but I just can’t believe that’s the only thing making him believe they’re in love! There has to be some noticeable chemistry between them to come to this conclusion.

I know it’s Rita Skeeter assuming that H/Hr are so close only because they’re dating, but Colin probably told her more than it’s written here. Would Rita believe Colin that Harry and Hermione are boyfriend and girlfriend merely because he said they hang out often? I don’t think so. I think Colin elaborated on his suspicions of H/Hr. But maybe it was just one of Rita Skeeter’s exaggerations. Either way, there’s more proof of their chemistry:

“Are you going to tell us — ?” 

Hermione shook her head warningly and glanced at Mrs. Weasley. 

“Hello, Hermione,” said Mrs. Weasley, much more stiffly than usual. 

“Hello,” said Hermione, her smile faltering at the cold expression on Mrs. Weasley’s face. 

Harry looked between them, then said, “Mrs. Weasley, you didn’t believe that rubbish Rita Skeeter wrote in Witch Weekly, did you? Because Hermione’s not my girlfriend.” 

“Oh!” said Mrs. Weasley. “No — of course I didn’t!” 

But she became considerably warmer toward Hermione after that.

So even Molly believed that Harry and Hermione were boyfriend and girlfriend (and Hermione had ‘broken Harry’s heart’)? Come on, their chemistry was so noticeable that even Molly thought it was believable enough. ...Although Molly does believe everything that newspapers and magazines say. And maybe she didn’t know them well enough because she assumed Hermione could break Harry’s heart.

Still don’t believe that Harry and Hermione had lots of chemistry in the books? Maybe you’re right, we need to actually see the chemistry, not just have others notice it. And guess what? We do get to see their chemistry. This often happens when Ron becomes suspicious of a possible H/Hr relationship. Ron, their closest friend who knows basically everything about them, suspects that Harry and Hermione are secretly in love. And he is quite rightly suspicious of them when we have moments like these demonstrating their perfect chemistry in the books:

“We’ll go down after Quidditch,” Harry assured her. He too was missing Hagrid, although like Ron he thought that they were better off without Grawp in their lives. “But trials might take all morning, the number of people who have applied.” He felt slightly nervous at confronting the first hurdle of his Captaincy. “I dunno why the team’s this popular all of a sudden.” 

“Oh, come on, Harry,” said Hermione, suddenly impatient. “It’s not Quidditch that’s popular, it’s you! You’ve never been more interesting, and frankly, you’ve never been more fanciable.” 

Ron gagged on a large piece of kipper. Hermione spared him one look of disdain before turning back to Harry. 

“Everyone knows you’ve been telling the truth now, don’t they? The whole Wizarding world has had to admit that you were right about Voldemort being back and that you really have fought him twice in the last two years and escaped both times. And now they’re calling you ‘the Chosen One’ — well, come on, can’t you see why people are fascinated by you?” 

Harry was finding the Great Hall very hot all of a sudden, even though the ceiling still looked cold and rainy. 

“And you’ve been through all that persecution from the Ministry when they were trying to make out you were unstable and a liar. You can still see the marks on the back of your hand where that evil woman made you write with your own blood, but you stuck to your story anyway. . . .” 

“You can still see where those brains got hold of me in the Ministry, look,” said Ron, shaking back his sleeves. 

“And it doesn’t hurt that you’ve grown about a foot over the summer either,” Hermione finished, ignoring Ron. 

“I’m tall,” said Ron inconsequentially.

Wow. Hermione really made up a whole monologue about Harry being fanciable and attractive! If this conversation doesn’t convince you that there was chemistry between them, probably nothing will. Let’s analyze this scene:

Hermione starts talking about Harry and how fanciable he is, how interesting he is, how attractive looks and qualities he has, going on and on... Hermione is clearly showing her interest in Harry and basically flirting with him. But what interests me is this moment:

Harry was finding the Great Hall very hot all of a sudden, even though the ceiling still looked cold and rainy.

He’s actually blushing. Hermione’s compliments have a very obvious effect on him. But something that fascinates me more is the way this is written. He isn’t just blushing, no. Harry never said something like:

Harry was feeling his face growing very hot all of a sudden.

Instead, we have the Great Hall going “very hot”. It isn’t just his face and his blush, it’s the whole hall. This indicates clear tension between Harry and Hermione. 

You could say that all of these compliments that Hermione is giving Harry are just facts and reasons why other girls find him attractive. But this isn’t the case. There’s obvious romantic tension between them.

Another thing to note is Ron’s jealousy. He “gags on a large piece of kipper” and he keeps interrupting Hermione, saying and showing why he is fanciable too. The chemistry is undeniable at this point. 

You could argue that Hermione was complimenting Harry to make Ron jealous, that his suspicions were expected and intended. And it does seem so at first sight: Hermione compliments Harry in front of Ron, also being very impatient as if she had been planning this conversation, as well as pointing out lots of “fanciable” things that apply to Ron as well (the scars, the height), ignoring Ron to make him more jealous. You may be tricked into thinking so. But this isn’t the case. 

First of all, if she wanted to make Ron jealous, don’t you think Hermione would’ve been enjoying the reaction? Why is she giving him these “looks of disdain”(note that this isn’t the first time she has given him nasty looks)? Wouldn’t she be looking away from him, smiling to herself? At least looking a little pleased? 

And if she really wanted to make Ron jealous, why would she use Harry of everyone? Maybe because he and Ron had a lot of similarities that could be convenient for making him jealous? But this isn’t like Hermione at all. This isn’t her technique of making people jealous. 

“What’s happened to you?” asked Harry, for Hermione looked distinctly disheveled, rather as though she had just fought her way out of a thicket of Devil’s Snare. 

“Oh, I’ve just escaped — I mean, I’ve just left Cormac,” she said. “Under the mistletoe,” she added in explanation, as Harry continued to look questioningly at her. 

“Serves you right for coming with him,” he told her severely. 

“I thought he’d annoy Ron most,” said Hermione dispassionately. “I debated for a while about Zacharias Smith, but I thought, on the whole —” 

“You considered Smith?” said Harry, revolted. 

“Yes, I did, and I’m starting to wish I’d chosen him, McLaggen makes Grawp look a gentleman. Let’s go this way, we’ll be able to see him coming, he’s so tall. . . .”

Hermione picks the people Ron despises the most to make him jealous - like Cormac McLaggen and Zacharias Smith. Hermione had no reason to use Harry to make Ron jealous. She had no reason to make Ron jealous at all. So that argument is definitely debunked. 

Could Hermione have told Harry all of these things because she really didn’t mean them and was just pointing them out from a different teenage girl’s point of view? That just can’t be the case. Otherwise she would’ve been complimenting Ron too. If the only purpose for this speech was to show Harry his attractive traits, she would’ve laughed at Ron’s remarks and agreed that he was fanciable too in other girls’ eyes because he had many of the same “fanciable” traits. 

So Hermione was definitely showing her attraction towards Harry which is also made obvious by Harry’s reaction to it and the romantic tension between them that even Ron couldn’t deny.

Believe it or not, this isn’t the only moment when Harry and Hermione are literally flirting. Take a look at another scene of Ron third wheeling Harry and Hermione and looking suspicious:

As they came into the castle they spotted Cormac McLaggen entering the Great Hall. It took him two attempts to get through the doors; he ricocheted off the frame on the first attempt. Ron merely guffawed gloatingly and strode off into the Hall after him, but Harry caught Hermione’s arm and held her back. 

“What?” said Hermione defensively. 

“If you ask me,” said Harry quietly, “McLaggen looks like he was Confunded this morning. And he was standing right in front of where you were sitting.” Hermione blushed. 

“Oh, all right then, I did it,” she whispered. “But you should have heard the way he was talking about Ron and Ginny! Anyway, he’s got a nasty temper, you saw how he reacted when he didn’t get in — you wouldn’t have wanted someone like that on the team.” 

“No,” said Harry. “No, I suppose that’s true. But wasn’t that dishonest, Hermione? I mean, you’re a prefect, aren’t you?” 

“Oh, be quiet,” she snapped, as he smirked. 

“What are you two doing?” demanded Ron, reappearing in the doorway to the Great Hall and looking suspicious. 

“Nothing,” said Harry and Hermione together, and they hurried after Ron. The smell of roast beef made Harry’s stomach ache with hunger, but they had barely taken three steps toward the Gryffindor table when Professor Slughorn appeared in front of them, blocking their path.

Try denying their chemistry here.

Just imagine two (straight) friends of the opposite gender, the boy grabbing the girl’s arm and turning her around (the tension!!!) and her acting all defensive, and then the boy telling her something that makes her blush and admit something while whispering. Then the boy jokingly teasing her about it and smirking while the girl tells him to be quiet playfully. Yeah, that’s called flirting and they have extremely obvious chemistry. 

The funnier part is Ron noticing this and suspiciously confronting Harry and Hermione while they quickly say “nothing” at the same time and catch up with him.

I don’t think an explanation is even necessary, anyone who denies their chemistry in this scene is basically lying to themselves and is willingly blinding themselves.

Here’s another interesting scene from HBP with Ron getting jealous of H/Hr’s chemistry once again:

Malfoy looked rather as he had done the time Hermione had punched him in the face. Hermione turned to Harry with a radiant expression and whispered, “Did you really tell him I’m the best in the year? Oh, Harry!” 

“Well, what’s so impressive about that?” whispered Ron, who for some reason looked annoyed. “You are the best in the year — I’d’ve told him so if he’d asked me!” 

Hermione smiled but made a “shhing” gesture, so that they could hear what Slughorn was saying. Ron looked slightly disgruntled.

Here Harry and Hermione’s chemistry isn’t really made clear but just look at the way Hermione turns to Harry. He literally sees her expression as “radiant” (this adjective has also been used to describe Ginny’s smile) and Hermione looks simply delighted. They were clearly having a great moment here, so good, in fact, that Ron becomes jealous and annoyed and tries to pretend Harry’s compliment wasn’t a big deal. He compliments Hermione the same way as Harry did but she doesn’t have such a “radiant” smile this time, does she? Instead she shushes him(poor Ron just wanted attention from his future wife!). Ron has every right to be disgruntled in this scene.

This is the third time in HBP that Ron is third-wheeling Harry and Hermione. Whether anti-H/Hrs want to admit it or not, Ron is a third-wheel to Harry and Hermione very often and becomes very jealous of their chemistry. JKR, it really isn’t funny, where are the R/Hr flirting moments? They’re supposed to be the endgame couple, aren’t they? Why do you have so many moments between Harry and Hermione when they’re clearly flirting and demonstrating what excellent chemistry looks like?

Apparently, Harry and Hermione have had such chemistry in the past that, even when they’re not flirting, Ron still becomes suspicious of Harry and Hermione’s ‘possible secret relationship’:

“Because she was crying,” Harry continued heavily. 

“Oh,” said Ron, his smile fading slightly. “Are you that bad at kissing?” 

“Dunno,” said Harry, who hadn’t considered this, and immediately felt rather worried. “Maybe I am.” 

“Of course you’re not,” said Hermione absently, still scribbling away at her letter. 

“How do you know?” said Ron in a sharp voice. 

“Because Cho spends half her time crying these days,” said Hermione vaguely. “She does it at mealtimes, in the loos, all over the place.”

Ron suspected that Harry and Hermione had kissed before. His suspects are quite obvious, judging from the tone of his voice. No matter how insecure Ron is, he is still their best friend, he should know that they’re not interested into each other romantically. But it seems like it’s so apparent to everyone that Harry and Hermione have something going on.

Here’s another moment showing us Harry and Hermione’s chemistry:

“Harry!” Hermione cried. 

“I know!” Harry shouted. Unable to contain himself, he punched the air; it was more than he had dared to hope for. He strode up and down the tent, feeling that he could have run a mile; he did not even feel hungry anymore. Hermione was squashing Phineas Nigellus’s portrait back into the beaded bag; when she had fastened the clasp she threw the bag aside and raised a shining face to Harry.

 “The sword can destroy Horcruxes! Goblin-made blades imbibe only that which strengthen them — Harry, that sword’s impregnated with basilisk venom!” 

“And Dumbledore didn’t give it to me because he still needed it, he wanted to use it on the locket —” 

“— and he must have realized they wouldn’t let you have it if he put it in his will —” 

“— so he made a copy —” 

“— and put a fake in the glass case —” 

“— and he left the real one — where?” 

They gazed at each other; Harry felt that the answer was dangling invisibly in the air above them, tantalizingly close. Why hadn’t Dumbledore told him? Or had he, in fact, told Harry, but Harry had not realized it at the time? 

“Think!” whispered Hermione. “Think! Where would he have left it?” 

“Not at Hogwarts,” said Harry, resuming his pacing. 

“Somewhere in Hogsmeade?” suggested Hermione. 

“The Shrieking Shack?” said Harry. “Nobody ever goes in there.” 

“But Snape knows how to get in, wouldn’t that be a bit risky?” 

“Dumbledore trusted Snape,” Harry reminded her. 

“Not enough to tell him that he had swapped the swords,” said Hermione. 

“Yeah, you’re right!” said Harry, and he felt even more cheered at the thought that Dumbledore had had some reservations, however faint, about Snape’s trustworthiness. “So, would he have hidden the sword well away from Hogsmeade, then? What d’you reckon, Ron? Ron?” 

Harry looked around. For one bewildered moment he thought that Ron had left the tent, then realized that Ron was lying in the shadow of a lower bunk, looking stony.

 Just look at the intensity of this scene!

Firstly, when Harry and Hermione find out exciting news, they figure it out themselves and alone, they didn’t even think of Ron. Then look at how happy Harry and Hermione are feeling, their hopes high, their spirits lifted, their excitement causing the tension! Hermione’s face is “shining”!

Then they start discussing, knowing what the other is thinking and finishing each other’s sentences! The way they interact is precious, they’re “gazing” at each other, feeling something “tantalizingly close.” They start whispering. It’s so intense and full of tension and chemistry. They’re so excited. They even completely forgot about Ron(I feel so bad for him), Harry even thought that he had left.

This is one of the strongest Harmione scenes ever, the chemistry between them is incomparable to anyone else’s. Just imagine being Ron right now, watching the love of your life have this intense conversation with your and her best friend, sharing this exciting moment, experiencing all of this without you. And you just sit there and watch. Just watch. Ron’s jealousy, intensified by the horcrux, was the one thing that made him leave Harry and Hermione in the tent. And Ron did have a reason to be jealous. 

So they do have chemistry in the books, everyone sees it, including Harry and Hermione’s dates, their closest friend, their “families”, their fans. Everyone except for anti-Harmiones. I tried making up excuses for why others assume Harry and Hermione are together, that maybe I’m misinterpreting something and it’s not because of their chemistry. But when you put everything together, it should become obvious. You have to be insanely biased and willingly ignore everything to come to the conclusion that they don’t have any chemistry. 

I’m not even going in detail about physical contact between them. It would take too long. They grab each other’s hand/arm, they hold onto each other for strength and protect each other, they’re very comfortable with hugs and kisses and their physical connection is another piece of proof of their undeniable chemistry. 

Even JKR has admitted that they had some “charged moments” in DH in the tent, which is her way of saying that they had intense chemistry:

[Kloves] felt a certain pulll between them at that point. And I think he's right. There are moments when [Harry and Hermione] touch, which are charged moments. One when she touches his hair as he sits on the hiltop reading about Dumbledore and Grindelwald, and [two] the moment when they walk out of the graveyard with their arms around each other. Now the fact is that Hermione shares moments with Harry that Ron will never be able to participate in. He walked out. She shared something very intense with Harry. So I think it could have gone that way.

In conclusion, Harry and Hermione have excellent chemistry in the books, even better and stronger than in the movies. None of the movie scenes showed their chemistry with this intensity. Their romantic tension was much better in the books. Harry and Hermione have chemistry.

[madeofcc]

What are some words that are a big part of your oc’s vocabulary? How did they pick up on them?

Oooooh *0* Thanks a lot for this awesome ask @shanisims ! This is surely interesting and kind of deep about writting process so ...

Not all of them but some of my OC's have some kind of words habits of their own, depending on where you start the story and who you're focusing on.

The story starts with most of them being teenagers, so during season 1 and 2 they all mostly curse a lot when they speak, especially Destiny and Renji who are both going to curse even when they're 30, just a bit less but still. Both of them have some kind of hot headed trait that they try to control. Also, Destiny is supposed to be poor, leaving with a drunk dad in the beginning so of curse she would curse like him (When I started the story, I actually pictured Joel and Ellie's relationship in The Last of Us for Des and her dad William). Hiro tends to not curse a lot as he likes to think he's educated enough and Leïla mostly curse in french when she's upset or hurt because it's her natural habit, also a good way for her to be understood by others (her sister Soraya does the same). Julia, on her evil side, curse specifically to hurt and she's not affraid to appropriate all the words she shouldn't (she uses the N word all the time and other terrible words because she knows it hurts and upsets others U_U). Hugo, on the other side, never curse and speak english with a strong french accent as he learnt human language through TV and as a weird fascination for France and french in general. His name Hugo is actually the one he chose but you'll know all the detail about his life later in the story (and this is some kind of big plot revelation thing so I can't tell you everything yet).

As the story moves on, the characters will grow and meet new people that will bring some new words into their vocabulary. For instance, Aïssa is black, trans and has some french antillean roots as well so she uses a lot of slang words coming from all the cultures that she's a part of, especially when she's around her closed ones or when she's upset. She will influence Destiny as they're dating. And same goes for every characters that will have a special bound to another.

Just like in real life, we all have some expressions/words related to a common love/friend story and I really love to play with this a lot when I write. It kind of creates a deeper bound between the characters and the readers who understand better their relationship. It's also a good way to remember some specific events, to illustrate what our ocs like/love together (I love to add some movies/songs reference between them sometimes to add more realism in a way), to also increase something,,a feeling/situation (like someone who will curse on their loved ones because they're really hurt for instance) ... I guess language can reveal a lot about our characters but also on ourselves ^^

I have to stop otherwise I might write an entire essay here but thank you so so much for this awesome ask ! I hope the answer is already enough but if you need more examples, or like a mini list with the ocs habits don't hesitate to ask again :)

[undertale-data]

[Image Description: An Undertale chat box that has “WHY FANS LOVE UNDERTALE” at its center. Next to it are a line chart and an Egg from the Dating Hub on its left, and a CRIME measurer (also from the Dating Hub) on its right. End I.D.]

[Image Description: a pie chart titled, “LEVEL OF LOVE FOR UNDERTALE.” The textbox on the top right reads, “On a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being the least and 10 being the highest, how much do fans enjoy Undertale?” From the top going clockwise, 12 or 0% chose 5 and below; 23 or 1% chose 6; 98, or 4%, chose 7; 325, or 12%, chose 8; 529, or 20%, chose 9; and 1664, or 63%, chose 10. End I.D.]

It’s clear from all of the data analyzed so far that fans who took the time to answer our survey love Undertale. It is unlikely that they would have taken the time to answer so many questions if they had not, and even less likely that they would have come across our survey in the first place. Naturally, it comes as no surprise that 63% of our responders gave their love for Undertale a score of ten out of ten. 95% gave their love for Undertale a score of eight or higher, and only 12 responders responded with five or below, a number so small that their responses had to be lumped together to be visible on the pie chart. Of those, only 3 responders gave their love for Undertale a score of 1, and based on those responders’ other answers, it is likely that they were only intending to troll. We are very fortunate that the vast majority of responders took the survey seriously, enough so that responses like this are barely a blip in the data.

Now, for our final analysis post of the event, we will delve into the reasons that fans love Undertale so dearly.

(Essay and highlights under the cut.)

There have been countless essays on the impact that Undertale has had on people’s lives. I can hardly add more on the subject than what has already been said, but I hope this summary can provide a brief overview of what stood out among the over two thousand answers given in response to this survey. That said, due to the sheer volume of answers, I could not read every single one in depth—however, I did skim all of them, and some that stood out or were representative of several responses have been highlighted below. If you would like to see what every fan who consented to share their response had to say, you may view the full list of responses here. Note that these responses have not been edited in any way. This document may take a long time to load, as it is over 100 pages long.

(Warnings for mentions of suicidal thoughts in the following essay.)

Several responders loved the theme of choices mattering in Undertale. Whether people played the pacifist, merciless, or neutral routes, they enjoyed how the game reacted to their actions. For some, it even made them consider their own morality. One touching response explained the impact that the theme of mercy made on them. “I realized that Mercy isn't something that's given to those who deserve it. Flowey didn't deserve it. I don't deserve it myself. Shoot, we ALL need Mercy in our lives.” Many fans left similar comments about how the themes of Undertale made them better people.

Undertale changed how its fans treat others, and it also changed how fans treat themselves. The theme of staying determined and the messages of hope in the game were a light to a very large portion of fans. I cannot list all of the fans who said that Undertale helped them out of a dark place, or that they would not be alive if not for Undertale. “DETERMINATION became a metaphor for not killing myself at a really rough time in my life and I’ll always cherish that. Undertale isn’t afraid to go to really dark places but at the same time holds on so tight to its hope.”

Undertale brought fans together in unexpected ways. Some said they met friends or significant others through the fandom. “I wouldn't have met my now husband without Undertale,” one fan said. A different fan who is non-native English speaking mentioned that the game and the fan community helped them to learn English.

It would be impossible to discuss Undertale without mentioning the fan community. Whether for good or bad, many responders mentioned the fandom in their responses. Overall the feelings towards the fandom seem positive, though many made references to “toxic” parts of the fandom without specifying which parts they consider toxic. Others rejected the idea of toxicity in fandom. One response said: “[SLAMS FIST ON DESK] I KNOW MOST PEOPLE SAY THE FANDOM IS TOXIC AND CRINGE OR WHATEVER BUT OH MY GOD. The Undertale fandom, both the UTMV and the actual UT fandom, has been so much fun to be a part of. I've met countless friends because of our shared interest in something related to the game! The art people create can be breathtaking and so inspirational, and the fanfics are so so good!! I've seen people write incredible things for this fandom and it's what made me continue writing!”

One thing that makes the Undertale fandom unique is the way it embraces various AUs. Some fans are tired of AU content, but the majority of responses show a love for the creativity behind AUs. “Roll your eyes at the 50th AU Sans all you want, it's encouraging people to step outside the boundaries of fanart and pushing people to make their own ideas! I mean, hell, it was how I gained the confidence to start making my own original content.” The lack of a judgemental atmosphere seems present in the AU community, according to the responses we saw. There is an interesting balance between AU and canon (sometimes referred to as “classic”) content that another responder pointed out: “The fandom helped keep the game alive all these years, with all of its AUs. Although personally, I always enjoyed AUs that kept characters as close to the classic material as possible (dancetale, outertale) I do appreciate the creativity of the fandom. They almost created entirely new stories with new characters of their own! If it weren't for those people, the Undertale fandom would have probably not been as active as it is now. I do feel like we're getting a resurgence of classic content now too! (In 2021)”

Regardless of the many AUs the fandom has created over the years, the original game of Undertale still feels like home for many fans. They wished they could reclaim the feeling of playing the game again for the first time, but even though we can’t reset time in real life, there is still a special feeling for fans each time they play Undertale. One fan said, “Even the best fics I've read can't capture that feeling of nostalgia/almost-"coming home" that comes with hearing the music and talking to the characters.” This feeling is one that can be cherished time and time again. In the words of another responder: “It always feels welcoming like home or like comfort food that I never grow tired of no matter how many times I go to it.” Others pointed out the strength of the found family trope in Undertale, which likely contributes to this feeling of “home” as well.

As mentioned briefly earlier, the music is part of what makes Undertale feel like home for fans. Even when responses focused on other aspects of the game, many would throw in a comment about the soundtrack at the end. One comment focused on the music said “IT'S SO GOOD like I will literally go through the entire thing over and over and not be bored with it. It makes my monkey brain so happy you have no idea.” Like with the game itself, the music has incredible replay value, an amazing feat considering most of the tracks use the same few motifs. “I think what I like the most about Undertale is how the music attaches you to the story,” another responder said. “They're simple melodies that stick with you throughout the whole game, and they can remind you of both good and bad times.”

If the music sticks with fans in their hearts, then the game’s lore sticks with fans in their minds. Even six years after the release of Undertale, fans are still creating new theories and digging up new secrets. The way the game breaks the fourth wall in particular intrigued many fans and has stuck out through all these years. The awareness that the game shows for the RPG genre makes it memorable. The game plays with the player’s expectations and turns them on their heads, all while reminding the player that they’re in a game. There are few other games that do this on such a large scale, so it’s no surprise that fans cite this as one of their favorite things about Undertale.

Lastly, the LGBT+ representation in Undertale has been a huge draw for fans. Especially in 2015, the sheer volume of non-cishet characters was unprecedented, as one fan pointed out: “It's practically unheard of to see so MANY from just one source, especially during its heyday in 2015-16. Hell, you can't even GET the true pacifist ending without helping two gay couples hook up. It's really nice to see all of them being accepted for who they are and not judged for their sexuality or gender, at least in-canon.” The LGBT+ cast including Frisk, Chara, Napstablook, Monster Kid, Mettaton, Alphys, and Undyne each connected with fans in unique ways. It’s clear how important this is from responses such as: “There are canon nonbinary characters 🥺. i have never seen representation of myself before.” “It made me gay and trans so thanks for that.”

Once again I am overwhelmed with just how much there is to say about Undertale. One responder really understood when they compared Undertale to an iceberg, explaining that there are so many layers to the game that there is something for everyone: “everyone can find something to enjoy in the lore/game regardless of what kind of fan they are! Being able to appeal to various types of fans—from simple happy shipper people to deep dive lorediggers—is the mark of the coolest games!” I would have to agree with them.

It’s been six years, and despite everything, it’s still you. Thank you for reading, participating in this survey, and above all, staying determined.

Highlights:

DETERMINATION became a metaphor for not killing myself at a really rough time in my life and I’ll always cherish that. Undertale isn’t afraid to go to really dark places but at the same time holds on so tight to its hope.

I think the coolest thing was having the opportunity to watch the AU community grow from its bare roots. It's nearly insane how big and complex it's gotten, unlike anything I'd ever seen before. Roll your eyes at the 50th AU Sans all you want, it's encouraging people to step outside the boundaries of fanart and pushing people to make their own ideas! I mean, hell, it was how I gained the confidence to start making my own original content.

i love how the lgbt rep is so naturalized... there are just gay people! and its nobodys business!

The music is my go to answer, but what I really really REALLY love is how the minor characters have so much personality to them when you talk to them. They aren't incredibly important to the overall story, but they're all so likeable and diverse that you just can't help but like them immediately!

I think it was the first videogame I have played that broke the fourth wall that much. Of course there has been other videogames that broke it but just for one or two tongue-in-cheek jokes. The guilt of killing mama goat was also something intense as well that I appreciated as an experience and that I didn't think a videogame could cause on someone.

I love how no character can be seen as completely bad! Everyone builds up Asgore as some horrible villain, but he turns out to be a 'fuzzy pushover' who's broken and just wants his family back by the time you meet him. Then you think Flowey's an irredeemable killer who engineered the suffering of the monsters across many timelines, and he is... but he also used to be the kind and beloved Prince Asriel Dreemurr, traumatized by his death and subsequent rebirth, projecting his best friend onto you.

The fact that choices matter in the game. Your first playthrough and getting the golden ending for the first time. I can never replicate those feelings again, wish I could erase my memories and replay the game from the start.

I wouldn't have met my now husband without Undertale.

(Toxic parts of the fandom aside) The community is possibly one of the kindest I've ever met. Cringe culture is completely dead, and I feel like I can be myself. I felt a very close connection to many of the characters, and I loved consuming content about them when I was in a rough patch in my life.

just everything, the whole game has just impacted my life so much. i know it sounds really lame, but when the game first came out, i would purposely put my hands in my pockets and sway slightly, like sans' idle animation. of course i dont do that anymore haha, but undertale still really impacts me to this day, and i wouldnt have it any other way :)

it made me gay and trans so thanks for that

I realized that Mercy isn't something that's given to those who deserve it. Flowey didn't deserve it. I don't deserve it myself. Shoot, we ALL need Mercy in our lives.

The thing I love most about Undertale is no matter how many times I play or watch a playthrough it always makes me genuinely happy. It always feels welcoming like home or like comfort food that I never grow tired of no matter how many times I go to it. Toriel still makes me feel all warm and cozy in her home, the Skelebros always make me laugh, and I still cry on the inside watching Frisk comforting Asriel. And on the flip side the No Mercy run still invokes the negative emotions in me as well. In short Undertale just feels like a second home to me and I always wish I could stay.

The reader inserts are my favorite way to decompress after a hard day

I think Undertale helped me discover my love for 8-bit games, and made me realize how IMPORTANT music is in video games.

the worldbuilding and character design are my favorite parts of the main game apart from the music! I’m also a huge fan of the random AU music- not for like underswap or underfell i like the stuff where someone makes a megalovania for a random au where gru from despicable me replaces sans as the character. i think its funny

Just... the vibe, honestly? Even the best fics I've read can't capture that feeling of nostalgia/almost-"coming home" that comes with hearing the music and talking to the characters.

there are canon nonbinary characters 🥺. i have never seen representation of myself before.

[SLAMS FIST ON DESK] I KNOW MOST PEOPLE SAY THE FANDOM IS TOXIC AND CRINGE OR WHATEVER BUT OH MY GOD. The Undertale fandom, both the UTMV and the actual UT fandom, has been so much fun to be a part of. I've met countless friends because of our shared interest in something related to the game! The art people create can be breathtaking and so inspirational, and the fanfics are so so good!! I've seen people write incredible things for this fandom and it's what made me continue writing!

There's a scene where Frisk (the player) is going towards what is presumably going to be their death. They will fight Asgore and he will use their human soul to break the barrier and free his people. The music, despite the player's impending doom, is... triumphant. You are not the triumphant one here, and yet, the score invites you to experience the monsters' joy and happiness as they tell you the tale of their subjugation. The monsters are going to be free. This is their victory, but they don't hate you or want you to die. They're just... happy. That scene has always struck me very deeply. I feel it represents the best parts of Undertale.

I loved how well thought out the Geno route was. It really made me feel like I was doing something horrible, and the characters were very obviously reacting to dire circumstances.

I dunno? I like Undertale for it's characters, story, music, secrets and many more. I am not good with Headcanons but I also like the neutral endings and how different they can depending on who you spare and kill

I was very bad at english before, i thought i couldn't progress because i was very shy and not confident. But my sibling and i wanted to have the best experience with this game so we wanted to play it in english. It's this game and the fandom which helped me to make huge progress in english !

THE SOUNDTRACK. IT'S SO GOOD like I will literally go through the entire thing over and over and not be bored with it. It makes my monkey brain so happy you have no idea.

to avoid writing an essay i will say one word. Mettaton

It is like Toby specifically made the games to fit the iceberg meme and it's awesome, everyone can find something to enjoy in the lore/game regardless of what kind of fan they are! Being able to appeal to various types of fans - from simple happy shipper people to deep dive lorediggers is the mark of the coolest games!

I love almost everything about Undertale as a game on its own. The music, the art and especially the characters and how they interact. They made me feel at home. Undertale means a huge amount to me. (I even got a tattoo of the castle when you and MK walk together!) The fandom helped keep the game alive all these years, with all of its AUs. Although personally, I always enjoyed AUs that kept characters as close to the classic material as possible (dancetale, outertale) I do appreciate the creativity of the fandom. They almost created entirely new stories with new characters of their own! If it weren't for those people, the Undertake fandom would have probably not been as active as it is now. I do feel like we're getting a resurgence of classic content now too! (In 2021)

the mystery. toby fox refused to give answers to anything and i think thats very sexy of him.

I just feel guilty for liking it so much when I'm in my 30's. But I recently got diagnosed with ASD, so I guess it explains things a bit. Many ppl consider Papyrus to be neurodivergent, and some adult fans are too, so seeing that makes me feel a bit better.

i think about "Despite everything, it's still you" everyday of my life.

I like how it's just as funny as it can be serious. All routes are this way. I laughed as much as I cried when I played the Pacifist route and then once I opened the game again and Flowey was telling me to let them be happy, I immediately turned off the game. I somehow felt bad.

The Found Family Trope

The True Pacifist Ending is just...man. And the fanworks about saving everyone even when the game doesn't let you? MANNNNNN

I think what I like the most about Undertale is how the music attaches you to the story. They're simple melodies that stick with you throughout the whole game, and they can remind you of both good and bad times.

there's honestly a LOT to love about this game, but i think one of my favorite things about it is just how many lgbt+ characters there are??? i can think of alphys, undyne, frisk, chara, mettaton, napstablook, monster kid, asgore, mad mew mew, the dress lion, the royal guards, and arguably even papyrus off of the top of my head, but im sure i'm forgetting a few from just undertale alone (there's even MORE in deltarune)!! it's practically unheard of to see so MANY from just one source, especially during its heyday in 2015-16. hell, you can't even GET the true pacifist ending without helping two gay couples hook up. it's really nice to see all of them being accepted for who they are and not judged for their sexuality or gender, at least in-canon.

[Image description: A wordcloud in the shape of the capitalized word UNDERTALE. The text is white on a black background, and uses the font found in the game. Some of the most visible words are: Game, Love, Music, Life, AU, Store, Friend, and Feel, which represent the most common words in the essays people wrote about their love for the game. End of ID]

[dreamcatcherrs]

been loving the writing you’ve been posting! i’ve been nonstop thinking about cuddly sapnap🧍‍♀️he would wanna be little spoon so bad that mf... would it be possible to write about sapnap being a cuddly mf? love ur writing so much ❤️❤️❤️ ur doing great!!

thank you! <33 and yesss cuddly sapnap for the win! he’s soooo clingy I swear to god. hope you like this!

cuddle bug - sapnap

𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠: cuddly!sapnap x reader

𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: nick is feeling especially touchy today, and just wants your sweet love and attention after having not seen you for a while.

𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 1.269

𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: nothing but fluff🥴

song recommendation: lover - taylor swift

your eyes scanned the page for about the fifth time now, growing tired from the bright screen-light shining onto you from your laptop. you rubbed the sleep away from your eyes, knowing that you couldn’t take a break before you were sure that every sentence was exactly how you wanted it to be.

you let a sigh fall from your lips, moving your laptop off your lap to stretch your body out. you moved your head to rest on your pillow again, grabbing your computer yet again to scan through the many pages you’d written for an essay.

over the span of fifteen minutes, you managed to find a few spelling errors, correcting them as you slowly lost your will to continue on. you messed with the laces coming out from your hoodie, twirling them around your finger as you zoned out

“I’m done!”

you eyes shot up from your computer to the doorframe, stopping your fingers movements. nick had appeared from his bedroom - something you hadn't seen all day. he smiled tiredly at you, and reached back to scratch the back of his head. you smiled back, feeling a small weight lift off your shoulders just from seeing him.

he was already streaming when you had come over, and since he had his face cam on and your relationship was still not out yet, you had placed yourself on his comfy couch. that was three hours ago.

“yay!” you exclaimed, smiling at him for a moment before returning to your schoolwork. no matter how much you wanted to be with him right now, things had to be done.

nick tilted his head to the side, frowning slightly. it was obvious that something else had your complete attention (other than him!). after not having seen you for a while, he really just wanted to spend some time with you.

he approached you, taking a seat beside you when he got to the couch and rested his chin on your shoulder. he peeked at what you were doing, and once realising what you were so focused on, he understood why you were so caught up in it. he knew you had to perfect everything to the point where it was just too perfect, even though you didn't have to.

you turned your head to him, smiling sweetly as his eyes met yours. he placed his hand on your cheek, thumb brushing over your cheekbone lovingly. “y/n. cuddles. now.”

you laughed at that, rolling your eyes playfully. he gripped your hand in his before you could move it towards the keyboard, holding it to his chest.

“I have to finish this first, baby.”

you kissed his cheek softly, before focusing your eyes on the computer again. nick hated how hard you could be on yourself sometimes. he wished you could realise that people need breaks when focusing on something for long periods of time. and that included you too, of course.

you gave an attempt at untangling your fingers with his, but failed miserably when he just squeezed your hand harder. “that can wait.”

he closed your laptop, removing it from your lap and onto the coffee table before you had the chance to stop him. “wh- hey!” you reached out for it, but his grip on your arm stopped you from any further movements.

he moved over you and spread your legs out using his knees. he lay himself slowly on top of you, legs between yours, wrapping his arms around your waist and burying his head in your chest.

you sighed lightly, laying your head back on the pillow. you only needed to check a few more lines. that’s all you needed! yet your body was so tired and missed the warmth of another body… and oh god you just wanted to cuddle up with your boyfriend.

“nickkk…”

he hummed against you, moving his head so his chin was resting on your chest. you looked into his eyes, giving him the puppy eyes and lacing your hands together in a praying motion.

“pleeease can we just wait five minutes? I’m almost done, I swear!” you crossed your fingers, desperation lingering in your eyes. you sent him a toothy smile while he observed you with a raised eyebrow. he thought it over for a bit, before coming to a conclusion.

“no.”

your face dropped again and you pouted slightly at him. “whyyy?” you whined, sinking farther into the couch.

he sighed. “y/n. you and I both know that you won't just spend five minutes on that stupid thing. besides, would you really rather be doing homework than cuddle with your boyfriend who you, may I add, haven't seen all day?”

you groaned, covering your face with your hands, you knew he was right, of course. you’d give anything to not have to write anymore of that stupid essay and just cuddle up with him. you had missed him a lot…

he moved up from his place on your body, face now hovering over your covered one. a gentle smile pulled spread out on his face, hands moving yours away from your face.

“so?” he asked, waiting for an answer. you looked at the small glimmer of love in his eyes, hypnotised by the way they could so easily make your heart melt and send your whole body into a frenzy of tingles.

“no…”

he smiled wider at your words.

“that’s what I thought.”

all at once he got up, pulling you with him by your hands. you stumbled into his chest, his arms wrapping tightly around your body to keep you there. you smiled as well, closing your eyes for once in what felt like way too long. you let your hands rest on his shoulder blades, feeling the warmth of him radiating through his hoodie.

“you’re so cute,” he mumbled into your hair, hugging you even closer to him. your foot stumbled into his, moving you forwards more than you should. it moved him with you and he giggled lowly, the action adding to what he’d just told you. “c’mon, I want cuddles.”

he pulled away slightly, placing a kiss on your forehead. your cheeks heated up at the action, looking away from him with a smile. he grabbed your hand and excitedly lead you to the bedroom.

“is someone a little clingy today?” you asked teasingly, biting your lip as you lay down next to him on his bed.

“shut up.” the response went by without any cracks of his voice, but the shy smile on his face didn't pass you by. it only made you smile more. he moved close to you, laying his head on your collarbone, nose poking the crook of your neck.

you used that same arm he was slightly laying on to lightly play with his hair, twirling the strands around your finger as you pathed your way around his brown locks. he sighed pleasantly, wrapping an arm around your waist to pull himself closer to you.

with your other hand you reached for the covers, pulling them over you so the cold from outside couldn't reach you. nick planted a few kisses on your neck, almost so light that you could barely even feel them - just a tingling feeling left behind.

“thank you,” you mumbled against his hair, drawing small circles onto the palm of his hand with your other one. “I really needed this.” he caught onto your hand, holding it in his with a slight squeeze.

“me too, baby.”

you smiled down at him, before letting your eyes close, cuddling into the sweet embrace of your lover.

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