#Honestly I feel like in the total opposite of approachable. I feel like a lot of people just take a glance and then quickly forget me.

[shapa-likes-art]

You won't be forever alone. You're very sweet and nice and yeah, connecting to people can be hard but i think you're just very approachable in general (sry if this isn't good i didn't sleep)

Is ok

[liveforjeongin]

Heyy you, saw you are taking requests and had an idea. Ler changbin and lee han with 9,7,10 from prompts #2

Something like, jisung woke up in a major lee mood and let's say he has Tumblr and left he's phone open with a tickle fanfic, changbin found it and decided to help him with his mood

Okay soo that's a small idea i have you don't need to use it if u don't want to or don't need it

Soo that's it..

Have a lovely day/night <3

A Little Help

I TOTALLY LOVE THIS IDEA

Thanks for the request anon<3

-tickle fic, if you don't like that you can keep scrolling

requested by: anon

warnings: some swearing words, a bit too long I'm so sorry

Prompt 7, list #2: “All you need to do is ask.”

Prompt 9, list #2: “Are you...blushing?”

Prompt 10, list #2: “I can’t say it!”

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Jisung woke up like it was a normal day, but this time there was something different...

Oh no...

He woke up in an intense lee mood. He needed tickles so badly that if someone doesn't tickle him right now he wouldn't be able to be a functional human being for the next week

What to do now? Ask for tickles? Impossible, Jisung could barely say the word and, knowing how teasy the members are, he wouldn't risk being teased 24/7 from now on

So he just went for the safe option, Tumblr, his total savior

But this time it didn't work

In fact, it just made it worse

Fuck, now what?

It's not like Jisung had too many options, so he just kept scrolling and scrolling through Tumblr tickle posts. Eventually, even though he just woke up, he fell asleep with his phone on and Tumblr opened

It was nothing to panic about, it's not like in that exact moment, just before the phone's screen blocked since it had passed too much time without being used, a member comes in and takes his phone of his hand to let him sleep better and looks at his Tumb-

"Hannieeeee! You awake?" Changbin entered Jisung's room yelling. Fortunately, this didn't wake up the quokka, but the image of Han sleeping melted Changbin's heart, how could he look so cute?

Changbin smiled for himself when he saw Hannie sleeping so peacefully, but then he noticed Jisung's phone on his hand, and approached to him to take it and just leave it on Jisung's nightstand

But in the moment Changbin took Jisung's phone, couldn't help but notice the app Hannie was on... Tumblr?

He had heard of that app, but never really understood for what it was, and, honestly, didn't give it any importance at his dongsaeng having it

Until he noticed what kinda posts were on Jisung's following content...

Tickles?

What?

Saying Changbin was surprised was nothing compared to how he was actually feeling

It's not like he despised his dongsaeng, it was actually the opposite, he found it really cute, it's just that he thought Jisung actually hated when someone tickles him, but second thought... He never told anyone to stop when they were tickling him...

Huh

Changbin decided to just leave Jisung's phone on his nightstand as he had planned, leave him sleep in peace and keep that new discovering he did about his dongsaeng for himselft, maybe he could give him a little help later...

A couple hours later, Jisung woke up again

In the worst lee mood he has ever been

Why is life so unfair?

Complaining mentally about how unfair it is to not have tickles on a day like this, Hannie went out of his room and headed to the living room, where Changbin was.

Jisung sat on the couch next to his hyung, resting his head on his shoulder, a lot tired yet

"Good morning, hyung" Han waved Changbin in a sleepy tone, it was clear he slept too much that morning...

"Good morning, Hannie, tired still?" Changbin waved back, smiling down at him

"Yeah..." Jisung muttered with a yawn

Changbin chuckled at him "Don't fall asleep again or you're wake up even more tired"

"Mmmm... You're right" Jisung muttered and sat straight on the couch, fighting in opening his eyes to drive away his tireness

When Jisung seemed... Less asleep, Changbin decided to finally confront him about what he saw on his phone

"So... Hannie... You know you fell asleep with your phone on your hand?" Changbin started

That practically woke Jisung up completely immediately

"Ummmmm... Yeah? What's with that?" replied, the nervousness could feel on his voice

"You were on an app. What's its name....? Tumblr or something?"

Shit

That could not be happening

It had to be a dream, right?

Well, it wasn't

"Uhhh... I-"

"What's a lee?"

Oh no

"W-Well... Y-You see..." Jisung tried to think of a credible excuse, but it was useless since Changbin seemed to know everything by now

"I-It's... Someone that... L-Likes being t-t-tickled" Hannie answered, having some problems to say the feared tword, blushing slightly and looking everywhere but at his hyung

"Ohhh, I see. And I'm guessing a lee mood is when one of these.... lees wants to be tickled, am I right?" Changbin said that so casually that was too flustered for the younger

"Y-Yeah..."

"And I'm guessing that's the mood you're having right now, isn't it?" Changbin asked with a teasy smile

Jisung blushed the brightest red ever, how was he supposed to answer that?

"Y-Yeah..." Han answered, extremely red

"Are you... Blushing?" Changbin teased as smirked down at him and overthrowed him on the couch, sitting on his hips

"W-WAIT HYUng what are you doing?"

"I'm helping you a little... Wasn't this what you wanted?"

Jisung blushed even more if that was possible, and nodded slowly with his head

"Good. Now, Hannie, all you need to do is ask~"

"W-Wait what?" Jisung's eyes widened at that

"You heard me. If you want tickles, you'll have to ask for them~" Changbin was really having fun teasing Jisung over here...

"H-Hyung... Please don't make me say it... I can't... I can't say it!" Jisung gave Changbin his best puppy eyes, hoping that convinces him

Unfortunately for him, it didn't work

"Awwww, but you'll have to say it if you want your tickles~ Come on! It's not so hard"

"Yes it is hard" Jisung said, pouting at his hyung

"Your cute faces and pouts are not convincing me of anything... You're gonna have to ask, Hannie~" Changbin teased him, pinning his arms above his head, making the younger way more flustered "I'm not doing anything until you ask for it~"

Han encouraged himself enough to try to say it, sighing before talking "Changbin hyung... P-Please t-t-ti-ckle me..." finally got to say

Changbin smirked down at him "Ohh, of course Hannie~" Changbin didn't waste a single second and immediately went for Jisung's bellybutton, his worst spot, making the poor kid go crazy

"NOHOHOHOHOHO, WAIHIHIHIHIT WAHAHAHAHIT HYUHUHUHUNG HYUHUHUHUUUUUNG NOT THERE HYUNG PLEHEHEHEASEEEEE"

"Aw please~ You literally asked for this, you can't stop it too soon~"

"BUHUHUHUHUT YOU CAN'T GO ON WOHOHOHORST SPOT THIS SOHOHOHHOON! THAT'S CHEHEHEHEHEHEATING HAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Changbin chuckled at his dongsaeng, finding him extremely adorable "Alright, fine, you're right" moved to his sides instead. Still too ticklish for Hannie, but not as much as before

"You're having fun, Hannie?" Changbin teased him while absolutely wrecking him

"HAHAHAHAHA YEHEHEHES!" Jisung said without thinking, overwhelmed by the tickles, blushing the second he realized what he just said

Changbin just smiled at him while tickling him, he was happy knowing he was able to make Jisung this happy

After some more minutes of absolutely being wrecked by Changbin, Jisung decided that was enough

"ALRIHIHIHIHIHIGHT HYUNG STOP NOW PLEHEHEHEASE!" Han said through his laughter, making the older chuckle as he got off of him

"How was that? Good enough for you?"

Jisung was breathing hard with the biggest smile on his face, he couldn't think so well so just rested his head on his hyung's lap and said "That was the best, thank you so much, hyung" Jisung said with his eyes closed and extremely tired

Changbin just stroked his hair while smiling at him "Anytime, Hannie"

Jisung fell asleep... Once again, but hey! Who wants to have a productive day when you can just have some tickles, right?

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OKAY I'M NOT SO SURE ABOUT THIS ONE BUT I KINDA LIKED IT AND I HOPE YOU TOO😭

[lifmera]

hi mera!! i hope you’re having a lovely day! could i please request a hazbin hotel, chainsaw man, and twisted wonderland matchup if it isn’t too much?

pronouns | she/they

preference | it doesn’t matter!

personality | very shy, but once i’m comfortable with you i become very chaotic! i tend to be mean affectionately when i get comfortable and just say what’s on my mind without much thought cause i know i can trust you. i am the type of the person to tell you if what you’re doing could get you hurt or in trouble in some way. i’m also very big about honesty so it’s rare that i ever tell a lie, especially to people close to me. hence why i want people to be straight up and not lie to me. not very big on people i don’t know well touching me, but if you’re close to me you can hug me if you’d like.

when i’m frustrated or angry, it happens often but it’s never truly that deep. like i’ll be angry but it won’t be for long. i do lash out at people, but it is often not just one thing that caused me to do it, it’s a build of of things over time.

being sad is just the same way, it builds up over time until it boils over. i cry a lot when i’m sad, same with when i’m angry, because i don’t know where to let out my emotions.

appearance | my hair color changes often, but right now it’s blue and purple! my hair cut is a wolf cut with bangs! i’m very pale with pale blue eyes and i’m about “5’3” to “5’4” in height! my style is grunge or alt, but i like to keep it simple! so just cargo pants, a plain t-shirt, and some high tops and jacket will do!

hobbies | archery, writing, reading, drawing, collecting, gaming

likes | 80s music, vampiric aesthetics, victorian fashion, cats

dislikes | bugs, spiders, thunder, loud noises, arguing

lil extras | istp | pisces

i’m a very all over the place person so i hope this is okay! thank you! <3

HI HUN!!! IM SORRY THIS IS SO LATE. IM TRYING 😭🩷

I’ve decided to pair you with…. CHARLIE, DENJI & MALLEUS

Pretty wide variety… i know!

She LOVES your personality once you start to become comfortable.

She loves to be chaotic with you. Shes just a chaotic energy in total.

She’d love if you kept her AND other people out of trouble! Thats why she loves you so much :)

Shes also huge about honesty. Did you see what happened with vaggie!

She understands boundaries. Although she’s probably huge on touch, I feel like she wouldn’t do anything unless you initiated it.

When you lash out, she tries to help you not bottling up your emotions, and talking to her anytime something happened, she’ll love to hear whats going on.

She loves your outfits and your hair!! She thinks its super unique, and would say “opposites attract”

DENJI

Chaotic trio w power!!

If you playfully are mean to him he’ll do the same. I also think he’d try to bite you as a joke. Like chomp chomp.

Hes HUGE on honesty. Like what happened with makima…? Yikes..

Please help him stay out of trouble. He’s always doing something hella nuts or putting himself in danger. Although most of the times he prob won’t listen, he might!!

I think he might be a little annoying, so it’ll make you get angry, but if you talked about it to him.. 100% he’ll try to fix it!

Loves how u look. Honestly probably fell for you bc of it!!

He would probably game with you. And he’d enjoy it so much and be like.. “could you teach me…”

Teach him all your hobbies. PLEASE. HE’D LOVE TO DO IT ALL. He’ll suck butt at drawing and painting but please. It’d be so fun.

He’ll kill all the bugs for you <3

I honestly think at first he’d be scared of thunder, but he’d start to like it, and help you!!

MALLEUS

Definitely found out abt you thru Lilia. Lilia approached you cus of your style and was like… we need to be bsfs.

He’s also pretty quiet, but when you get comfortable around him, he’d LOVE how chaotic you are.

I think he HATES when people are too uptight. And will look to you for a break!!

Malleus might be a frustrating partner since he seems closed off, but i promise its just cause he doesn’t have friends and he needs to learn :(

He’d be so happy to find out the reason you were shy at first is bc you’re awkward and you aren’t scared of him like everyone else.

He’d be fine with whatever you did to him. Honestly if you lash out at him, he’d be a little taken aback but he’d let you let all your emotions out, and try to help you through it all.

I also think he’d suck at art. At first. I think he’d pick it up super quickly. He’s pretty good at everything.

I think at first he’d also suck at comforting but after a while he’d be super great at it.

~~

I HOPE THIS WAS OKAY <3

[literallythegrabber]

TBP characters x somehow famous reader ? ( It's up to you how ) thank you for reading my request 👍

so I wasn't sure whether or not you wanted the cast or the characters themselves, so I just went with cast because it made more sense.

If you wanted characters I can redo it! 💗💗 (this looks way longer than it actually is btw)

Mason

he definitely stalks you

like not in a creepy way, he's just always on your social platforms, literally waiting for you to post.

he's totally your biggest fan, and will literally attempt to fight all of your haters.

Before your relationship, I feel like he was very nervous to talk to you.

Like if you two were ever at a screening together, or a fancy event back when TBP was popular, this man would legit stare you down from across the room. Then proceed to duck under a table if you catch him staring.

But during your relationship he would be way more relaxed and confident.

He would be chill about pda and taking you on dates in public, but your fanbase would be doing cartwheels, cause everybody ships yall.

Miguel

He's so obvious about his crush on you that it's hilarious.

If you seen those lives where he's just reading comments, then one mentions your name. He's gonna ramble on about you for the rest of the live.

WILL NOT SHUT UP ABOUT YOU, and his friends are tired of it tbh.

bro literally forgets he's famous too and turns into the ultimate fangirl.

But during your relationship he's so sweet.

Always wanting to hangout with you, taking you out in public almost every day.

If yall ever broke up, yalls fans would explode.

They be acting like yalls children with how lovey dovey yall are.

Brady

I feel like he'd try to hide it.

Like he's not in denial, but he don't want nobody knowing about his crush on you.

"conceal, don't let it feel" he's literally elsa.

He kinda keeps to himself around you, in public and all that.

He wouldn't want to overwhelm you, especially with how the media reacts when two popular human beings get together.

So you'd def have to approach him and ask for a date.

During your relationship, he would thaw the ice a bit.

You'd have to reassure him of your relationship a lot.

He just wants you to be comfortable. Lazy nights at home, introverted hangouts, cooking together.

Pretty chill.

Tristan

literally the opposite of brady.

IS YOUR BIGGEST FAN AND DOESN'T CARE WHO KNOWS IT.

He's definitely trying to rizz you up at a fancy event, and you're just like 😐

Like whispering random shit in your ear, trying to make you blush, posing with you at every opportunity.

Kinda annoying tbh

But if you give him a chance he'll tone it down. He'll start be more genuine and less flirty.

Taking you out to dinner, not wanting to take pictures with fangirls even though you scold him for being rude.

def starts arguments with you for fun. Starting light hearted arguments with you for fun.

this mf is still annoying.

but overall very cute.

Jacob

He's honestly pretty chill about you.

He just casually approaches you strikes up conversation.

In the middle of an interview? "These lights are bright, am I right y/n?" Talking with a fan? "Y/n, don't you have that same shirt?" Signing an autograph? "Do you think aliens are real?"

like shut up 😭

He really just enjoys talking to you, hearing your voice is the highlight of his day.

Yall would ease into a comfortable friendship before he ask you out.

From there on its late night ft calls, stealing each other's clothes, and going on casual excursions.

def the easiest to date.

Madeleine

She's so funny.

Either confesses right off the bat, or confirms you're hers after yall lock eyes.

kinda reminds me of that one audio, YOU ARE MINE, YOU ARE MINE.

Yall could be talking about pregnant hyenas, and she'll randomly be like, "I love you".

like girl what?

During your relationship she would be super cute.

Yall always out together. You can never catch her inside for more than 10 minutes.

Mason be feeling like a third wheel every time yall three are in the same room.

Yall just in the corner flirting and mason's just sitting there like 😐.

def your hype girl, yall always turning up.

srry, this was so long 💗💗

[swanqueensalad]

i’m not sure if you’ve already done something similar but i was wondering if you had any hc for regina’s relationship with clothes? i just feel like there’s so much to dig into with all her mother’s bullshit and how she was raised to value appearances, how performative a lot of her outfits were as the evil queen, the shift in how she dresses after the curse breaks, her and emma’s opposite approaches to how they dress themselves. idk i just feel like if anybody else would also have thoughts on this, it would be you

anon i am literally in love with you for sending me this ask. honestly why have i never done a post on this before!!! this is SO interesting to me!! clothing is definitely a hugely important part of regina's character and journey over the course of the show.

PSA: this turned into a literal play by play biography of regina's life through clothing. ur welcome. also this is totally unedited, we die like men

I think clothing means a lot of different things to Regina. I think she both revels in and resents the glitz and glamour, uses it as her shield, weaponry and armour but also it can be very vulnerable for her... it's a lot

and I agree that, unfortunately like many things with Regina, we have to start by tracking back to her childhood and how Cora raised her

Regina is a young noblewoman in the enchanted forest, and much of her 'value' to her family would lie in making an advantageous marriage. Layer on top of that Cora's absolute single minded determination for success, social climbing and for Regina to become queen one day and you just KNOW appearances were a huge deal when Regina was growing up (we see this threaded through canon too, in Cora magically changing Regina's clothes/hair/makeup for her)

to Cora, Regina's beauty was always a valuable tool she could use, but her brutal ambition would have led to absolute perfectionism.

After all, sweetheart, queens have to be perfect.

I think even when Regina was a very young child, a huge amount of weight was put onto her clothing and how she was presented.

I can imagine Cora choosing elaborate outfits for her infant daughter, dressing her up like a doll and making sure the ribbons in her hair matched exactly, being absolutely critical of everything to ensure her child was the best dressed, the most perfect

And I think this hugely impacted Regina's childhood. Cora would have allowed Regina very little freedom, partially because she was conditioning her to behave like a queen (or just like an obedient pawn for her to do whatever she wanted with) but also partially because Regina literally could not risk getting messy or dirty.

Image is everything, darling.

As child, Regina couldn't really play because she would ruin her dress, or her hair, or scuff her shoes. She had no choice but to occupy herself with the 'proper' pursuits that her mother approved of, because she physically couldn't do anything else. No running, tree climbing, flower picking etc for tiny Regina. Lots of sitting quietly and looking pretty, even as a child.

I can definitely see Cora showing Regina off from an early age, dressing her up like a doll, inviting other noblewomen for tea and dressing Regina better than any of their children, making her sit nicely and quietly.

If Regina were to be 'bad' and accidently dirty her dresses, mess up her hair etc. I think Cora would definitely punish her quite severely. because from day one, Cora was drilling into Regina that her appearance was one of the most valuable and worthwhile things about her. Queens have to be perfect.

And of course, little Regina doesn't want to be a queen, she just wants to go play in the meadow with the other children, but she wants to be a good girl more than anything, because mother hurts her when she's not.

As Regina grows older, I think Cora becomes far more critical of her appearance. A doll like, cute child is far easier to keep 'perfect' than an adolescent girl, and it's also all a huge control tactic for Cora to keep Regina affection starved and desperate to please her. So there would be backhanded comments, the constant pressure to be more beautiful. The feeling started to grow in Regina that she was pretty, just not pretty enough, never enough.

Ik I've talked about this before here (TW for EDs) but I headcanon Cora as absolutely fucking up a young Regina's body image and relationship with food too, controlling/restricting her diet. So I can imagine that dress fittings became a source of enormous stress and pain for an adolescent and teenage Regina.

In the enchanted forest, as a noble, all of Regina's clothes were likely hand made from expensive fabrics. Cora would spare no expense for making her daughter the most fashionable, beautiful, ideal young lady. So there was enormous pressure on Regina to 'wear the clothes well' and to keep them pristine. But these fittings would have been hell, because Cora definitely was stood in the corner, never ever asking Regina's opinions or how she feels in the clothes, but only ever criticizing the fit, asking if her corset could be laced tighter, and despairing over tiny mistakes.

Despite all this though, I do think a young Regina enjoyed clothing and fashion in a way. As much as her mother made it absolute hell, Regina really did like the few dresses she was allowed to have a say in and I think she always liked pretty things, she just wished she was allowed to like them on her own terms.

I think the white dress we see her wearing in a lot of her early EF flashbacks was one of her favourites because it's pretty but also simple and comfortable, something she would have chosen herself and just luckily happened to be considered suitable by her mother.

I've written about it in this fic but I also think Cora would have been actively sexualising Regina from a young age, trying to make her as appealing to suitors and other noblemen as possible to get more power and advantage. This would make Regina very uncomfortable, and I think at this point she really resented all this elaborate clothing and heavy jewelry.

There's also something really interesting in canon ouat costume design I want to discuss because I've never seen it discussed before: in 2x015 The Queen Is Dead, we get a glimpse of the fashions in Leopold's kingdom around the time Regina and Snow were about to meet for the first time. We see Queen Eva, clearly an empowered adult woman, wearing a tightly fitting deep red dress covered in jewels. Meanwhile the ten (ish?) year old Snow White wears a more appropriately girlish frock with puffy sleeves, a simple bodice and full skirts. Around this time, we mostly see Regina dressed in the latter style, implying she is still being dressed and presented more as a young lady/maiden than an adult. The blue dress Cora puts her in to meet King Leopold is a very similar design to Snow's, with full sleeves and skirt; her riding coats are also loose and puffy sleveed; the dress she wears at dinner when married to Leopold is full sleeved and skirted too; the white dress we see her in several times is the exception, but looser still than Eva's style.

I believe the earliest we see Regina in that adult style dress is in Fruit of the Poisonous Tree, when she's years into her marriage and about to kill her husband and seize power. This is a moment of empowerment for her shown through costume, and a clear shift she's gone from girl to woman, which is actually disgusting considering this is at the end of her marriage to the elderly king.

My point here is that I think throughout her marriage the world still saw Regina as a child to a degree, a poor replacement for Eva, and Regina was still very much a young woman, who did not feel any older or freer. Her marriage kept her trapped and unempowered, just like her mother had.

She always had to be beautiful and perfect, and this pressure was amped up even more as queen. I can see a newly married Regina trying so hard in the first few years to always be perfect, constructing elaborate outfits, hair and makeup just like Cora taught her, to try and be good enough for Leopold, to make him more kind to her, to make anyone at court notice her at all, but it never works. She is still only ever objectified or sidelined or both.

When she begins training with Rumple, we start to see Regina developing a new sense of style: she begins wearing darker colours, to mimic her mentor in a way. I think this is very indicative of her mental state, how easily influenced she was, how much she wanted to latch onto this one source of potential hope and power in her life.

But this was of course a transitional period, and I do think it's interesting that we see her in 1x11, seducing Sidney and killing her husband finally wearing one of the long, tight, elegant 'adult' dresses Eva wore as queen. This is when Regina really steps into her own power.

Once again to refer briefly to the same fic I think in the few years leading up to this (remember, as I love to remind everyone, her entire horrific marriage was probably around 8 years at least), Regina began to learn more of her seduction politics, and started to understand how she could manipulate the way men behaved towards her. She started to fully understand what her mother meant, how to choose a dress for the right situation, how to choose a neckline, a lipstick shade, a way of walking and talking.

I think this took her a while to stop feeling disgusted by. At some point, the rush of even this tiny way of grabbing power was exhilarating, long overdue. At some point, that stopped making her skin crawl.

Starting to wear darker colours was I think a way of rebelling against her past self. I really think throughout her reign as the 'evil queen', Regina had to loathe her younger, innocent self because that was the version of her that got hurt, used, raped, manipulated, brokenhearted. It was easier to hate that version of herself, to blame herself for being weak and stupid (Mother's voice in her head, always) than to fully feel the pain she was still in. So the pastels and whites of her youth were completely gone. She buried them, and the girl who loved them, as far as she could.

It also seems like pastels were commonplace in the Enchanted Forest based on every extra in every ballroom scene ever, and at this point Regina was so reliant on her attractiveness as a form of power that wearing dark colours and deep jewel tones was a way to ensure she always stood out, always caught the eye.

As her reign grew, I think the Evil Queen costumes grew more and more extravagant as a show of wealth and power to dazzle the commoners and intimidate all the nobles. Regina was showing them with her style choices that she was in a league of her own. And the more she leaned into it, the glitz and glamour, all the diamonds and makeup, the things she hated as a young girl, the safer she feels. The more hidden. The more superhuman.

The Evil Queen was a physical symbol as well as an idea of who Regina was. I think of it almost like how celebrities have public persona, sexualised and stylised, instantly recognisable and fastidiously designed. I think this made Regina, a physically small woman, much smaller than all the other older, male leaders and rulers, feel protected, confident and powerful.

(I think it's also a defense against the fact that as a very young girl Regina was sexualised by her own mother for a much older man, for his whole court I suppose. Regina has always been taught, through her mother's words and actions, that her beauty and attractiveness correlate to her worth, power and usefulness. And now she sort of enacts that on herself to keep herself safe. Because they can't sexualise her if she's sexualised herself first, they can't be using her if she's letting them and using their lust for her to her own ends. Her beauty keeps her safe. Queens have to be perfect, Regina.)

When we get to Storybrooke, I think it translates somewhat. In this world, political figures are the power symbols, and unfortunately in this world too, female politicians are more successful if they are polished and beautiful. Or so Regina would see it.

Queens have to be perfect, sweetheart.

She upkeeps the Evil Queen thing where she has a recognisable image, this polished perfect professional thing. Though this world is on a much smaller scale, Regina's mindset is not at all. She would never be seen out of the house without a perfect face of makeup, without perfectly done hair, manicured nails, the right outfit, the right shoes. Because queens have to be perfect. You can't show them a single crack in your armour.

It isn't all a chore though. I think Regina really does enjoy her own style, especially in Storybrooke as it is so different to anything Cora or Leopold would have had her wearing, and because it's part of a world she made for herself, there's more of a sense of independence and ownership of her own style. I think she has a really nice sense of routine in doing her makeup and hair, which is good for her too.

But still in Storybrooke, we see Regina using her attractiveness, using seduction as a often reached for tool in her arsenal.

And on the other hand we have Emma.

Now, this is a Regina post but the ask did specify and I do find it interesting and want to discuss, so I'll give a much briefer overview of my headcanons about Emma and her style.

Off the bat I'll say I consider 'Emma's style' as season 1 and 2 Emma. (I'm not going to analyse the straight-girl-style-ification of Emma Swan in the later seasons bc that's another story and also just Bad storytelling imo)

Skinny jeans, boots, tanks, plaid, leather jackets, beanies, baseball shirts. She's mostly casual, can be a bit edgy, a bit lesbian swagger, a bit teenage boy (at times). Sometimes she does a winged liner, sometimes nothing. And she dresses with nothing else in mind but what makes her feel confident and cool and herself.

Because Emma as a kid never really had the freedom to pick her own clothes. The homes got a lot of donations, and sometimes there were cool things she could grab a hold of if she managed to beat the older kids to it, but a lot of the time she was just in whatever hand me downs she could get. Not ideal for a young queer girl trying to work out her identity.

So when she started to establish a life for herself, the first time she buys her red leather jacket etc, these moments are really meaningful to Emma because it's more about being able to own her sense of self and stand on her own two feet in a stable way rather than just being about the clothes.

Which is so beautiful, because it just goes to show that once again Regina and Emma are complimentary opposites. Clothes were never important in Emma's life, so when she gets the chance, she just likes being able to wear whatever the fuck she wants, to never really worry about it, and to feel good. To Regina, clothes were always enormously important and so a great deal of thought and preparation goes into everything she wears.

I think it is interesting the way they interact in this case, because they are so different, and they both find the other one so hot, and I think they also both admire how different it is for the other.

Regina in denial would definitely consider Emma's casualness to be improper and lazy, but deep down, and eventually openly once they grow closer, she knows she admires her freedom and fearlessness.

Meanwhile Emma thinks Regina is the hottest woman on the planet (she's right) and appreciates how perfectly her gf puts outfits together, how good her makeup and skincare collection is.

But Emma can also see the other side of it for Regina too, is one of the few people (perhaps because of her own history with clothes) who can see the strain there. The control and obsession with her own appearance, the perfectionism.

And I think Emma is really good for her in that sense. Emma's own freedom and confidence is a good influence. Because gradually, as they get together and their relationship develops, Regina is able to let down a little more of that mask, bit by bit.

Letting Emma see her with wet hair, her natural curls straight out of the shower. Or in her robe with no makeup on in the mornings. And as they build their life together, Regina finds this immense relief in having someone who sees all of her in every state.

It's not as scary as it once seemed.

And Emma thinks Regina is just as beautiful in leggings and fresh faced as she is with makeup and an expensive dress. (Once again, she is right). This is groundbreaking to Regina, this idea that she can be loved and valued without upkeeping her definition of 'perfection'. That she could be enough as she is, for Emma.

That she is enough, as she is.

And of course, she doesn't always believe that. How can she, after the life she has lived? But she's working on it, and when these feelings of immense vulnerability and insecurity in herself arise, she is able to voice them to Emma (sometimes with a bit of struggle) and Emma holds space for her, listens without judgement, calls Cora a dumb bitch (sometimes) and assures Regina that she is the most beautiful person Emma's ever seen, but that her beauty is not why she fell in love with her, and it's not what makes her worthy.

And slowly, I think Regina starts to get back to finding more joy in fashion. More appreciation, in the way her younger self always wanted.

[tobiasdrake]

Examining MK1 Characters: Earthrealm

Alright, I want to take a moment and go character-by-character to share opinions on the new versions of Mortal Kombat characters in Liu Kang's new timeline.

Let's start with the giant fucking sausage fest that is the Earthrealmers. I don't know what possessed Netherrealm to restrict "being female" to a trait solely possessed by aliens. IDK. But Kang's like, "Time to collect my warriors, no women allowed. Earthrealm is a Boys' Club now, and that is final!"

Maybe he's super creeped out that Johnny reproduced in the last timeline and is determined to stop that shit from ever happening again. Joke's on him 'cause Johnny still finds love anyway.

Liu Kang/Raiden

I'm putting these two together because they square danced into each other's spots so they compare more to each other than to themselves.

How does Kang compare to Raiden? Honestly, I loved him. As Protector God, Kang has a lot more personality than Raiden ever did. Raiden's always gone for this emotionless almighty deity approach, while Kang's performance shows a lot more of the humanity we know he carries with him. He emotes more.

Any time Raiden would speak with his champions, you could feel the godly distance between him and them. He wants them to prevail, but he is a being who is far detached from them and it carries in his lofty performance. But when Liu Kang speaks to his champions, you can feel his compassion. How much he genuinely cares. There's a likable softness to him that Raiden's never had. He meets people at their level because he remembers what it feels like to be there.

He is their god. But he engages with them as if he were a friend. Even when he reveals that he is the Creator God of the universe itself, he rejects any deference. I love that about him. Liu Kang is Best God.

Raiden/Liu Kang

For his part, Raiden is... He's almost an afterthought. I was worried he would overtake the story; That the writers would push too hard trying to make him the "new" Liu Kang. Rather than let anyone else shine, they'd swap Raiden and Kang's roles completely.

Instead, the opposite happened? Raiden is barely even in this story. He becomes Earthrealm's Champion and gets to show off his fighting skills to Sindel. Then he's dropped from the story almost entirely. He's a nice guy who punches well. He was not as good at punching as Kung Lao is, until one day, he was better. That's it. That's his entire plot.

Johnny Cage

Johnny's a hard character for writers to nail down. He's a self-important jackass and a great hero. Comically full of himself and a highly formidable martial artist who can hang with the best of 'em. His portrayals often struggle to capture that balance, veering too far towards either "Useless Clown" or "Totally reformed and genuinely virtuous".

MK1 struck that balance well. We get endless reminders of how Hollywood shallow Johnny is, without making a complete joke out of him. He's genuinely invested in being here and his character ending even reframes the whole "Johnny makes movies about his adventures" thing into a form of PR.

Kang wants to reveal the truth to the world, and the medium for that is Johnny's films. That's clever. I like it.

Johnny even gets to have a character arc. It's... not great? Like, his bromance with Kenshi is strong. But he opens his story with his wife leaving him because he's let his celebrity go to his head and burned all his wealth on trinkets and doo-dads. But then the trinkets and doo-dads wind up being his ticket into becoming a true hero, so actually it's good that he's Nicolas Cage-ing it up as hard as he can?

That sort of setup is usually supposed to inform us about a fatal flaw that the character must overcome. But instead, Johnny's rewarded for it. There's even a scene where he gets to use one of his money-sink toys to help the plot, while bragging about how wrong his nagging ex was. So I guess the central message around his ex-wife is just, "Man, bitches, amirite? Always trying to hold you back."

Meanwhile, the payoff to his arc is that Johnny returns Sento to Kenshi. But there's no indicator of character growth or development. The only thing that's changed between them since yesterday is that Kenshi had his eyes gouged out; That makes this come off like a gesture of pity rather than growth.

"Man, I would be a real heel to keep holding on to your sacred family treasure after you got disabled like that."

The intent is clear; This is meant to demonstrate the strength of their growing friendship. It feels like Johnny's still hanging onto Sento more to playfully tease Kenshi than because he genuinely feels entitled to it. But we don't get to see that growth. They trained together offscreen and now they're bros.

Speaking of which,

Kenshi

Kenshi gets a lot of focus and expansion in MK1. Prior to this, he was always "Wandering swordsman does swords real good in the name of Earthrealm". MK1 expands his character, delving deep into his clan's history and establishing grounded ties to the physical world. They do a great job of making Kenshi feel like a fleshed out character.

What they don't do well is making him into Kenshi. Adaptations/reboots/etc. sometimes come off janky when it comes to explaining how the character became the thing that's iconic about them. Sometimes it can feel like the Chains of Iconicity simply wrapped around them and dragged them inorganically into resembling their counterparts.

(This happens a lot to Jax, who has to have his arms ripped off in every portrayal somehow to justify his robot arms, even though the original had them installed apropos of nothing. He felt cool robot arms would make him stronger, so he got 'em.)

MK1 Kenshi is 100% a Chains of Iconicity character. He needs to get blinded somehow, so Mileena jams a pair of sais all the way through his eyes and somehow fails to puncture his brain. Then he needs to get Sento, so Johnny spontaneously hands 'er over without a fuss. Then he needs to gain spirit telekinesis, so Sento suddenly goes, "Hey, I'm a ghost sword and you have spirit telekinesis now." Even Kenshi's confused by how abrupt and un-foreshadowed that is.

It would feel like a random bullshit twist yanked straight out of the writer's ass if we, the audience, didn't already know it was a thing and expect it from a Kenshi-shaped character. He spends most of his journey as an interesting and organic character but then he suddenly gets kidnapped and pounded into a Kenshi mold.

Kung Lao

Kung Lao is the most consistent of the Earthrealmers. Which is to say, he's fine. All the Kung Lao stuff is there. He longs for greatness. He's devoted to protecting Earthrealm. He's part of the team. Raiden goes from nobody to champion and also Kung Lao is there. Johnny and Kenshi embark on this big mission and also Kung Lao is there.

He rarely stands out but he's certainly one of the boys. This feels like neither a step up nor a step down from past portrayals, where he was the other Shaolin guy standing next to Liu Kang while Kang was doing plot stuff. Kung Lao rarely gets to be distinctive or interesting. It's his curse to always dwell in the shadow of characters with more narrative focus.

Scorpion

Why is he Scorpion? Unclear. They go hard on making their Scorpion into a composite character of Kuai Liang and Hanzo Hasashi, even to the point of having him found the Shirai Ryu and marry Harumi. (And boy does that first Invasion want you to know this is what happened.)

It never stops feeling weird to see Scorpion running around as Sub-Zero's Lil' Bro. Even when they inevitably schism, Scorpion being outraged because Sub-Zero is a disgrace to the Lin Kuei remains utterly surreal from beginning to end.

Scorpion never feels like Scorpion; He always feels like Sub-Zero (the one we know) doing a cosplay.

As for the schism itself, this worked for me. Kuai Liang having to flee the Lin Kuei because their Grandmaster is a douche is one of those Iconic Things that has to occur, but having that schism with a living Bi-Han is unique and interesting. More on that in....

Sub-Zero

Bi-Han is the original Sub-Zero, but his Chains of Iconicity thing is Noob Saibot. Bi-Han typically exists to die immediately so he can come back as Saibot. This is the first time since the obscure platformer MK Mythologies: Sub-Zero that Bi-Han's been allowed to be an active player in events unfolding.

He more or less slots into the role of the unnamed Lin Kuei Grandmaster responsible for the cybernetic program that gives us Sektor and Cyrax. A supremely sinister figure involved in a major intra-factional conflict that previously occurred entirely offscreen. At once the wicked mastermind of a major development in the story and such an irrelevant footnote of a character that he never even warranted a name.

Kicking that role over to Bi-Han for the reboot is a strong choice. It puts an actual character into the lead position of this development and promises interesting things for the future. They took a character with no story to speak of and a story with no character to speak of, and fit them together like jigsaw pieces. Well played.

Smoke

Also Smoke is nearby.

Smoke is the Kung Lao of the Lin Kuei. Kuai Liang and Bi-Han have their drama, and also Smoke is nearby. In fact, he's so nearby that he gets punted from the story for the sake of the emotional Sub-Zero Bros having their showdown together, then jogs up to Liang afterwards like, "Yo, what'd I miss?"

It's hilarious how little the game cares about Smoke. If this is how you're going to handle him, why is he even here? XD

Sadly, this is not much of a change from previous portrayals. Smoke has always been "And Smoke". He's been Sub-Zero and Smoke, he's been Noob Saibot and Smoke, but much like And Kung Lao, "And Smoke" is the story of his life.

[infinite-orangepeel]

a whumpy af steve harrington excerpt from ch. 1 of my soft dom eddie fic

aka this boy has a lot of unresolved trauma & eddie munson is going to help him heal

(the rest of the chapter that contains the actual smut will be linked below, i’m scared of tumblr shadow banning me again for posting the full thing in here)

TW: panic attacks, discussions of mental illness, suicidal ideation, vomiting/nausea (as symptom of panic attacks), disordered eating habits, ptsd, heavy themes, lots of emotions

★○★○★○★○★○★○★○★○★○★○★

It comes down to this. Steve Harrington doesn’t trust himself. Not anymore. Not since everything went to shit in The Upside Down and Max ended up on life support.

Honestly, he didn’t feel all that abnormal about it for the first few months. It was easier to ignore the magnitude of his problems when his friends were clearly struggling right alongside him. There was something about strength in numbers or a sense of community–being convinced he wasn’t the only one totally fucked up in the aftermath of the final battle.

Regardless, it kept him afloat for a while.

Robin often called in the middle of the night to vent about her own flashbacks and the nightmares they prompted. The two grew accustomed to seeking comfort on opposite ends of the telephone line, twisting the cords around their fingers and whispering “ me too, I have that one too,” as to not wake the monsters underneath their beds. Sometimes, it got so bad that the sun would rise and they’d still be trying to snap each other out of it. Yawning through the agony of another sleepless night and fixing themselves cups of black coffee to alleviate the ensuing exhaustion.

Lucas had shown up on his doorstep enough times that Steve finally had another key made. He was tired of coming home from work and seeing the boy sulking there out in the cold–grief written plainly all over his face. Steve handed him the key on a carabiner clip–so Lucas could comfortably carry it around on his belt loop–and assured him he was welcome day or night. Steve’s parents had moved out of town after the infamous Hawkins’ “earthquake,” so Steve was solely in charge of approving any and all guests at the Harrington household. Lucas, of course, was at the top of his list–he was family, they all were. As long as the boy agreed to let himself in, warm-up on the couch, and grab a snack from the pantry–he could come over any hour he needed. No more rotting outside with tears forming icicles on his cheeks. Steve wouldn’t have that.

El refused to leave her bedroom–holed up beneath a fort of blankets and wouldn’t speak to anyone for days on end–until Hopper called up the gang and they elected ‘Babysitter Steve’ to go handle it. He was the most qualified in their eyes, what with his protective older brother attitude, gentle approach, and dorky jokes. Sure enough, El didn’t banish him right off the bat–not like she had with some of the others–namely, Mike Wheeler. She let him get close without protest and when he hugged her, she fell apart against his chest–guilt pouring out of her at the fact that she hadn’t been able to save Max from Vecna. He brushed the knots out of her hair with cautious fingers and listened. She just needed someone to listen. That was all it took. By the end of the night, she was sandwiched in between him and Hopper on the well worn couch, openly laughing at the plot of Pretty in Pink.

Nancy wore a poker face for the most part, but she wasn’t completely immune to the lasting effects of trauma. She held it together in public, like the first lady at a brutal press conference–politely smiling and waving for the crowd. She’d made it her personal goal to distract the kids from what was really going on–with Max–back at the hospital. This manifested itself in her implementation of weekly game nights, arcade afternoons, and community service outings. Naturally, Steve attended more than a handful of these events–lending a helping hand to rangle the younger teens. It was only once the kids had been dropped off at their respective addresses that Nancy would let her artificial smile fall and tell Steve what was really on her mind. The loss, the fear, the worry. He’d hold her hand– platonically of course, it wasn’t like that anymore –across the center console of his BMW and nod along to the tune of her suffering. It was one he knew well, played on repeat.

Thus, Steve managed his own anxiety by keeping that of the others at bay. His role became narrowly defined as the one who would help you regulate your breathing through the course of a vicious panic attack, the one who was considered reliable in a world that had become anything but. It gave him a sense of purpose and a reason to keep moving forward. He couldn’t simply hide away in his oversized bedroom when he knew his friends were busy laying catatonic in theirs. So, day after day, he pulled himself up by his bootstraps, usually forgot to eat, chugged excessive amounts of caffeine, and set out to mend all of the broken wings but his very own two.

Eventually, there was healing. The ball started rolling around the time Max woke up. After four months of breathing tubes, IV’s, heavy medications, and machines keeping her alive–she opened her eyes one day and slowly began to inhabit her body again. Within a few weeks of round-the-clock physical therapy, solid foods, and monitored pain management–she was discharged from the ICU and returned home. Cane in hand, coke bottle glasses on the bridge of her nose, and slight gaps in memory–she wasn’t the same, but she was as close to it as she could be and that was all that mattered. She was breathing on her own accord–beautiful, steady inhales and exhales–that alone was a miracle in and of itself.

After Max settled back into her normal life, everyone else seemed to follow suit. Once the high school was fixed up by the hands of a devoted construction crew and summer came to a close, the kids started in on their sophomore year. Fall semester provided a new routine that included basketball practices, D&D campaigns (Will Byers quickly ascended to President of Hellfire Club in Eddie’s place), and tests to study for. On top of all that, somehow Steve was going to have to teach each of the little twerps how to drive, which absolutely terrified him. However, there was no way he was going to let anyone else instruct his kids on how to be safe behind the wheel. Yeah, no fucking way.

The Party finally had the opportunity to just be kids–for the first time in almost four years–and Steve was happy for them. Really, he was. Now, they could ride their bikes around the neighborhood–just for the heck of it, not because they were pedaling away from otherworldly monsters. They could waste time down by the lake and not have to search the murky waters for the dead body of their missing friend. They could be innocent and stupid and naive and not have to worry so much about the life altering consequences.

And, as happy as he was for them, Steve just couldn’t help but selfishly miss the era in which Lucas spent most nights on his couch–talking about nothing until the wee hours of the morning. The era in which El asked him to drive her to Family Video each Saturday–ready to pick out the next chick flick that would make Hopper groan. His schedule and his house suddenly felt a lot emptier without a bunch of rugrats calling upon their favorite babysitter. The silence often felt like it could swallow him whole. He hated it.

As for Nance and Robin, they had their own paths to explore–ones that unfortunately, didn’t directly involve Steve. That was okay, but it also wasn’t.

Nancy was reapplying to Emerson–early decision–and like everything else she did, she was hellbent on her college essays being absolutely perfect. She made the local library her second home as she wrote and edited and then edited some more. Steve knew there was not a chance in the world that Nancy Wheeler wasn’t going to be accepted to the school of her dreams and become an incredible journalist. She was destined for greatness. Always had been.

Robin landed herself a girlfriend and was so lovesick it hurt. Vickie quickly became the center of her universe. She had this insane gravitational pull on Steve’s best friend and he’d never seen anything like it. Robin looked like a whole new person, shining from the inside out. They did their best to include him in their plans on a regular basis, but Steve really didn’t want to burden them with his presence. Not that the girls ever made him feel that way. He was just a bit too aware of the fact that no couple looks forward to having a constant third-wheel, so he backed off when he could and lied about being busier than he was–acting like there was a laundry list of activities for him to attend to.

Truthfully, he spent most weekends alone in front of the T.V. or picking up extra shifts at the video store. Unsure of how he suddenly became the only one stuck in the past, haunted by creatures that no longer walked the Earth. It didn’t make sense. Why couldn’t he move on like everyone else? Max had been kissed by death and yet, she made it to school every day and somehow, still found the energy to ask Lucas to the Sadie Hawkins dance. Steve, on the other hand, had exited The Upside Down with minor injuries–practically, unscathed–but for some reason, he dry heaved into the toilet every morning and questioned his entire existence. Spitting up bile and wondering how long it would take before his heart jumped ship, too. He imagined it would only be a matter of time, before the center of his own being decided it was unwilling to marinate in the sad toxic wasteland any longer. Abandoning him and begging to be flushed down, along with the rest.

It’s definitely less than ideal to have some idiot ring your doorbell, when you’re right in the middle of balling your eyes out–facedown on the living room floor–and wondering why God or the universe or whatever the fuck just had to plop you down on this cursed planet in the first place.

It’s actually super embarrassing and kind of the stuff of his nightmares, but that’s exactly the position Steve Harrington finds himself in on a random Tuesday evening.

There’s nothing special about it. Just another day trying not to break apart at the seams, wasting the hours by choking on his unforgiving past. Nothing left to do, but wallow in self-hatred and stare at the popcorn ceiling.

In theory, he could just play dead and ignore the irritating chime of the bell, but on the off chance that it’s one of his friends or the pizza delivery guy has arrived early–he begrudgingly gets up and makes his way to the front door. Dizzy from standing up too fast on an empty stomach, he reaches out for the wall to steady his gait. Unable to find the motivation to clean up his appearance before wrapping his trembling fingers around the cold doorknob. Whoever it is, is just going to have to deal with the mess–just like Steve does every single day.

There’s no nice way to say it. Steve looks like shit. There’s dark circles ringing his sunken eyes that make him look like the kin of the local raccoons. The same ones that devour his uneaten groceries from the garbage cans each week. It’s a charitable donation–philanthropic even. He goes on a depression fueled hunger strike and his furry nocturnal neighbors get a feast fit for a king.

Due to his inability to nourish himself anymore, his cheeks have hallowed out, his muscles have shrunken down, and his once tan skin appears jaundiced–sickly yellow. There’s acrid bile drying on his cracked lips from the most recent upheaval of his guts. This time it was spurred on by the grotesque image of Vecna’s corpse-like face. It keeps popping up in his mind without warning, like one of those jack in the box clown toys–raking the sharp nails of nausea across the lining of his stomach.

He doesn’t immediately register who the person on the other side of the door is, which is laughable, because it wasn’t all that long ago that Steve carried the guy’s limp body out of an alternate dimension and gave him mouth to mouth. They’re not exactly strangers.

Thirty seconds go by before his brain starts back up and processes the identity of the man standing before him. As if the secretary of his memory had disappeared from the front desk and took a while searching the filing cabinets to fill in the blanks:

Mr. Harrington? Sorry about the delay. We’ve located the files. That’s Eddie Munson you’re looking at. We’re sure of it.

“What are you doing here? I thought you were-” Steve starts, roughly wiping at his bloodshot eyes to make sure he’s not hallucinating. Anything is possible when you’ve lived through what he has.

“-in hiding?” Eddie says nonchalantly, leaning against the porch–he’s taller than Steve remembers, “I was. Spent a lot of time bored as shit in a rather crappy hotel room, but Hopper gave me the all clear yesterday and I just moved back into my Uncle’s place. Sorry if I stink, it’s because I’ve been carting boxes around all day–you’ll have to get over it.”

[mazeinthemiroh]

Hii

I recently discovered your blog and have just been binge reading all your works hehe

I love your writing and aaahh your txt reactions just made my day.

I loved the txt reaction where the reader is kinda naive and puppy like. Can we get a reaction of txt to the reader being kinda opposite to that??

Like reader being sharp, witty and kinda smart ass 😬

I feel Kai would really appreciate a partner like that idk. And I just see Yeonjun and Gyu being super attracted to you when you say something smart ass or just be cunning 🫠🤧❤️

Anyway hope you have a great day :))

txt reactions to their s/o being sharp and witty

genre: fluff

word count: 0.5k

warnings: none

author's notes: i'm so glad you like my writing, thank you so much for support me and reading my works ^.^ hope you enjoy this one too! <33

soobin

soobin, on first meeting you, is a little taken aback by your prickly personality, but finds himself being deeply attracted to you for reasons he can't quite explain. maybe it's your confidence that makes his heart flutter endlessly. or maybe it's the way you talk to him and how all the words flow into a perfect teasing remark. or maybe it's how easy he finds it talking to you because you have a lot to say and a lot of opinions and ideas to share with people. he is in awe just listening to you and hearing what you have to say. so because of this, he finds you enchanting <333

yeonjun

yeonjun DIGS you, for real. i definitely feel like he would get along with this type of personality, mostly because it is quite similar to his own. you'll both have endless things to argue talk about and have a lot of debates together. like i can totally see you both staying up all night speculating on your passionate views. having someone to keep him on his toes, teasing and poking fun at him? yeah, he's all here for that. he finds interactions with you very entertaining and admire how witty and quick with your words you are.

beomgyu

well this could go one of two ways: either you two get on like a house on fire OR it's more of a love-hate relationship. not only can beomgyu be annoying and just as argumentative when given the opportunity, but he can also be quite sensitive and take things to heart too. so if you are too sharp he might not like it as much. but once you find the thin line between being funny and offensive, he finds you hilarious and, most importantly, very attractive. he will like getting on your nerves on purpose just to hear your sly replies.

taehyun

oh this man loves a slytherin type of person. someone cunning, wise, quick-witted and clever with their humour is someone taehyun will get along very well with. he likes to be intellectually challenged and witty conversations are his favourite thing ever. so of course, from the very first interaction with you, he felt sparks. he ends up being super flirty with you every time you guys meet up it's actually so ichbibvihbcikh idk you just bring that side out of him???? he is just super intrigued by you and is always anticipation what you're going to say next.

hueningkai

poor hueningkai 😭 he's not going to know what hit him honestly. he's not used to having someone like quite like you around. at first, he finds it hard to keep up with your witty comments, but he can't help but fall for your directness and natural confidence. it makes him so shy and cute i don't think you understand he's like got heart eyes for you. you make him feel confident in himself and appreciates your approach to life. i think he wants to learn a lot of things from you, that's for sure.

[pesterloglog]

Dave Strider, Dirk Strider

Act 6, page 7748-7756

DAVE: ok actually maybe i will get into it

DAVE: i dunno why my friends got to have adults around who cared about them

DAVE: they complained bitterly about stuff so i guess i convinced myself they were all in the same boat as me

DAVE: but thats not how it was

DAVE: their complaints were trumped up nonsense and i bought it cause... i dunno

DAVE: i didnt have any frame of reference

DAVE: but his dad and her mom no matter what they said it was so obvious they cared about them deeply

DAVE: even jades weird fuckin grandpa who died when she was young obviously would have done anything for her

DAVE: why did i get such a raw cut of the asshole deck

DAVE: and why did it take me so long to figure that out

DAVE: and like hes dead now so thats that

DAVE: so all thats left to do is look back and try to put the pieces together of my first 13 years

DAVE: and all i can think is what the fuck WAS that?!

DAVE: i dont come away with the impression i used to try convincing myself of, that he was like "mysterious" or "stern" or "aloof"

DAVE: the only feeling left is this insane impression that i was raised by somebody who fuckin HATED me

DAVE: and the whole act of even "raising a child" was some totally fucked up game to him

DAVE: like parenthood was one of the highest tiers of irony in his solemn bullshit bro-ninja code

DAVE: so he went through those motions and did whatever he thought was "funny" or "badass"

DAVE: but under that weird stylistic and totally sociopathic approach to parenting i cant even IMAGINE there was any emotion toward me other than some sort of loathing

DIRK: What...

DIRK: Did he do?

DAVE: i dont want to get out the laundry list

DAVE: but for reference laundry wasnt one of those things

DAVE: that was just one of the many little domestic things i just had to sort of FIGURE OUT

DAVE: sorta like i eventually had to learn what the REAL purpose of a refridgerator was from movies

DIRK: Wait.

DIRK: What??

DAVE: i dunno theres too much to even get into

DAVE: just

DAVE: i dont remember the atmosphere ever not being nerve wracking

DAVE: all havin to sneak around and...

DAVE: ugh my shitty childhood spider senses are tinglin just thinking about it

DAVE: it was "training" you know

DAVE: but you know what it really was it was some vicious shit that was bad and sucked and i hated it

DAVE: it didnt make me stronger

DAVE: it did the opposite

DAVE: it made me never want to fight

DAVE: it made me never want to see blood or be near danger or hear metal sounds

DAVE: it made me hate the idea of being a hero cause he was a hero and he ruined the idea of heroism

DAVE: i dont even want to be fighting this shitty version of jack but hey nobody else has secret welsh powers so i guess i have to

DIRK: ...

DAVE: what gets me is how long it took me to put all this together

DAVE: to stop seeing it as some kinda roughhousey and eccentric life i had but was otherwise normal

DAVE: it took years to deconstruct it all and put it back together to understand how fuckin mad i should be

DAVE: and in particular how stone cold deeply uncared for i was my whole life

DAVE: like... being merely "monitored" by a violent robot

DAVE: i only started getting it after spending a lot of time in person with a bunch of people who actually did care about me

DAVE: and i could start feeling like

DAVE: actually somewhat human for the first time

DAVE: instead of...

DAVE: some sort of runty afterthought to a household cabal of smutty puppets

DIRK: ... Puppets?

DAVE: the fuckin puppets!!!

DAVE: i know how it sounds but i am NOT joking and there is NO shred of doubt in my mind that he loved all those puppets more than me

DAVE: honestly it is very possible that he was just insane and thats that

DAVE: i guess it didnt help either that we lived with what we have come to understand may theoretically be the most evil doll to exist in any universe ever

DAVE: in fact its my tenuous understanding that he came down to earth with that thing and like actually grew up with it

DAVE: maybe...

DAVE: maybe spending 30 some years being unseparable from that hell puppet had some effect on him??

DAVE: maybe if it hadnt been casting a pall over our apartment 24/7 since he took me in...

DAVE: grinning...

DAVE: glaring...

DAVE: laughing in my sleep...

DAVE: maybe our lives wouldnt have been quite so...

DAVE: maybe we would have...

DAVE: ugh

DIRK: What?

DIRK: You ok there?

DAVE: .....

DAVE: .....

DAVE: yeah

DIRK: That doll.

DIRK: That was Cal, right?

DAVE: yeah

DIRK: Right.

DIRK: My version is "empty", apparently.

DIRK: Whatever that means.

DAVE: huh

DAVE: how do you know that

DIRK: A source.

DIRK: One supposedly knowledgeable in jujus.

DIRK: I never quite knew what that meant, though.

DAVE: well

DAVE: whatever his was

DAVE: "empty" is never how i would have described it

DIRK: Hmm.

DAVE: man

DAVE: i dunno if i figured something out here

DAVE: like um "explained" something or

DAVE: if im just driving myself crazy with this talk and nothing even needs explaining

DAVE: it doesnt change my past or how i feel about him

DAVE: he was still pretty much awful no matter what the reason

DAVE: and im sure thats the only feeling ill ever have about him

DAVE: so who cares why it was like that

DIRK: Yeah...

DIRK: That...

DIRK: All sounds really bad.

DIRK: I don't know what to say though.

DIRK: Maybe I shouldn't say anything.

DIRK: Since I just remind you so much of him, for, uh. Obvious reasons.

DIRK: I don't want to make you feel worse, or make it sound like I'm offering a defense.

DIRK: For him, or me.

DIRK: Because I don't have one.

DIRK: For either of us.

DAVE: come on man

DAVE: YOU didnt do anything

DAVE: this was just some douche bag with your exact dna, who happened to grow up to be my bro

DAVE: you had a completely different life full of like

DAVE: different choices and actions and stuff

DAVE: and even if you were gonna turn out like him youve barely cleared the half way mark on actually chronologically gettin there

DAVE: in some way ranting about all this is probably just uncool of me because...

DAVE: you arent him

DAVE: youre not resposible for any of this shit but im sorta implicitly tacking it on you anyway

DAVE: so

DAVE: sorry about that

DIRK: I'm not sure it's true though.

DIRK: At least, I don't feel that way.

DAVE: what way

DIRK: That I'm not him.

DIRK: The fact is, I am.

DIRK: It's something I've come to understand about myself.

DIRK: All splinters of me are basically me, no matter how much I want to resist that truth.

DIRK: Or pretend they aren't reflecting my own qualities back at me.

DIRK: I bear a certain responsibility for all of them.

DAVE: splinters...?

DIRK: Yeah.

DIRK: I guess the concept isn't that unique to me.

DIRK: We've all got other versions of ourselves running around here and there, throughout the various compartments of this messed up cosmos.

DAVE: right

DIRK: I just happen to be particularly connected to mine.

DIRK: I've felt...

DIRK: Haunted by them.

DIRK: And what that really means is, I'm perpetually haunted by my own bad qualities.

DIRK: So, when I hear about stuff I did in another reality,

DIRK: I'm not sure what my adult self might have ever tried to do to atone for that stuff, if anything...

DAVE: pretty much dick squat

DIRK: Yeah. But in any case,

DIRK: I'm sure I was completely in the wrong, and I'm sorry I messed up your life.

DAVE: ...

DAVE: thanks

DAVE: but

DAVE: it still feels a little odd accepting an apology from somebody who i just met and technically had nothing to do with my life

DAVE: even if you do feel guilty splinterways or whatever

DAVE: it is just a messed up situation

DAVE: and i guess i had to vent

DAVE: and there was never anyone i wanted to say all that to

DAVE: and the only thing that was gonna drag it out of me i guess was like a teen stand-in phantom of my dead bro

DAVE: just some perfectly innocent dude havin to take the brunt of this shit

DIRK: I'm not particularly innocent though.

DIRK: I've messed a lot of things up.

DIRK: With my friends.

DIRK: Honestly, that's why I wasn't that bent on sticking around, when I showed up.

DIRK: And pretty much jumped at the offer of flying here to get ready for some yet to be explained battle.

DIRK: Battles are easy. Just you, a sword, some bad guys... it's a lot simpler than having to answer for things you did.

DIRK: For the most part, I feel pretty bad about the role I played in my friends' lives.

DIRK: Especially Jake.

DAVE: what happened there

DIRK: I don't even know.

DIRK: An unmitigated disaster for which I'm entirely to blame.

DIRK: It's not any one thing. I think I was just a completely toxic element in his life from day one.

DIRK: I don't know what he's doing now.

DIRK: I wouldn't be surprised if he was trying to avoid me as much as possible.

DIRK: I'm sure that's for the best.

DIRK: I think I need to stay out of his business for a good while, so I don't risk poisoning another innocent kid's life.

DIRK: Like I did with you, apparently.

DAVE: yeah

DAVE: i mean

DAVE: maybe its a little different cause relations between peers is a whole other thing

DAVE: its tricky shit and youre both figuring stuff out on a relatively equal footing and youre both at the same point in your lives

DAVE: its not like when one person is older and supposed to be a lot more...

DAVE: never mind this is a fucked up thing to think about

DAVE: but the bottom line is yeah laying low while you sort out your stuff cant hurt

DIRK: Right.

DIRK: The thing with that, with my adult self's...

DIRK: Ways.

DIRK: The sad thing is,

DIRK: I can really see it.

DIRK: How someone like me can go unchecked in life, and turn out to become a much worse person than I already am.

DIRK: I guess I'm just relieved I still have some time to make sure that doesn't happen.

DAVE: you dont actually seem like a bad person to me though

DIRK: No?

DAVE: nah

DIRK: Why not?

DIRK: We did just meet, after all.

DAVE: because

DAVE: i dunno if truly bad people wrestle so much with whether theyre good or bad

DAVE: i think if i ever sensed my bro like

DAVE: struggled at all with what he was doing or who he was

DAVE: or showed any sort of doubt

DAVE: that might have changed everything

DAVE: but there was never a crack in it

DAVE: or the slightest hint of introspection behind the aggressive cooldude facade

DAVE: if there was i sure never noticed

DAVE: i mean personally

DAVE: i think about it all the time now

DAVE: what it actually means to be good or bad

DAVE: or if not something that starkly moral

DAVE: at least just trying to examine the difference between being decent and being a douche

DAVE: maybe its because of him i worry about that now

DAVE: but for me i think that internal struggle is kind of mild

DAVE: for him...

DAVE: or you i mean

DAVE: it sounds like some pretty dark shit

DAVE: like grappling with...

DAVE: becoming evil vs simply trying not to

DIRK: Yeah.

DIRK: That's not too far off.

DAVE: but the point is

DAVE: even just talkin to you a little bit

DAVE: its obvious youve been fighting with that

DAVE: which means that you care enough to put in some effort

DAVE: i think that counts for something

DIRK: Maybe.

DIRK: Not sure if I'm ready to accept a pat on the back for recognizing I have some problems, and worrying about whether they'll destroy me and fuck up the people I care about.

DIRK: That might be setting the bar kind of low.

DAVE: well when it comes to the subject of him

DAVE: the bars already pretty low dude

DIRK: The weird thing, honestly,

DIRK: Is that it's actually kind of refeshing to hear a sincerely leveled critique of all my negative qualities, coming from another person invested in a relationship with me, rather than from a fucked up iteration of myself as some bizarre "trollish" form of self abuse.

DIRK: The only thing I've ever been exposed to are either various forms of self loathing either from me or my auto-responder, or attitudes completely oblivious to my real issues, as expressed through my friends.

DIRK: My friends always seemed to cut me so much slack, or were just never aware of the kind of person I really was.

DIRK: Well, Jake probably is, by now at least.

DIRK: But he's also the sort of guy who's just as likely to blame himself for stuff I did, as he is to blame me.

DIRK: Jane and Roxy, though.

DIRK: Never seemed to see anything wrong with me.

DIRK: If anything, just the contrary.

DIRK: Roxy in particular had a certain... fixation.

DIRK: She meant well, but was so enamored of me, and seemingly everything I did.

DIRK: Which I think was the last thing I needed.

DIRK: To be idolized in some form by other people I respected.

DIRK: I had enough of that feeling coming from within, particularly when I was younger.

DIRK: And since then, I've been plagued by the insane ego of my youth in the form of an artificial intelligence I designed which essentially trapped that state of mind in a sort of horrid suspended animation.

DIRK: Until... recent developments, of course.

DAVE: so

DAVE: was that stuff true

DAVE: when you said you idolized the other version of me

DIRK: Yeah.

DAVE: and not just some bullshit like how i used to say the same thing about my bro when i didnt know any better

DIRK: It's definitely not like that.

DIRK: I never lived with him, or met him, so couldn't have anything like the contentious relationship you had with my older self.

DIRK: He was a historical figure from centuries ago.

DIRK: There was a lot to admire, and think about fondly.

DIRK: Especially since I was alone, and never had any direct contact with another person, or any concept of civilization.

DIRK: So even though I'm sure I romanticized what his life was like, and the early 21st century in general,

DIRK: It was nice to think about you.

DIRK: I passed a lot of time that way.

DAVE: you say there was a lot to admire

DAVE: like what

DIRK: Well...

DIRK: He was pretty famous.

DIRK: Made some successful movies.

DIRK: At least under a somewhat expansive definition of "success".

DIRK: And an even more expansive definition of "movie".

DIRK: His work accumulated a lot of subversive political influence, which got him in trouble later.

DIRK: He made like a million bullshit Statues of Liberty, scummed them up with jpeg artifacts, and littered them all over the planet.

DAVE: holy shit

DIRK: He was also a pretty badass swordsman, and an active member of the resistance movement.

DIRK: He slaughtered the clown presidents on the roof of the White House, and flew away on a shitty skateboard.

DIRK: Then it seems he gave the Batterwitch a pretty good run for her money.

DIRK: It wasn't enough, but at least he went down fighting.

DAVE: that

DAVE: yeah

DAVE: ima need to hear more details on this some time

DIRK: Sure.

DIRK: But as you can tell, clearly there was a lot to look up to.

DIRK: I thought about the examples you set constantly. The creative ideals, the advanced theories on irony and humor, the tales of courage and martial prowess.

DIRK: Really, I modeled everything about myself after you. Or at least everything good that I was trying to become.

DIRK: And I probably spent an embarrassing amount of time imagining what it would be like to live during his time, and to be able to have something resembling a sibling relationship, or be in some sort of master-apprentice situation.

DIRK: When I finally learned you existed, and started to understand who he really was in relation to me, that put a lot into context.

DIRK: I realized he was a version of you who got a chance to live up to his full potential.

DIRK: And when I understood there was a young version of you, in a situation sorta like mine, whose time on Earth got cut short when you were thrown into all this,

DIRK: I was at least happy to think there was some reality where you got the chance to do everything you wanted to do, be successful, and fight for all the right things.

DIRK: Even if ultimately it didn't lead to a great outcome for humanity, you had an opportunity to live a full life and show what you were made of.

DIRK: While I guess I had... the same opportunity on your world, somewhat less fortunately.

DAVE: yeah

DAVE: but then for all my bitching i guess i still never grasped your full reality

DAVE: just like you probably didnt grasp mine, but just reading into the mindset of a historical figure as best you could

DAVE: what if i wasnt as heroic as it seemed?

DAVE: what if adult me was kinda douchey too in a way you couldnt observe

DIRK: Perhaps.

DIRK: But beyond a certain point, I think accomplishments speak for themselves.

DIRK: I dunno if you can just completely shred every person who ever did great things because they had some flaws.

DIRK: All I can say is, it was important to me to see him the way I did.

DIRK: As a good person who inspired me, and set the standard for what I wanted to be.

DIRK: It kept me going.

DIRK: That said, I'm also glad there's this version of you who got to go through all the things you've been through.

DIRK: Like, yeah, you didn't get to be the cool celebrity who cuts down juggalos on badly defaced government property.

DIRK: And the idea of a "normal life" was rudely taken from you, and it's something you'll never get to experience.

DIRK: But this is so much more challenging, and uncertain.

DIRK: You get to apply all that potential you showed in one reality to something much bigger and more existentially critical.

DIRK: Whatever strength you showed in trying to save a dying planet, the fact is, I think we need that more here.

DIRK: And the trials inherent in being a part of something like this, I think they bring more out of you than a relatively pedestrian life on Earth would. Make you face more things about yourself. At least, that's been true for me.

DIRK: But it sounds like it's been true for you too.

DIRK: It sounds to me like the experiences you've had changed you a lot, for the better.

DIRK: You mentioned the experiences with him that were designed to make you stronger have actually made you weaker, but really, I doubt that's true.

DIRK: I bet you've become stronger than you realize, not because of anything he did, but because of what you've done, and the ways you've changed yourself through your own effort.

DIRK: I hope it doesn't come off as overly sentimental garbage, but it seems to me like you turned out to be a really good dude.

DIRK: Like, really, a better sort of dude I ever imagined talking to when I pictured meeting the legendary guy I idolized.

DIRK: I pictured him as probably being "too cool" to be the type of guy you are.

DIRK: But you know what, fuck being too cool for that.

DAVE: ...

DAVE: you

DAVE: ...

DAVE: ...

DAVE: ...

DAVE: you dont think im cool?

DIRK: Nah.

DIRK: I mean, in the right way, yes. I think you are.

DIRK: But, in the way that doesn't mean anything and doesn't matter,

DIRK: Not particularly.

DAVE: ...

DIRK: Anyway, that's...

DIRK: All my "stuff", with respect to your other self.

DIRK: Again, there's a lot more I could say about him.

DIRK: Maybe stuff you should know, or maybe it's all irrelevant to the path you're on now.

DIRK: Regardless, I'd be more than willing to answer any questions you have about him.

DIRK: Or, anything really.

DIRK: Feel free to ask me whatever, ok?

DAVE: ...

DAVE: yeah

DAVE: i

DAVE: ill have to think

[ninjakk]

Hey on the same note of asking your opinion about fanon things:

How do you feel about the very common thrope in modern au fics of wwx being some sort of vixen? I’ve seen it a lot, where he supposedly knows 100% he’s not straight so he goes around seducing men, sometimes for lols and sometimes for casual sex and then finds lwj and stops

Hey Anon,

Thanks for the ask ☺️

Hmm... well again, it's just so far from what WWX's character really is in canon, it's just odd to read!

I know exactly what you mean as well, as I have been unfortunate enough to come across modern au fanfic with a similar theme. The minute I see anything like that, I don't bother reading it any further. Everyone is entitled to have their own opinion of course, but when a character is so different from the original, I honestly don't see the point in using their name, as in essences it's just a totally different character.

I think when these people write WWX in such a way, they completely forget that he is a total romantic at heart. He's so sweet and wouldn't settle for anything other than a meaningful relationship. In fact, he's literally been holding out for his 'one', his soulmate, all these years. WWX is handsome and charming, there is no way he wasn't propositioned numerous times throughout his first life. Even if for some strange reason he was never directly approached by anyone, he never pursued anyone either - except LWJ on a subconscious level of course ❤️

Legends often gossiped about the YiLing Patriarch’s allegedly amorous life, but in reality, he’d never experienced such hectic feelings before.

Chapter 90 ExR

WWX even confirms he's never been interested in anyone or had such feelings before. Of course, this isn't entirely true and WWX later admits in hindsight, he's had feelings for LWJ all along.

This is the man who guarded his first kiss for 20 years, who carved sweet kissing heads on his wooden headboard above his bed and almost swooned at the romantic story of the Lan sect founder! Does that sound like a man who would have sex with just anyone?!

I think people tend to argue that it's not feasible for someone to be so sweet and save themselves for someone special in a modern au. But that's simply not true and a rather shallow way of thinking. Of course there are people who wait for someone special!

It's in WWX's character to guard his heart, because he actually values himself and what he has to offer a partner. Because he won't settle for anything other than someone sweeping him off his feet and being totally devoted to him, as he would them. Because deep down in his heart, he won't settle for anyone but LWJ.

Even if this is a hypothetical modern au, where WWX hadn't met LWJ yet, he would still be waiting for that special person nevertheless. It's in his character! So a version where WWX seduces people and sleeps around just because it's amusing to him is just the complete opposite to canon WWX. Yes, he absolutely loves having kinky sex marathons with his adoring husband at the end of the novel and in the extras. But this is with his soulmate, the person he's been waiting for his whole life.

Again, I'll let WWX say it for himself:

"...I really just like you so much I want to sleep with you. I don’t want anyone but you—it can’t be anyone but you..."

Chapter 100 ExR

He's only ever wanted to sleep with LWJ. It can't be anyone but him. WWX finally realises LWJ is the one he's been saving himself for, the person he wants to be devoted to, body and soul. LWJ is his soulmate. How much clearer can it be for people to understand WWX wouldn't just sleep around, when the character literally states as such himself.

Even MXTX has mentioned how hard it was to match WWX up with someone during the writing process. Because WWX simply refused to settle for anyone other than the first romantic interest she had written, which was none other than our beloved LWJ himself!

Just let WWX be sweet and romantic, yet kinky and seductive with his one and only LWJ- as it should be 💕

[xhdream]

ahh ty for responding!! ur like the sweetest ever ughh 😭😭 i actually have a blog rn called lunicho but honestly im not the most proud of the writing on there so im trying to work on my writing before starting up this blog! i'm moving my riize and boynextdoor writing to this blog and leaving the other blog for other groups that i wanna talk about! i'm kinda in a middle stage rn with my writing but i'm kinda getting it figured out!! do you have like a creative process that you go through? like do you plan your fics or anything because i want to become more efficient with my writing, i take a very long time to post and write and i feel so bad :((

giving u all of my love 🥹🥹 also we're both jooyeon girlies so i'll stop by with some pics or thoughts about him soon!!!

of course omg i would love to talk to you more so pls know you’re welcomed here anytime!! 🥹

ahh, good luck with your new blog! i’ll be looking out for your work i’m sure it’s gonna be great ~

tbh i don’t have anything specific that i stick to when it comes to writing… which when i think about it now is kinda strange bc when it comes to other things i always have to have some kind of plan/a list or anything that can guide me so i can be more efficient and productive, but when it comes to writing i just make sure to ALWAYS write down any ideas that come to mind in one document, and when i’m in the mood to write i go through them and pick whatever sparks my creativity in that moment and go from there (yall have no idea how many random conversations i have in my notes that just sit there 🫣)

i’m a mood writer 100% and that’s why i avoid sticking to plans or schedules or i will just get burnt out very quickly if i have to work on something that doesn’t excite me as much as other ideas that day, or if i don’t feel like writing at all, cause i have those days too ofc

i know it’s easier said than done, but don’t ever feel bad or guilty for taking your time with your works!! we’re here to create and have fun, so your own enjoyment and health comes first. try out different creative approaches, see how you’d feel and do what works best for you! i’ve realised that i write easier when i don’t stick to one particular thing/process, but i’m sure there are many ppl who are totally the opposite. don’t be hard on yourself okay, your readers will understand and will still enjoy what you put out <3

i’m rambling now, but i’m gonna share one more thing in case it helps someone? for me the beginning of the story is always challenging and i’ve realised that starting with a dialogue helps me get into it. most times i end up deleting it lol but just writing any kind of dialogue helps me start from somewhere, that’s something i always do if i get stuck on a specific part of the story too… music is also a must when i write! it keeps me inspired, sometimes it gives me ideas too, and i write easier and quicker when i listen to songs that have a similar vibe to what i’m working on

oh this got long sorry 🫣 but that’s all i do tbh nothing special! what about you? ~

omg a fellow jooyeon girly?? WE LOVE 🫶🏼 i rarely receive thoughts about him he deserves our love and attention!! i’m sending u lots of hugs 🥹

[unohanabbygirl]

Honestly I am very excited for Daeron’s debut in HIPS from the ways you’ve described him in some of these asks. Just the fact that he’s supposed to be the most Hightower of all Alicent’s kids but he’s the most staunch supporter of Luke because of what Aemond did. Alicent is the most rape apologist person we’ve got but then her son is on the opposite end of the spectrum. I feel like while Helaena might still speak to Aemond and love him despite what she’s gone through, Daeron isn’t having it. It’s fascinating how Daeron and Alicent were brought up with Hightower customs but it’s Alicent who wields her faith as a shield to perpetrate misogyny and rape apologist thoughts while Daeron is actually like this is terrible I’m leaving all of you & the greens are monsters. He’s going to want to actually kill Aemond once he gets to know Luke. Also I actually think he will be a source of comfort when Luke is dragged back to King’s Landing because he won’t be feeling the anger and betrayal that Rhaenyra and the others will be feeling and acting on no matter the horror they feel when they learn what happened. Excited! Let’s have one good man.

Separate question. It seems that once Luke returns to King’s Landing, you’ve implied that Aemond will be desperate to marry him in order to undo the dishonor he has done and that he believes it’s his duty as an alpha and Osferth’s father. How does he possibly live long enough for him to even approach Luke, or even voice these ideas? Wouldn’t Rhaenyra immediately kill him once she learns the truth? It seems like Aemond has been hiding from the Blacks once they win so it’s not like he has promise of keeping balance in the realm to protect him from Rhaenyra’s sword? It would be one thing if he surrendered and received his life in return but it doesn’t look like he did that from what I’ve gathered from another ask? (Though maybe I am mistaken) Also I really do believe that A LOT of lords would accept his death because of the crime he committed. Not only them but the smallfolk who suffered directly and indirectly from Aemond’s actions AND the leader of the faith would have condemn and want him dead because he assaulted an omega who literally a stand in for one their major gods. Killing Aemond would make a lot of people happy and one could argue that would stabilize the realm. No one is wanting this man alive once the truth gets out so how will it be even possible for him to even float the idea of marrying Luke?

Daeron being the one child who should be the most like Alicent seeing as they were practically raised the exact same from birth yet turning out to be the total opposite of her is my roman empire. He was raised in the faith, goes to pray at the sept daily without fail for hours at a time and takes those preachings to heart. The idea of hurting an omega in ANY way, but especially assaulting one is a crime so low that death is the only solution in his book.

Why he differs so much from his mother has to do with Otto not being nearly as much as an influence on him throughout the years as he was with his own daughter and other grandchildren. That man is one of the most callous and uncaring people, so not having to be around that rotten mindset every day allowed Daeron to truly take certain values to heart rather than just using them to tote in front of others because it makes him feel morally superior. But what I also want to add in is that Alicent being this way is just as much a result of being a female omega in a society that sees her as something to be used for personal gain (birthing children, marriage, sexual gratification, her looks) rather than a person. So I feel it’s a bit easier for Daeron to be against rape culture and patriarchal standards in this instance whereas Alicent was made to survive and developed a twisted way of seeing thingd. She sees r*pe as something thats an omegas fault because from her POV dressing modestly and keeping her legs closed is what saved her from meeting such a fate. Therefore anyone who claims they’ve experienced these things must’ve brought it on themselves for being “scandalous” or “acting sinful” Just another story of a victim becoming such a horrible perpetrator that her alpha son who actually benefits from these things is horrified that she and his sister would excuse Aemond for what he did.

Daeron X Luke is really a comfort in this universe. It doesn’t even have to be romantic or anything. Just the way he takes to Luke after all he’s been through, offering himself as a shoulder to cry on and a person to vent to when his family can’t see past their own feelings of betrayal is beautiful. Not to mention that he’ll be able to bond with Osferth. The kid needs to see that not all his family members outside of great-grandpa Corlys suck.

Aemond will become one of the most wanted men in Westeros soon enough, so him believing that he’ll even get the chance to approach Luke let alone marry him shows the true power of being delulu. But by the time news breaks of Osferths existence Aemond will have been gone for a long while, and during his self-imposed exile/search for clues he’ll learn how to lay low, be sneaky. That plus remembering the most hidden parts of the keep will come in handy…

I really want to say more, but anything else would be major spoilerss.

I can answer more Luke and Daeron stuff though 👀

[nobito203]

A chapter is about to end

2021, I left a job to get back to the US for a Master Degree in Counseling psychology. I was excited because I feel like the US is still my home and our journey together hadn't ended yet, although feel bittersweet to leave the job I was really enjoying.

This time is Pittsburgh, has to be a city. I deferred my admission at the school I didn't know much about besides what my professor in undergrad was marketing to me. She thought it's a great fit for me, so I applied and give it the benefit of a doubt. And honestly, it's been a fun ride with ups and downs.

Grad school hits different. Very hard to make friends and find a community in an environment where everyone has a lot on their plate. But everyone I met are so empathetic. We share about our experiences and lessons vulnerably which I think it's a beautiful thing. It's where we vibe so well, without filters sometimes. I have had opportunities to chat with lot of them and see their point of view. Everyone has their unique stories, but do have some common similarities. I learn that although having a lot going on, people still can connect deeply when they spend time together to talk about how they see life. Empathy soars when I see different views with its pros and cons. Sometimes, all we need is being listened, no solution needed. I might not agree with how you see live because it's the opposite with what I believe, but I do respect your point of view because we're unique. We still can be friends even when we disagree with one another, but we agree to disagree and accept it's a part of us. It makes humans human. Agree??

I found a community at my internship site. I love all people I met there. They're super supportive. Their personality always amaze me. The empathy and sympathy they have are immense. We might unhappy with what others have done but always approach others with altruism. They challenge my perspectives and encourage me to see thing in different lenses. The kids at the site I met showed me how much emotional tolerance I have for others. They emotionally push me to the limit where sometimes I felt like I can burst off, but somehow I managed to calm myself down and treat them with kindness everytime. They're the future and good education is the only way to have a better future. I look at them in a holistic way to decipher how do they behave the way they do, which increases my sense of empathy. I'm extremely happy that I stay here long enough to see the impact I and my fellow interns have on them. Seeing the good impacts we make is pleasant. I'm gonna miss my fellow interns a lot. We made it so far, some left but some still stay till this moment I'm writing this. I appreciate them, I salute the work they're doing. I wish them the best!

I ended a 3-year relationship on a good term. I was passive on how it ended but I actively learned a lot about it. I learned how to not being harsh on myself. I appreciate my ex was being honest with her feeling and made a decision to break up for her own sake. It's definitely not beneficial for me but the honesty remains a highlight. I embrace it. It's totally fine to let thing go and l let myself to leave someone who didn't match the standard I pursue. It is and will always beneath my standard if I have a relationship with someone who doesn't want to be my teammate and has no capacity and emotional maturity to work and contribute to a relationship. It sucks that it's ended but I constantly remind myself everything happened for a reason. So, allowing myself go through the grieving is a huge learning lesson and I kinda enjoyed tbh. I embrace the process and feel like a new person out of it. No resentment and regret. No love is ever wasted, even when it leads to a heartbreak.

The last 2 years of grad school were an awesome journey ngl ☺️☺️. I have learnt so much more about the world and myself. I met new people whom I vibe with, yet still spent some time to revisit old friends who making effort to know what's going on in my life. Y'all are appreciated. Sometimes, I contemplate the life I have: bouncing between cities, starting a routine in a new city, finding a community at where I'm at, missing other things, goodbye people, etc...; and question myself is it all worth it? Every time, the answer is YES, including this time. Those cities, those people, and the experiences I had are making me who I am today. I have nothing but gratitude and empathy to give back. It's going to be a new fun chapter, thanks for tagging along if you get here hehe.

The End!

-No Name

[darkpoisonouslove]

🦋what are you most insecure about when you post a fic?

🍭why did you start writing?

💎why is writing important to you?

🤍what's one fic of yours you think people didn't "get"?

🦋what are you most insecure about when you post a fic?

Whether or not the character motivations come through. I tend to write a lot of canon divergence/AU and sometimes the roles that I put the characters in are not immediately intuitive for them. Honestly, I am - at all times, not just when posting - one step away from literally screaming, crying, throwing up at the idea that the characters' actions and words might not be believable the way I've written them.

🍭why did you start writing?

Hell if I know. I just had an idea and I went for it. I wrote about 4 chapters before abandoning it. Much later (5+ years) I had another idea and I started writing down small snippets of thoughts coming to me. They weren't really stories yet but I was already planning these great epics. That went on for another year where I started at least three more novels that got abandoned either on the first or second chapter. And then I saw the Seventh Son. It gave me extreme rage for the movie and that's when the idea for my main book was born (not abandoned but I am very much cleaning up the plot and themes still, 8 years later). Completely out of spite. At that point I guess I knew writing was for me but I cannot remember why I decided to keep going... other than the overwhelming amount of ideas that just seemed like gold (they were not - at that point my approach to generating plot was just "throw a bunch of terrible situations at the page and see what sticks, except I didn't have the critical ability to actually discern what "stuck" aka was good and most of the alleged plot was just a poorly motivated soup of happenings). I think I also discovered fanfic and started my first one in the summer before the main book came to me (which happened at the end of January). I just had situations in mind that I wanted to subject my characters to.

💎why is writing important to you?

Lmao, the last couple of years writing has been a literal pain so it's not so much "I love it for reasons x, y and z" as much as it is "I literally, physically start to go stir crazy if I go without writing for a certain amount of time". It has certainly helped me deal with inner conflicts before but I don't think I've been able to successfully process an emotion since the pandemic started so I wouldn't say it's been an emotional outlet recently. Surely, I've dumped my emotions on the page - more often than not - but it either makes me more confused when I try to disentangle the characters' feelings as well as mine, or it adds more negative emotions like self-doubt and frustration. That sounds very bleak and I don't want it to but the truth is that it has been a struggle the past few years. I am constantly overthinking every little detail or getting mad at myself for tiring so easily and not having the mental capacity to write. This all sounds like a perfect set of reasons to quit but I haven't yet and I don't really intend to. Writing is important to me even if I can't tell why right now. It must be since I can't quit.

🤍what's one fic of yours you think people didn't "get"?

I'm not sure I can actually give an answer to this because I'd have to know what people think of my stories and most of them get one or two comments in total so it's hard to say if people get it or not. Honestly, I'm lucky because you really get them (hive mind ftw!). I am instantly thinking about how you literally highlighted all the parts in Want of a Mask that I tried to emphasize with my writing so that was the opposite of what you're asking me.

Honestly, the only thing that comes to mind is Sharing - a Fairy Tail fanfic that I wrote for a fandom week. It is much deeper and moving than the other two - very generic - works that I wrote for the same fandom week, yet those are more popular (that's the impression I got at the time when it was only posted on FFN; stats on AO3 kind of disagree with me atm).

Send me ((REAL)) fic writer asks

[aemiron-main]

i've been watching this 'debate' unfold and honestly, i'm just baffled, of course everyone is going to think their opinion is right/others are wrong. That's the point of analysis and coming to a conclusion based on the evidence and how we perceive/interpret the information we're given. It is not invalidating in any way, and i GET why people take it personally, but it's not a personal attack. If you're so sure about your stance, put that energy into your analysis so you can reach more people and make them see your perspective. Some people here wouldn't survive research/debate in college tbh. And it's not that it's "that serious", but also, each person is free to choose what kind of fandom content you create/consume. Character/plot analysis is the most fun for me to:) and when i go into the analysis/meta tags, i EXPECT respectful debate and opposing opinions that help me come to my own conclusion.

i enjoy reading your posts so much, and i can't wait to read your FULL gay mike analysis. i look forward to your posts as much as i looked forward to getting the scripts.

THANK YOU, ANON!!!! I'm baffled too and I've been sitting here genuinely reflecting on it and came to the same conclusion as you! Of course people think they're right and others are right and that IS the point of analysis and coming to a conclusion and how we interpet things!! You're so right, anon, you've put all my thoughts into words here!! And yes! I can see why people take it personally, but it ISN'T invalidating and it ISN'T a personal attack!! Exactly like you said!! And again I totally agree, I 1000% support people putting that energy into their analysis and reaching people and putting out their perspective!! I WANT to see other peoples' perspectives even if I don't agree with it or end up criticizing aspects of the ideas in my own posts. The intent of my criticism isn't to make differing opinions not exist, and the fact that people think that's the case tells me a lot about how THEY view and approach criticism! And you're once again right that many people wouldn't survive research/debate! As someone who has cried at multiple debate tournaments, it can be stressful, debating and arguing and disagreeing can be stressful and can FEEL like a personal attack, but it's worth it, it's valuable, and it ISN'T a personal attack! And exactly!! Each person is free to choose what they want to create or consume! If consuming content from my blog is such a hardship for some people, then they are by no means obligated to do it! And omg hell yeah character/plot analysis enjoyer buddies!! :DDD And same here! I completely agree and totally expect debate and opposition and find it extremely valuable and useful! Totally! thank you so much, that means a ton to me, because i definitely enjoy making them! :DDD <3 <3 <3 and I'm SO EXCITED for you to get to read the full gay mike analysis, it's still a little ways away from being finished, but it's getting there!! and oh my god you're just so sweet, i'm flattered!

[missingn000]

Hi hi

Firstly, I love your longer chapters! They really don’t feel as long as the word count may sound cause they’re so jam packed with content!

Secondly, do you have any tips for writing dialogue? I’m also a fic writer but I struggle a lot with it…oof

HI HI HELLO!! my god, the influx of messages like this has honestly made me feel infinitely better. it's so validating to know that every word counts. you are too kind!!

i have a ton of tips for writing dialogue, so my response got super long. but i think it's quite helpful, so answer below cut!

to be honest...my approach to brainstorming is kinda unconventional. i like listening to music and doing some menial task to distract myself -- driving, cooking, dishes, etc. i find it helps my mind relax! there's this thing called the shower principle -- you know how you often are struck with great ideas randomly in the shower? yeah, it's that weird chemical half-distraction thing that helps different parts of your brain kick into gear.

then, in terms of dialogue flow! i think if you don't restrict yourself to brainstorming of a conversation directly in order, it really helps. i often get ideas and then have to totally restructure an interaction before i write it. figuring out the trajectory of the exchange helps: what are the characters' thoughts and feelings at the beginning? how do their moods shift throughout the conversation, and where do you want them to emotionally end up? figuring out what talking points flow cleanly into others helps you structure things out.

TL;DR, because wow, this got long: it's about building bridges. how should the emotions in the conversation ebb and flow? how can you use certain topics to make connections with others that will come up later in the dialogue? what background info do the characters need to tell each other, if any? solid conversations are built on strong foundations. keeping in mind the characters' opinions towards each other is crucial, and if you want their opinions to change or relationship to develop, be sure to use verbal lines to incite these changes.

if you want to read more, let's break down a dialogue-heavy interaction: yuuta and toge's accidental date in tpg 29. since they're new to each other, what do they have to start with? what base information do they need? toge's cursed speech + talking via writing, and yuuta's...whole situation. they start off dorky and cute, but this also reveals insight into toge's struggles with interacting with others, and watching yuuta's expressiveness causes a slight shift inside toge.

the whole thing with sharing a milkshake reveals yuuta's self-sacrificing traits and toge's obliviousness to what it means to do such a thing. they discuss likes and dislikes, which leads into favorite animals -> maki & yuuta have the same favorite -> yuuji, toge's brother, has a favorite while toge doesn't -> yuuta's sisters "least favorite animals" as their hatred of non-sorcerers. yuuta flips out, but toge's unconventional reaction by offering a ketchup packet to cheer him up causes yuuta to confess he also struggles to interact with others -- and then things start to get more philosophical!

yuuta saying it hurts to be alone causes another shift in toge, where he's forced to once again confront his own struggles. toge asks yuuta to make him cry, then this flows into a conversation about rika when yuuta admits he doesn't make people cry on purpose. as toge, a relative outsider, picks apart yuuta's guilt, yuuta grasps at straws to insist he's a bad person, leading to him mentioning his birth parents.

here, i wanted them to open up to each other a bit more. to do this, toge admits on his own for the first time that he hurt his birth parents, too. when they realize their similarities, this deepens their connection, but as they continue to discuss this, they realize they have equal but opposite feelings. toge is desperate to feel emotions like a real person and not a doll, while yuuta conversely wants to discard agency and become a puppet.

then, a pause in dialogue allows toge to process his emotions towards yuuta and conclude that he's amazing for his expressiveness. oblivious again, toge bluntly says this, and yuuta verbally expresses how flustered he is and that he doesn't understand how toge could say that.

this leads to the italicized "oh" moment for toge: yuuta tells toge he's confusing, which no one has said to him before. toge's speechlessness makes yuuta's self-sacrificing tendencies, which were established earlier in the conversation to tie things together, manifest in saying he wants to save toge and feel pain in his place, at the expense of himself.

toge knows this isn't fair, and offers that instead, they should help each other. yuuta is at a loss, since no one his age has ever tenderly offered him this (ily maki, but their dynamic is much more explosive! which has its own merits, too), yuuta's brain short-circuits and he ends the conversation by awkwardly changing the subject to finding their parents.

a lot changed for them during this. they got to know one anothers' personalities and their complex situations, connected over it, then established philosophical themes for each of them. this ties into themes in the narrative as a whole, situating the conversation cleanly into the story. i think dialogue writing in comedy is a bit different, but this is already almost 1,000 words. if you were asking about that, follow up if you'd like!

all of this takes practice. don't be discouraged if you struggle at first -- different authors have different things that come to them naturally. as for me, i think in dialogue, but when i first started writing, prose was what i really struggled with. it's still hard for me, but with time it's gotten much easier. i've really improved!

in conclusion: you got this!!! feel free to ask any more questions, and i hope this helps!