#I used to be obsessed and I have the beyond birthday book

[atypicalsouda]

haha, I've 100% bought the first danganronpa because you made me curious about it tbh. I've just played through the prologue and a tiny tiny tiny bit of the first part but I love the style and gameplay already. the characters are sooo neat but gdi I don't trust any of them. 🤣

GAH THAT WAS CUZ Of ME!? wow that feels so nice 🥺

Anyway-

SPIN HYPE!! ✨✨ you’re uh, free to message me bout any DR stuff if the feeling rises…if you want

Also good-ya shouldn’t trust anyone lmao

[waywardsummoner46]

‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾ Sink Into the Darkness, My Light | One | ☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙

──•~❉ ᯽ ❉~•──

"Join us, my Light."

Two centuries ago, the ruler of the Light disappeared, plunging the universe into chaos and disrupting the sacred, unspoken balance of the universe.

The eight rulers of the Darkness never stopped looking for her; their obsession never once waning since she vanished.

Recently, they've sensed something. Never around long enough to pinpoint but so euphoric that it sings within their veins. And since meeting you, well... slowly they begin to understand why.

"Sink into the darkness with us."

──•~❉ ᯽ ❉~•──

「✦」 PAIRING - yandere ot8!ateez x (?)reader

「✦」 GENRE - ancient gods!au, fantasy!au, magical powers!au

「✦」 WARNINGS - mind control, gaslighting, dom/sub, subspace (of a sort), temporary amnesia, manipulation, YANDERE AND DARK THEMES

「✦」 WORD COUNT - 4,343

「✦」 A/N - Long time no see, huh...

「✦」 TAGLIST - Let me know if you'd like to be added :)

──•~❉ ᯽ ❉~•──

• one • two • three • four • five •

──•~❉ ᯽ ❉~•──

“Oh, Ji-Ah! You really didn’t have to, you know.”

   Holding your phone up to your ear, your eyes twinkled as they beheld the gifts your friend had gotten you.

  “Of course I didn’t have to, but it’s your birthday and I… I wanted to.” 

  She quietened towards the end of her sentence, and your heart clenched at the sincerity of the gifts and her words.

  “Ji-Ah…”

  Whilst you were at work that day, she must’ve used her spare key to your apartment and placed all of these presents on your living room table. The book you had been raving over for the past few months was sitting in a brand new giant teddy bear’s lap, all decorated and styled with a bow. A now-opened card sat neatly to their side, a picture of you both from a few years ago on its cover and the sweetest message inside. 

  As much as you appreciated everything and made sure to verbalise that gratitude to her, you both knew that the book was what held your attention the most. You had spent literal months searching for it, ‘The Hidden War Within.’

  When you’d first mentioned it to Ji-Ah, she’d laughed and asked if it was some sort of mindfulness, positive psychology type book. You’d dismissed her playfully, stating that she wasn’t necessarily incorrect but ignored the actual content of the book. ‘The Hidden War Within’ is a novel by a collection of authors over the course of centuries; it’s written from the first person perspective and tells the tale of a lady, every time, who aims to nurture the goodness in people and minimise the evil that could fester. The antagonist, a male whose origins vary, actively dismisses her aims, instead wishing to incite sin and discourse within the people of the land. The  descriptions of the constant battle between the pure aims of the protagonist and the insidious intentions of the antagonist captivated you in an inexplicable way; the applications this has to the human race as a whole really piqued your interest.

  Philosophical topics was something you dabbled in on occasion but the discussion between good and evil being a force out of the individual control of a person and, instead, determined by forces beyond comprehension did cause some discussion between you and Ji-Ah. Mainly, are people born evil or is it an environmental thing?

  The fact that it had been written from numerous authors over the span of centuries was another aspect that only deepened your intrigue. How had authors, all from different parts of the globe and periods of time, collectively written something akin to a timeline of a novel? Realistically, the only thing the stories within the novel had in common was that they discussed the same topic in eerily similar detail just with different historical influences, but that only reinforced the entire philosophical debate of are people born evil.  

  Undeniably, ‘The Hidden War Within’ had wormed its way as a repetitive topic within your friendship and that enabled your obsession with the novel to grow until you were borderline desperate to possess it for yourself.  

  So, as you held it in your hands, tears of unfiltered happiness streamed down your face silently. “Thank-”   “You are very, very welcome,” she cut you off. Then, there was a pause on her line. “To repay me, if you’re feeling oh-so indebted to me, you have to come out with us for a drink tonight.” 

  You knew that the tender moment wouldn’t last long, not with Ji-Ah’s aversion to lengthy emotional situations. 

   Still, you sighed. 

  “Ji-Ah, you know I don’t drink.” You’d had a few in the past, curious to try it out but it never became anything more than just that - a new experience. Alcohol was off-putting to you, it just never tickled your fancy and after seeing what it can lead to… well, fair to say you’d rather stay away from the stuff. 

  Ji-Ah, bless her, was very accommodating to this particularity of yours and always ensured that you were as comfortable as possible at any social event. Hence why her next words weren’t a surprise, “You don’t have to drink-drink, but I am going to have lots of drink-drinks… if that’s okay with you?”

  You laughed softly, shaking your head lightly even though you knew she couldn’t see you. “I trust you, Ji-Ah. I know you’re responsible with it. It’s Jee-Won that I’m dreading, you know how she gets.” 

  Everyone knew how Jee-Won got after a few drinks, especially at a bar where there were plenty of young, ‘attractive’ men to scope out. Her fascination with picking out another guy at every social event was sad because she could quite easily find someone to truly love her and be loved by her. Alas, you might have to resign yourself to her drunken activities and pray that whoever she invited back to the table tonight would be decent and not equally as unhinged as she could be.

  On the other end of the phone call, you could basically hear her thinking of how to convince you to go and as painful as it was to admit to yourself, her persistence was slowly grating at your resilience. 

  The teddy bear sitting on your living room table was practically begging you with its plastic, unseeing eyes. Ji-Ah had bought you all of those gifts and… it was only one night, wasn’t it? And it was your birthday? Surely, it couldn’t be that bad…

  A heavy, resigned sigh escaped your lips and Ji-Ah practically squealed over the phone. 

  “See you at eight! You will not regret this, (Y/N).”

  Somehow, you already did.

──•~❉ ᯽ ❉~•──

  It was her fault really that you were in this situation, really. She couldn’t possibly have expected anything different, right? 

  Maybe she did, maybe she expected you to resist, to battle it off as much as you could but her optimism would be her downfall. 

  The urge was just too mighty, the temptation too unbearable to deny and you, too unfortunately stubborn for your own good.

  Looking down at your tote bag, swimming with an array of different chocolates and a multitude of her favourite sweets, you grinned. She’d definitely kill you for buying these for her but words of thanks just weren’t satisfactory enough. Her gifts had quite literally made you cry; you needed to show her, rather than tell her, just how much you cherished her actions.

  Deep down, you knew that she knew that. It was also just fun to see the outrage on her face when you presented her with chocolates or some flowers whenever she’d gone out of her way to spoil you. 

  Deep down, you also knew that she knew that you knew she secretly likes her efforts being appreciated so much and it always makes for a phenomenal movie night whenever you shower her with a myriad of sweet and sugary specials (not that she’d ever admit to that).

  There was something missing from your horde of tradeable valuables and that was, in fact, a palette of different coloured flowers. With a subtle mischief to your stride, you made your way to your most trusted, dear florist ‘Life Rose On’.

  The name never fails to make you chuckle.

  On Jung-Hee owned the beautiful establishment and had been a friend of sorts since you moved to the area five years ago. When moving into your then-new apartment, you decided that the first step to making the space your own was to liven up each room with different colours and types of flowers. 

  Your idea worked like a charm and really helped to keep you motivated when unpacking. Jung-Hee very kindly took the time out of her day to help you hand select each individual flower (and entertained your ceaseless indecision); from that day, you always made sure to drop by whenever you were in town to say hello and to drop off some soju. The old lady was very open about her love for the stuff, even if you had no interest in it. 

  If it was for Jung-Hee, there’s not a lot you wouldn’t do. You loved the elderly lady like your own grandmother and would also lend a helping hand should she need it. 

  She was similar to you in the way that she always repaid you through gifts for your considerate actions - typically a free bouquet of your favourite flowers. 

  After a nice stroll through town, you reached the florist. 

  Unsurprisingly, the window display was stuffed to the brim with a myriad of floral beauties that looked like Mother Nature’s mosaic. Jung-Hee seriously knew how to capture an onlooker's attention and, judging from how many people you could see in the shop beyond the glazed window, she’d succeeded immensely.

  You crossed the street, navigating the crowd of people on the pavements. 

  You got so caught up in the masses of people that you failed to notice the raised step at the entrance of ‘Life Rose On’ and, ultimately, began falling to your doom.

  Letting out an embarrassing squeak of surprise, you braced yourself for the impact with the floor that… never came.

  Peeling your eyes open in mild confusion,  you barely suppressed your gasp of shock at the kind eyes of the stranger that had caught you. You both stayed in whatever position he’d caught you in - you were too out of it to process that properly - and took the opportunity to analyse each others’ face.

  He had the warmest eyes you’d ever seen, a gorgeous galaxy of chocolatey velvet wrapped up in his irises. His lips, parted ever so slightly and downturned, were rosey red and were porcelain in their appearance, flawless and beautiful. Delicate waves of dark hair lined his forehead and it took all of your energy not to reach up and smooth a stray strand out. 

  It felt like hours had passed with you looking into his eyes and examining his face. You couldn’t get enough, there was something so captivating about him, something that made you want to know more-

  Someone cleared their throat. Both you and the stranger were shocked out of your respective reveries and a light blush dusted your cheeks. The stranger seemed completely composed, in contrast. The person who’d cleared their throat was a customer trying to leave through the doorway but found it difficult with two humanoid obstacles in the way. You were happy to see that the lady wasn’t a regular, so she probably wouldn’t bump into her on another occasion. 

  Huffing at your distracted apology, the lady moved past you and the stranger and out of the florist. Now that you and the man were both standing by yourself and pointedly not tripping over some violent, unseen step, you struggled to maintain a neutral expression when you saw how tall he was compared to you. 

  He was easily six foot tall, and using the door as a substitute measuring tape you guessed that he might be slightly taller than that as well. You cursed yourself internally. Of all the people that had to see and catch you, why did it need to be this man? 

  “I am so sorry, are you alright?” You questioned with an apology written all over your face. 

  And, oh, if you thought his face was perfect, then his voice was enough to cause you to ascend. “I’m perfectly fine, are you alright?” how were you supposed to keep composed when his voice sounded like that. 

  Smiling self-deprecatingly, you responded, “I’m perfectly fine. Thank you for that.”

  “Don’t worry about it.” And you didn’t, not really. Not when he assured you so confidently that there was absolutely nothing to trouble yourself with. “Tell me your name.”

  Instinctually, you went to tell him but something held you back. Possibly the way he’d said it - a demand rather than a question. Possibly something else. Although, It struck you as odd that that was how he’d go about that topic but figuring it was largely irrelevant and most likely you were reading too much into things you gave him your name.

  “(Y/N),” he repeated, your name sliding off his tongue so heavenly. “My, how interesting. I used to know someone with the same name.”

  Your eyebrows raised in polite surprise. “Oh, really?”

  He smiled down at you but there was a pinch of something unpleasant weaved into his expression, “Yes. A very compelling woman, was she.” His sudden emotion made you mildly uncomfortable, feeling as though you’d unintentionally uprooted some harsh forgotten memories. 

  Before you could say anything, though, the man bowed to you. “Lovely to make your acquaintance, (Y/N). My name is Yunho.”

  Yunho. 

  You finally had a name to match his angelic face. It suited him perfectly.

  Smiling, a genuine, light-hearted one this time, you mirrored his bow before you both straightened and simply stood there, on the doorway to the shop, and gazed at each other silently. There was something about this man that made you search his eyes, the very deepest, darkest parts of his pupils to find his soul. You didn’t know what it was, but something inside of you said that Yunho was very unique.

  Very unique indeed.

──•~❉ ᯽ ❉~•──

  Yunho and you had spoken for another twenty minutes before he’d had to leave.

  The entire time, you were hanging off of his every word and couldn’t quite escape the magnetism of his irises. There was something so captivating with the way he spoke; the words he chose, the tone in which they were woven but also how calming his deep voice was. And, oh, his eyes.

  You couldn’t stop thinking about them. 

  Glancing at your phone, the time read 13:26. That left you about six and a half hours before you had to be there, five hours before you had to get ready, four hours before you got some food and only two hours and a half before you went home. 

  Flowers were the last thing on your list, so once you’d picked out a personalised bouquet for Ji-Ah you’d be able to browse whatever other shops tickled your fancy and then go home, to get ready for your “night out”.

  The more you thought about it, the more you regretted your decision to go. Realistically, you’d most likely have a phenomenal time if you allowed yourself to indulge in the experience. But sitting on your living room table was the one thing you’d wanted for months; it was finally in your grasp and you couldn’t even read it until tomorrow (because you weren’t stupid, you won’t be leaving the club until two in the morning).

  Helplessly, you sighed. There was no way to escape your fate. It was inevitable. At least the flowers were pretty.

  ‘Life Rose On’ was, for lack of a better word, a labyrinth. The only reason you could get around as quick as you could was because you’d navigated its maze-like twists and turns for five years and, even then, when Jung-Hee decided that the shop was getting “too predictable”, she’d reorganise the entire shop so that any hope of save journey was futile. The woman loved to keep people on their toes, her distaste for monotony something you admired contrary to the perilous jungle that was her shop.

  The shop was bigger than it appeared; the bleak outside of the shop didn’t do its magnificent interior any justice. As soon as you entered the florists, an archway made entirely of Japanese Wisteria, Mandevilla and Clematis enveloped you with their sweet smells. Each climbing plant twisting so delicately around the foundations of the archway and certain pieces dangling down in a still, flowery downfall; the occasional petal falling to the ground made walking into the shop feel like you were stepping into another realm with only nature’s best caressing you lightly on their way down to join those who fell before them. 

  After the winding walkway, there was the option to take a left or a right turn. Both laid out to be the start of a rainbow - the beginning of each row included dark red roses, amaryllis to name a few and continued down the line with plants including sunflowers, bluebells and lavender. 

  On Jung-Hee loved a spectacle. She was only just getting started.

  The overall layout of the shop was circular. So, after making your choice of left or right, you would be brought to a turn that took you further towards the centre of the shop. Instead of beginning from red and going down the rainbow, Jung-Hee intricately places each and every flower on these stands to mirror the symbol of whatever season of the year it was. For example, for Valentine’s day, she had gathered the flowers and created a phenomenal display of plants made to look like a landscape of a couple sitting on a mountain, overlooking the horizon. 

  What made ‘Life Rose On’ so unique is that Jung-Hee’s life quite literally revolved around the shop and had dedicated her life to making the shop thrive. It was her family heirloom in a way. The building itself had been in her family for generations but she’s been the first to utilise it to its full potential and allow her family home to bloom to its fullest extent. 

  It was that same ideology that inspired her to make it a florist. Ever the poet, she said that every plant or flower sold was pollen and her customers were the bees, helplessly drawn to its beauty and coming to crave its offerings as sustenance. 

  “You will always be my favourite bee, my dear,” she always said. 

  “And you’ll always be my favourite flower,” you’d respond with an unrestrained smile on your face. 

  After the landscape aisles of the shop, you’d finally reach the centre where the cash register was. Dotted around it, however, were individual stands and displays of flowers that may not have been considered as suitable for the display chosen that month or were simply too big to be practical anywhere more confined. 

  And sitting at the cash register, looking effortlessly in her element would be Jung-Hee. 

  Except… she wasn’t there. A young man was sitting there instead, one you’d never heard of before, let alone seen. Jung-Hee had no children nor did she have any nephews of close relations to anyone of his description.

  You hadn’t seen his face yet, having turned right after the archway you’d reached the centre from behind the cash register so his back was turned to serve the small line of customers there, but you found it slightly odd that Jung-Hee wasn’t at the register she seemed to be glued to six days a week (it used to be seven but you managed to convince her to take Sunday off to look after herself, rather than others for once).

  Biting your lip slightly, you looked down at the collection of blue hyacinths and forget-me-nots you’d collected for Ji-Ah and contemplated coming back at a later date. There was nothing necessarily wrong with having a stranger in Jung-Hee’s place but you had brought along some small things you wanted to give her today and, evidently, you wouldn’t be able to do that. Ji-Ah would still have her flowers and chocolates and whatnot, but at a later date. 

  Thinking about it, it made more sense to kill two birds with one stone at a later date. You wouldn’t be able to give Ji-Ah the flowers until after they’d died anyway due to your schedules being unaligned after tonight and the florist you were looking for was nowhere to be seen.

  Then again…

  “Daisies would work wonderfully with those.” 

  You jolted and looked up to meet the eyes of one of the prettiest, most angelic people you’ve ever seen in your life. Internally, you were mildly shocked at how such a smooth, deep voice could match such an innocent face and yet, somehow the low baritone of his voice was as pleasurable to listen to as his eyes were to gaze into. 

  The irony of his rosy red lips wasn’t lost on you. 

  The man had a birthmark on his cheek, strands of parted black hair framed it like the most cherished picture. Because this man was a work of art, and he deserved to be framed for eternity. 

  Two men. Two heart-wrenchingly handsome men had crossed paths with you in less than twenty minutes. The first one you’d made a fool of yourself to. You’d be damned if you ruined this chance to redeem yourself, even if only to make yourself feel better,

  Meeting his eyes, you took a subtle breath to steel your nerves. “Do you think so? I was debating between purple tulips or just buying them as they are, but I see where you’re coming from.”

  Alright, a slight ramble perhaps but at least you didn’t stumble over your words (or your feet like with Yunho).

  The way his eyes twinkled with sudden interest gave you a bit of confidence. “An interesting choice, but don’t you think the contrast of the daisy’s white petals against the darker purples and blues would only add to the beauty of them all?”

  Contemplatively, you looked down at your hands and imagined the picture he’d painted in your hand. It did make sense, actually. As he said, the contrast between dark and light made a very balanced, very alluring image inside your head. “Ah, you know what? You’re right, that would look lovely.”

  He leant back (you didn’t register when he’d closed a slight distance between you), and looked proud of himself. Dare you say it, the pleased expression he wore was adorable. 

  “I’m glad I could help. My name is Yeosang.”

  Yeosang.

   Just like when you learnt Yunho’s name, something felt so instinctively right about that. Not only did the name suit him perfectly but as though something thrumming underneath your skin calmed after learning his name. 

  “(Y/N), it’s nice to meet you. Thank you for your help, Yeosang-ssi,” you bow deeply so that he avoids seeing the blush dusted across your cheeks. You don’t know what it was, but there was something going on with you today. First Yunho, now Yeosang. Two complete strangers that had affected you more in two minutes than a lot of people had in two years. 

  “You’re very welcome, (Y/N).”

  Yeosang helped you to find however many daisies you wanted (six) and walked you to the register, all while making small talk. It was only when you saw him stand behind the counter rather than in the queue did you make the connection between the mysterious new worker and this kind stranger. 

  Lips parting softly, you placed the flowers into his outstretched hand for him to place them into the bouquet wrapping. “How long have you worked here?”

  His hands worked the ribbon around the patterned wrapping so expertly that you wondered how much practice he’d had at this. “I’ve been here for about two years this month.”

  Two years? Impossible, you would’ve run into him at some point with how frequently you visit the shop. And even if by the very small chance that hadn’t occurred, Jung-Hee would’ve told you of such a development. 

 “How come Jung-Hee never mentioned you?”

  At your question, his hands slowed momentarily but picked up from his slight hesitation as though nothing had happened. “You know Jung-Hee?”

  “I’ve known her for nearly five years now. She’s always been wonderful company and an even better friend.”

  He hummed thoughtfully, “I find it odd she never mentioned me, I must admit.” Finishing wrapping the flowers up, he made eye contact with you again and the sudden tenseness and mild hostility you found in them caught you off guard. “She and I have a very complicated relationship but one that I cherish, nonetheless.”

  You waited for a few seconds for him to elaborate but once he remained silent for the same amount of time, it became clear he wasn’t going to answer further. 

  A part of you still wanted to know where Jung-Hee was today, and you were about to ask when he reached down to something on the shielded side of the counter, hidden from your view. 

  Bringing his hand up, you saw that he’d picked a singular purple rose. He twirled it in his hand for a bit, admiring its rare beauty, before making eye contact with you once again. Slowly, as though giving you the opportunity to step back should you wish, he raised the rose to your head and tucked it gently behind your ear.

   His hand lingered by your cheek for a second longer than it should’ve, especially considering the short amount of time you’d known him… but, you’d be lying if you said that closeness, even the faintest amount of it, wasn’t the best thing you’d experienced in a long, long time. 

  Appearing reluctant, he pulled back. “Goodbye, (Y/N). I hope I’ll see you again soon.” His voice was a whisper but carried the weight of a winter wind. 

  You couldn’t help the blush that spread across your cheeks. If the slight twitching of his lips was anything to go by, he was well aware of the effect he had on you. 

  You met his eyes, the look he was giving you so tender it made saying this goodbye almost unbearable. “Goodbye, Yeosang.”

  After leaving the innermost circle of the shop, you felt like a weight was settling off of your lungs. You didn’t even recognise how difficult it had become to breathe there, nor had you recognize how unexplainably painful it was to depart from Yeosang only after knowing him for fifteen minutes.

    A rush of something euphoric had spread through you after he’d given you the flower, and coupled with the barest touch to your cheek your emotions had been sent tumbling. You stepped out of the shop and, for the first time in a long time, felt like there was something more to your life again. As though you’d found your purpose.

  Oh, how little you knew.

──•~❉ ᯽ ❉~•──

[genericpuff]

You mentioned multiple times that Persephone is a self insert of Rachel, how is that so?

Also, I love Lore Rekindled

So obviously it's not like Rachel herself has outright stated that Persephone is a self-insert, but there's a lot of narrative and visual evidence that points to this being so.

Disclaimer before I continue: a lot of this is speculation, take it with grains of salt, but understand that all of the following evidence is why so many people subscribe to the idea that Rachel is using Persephone as a self-insert power fantasy, myself included. This is going to be a long post.

First, the most obvious - Rachel and Persephone look virtually identical, especially when Persephone's hair is short. In a way that's not even reaching at this point, like there are times when Persephone literally looks like she was traced directly off Rachel's face. It's panels like these where you don't even have to squint or fill in the blanks with your own interpretations, Persephone literally looks like Rachel.

There was also that time she dyed her hair pink and her own audience called out how she looked like Persephone (unironically for the most part, which goes to show how much the implications of Persephone being a self-insert of Rachel has gone over their heads, sigh)

She's also made absurd claims in interviews that Persephone and Hades were her "muses" since all the way back in middle school.

I say these claims are 'absurd' because frankly I just don't think that's true, there's nothing from her early-mid 2000's online presence (which is still accessible via the Wayback Machine) that suggests she was into Greek myth content, most of her stuff from back then was medical fetish and lolita art and not a single piece of Greek work is mentioned on any of her profile bios, favorite book lists, or interests, not even once you get to the 2010's when she started shifting away from blatant medical fetish art and more towards marketable storybook-style art.

(she definitely mentions Lolita though 😒)

I firmly believe she's just making up that whole "Persephone and Hades were my muses" thing the same way she's made up her 'folklorist' label to hide the fact that she has no connection to Greek myth whatsoever and was just creating LO on a whim during the era of Hades x Persephone shipping prompts that were popular on Tumblr at the time. It just so happened to become massively popular so she stuck with it and tried to pretend like she always loved Greek myth as a way to justify her success when really it was just luck and circumstance.

But we can go further back than that.

You see, Rachel also really... really likes Mads Mikkelson. Like, beyond just enjoying his work and entering teenage girl obsessive cringe territory. I wouldn't be calling it out if she was a teenage girl or even a young adult, but she isn't - she's thirty seven years old.

Mads Mikkelson is, of course, her dream cast for Hades, and when you see how she views Mads Mikkelson, the rest practically writes itself.

But we can go even further back than that.

Because, you see, Rachel has old art accounts from long before Lore Olympus. Normally I try to avoid posting a lot of this stuff because it's very much old skeletons that we usually understand to leave buried, but this particular piece is very relevant to this discussion.

'Madame issue' was the screenname of her account where this drawing comes from. You may also notice this is very likely where the name 'used bandaid' came from. This character is meant to be Rachel. It was very common for her to draw herself with short pink hair back then and it seems that's barely changed now.

Just wanna also throw it out there real quick that Rachel's birthday is March 21st. Guess what date Rachel chose to make Persephone's birthday? Oh yeah, the first day of Spring, literally March 20th. Which shouldn't even exist yet as Lore Olympus is based on The Hymn to Demeter which outlines the creation of the season. But I digress.

Now, this may be a little irrelevant and nitpicky, but to circle back around to the point I made earlier about her not having any genuine connection to Greek myth, Rachel seems to have always behaved like this, in a way that tries to 'hide' the fact that she's not 'legit'. There are old FAQ's from her art pages that answer questions she's asking herself in a very arrogant "how dare you ask me this" kind of way. Like, she claims to have imposter syndrome, which I'm not saying is a lie, but if she does, she definitely uses blind arrogance as a way to cover up for it. It reeks of early 2000's 'mean because it's cool to be mean' energy and that seems to be an attitude that she hasn't left behind in the early 2000's where it belongs - she's just channeled it into 'girl boss' Persephone instead.

It's become abundantly clear after going through old LO asks/livejournal/flickr/etc. posts that Rachel herself 1.) romanticizes purity culture (again, like the Greek myth 'self-proclaimed folklorist' thing, she's trying to claim she's 'deconstructing' purity culture when her actual beliefs are the exact opposite), 2.) values naivety and youthfulness vs. experience and wisdom, especially with how she talks about Persephone and 3.) constantly tries to act like a 'boss babe' similarly to Persephone.

There's also the fact that the time skip perfectly aligned Persephone's age to be in the same range as Rachel - she's now 30 to Rachel's 37. The time skip didn't have to be exactly ten years, if it was purely to retcon the age gap problems then she could have made it far longer, but she made it specifically 10 years and I feel like it can't be a coincidence when we consider how close in age Persephone and Rachel now are. Recalling that earlier point that Rachel seems to be obsessed with naivety and youthfulness, she probably didn't like the idea of making Persephone 40 because that would be too "old".

That's not even getting into the actual way that Persephone is written. This is the part where I say there's nothing inherently wrong with writing self-inserts, even famous authors do it, but the issue lies in authors writing them as power fantasies and not actual fleshed out characters. Persephone is not a fleshed out character. She does not have flaws - at least none that are recognized as flaws - and she never loses. She does whatever Rachel wants her to do on a whim even if it contradicts previous actions or information we've been shown. Sometimes she's an inexperienced "uwu" teenage girl, other times she's attempting to be a 'boss babe' (but really it just comes across as her acting like a Karen.)

All that said, it's not uncommon for poorly written self-inserts to lack consistent characterization because the author is too hopped up on writing them to fulfill their fantasies, even if those fantasies don't align with pre-existing information. There's also the fact that Persephone herself never suffers any consequences for her actions, even when she's in the wrong, and terrible things that happen to her are more for the sympathy of the audience and less for actual character development, depth, or underlying meaning. The comic's universe and the characters that reside within it bend around Persephone and her wants and needs, and this is something that happens with poorly-written self-inserts a lot especially when they're being written purely as power fantasies and not actual character studies or reflections. Nothing bad will ever happen to Persephone, she'll never suffer real consequences for her actions, and she'll never make any real sacrifices, because Persephone is Rachel and Rachel can't write Persephone separate from herself.

This kind of goes hand in hand with the whole "she didn't make Persephone 40+ because then she'd be too old" thing, but I'd also like to mention real quick that Rachel has never written a female character who isn't like this. All of her main characters from all of her works are women, which is perfectly fine in isolation, but they're all written as the exact same woman, sharing traits of naivety, inexperience, youthfulness and innocence. None of her female characters are over the age of 21. Making Persephone a "doesn't know she's sexy" 19 year old who's often drawn very childlike was very intentional as it's the exact same kind of character she's been drawing for years now, and the fact that she's 30 now is simply Rachel trying to retcon the problematic age gap that she got called out on; with the added bonus that it makes Persephone even more like Rachel.

No, Rachel has never directly confessed to Persephone being a self-insert, but I don't think someone like Rachel - who already speaks with a veil of disingenuous arrogance - would admit to it anyways. The writing is on the wall: how she's written Persephone and every female protagonist who has preceded her is a deliberate choice based around Rachel's own beliefs and values - that women are only desirable when they're young and thin, that the "ideal man" is someone who's above everyone else in power, wealth, and status and will and should use that power, wealth, and status to get what they want, and that women should be as cute and innocent as they can be until any degree of opposition or questioning comes their way, in which they are justified in exercising outright cruelty and abuse towards those in their way, with no in-between.

And that's all I'm gonna say on that.

[tteokdoroki]

✉️; A ROYAL FIRST. - K.BOKUTO

💌; synopsis - the night before his wedding to another, his royal highness - king bokuto asks you, his childhood best friend, for advice on how to please someone.

↳ length: 3.2K

↳ warnings: smut, mdni 18+, fem!reader, characters aged up to 20s, royalty!au, mentions of death, unprotected sex, clothed sex, fingering ( f!receiving ), creampies, inexperienced!bokuto, king!bokuto, knight!reader.

↳ notes: hello everyone !! this was a lovely commission from @potionpeddlerpatchy who gave me permission to post !! i love writing bokuto sm, i hope you enjoy <3 - m.list ♡

you’ve known koutarō bokuto your entire life, your destinies intertwined by the simplicity of fate. 

your parents served under your companion’s predecessor, the king, long before your existence. your father was the closest thing a servant could be to the king’s right hand ( though just a mere royal cook ), your mother, the nanny to the two daughters and wailing son the queen had bared fruit to. as kind as she was, your mother had done her best to raise the princesses and prince when royal duties prevented their parents from adequately doing so— treating them as if they were her own.

though, not long after prince koutarō’s first tooth and birthday, it was announced to the princesses that their favourite nanny would be expecting, a little girl with galaxy eyes and an adorable face that showed a promising future. a young koutarō was equally as excited as your parents— obsessed with baby babbling to you before you’d even developed ears. 

some say that these moments had linked you for all of eternity.

so, you grew up alongside a prince who was far from neat, with unruly silvering and soot-covered locks, gaps in his teeth from where they’d gotten wobbly or he’d kicked out with friends he claimed were much stronger than you at the time. bokuto could be kind, not just a boy who picked on a girl maybe a little lesser than him. he would read you books from the libraries under blankets before bed while your mother drew him a hot bath; he would help you sound out the tongue twisting syllables of words you had yet to learn ( they were words used by only members of the courts ).

separating both yourself and koutarō was like removing peas from their pod— there was always a fuss, a sharp set of words from your mother as you were ushered out of the room and into the arms of scullery maids so she could prep him for bed. though, once you were old enough to pick a lock with a hairpin you'd stolen while learning to braid the princesses’ hair, yourself and koutarō would sneak into the royal kitchens after dark where your father would often leave out warm milk heated by the fire and slices of sweet apple and bitter imported cheese. 

when you weren’t sneaking about under your parents’ noses, his royal highness would chase you through perfectly primed and prepped royal rose gardens — hot on your heels, his hair tickled by a fresh summer’s breeze and exquisite royal garments spiked by thorns while you found yourself to be in an event grubbier state with dirt on your cheeks and your maid’s uniform torn in places. neither of you, as young children in a castle full of unknown discoveries, could seem to care, even if it meant ruining the queen’s tea parties with trade ambassadors and getting scolded beyond belief later.

bokuto is set to become king one day, you know that, as the first born son to his father. so when your early teens approach, he’s put into the same etiquette and history of the monarchy classes his two elder sisters took when they were his age. except bokuto struggles only just, he tries hard but the knowledge doesn’t come easy. so, you take to sitting with him in the back of lectures from the annoyingly snooty royal tutor who looks down on you for having scrubbed your knuckles raw in preparing their quarters the evening before. you help bokuto remember names of earls and dukes and foreign princes and their wives and their children by making up silly nicknames and pointing out their most noticeable features. 

you almost lose your composure to fits of giggles when you help your father cater the king’s audience, the court, on one occasion— where bokuto greets one of the dukes as ‘sir web feet’ for the peculiar way in which he stands. 

the queen and her daughters mourn the loss of your mother when you and the young prince hit sixteen. she’d been lost in childbirth to your younger brother and at first you resent him for it, barely aiding your father in taking care of the newborn and instead throwing yourself into what’s left of your mother’s duties. when the moon rises again, bokuto takes you for a ride on his horse to a spot with a winding tree from your childhood and lets you cry on his shoulders until your head aches, and you can’t breathe. he pets your hair, doesn’t let you go. the queen makes you her lady in waiting shortly after, gifting you a pair of diamond earrings on your eighteenth birthday. you gratefully accept, meaning you’ll be able to spend more time with koutarō even with his duties.

the same earrings you’re complimented on when you meet the royal baker’s apprentice for the first time—he calls you pretty, says that the gems cannot rival your infectious dazzle and you can’t help but bashfully mumble how you think he’s not too bad on the eyes either. and bokuto’s angsty teenage heart flares with jealousy upon noticing the baker’s boy attempting to claim your first kiss behind the palace’s cobblestone walls at the back entrance of the kitchen, near the apple tree which sources fruit for his elder sister’s favourite dessert.

and being the spoilt prince he is, the salt and pepper haired boy calls upon your feeble crush to do his bidding— ruining your first kiss. neither of you speak of the incident after that.

tragedy strikes again when the king goes to war— himself your father and a good portion of the other men in the kingdom drafted into battle are killed in action. you’ve mourned before, you have little time to grieve now that you must look after your brother too… but you remain a sturdy presence in the future king, koutarō’s life. he needs someone while funeral processions set a dark cloud over his homeland, while he’s rushed into glittering gems and a crown from stolen lands when he’s coronated swiftly after. 

though, you learn that fate and eternity are not kind to those born of different status— for bokuto is quickly and heavily pressured to find a princess or a lady or a duchess to marry, so he can produce heirs and appease his shaken kingdom. and you are quickly replaced as someone he needs, becoming someone he once knew. so you drown yourself in work, beg the queen mother to give you a place in the royal guard to earn more for your brother’s schooling, to protect him and yourself from any harm so that he doesn’t have to lose another. 

you work your way up the ranks while koutarō searches for his bride, and once he’s finally settled on a girl— you’ve settled as vice captain to the royal guard. 

you lead your new life with risk even though you’ve yet to tell King koutarō bokuto that you’ve loved him since you could talk, even after he ruined your first kiss and used you as a crutch of grief. you might as well live this way for your love finds himself promised to a sweet girl a few kingdoms over and you now know that realistically, you could never be with him— for once realising you’re of different worlds and that fate can be unkind no matter the circumstances.

“I-i’m…i’m not…”

“out with it, your majesty.” 

you have no idea why the king has turned to you, of all people, for advice. anyone with a set of working eyes could see how inappropriate it is to see the king stutter sweetly over easy words with red flamed cheeks in the presence of another woman… especially when he was due to be wed the day after next. 

but you haven’t the time to dwell on it too long, for you appreciate that koutarō has chosen you as company tonight before he severs your fate ties eternally by the bond of marriage to another. it’s been a while since you’ve seen him, he’s grown well and fine— hair tousled and framing his face in the light and dark of the moon, amber eyes glistening as if they carry sunshine and the warmth of a good fire. bokuto is broad, his shoulders squared, arms muscular and chest… well built. he’s handsome, but you’ve always known him to be. 

“i have no experience!” bokuto finally breathes out, the air carrying his words rushing out of him. “i am to be wed—“

“yes, sir. the engagement is hardly unheard of by the kingdom…”

“and i am expected to pleasure my future wife on the night of such wedding—“ 

you quirk a brow, leaning against the twisted tree. he’d asked you to come to your childhood spot when the stars were brightest. how could you refuse? “where—where are we going with this your majesty?” 

“would you stop referring to me so formally!” your king finally snaps, the warmth in his eyes flickering slightly— the red in his cheeks expanding down his thick neck. “i’m koutarō to you, i always have been.” he adds seriously before continuing on with less confidence. “i don’t— i’ve never pleasured a woman before. i’m still a—“

“a virgin,” you finish for him, a dangerous gleam to your eye, like the sword at your hip and the armour you usually wear. koutarō had always thought such garments suited you well; though he cannot decide if you’re prettier with or without the armour. “i am not, the baker’s boy took mine. the one you scared away. is that why you came to me for help?” 

bokuto scoffs, the blood rushing under his skin teaming with jealousy once again. “yes.” 

“then i shall do as you command, your highness.” you tease, obliging in his quest to teach him how to be a good lover and performer in bed. even as you push the young king into your spot by the tree— you can’t help your beating heart, bokuto had always been your friend in some way or another…but it feels so selfish to want him like this. once his firm back connects with the bark, your mouth presses against the prince’s before he can change his mind— lips hotly slotting against one another as if fate willed for them to meet this way. you give slow and sensual licks into koutarō’s mouth until he’s ready to open up to you, he groans softly, the sweet noise fluttering in the nightly breeze.

the way you so eagerly kiss him has the king’s stomach in knots and his cheeks a hot mess, and only when he tenderly grabs your hips— sucks on your tongue as well, does an appreciative whine escape you too. “the first time you kiss her…b-be slow, and gentle…your highness.” panting, you pull back slowly and nip bokuto’s slower lip— amused by the trail of saliva connecting you. 

“I’ve kissed some,” he tells you earnestly, tugging you closer by the fat of your hips— the desire to be closer beginning to prickle at the tips of his fingers. “call me koutarō, please…” amber eyes flick up, holding whispers of the sun where the moon is high in the sky. “no formalities.” 

“of course,” you oblige him, fingers reaching up to tangle in his lunar-eclipsed hair, yanking the king back onto your mouth since you miss the way he moves along with you. soon, these kisses drop to bokuto’s unmarred and golden flesh, begging to be marked by your hungry teeth and tongue… you rip through robes that cost more than a months earnings and lay your claim in places no one will see, darkened blues and shades of plum as ripe as those used for winter pies back in the castle. “kiss her everywhere, with teeth; and soothe with tongue. mark her so she knows that she’s yours.” your hands find themselves slipping under the coal grey of the king’s military uniform, smoothing over sweltering skin while the chime of his medals sweet into the night.

as soon as your lips that whisper sins withdraw from bokuto—he flips your positions, your chest against the rough bark as he quickly unfastens your gown till it slips down your shoulders, revealing inches of you to the prowling moon up above and to the sunshine in his eyes. “i can do that, teach me more.” there’s an echo of hunger to his voice, vibrating against the back cusp of your neck as he sinks the sharp edge of his teeth into it— making needy butterflies burst through your tummy, lust tingling in your veins and burning you like sunshine from the inside out. “show me,” 

you arch into every touch he gives, every fingertip pressed into the dips and curves of your body— the king honours you with his touch, so you part your shaking thighs of your own accord with koutarō’s hands that pinch and pull at you never too far behind. the air between you rises in temperature, though the night is cool and you lose yourself in the way your childhood friend smooths the curve of your spine and globes of your ass from over your light night dress. “b-bokuto,” you warm him, bracing yourself against the tree. “use your fingers, between her thighs.” reaching behind you, you draw him near to your aching core underneath your skirts and shudder at the press of his thick digits against your clit. “like this…in circles, y-you must prepare her properly.”

they dance over your slick folds, a finger running over the length of your slit contently. “is this okay?” he seems shy, but koutarō lets out a laugh with how you tremble just by being touched, his thumb finds your clit and draws circles in the way that you like, he fumbles, movements cautious but fuelled by the way you moan and grip his wrist tighter. the king spins you around once more, leaning down to bite your neck and chest from over the front of your cream coloured dress, his remaining hand softly prodding at your soaked entrance. 

“y-yes! your highness…” you gasp, back arched and hole clenched around nothing, “fingers. inside.” bokuto takes your hissed words as an order, slipping one…then two fingers inside of you, laughing under his breath at the salacious squelch your count lets out as he does so.

shaking his head, the king follows each of your breathy commands after this, your sweet pussy drooling arousal into the seat of his palm. “it’s koutarō.” he sighs as wet whimpers brew on your lips, eyes sealed shut but you’re nothing but an adorable mess to bokuto. he watches you in awe, free hand bunching up the material heavy on your waist so he can look at the way your pretty pussy swallows up his fingers, bearing down on your g-spot when he curls them. 

he’s good, though clumsy, but bokuto is all that you need— brain fizzing with your impending orgasm, your juices running up his muscular arm. “i’m close—kou. faster!” squealing, your hips rut up and only add to the obscenity of the scene, bokuto finger fucking you until his heart’s content, until both of your clothes are soaked through. “always have to make her release first…”

and the king does that, a man built to rule taking orders from you— a mere knight. his childhood best friend. you cum quickly, gushing in streams stronger than the rivers on the outskirts of your kingdom, bokuto grins from ear to ear scissoring you through your huff as it splits through you and your sex spasms around his fingers. “my sweet, are you alright?” he asks you softly, slowing down his roll. 

“thank you for checking in, your royal highness…but now we move onto the final show,” babbling as you recover from your high— you reach for bokuto’s pants, working through them quickly until you’re able to grasp at his hot cock. 

the king sucks in a breath. “it’s best you don’t, i won’t last if you do…” 

you oblige, following the only order the salt and pepper haired royal had given you tonight. you guide his mushroomed cockhead right into your entrance, aided by the slickness from your previous orgasm. eyes crossing, bokuto juts his hips forward to sheathe himself inside you fully— his meaty, heavy shaft pushing up against all sorts of pleasure spots even though he’s barely filling you up. koutarō pulsates, he’ll barely last and neither will you at this point.

leaning forward, you press your foreheads together— hands in his silvering hair, your Cupid’s bow wet from kissing him, missing his lips against yours. “move, y-you have to move.” you simply say bokuto takes you, claims your body as if it’s his. as if he’s not to be wed. the king is big where he lacks experience, bullying his way through your insides and smearing precum along your ribbed walls— jamming up against your g-spot with ease. 

his thrusts are uncoordinated, sloppy while you squirm in his hold, skin scraping against tree bark while slapping against one another. “you feel like heaven,” bokuto near cries, clumsily finding your lips has his breeders balls batter your ass, pelvis grinding against your clit. the king lifts a leg of your over his hip, rolling into you as your bodies grow slicker and slicker, mouths wet and pressed up against each other. “looking at you now…you rival heaven too,” the praise shoots straight to your core, the knot built up in your lower stomach threatening to unravel. “you’re close.” 

he can tell by the twitch of your face and the swell of your lip between your teeth— you only nod, tears blurring your vision as you look up at your sunshine. your bokuto. “i love you,” you say the words though they're forbidden, even if within the next two sunrises the king is due to be married. “oh gods, oh fuck—! koutarō… i��m—!” 

the king only smiles, though his eyes roll back and the tree leaves above you rock with the fervityof his thrusts. “i love you too…” koutarō murmurs, his skin clapping harshly against yours— so hard he might have bruised your inner thighs. “might you cum again for me, sweetness?”

bokuto’s words have you clenching around him, sending you both hurtling into the throws of your high. your nails dig into the king’s strong biceps, your heart in your throat as you dream of his throbbing cock and his load shoots deep into your womb with a hot throb. 

“marry me.” koutarō breathes, still cumming in thick spurts, stretching you over his fat cock as he sets your leg down.

you’ve barely come down, and the king. bokuto. he makes you feel like you’ve been doused in cold water. “a-are you insane? we can’t do that! you’re to be married—“ you scramble for an excuse, still clinging onto the man, relishing his closeness.

“it could be to you,” bokuto coos and brushes a thumb over your cheek. “i need to be married to someone who is approved of. my mother loves you, the people love you— everything you’ve done and the people you’ve protected, that is you.” 

“but i…i’m not a queen.” 

you flounder, but bokuto has none of that, cupping your face in his large hands. “you can be, you’ve ruled my heart since we were children,” he kisses you slow, eclipsing your doubts with the warmth of the solar sun blaring deep in his heart and sending it right over yours. “so, will you? marry me?”

and it’s like the strings of fate that were once cut have tied themselves back together again as you nod your head vigorously— sealing the deal with an enthusiastic. 

“yes! yes, koutarō, i’ll marry you.”

[cee-grice]

OC Deep Dive Tag

I haven't done a tag game in foreverrrr (gonna need to clear out the backlog eventually), and thought I'd hit it off again with this one:D got tagged by @pandoras-comment-box, thank you!! you can check out their post here

Rules: answer the following questions for your OCs

going with the main ones, Quil and Endra (I keep wanting to say Endra and Quil, as if Endra's the protagonist, and I think that sums up my favoritism well)

What uncommon/common fear do they have?

Quil: the ocean. also space. there's something about the vast unknown that's fucking terrifying y'know (I get him)

Endra: needles and other sharp objects (doctors hate him! (except Quil:) ))

Do they have any pet peeves?

Quil: too many to count 😭 mostly social things, though - he especially has a thing about improper manners (assuming the person Is aware of proper manners)

Endra: being treated as immature (he is, in fact, immature)

What are 3 items you can find in their bedroom?

Quil: too many books... ink bottles... plates (because eating in the kitchen is for losers!)

Endra: piano, cat (does that count as an item??), drawings

What do they notice first in a person?

Quil: this is setting-specific, but whether or not they have visible magical mutations, then their fashion (this informs him of their culture and thus expected social etiquette)

Endra: their facial expressions/body language (to see how friendly they seem)

On a scale of 1 to 10, how high is their pain tolerance?

Quil: 10/10, dude could walk off a bullet wound

Endra: like a solid 5/10

Do they go into fight or flight mode when under pressure?

Quil: depends on the pressure! normally, fight mode, but if it's related to his Trauma, then flight (or freeze) all the way babey

Endra: fight fight fight

Do they come from a big family/are they a family person?

Both are an only child, actually! Quil's parents wanted more, but he required so much attention because of medical stuff that they just couldn't afford to, and Endra was an accident lol

Quil used to be very close with his parents, but, well. shit happened lmfao. and Endra absolutely despises his mother ahaha (but would like his own family someday!)

What animal represents them best?

Quil: a snake (but not in the stereotypical 'grrr he's a snake' way! snakes deserve better>:()

Endra: puppy :) (he'd hate that)

What is a smell that they dislike?

Quil: the smell of dye

Endra: nothing in particular

Have they broken any bones?

Quil: he's shattered bones beyond recognition, does that count

Endra: probably lol

How would a stranger likely describe them?

Quil: so polite! so helpful! what a charming young man, not sure what everyone's on about, calling him a 'menace' ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Endra: kind of quiet and reserved at first, but once comfortable, way too excitable and talkative, I should probably be annoyed but I'm unwillingly endeared by his enthusiasm

Are they a night owl or a morning bird?

Quil: sleep is for the weak <3 (so...both.)

Endra: he'll be the first out and the last up

What is a flavor they hate and a flavor they love?

(I actually wrote about this one lol)

Quil: he avoids anything sweet like the plague, and loves to oversalt everything (it's borderline inedible to others, and his heart will definitely not thank him for it)

Endra: he doesn't hate anything in particular, and baked apples <3

Do they have any hobbies?

Quil: he actually really enjoys reading fairytales, but he's pretty much obsessed with biochemistry, so that's what most of his time goes into lol

Endra: playing the piano!:) and drawing:) and traveling (that's a new one)

Boom, surprise birthday party! How do they react to surprises?

Quil: he'd be frazzled for a second, but then he'd snap into the expected role (that'd also be his reminder that it's his birthday)

Endra: he'd be delighted (but only if there weren't too many people present)

Do they like to wear jewelry?

Quil: jewelry is big where he's from, and he's into it, too. he usually opts for more discreet and delicate stuff, though

Endra: he wouldn't go out of his way to get/wear it, but if it was a gift, he would

Do they have neat or messy handwriting?

Quil: very neat, but in the over-practiced way

Endra: um. um. hard to say, because he doesn't know how to write ahaha

What are the two emotions they feel the most?

Quil: reaaaally depends which timeline we're in (pre-death or post-death). in pre-death, endearment and determination. in post-death, anxiety and stress and panic and anxiety (you try to remain calm post your own death :|)

Endra: excitement and paranoia

Do they have a favorite fabric?

Quil: probably silk tbh (yeah, he's that kind of person)

Endra: linen 🔛🔝

What kind of accent do they have?

Quil: in the text, I describe it as 'lilting and honeyed'. in terms of speaking mannerisms, he somewhat adapts to his company, but usually it's quite proper and 'clinical', always impeccably polite (unless you've slighted him, then he'll go for the fucking jugular)

Endra: warm and soft, but if he were to speak in a different language, he'd sound kind of rough. he speaks quicker than thinks, so he often cuts himself off and restarts lol. tends to ramble (especially when stressed)

softly tagging @mrbexwrites, @sam-glade, @rodentwrites, @raevenlywrites, @eccaiia, @amaiguri and anyone else who'd want to!

What uncommon/common fear do they have? Do they have any pet peeves? What are 3 items you can find in their bedroom? What do they notice first in a person? On a scale of 1 to 10, how high is their pain tolerance? Do they go into fight or flight mode when under pressure? Do they come from a big family/are they a family person? What animal represents them best? What is a smell that they dislike? Have they broken any bones? How would a stranger likely describe them? Are they a night owl or a morning bird? What is a flavor they hate and a flavor they love? Do they have any hobbies? Boom, surprise birthday party! How do they react to surprises? Do they like to wear jewelry? Do they have neat or messy handwriting? What are the two emotions they feel the most? Do they have a favorite fabric? What kind of accent do they have?

[threebooksoneplot]

Three Books One Plot FAQ

Who are you?

Hosts Shannon and G are both relapsed 2000s twihards from the DC-Maryland-Virginia area of the US who found their way back to Twilight fandom just in time for the Renaissance™. They met through fandom in 2019 and have been friends ever since!

Shannon (@flowerslut) lives and works in LA. When she’s not obsessively writing 250k-word fanfictions, you can find her at Emo Nite LA or making her own music under the name Maybe. Her personal blog is @uncancellable. You can also follow her on Goodreads/Storygraph!

G (@volturialice) lives in Colorado and works remotely, which leaves plenty of time for her to take long walks in the mountains and look for loose bears in the neighborhood. She is a graduate of the Fanauthor Workshop and spends a shocking amount of time at the library. You can follow her on Goodreads/Storygraph here!

What is Three Books One Plot?

3B1P (2022 - present) is a podcast created to compare and contrast Twilight and its two published rewrites: Life and Death: Twilight Reimagined (genderflipped Twilight) and Midnight Sun (Twilight from Edward’s point of view.) One part literary analysis, several parts jokes, and the rest utter shenanigans, it’s a bimonthly read-along in which hosts G and Shannon take turns reading and recounting chapters of Life and Death/Midnight Sun, and a rotating guest of the week reads and recounts Twilight. For more information on the podcast's genesis and the history of the three books, give Episode 0 a listen!

Where can I listen?

You can find us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, and Pocket Casts.

Are you planning to do episodes on Eclipse/Breaking Dawn?

Yes! Season 3 (Eclipse) will run from September 11th, 2024 (Happy birthday Renesmee) through the end of November 2025, with a few brief hiatuses. We are planning a Breaking Dawn season/Season 4, but dates are still TBD!

How have you kept your “three books” gimmick going into Season 2 and beyond?

In Seasons 2 and 3, we've kept Midnight Sun and Life and Death traditions alive by writing our own fake sequels (New Moon: Euphoria and Agony and Dark Noon, Eclipse: Warfare and Peace and Corona Light) from Beau's and Edward's POVs! G and Shannon take turns writing a chapter of each book and read them aloud on the air after each episode's normal chapter discussion.

For Season 3 (Eclipse,) we are also simultaneously be reading The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner! Look for Bree-inclusive episodes starting in March 2025, when the timelines converge.

When do you post new episodes?

We post new episodes every other Monday! Season 1 of 3B1P aired from June 2022 through May 2023, while Season 2 (New Moon) aired September 2023 through June 2024. Season 3 (Eclipse) will air September 2024 through November 2025 (reverting back to Monday releases after a Wednesday, September 11th premiere.)

Why do you have an episode 0/8.5/11.5? And why is your season 1 finale/season 3 premiere episode longer than Return of the King (2003, dir. Peter Jackson)?

Listen, we never claimed to be perfect.

What are the "show notes" and where can I find them?

After each episode, we compile any references we or our guests made into a post full of links, images, videos, articles, etc. Find them on our tumblr here!

How can I support the podcast?

You can slide us a few bucks over on the 3B1P Ko-fi. Anything we raise that goes over the cost of breaking even will be donated to the Quileute tribe’s Move to Higher Ground project! If you’d rather not shell out, we’d also love getting ratings/reviews on your listening platform of choice. Or you can recommend us to your goofiest friends!

Where can I find you on social media?

We post (and reblog) the most stuff here on our tumblr, but we also have an Instagram, TikTok, and previously had a (now-defunct) Twitter. You can also contact us with inquiries or long-form comments and letters at threebooksoneplot@gmail.com 🤩

How can I interact with the podcast?

We love responding to tumblr asks, emails, and other comments! Sometimes we even read out comments during an episodes. We also post weekly polls and short-answer questions both here and on Spotify (only accessible from the mobile app.) We even occasionally host contests and challenges! You can also join our spinoff project Bella’s Book Club, a virtual book club open to anyone, which meets on discord once a month in order to discuss “Bella Swan’s” (Stephenie Meyer’s) favorite books as listed in Midnight Sun chapter 11 (and sometimes watch movies!) More info on Bella's Book Club can be found on its dedicated tumblr (here) Goodreads (here) and Storygraph (here!)

[whumpberry-cookie]

HI!! CAN WE HAVE SOME SUGAR RELATED PROMPTS!! LIKE CANDY? THANK U!!

-🍭🍬

Sure, thank you for the ask, anon! I'll try my best! :D

Sugar related prompts

(Cw: creepy whumper, whumper experiencing guilt, trauma aftermath, torture mentioned)

--------------------------

Whumpee used to to work beyond their strenght in their master's home. Cook, clean, do the dishes, dust, vacuum and other stuff. They never get any day off, even after intensive beating. So after they escaped and got taken in by Caretaker, they just couldn't accept the system of division of responsibilities. So Caretaker gives them a lollipop as an award everytime they step back and let Caretaker do some chores. It helps.

Caretaker is obsessed with one type of sweets and it makes 1/3 of their personality. Like honey, but only the heather one. Whumpee who is usually confused with human interactions is very glad with the information that giving Caretaker the heather honey never fails to make them delighted. It's safe and predictable.

Whumpee was never attached to anyone. But that kind, gentle stranger? Oh, how that stranger makes their little confused heart tremble. And that sweet, subtle and calming scent that follows Caretaker everywhere: (1) Cigarettes and coffee liquier (2) Soap and powder candies (3) Grass and lemon tea (4) cologne and peaches (5) Old books and caramell (6) Campfire smoke and hot chocoate (7) Leather and cherry syrup

Whumper actually feels guilt, so before every torture session they give their starved Whumpee a handful of candy. Whumpee can't help but tear up, eating the actual food that tastes good. That's the way Whumper satisfies his own conciousness. Some years later, when Caretaker gives Whumpee a box of candy bars, jellies, lollipops and candies for their birthday, Whumpee takes it as a message "I will hurt you soon". And the whole trust they worked so hard on falls apart in one moment.

Creepy whumper + magical whumpee (fairy-like) whose skin tastes like strawberries with sugar?

Caretaker is mute (or there's language barier) so they express kindness by preparing an afternoon sweet snack. The thing is... They can't bake. So it's always very simple. An unpeeled orange. Undermixed Cogel Mogel. Burnt microvawed cupcake in mug. Whumpee finds it hilarious, but tries to not show it and eats every meal with a smile.

---------------------

Thank you for the ask, candy anon (or lollipop anon?) Have a sweet day!

[storyofmychoices]

Blades 2 Inside Choices Blog: Blades of Light and Shadow 2

We’re so happy to be back in action with the gang we know and love! Where does Blades of Light and Shadow 2 pick up after the first book’s ending?

Emi: I will say that we don't pick up where you're expecting. 

Kathleen: Unless you were expecting to get hucked out the back of the plot truck and onto the action highway at 80mph. (Fury Road theme plays)

Lil: (is overtaken by the Two Towers theme)

Emi: But rest assured, our original four love interests are back and dealing with their own challenges. 

Lil: And they’re definitely going to need help with those challenges whether you’re romancing them or not. Though we support all variations of ‘mancers here. Mono-, multi-, and necro- . 

Emi: Also they get some new looks that can best be described as "sleeves are B.S."

Jay: Don’t forget “badass pirate coat important”.

What kind of new main characters will we meet in the sequel? Or perhaps, any new love interests?

Jay: There is a strange but familiar hooded figure…whose hotness level was of great discussion.

Lil: He’s very constructive with his feedback. And a monster from Book 1 returns, but not in a way you expect. 

Emi: I think we all know I'm obsessed with Valax. I mean, she's a badass purple lady who only has one sleeve. Obviously that makes her my wife.

Tom: EMI YOU HAVE TOO MANY WIVES!!!

Kathleen: Idk I'm still mad that hot scorpion lady didn't win the monster contest.

Lil: Sky whale supremacy how dare. 

Kathleen: Okay I am excited about the dwarves and goblins though. New dwarf friend is just A+ chaos babe and I love her.

Emi: Honestly though, my fave character is the one who's "head empty, no thoughts, falls over a lot."

Making this sequel has been a labor of love. Does the book team have any must-tell stories/bloopers during production?

Jay: There was an accidental floating dwarf? And too many battles with code. Writers, please don’t do it to me again. I cannot take it. The while loop will win.

Kathleen: During one of my editorial passes I had to give Emi a note like "Okay when we first meet the Big Bad maybe we should use that moment to establish that she's really imposing/scary instead of just going off about how hot she is."

Emi: I may have made too many Aerin memes that are now weekly traditions for our team.

Danielle: I was instructed to design a character with “Vision as a hotness bar” as a guide, I ignored them and used Jeff Bridges instead 😏. 

Jay: Danielle also came up with some incredible filenames, my favorite being “tentacle_monster_buff”.

Danielle: It’s accurate, is it not?

Are there any elements that you are particularly proud of?

Tom: The Shadow Realm was fun to make! Think the Upside Down, but more purple. And to make all the awesome new weapons and armor work with the outfits took 150 unique assets! You’re welcome.

Danielle: My first full book!

Lil: The lore guide for Blades was 60 single-spaced pages before we started adding things that came up during active production. I’m really pleased with how much actually ended up being discoverable in the book itself, so be sure to explore every nook and cranny of Morella and beyond! Because they are filled with beauty and chaos. 

Emi: I cannot tell you how many spreadsheets we made to keep track of things. I mean, the outline alone was 100 pages!

Jay: My code built 😭. And that my production planning got it to you a little earlier than y’all had anticipated hehe.

At the end of the first book, we seemed to have wiped out the forces of evil for at least a day or so. What kind of dangers will we face in the second edition?

Lil: Evil never sleeps y’all. It gets its coffee from Aerin. 

Kathleen: (Aerin, walking up to the counter): "I have a large non-fat birthday cake latte with caramel drizzle and four shots of espresso for (squints at label) ...Emile?"

Lil: In all seriousness, you’re really getting it from all sides in this book. There’s rival factions, shifting leadership, societal upheaval, and monsters. So. Many. Monsters. (Thank you for giving us the Shadestalker, by the way. Can’t wait for you to meet the beefy boy.) 

Kathleen: One cool scary thing about book 2 is that THIS TIME, IT'S PERSONAL (like instead of you and your buds racing against bad guys to collect the magic things, you've now got a villain single-mindedly hunting you down so she can steal your <REDACTED> for use in her evil plans).

Emi: Kathleen may have called me out for it but our Big Bad is hot! Both literally and figuratively!

How much do you love QA?

Lil: SO MUCH.

Emi: Pour one out for our poor QA folks who have had to test what is the most complex book we have ever done! You are the real heroes!

Jay: QA peeps are my saviors!! Their work alone cures my anxiety.

Kathleen: Gawd I would be lost without QA my grammar is a disaster

Erin: Everyone on the Blades team is so wonderful to work with. I also tested Book 1, and to be able to contribute to Book 2 means everything to me. It’s absolutely a labor of love.

We know that years of hard work and passion went into this book. What would the Blades team like the readers to take away from this sequel?

Emi: So Kathleen and I actually helped to brainstorm the entire Blades world back when it first came into being, so it felt like coming full circle to be back and expanding it in new and fun ways. I was already in love with all of these characters and they're even closer to my heart now. I can't wait for you all to see what we've come up with!

Jay: Y’all better like it! This book has taken years off my life. *lies down on floor* (But seriously, we’re as excited about Blades 2 as all of you and hope that it brings as much joy to you as it did for us to make. I think the best word to describe the team as we wait for September 1st is giddy.)

Danielle: I hope you like our art :).

Tom: If you don’t, please keep it to yourself, artists are fragile :’} 

Lil: I was one of the few people who was new at Choices when I began working on this book, and it was truly an honor to see this thing come together. These are the minds that brought you The Crown & the Flame, The Cursed Heart, Wake the Dead, and the first Blades. It was amazing to go from watching them work as a fan to taking this epic journey together. 

Kathleen: THE REAL VILLAIN WAS THE IMPERIALISM WE MADE ALONG THE WAY

Lastly, how much does the team love Aerin?

Kathleen: I DON'T love Aerin he KIDNAPPED my WIFE.

Danielle: Which one…

Emi: Aerin is my sweet baby boi with a little dose of evil. He should be protected at all costs but also really needs to go to therapy. I live for the angst of him and Raine though. It's so juicy.

Danielle: Aerin has caused me, personally, a lot of pain.

Lil: Really, one of the fun things about the book is you can decide how much pain Aerin causes you. Unlike us.

Jay: He haunts my dreams and my Wednesdays.

Danielle: Livid and sad and livid and sad

Thank you team for taking us through the fantastical production journey of the Blades of Light and Shadow 2! We can’t wait to dive in and meet up with the gang. Launch day is so close!! 

Thank you, readers, for supporting us and our book teams!

<3 The Choices Community Team

[6lostgirl6]

Hi! May I ask for a gn reader x Bill S Preston Esquire please? Bill surprises a space loving reader and takes them to stargaze in the desert (maybe there's a meteor shower or something?) and Bill decides to try and impress the reader with his space prowess (he went to the library and everything) by naming all the constellations he knows (there's not many because they're hard to pronounce but he knows Camelopardalis "the Space Giraffe") so he starts making up names. Cue to a lot of giggling, the reader joining in with made up constellations and maybe they scooch together a little closer (for warmth of course). If they end up holding hands or anything else, awesome. And Happy New Year!

Happy New Year, Liv!! I'm so sorry this is late but I hope you enjoy it regardless! ❤️

Starlit Night

Bill S Preston Esquire x G/n!Reader

TW: One curse word and tons of fluff

Ever since you were a child, you have always had an obsession with space. The cosmos of vast emptiness yet full of otherworldly planets with their own collections of shining stars creating unique shapes and patterns that have been around for more than a millennia. On your eleventh birthday, you were given your own telescope. Given that you would stare at the night sky from outside your window, trying to catch a glimpse of shapes that you've seen in science books and magazines.

Earlier this week, it was broadcasted that there would be a meteor shower that would occur on the weekend. You were beyond thrilled to finally have an opportunity to see such an amazing sight in a mere few days.

And you wanted to share that moment with your best friend, Bill. You were nervous to ask him, especially since you've harbored a crush on him for more than a few years.

However, you were not the only one nervous for this experience.

____

Bill was located in the library, eyes glancing over the words engraved in the spines of the alphabetically-organized books in the science section. Already, he was carrying at least three books while Ted, his best friend, followed him with a confused look as Bill placed some of the books into his arms.

"Are we doing a project?" Ted asked, watching him in confusion.

"No, my most excellent friend." Bill replied, grabbing another book. "I'm doing some last minute reading."

"What for?"

"For (y/n)!"

Another book was added into Ted's awaiting arms. The poor ravenette was practically carrying the size of a small child with how much books he was carrying.

"(Y/N)? Why would they want you to read for?" Ted asked.

Bill sighed before pausing to face Ted, "There's a meteor shower man, and I wanna impress them with smart space terms!"

"Oh," Ted glanced down for a moment before he was suddenly hit with an idea. "Why don't you take them to see the stars better?"

Bill thought about it before smiling, "Ted, you are the most bodacious genius I've ever met!"

Ted smiled wide, happy with the compliment.

"Maybe...I could take them to the desert! See the stars a lot better and impress them with my space terms and they'll fall for me!" Bill exclaimed, excited to finally prove to you that he was knowledgeable in your favorite subject and win your affections.

"Excellent!" They exclaimed, gesturing towards each other with a sweet air guitar before rushing to the librarian.

____

The day before the meteor shower, Bill had a ride to your house from his step-mother. God, he was still uncomfortable calling Missy that.

At your doorstep, he hesitated a little bit, slightly worried that you would reject going with him. You might want to go see it alone instead. However, he swallowed down his fear and rang the door bell.

After a few moments, the door opened and he stiffled the gasp that wanted to slip from his lungs. God, you were so pretty, giving him one of your bright smiles at the sight of him. He could never get used to seeing you.

"Hey, Bill!" You greeted happily before stepping out and closing the door for a little more privacy. "What brings you here?"

"H-Hey, (Y/N.)" He replied, his cheeks reddening a little bit. "Have you heard about the most excellent meteor shower happening this weekend?"

Damn, he was an idiot. Of course, you would know about it.

"Oh yeah, I have!" You replied.

"I wanted to see-"

"I was gonna ask you-"

You both chuckled, a little embarrassed at cutting each other off as Bill nervously messed with his curly hair.

"You go first." You offered, leaning your shoulder against the wall without tearing your gaze away from his own.

"Um, I wanted to see if you would go with me." He said, shuffling a little. "Check out the most bodacious stars with you would be most excellent!"

Your eyes widened slightly, feeling the warmth of blood rushing to your face. Bill wanted to see the meteor shower with you too! The nervousness you felt earlier settled down a little as you regained your composure.

"I would love that! I was just about to ask you the same thing!" You replied, "What a coincidence!"

Bill felt his heart flutter inside his chest as he returned the smile, "Excellent...I'll pick you up okay?"

"Sounds good, Bill! I'm so excited!" You exclaimed, straightening yourself up.

"Me too..." He replied softly.

The sudden sound of the car horn pulled him away from the moment and he hesitated as he started making his way back to the car.

Without thinking, he said one final thing before getting nervous and rushing to the car. Something that made your heart skip a beat.

"It's a date."

____

It was the night of the meteor shower and the ride to the desert located a little further out from San Dimas with Bill was comfortable, full of laughter and excellent music. However, the butterflies in both your stomachs reminded you both of your hidden feelings you had for one another. 

Currently, you were both getting your spot set up among the highest peak of the desert you could reach with a guaranteed view of the falling meteors that was broadcasted to appear in just a mere moment. Your spot was absolutely perfect with you both dressed warmly against the cool breeze of the night air. You both were surrounded by fluffy blankets and pillows with plastic bag from the Circle K full of your favorite snacks and drinks. 

You both sat down and took a moment to look at the night sky full of bright stars. Bill took a moment before deciding to use his most excellent space terms. 

“Um-” You glanced towards him, intrigued. “That’s the uh Camelopardalis.” He said, pointing towards a random spot towards the night sky. 

You giggled before looking at where he was pointing towards. His pronunciation was a little off but you were touched with how he was trying to understand your love for space. Therefore, you decided not to give him a hard time.

“That’s right! It’s known as the Space Giraffe!” You replied before looking towards another spot before pointing towards it. “And that’s the Ursa Major!”

Bill didn’t reply as he tried to remember more of the constellations that he studied, however his mind was coming up completely blank. He panicked for a second before blurting the first thing that came to mind.

“That’s the uh Stupendous Maximus!” He exclaimed, pointing towards a random star in the sky. 

Dang, he totally screwed this up! You’re gonna think he was stupid!

You smiled before scooting a little closer, your arm grazing against his which made a blush appear upon his face. “That’s my favorite constellation.” 

Bill turned towards you and slowly returned the smile. He understood what you were trying to do and he started to fall for you even more. He didn’t think that was possible but he just learned something new. 

“Me too.” He replied, voice soft. 

After a few moments and a little bit of bravery, he scooted closer to you and rested his hand against your own, your fingers slightly lacing with one another. 

You flinched a little and glanced towards his hand. You felt the warmth flood your cheeks and brought your eyes up, noticing that he was already looking in your direction. 

Suddenly, a slight flashing flooded your vision, bringing you both to look towards the direction and found yourself flooded with excitement. The meteor shower had just begun, filling the night sky with streaks of bright white lights. 

You smiled and leaned against Bill’s shoulder with him resting his own against your head. 

This was perfect and you wouldn’t have it any other way sitting here tonight with your crush that brought you both closer than ever. 

Taglist: comment to be added!!

@leiasolo77 @patient1666074 @britany1997

[funnywormz]

share about lister and rimmer? 👉👈

ALRIGHT HERE I GO >:-) putting this under a readmore bc it kinda ended up being an abridged version of the history of the red dwarf universe as well as lister and rimmer lol so it's long as fuck <3 . this is mostly gonna be based on the tv series, not the books, but i am gonna use some details from the books to fill in some gaps

OK SO. the red dwarf timeline begins in the 23rd century. in this version of the future, humanity has colonised the entire solar system and beyond, and there are colonies of humans living on most planets and moons in the solar system with solid surfaces. earth still has a human population, but ecologically/geologically/etc it's been reduced to a wasteland, so humans have to look elsewhere for resources. in the 23rd century, the "space corps" is a huge mega-corporation/quasi-military force that runs most of the spaceships traveling between planets. the space corps also makes most of its money from mining minerals etc from planetary bodies in/around the solar system. the "red dwarf" is a huge mining ship owned by a subset of the space corps called the "jupiter mining corporation" or JMC, and is designed to house hundreds of crew, and is miles long. most of the series takes place on the red dwarf itself which is why this is relevant lol

lister (full name dave lister) grows up back on earth, which he loves, despite it being a wasteland. he never knows his real parents; he's abandoned underneath a pool table in a pub as a baby, and gets raised by the young couple who find him there. they live in poverty and lister's adopted dad dies when lister is 6 years old, and lister gets into shoplifting and stealing in general when he's a young kid. but his family is still pretty loving and lister grows out of the stealing and ends up taking on odd jobs here and there, and he's pretty happy despite everything.

on lister's 25th birthday, he gets plastered as fuck with a group of his friends and somehow ends up on a spaceship which drops him off at a colony on mimas, one of saturn's moons. lister wakes up there with no money and no way of getting home. eventually he runs into a space corps recruiter, who mentions that the mining ship "red dwarf" is making a trip around the solar system and will eventually return to earth. lister signs up to the space corps under the impression that the ship will be returning to earth immediately, but once he's on board he finds out that the trip is gonna take at least 5 years, and now he's stuck working as a technician on the ship for the entire time. that's how lister ends up on the red dwarf.

rimmer (full name arnold judas rimmer), on the other hand, is born and grows up in a colony on io (one of jupiter's moons), in an upper class family. rimmer's father is obsessed with rimmer and his three brothers becoming officers in the space corps, and they're all subjected to very high standards from an early age. rimmer is the youngest, and is pretty brutally bullied by his big brothers. he's also not particularly academically or physically talented compared to them, he does enjoy cartography and art, but his parents are pretty deeply disappointed in him for not living up to his brothers and they're very cold and frankly abusive towards him.

rimmer is desperate to please them, so although he isn't skilled enough to join the space corps as an officer/pilot like his brothers, he decides to join at the technician level (the lowest possible rank) and work his way up by passing his astronavigation exams to become an officer. however he ends up failing every single exam he takes, and ends up spending years on the red dwarf as a shift manager in charge of the guys who maintain the ship's vending machines lol.

rimmer and lister first meet when lister is assigned to be rimmer's roommate on the ship. they DO NOT get along. all lister wants to do is fuck around and get drunk and have fun, and he's pretty grubby and kinda lazy (actually he's just depressed basically lol but yknow). rimmer is career-driven, up-tight, and generally an obnoxious asshole with no friends who insists on being pedantic about EVERYTHING. they spend most of their time bickering. it's made worse by the fact that rimmer is technically one rank higher than lister and is his shift manager and uses this as an excuse to try and boss him around constantly despite lister barely giving a fuck lmao. they have to work together most of the time bc they're coworkers and there is a little hint of friendship there but it's. pretty small.

things continue like this for a while. however, it all changes when lister, while on planet leave on miranda (one of uranus's moons) ends up finding a little pregnant stray cat who he calls "frankenstein". he smuggles her back onto the ship with him, despite it being illegal to take unquarantined animals onto the ship. for a while he keeps her a secret, but eventually the captain finds out about her and calls lister to his office. he tells lister to give up the location of the cat so she can be euthanised, but lister refuses. as punishment for refusing to give up the cat, the captain sentences lister to be imprisoned in stasis (a kind of suspended animation) for the rest of the trip back to earth.

after lister is put in stasis, rimmer is given the assignment to repair one of the ship's drive plates by himself. this is far outside of his area of expertise, and not something he can do by himself, so he really should have delegated the task to someone else. but instead, because he's so desperate to be perfect and impress his superiors, he tries to complete the repair by himself.

this goes horribly wrong. the incorrectly repaired drive plate ends up leading to a radiation leak from the reactors powering the ship, which immediately spreads throughout the ship and kills everyone, including rimmer himself. lister, however, survives, because he's in stasis so the radiation doesn't reach him. his cat also survives, as she went down into the ship's hold to give birth to her kittens, and the hold was sealed by the ship's computer before the radiation could reach it.

the jupiter mining corporation, believing the entire crew to be dead, leaves the red dwarf to drift off into space as retrieving it would be more trouble than it's worth to them. and so, the ship drifts aimlessly, through the solar system and into deep space.

3 million years later, the radiation on the ship has returned to a safe level. the ship's computer "holly" (who has gone mildly insane after spending 3 million years alone) revives lister from stasis.

they also bring back rimmer as a hologram. holograms are popular in the 23rd century, and are like perfect digital copies of a dead person and their personality. holly could have brought back any of the red dwarf crew members as company for lister, but she decides to bring back rimmer because lister has the most shared conversations with him out of anyone else on the ship (despite them supposedly hating each other).

as well as lister and rimmer, there's also the cat (a humanoid creature that evolved from the descendants of lister's pet cat frankenstein over the past 3 million years), and kryten (a service android they salvage from the wreck of another ship), but im gonna focus on rimmer and lister here for now lol.

at first, after rimmer is brought back as a hologram, things between him and lister are probably even more tense and aggressive than they were when he was alive. after all, rimmer has all of the same neuroses and Issues as he did as a human, but now he's fucking Dead and a digital ghost of himself and the entire human race has gone extinct in the 3 million years since he died. and he copes with this by being Even More Obnoxious.

however as time passes, they get to know each other more and eventually come to be best friends and care abt each other deeply despite also somehow still hating each other lol. lister is pretty smart and very brave and kind despite his tendency to be lazy. and rimmer, underneath all the bitchy rude asshole behaviour, is really just a clingy sad little guy who wants to be loved. as the series goes on they do form a kind of mutual respect for each other. and they care abt each other.

the series spans like 30 years (both in irl time and time in the series), so you get to see the characters go from being dudes in their 20s to dudes in their 50s. they both mature and grow up somewhat, especially lister. and they're still roommates after all this time, and rimmer lets lister sleep in his bunk when he's too drunk to climb up to his top one lol.

the Gay Tension with these two is really. something else man. rimmer (as well as being heavily autistic coded imo) is commonly read by the fandom as a Deeply Confused and self hating gay man. as a younger man/hologram he's pretty defensive of his masculinity and makes a big show out of being a Heterosexual Man despite it clearly being an act he puts on. as he gets older he seems to make peace with it more though and is content with doing more "feminine" things and no longer rlly performs attraction to women.

lister is like the Ultimate Bisexual Transman Guy to me without either of those things being actually canon lol. there's a lot of unintentional transmasc coding with him. he's also shown to be pretty affectionate with his male friends when they're still alive (telling one of them he loves him and kissing him on the lips at one point lol). and with rimmer he's like. blatantly attracted to and flirting with an alternative universe version of rimmer they meet at one point. he puts his hand on rimmer's upper thigh not once but TWICE to comfort him. when rimmer leaves the red dwarf crew for a while he misses him desperately and literally has a dream about telling rimmer he loves him and making out with him. i could go on.

the latest red dwarf episode/movie thing has a really sweet scene where rimmer is considering turning himself off for good bc he feels worthless and is doubting his personhood due to being a hologram, and lister gives him this whole sappy adorable romantic speech abt how he's like the sun and rimmer is like the moon and basically implying that they need each other to exist and they complete each other and it's enough to snap rimmer out of it. they're also so sweet with each other in general in that episode and lister is So Proud of rimmer at different points for being himself and being brave. it's so sweet it makes me melt just thinking abt it AUGH.

in general they're basically canonically soulmates. that one meme that's like "they would find each other in every universe" but for rimmer and lister it's not even ironic they're literally a pair in every single alternative universe we've seen in the show so far. and at this point they've known each other for so long and lived together for so long that the old married couple energy is Very Very Real. idk i could keep typing this post forever bc there really is So Much there to talk abt. but ik this is already way too much information and you're probably not even gonna read it lol so i will stop myself here.

the tldr is that red dwarf is one of those series that's technically a comedy but underneath the humour it's deeply sad and tragic and kinda depressing. but rimmer and lister and their love for each other and their friends are what holds it all together. the universe is cold and uncaring but they Love each other. throws up. ok im done

^ oh also everyone should watch this amv btw

[imalicu]

"Oh beautiful angel, why do you make me flutter like this?"

"We are destined to be intoxicated by the sun, we both love the whole summer."

Hello, I am iamalicu (my new blog) , a normal person who loves writing stories in their head and a Kpop-stan, loves manga and anime but not haunting like Kpop.

In Kpop, I like Twice, and I'm always biased Nayeon. But my avatar is always Wonyoung, an idol from another group - IVE, but forget it. Twice has energetic, cute, and healing songs. So most of my work also has a cute and healing vibe, maybe?

In manga and anime: I love Naruto, Fairy Tail, Miraculous Ladybug, Identity V (it's game), Conan,... and deep so hard - Attack on Titan.

I am biased towards female characters more than male characters, like Wendy Marvel, Sakura Haruno, Marinette Dupain Cheng, Fiona Gilman and Annie Leonhart, but Armin Arlert is a special bias for me. In Attack on Titan, I love both Annie and Armin so much, huhu (TOT)

I'm a person with many crazy imaginations and scenarios in my head, from death to the cutest stories in my head. Especially with the couples that I have been and am currently obsessed with.

I've written about LadyNoir and Adrinette (Miraculous Ladybug), and currently is AruAni (AOT) - especially AU.

Work: Soulmate - Couple: AruAni.

Chapter: Oneshot

Summary: Annie accidentally returns to the past and meets Armin in the form of a child.

“You look like someone I know..”

Armin raised an eyebrow when the strange woman mentioned that the boy resembled someone she knew. It wasn't exactly uncommon for people to mistake him for someone else, but he was curious to know who she thought the boy resembled.

“Who do you think I look like?”

“My boyfriend..” The woman smiled and gently patted Armin's head, her voice filled with meaning.

Note: Time Travel, Encounter, Healing, First Love

Status: Done.

Series: "Armin and his silly crush" - Couple: AruAni.

Summary:

If a guy likes to take the initiative to talk to you, cares about your health and protects you like a princess, likes to find your stories and wants to spend all his time with you, and when his friends set you up with him, he doesn't feel uncomfortable (on the contrary, he feels happy, but he will feel uncomfortable when he sees or hears that you is set up with another guy), what is the sign? Care or take advantage?

This is a AU between Armin, a boy who is generous like the sun, who has feelings for Annie, a girl who likes to isolate herself and shy when talking, like the moon. And the special thing is, Annie has no idea about Armin's feelings for her and also her feelings for Armin.

Status: Ongoing... Work: Return to me - Couple: AruAni

Chapter: Oneshot Summary: He felt a strange mix of emotions welling up inside him. They had become a part of who he was, a connection to a distant past that Armin could never truly let go of. With a heavy heart, Armin vowed to himself that he would never forget the lullabies his mother used to sing to him, and he would cherish what they brought to him. As he continued to think about the past, a strange image popped into the blonde boy’s mind. It was the memory of a muse he had recently encountered, a girl who had captured his attention for some reason. Armin couldn’t quite explain why she seemed so alluring to him. But he couldn’t shake the feeling that, somehow, she reminded him of his mother and her lullabies.

Note: Blue whale, Lullaby, Music, Maternal love, Sea, “Return to Me” – Winx Club, For my birthday.

Status: Done.

Work: Die with a Smile - Couple: AruAni

Chapter: Oneshot Summary: In the twilight of their lives, political burdens and world concerns are no longer the responsibility of the Alliance of Ambassadors. They have spent their lives serving peace; now is the time for them to live for themselves. And Armin, he has always wanted to travel far, to lands he once only dreamed of. He had read countless books about the world beyond Paradis, about the sea, the mountains, and majestic cities since childhood, but never had the chance to visit many places due to his duties. His youngest daughter’s proposal has rekindled that youthful dream once more. Status: Done.

[t-nd-rfoot]

love the fun headcanon idea, and i’d love for you to do 🤠 for bob!

💌 laracrofted

REACH FOR THE SKY aka Bob loving Toy Story Headcanons

Bob’s favorite Pixar movie is Toy Story, and for very good reason.

Theme Fluff

Warnings One mention of animal birth but no details...maybe some inaccurate Navy/wizzo info sprinkled in there (?)

Word Count 826

Note @laracrofted oh my honey, thank you so much for being patient with this! I also apologize for two things: 1. for making this not a Bob x reader thing if you were expecting it 😭 and 2. for going overboard...like, extremely overboard... 🫣 thank you so much again for requesting and waiting, I hope you enjoy it!

If you enjoyed this, please reblog! Reblogs are the best way to support creators (writers, artists, gif makers, everyone!) on this platform. Share the content, share the love!

When Bob was 6 years old, he was convinced that Toy Story was based on him

Not so much because he thought his toys came to life when he wasn’t looking (but that didn’t stop him from trying to see if they did) but because like Andy, his two main interests were cowboys and aerospace

He came to the realization when he watched the movie for the first time on VHS a few days before watching Toy Story 2 in the theater (his first theater movie)

Since he spent many summer and winter vacations on his uncle’s ranch, he grew up wanting to be a cowboy after watching his dad and other relatives work with the cattle

Every themed birthday, preschool dress up day, and halloween were spent in a cowboy costume since he already owned a Stetson and boots

Mama Floyd was actually thankful for that since she didn’t always have the time to make or look for costumes every year

There was also no use suggesting anything else since he wasn’t interested in anything else

In fact, working on the ranch was his original childhood dream before he wanted to be a pilot

He also has a severely cute home video and several pictures of the first time he rode a horse…well, more like sat on a horse

The horse’s reins were tied to a fence, and toddler Bob was sat on the saddle, his dad’s hands holding him tightly

“Look, Momma! I’m just like Daddy!”

And then it was time to fly back home, so he traded horses for airplanes, especially after the first plane ride he remembered taking

Bob was also definitely that kid that was practically glued to the window at an airport, watching the planes taxi, take off, and land

He also refused to sleep on a plane ride, fighting off a nap for as long as he could so he could look out the window to look down at the land below, while singing The Airplane Song from Barney

After watching Toy Story, he would pretend that the plane was a spaceship and that he was Buzz Lightyear

Right before the plane would take off down the runway, he’d say, “To infinity and beyond!”

To this day, one of Papa Floyd’s most embarrassing moments was when Bob was able to get his seatbelt off, stood up on his seat, and kept pressing the flight attendant call button to “report his mission log”

As he grew up and grew out of his Toy Story obsession, he never really grew out of his love for the movie (who wouldn’t? Toy Story is an animated classic!) and part of him still carried his inner Andy

When he was 12, he volunteered around the ranch whenever he visited

One of the first things he had to do was assist his uncle in helping one of the mares give birth, and when his uncle asked what the should name the foal, he chose the name Bullseye

Once Bullseye was big enough to ride, he became Bob’s horse, and when Bob wasn’t around, he trusted his uncle and cousins to take care of Bullseye until he came back

He kept his collection of books and pictures of aviation in his bedroom back home

When he was 16, he decided to join the Navy so he could fly as much as he could

(He remembers that conversation with his parents perfectly)

“Does it have to be the Navy, though? Why not fly commercial planes? Or why not just be an engineer?”

“I wanna be in the sky, Ma. And it’s more than just flying or being a co-pilot. There’s tactics, weapons, navigation…if I’m going to be on a plane, might as well go all the way. And I want to feel the physics behind it too, not just study it.”

“And here we were thinking you were gonna be an astronaut! Especially with all those space shows and books of yours, not to mention all those NASA posters.”

“That would be pretty cool too, Pa, but at least you guys would probably get to visit me wherever I’m based. I don’t think it would be that easy for you guys to go up to the International Space Station.”

“Well, we still love you to the moon and back, honey. We’re so proud of you!”

The night before he left, his parents gave him an envelope, telling him to open it after he left

It contained a letter from them saying how much they’ll miss him and how they’re so proud of him

His dad inserted an old polaroid of toddler Bob wearing his cowboy outfit while sitting on a horse, his penmanship spelling out in the space below ‘Reach for the sky!’

And his mom made and added to the envelope three patches: a sheriff’s star, a space ranger badge, and a blue square patch with a distinctive cloud, reminiscent of his favorite childhood movie.

Tag List @roostersrooster @rosesvioletshardy @bonitanightmxres @avaleineandafryingpan @bradshawseresinbabe @hangmanbrainrot @babyonboardfloyd @demxters @bradshawseresinbabe @footprintsinthesxnd

Add yourself to my tag list!

Disclaimer  I do not own Top Gun: Maverick or any of its characters. Please do not copy my work or translate without my permission.

[thesorcererspen]

About Me

Hello,

I am TheSorcerer'sPen. Some just call me SP. Either is fine. Writing has always been a passion of mine since childhood. I graduated a few years ago with a degree in writing & rhetoric, but I've never been brave enough to share anything online. My fiance and best friend have both encouraged me to put myself out there more, so I wanted to start by introducing myself to the writing community here.

I am a lover of fantasy, sci-fi, mythology, and crime stories. I am also obsessed with manga/anime, especially HunterxHunter, Naruto, and Jujutsu Kaisen. My favorite book of all time is Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky. Game of Thrones and Dune are both in my top five favorite books of all time. I am not a huge fan of romance stories, but I love stories with well-written romance subplots. Action scenes are fun, but I am here for the great dialogue and character interactions. Internal conflict is seriously underrated.

I am a huge history and mythology buff, so much of my writing is inspired by these two things. I love writing dark fantasy stories and exploring themes of class, power structures, dysfunctional families, friendship, forbidden love, angst, etc. But, really, I just get such great joy from creating my worlds and creating characters that feel alive. My characters become like my imaginary friends.

I want to use this blog to showcase my writing and connect with other writers in the community!

I have two current WIPs listed below.

Traitors of the Nation

Genre: Urban Fantasy

In the nation of Astoria, the cold carves bone deep and its citizens are divided by blood—those with the golden blood type are called the magia, people with super abilities that manifest themselves when the user is thrust into dangerous situations. The noble elite wants to control this power with a class system that ranks its citizens based on the nobility of bloodlines and the usefulness of one’s abilities. Commoners with the golden blood type are forced into labor assignments, and the elite have created a device to suppress the abilities of an individual should they prove to be defiant.

Izan Ashida and Satoshi Nishimura are childhood friends who find themselves on opposite sides. Izan sits among the highest elites, serving as a bounty hunter who does the Crown's bidding, while Satoshi is placed in a lower class and branded a danger to society. War is brewing between the classes, and it has the royal family on edge. Revolution is coming. But when an elite military officer orders Satoshi be executed for treason Izan must confront a past he was desperate to leave behind and decide where his loyalties truly lie.

The Immortals' Gambit

Genre: High Fantasy/Mythos

Casimir Kozak has lived his life in hiding, afraid of being discovered as a cross-blood in a world where humans struggle as mere mortals and the vampiric hemomancers known as the Zegoshi reign as gods. But the nine immortals are not the only thing to fear.

The Watchers, a highly trained military faction of the Zegoshi, are everywhere. They are tasked with maintaining social order and executing any cross-bloods they encounter. Beyond the wall, there are dragons, violent beasts who are enemies to Zegoshi and humans alike. At least, that’s what he had always been told.

Tired of living within the confinements of the wall and wanting to escape his Zegoshi father, he runs away from home on his eighteenth birthday. But his venture outside the wall proves to be lethal when he has an encounter with a dragon, discovering that the beasts have been disguising themselves among humans.

A rogue Zegoshi intervenes, sweeping Casimir into a world of intrigue and danger. Forced into an alliance with an enigmatic young Watcher captain, the trio embarks on a mission to investigate the surging dragon threat in society. But as he begins to delve deeper into this world, he uncovers hidden truths about humanity’s history with the dragons, the true intentions of the gods, and a prophecy that reveals the role he must play in this deadly game of power and politics.

[limecaine]

House of Leaves: Zampanò & fire

Throughout House of Leaves, details of Zampanò’s life bleed into the text, even when he is writing something completely separated. Johnny attempts to preserve these parts, in order to keep the dead man’s legacy alive in a way. But the parts where he literally bleeds onto his pages are in Chapter XI with the Jacob and Esau passages. It is reported from one of Zampanò’s readers that he attempted to tear apart and destroy weeks worth of writing about the story, resulting in bloody scraps being all we have left of the second half of that chapter.

On page 35, where Zampanò is asked if he had children and he says “not anymore.” This is the cornerstone of my theory. That Zampanó had two sons, represented by Will Navidson and Tom, or Jacob and Esau respectively. Though chapter 11 spends a bit of time discussing which is which, footnote 377 on page 396 all but confirms what I said prior. “Here then Jacob loses Esau and finds he is nothing without him.” (Referring to Tom’s death)

In the book we learn that Navidson served in the war in Vietnam, this is a small point but I think it’s important to suggest that the house itself may be a metaphor for war. Great emphasis is put onto the fact that the house itself becomes an “outpost,” and terms reserved for war are applied to it. Navidson was not expected to return from the house after the rescue but he did. Though what soon follows cannot be described with any word, except for turmoil. Here my metaphor sort of loses its exactness. I’m not really sure what happened to Zampanò’s Tom. My theory is it was a fire.

Fire is a motif used in the Navidson Record, but I can’t exactly put my finger on what it means. Navy literally burning the pages of House of Leaves during the climax seems significant in a way (Page 465). As well as at the end, it is reported that one witness of The Navidson Record in theaters tried to burn the house down but it did not catch flame. (Page 550, Exhibit C) The magnesium flares, the matches, the chemical heat packs, fire being one of the only sources of warmth within the ashen hallways. Ashen. That’s one of the only words used to describe the texture of the walls. That detail seems so deliberate to me. Food for thought. Also, see Appendix 3/Page 660.

To me, Johnny contains bits of both Navidson and Tom. Tom’s humor, drug habits, and wit, and Navy’s obsessiveness, devotion, and compulsion. Do note Zampanó’s diary entry on September 21st, 1970. “Perhaps in the margins of darkness, I could create a son who is not missing; who lives beyond even my own imagination and inventions; whose lusts, stupidities, and strengths carry him farther than even he or I can anticipate; who sees the world for what it is…” (page 543) September 21st is exactly 9 months before June 21st. What is June 21st? Johnny’s birthday. (Page 503)

[hells-musing-along]

Munday - About the Mun v.02

alias // Dream birthday // August 23 zodiac sign // Leo-Virgo Cusps height // 5’4” hobbies // Video Games, Drawing, Writing, Weight Lifting, Creating Special Moments favorite color // Grey or Highlighter Yellow/Orange favorite book // 1986 by George Orwell last song // EPIC: The Musical Album - Ruthlessness last show // Frieren: Beyond Journey's End and The Apothecary Diaries recent reads // A Stepmother’s Märchen, I’ll Be The Matriarch In This Life, My In-laws Are Obsessed With Me, I Will Change The Genre fun facts about me // I used to have a skin condition called dermatographia urticaria, which when scratched will swell and stay in that state for hours... I used to be a professional chef.

Tagged By: @themosthatedbeing

Tagging: whoever wants to do it

[humanoidtyphoons]

until valeta got the dream of og!valeta and reinhart in that alternate timeline/ og book, i was confused (a little) why reinhardt killed valeta in the novel

bc all i understood was ‘og valeta treated reinhart like a lover more than a pet’

what i failed to consider that og valeta was like her father, and like a jealous lover, furious that reinhart spent any time alone with other maids, never mind that reinhart was going to kill everyone, will punish him. and it’s like, even if og valeta apologizes for her insecurities and loneliness, she still squeezes the necklace that’s connected to reinhart’s heart, so he still suffers under her. no matter what he did, he still suffers; everyone else hates him, and the dream shows that not only did valeta not really care for him beyond obsession in her loneliness. it’s p. easy to see that reinhart wouldn’t care for valeta in return, bc it’s love, maybe, what she feels for him, but it’s a shallow love, and until he can gain his power, his survival requires her favour. 

like if the story wanted to be like oh reinhart is completely irredeemable, that’s fine! i have no issue liking irredeemable villains. depending on the character, depending on the romance, could be a hard sell, but not impossible.

but i guess i thought initially that og valeta was kind to him, and he killed her anyway.

instead with current valeta, who was cold and indifferent to everyone, he is struck by her kindness, he can’t forget the sweet she gave him, even under her indifferent guise. valeta tried to give him outs, aware of what he was going to become, valeta tried best not to incur his rage, asked others to do the same, and nobody else listened to her. she alone succeeded in not making him hate her, but... in doing so, got him to fall for her, and that’s the last thing she wanted.

and the story would prolly be blander if valeta was openly kind hearted and nice; but instead she’s just. she has to be indifferent and emotionless for ten years, she has to think on her feet, and use the knowledge of the book to her advantage, aware that reinhart is a monster, trying to escape him nevertheless. so she sighs and says neutral things and yet even so, her kindness slips through the cracks a little.

and reinhart responds to it. like it’s not much to say that he delayed her family’s massacre by a week, bc it was her birthday, but y’know? it’s kinda thoughtful! he didn’t do that in the og timeline!