#I wanted to wait until I introduced all the main characters until I posted this

[kira-the-whump-enthusiast]

Diamonds to Dust Masterlist

Synopsis: Storm might be a villain, but they’d do anything for their brother, Xavier and their best friend, Zuri. So when they’re kidnapped by rivals of Xavier’s crime syndicate, they swear that they’ll never spill any secrets. Unfortunately, their captor, Lusik, is very intent on getting some out of them.

Content: Villain whump, interrogation whump, torture, captivity whump, self-sacrifice, angst, stoic whumpee, sadistic whumper, bad caretaker/carewhumper, sibling caretaker, platonic caretaker

Individual content warnings will be on each chapter!

Please ask me if you wanna be added to the taglist!!

— 

Chapters will be listed in chronological order, but with numbers indicating writing order besides them!

Arc I: Harbinger

A Really, Really, Really Sharp Knife (#3)

Through Thick and Thin (#4)

Arc II: Tribulations

No Saviors (#1)

The Price of Silence (#5)

Sincerest Condolences (#6)

Arc III: Convalescence

Pretty Lies and Sweet Nothings (#2)

—

Characters

Storm Hsu (they/them)

Xavier Hsu (he/him)

Zuri Msuya (she/her)

Lusik Vardanyan (she/her)

Octavia Zalvez (she/they)

—

Misc.

Asks relating to the characters/series!

[ohcorny]

so! it's been a year since i put never satisfied on hiatus, and 9 years since i started posting it, and rather than make you read everything if all you want to know is "when's it coming back?" the answer is still: don't know! but the answer has also shifted closer to "it isn't" the longer i've spent on break, and i think it's worth being up front about that.

i talked about it a little here a few weeks ago, but the long and short of it is that between taking on better paying work, writing better stories, and looking back at what i'd already done for never satisfied... i just don't think i want to continue it? the year off has been incredibly good for my mental health, and i can't see myself wanting to go back after the two-three years still ahead of me on my current project. that's not to say i never want to return to the characters or the concept, but if i did, i imagine it would be with something completely new, in a different form. after all, i started this comic when i was 21 years old, a lesbian, and a sophomore in college. i am now just shy of 30, a bi man, and overall a completely different person than i was, back when i was writing without a plan and putting all of my insecurities into the comic--insecurities i don't identify with anymore. lord i'm closer to rothart's age than i am to lucy's. hate that

anyway. you have all been extraordinarily kind for following never satisfied for as long as you have, for supporting it as much as you have, and being as patient as you have. whatever form never satisfied takes in the future (god willing, with a more cohesive story structure and A PLAN FOR THE ENDING, WHICH BY THE WAY I NEVER, EVER HAD) i hope to see you there!

in the meantime, as an update on where i'm at with the thing that made me stop working on NS: i finished it! all the pages for Hunger's Bite (if you remember it with a different title: no you don't) have been turned in and now it's just revisions and covers and then........ waiting a year until it can come out. because that's how it is in traditionally published graphic novels! nothing releases for a full year after you finished it! and you're even getting it earlier than was originally planned, because i'm a creature and finished it like three months ahead of schedule. i've also already started thumbnailing the sequel book which i can't talk about whatsoever and will now be working on that for the next two years and then HOPEFULLY the first book will have done well enough that i can sell a third! so you better buy it when it comes out next february!!!!!!

to ease you all into it, i wanted to do a little crossover to introduce the main characters. we have emery, whose design is fully and unintentionally just Seiji Again down to his color palette (but seiji would bully him if they met. like so hard. he's a wimp). then we have neeta, a girl who dreams of travel and cares deeply about worker's rights, and wick, a vampire agent investigating the mysterious and sinister new owner of the 1910s ocean liner emery and neeta call home. he's also gay. but sorry lucy, you aren't his type. you're not mean enough.

the best place to keep up with me these days is probably here, as this first book gets closer to release, i will probably be posting about it a lot. and i will certainly post about it here when there's an official release date and cover reveal! i hope you'll go read it. i really think if you liked never satisfied and its themes, you'll like hunger's bite!

thank you again for reading!!

[beenbaanbuun]

HI BUNNY! first of all i wanted to tell you to please take it easy and take care of yourself! don't worry about not posting long stuff! remember that this blog is still something you're doing for fun, so please don't everrr feel forced to write something! i hope everything gets better, and that you feel better (physically and emotionally) soon! i'm sending you lots of hugs and positive energy 🫂🫂

and second, omg i saw the new posts related addams!matz and im LITERALLY OBSESSED! yeosang is lowkey (more like highkey) such a cutie i can understand the way darling acts with him cuz i also wouldn't be able to be intimidated by him. and omg the part two of the addams!hongjoong angsty writing 🥹 HES SO SOFT I LOVE HIM!! and hwa being so protective and caring oh im so whipped for all of them tbh. i love how much they love their darling, it's honestly so endearing to see. and i love how yeosang is quickly getting whipped for her too LMAO. i was also wondering if darling ever sleeps (nonsexually, like napping and stuff!) with werewolf!yeosang sometimes, seeing that she very much loves clinging into him. and if she does, how does werewolf!yeosang & matz feel about it!

like i said before, take your time, rest well and feel better soon! you seem like such an amazing person, and your blog and writing brings me so much happiness, so i really hope you can feel all that happiness youre bringing to me (and many others im sure!) right back 🫂🩷

take care mWAAAH <3

— 🩰

hello my lovely!! i’m going to rest up properly and start taking better care of myself!! don’t you worry. i’m sure i’ll be back soon (not that i’m really going, i’m just not writing much lmao) with more stuff to share with you guys.

thank you so much for the love on the addams!matz fic. it means so much to me (both the fic and the compliments) and i love this universe more than anything lmaoo. all the characters are so precious to me (even the ones who haven’t really been introduced yet) and i cant wait to share more with you all!

as for your question, the answer is both yes and no. yeosang has essentially become darling’s living, breathing pillow and naps by the fire with her favourite werewolf have become so commonplace that it’s no longer a surprise to hongjoong and seonghwa when they walk into the living room to see the two of your sprawled out on top of the rug. most of the time yeosang stays awake, his eyes big and wide as he watches you sleep. it’s sweet to see him so taken by you, but if joong or hwa ever ask any questions, he’s spitting out some sort of sarcastic response in a desperate attempt to hide the fact that he’s loving having you nap on him.

“you think i like being used as a pillow for this brat? please, she’s so wriggly when she sleeps; it’s annoying.”

darling will never sleep in yeosang’s room at night, though. there’s multiple reasons but yeosang would argue that the main one is that he won’t allowed her too. like he says, she’s wriggly and he’s willing to accept that when she insists on napping with him downstairs, but in his own bed? no way. besides, hongjoong gets moody when he wakes up without either of his lovers by his side. it’s happened before where he woke up to find that darling wasn’t there. in a panic he woke up seonghwa, only for her to return from the bathroom seconds later. he gave her curt remarks about being abandoned for the rest of the day until seonghwa stepped in to put a stop to his ridiculous attitude.

“oh, you’re going to get a drink are you? i see how it is… always so desperate to abandon me for better offers…”

[perpetual-stories]

Tension vs. Conflict: What’s the Difference?

Good morning everyone! It’s my birthday today and because it’s my birthday I thought I’d post today (that’s kind of an obscure reference to Star Wars Guy and his girlfriend lol)!

Conflict and tension in literature help build drama and keep readers engaged through the end of the book. Learning the distinctions between conflict and tension will help elevate your writing and make your storylines more engaging.

What Is Tension in Writing?

Tension in a literary context is the sense that something ominous is right around the corner. Building a large amount of tension as a writer keeps your readers engaged up until the end of the story. Mystery novels are full of tension and foreboding, and they generally feature tense scenes from beginning to end. Working within the genre of mystery writing is a great way to learn how to layer tension into your narrative arc. Good use of tension makes a story worth reading and keeps readers guessing.

3 Tips for Using Tension in Your Writing

Learning to build tension is no easy task. Even the most seasoned professional writers have trouble maintaining tension from beginning to end. Here are a few tips for using tension successfully in your writing:

Foreshadowing: An important part of building tension is using foreshadowing to build dramatic tension and keep readers on the edges of their seats. In Harry Potter, author J.K. Rowling uses flashbacks and backstory to foreshadow the eventual major conflict that will unfold between Harry Potter and the villainous Voldemort.

Inner conflict: Sometimes inner conflict and self-doubt can be layered in through character development and used to build levels of tension. In William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the main character wants to avenge his father’s death but is beset by self-doubt, paralyzing indecision, and mental strain. As an audience, there is a sense of tension in every scene as we wait to see if Hamlet will act on his inner desire for retribution or remain stuck in a place of indecision.

A time limit: One great way to build tension in your story is to place a time limit on an action your character has to undertake. By adding the element of a ticking clock, you build tension and increase stakes. This is a common technique used in thriller novels and films as well as action and adventure stories.

What Are the Differences Between Conflict and Tension?

While tension simmers under the surface, conflict is generally out in the open—it's tension realized. Tension might be present an unspoken rivalry between the protagonist and antagonist or in the audience’s awareness of an impending disaster.

Conflict, on the other hand, involves an active clash; maybe the protagonist and the antagonist engage in a firefight or a heated debate, or maybe a character fights off a pack of animals or works to prevent climate catastrophe. Even if the conflict is interior—a character battling low self-worth, perhaps—it still involves opposing forces struggling for supremacy.

What Is Conflict in Writing?

Conflict can come in many forms. Conflict in a story can be a physical fistfight or a passive-aggressive war of words. All that is required for conflict is a manifestation of disagreement or incompatibility between a character and something else. Characters can be in conflict with other characters, with natural forces, or with society at large.

Another type of conflict is internal conflict. Conflict is one of the fundamental principles of narrative and creative writing. In order to write a story worth reading, you need characters whose point of view is in some way challenged and to whom bad things happen. Without conflict, you won’t have a narrative or any meaningful character arc.

4 Types of Conflict and Tips for Using Them in Your Writing

The kind of conflict you use depends on what your plot and subplots are centered around and what your main character wants and needs. New plot points generally introduce conflict or advance existing conflict. Here are some types of conflict to employ in your writing and a few tips about when and how you migh

Person vs. self: An internal conflict is a kind of conflict that only manifests within a character’s head. Though we may see this conflict dramatized through narration or dialogue, or play out in the protagonist’s actions, it is an internal struggle within a character.

Person vs. person: The simplest and most common form of external conflict is when two characters are in conflict with each other. The first stories we are told as kids generally have a clear good guy and bad guy. These stories are early introductions to person vs. person conflict. Person vs. person conflicts are very common, and it’s rare to find a narrative without an interpersonal conflict present at some point in the story.

Person vs. nature: Conflict between a person and forces of nature is a good example of external struggle that can raise the stakes in a story. Some notable stories that included conflict between a person and a natural force include The Old Man and The Sea by Ernest Hemingway and Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe. Consider using person vs. nature conflict if you’re interested in writing a story with one main character and few, if any, supporting characters.

Person vs. society: Conflict between a person and society at large is a type of conflict often found in science fiction. Some notable examples of this type of conflict are found in The Handmaid’s Tale and The Hunger Games series. In The Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen finds herself contending with a dystopian and oppressive United States government that pits citizen against citizen in order to keep dissent down and quell rebellion. If you’re interested in science fiction or narratives about social justice, you might want to consider exploring conflicts that pit an individual character against society at large.

[uva124]

INTRODUCING THE MOST MANIPULATIVE KING IN HISTORY , MAGNIFICO!!! 🎇🎇🎇🎇(I hate him but he deserves a redesign lol).

For those who see this post for the first time, I introduce myself, Hi :D! I'm Aled and this is a collaboration with @ animación , author of the rewrite of Wish that is on her profile (read it, the story it's soooo good) and I am in charge of drawing the redesigns of her story.

Now, coming back to the main thing, I will show how we got to this result :)

FACIAL FEATURES AND HAIR:

-Honestly, I never thought that getting used to drawing Magnifico would be so difficult lmao, how in most of my procedures to make the designs, I start with sketches and studying the structure of the character's face, this was a little difficult because I'm not that I'm used to drawing people over 20, but with a few practices I was able to figure out how to draw him :D

(I also did digital internships, but I didn't save most of them because I forgot lmao)

COLOR PALETTE:

-Don't think that I chose a palette of yellow and gold colors just because I thought it was pretty (well, that's also another reason), what happened is that when I was searching through conceptual arts, I found some designs by Magnifico where They used a blue and yellow color palette

I did a quick search and found this:

-Tell me this doesn't remind you of Magnifico, then yes, that's why I chose a yellow color palette, also adding a golden tone to give it a royal vibe.

-I also applied this in the design of Queen Amaya, in the publication of her design I explained why I added details of a dark blue color in her costume and Magnifico's costumes

ATTIRE:

-From the beginning I always wanted to modify Magnifico's cape by adding a rose as a brooch, and searching through the conceptual arts I found quite a few interesting models, so it can be said that I combined everything I liked and that's how I got the cape for Magnifico, Also adding other details that occurred to me.

-The author sent me several ideas for Magnifico (thank you by the way :D), one of them was associating Magnifico with the sun, I really liked the idea and that is why there are so many symbols of the sun in his suit, plus these It reminded me how in so many cultures the Sun is worshiped, just as the kingdom of roses worships Magnifico, there are also other reasons why the sun fits with Magnifico but I already mentioned that in the publication of Amaya's redesign.

-The truth is, I only drew the other details improvised, this time I just got carried away, but hey! The outfit didn't look bad at all :)

-Another important part of Magnifico's costume is the "M" on his badge, but in fact it is not an M 😅, it is the sign of Scorpio ♏, this idea was from Anny Mation

-So yeah, I had to add the Scorpio symbol yes or yes, at first I thought about adding it to the back of the cape but I wasn't convinced by the idea, but then I thought: "Wait, why don't I add the sign on the gold plate ? that would look elegant."

FINAL COMMENTS:

-I'm proud of how this turned out, I feel like it does justice to a villain that commemorates 100 years of Disney :)

-Also, I think that those who have already seen the other redesigns know which character is next, right 👀✨? For Aster, I don't know how long it will take me to draw him, since the boy is literally a walking animation studio lmao.

That would be all for now, until next time :D!

[hoippu]

ZoLu Fanfic Masterlist

(Guide for people who want to avoid anime spoilers)

it's in chronological order of the anime arcs but the first several ones are the AU fics

EDIT: check out the google doc for more updates on the list

Ephemerality by greatduwangs

http://archiveofourown.org/works/37446706

Alternate Universe – Demon AU

Don’t need to be caught up to One Piece tbh but still have a good amount of knowledge on some early introduced characters. If you’ve at least gotten to Baratie I think that’s good enough.

Read Roses Mean Friendship by Aki133

http://archiveofourown.org/works/44277967

Alternate Universe – Flower Shop AU

You don’t have to be caught up to One Piece either.

There’s a few characters here tho that get introduced in the anime in Thriller Bark and in Dressrossa.

Tomatoes, Spanish class and roommates by bunnylover101

http://archiveofourown.org/works/38490631

Alternate Universe – Modern College AU

Unrelated to the main story of One Piece but it contains characters from Dressrossa, post-marineford and I think Water 7.

Eternity would be a Curse (Without You By My Side) by Puppypaws54672

http://archiveofourown.org/works/47262166  

Alternate Universe – Gods & Goddesses

No actual spoilers but theres a lot of characters from like the whole series lol

Splendid fanfic

Part 1 of a series

Eternity Had Cursed Me (To Be Without You By My Side) by Puppypaws54672

Part 2 of Eternity would be a Curse (Without You By My Side)

Alternate Universe – Gods & Goddesses, Reincarnation, Modern

No actual spoilers but theres characters from the whole series

The Story of Us by Mugiwat

http://archiveofourown.org/works/48543286

Alternate Universe – Modern AU

No actual spoilers but theres lots of characters again.

Warning: youre gonna hate Law In this fic lmao

catching butterflies by aquietdin

http://archiveofourown.org/works/48133825

(pre-timeskip) Takes place sometime between Skypiea arc but before Long Island arc.

You should also watch the G-8 filler arc because I think it’s referenced, but it’s okay cuz it is honestly the best and only filler arc worth watching.

Ode to an ocean by novks (thychesters)

http://archiveofourown.org/works/46906945

(pre-timeskip) Takes place right before water 7.

Chimes by drcalvin

http://archiveofourown.org/works/451483

(pre-timeskip) Contains spoilers from Water 7/ Post-Enies Lobby.

Takes place after shortly after marineford I think. Maybe wait until the timeskip begins before reading this one just in case.

Unable Are the Loved to Die by BasicallyACat

http://archiveofourown.org/works/24785554

(pre-timeskip) post Enies Lobby

Is a series

You are all I see by Anonymous

http://archiveofourown.org/works/47441071

Alternate Universe – Modern AU

Do not read until you’ve finished Marineford arc

One of my favorites

The Dawn that Rises Bloody by BasicallyACat

http://archiveofourown.org/works/27556822

a sequel to Unable Are the Loved to Die

(post-timeskip) I don’t recall reading this one yet so I cant really say up until where you should watch the anime. But definitely post timeskip

Feelings, what a mess! by drcalvin

http://archiveofourown.org/works/371473.

(post-timeskip) Very early into the timeskip. I’d say you can read when they’re on the way to fishman island.

Heliotrope by LostInClouds

http://archiveofourown.org/works/44929768

(post-timeskip) As long as you reach the timeskip and have made it more or less to when theyre sailing to Fishman Island, you should be fine.

The Things we do for Love by LostInClouds

http://archiveofourown.org/works/46912906

(post-timeskip) It’s recommended that you reach the timeskip for this one too and probably before fishman island is also good enough.

Of First Mates and Duty by Whatev3rs

http://archiveofourown.org/works/40266276

(post-timeskip) takes place in an indefinite point in the timeskip after return to sabaody arc.

Probably my favorite zolu oneshot fr

His Captain, Captivating by jirachi

http://archiveofourown.org/works/48769138             

(post-timeskip) Try to read after Wholecake arc or at least Punk Hazard. There aren’t any major spoilers for Wholecake but there’s a new crewmate there that doesn’t join until then.

Kizuna by YokoHogawa

http://archiveofourown.org/works/4452800

(post-timeskip) after fishman island

The Five Times Luffy Kissed Zoro, and the One Time Zoro Kissed Luffy by EclecticIsMyMiddleName

http://archiveofourown.org/works/18994144

This one takes place throughout the story up until the end of Wano arc.

It’s preferable that you’re fully caught up because it’s so good you might wanna binge it.

However if you absolutely must here’s the time period for each chapter:

Chapter 1 (pre-timeskip) right after Arlong Park

Chapter 2 (pre-timeskip) takes place in episode 223 (I think that’s a filler arc but its short and not too bad to watch)

Chapter 3 (pre-timeskip) between Enies Lobby arc and post-Enies Lobby arc episodes 312 and 313 (don’t read the chapter summary cuz it has spoilers)

Chapter 4 (pre-timeskip) At the end of thriller bark episodes 377 and 378

Chapter 5 (post-timeskip) from the beginning of timeskip until Wano

Chapter 6 (post-timeskip) end of wano

[nalyra-dreaming]

As a big fan of Daniel I’ve mixed feelings about the finale. Absolutely it was fun to see Daniel serve c*nt, loved his glasses and leather jacket. Very fun - I also feel his very energetic vibe definitely affirms that journalism/writing/publishing books that have an impact is his drug (as a certain maker affirmed earlier). But, where is his story going to go now???

Like I feel SO cheated at not only not seeing him being turned, but not seeing him having to adjust at all or struggle/cope with being a vampire? Time skips freaking sucks. Like that is a big change, and I wouldn’t expect them to do it in as much detail as Louis (good TV writers wouldn’t repeat themselves like that, and it wouldn’t be good writing) but I expected something? Like I already was feeling a bit annoyed at how Daniel’s trauma in San Francisco basically just become all about Louis’ and Armand’s dynamic. I didn’t expect DM to happen there (and I loved the episode) but I thought the emotional fallout would be bigger. Like Daniel gets half-a-scene(!) of being upset and devastated, and then the writers very transparently just uses this to make Daniel aggressively suspicious of Armand and as a way to foreshadow the level of Armand’s deception. Like Daniel was obviously angry, but even that was basically only shown as it was useful. I hate when plot is done at the expense of character. Of course when plot and character go hand in hand that is the best, but this wasn’t it?! Like if Rollins meant that Daniel was one of the two who needed the second interview to happen it barely makes sense. There’s only closure in the most shallow sense that Daniel got to find out that he was traumatized and that this did have a negative impact on his life (by an event he couldn’t consciously remember but feel). I presume that is what Rollins meant? It feels really(!) underwritten. Nothing wrong with the idea, but again basically just stated in explanatory dialogue about his exes and kids. Happy to hear a better take on this if anyone has one though? I want to be convinced to be more positive! Of course Daniel isn’t the main character, but I don’t think it’s too much to ask that he’s still treated as a three dimensional character.

I don’t know, I just feel upset now at the thought that Daniel’s mainly been turned at this point to become a vampire-chronicler for plot reasons… Like if DM had happened I would expect them to leave us a substantial hint. I’m freaking begging any higher power that Armand’s revulsion at creating a fledgling means something (and is not a red herring like the “you should fear the other one”). And that we’ll revisit it. But I just don’t have faith anymore… Praying that I’m wrong, but if Daniel spends the next season as only a narrative device I’m out (I don’t mind him being a narrative device if he also gets to be a character outside of that - to be clear). Waiting four years for any kind of plot to be resolved after it’s been introduced is too long frankly….(if they aren’t addressing this until season 4). So if we aren’t finding out about the turning or worse - there’s nothing more to it and we’ll get an independent DM plot which begins in pure spite then, I’m freaking sad!

I’m really sorry for the downer post, I just feel I needed to express some of my worries and frustration. Would love to hear what you think, as I’ve often found some comfort reading your blog <3 A more positive take is warmly welcomed! There’s a lot to like about this season, but I just feel a bit lost now… I just wish there was something substantial to hang on to (and the Alice stuff ain’t it)

He is not only turned to be the chronicler. Reread the interviews with Eric re Raglan James, too 😈

There will be a LOT going on. And I just shared the link to the ATx festival, where they also talked DM. Might be worth a watch?^^

It‘ll be alright. I would bet real money on it. They just do it their way.

[offorestsongs]

Rook + Lysander ― ship introduction ♡

it only took me like, a good few months but finally! an official (somewhat of an) introduction post for the main OC x canon ship i post about on here - Rook x Lysander aka lilyarrow. Lysander is my Yuu and you can read more about him here <3

i didn't write out their entire relationship timeline because 1. this post is already pretty long and 2. i want to give myself some space to just, make up scenarios lmao. there are some things about the development of their relationship that i consider to be pretty set-in-stone so maybe one day i'll make a post about that too

FIRSTS 𓂅

FIRST MEETING ➙

Lysander has met most of the characters earlier than in the game canon (mostly because i think that makes for some fun dynamics), including Rook. they've met shortly after book 2. Lysander was actually trying to make Ramshackle more liveable; cleaning, moving out some of the old furniture that had was too broken to use, fixing up some things here and there. Rook just kind of,, appeared out of nowhere (he was actually watching Lysander for a while now), spooking poor Grim out, and offered his help. he also kissed Lysander's hand.

when Lysander tried to introduce himself, Rook interrupted him, saying that he already knows it. he also knows what class Lysander is in, his seat number, height and interests.

Lysander, in turn, blushed. he thought it was cute. he did, however, firmly refused any help, since he likes to do everything by himself (Grim thought that was very stupid of him). but Rook insisted until Lysander had given in and agreed to it, so in the end they've spent the entire day moving furniture and painting walls. turns out, Rook had a lot to say about Lysander's interior design choices.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS ➙

Lysander: as i said, presented with Rook's stalker tendencies right off the bat, instead of being weirded out, he thought it's kind of sweet. he's not really used to people noticing him or paying attention to him, so he naturally got kind of flustered by the idea of somebody having any sort of interest in him. he also needed only about five seconds before going "oh! i like him!" ― he just tends to cling to people who are more extroverted and more talkative than him, and he found the fact that Rook seems to have more knowledge about a lot of things pretty interesting. he was a bit overwhelmed by Rook's general Everything, but he pretty quickly got used to it. Rook: he was actually watching Lysander for a lot longer than the day they first met; he was quite taken by Lysander's delicate beauty. he thought that Lysander is like a pretty little flower ― Rook would be failing his life's mission if he didn't help Lysander bloom into his full potential! he was also kind of impressed with the fact that for a tiny, frail, magicless human, Lysander seemed to fare pretty well (especially watching him haul all that heavy furniture).

WHO CONFESSED FIRST ➙

surprisingly, it was Lysander! while Rook was well aware that Lysander returns his feelings (i mean, Lysander was very obvious about it, if anything, it was hard to not notice), he was also willing to wait. you can't make your final move too fast or you'll spook your prey ― Lysander still seemed very skittish and he didn't want to accidentally scare him away. and besides, the wait is as much part of the fun as anything that comes after it (and he enjoyed teasing Lysander and watching him make the most awkward attempts at flirting seen to man).

meanwhile, Lysander made a bet with Vil that if they win the VDC, he'll finally confess to Rook. well. yeah. about that... but Lysander still decided that he's going to do it because, well, they've all had kind of a shitty day, he can at least have this one thing. and he's been hyping himself up all day! he can't all that go to waste!

(and maybe, just maybe he was a lot a bit jealous over a certain celebrity from a rival school. but just maybe!)

Lysander kind of fumbled it tho. he wanted to say something heartfelt and sweet and romantic, but he got too stressed out after like, the first sentence and started to kind of ramble. but Rook thought that it was cute, so it was all okay <3

FIRST DATE ➙

well technically their first date was going to get Vil, Grim & co out of S.T.Y.X while Epel was thirdwheeling them but that doesn't count lmao

it was surprisingly normal and kind of, low-key. very private, very cozy. even before getting together, they would often go on walks and just kind of wander around, especially in the woods near the school.

so they went on a picnic in a little meadow that the often used to meet up at. Rook was the one who organized it, so he was the one who got all the food and all ― Lysander would be happy to do so himself, but Rook didn't want him to do any work before their date <3. Lysander has a real sweet tooth, so Rook had mostly got them Lysander's favorite sweets.

also they got caught in the rain about half way through and had to run back but Lysander got to wear Rook's jacket so it's still a profit? he never gave it back

FIRST KISS ➙

it was actually during their first date! they were both laying on the blanket and chatting and it just kind of,,, happened. for the romance of it all, i would love to say that Rook is a good kisser but realistically speaking i don't think he actually has much experience, same with Lysander, so it was just kind of awkward, but still pretty sweet! tho Lysander did start laughing because he got too overwhelmed.

also it was almost right after that it started raining. they don't have the best luck lmao.

RELATIONSHIP DYNAMICS 𓂅

WHAT DO THEY LIKE ABOUT EACHOTHER ➙

Lysander: first of all, he really likes and appreciates the fact that Rook can read him pretty well!! Rook is one of the few people who understand that Lysander really isn't shy or anything, he just doesn't like talking too much and never pushed him into it. Rook is also very good at noticing when Lysander gets too overwhelmed by social situations and is quick to pull him out of them.

for his whole life, Lysander had to work hard to prove that he's worth anything, so he really appreciates the way Rook just,, sees him and loves him for who he is, wholeheartedly and without any conditions. it's maybe the first time Lysander feels really appreciated without having to do anything to "deserve" it.

he likes that Rook is emotional and earnest and genuine!! even if Rook is secretive and weird about some things, Lysander could never distrust him, because he knows that he's honest about the things that matter (especially, his feelings towards other people).

and he also likes the way Rook is so passionate about so many things!! he likes that Rook knows so much about many different topics and that he's always willing to talk at length about them!! and he likes the way Rook gets all excited over it too, he thinks its so cute <3.

Rook: he likes that Lysander is kind and warm and sweet. and most importantly, he likes that Lysander is somebody who chooses to be kind, no matter what — the thinks that's really admirable

he likes that Lysander is so resilient! again, he thinks the way Lysander is so bent on building a life for himself in a unfamiliar world, that he's never deterred by people treating him awfully, that he's willing to be stubborn when the situation demands it and that he doesn't give up easily.

he really appreciates how good of a listener Lysander is. while sure, Rook will gladly just talk at people, he's happy to have someone whos willing to actually listen to him, who's genuinely interested, who's asking questions and who actually tries to look at the world from Rook's perspective.

he also likes how busy Lysander always is. he likes that Lysander is always working on something, always has some project in mind, especially since he likes watching Lysander at work. he also finds Lysander’s wide array of home renovation skills absolutely delightful.

WHAT DO THEY DISLIKE ABOUT EACHOTHER ➙

Lysander: he has some bad jealousy issues, so he tends to get a bit grumpy when Rook starts fawning about other people. he knows Rook doesn't mean it like that, but he's still unhappy

also he doesn't always appreciate how blunt Rook can be with his words, but they usually can talk it out so it's alright

Rook: while he does love how kind Lysander is, yes, he also thinks that sometimes Lysander is being too much of a pushover. yes, it is very noble and beautiful to sacrifice so much of yourself for other people's sake, he wouldn't mind if Lysander also took care of himself while at it!!

FAVORITE PHYSICAL FEATURE OF THE OTHER ONE ➙

Lysander: listen. he's a simple boy. his type is just guys who are Strong. and so as you can imagine, he feels Very normal about Rook's arms. the first time he saw Rook in a t-shirt, he was UNCONSOLABLE. he also likes Rook's hands a lot, he likes that they're the rough hands of somebody who actually uses them to do work

Rook: while he would surely write many pomes about any given part of Lysander’s appearance, he's especially fond of Lysander’s freckles. he always tries to kiss as many of them as he can.

he's also very fond of Lysander’s smile since Lysander doesn't actually smile all that often.

WHAT DO THEY DO TOGETHER ➙

they're both very outdoorsy people so most of their time together is just Going Somewhere. they like to just be in nature, Lysander then can ask Rook about Fun Animal Facts and Rook can be delighted by how animals seem to be naturally drawn to Lysander.

they can and will treat any outing as a date. they also treat everything they do like an adventure!!! no matter where they're going, they're going to find it fun and exciting!! but they especially like discovering new places together; when they're travelling somewhere, they like to go off map and just wander around and Lysander drags Rook to every food place they come across.

when they go on more "fancy" dates, it's usually theatre/opera. back in his home world, Lysander actually never went to theatre and upon learning about it, Rook went to fix it IMMEDIATELY. Lysander is still not that much into it, but he likes that Rook likes it.

they also watch a lot of movies even when they're just chilling together — again, Lysander is mostly happy that Rook can go on and on about cinematography and behind-the-scenes stuff. Rook had introduced him to musicals tho and he does actually like those!!

Rook is not allowed to help Lysander while Lysander is cooking, but sometimes Lysander lets Rook sit in the kitchen and watch. it's one of the few times when Lysander actually gets chatty because he starts to explain what he's doing and Rook is just happy to be able to listen (tho Lysander always makes him do the dishes afterwards). Rook also often helps Lysander with work in Lysander's garden.

OTHER FACTS 𓂅

aka all the other things i wanted to mention but i didnt know where to put them lmao

i wanted to put it into the "what do they like about eachother" section but didn't know how to fit it in so it's here BUT. Lysander actually never found Rook weird and gets a bit defensive when others do so because. well. Lysander knows well how it is, to be labelled as "the weird person" simply because your way of interacting with other people is a bit out of the norm

while they aren't overly touchy with eachother in public, they're still very affectionate and combined with the fact that they often act like they're joined by hip, it makes them kind of insufferable to be around

they ARE very touchy in private tho!! they often cuddle/take naps together. Rook likes to put his head on Lysander’s chest so he can listen to Lysander’s heartbeat

while Rook uses A LOT of petnames in general, the one he uses most often is mon fleur, since, as i've said, Lysander reminds him of a flower a lot. Lysander is not big on petnames but he often calls Rook "my love" or "my heart"

they write eachother letters by hand, despite the fact that going to the same school, they have no real need to do so. usually full of dramatic romantic confessions and plans for the future

at one point they've given eachother a lock of their hair

not only did Lysander find Rook's stalking tendencies kind of cute, he would also leave the curtains in his windows opened just in case Rook was watching

obviously, the have eachother photo's as their phone lockscreens

Rook really admires the fact that Lysander does embroidery/sewing! he's fascinated by it since it's such a delicate job that requires a lot of carefullness and patience. he likes to sit with his head in Lysander's lap and watch him do it

Vil had put them in a "there was only one bed" scenario during book 5, making them share Lysander’s bedroom (since there were more people living at Ramshackle than actually liveable rooms, they had to arrange everyone somehow)

Rook often compares Lysander to a hare and once bought him a hare plushie

there's some intersection between Rook's interest in hunting and Lysander’s interest in cooking; somehow, that ended up with Rook teaching Lysander how to skin a rabbit (i feel like i shouldn't be putting this point right after the previous one LMAO)

they actually really love teaching eachother how to do things they're interested in!! Rook had also taught Lysander how to climb trees, some archery and whittling (with varying degrees of success)

Rook has just. so many sketchbook pages filled solely with drawings of Lysander

Lysander very often steals borrows Rook's hoodies/shirts; he likes that they're soft and too big on him and smell like Rook. Rook also often steals borrows Lysander’s clothes — they're too small for him to wear obviously but he just likes Lysander’s smell

[fancifulplaguerat]

Finally had a spot of time to indulge my brainrot and write a proper character analysis on Victor ‼️ I made a few scattered posts but could NOT sit down and write something proper until tonight <33

My main concern in said scattered posts were all those little morsels scattered about the game text concerning Victor’s supposed desire to leave the town, which opposes an argument by Andrey (and to an extent Yulia) about how he is a capable leader, as he takes the most after Simon. I will start with that conversation with Andrey, where he says that “Victor is a natural born ruler; he could be doing it all by himself. It’s Victor, not Georgiy, who is Simon’s true heir.” And having feverishly compiled all of Victor’s dialogues/letters/mentions of him in a document I can say that his pragmatism and politicking is the most prevalent feature of his personality. A majority of his interactions and actions per se across all three routes are primarily motivated by town politics, which is likely in part merely a matter of game plot, but connected with Andrey and Yulia’s lines, I think it shows this is a broader focus of his personality at large. HOWEVER. And this is what was a thorn in my side. Yulia notes in her portrait quote that, “Alas, Victor is utterly loathsome of anything that has to do with fame, authority, or public adoration,” and Andrey likewise says, “[Victor] wants to leave this place to further his education and get a degree,” which he claims his treachery because “Victor was a good disciple to Simon. He’ll manage to renew his achievement. Georgiy won’t,” again enforcing Victor as Simon’s next-in-line in terms of (in my opinion) his strategy and politics, less so the more. You know. Madness Simon was up to. It’s further interesting to situate this in a line from Peter, where he says “How did he manage to bring [Nina] to heel—and why did he allow her absolute freedom of choice? Basically, Victor is hiding something. I think he's waiting for Georgiy to make an unpopular move to finally show his real face. Just kidding.” Which, I personally don’t think Victor is lying in wait (I don’t consider that consistent with his behavior) BUT it's still noteworthy to me in that it seemingly affirms the latter idea and introduces how Nina plays into this. I mean, it is brought up a few times that Victor never enforced any authority over Nina on ye olde husband-wife grounds, which yes I know we joke and we jest about his subservient malewife behavior but on a more serious note it interests me to look at in the context of his supposed reluctance towards his position as functionally the Kains' ambassador. In that Yulia portrait quote, too, she says, “He has every right to claim the throne, but he will hand it over to his daughter. Just like he did before, when his terrifying wife was still with us.” Yulia’s quote is echoed by Andrey who, if Daniil asks why Victor hasn’t left yet, will say, “His love for Maria is holding him back—he sees Nina’s ghost in her, after all.” And I will return to Nina posthaste but first, I think those lines affirm again that Victor would prefer not to deal with all the politics he conducts, and yet he has an inherent pragmatism and strategic intelligence which lend him a skill for manoeuvring local politics.

Now okay. Again love to heartily jest about Victor being the only comparably normal individual in his evil bastard psychic family but I think this is important. The game files make it fairly explicit that Victor is the pragmatic one (even if he's still a bit of a dreamer) which to me introduces why he embodies this role despite supposedly hating it. The original character concepts for him says, “Victor is quite pragmatic, unlike Georgiy. He is in charge of the affairs of the Household, so he pays a lot of attention to politics and increasing the power of the Kain family.” First of all, the pragmatism:  Victor displays pretty strategic thinking in general—he seems to work in connections and patterns (which is a tasty parallel to Nina in my opinion). An example of this is when he talks to Artemy about Aglaya; just the way he lays out his thoughts show a very pattern and strategy-oriented intelligence. He also likely works within empiricism, as he says to Daniil, “What I deem to be the truth is what I have been able to consistently observe. And if what I observe is so uncanny that it could be considered a result of a mental or spiritual illness, I turn to others to vindicate me.” Returning to that character concept quote and how it frames Victor as the practical one because Georgiy is out of his gourd—I think this gets closer to the actual (in my opinion) heart of Victor’s identity and motivations. That is, loyalty constructed on a sense of duty rooted in Kain family traditions and self-sacrifice rooted in his utopianism.

Firstly duty. I think Victor’s contrast to Georgiy shows that he deals with the politics despite hating it because he is the only one who can—particularly because as the game goes on he gives more power to Maria as she becomes closer to becoming a Mistress, which is explicitly likened to him giving Nina power (as both Yulia and Andrey’s dialogues show) which says to me that Victor is only acting as head of the house until Maria can, and that he is acting on a sense of duty and necessity for his family. The Kain family is written to have strict traditions and, I would say, a pretty clear sense of hierarchy, since Victor tells Daniil “Georgiy is beside himself… However, I don’t have the power to defy his orders. He is the eldest in the family.” That is, I think, corroborated when Andrey said “She used to obey simon and Georgiy as well […] to pay tribute to their family’s strict traditions.” So given that, I think again much of Victor’s actions are motivated by a sense of duty, but it’s only one aspect of a loyalty which is also informed by self-sacrifice. And a quick separate note: perhaps one reason Victor is a more viable successor to Simon is that unlike Victor, Georgiy seems incredibly covetous of Simon (maybe that absent jealousy per se is influenced by Victor's loyalty and seemingly inherent disinterest for personal power?). Anyway. My point is that I think his adherence to being the pragmatic one in the family despite a dislike of it is fully motivated by that sense of loyalty/duty from the Kain family, and he is doing it because no one else will do the necessary work of accruing power for the Kains, because that power accrual is ultimately necessary for the utopians to win out over the other families. 

As for self-sacrifice, this extends to Utopians and Kains more generally. A town man describes the Kains to Daniil: “They’re cruel; without a moment's hesitation they would sacrifice anything in the world to achieve their brilliant goals. To their credit, their sacrificial list always starts with themselves. lt has always been that way.” Self-sacrifice is fairly prominent in the Kain family, and clearly important to Victor; as I think I’ve said before, the only time he seems genuinely angry in the game is when he tells Clara, “You can’t even begin to imagine the immense power of voluntary self-sacrifice. Don't you know there've been examples in history where someone living would give their life so that someone deceased could spend a little more time with their loved ones?” Clearly self-sacrifice is virtue to him, and I think that can be joined to his sense of loyalty with Nina. But before I finally return to the leading lady I want to levy a little more evidence that trust is likely important to him, as his portrait quote for Eva reads, “Eva possesses some virtues that my daughter, unfortunately, does not. She is gentle. She is trustworthy. She wouldn’t ever stoop to betrayal.” Thus he frames trustworthiness and loyalty as virtues, which I think again demonstrates that importance of loyalty to him, and also shows a hint of the compassion to his character. But first: his relationship with Nina, though that was not very posthaste. 

I don’t intend to talk about broader themes but I do think Victor’s unyielding love for Nina has a particular Platonic (as in Plato) flavor, vis-à-vis Diotima’s Ladder and the philosopher in love with the form of Beauty:the utopian in love with the ideal of utopia. Pegging jokes aside, Aglaya says “And Victor—are you talking about Victor Kain? Nina's husband? He has a keen mind. But he still loves his wife way too much... she never deserved a husband like that, and I mean it.” I know it’s only one line, but I often think about that “he still loves his wife way too much” in connection to that frame of him in love with utopia, which… I personally dislike rendering their relationship just Victor being in love with her as an idea, I find it cynical, but I certainly think that can be read into the text, and is well-applicable after her death. Though, I also think Victor’s love for Nina may reinforce the broader idea of Utopians being motivated by love. I think it fits with Victor’s adherence to loyalty/duty/self-sacrifice, which would likely necessarily be influenced by love, familial or romantic. Which, if I may diverge a little, seemingly relates to the fact that Victor is fairly compassionate. I don’t consider him a perfect upstanding fellow, but I find it interesting that mortality (fickle though the definition is) seems valuable to him, evidenced in that Eva quote and how the game files mention that, “He dotes on his daughter Maria, but considers his son Caspar to be too malicious and doesn’t feel much tenderness towards him” which admittedly is hilarious to me in a ???!!!??!? way because what insane father behavior to be like “hmmm my child dictator son has rancid vibes” but A) I think that serves more complex themes I am not going to get into and B) sticks out to me given his reasoning is that Caspar is “too malicious.” But then, like. Nina and Maria are malicious as all hell (affectionate) so what then ??? Well. I think it answers to that inherent dichotomy of the utopians, in particular that Town Man quote I mentioned earlier, where cruelty is necessary to establish utopia, and rationalized because it is rooted in love. 

But as my final point, returning to compassion more general, I think that compassion is informed by an attitude of forgiveness and atonement. To Clara, he says, “My brother is very angry and prejudiced against you. And as for me, I will now think twice before believing any of the things you are accused of. She who you are being mistaken for would indeed never have given us the body.” When Clara asks whether the conversation were a test, he says, “No. It's not like this. Take some money. This is all I can do to reward you for now. Aside from trusting you, of course.” I.e. he is willing to trust her due to new information about her, rather than maintain resentment (and unlike the other Kains). He repeats this behavior towards Artemy, though perhaps not exclusively, writing that “It is our utmost desire now, to atone for the unjustified suspicions we had of you […] we will be the first to rise against anyone who dares to call you the Ripper.” Both of these instances, to me, are him acting on a trait he expresses to Daniil when talking about Aglaya, that “But you know, I’ve always believed that people can and do change for the better. Every time an enemy of mine returned after a prolonged absence, I welcomed them with open arms.” All this to say he seems to be quite willing to forgive people. And in general, he does seem to value human life (as only a Kain can lmao) so yes. I am done. Had to get that out of my system I was going insane. 

[nicoline1998enilocin]

Flufftober '23 | Masterlist

Hi! Welcome to the Masterlist of my participation in Flufftober 2023, hosted by @flufftober! 🖤

On this Masterlist you'll find the prompts I've filled along the way, which will combine angst, fluff, and smut. Each one shot will have their own appropriate warnings when necessary. All stories will be 'x Fem!Reader' unless specified otherwise.

If you want to check out all my other works, you can find them on my Main Masterlist. For now I hope you will have fun with all the fanfics I'm creating during my first time participating in Flufftober! 🧡

I chose not to work with a tag list. If you want to be updated when I post new fanfics, you can follow @nicoline1998enilocin-library 🖤

Divider made by @cafekitsune | Header & 18+ banner made by yours truly

I want to thank @ccbsrmsf1 because I could not have finished this challenge without your amazing help! From providing the most amazing and drool-worthy GIFs to coming up with the sweetest ideas and the best titles, you have helped me more than I can ever show you. I love you so much, and again, I can not thank you enough for all the work you did for my Flufftober Challenge! ❤️

🥀 = Angst | 🧡 = Fluff | 🔥 = Smut

Day 1 | It'll be okay | 🥀 🧡 | Chris Evans Prompt: ''I've got you'' After nearly a decade of being together, you're going through an intense breakup, so you're at a loss about what to do with yourself. Luckily for you, your best friend Chris knows exactly what to do to make you feel better, and you're very thankful to have him in your life.

Day 2 | I do! Again! | 🧡 🔥 | Robert Downey Jr. Prompt: Family, friends, loved ones Your 10th wedding anniversary with Robert is coming up, and he is planning a special vacation for you and your little family, though it'll have a twist you will know about once you arrive. He ensures every last detail is perfect, and it will become a vacation you'll never forget.

Day 3 | Together, forever | 🥀 🧡 🔥 | Iron Man!Tony Stark Prompt: ''Wait, you love me?'' - ''I've always loved you'' You and Tony have been head over heels in love with one another for as long as you can remember. It isn't until someone is injured and nearly loses their life that your feelings come out, and both of you wish you would have shared your feelings sooner, especially after seeing how fragile human life is.

Day 4 | Perfect coincidence | 🧡 | Bucky Barnes Prompt: Have your characters share the last table at a café You find yourself in a rainstorm and seek refuge in a warm-looking coffee shop. When there's only one table left, you share it with a handsome stranger who introduces himself as Bucky Barnes and his fluffy white cat, Alpine. What started as one of the worst days quickly became one of the best.

Day 7 | Swinging together | 🧡 | Tony Stark Prompt: Porch swing You have always dreamt of having a porch swing on your porch, and now that you and Tony are moving into your new house, this is the perfect opportunity. He will do anything to build it before your baby boy arrives and complete your little family.

Day 8 | Dancing in the rain | 🧡 | Loki Laufeyson Prompt: Rainy day Both you and Loki decide to make the best of a rainy day. He starts the day with breakfast in bed, and you decide to bake him a pumpkin pie in the afternoon. When you suddenly want to dance in the rain with him, something shifts between you, and you can't keep your hands off one another.

Day 10 |Mile High Club | 🧡 🔥 | Iron Man!Tony Stark Prompt: Love of my life You and Tony have been in a secret relationship for the past seven months, and you're being sent on the first mission for just the two of you since you've become an Avenger. Seeing how the two of you will have nothing but time during the long flight to the other side of the world, he wants nothing more than to make you a part of the Mile High Club.

Day 11 | Chocolate lovers | 🥀 🧡 🔥 | Young!Tony Stark Prompt: Sweet tooth + Hot chocolate Your daughter, Orion, has been wanting hot chocolate as a treat for a while now, and you and Tony are finally giving her just that. Though Tony's sweet tooth craves something much sweeter, he can't help but make it even more delicious by adding some sweet chocolate syrup.

Day 12 | Spin The Bottle | 🧡 🔥 | Robert Downey Jr. Prompt: ''Oh no, you're a morning person!'' Robert has been your best friend for a few years, and the sexual tension between both of you has only grown stronger. When, after an innocent game of Spin The Bottle, the small, flickering fire officially bursts out into a sea of flames, you experience the most satisfying, gentle, and perfect first time together you could have wished for.

Day 14 | My favorite piece of art | 🧡 | Bucky Barnes Prompt: ''I hate it'' - ''No you don't'' You've been trying to get Bucky to model for you for the longest time. When he finally agrees, you decide to go all out and make a beautiful painting of him to highlight everything you love about him. When he sees the end result, he can't help but joke about it, but deep inside, he's very moved and touched that you did this for him.

Day 16 | Lullaby | 🧡 | Andy Barber Prompt: Singing one another to sleep After a long, stressful day at work, there's nothing you enjoy more than sitting next to your husband, Andy, when he's playing the piano and singing to you. These moments work like a charm to get you to fall asleep, and you two lovingly call them your own lullaby.

Day 17 | A new start | 🧡 | Ari Levinson Prompt: Encouraging s.o. to reach a goal You've always dreamt of turning your career around, starting in a new field. When you mention this idea to your husband, Ari, he is very supportive in the best way he knows how to be.

Day 19 | We'll always protect you | 🥀 🧡 | Steve Rogers Prompt: Keeping someone safe Steve's dream has always been to become a Dad, and suddenly, that opportunity seems closer than he could ever have envisioned. When a little girl is abandoned in front of the Avengers Compound, he can't help but take an immediate liking to her, and he feels the urge to keep her safe no matter what.

Day 20 | Spooky celebration | 🧡 | Sebastian Stan Prompt: Pumpkin You moved to the U.S. not too long ago, and this year will be your first Halloween celebration there. When your friend Sebastian finds out you’ve never celebrated it, he's taking out all the stops to make your first Halloween a spooky celebration to never forget.

Day 22 | Apple picking | 🧡 | Young!Tony Stark Prompt: Picking You've grown up with the tradition of going apple picking each fall, and now that you and Tony have your own little family, you want to keep this tradition going. As you, Tony, Orion, and Hudson go to a local apple farm during an apple-picking event, you're soaking up every second and enjoying every moment.

Day 23 | A beautiful collection | 🧡 🔥 | Ari Levinson Prompt: Trinket Whenever you and Ari visit a new place together during a vacation, you two search for the silliest magnets to add to your ever-growing collection. Usually, you're the one who brings them home, but this time, Ari has found a rather special one that you want to keep forever.

Day 25 | Reading nook | 🧡 | Steve Rogers Prompt: Nook You recently moved into a new house that'll accommodate you and your growing family, but your one wish in the new house has yet to come true. You've wanted a reading nook for a long time, and when you're away on business, Steve decided to surprise you by making the reading nook of your dreams.

Day 26 | Love by the fire | 🧡 | Iron Man!Tony Stark Prompt: Fireplace Tony has taken you for a weekend away to a small cabin in the woods where it'll just be the two of you, and no one around for miles to interrupt. The weather outside is cold, but the atmosphere inside the cabin is almost reaching it's boiling point as you two can't keep your hands off each other.

Day 29 | I'll always be by your side | 🥀 🧡 | Iron Man!Tony Stark Prompt: ''Hey! Wake up!'' What was supposed to be a comfortable, easy Sunday turned into one of the worst as you're caught off guard by your period and in horrible pain. Luckily, your boyfriend, Tony, is by your side to make you feel better and spoil you absolutely rotten.

Day 31 | Spiked candy | 🧡 | Iron Man!Tony Stark Prompt: Dreams do come true You've had a crush on Tony for as long as you can remember, but you didn't know he also has one on you. During his annual Halloween party, he makes a move using a project he's been working on for a long time, and they have precisely the desired effect because you couldn't be happier the morning after. Your dream of being his might finally come true after all.

[soukokumychildren]

I. ABSOLOUTLY. ADORE YOUR IDEA WITH YOUR AU SO MUCHhhhhaaaaah!! ✨✨✨✨🖤🖤

Chuuya having WINGS!!? Even though he could in somee way fly before already, it feels so different with wings!! Like really cool!!

(( I have always Liked wings -

Is your AU going to follow the main time-line of the show? Like, the illustrations you've posted sure does look like it-- (love them- love this idea-) ((Soukoku Reunion where Chuuya has feathers!!? ✨)

Wait, wait, wait, No- dont spoil anything..! (maybe just a little yes or no- that wouldn't really spoil anything—) I will find out as I read—!

I mainly wanted to say I'm really looking forward to reading this!!

It's my first BSD AU where it follows the main time-line - just differently- as well! A thing I really like!!

Well, if it really does ofc, but It sure does look like it—Arg, I gotta just continue reading soon——

Even if it don't this seems really interesting already!!!

Ahem, anyhow, this became a bit long- I wanted to expres my excitement about this-especially after, you even looked at some of my BSD stuff after I followed you!!!!

Thank you soo much!✨ That became the last push to write this little too long text, that isn't really a question, but more like a thank you-ahh im excited for this-- that I had already considered writing to you after I started reading😅😅👍

This entire post just made my day and while I could I'd rather not risk dying from lightheadedness from spinning too fast in excitement in my spinny chair XDDDDD THANK YOU SO MUCH

I can't express how embarrassed I am just fshfhsgshgsghshg I have been CRAZY for wings for AGES now, and I just saw soooo many posts about how "what if Chuuya could fly Dazai" I thought, fuckers, I can make that REALITY And it is going to follow the main timeline of the show just...alot differently but at the same time trying really hard to stick to the normal plot In hindsight that means I must suffer with all my energy to watch the first season of bsd (When I first watched BSD, the first episodes were for setup, and rightfully so. That all made sense, it really put the characters together. But I watched it a second time and it dragged ON and ON and I COULDN'T STAND IT UNTIL CHUUYA CAME TO GRAB DAZAI gARgHHrhgh). I must admit I'm confused on the "Soukoku reunion where Chuuya has feathers" bit though 🤔 And currently during the plot I'm writing I have to improvise ALOT from what I know, and really this fic is also whatever the fuck I wanna write with whatever writing style I have on hand slapped into each 1K chapter so I'm really trying here LOL Also the fact when [undisclosed plot device] will be introduced, I'll be writing seperate smut for [undisclosed plot device] because I can then do WHATEVER I want wITHOUT any repercussions Hopefully I can add in [undisclosed plot device] just in a way that people will understand. Though I hear that Beast Dazai also came across [undisclosed plot device] at one point :D

I'm going SO offtopic here LMFAO And seriously? Really??? I'm surprised! I'm sure theres alot of fics that go by the timeline, I especially have run into cough ones which I liked which are specifically smut related..... and I go back to off topic I'm sorry LMAO But I'm sosoosososo glad you like it! It just means alot to me you wrote alot and now I'm just ranting because you've shown genuine interest without going off the rails (as far as I've seen) so this is pretty cool for me too!!! And I do usually look to peoples accounts who follow me (especially those who find interest in a SURPRISING amount of my stuff XD) so yeah, that's why and I found some GOOD stuff on your account too, so that's REALLY awesome. Talk to me any time! Dm me, reblog and talk to me that way, use replies, whatever the fuck! I love talking to people, and this was genuinely fun to write. :]

[hurt-over-comfort]

Story & OC introduction!

Hello! So, after far too long of a wait, I have finished this OC introduction post! 

In the future I’ll think about how to organize this better, maybe as a google docs or maybe as a separate website, but for now this is as good as I can make it. 

It might be quite long given the sheer amount of OC’s introduced so I kept the descriptions to a minimum - I’d love to expand on that later once I decide what’s the best way to do it. Also, all asks about characters and the stories are super welcome! I love talking about my blorbos.

This post focuses on introducing one of my two main stories and their casts, but all of these characters exist through different AUs. I will share more details about the second story soon, I haven't finished writing descriptions for that one yet : (

“JOINT VENTURE” AKA COLLEGE AU

My main squeeze, the story I think about most often and what I consider the ‘baseline’ for the character’s personalities. It's definitely a whumpy story, but I doesn't focus exclusively on whump.

In short, it’s a story of the destructive relationship between two college students and how their decision to partner up and make some cash haunts them. A story about addiction, desperation, control and loss of it, of all encompassing love and betrayal. It’s doomed, it’s tragic, it’s abusive, it’s gay!!! Content warnings for the story: sadism&masochism, torture, noncon.

I’d love to elaborate, but to not make this post any longer than it needs to be, here are the featured characters!

1. ALBERT

My main guy, nr one little guy inside my head. I love my Oc’s equally, except for Albert, whom I love the most. (I also hate him the most, so it equalizes.)

Albert is a rich kid fuck boy who everyone only pretends to like. He’s a rather bright chem-engineering student who spends most of his time getting drunk, high and having lots of party sex. It seems like life handed him a golden ticket - good looks, filthy rich parents, great education - and maybe that’s why he started acting out, because it all was going too well. And now it’s harder to pretend that everything is great, which makes him try even harder, become faker.

The only person who truly sees through him is Cedric and maybe that’s why he hates him so much. Only sometimes, he doesn’t hate him - sometimes he feels a wild yearning for any shred of Cedric’s validation or affection, and he buries that feeling so deeply that he’s not aware it’s even happening. He prefers denial - denial that everything is amazing, that he didn’t fuck up his life entirely, that Cedric is no one to him. It works until it doesn’t and for these times even the usual vices don’t stop him from spiraling. He hates it, or maybe he doesn’t, it’s hard to tell - He’s so dangerously masochistic that he might just be in love with being miserable.

2. CEDRIC

(OC of the lovely @whmp)

Albert’s roommate and the absolute bane of his existence. The person who hates him the most and conversely the only one that can put up with his antics. He’s spent so much time trying and failing to get away from Albert that now he just accepts him as any other inevitability of life. Vaguely aware of Albert’s feelings toward him and even less aware of his own feelings for him. 

A major control freak about everything in his life, from academics to personal relationships. Will claim he just want to be left alone but will get lonely if that actually happens. He’s aloof and quiet with a tendency to be outright mean and sarcastic when in a bad mood, sees people mostly as noisy distractions. Annoyingly aware of his own intelligence, definitely thinks he’s better than other people. In between studying and dealing with Albert he has a little business on the side - synthesizing drugs. 

3. NICKY

Cedric’s sweet boyfriend, a chronically online liberal arts major and Albert’s number one secret hater. He’s not the smartest, but he makes it up with his enthusiasm and a general aura of positivity. Will make you a delicious meal if asked, but will also go on twitter and argue for hours about the stupidest, most inconsequential things. In between watching anime and romanticizing every aspect of his life he loves to game with Cedric’s weirdo friend, Leo. 

4. LEO

(Also OC of @whmp)

An absolute social reject shut-in loser who spends most of his days browsing very questionable websites and forums. Doesn’t mind people, but doesn’t like them either - he’s so apathetic it’s hard to make him care about anything, really. That includes being likable, so he never tries to cover up his nature (he sees any relationship as a transaction anyway). Not hard to get along with if you can stand him, but you probably shouldn’t try because he’s not a good person. Not so secretly sadistic - maybe he loves it so much because violence and abuse is one of the only things that can make him feel anything. Awkward most of the time, especially for those incredibly rare times where he feels any attachment to a person. Stay away at all cost.

5. DARCY 

A wicked demon in the vague shape of a man (metaphorically). There is little humanity left in him, or maybe there was none there to begin with. Bastard son of a prominent cartel leader with high ambitions how to run things and 0 actual leadership power. He’s the clean up guy, tasked with disappearing the people that the cartel doesn’t need anymore. And before he buries them in the desert somewhere, why shouldn’t he have some fun with them? They can have a lovely evening or two and when whatever is left of them is dropped into a shallow grave Darcy will have already moved on. 

6. CECILE 

Albert’s accomplished older sister. They talk sometimes, and she worries about him a lot, but their relationship is rather strained. Her life is a constant juggle between her demanding job and family life, and maybe if she keeps it up she’ll have no time to think about the life she could have had. About the people she had lost. 

7. WILLOW

Willow used to be a best friend of Cecile back when they were younger. They’d sneak off at night and go onto the grassy fields, setting up a picnic to enjoy it just as the sun rises. They’d talk for hours while laying on their back and staring at the sky, hands so close their fingers could touch if any of them would be a little braver. They were close and wanted to be so, so much closer, but you can’t get everything you want in life, right?

---

That's it for now! Very excited to be sharing all of this with you! The picrew used is the amazing sushicore!

Here is also a little sneak peek at some of the characters of my second story while I work on writing descriptions for them!

[assassyart]

Odd question.

Who would you say was more unfairly sidelined?

Angela Cross, Sasha Phyronix or Talwyn?

Hmm. That's an interesting one. Sure, I'll bite!

I guess this may be a bit controversial, but I don't really think Angela was "unfairly sidelined" at all. She had her place in the story in Going Commando, a prominent one at that, and despite me thinking her arc kinda sucks in GC, it doesn't erase the fact that her character was basically done after Going Commando. Her one goal was to stop Fizzwidget Qwark from releasing the crazy Protopet.

It's only now with ACiT and RA that Angela actually serves a purpose beyond Going Commando (and even saying that is a stretch, considering the purpose as of right now is just a mix between "where did she go?", "is she a lombax?", and the fact she is presumably with max apogee). She was never *intentionally* sidelined, in my opinion.

Overall, she was just a fan-favorite side character until they accidentally messed up with the whole "last Lombax" thing, and she didn't really seem all that important to the main characters beyond being a girl Ratchet thinks is pretty and wants to impress lol.

The other two, on the other hand... they both have it pretty bad.

Sasha is never brought up after Deadlocked's intro scene until the comics, post-ACiT. Even in the comics, Ratchet and Sasha's relationship is barely touched on, so we don't really have any idea of why they broke up besides that one site that claimed it was because of political differences. Sasha is treated like she wasn't important to the cast when she clearly WAS important to, at the very least, Ratchet. She isn't that important of a character to the story which is why I wouldn't be all that surprised if we don't see her again, but she was still IMPORTANT to a character and that alone means she deserved more than just an offscreen send-off in the comics.

It's like they specifically took Ratchet to a completely different galaxy so they could avoid past characters and introduce new ones, and OH HEEY WAIT A MINUTE, does this kinda sound familiar...?

Because it happened again. That's essentially the same thing that Rift Apart does. To avoid the elephant in the room (Ratchet's important relationships with other characters that would add to his hesitation with risking it all to go find the Lombaxes, i.e. Azimuth, Vendra, Talwyn, Cronk, Zephyr, Tachyon, etc.) they straight up just ignore having to talk about those characters by putting him in a position where they will never realistically be brought up— a different dimension, with new characters.

Despite Into the Nexus cementing Talwyn as an important character and RA being the sequel to Nexus, Rift Apart chooses to play it as safely as possible by vaguely mentioning her in one very easily missable dialogue that is, while cute, not important whatsoever towards Ratchet's inner conflict.

If this was the first time her character was treated like this, it wouldn't be a big deal... but this isn't the first time. She was (allegedly) axed from A Crack in Time, axed from Full Frontal Assault, had her role minimized in Into the Nexus, and was reduced to a credits cameo in Rift Apart. Anytime she DID have screentime, it was rarely spent developing her or her goals, and instead developing Ratchet's character and motivations.

Things do HAPPEN to Talwyn, but they happen so that she can be more relatable to Ratchet, not because it'll benefit her character.

In conclusion: sasha got the worst of it by being completely ignored until the comics because she was too cool and capable and will probably never show up again. angela isn't that bad because she still gets referenced and the door is still wide open for her to be included in a future game whenever IG decides they've had enough fun messing with going commando fans, but i do understand and sympathize with the pain of waiting over twenty years to see her again. aaaaand talwyn is a big ole mess but she's my mess so i love her no matter how many times they cut her from the games :D

[dogtoling]

What is art fight? Do all you artists just. Punch in face

ok it's slightly better than that. As a quick introduction, Art Fight is a website with a yearly event that takes place every year in July. Very simply put, you make an account there, upload whatever OCs you have and want to display on there, and then just sit and wait around until July pops up. A week or so before the event starts, there is a theme reveal (this year the teams are Vampire and Werewolf), and people may choose a team to join, or be randomly assigned to a team after the event starts.

For the event itself, the objective is to "attack" artists that are on the opposing team by drawing their OCs. Attacking people on the other team nets your team points, which are tallied at the end of the event. But to be honest I feel like no one cares about which team actually wins. That might be "the objective", but really the objective is doing gift art and trades largely with strangers on the internet and making their day, and maybe getting surprise art in return!

When you attack someone, people might attack you back by drawing your OC, which begins something called a revenge chain! So that's when you're doing art trades (for people who have never heard the term art trade before because i've realized deviantart isn't hip or mainstream anymore, an art trade is an occasion where two artists draw a thing for each other). Not everyone does revenges though and ESPECIALLY not chains, so the main draw of the event is gift art. In general expecting stuff back tends to set people up for disappointment, especially if attacking the same team. Drawing OCs from your own team counts as "friendly fire", and while your team still gets points for it, you get DRAMATICALLY less points than you would for drawing for the opposing team. Either way it is a thing that you CAN still do.

The amount of points you get from an attack depends on the medium (which include stuff that isn't just drawing!), level of finish and polish, the general complexity of the art, the amount of characters in the piece et cetera. You determine these categories yourself while posting your attack, so it can be a bit daunting if you're not sure on things.

Art Fight recently introduced tag search, which lets you tag your OCs with specific tags (for example, "splatoon", "furry", "pokemon" or whatever) and search for characters with those same tags if you have preferences on what you want to draw. It also has some nifty other things, like the ability to customize your profile sometimes to insane degrees if you want, the ability to set permissions for characters (what people are and are not allowed to do with them), a storage for hiding characters if you want to retire them for a specific year but don't want to delete and re-add them later, the ability to link stuff to character profiles such as their toyhouse or full reference sheets, fields for crediting artists for the design or art if you got it from somebody else... et cetera. It also has some achievements, if you're into that kind of stuff.

The barrier of entry is really kind of low and the event is very versatile - you can go the whole fight making pixel sprite attacks, you can do 3D models, you can do halfbodies, you could even just do sketches and call it a day and that's all very valid and usually always fun. Personally I find Art Fight really fun because not only do you get to pick characters to draw that you might never have seen otherwise, but also have a completely good excuse to draw other people's characters and make their day. I usually spend a lot of Art Fight trying out different art styles and dabbling in stuff I normally do less, and don't have much motivation to do with my own characters - for example, last year I did digital art, painting, pixel sprites, pixel animation, 3D modeling and 3D animation and yeah I wouldn't have done any of those without the Art Fight excuse of "yeah why not draw this guy's OC". So it's also a really good way to step out of what you usually do with your art, and try different styles or mediums just to see what it's about.

And of course, the most important tidbit: the site is always, and I mean always, EVERY year, down at the start of the event. Every year the first week of Art Fight the site is completely unusable. The good news is, you can join Art Fight even in the middle of the event, and joining the site doesn't require you to partake in every upcoming Art Fight or even to pick a team. You can simply spectate and not partake one year, then come back the next and pick a team. TL;DR it's fun.

[pharawee]

I'm thinking of reviving my super random (and spoilery so be warned!) review posts for I Feel You Linger in the Air because I have so much love for this show and I need a place to gather my super random thoughts.

I read the novel back in spring not really expecting much beyond a pleasant read but it's quickly become not only my favourite BL novel but one of my favourite novels in general. Does it need an editor? Yes (but I'm an editor so I'm biased - but tbh I'd rather have these "imperfect" translations out there than not having them at all, and IFYLITA's translator did a really good job). But beyond that it's insightful and sweet with a hint of sadness and loss. It manages to capture the moment perfectly, painting such a clear and nostalgic (but not sugar-coated) picture of the time period(s).

I feel like this is exactly what the series is trying to capture as well. It's in the colour-grading and the lighting and the cinematography and the way both Jom as the main character and Chiang Mai as the backdrop (and I'd say almost a character in its own rigght) are introduced. It's in the mystique and the dread of Jom catching these glimpses of himself and what's to come. It's in the abrupt unravelling of Jom's ordinary life and the pain and loss (and later confusion and anger) he feels at not understanding how and why these things are happening to him - which imo becomes such an important theme later on as Jom gains understanding and acceptance. Because to me IFYLITA isn't just a beautiful love story. It's just as much about Jom (and Yai - but in the novel he's never a POV character until the special chapters, and he's never quite as aware of his past as Jom is, having lived every aspect of it) growing as a person. Not in a way that changes who he is - Jom is a very set and self-aware character who knows what he wants and I really like that about him - but rather in how he perceives those around him and his own feelings.

The novel also has a handful of spectacular and vivid bed scenes so I'm really curious how (and if) they'll approach them.

But on to episode 1.

I love this opening. It's so atmospheric and eerie. We feel just as out of place here as Jom does. And I love how he's the intruder here. This isn't his home, he's watching a very private scene unfold and it's instantly made clear that he's not (yet) wanted. The other Jom is more scared of him than he is in this moment. I also love how he's half in the light, half bathed in shadow, like he's already wandering between worlds. Ah, I love me a good foreshadowing.

And I love how we're then slowly introduced to Jom, to his work, his life, his mannerisms. He lights a scented candle, his flat is full of sketches, drawings and books on architecture. Apart from his work, he lives his life patiently and quietly waiting for Ohm, his boyfriend (who he met at university and who he believes is the love of his life). In his two years in London Ohm has never given him any reason to doubt his commitment, which is why his infidelity is such a heavy blow later on.

We are then introduced to another "character": Chiang Mai - as it is today with its busy streets and markets and landmarks. Old trees lining the waterways and what remains of the walled city itself. In the novel, Jom uses his knowledge about Chiang Mai to pinpoint where he is in the past and how things have changed. As an architect interested in art and culture he also makes a lot of observations about historical buildings and society - which is what makes the novel so special to me. You'd probably need a huge budget to visualise this on a similar scale in the series but they tried (and succeeded imo) with the market scene, and Khun Yai's house will soon become the visual focal point of the series anyway.

A house, which Jom specifically has been asked to restore by the owner even though he's only a few years out of uni.

And as with Jom's dreams, Jom already has a connection to the house. He's been seen by the workers when he wasn't there. He instinctively knows which key to use for the chest the workers found in one of the rooms. The chest contains several sketches that to Jom seem remarkable because they don't really fit the time period.

Hm, I wonder who drew those. 🙃

Of course, soon enough everything goes to shit.

And it hits even harder because Ohm's so much more callous and cruel than in the novel. In the novel, Jom almost becomes a bit of an afterthought, a side character, an inconsequential affair (and I suppose he's the affair here too) on Ohm's path to happiness. But here his actions toward Jom seem quite deliberate and careless. And his fiancée Kaimook is painted as just plain evil. It's like Ohm and her don't even love each other (when in the novel they do - with all the tragedy that entails).

I guess they really wanted to drive home how quickly Jom's life falls apart. And, damn, his speech about waiting for two years and somehow NOT becoming unfaithful was incredibly strong. Then again, he was the one waiting, holding his breath, essentially stopping his life to stay in Chiang Mai until Ohm returned. He's blameless, of course, but that's not exactly healthy either.

The attempted SA isn't in the novel at all. I get why they included it. It's very difficult to watch but it drives its point home. Content warnings would be appreciated though.

Then there's this. Commander Yai. I screamed. Here I was wondering if he'd make an appearance at all (and hoping they'd maybe end the series with a glimpse of him) but they just put him front and center.

The moustache is a necessity, I'm telling you. It wouldn't be Commander Yai without the moustache. Also, this is a fake moustache in an underwater kissing scene. All things considered this is amazing make-up. Embrace the moustache. Commander Yai is worth it, I promise!

Unfortunately, Commander Yai's early appearance might also mean that there won't be a second part of the series planned. They might just allude to Yai's past life without going into much detail - which I totally get. Another season about the Lanna period would probably be a logistical and budgeting nightmare. But still. Gimme!! 😭

Anyway, I love how Jom is immediately just so at ease with him. Granted, he's drunk, grieving and drowning but kissing a handsome, moustached dude during his near-death/time travel experience feels like the most normal thing ever. And I love how it's Commander Yai who saves him. The shot of him uplifting Jom was so beautifully filmed.

Good thing he's found by Ming my beloved and not a dozen angry bare-chested Northerners who promptly punch his lights out lol

And this is one of the moments where I wish I was (more, much much more) fluent in Thai so I understood more of the differences between Jom's Central Thai and everyone else's (old-fashioned) Northern Thai. I do understand there's a difference, and I do understand that they're using different vocabulary and some different grammar but that's about it.

Where is Jom's phone, though? He still had it in the novel and it's an important plot point later on.

I love Jom's brush with the old market. You browse, you buy.

Also Jom sitting down in a secluded spot and just devouring the food that was given to him. I don't know why but the scene really resonated with me. Maybe because it was as out of place as Jom must feel. Or maybe because it was so human - such a mundane thing to do after everything that's happened. Almost like the past is already much more soothing than the present that Jom has left behind.

I'm faceblind but that's supposed to be Ohm (in a past life), right?

Not Jom having an existential crisis over Ming namedropping his future father-in-law (and Ming pitying him in the background. He might be a bit strange, Ming, but don't even pretend you haven't already adopted him into your family).

Finally we meet the mystery man from Jom's dreams (sans moustache this time), and he looks just as suprised to see a familiar face as Jom is (albeit for very different reasons).

I love that they included the jasmine with the lantom flowers. Khun Yai only drinks jasmine-scented water so they're as much Jom and his flowers as the lantoms (and their meaning isn't as bittersweet either).

And then there's the underwater scene(s) which are just so imcredibly well done. So intimate and soft, and probably the only time Yai really looks as young as he's supposed to be.

So yeah, this series is so far exceeding all my expectations and I'm so glad we'll be getting twelve 1h+ episodes (and a special? And a second season? Please? 🥺) of this beautiful, beautiful show.

[t-t-tau-me]

Mystic Flour and Cultural Confusion: part 1 

Hello there, stranger. I see the smell of cookies has guided you through the white mist. Why don't you kick back and relax while I talk your ear off about the cultural significance of a baked good…

This is what I'm doing with my life.

So, Cookie Run: Kingdom. A game that starts with the tone of Dragon Tales and somehow mutates into Lord of the Rings territory (Which I love by the way). Cookie Run as a franchise has always had dozens of characters from all different walks of life, many of them inspired by our real world. Devsisters dedicate a lot of time and effort to getting the cultural significance of their characters and plot lines correct, and they do a pretty good job…

Mostly…(I ain't going anywhere near that until I get more research and opinions on it.) 

When pulling direct inspiration from a real-world culture and introducing it to an audience of a separate one, It can lead to a surprising amount of confusion. A good example of this would be when something originated in one culture, but is far more known in a different one, causing some people to believe that a certain thing only belongs to one culture.

Incomes the main subject of this post. (finally,) One of the first cookies baked! The hero of Volition turned beast of apathy! Put your hands together for Mystic Flour Cookie!

She's excited, I swear.

So…what does an overdesign treat have to do with what I just said? A lot actually. But alas, there's still one last thing I need to clarify, less I get mauled to death for not covering my bases.

Now, I'm not going to disclose the entirety of my identity as I care about my privacy. All you need to know is that I'm a minority in the Western hemisphere. The reason I feel it's important to disclose this is because people will use my identity, or lack thereof, to discredit anything I say, all because I MIGHT be some white guy in my 30s. One of the reasons for this behavior could be people trying to make sure someone isn't just trying to profit off of someone else's beliefs or culture, which I completely understand. I know what it's like when people attempt to use your identity just to benefit them in some sort of way, Even if it's not on the level of a religion or practice. It completely erases you as a person and just makes you an accessory.

However, the problem comes when you overdo it. I've seen a decent amount of people being attacked over interacting with cultures outside of their own, All because they don't fit the criteria of being enough of a certain ethnicity to do something. It's understandable to be mad when someone's making a mockery of what you care about, But it's entirely different when they're actively trying to learn and you still treat them horribly. It's kind of hard to learn about something when you're being told You're a monster for trying to do so.

To those who are curious or want to get in touch with your ancestry, You're still valid even if you don't breathe that culture every day. The only thing you really need is patience to learn and respect to understand.

Oh yeah, you're still here. (Whoops) 

The reason why Mystic Flour Cookie is important to this conversation is due to her cultural influence of Buddhism. Those who are at least somewhat familiar with the belief could probably pick up on the inspiration just by looking at her. (Keep in mind, children play this game so not everyone is going to know this.) From what I've seen, a sizable amount of people think Mystic flower is Chinese-inspired which…isn't wrong, But there's a bit more to it. I'll be showing quotes in links I used in my research, feel free to do your own digging. if you like.

Before I go ahead and start going into detail on Mystic Flour, I'm actually going to split up this post into 2 parts so it's easier for people to read. If you're interested you shouldn't have to wait long, and thanks for even bothering to read this.