#also cw for very mild animal death?

[windowsloth]

hey I wrote/drew a spooky little comic for Halloween!

it’s a quick read about a local legend

(cw for claustrophobia)

[madzzz0797]

Just thinking about Daryl pining after reader.

CW: mild cursing, cigarettes, alcohol, implied death of an animal(non specific), implied smut(non descriptive) Daryl is kind of ruining her purity.

!!!MDNI ON THIS POST!!! Also if any of this bothers you please just scroll, your mental health is important to me. 

He is so in love with her it’s crazy. The only problem is she was raised religious and was very sheltered her entire life. Even now in her mid twenties she still is just a pure and kind as ever.

Daryl would be scared at first of breaking her out of her shell. But after he does he shows her all kinds of things. How to hunt and track animals. He took her with him to check some traps he set the previous day. She feels bad and of course she cries a little. “Dammit, I’m sorry darling I never shoulda brought ya with me.” Daryl felt bad so he just hugged he in the middle of the woods. Cradling her to his chest while she sniffed.

He gives her the first cigarette she’s ever had. Daryl was scared that she may choke based on how hard she coughed. He took it away from her. “Pretty women like ya don’t smoke noways.”

After she begged him for days he finally caved and took her for a ride on his motorcycle. He went slower than he normally would but she didn’t need to know that. “You better hold on tight, ya hear?”

She stumbled upon him drinking one night and asked if she could have some. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea doll.” But he knew he could never resist the curiosity in her eyes. And of course Daryl could never say no to his sweet girl. He hesitantly gives her a beer. She gets super happy drunk and Daryl just finds it so adorable.

Her fighting was awful. Poor girl was so afraid of hurting someone she forgot that she also has to protect herself. Daryl eventually convinced her to at least learn how to punch someone. He knew it wasn’t in her character but, “this is the end of the world sweetheart.” After she punched him in the arm like he asked her too he instantly knew they had a long way to go.

He thought her how to ask for what she wants. “Daryl please,” she whined under him. Her breath was ragged and her eyes glossed with tears of pleasure. He looked down at her and smirked.

“Please what? What ya want girl?” He knew exactly what she wanted. But she needs to understand that she has to be able to speak for herself also.

“Please just fuck me Daryl.” As soon as his name left her lips he’s giving her exactly what she was asking for.

As always, feel free to like 💜, comment 💬, and reblog ♻️. It means so much to me every time someone interacts with my posts. Also please send in a request if there is something you want to see me try my hand at writing.

[faetaiity]

Hi! I saw you where trying yandere fics so i was wondering if you’d be interested in writing some platonic yandere headcannons (basically the yandere idea without the romance) with the four rise!brothers (or just raph and/or donnie if all of them are too many), discovering a male human younger than them (like 12-13) and while they’re out on patrol and they all become obsessed with the idea of him becoming their younger brother so much so that they kidnap them and bring them back to the lair

i’m just so curious how they’d act to a younger brother and how they’d treat him- like would they let him out of the house, go on patrol with them, would donnie let him into his lab?

if you want you could also do the bat mutant reader or the dark!au, it’s up to you! sorry for rambling lol

I WILL DO ALL OF THESE???? BAT READER IN THE DARK AU WITH PLATONIC YANDERES??? SIGN ME UP FUCKER(S)!! /POS Also, I (tried) to make the readers age ambiguous for the most part, BUT I did have in mind a reader between 7-9 (Early Adolescents)

CW: Reader ends up getting injured, mild angst(?), Yandere themes. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

STORY PART (GENERAL HCS AT THE BOTTOM <3)

Mutating for a child is 10x worse

It's almost guaranteed that the kid will be homeless, not necessarily because of their parents (although this DOES happen rarely), but more so because they perceive themselves as monsters as kids, and teens have low self-esteem so they think no one will love them as a mutant

At least with Teens and Adults, they have Mutants in their age range that can help, there are almost NO child mutants, now, Adult Mutants will help Child mutants, but this is a dangerous area.

Cut to a little boy who just mutated into a giant Bat, you, of course, freak out and start crying (Partly because it's canon that Mutating is PAINFUL)

It'll probably be a couple nights or even weeks before the turtles find you, New York IS pretty big.

When they find you, they're curious, they've never seen a super young mutant out by themselves, sure, they were young at some point, but they were always supervised

Raphs the most patient one, even in the canon storyline, Rise! Raph is a sweetheart compared to his brothers, similar concept here, Dark AU! Raph is similar to 2012! Raph, he has his soft moments but mostly comes off as intimidating.

Raph comes over to you and sees you sobbing your eyes out, your fur is matted, you seem to be starving and you have various scrapes and bruises.

Big Brother mode is something Dark AU! Raph experiences very rarely, only towards young animals as his brothers are completely independent from him now, but you managed to trigger that response.

Honey, you got a big storm comin /ref

He picks you up and brings you with him, earning Leo and Donnie's Ire

I'm gonna be honest, he has to beg his brothers not to rat him out to the rat, he HAS to smuggle you into the lair, at least for a little bit for you to be cleaned up and fed.

His brothers taunt him about his sudden "Stupid Emotions", especially considering even though Raph is a decent person in this AU, he's still hardcore af, smashing people's teeth in 'n stuff.

But they cave, Mikey isn't as loose mouthed in the Dark AU, he's actually quite secretive.

Raph ends up taking you to the shower and asking if you know how to take one by yourself (He knows you're young, but he doesn't know your exact age, but he knows you're younger than 10.), if you agree he just gives you some of Mikey's clothes since they would fit you the best, then he leaves.

After showering, you wander around, as nosy kids do, you end up finding the orange one, drawing in what seems to be red paint, he looks over to you with a smile, ew, the paint was leaking from his mouth.

You skittishly wandered into another part of the lair after feeling like you stared death in the face of a turtle.

Going into another part, which had a lot of ripped up dummies, you see the other two that wasn't the red one, one had a midnight blue mask, and the other a Deep Purple, they were screaming at each other, calling each other horrible names, they were both pretty roughed up, knuckles bleeding, blood coming from their nose, bruises, someone brushed by you casually and wandered into that den of Vipers

"MIKEY, GET THE FUCK OUT, WE'RE BUSY" The Blue one yelled at, who you assumed was Mikey, who squinted his eyes and seethed out a "Helloooo~ My Dear and LOVING brother, could you mind NOT fighting so loudly, kid ended up watching y'all fight like raccoons over the last bit of that guy from the police" which made the three look at you

Pinning your ears back you took a step back, the purple one came over to you and coldly said "Raph's in the living room, don't go in there, Splinter will kill you."

You just stood there shaking, tears pricking your eyes before Leo sighed, stood still then giggled "LAST ONE TO SAY NOT IT AND TOUCH THEIR NOSES HAS TO TAKE CARE OF THE KID"

"NOT IT"

"NOT IT"

The one in front of you whipped around at mach one and stared at his brothers ".... I fucking hate you two, I wish you were used as omelets when we were eggs." the purple one seethed

He whipped back over to you; a giant mechanical arm came out and picked you up, making you screech and writhe

"CALM DOWN!" He shouted, making you stop writhing and start whimpering

He walks out of the Dojo and takes you through some rooms before coming to a door that has steel lock bars to keep people out, he uses a code and a print scanner before wandering in, he strides over to a desk and places you on it.

He taps his desk for a few minutes, deep in thought before looking over to you "My name's Donatello." he states, you carefully responded as if saying one word wrong would make him snap your neck "I'm Y/N"

He huffs a small "Don't touch anything, tell me if you need to go somewhere", before he starts to code on a computer, several minutes pass by before a hurried knock at the Lab's door

Answering it, he lets his three brothers in, all of them approach you, as you start shaking violently the more they got close.

Three of them stopped before you, but the red one got closer, He kneeled down, so you were at eye level, you were scared shitless, these were highly scarred turtle mutants with weapons, any kid with enough marbles would shit themselves.

He sighs before saying "We haven't introduced ourselves, I'm Raphael" he stops for a second before continuing "That's Michelangelo" He points to the shortest one with a deep dark orange mask, "That's Leonardo" the one he pointed to was the most scarred out of all of them, he had a giant bloodstained sword, he didn't seem amused that he was there "And that's-"

"Donnie!!!!" you said, kicking your legs back and forth, giving a giant goofy grin, Donatello was NOT amused "It's Donatello." He coldly said, his face was bright red as his brothers started snickering behind him

Raph pulled out a small hairbrush and some hair conditioner "Can I help you untangle those mats?" he gruffed out, it wasn't intended to be scary, his voice was just naturally rough.

You nodded, He spent about an hour detangling your fur while his brothers did other things in the lab, such as Donatello making upgrades to SHELLDON.

After he was done, you got up from his lap and turned around "Thank you Mr. Raphael!!!!" you squeaked out and hugged him, causing him to freeze

His brothers looked over and saw you hugging him, they saw how at ease their brother was as his massive hands draped around you

Once you were done hugging you ran around like a normal kid would do.

Raphael often mentioned to his younger brothers about the feelings of being a big brother and how he felt as one, they got this feeling from you, despite you only having met them for a few hours.

They see you trip and freak the fuck out, this isn't their normal reaction, they would usually laugh or just ignore it, but they felt more panicky.

But then you got up and gave them the most dumb, goofy, teeth filled smile, giving them a thumbs up and running off to other parts of the lab.

They felt warm, deciding to leave you with Donnie in his lab as you seemed to like him

He had to fake being Inconvenienced and irritated, but even the CIA couldn't get that out of him ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ GENERAL HCS THAT ARE SET A FEW WEEKS AFTER THE STORY PART!! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yeah, you can't go anywhere without them, end of story

Patrols? You are WITH ALL OF THEM. NO QUESTIONS.

Donnie's Lab? Donnie has to be with you and starts rambling about his tech, feels like fainting from happiness when you take an interest.

Splinter ends up finding out about you and for the first time ever, his students rebelled against him violently, his ear became more torn up, he had a tooth knocked out, and some of his nails cracked, needless to say, you were kept.

Raph's the most Overprotective out of all of them, sees you cry and suddenly finds an excuse to fight anyone who comes near you, even if he didn't really care, having someone other than him near you gets him unnaturally angry for no reason

Mikey was the youngest before you, but he has no resentment towards you, you're absolutely ADORABLE! He's the one that takes you to the hidden city to see the cool things there, He's the 'Fun' but cautious big brother, and by that, I mean, he makes you think he gives you the most freedom but really all he does is give you a safety net that traps you, making you believe after that one incident that you need protection, slowly constricting your freedoms until you HAVE to be with him or his brothers.

Donnie would be the carefree one, he doesn't NEED to be by your side, he has tech and hacking abilities, he can just spy on you, His robots are deadly enough to kill any human or mutant that hurts you.

Leo is the second most carefree, he mainly helps Donnie if his tech fucks over and can't be used or the entire PowerGrid is down, He just teleports to find you from your last known location!

They all adore you, calling you their younger sibling, often making you feel overwhelmed or suffocated (Especially if the reader is Autistic.)

I can see them mildly infantilizing the reader, not as if they're actually like a baby, but more like they're helpless and can't do ANYTHING by themselves, you wanna get something off the top shelf? Raph can do it! GO SIT BACK DOWN.

If the reader gets hurt by another mutant all hell breaks loose

They don't even care if they can only get to them in broad daylight, they have disguises, they'll make it work.

Don't expect them to not scold you if you break the rules.

First offense is a verbal warning

Second or more offense is timeout

Third offense is only reserved for trying to leave them permanently more than once. They snap your leg.

You'll learn to NEVER leave again, either that or your legs won't be able to work anymore.

[louthingg]

pls tell me about your favourite horror movies

idk much about the genre tbh because. i was quite easily freaked out as a kid/teenager so i just didnt watch any. but ive been trying to get into it more as an adult so i would appreciate some recommendations :)

i have an irl friend who is also really into horror movies and she gave me a list of them to watch

the crossed out ones are the ones i have watched already. the others i havent got round to yet

ok !!!! so if im going to be completely honest, i havent watched that many for the reaosn you just stated. although the genre is a main special interest, i have always had a really really horrible scare tolerance which sucks. i do best with classic horror movies—ive watched a good chunk of those so heres what i recommend:

i will rate each movie on a 1 - 10 scale and then how scary i found it 1 - 100

american psycho — 9 / 10, 25%, autistic protag, CWs: a LOT of sex ( which is not relvant to the plot so you can skip through it ), blood, mild homophobia, implied cannibalism + torture

midsommar — have not watched but ive heard its good, id look the up the CWs

re animator — already on the list but !!!!!!!!!! 11 / 10, 5%, honestly just gross, my beloved little gay men, literally fits into half the horror subgenres ( body horror weird horror, slasher, etc ) CWs: A LOT OF GORE, 1 sex scene + a sexual assault scene which you can skip through ( neither are relevant to the plot ), has a predatory character

SAW 1 — 10 / 10, 60%, cannot explain to you how horrible and good this movie is at the same time. the budget looks like it was fuckign 0 dollars but OH MY GOD the acting and the plot im going insane. also little gay men again. CWs: mild drug use ( just cigs ) / reference to more serious addiction, child abuse ( not from a parent ), gore, depictions of people being driven to insanity

the birds — 8 / 10, 3%, honestly a really silly movie but i love it. it was slightly unsettling and i didnt trust birds for a few days ! CWs: a few jumpscares, child death, mild gore

psycho — 10 / 10, 20%, definetly was unnerving, made me nervous to take a shower for a bit ( youll see ), also !!!!! SUBTLE TRANSGENDER CHARACTER !!!!! be on the lookout :3 CWs: jumpscares, mild gore, child abuse, stealing ( idk if this is a CW lmao ), reference to drug usage / addiction ( i think ?? i can’t remember )

salad fingers — 10 / 10, 30%, not a movie but !!!!! i lvoe it. youtube horror series made by a single guy, has the craziest lore. i watched all of it in 2 days, very very cool and interesting, was unnerving made me uncomfy + was honestly just gross most of the time . CWs: gore, self harm, mild racism, jumpscares, auto( ? ) cannibalism

zero day — 10 / 10, 40%, very very niche low budget found footage film, literally the MOST incredible acting ever, extremely suspenseful, fed into my hyperfixation on guns / gun laws. CWs: ‼️‼️THIS MOVIE IS ABOUT A SCHOOL SHOOTING‼️‼️ ( and contains relentless talk of them !!!!! ), suicide / self harm, mild gore, depictions of severe mental illness, mention of bullying, child death

and im sure theres more that im forgetting lmao take what you will and let me know what you think !!!!!!! <3

[fruitzbat]

happy mollymauk week, everyone! as it's threeleaf day, I thought I'd use this time to spread the word about my fan novel trilogy to any enthusiasts who might not be aware.

The series is called “Devil & The Details”, but it’s more commonly referred to as “Devilverse” for short. The first two books are complete, and the third is currently being serialized.

Linked beneath the cut, we have an epic about Kingsley getting into new trouble on the seas, his captaincy of the Mollymauk, and ultimate rise to the throne of Darktow. While both Molly and Lucien make appearances — along with some other members of the Nein — the story is chiefly about Kingsley and his efforts to forge a unique path for himself. Since this is also a story where all three make an appearance, this trilogy potentially carries the dubious honor of being the longest threeleaf fic on ao3.

The goal of the series was to explore some of the things referenced by Taliesin about the ideas he wanted to explore with both Molly and Kingsley's existences, such as the notion of "soullessness" in mermaids and the philosophical concept of the tabula rasa. The overarching story is also about healing from different kinds of trauma, grief, breaking cycles of abuse, myths and realities of "the pirate's life" and "the resistance" as a concept, accountability, and how T4T love transcends petty things like death and fate. Think Black Sails meets Baldur's Gate with a Candide rising.

CW for: canon-typical violence and gay sex,* gore, mild body horror, frank discussions and depictions of slavery and genocide, cannibalism, suicide (especially in book III), and mentions (but not depictions) of sexual assault.

*There are also two short stories in the series that trend more towards the NSFW/PWP side and are about King and his love interest in the novels; their promo post can be found...

UPDATE: post deleted, flagged by tumblr censors since it's about two trans people in love, lmao.

The novels are written in what could be loosely described as historical fiction style, with other heavy influences taken from 90s anime and camp fantasy. They follow a standard fantasy trilogy setup, with the first book being more plotty, the second more character-driven, and the third currently shaping up to be a mix of the two.

BOOK I: Crowned Teeth (or, An Offering Revoked) [complete, 130,670 words]

We find Kingsley in dire straits after being betrayed by his crew and sold into slavery in the Hespet Archipelago. Breaking out with nothing to his name except a pair of enchanted pistols and a ragtag handful of other escapees, Kingsley vows to see himself avenged upon the leadership of the Tempest Fang.

BOOK II: Wine-Dark Sea [complete, 161,010 words]

With the Fang defeated and Kingsley trying to make things right in their absence, Fjord and Jester accept a quest to uncover a lost relic near the island of Glintshore. With the archdemon Maxima and the Abyssal Plane's intrigue unfolding in the wings, the three of them discover that there is more than what meets the eye.

BOOK III: Home to Roost [in progress, projected 300,000 words]

At long last, Kingsley and the other ex-Revelry members that make up the Diamond-eaters are sailing on Darktow. The long awaited showdown with the Plank King looms, and the archdemon Samiel plots to take the throne from Graz'zt. To his great misfortune, Captain Tealeaf catches the eye of both of them. To protect his new friends and ensure his path to the throne, Kingsley has to call on unexpected allies.

This is very much a labor of love on my end; King, specifically, is very important to me for many reasons. In case we never got the opportunity to explore his life and times on-stream, it was imperative to me that he get at least one story to call all his own.

If you want a proper pirate epic to tuck into, this is it!

[theclaravoyant]

AN ~ I overfloweth with love for literate!Ed and decided to bring my little hc about him to life.

For @fictober-event’s Fictober 2023 prompt: “It's alright, I'm here now." A long time ago, Edward Teach took shelter in another bathtub, and his mother taught him about farm animals. (*also inspired by that one post about reading with your child. PLEASE link me if you know it) Masterpost of my Fictober OFMD fics

Fandom: Our Flag Means Death Characters/Relationships: Edward Teach & Mother Teach Tags: Hurt/Comfort, mild CW for some implied DV and internalised self hatred & racism similar to canon.

Also on AO3 (~700wd)

Charm

He didn’t mean to do it. He honestly didn’t, but he was tired and bored and the plates were slippery and soapy and the water was hot and it had just. Happened. Fallen and cracked on the floor and he’d panicked.

So now he was hiding in the bathroom waiting for someone to come and find him. His master or his father probably, he wasn’t sure which was going to be worse. He was too small to fight them but too young to have given up on feeling every bit of that smallness, that fear, those bruises. They were right, he was stupid, he was useless, he was a dirty street rat and hiding under the broken sink in the cobwebs and mildew until they came for him was what he deserved.

But tonight, it’s not what he got.

He got a quiet knock at the door.

“Edward?”

He lifted his head.

“Mama?” His voice came out a little squeak - good for a little rat. He hated it. But he didn’t hate it as much when she was there.

Gently, his mother pushed the door open. Her eyes softened, seeing him cowering there in the dirt, and she blinked back tears and rushed forward to sweep him out of his hiding place into her arms. It was so hard to protect him in this life. Every day it broke her heart. But every day he clung back to her and it kept beating.

“Tama, taku tama,” she whispered. “Edward…”

“I panicked,” he confessed.

“I know, love,” she crooned. “It’s alright, I’m here now.”

She kissed the top of his head, and pulled back just enough to look him in his big, sad eyes. She wiped the tears from his cheeks, and smiled sadly, until he smiled back. It crept onto his face at first, uncertain, but the sight of it filled her heart with healing. Her own smile widened and his did too, and at that - at that, she could sing. 

She could not, of course, sing. Not here. Not now. But what she could do was bring out a little book she had secreted into the pockets of her skirt, and whisper conspiratorially;

“I have a present for you.”

Edward’s eyes widened. On the cover was a picture of a horse, prancing, beautiful. It was so delicately drawn and most definitely forbidden. But it was his mother, and she was magic.

“Come on. Let’s read.”

Resolute, his mother picked him up off the floor. Neither were ready to leave this little sanctuary, so she plopped them both into the big old tub. It had fallen into disrepair some time ago, but her skirts would protect them from any cracks or cobwebs. They were a working woman’s clothes, and like the woman herself, they endured.

Edward tucked himself into her lap and grabbed at her sleeve and her weathered hands, eager to follow as she pointed and talked him slowly through the words on the cover of the book: A Day at the Farm.

“Farrrrm,” he repeated.

“What other words sound like that one?” his mother asked. “How about - arm?”

She pointed at her arm. Traced upon it the letters, a, r, m. 

“H-arm,” Edward suggested. He moved to draw them out too, but his mother caught his hand. She pressed her lips together, trying not to think about how much it hurt.

“How about ch-arm?” she suggested, leading him through drawing those characters instead.

“What’s that?” Edward asked.

“It’s like… when someone is nice to you,” his mother explained. “Usually someone who’s very attractive and lovely.”

“You mean like in a fairy story? Like Prince Charming?”

“Yes, exactly.”

He pondered this for a moment.

“Can other people be charming?” he asked. “Like, people who aren’t princes?”

“Of course they can, my love.”

“Oh. Cool.” He nodded. “Is this a fairy story?”

No, she almost told him. This is a simple story about a simple boy and his simple farm. This is a story about us. Actually, it’s about people much higher up and better off than us, even though they’re just a simple family on a simple farm.

But tonight, that’s not what she did.

“I suppose we’ll have to read on,” she said, “and find out.”

[infinityactual]

A snippet of my AI Lasky AU. CW for mild and brief description of a fatal head wound and major character death mention.

Also @poisonheadcrabsalesman if you're so inclined.

--

Replay.

Replay.

Replay.

He kept expecting a reaction. Something involuntary...a flinch, a cringe, a wave of nausea, the urge to look away, cover his ears...

Replay, for the eleventh time. Still nothing. He raised his arm, or rather his visualization of a limb that no longer existed, then paused and let it drop back to his side as he simply thought about sifting through the data, and the file complied. Frame by frame, he watched the coming and going of his death. What could only be described as a flake of orange light, bright like a spark, sliced across the frame. For a Spartan, being touched by a single Light Rifle round was an annoyance at best, but the soft, fatty meat and fragile living mineral of his own head offered minimal resistance.

The round pierced his skull between his right eyebrow and temple, and he found himself morbidly mesmerized and intrigued at how different yet similar it was to a physical bullet when it came to damage. Skin and bone deformed as the transmission of kinetic energy pushed the tissue out and back, creating a barely-visible bright red mist.

Human reaction time was slow compared to most other things in the universe at large. There were already bits of grey and white matter spattering John's breastplate and his head had jerked back by the time his eyes went wide with the realization that he'd been hurt.

He watched as his limbs went slack, but not quite. One arm made a lackluster attempt to reach up and press a hand to what he had not yet realized was a mortal wound. Ah, an arm had wrapped around his chest, keeping his mortal coil upright long enough for John to put himself between his wounded CO and the direction the shot had issued from, before picking him up, cradling him to his armored chest and almost scurrying back up the ramp and into the Pelican they'd walked off of just minutes earlier.

The viewpoint switched. John had him laid on his back inside the Pelican, and for several moments, he could only see himself squirm with ominously uncoordinated movements. John shifted, pulling him up so that his torso was laying against the Spartan's thighs. For a brief moment, only a handful of frames, he could see that he didn't look too bad from this angle. Then Sarah rushed into frame, very nearly dragging a medic bodily behind her.

The next one hundred and twenty-eight seconds showed Sarah pacing like a caged animal while the medic knelt in front of his consciousness's former residence. His limbs had stopped struggling shortly after the medic had started her work on him, and now Sarah stopped pacing. The camera shook, whether from turbulence or a near miss while the Pelican was en route to Infinity, he didn't know. Six seconds later, the medic's shoulders rose and fell in a hard sigh before she looked at Sarah and spoke. Sarah didn't respond immediately. Then she turned her back to the scene and pressed a hand to her mouth.

He'd always replayed at this point. The remainder of the footage showed the frankly eventless ride back to Infinity, and he'd written it off as unimportant; but this time, a datum caught on the tendrils of his now-synthetic mind. He refocused himself on the big man holding him, and the woman now braced against the Pelican's bulkhead.

John's head tipped back, and stayed there for several moments, before slowly lolling forward so that the chin of his helmet rested on the collar of his breastplate. Sarah had a hand pressed to her eyes, and he could see that rather than her usual angry mask, her face was twisted into a grimace he recognized as a soundless sob.

Something bloomed in his matrix, like a bright light made diffuse by smoke or fog. He furrowed the brow on his visualization as he tried to place this new sensation. A few milliseconds later, he realized it wasn't entirely new, just an old sensation experienced through a different lens. Seeing the two people he loved the most expressing their grief seemed to tug at what he could only call his soul, and he followed that sensation deeper. Over the course of a few minutes, but what felt like hours to his new perception of time, Thomas reacquainted himself with his emotions. They were both familiar and strange, like ancient greyscale photographs retouched and colorized.

Same old shit, but to the left.

So, just another day aboard the Infinity.

[the-masked-ram]

Taking His Beauty- Chapter Four

CW: Not SFW, Dark Content, Yandere, Fem Reader, Reader Death, Major Character Death, Non-Con elements, Dubious Consent, A/B/O Dynamics, Forced Mating Bond, Omegaverse, Piss Kink, Scent Kink, Biting, Possessive Behavior, Knotting, Breath Play, Abduction, Slow Burn, Violence, Mild Gore, AU ----     Chapter Four: Gen Pop

You hadn’t come to take of care him for weeks. Instead, a pair of male beta had taken your place. When Dabi asked about you, he received nothing more than the cold shoulder and a withering glare that made him bristle. He felt constantly on edge, the meds seemed to be working less and less as his irritation only increased. He missed your scent, and the need to knot you only grew strong, the need to mark you. He breathed, today would be another day without you. Another day of boredom and wasting away strapped to chair. Dabi felt like he was drowning, and there was something in the betas who had come to take care of him. A scent they gave off even if it was barely noticeable, they were scared. They knew he was growing restless. That the increase of drugs in his system was no longer working. That the memories and nightmares plaguing him were causing black outs and time loss. He had nights where didn’t seem to sleep and days where he couldn’t remember blocks of hours. He had moments where he seemed to be sucked into the past, fighting invisible enemies, things he could barely understand, let alone protect himself from. Today was no different, his body lurched against the restraints, even when no one was in the room he was frantic. The lasers trained on him, prepared to put him out of his misery. Yet he couldn’t control it, not when the panic and the anger was swirling through him so wildly. Then a surge of calming pheromones flooded through the room, the scent of ripe honeydew and apple blossoms taking over every sense he had. He froze, coming back to the present and greedily sucked in the smell. The familiar promise of his omega. His fluctuating pupils landed on you closing the door, “They hadn’t told me you’d been struggling so much. They let you get far worse than they should have.” You walked to him, and he felt like a feral animal. Both terrified of this power you had over him and desperate to sink his teeth into your shoulder and rut his knot into you over and over, finally claim you. “Tsk, what were they thinking, letting you get like this,” you murmured, brushing your hand along his cheek. It was that touch, that warmth, and grounding promise of affection that snapped him back to reality. He smirked his arrogance back, his aloof attitude in control. Dabi licked his teeth and said, “Where ya been, dollface? Missed ya. No one smells quite as good as you do.” Your scent gushed out again, a thicker smell mixing with it and you avoided his gaze. He knew that smell, and he drank it in with desperation. His cock filling out in his pants. “I was relocated to another side of the facility after the last incident,” you said, slipping a small package out of your coat. “They figured you would do better with a beta. Obviously, they were wrong. We also only have one other omega on staff, and their quirk wouldn’t exactly be useful against yours.” He smirked, “So yer comin’ back now?” “No, and yes. I am coming back to take care of you, but they have noticed that the medications aren’t working on you correctly. Yet you haven’t burnt down the place. You are being moved to the high security general population wing.” His blue eyes widened in surprise, “Ya sure that’s smart?” “Going to try and convince me not to give you an upgrade?” you grinned. “Doesn’t sound very ‘smart’ on your part, Dabi.” He barked out a laugh, “True, no reason to look a gift horse in the mouth suppose. Question. Ya said you were taking care of me? But I’m headin’ to the gen pop floor?” “Mmm, I’d work there to keep you… calm shall we say. My superiors have noticed you seem better around me. And I’m not exactly useless when it comes to controlling large crowds,” you hummed as you checked his numbers. Frowning you double checked the chart. Then the machines again. “How are you even functional with this much pumping into you?” you mumbled tapping on your tablet and then shaking your head. “They should have told me much sooner.” “Ya have far too soft a heart, doll,” he grinned. “Carin’ so much for a criminal.” “I just care in general, Dabi,” you responded, brushing off his fishing. The grin on his face dropped, a frown furrowing his brow instead. You finished writing down new numbers and he looked up when you scent suddenly became muted, he noticed you had pushed you coat to the side, and exposed you scent gland to press a patch onto it. He felt drool pooling in his mouth so fast he had to gulp it down. You shoulder was so enticing, the tiny shimmer of your gland that he managed to see before you covered it by the cellophane-look of the patch was better than any porn or naked body he had ever seen. That’s where he would bite you. That’s where he would claim you. He watched you nonchalantly slip your clothes back into place, like you hadn’t just exposed your naked mating gland to a horny inmate. To the man who would be claiming you as soon as possible. “So Dabi, let’s get you fed, and we can go over what happens in general population, hm? There’s different rules there of course, you will have more freedom,” you said as you sat in front of him with his meal. “More freedom always sounds like a good thing,” he said with raised brow. “But ya said you’ll be with me, right?” He tried to make it sound curious, not come off like some anxious alpha. Dabi knew he needed to be strong to garner your interest. At least that’s what his instincts told him, and lately that’s the only constant he had. “Mmm, I will to some extent. I won’t be there all day or night. I will be there during times of distress, you can ask for me at any time, and I will be there during rest periods and right before lights out to check on your mental state,” you said calmly, as if this was just a job to you. This was just a job to you, he reminded himself with an internal snarl. That’s why he had to convince you to make it more than that. He’d have ample opportunities now though, ample opportunities to make you his. He almost purred at the thought but quickly pulled himself back under control. Instead focusing on eating. On the way your subtle scent still teased his nose. You were his, and no one would be taking you away. He’d make sure of that.  ----- Find early access and a lot more at my Patreon    

[lemon-grey]

Another fic that I’m moving from AO3 to here!

Title: Lily

Summary: Zelkov takes in a lost child during postwar cleanup efforts. Part of the larger fic universe that goes along with my multi-chapter fic “Before the Dawn”

CW: none

Words: 2200

Ship: very mild but established zelgetsu

.

.

The village was entirely silent except for the sound of creaking and breaking wood. Snow settled in deep drifts around the few walls that still stood, and somewhere in the distance, the sound of scurrying animals signified that nature was already moving back into this space. Although the village had been abandoned for a while, the smell of death still hung in the cold winter air.

“I don’t think we’re finding anyone here,” Rosado muttered under his breath as the small group picked their way carefully through the destruction.

With the war finally behind them, the Elusian royal entourage now faced post-war cleanup and restoration efforts. The princesses and their retainers had taken it upon themselves, prior to Ivy’s upcoming coronation, to visit the lonely villages that had been most heavily affected, focusing the start of their relief efforts on those who needed assistance the most.

These small villages had been ravaged not only by the Corrupted, but also by the long years of war and political struggle between Elusia and Brodia in the decades and generations before. They were desolate, isolated communities—but communities they had still been, leaning on each other and forming tight-knit bonds that got them through the hardest times. And then the Corrupted had come, ripping apart what was left of these little towns and leaving the rest to the bandits.

It was miserable work, visiting these burned-out, crumbling, destroyed villages and looking for survivors. Very few people were left in any of them, and those that still remained were starving, injured, sick, and not likely to make it much longer without intervention. And so that was what the group had set out to do: to find these survivors, to bring them supplies or take them back to makeshift camps that had been set up to provide relief and medical care.

Although the experience was grim, it was one Zelkov was more than willing to participate in. With each new village he visited as part of this effort, memories of his own home hung heavy and thick around him. The smell of death, decay, burning wood and burning flesh—it all brought back terrible memories, and those dusty old thoughts drove him to keep looking for survivors, even when the other members of the group had long since given up.

And so it was this time, too. Despite Rosado’s observation, Zelkov kept moving through the snow, making his way through the remains of the village and checking closely for any signs of human life. Only after he had explored thoroughly, finding nothing but corpses that had already been picked over by wildlife, did he rejoin the group in what was once the center of the town.

“We tried,” said Hortensia with a sigh.

Goldmary patted her on the shoulder. “We were much too late for this one,” she said quietly, “but we’ll find people in the next one, I’m sure.”

As the group began shuffling back along the path out of the village, however, a distant noise reached Zelkov’s ears. It was faint, but it was different than the other sounds surrounding them, and he stopped in his tracks.

“Do you hear that?”

The sound was small and thin, barely audible over the whistle of the wind picking up around them, but Zelkov’s eyes darted over the ruined landscape in search of its source.

“It sounded like an animal,” said Ivy. “Not a human.”

The rest of the group murmured in agreement with her; Zelkov ignored them, instead moving carefully toward the remains of a small house a short distance away. Two of its walls still stood, with the other two collapsed and covered by snow. The roof, too, had fallen in, creating a small corner of shelter between it and the two standing walls. The sound was coming from within that corner.

“Be careful,” said Kagetsu, following a few paces behind. “It could be a trapped or injured animal.”

“It isn’t an animal,” said Zelkov as he approached the source of the sound. Beneath his feet, the crumbling floorboards of the house cracked and splintered, and he moved slowly, lightly, with the aid of a lifetime of stealth behind him.

“You will fall and break your leg,” said Kagetsu, hovering behind, ready to spring in and help if needed.

Zelkov tried not to wonder if that was a general warning or one of Kagetsu’s offhanded predictions as he knelt to peer into the crumbling corner of the house.

A pair of dark, wide eyes peered back at him.

He sighed and held out a hand. “Are you alone?” he asked, keeping his voice low.

The small child, tucked into the corner under the fallen roof, backed further into the space.

“I am not going to hurt you. I’m here to help.”

The child whined wordlessly and tried to back up again, accidentally bumping into a broken beam and causing the fallen roof to creak ominously in the process.

Zelkov’s gaze darted up to the remains of the roof, then back to the child below. “You don’t have to come with me,” he said quickly, “but you need to get out of there. It isn’t safe.”

The child didn’t move.

Zelkov inched forward a bit. “You could be hurt if you stay under there,” he said.

The roof crackled again, and this time, the child hurriedly crawled out from under it on hands and knees. Zelkov, relieved, let out the breath he had been holding and prepared to stand up again, but was interrupted when the child kept crawling toward him and clambered into his lap without a second thought.

He blinked down at the child. Now, in the light, he could see that she was a little girl—probably not more than four or five years old—and that she was very thin, dirty, and covered in cuts and bruises. Her long, straight hair was tangled and matted, and her dark eyes were sunken. She clearly hadn’t had anyone taking care of her in a long time.

“Do you want to come with us, little one?”

At these words, the little girl buried her face in his cloak and whimpered again.

“I’m taking that as a yes,” he said, carefully shifting his weight to stand up while still holding the little girl. She was much lighter than he had expected, and his heart sank at that. She needed food.

He began moving back out of the crumbling house, but stopped when she tugged on his cloak and pointed across the remains of the room. On the opposite side from the two standing walls, he spotted a corpse half-buried in snow and beginning to decay; he held the little girl a bit tighter and said, “Is that one of your parents?”

She nodded and hid her face against him again.

“I’m so sorry,” he said, and he meant it more than he could express. “You must be so frightened. My friends and I will keep you safe, alright?” As he spoke, he walked slowly out of the house, avoiding the weaker spots on the floorboards as he went. On the other side of what was once the front door, he rejoined Kagetsu, who raised his eyebrows in surprise at the sight of the child.

“You were right,” he said. “It was not an animal.”

“She seems to be the only survivor,” said Zelkov. “I can’t just leave her here.”

Kagetsu eyed him a moment, scanning his expression closely. “Of course not,” he said after a pause; then, “Are you okay, Zelkov?”

“This is not about me,” he said, even though a part of it most certainly was.

Without any further comment on the matter, he made his way back to the rest of the group, with the little girl in his arms and Kagetsu following closely behind. Although the other members of the group were surprised to see the child, they welcomed her as they had welcomed all the other survivors they’d found along the way, and they headed away from the village in the direction of one of the relief camps nearby.

It was well into the evening by the time they reached the camp. The little girl had finally stopped crying as they walked, falling into silence as she idly played with the key around Zelkov’s neck; when they arrived at the camp, she perked up a bit, quietly watching the activities of other survivors, soldiers, and knights while they bustled around the site.

“Dinner will be ready soon,” Zelkov told her.

“In the meantime,” said Hortensia, holding her arms out to the little girl, “why don’t you come with me and get cleaned up? A nice bath will feel great!”

Despite Hortensia’s best efforts, the little girl turned away from her and went back to clinging to Zelkov’s cloak.

“Come on now,” said Hortensia. “You’ll be alright with me for a little while!”

Zelkov gently dislodged the little girl from her grip on him, setting her down to stand on the ground and only then realizing just how strained his arms were from carrying her all day. “Go on with Princess Hortensia,” he said. “Have a bath, and then we’ll eat.”

The little girl whined softly at this, but slipped her hand into Hortensia’s and allowed herself to be led away.

When she had gone, Kagetsu sidled up alongside Zelkov and said, “She is very attached to you.”

“Maybe she realizes I understand her.”

“Maybe.” Kagetsu grinned. “It is cute! You are so gentle with children, so of course she feels safe with you.” Then, more seriously, he said, “But this must bring up bad memories for you.”

“Of course it does.”

“I am concerned for you.”

“Don’t be.” Zelkov frowned. “Use your energy helping these survivors instead of worrying about me.”

Kagetsu took Zelkov’s hand and said, “I can do both! I have a lot of energy.”

Zelkov laughed softly at that, and the two of them headed toward the large fire in the center of the camp. There, they joined the other soldiers in preparing and serving food to the group of survivors.

Some time later, as they both sat eating their own helpings next to the fire, they were joined once again by Hortensia and the little girl. Hortensia, with the help of Ivy, had managed to clean the child up, untangle her hair, and clothe her in a plain shirt that hung on her malnourished frame like a knee-length dress. They’d also tended to her cuts and patched her up with the help of the medical team in the relief camp, and she seemed to be more at ease around the princesses than she had been, holding both of their hands as they approached the campfire.

“Much better, right?” said Hortensia.

Her words caught Zelkov’s attention just a few seconds before the little girl ran over to him and threw herself into his lap again. He examined the girl’s bandages and said, “Yes, much.”

Beside him, Kagetsu beamed at the child and said, “It feels good to be clean again, yes?”

She nodded, but her eyes were locked on his plate of food.

Kagetsu noticed this. “Oh! You need to eat,” he said, holding out the plate to the child. “You have this. I will get some more.”

The girl took the plate and immediately began eating. Zelkov, still holding her in his lap, watched her closely and remembered all too well the feeling of having a true meal for the first time in a very long time. His heart broke for this child, suffering through loss and fear and loneliness the same way he had long ago—struggling to survive and desperate for safety, clinging to the hope that one kind person could be enough to make a difference. King Hyacinth had once been that person for Zelkov. Even though that felt almost like it was someone else’s life now, he was determined to provide the same sense of security for this child.

As he held her and watched her eating, he said, “Do you feel like telling me your name?”

She took her time before responding in a timid and weak voice, “Lily.”

“Good to meet you, Lily,” he said. “My name is Zelkov.”

“Zelkov,” she echoed. She said nothing more, and he didn’t push her, assuming she would talk more when she was ready.

She had finished everything on the plate by the time Kagetsu returned. Now that she was full, clean, and warm by the campfire, her eyes were heavy with exhaustion, and she wrapped herself in the loose fabric of Zelkov’s cloak before quickly dropping off to sleep in his lap. Shortly thereafter, he carried her to the tent he was sharing with Kagestu and put her to bed in a pile of warm, soft blankets near the two of them.

When he awoke the next morning, he found that she had wedged herself between himself and Kagetsu, and was snuggled up against him with his key clutched in her fist. In the still, cold morning, he allowed himself to stay there, warm and comfortable, watching both Lily and Kagetsu sleeping soundly, enjoying the moment of peace.

[cl1v9zfsfo1]

Some personal recs for those finishing/liking OMORI so far

After 6 years, this game made it to the top in less than a week....

Lately, RPG Maker games have been somewhat staying in the shadows. And as a (horror) RPG Maker sucker, even though I suck at giving advice, I’d love to spread the word about some other similar projects. To either save you or throw you into a eternal cycle of despair.

So here you have... The Incredible Low Budget “You May Also Like...” Viddygame List For OMOREE Fans (For Free!11)

(TW thread ver including personal thoughts on some of them) (For RPG Maker fans, have this huge list kofy and I made with links and CWs listed! Still a big WIP but we update it regularly!)

Before playing the games, remember to read tags carefully.

Personal note: Exceptions noted, most of these games are free and made by only one dev, or no money has been previously invested in them. They’re not huge projects like OMORI was... But please don't think of them as poorly made! There’s always a ton of love and effort involved in each project.

Now, without further ado... Here we go!✨ (Added a few tags regarding abuse and mental health, TY /melohax!)

1. END ROLL

Tags: death, blood, family abuse, murder, eye horror, animal death, suicide, drug mention, implied sexual abuse (+ one optional/hidden map implying child abuse). Battle system, no jumpscares but sudden horror-ish scenario changes including low/saturated sound effects.

Gameplay is ~10 hours, so it is kinda long for a game of the sort. It follows Russell’s dreams in a sort of... program, yes.  Great narrative and very horror-driven. It has lots of things to explore and many sode quest you can do to unlock endings and info. It is filled with overall negative vibes and messages and touches some heavy topics. If OMORI unsettled you, consider skipping this one.

In terms of narrative, I think it's the closest to OMORI.

2. Hello Charlotte series

Tags: eye/body horror horror, mild graphic gore, religious themes, in-screen bullying, death and suicide, parental and personal difficulties. No jumpscares, optional battle system. For people with psychosis/schizophrenia, this game can be really overwhelming. Please take care and check/ask for more info before playing it!  (TY @/melohax for addressing this!)

Series of 4 games + spin-off VN. Gameplay of about 3 hours/each. As I always say: Before dropping it, wait for EP 2 and on. It’ll be a big ride. Very interesting imagery. May be be graphic at times, but it puts some (very) relatable thoughts into words really well.

Not that close to OMORI but I fans can really enjoy it if focusing on its psychological themes.

3. Life Tastes Like Cardboard

Tags: loud noises, derealization, strong depictions of depression and discussion on negative feelings.

Definitely a vent/personal game. You just follow the main character’s mind and body, thoughts and experiences. It is VERY visual, and plays with colors, sarcasm, size changes in maps and strong colors to strongly depict a feeling of overbearing pain and loneliness. Many people (me included) said this game is really overwhelming, which is probably the main intention of the game itself... Play carefully it if you usually empathize with this kind of content. Even so, for those willing to explore sad feelings through art, this game is a really good option.

4. Witch’s Heart

Tags: blood, murder, death, family abuse, and mild eye/body horror. Battles (no leveling, just kicking monsters here and there), no jumpscares, puzzles.

Two games of about 15 hours/each and ongoing conclusions for each route. The storytelling is closer to a book or VN. Lots of mistery and text, small pieces of information, and the kind of game you’ll definitely regret to play twice just to find everything makes sense and you didn’t even notice at first. You have to play the game through many routes to piece the story together.

It honestly has little to do with any OMORI vibes. However, if you’re a fan of character analysis and drama, this one will be one of your best choices, probably.

5. Farethere City

Tags include blood and death.

Gameplay of about 3 hours. A previous work from the same author as END ROLL (am i this biased). Much brighter themes. Some fans find it dull- the gameplay is much shorter than some of the games above. The worldbuilding is sad and cute, and easy to understand too.

6. Re:Kinder

Tags include death, family abuse, depression, mild gore/grotesque imagery, suicide. Battle system (no lvling), no jumpscares.

Gameplay of around 3 hours. Suggesting this one is a kind of... Russian roulette. You either understand and love it, or find it gross and nonsensical. It’s a remake of a 2003 game called “a cry of help” by some fans, since the author passed away shorty after posting it. I think it’s important to have the release date in mind to be warned about some stuff that can come off as disrespectful sometimes.

Very naive artstyle, has plenty of crude jokes and nonsensical scenes. The plot doesn't drastically unfold until you clear half of the game. In my opinion, the strongest point is definitely the way children are sensitive about depression, and the way they deal with it.

7. Mouth Sweet

Tags include loud & saturated noises, violence, laboral abuse, in-screen animal abuse (just once towards the end), attempts of identity erasure (trans ppl, check website warnings just in case), mentions of suicide attempts. Battle system, you'll have to shoot at random "enemies" frecuently.

Gameplay of about 2 hours. Really blunt. Can get really stressing, but fairly sure that’s the feeling the author was trying to convey.

Even as eerie as it tries to be delivered itself, it feels real, and it hurts a little.  Has a strong message to tell about overwhelming toxic enviroments.

8. Fantasy Maiden’s Odd Hideout

Tags: blood and death. No battle system, chases, no jumpscares.

Gameplay of around 5 hours. Has to be played twice to get the whole story (usually worth it).

Not very close to OMORI, has some pacing issues, but the quick things escalate once you connect the dots makes up for it, and vaguely resembles the game.  From the same author as Chloe’s Requiem (tw for implied child abuse in this one) (starring: a piano and a violin, for those looking for The Content)

9. LISA series

Tags (severe, btw): body horror, sexual abuse, mutilation, violence, blood, grotesque imagery, family abuse, drug use, constant swearing. Battle system, no jumpscares.

Three games, maybe of about 5 hours/each (first installment, LISA: The First is shorter than that). Started as a sort of Yume Nikki fangame and ended being its own genre. Even for local RPG Maker fans, it can be a VERY hard to swallow pill. The gameplay can get a bit extreme- you’re forced to make difficult choices all the time, even sacrificing body parts, and it can affect your stats quite too much.

If you’re into OMORI for the anime-ish style, this one won’t be your cup of tea... maybe?

10. Tomorrow Will be Dying

An interactive VN on progress. The Kickstarter was successfully funded on March and it’s aiming for release in 2022. Made by a caring, lovely, small team, the project looks AMAZING so far.

Apparently not horror-driven but talks about friends, youth, living your own... A very promising game, just like OMORI back then.

11. Pocket Mirror

Tags: blood. No battle system, chases, no jumpscares but follows the classic horror RPG criteria (kinda).

Gameplay of about 5 hours. Lots of symbolism and imagery to tell the journey of a girl finding about herself when no one did. Not a huge blow like OMORI, and you will need to read some theories to fully connect all the dots and small details, but I’d say it can suit your tastes too, somehow.

Unlike many other RPGs, it has some animated sections AND voice acting!! That rocks too.

Other titles ‘cause otherwise I won’t end this post in years:

- Jimmy and the Pulsating Mass (Gameplay is +40 hours, tags include gore, death, kinda grotesque imagery. The battle system is a bit meh but the dialogues and story are amazing) - Lobotomy Corporation (NOT a RPG but a management simulator. Tags include BODY HORROR, death. It’s a game about... uhh... making OCs and... taking care of things called Abormalities... but there’s a lot of lore to unfold...?? More popular sequel is Library of Ruina) - To the Moon (relies A LOT on narrative, tags include death and crying like crazy) - Rule of Rose (NOT a RPG; for PS2, rated +18 for many troubled themes inclusing animal death, bullying and heavy implied child abuse)

And that’s all...?? I’m sorry for making such a long post 🙏🏿💦 Some people found it useful, so I tried to add a few more here for any OMORI Tumblr fans looking for more fun (haha..! y..yeah;;;,..; f..fun..,;!!111) If you need any details or something is troubling you... Here I am!!

Thank you for reading! Have fun and take care!

[starberry-cupcake]

Free Short Stories: Aromantic Recommendations

Aro week is over but I spent it reading aro stories that are entirely accessible online (with their authors' consent) and thought I'd share some with you, as well as some extra resources. I’m going to include under “read more” content warnings and specific details, like the kind of rep included or important notes, so if you want to be sure and safe before reading them, you can click “read more” for all that information, or if you prefer just the blurb, avoid it easily enough. There you will also find the extra links of interest and other masterposts.

Edit: This post used to be split in two parts, I’ve integrated them into one whole post for everyone’s convenience. 

1. Nkásht ii by Darcie Little Badger

Josie and Annie set to investigate a strange death that may involve more than they expected. Sometimes the love that heals isn’t romantic and bonds that are strong are those chosen.

2. Hope of the Future by Elizabeth Barrette

In a fantasy setting, a human cleric finds an elf bard and a strong female dwarf, all cast aside for their identities, and create their own home and family. The same characters also appear in another poem that continued their story: The Underground Gardens.

3. Tanith’s Sky by Penny Stirling

Ash is left with the loss of Tanith, after she sacrifices herself to save the world. Tanith's memories resurface in people's minds and Ash has to navigate their identity, their memories and how to label for others’ sake their lost relationship.

4. And If The Body Were Not The Soul by A. C. Wise

Ro is a human who forms an unlikely bond with an alien refugee, discovering a different layer of proximity that doesn't chain to the type of physicality humanity sets. In that process of discovery, Ro learns about the other side of the social oppression in their own city.

5. The Crows Her Dragon’s Gate by Benjanun Sriduangkaew

An exploration of the background and re-telling of the story of the goddess Xihe. Marrying out of the obligation of customs and pressure, this story explores the feelings of Xihe, her relationship with Di Jun and the freedom she ultimately seeks.

6. The Girl Turns West by Darcie Little Badger

Another tale set in Native American culture (the author is a Lipan Apache writer), this story is about family, sacrifice and forms of non romantic love and devotion that transcend the limits of life and death.

7. Kin, Painted by Penny Stirling

The narrator can’t find a place in a family that seems so determined, so certain, painted each in a specific way. A poetic prose filled with magic and the colors that we paint ourselves with, which can sometimes change with time.

8. Cucumber by Penny Stirling

A queerplatonic couple in a fantasy setting deals with social pressure in a story written in poetic verse.

9. The Famine King by Darcie Little Badger

A woman is chased by fear, memories and a being that affects her relationship with her own identity and mental health, while finding refuge in a found family. These characters are also included in a previous story called To Sleep.

10. How My Best Friend Rania Crashed A Party And Saved The World by Ada Hoffman

Emma, a Relator, finds out that her best friend Rania, a World Saver, is being used by her boyfriend and can lose her credibility as a Hero for it, so she enlists a tech-savvy Number Fiend, Deborah, to crash a high school party in a forbidden sector to confront the guy.

11. Unlike Most Tides by Darcie Little Badger

Mathilda is in peace with her solitude until she communicates with energy beyond her understanding and finds the voice of a murdered woman who asks her for help to deal with her killer: her ex boyfriend.

Content Warnings and Extra Details

1. Nkásht íí by Darcie Little Badger

Details: urban fantasy, folklore, suspense, aromantic lead character, main platonic relationship between female characters. CW: minor characters deaths, accidents, the death of a child is mentioned, domestic abuse in flashbacks.

2. Hope for the Future by Elizabeth Barrette

Details: aroace male lead in a poly relationship with a female and male character, fantasy, story in poetry, happy ending. CW: arophobia and acephobia, family abandonment.

3. Tanith’s Sky by Penny Stirling

Details: fantasy, sci fi, drama, hurt/comfort. Main qp relationship between an aroace cis female lead and a non binary allo lead. The aroace lead is dead by the start of the story, which I had my hesitation about, but the story does a wonderful job capturing Tanith’s life in an aftermath of what would be another untold story, as well as Ash’s identity and their relationship, as well as the process of grief and moving forward. CW: major character death, grief, depression, transphobia, arophobia and acephobia.

4. And If The Body Were Not The Soul by A. C. Wise

Details: explicitly touch-averse asexual non binary lead, very likely aromantic (expressed but not named in the text), sci fi, social strife, hurt/comfort, found family and friendship (nb and cis female, nb and alien friendships). Many commenters have expressed that Ro is potentially an autistic character, some autistic authors and reviewers have agreed or disagreed but I couldn’t find whether the author stated that at any point. CW: mild depictions of violence, xenophobia, social issues and unrest, happy ending.

5. The Crows Her Dragon’s Gate by Benjanun Sriduangkaew

Details: the goddess Xihe is depicted as aroace yet marries the god Di Jun for a time in which she lives troubled. Fantasy, mythology, re-interpretations, angst with a happy ending. CW: internalized acephobia and arophobia, dubious consent, violence, animal death, toxic marriage, there is a side wlw couple of mortals who die.

6. The Girl Turns West by Darcie Little Badger

Details: there isn’t romance in the story, the lead character doesn’t seemingly have romance in the future and there is a side female character who explicitly rejects suitors and prefers to live independently yet with her family. Considering that the author has written several aroace characters, I decided to include this one and another story in Part 2 as strong potentials (there is another story by the same author that other sites recommend as aro-representative, but I think these two are a lot less vague). Fantasy, mythology, folklore, bittersweet ending. CW: death mentions, wounds and accidents, blood mentions.

7. Kin, Painted by Penny Stirling

Details: poetic prose, fantasy, aromantic lead character, trans male character, non binary characters.

8. Cucumber by Penny Stirling

Details: fiction in poetry form, queerplatonic relationship in a fantasy setting. CW: arophobia and acephobia, social pressure.

9. The Famine King by Darcie Little Badger

Details: mystery, suspense, horror, folklore, hurt/comfort, angst w/optimistic ending, explicit non romantic & non sexual main relationship between to female characters. CW: blood, wounds, cannibalism mentions, mental illness with hallucination episodes, racism.

10. How My Best Friend Rania Crashed A Party And Saved The World by Ada Hoffman.

Details: high school setting, uplifting, sci fi, aroace lead character in a friendship with a heterosexual girl and a bisexual girl. CW: arophobia by the best friend, which is not confronted or discussed, mentions of racism. Notes: I read this story for the Pride list last year and I didn't include it because I had a bone to pick with Rania's character. The story is fun, a lot more lighthearted than many of the ones here and has a distinct tone that makes it good to include, plus Emma (the lead) is a very friendly, social and well-liked person, rather than the traditional robot/alien foil aro, ace and aroace characters tend to receive. So, even if I'm still uneasy about Rania and how her bad attitude is not acknowledged in the story, I’m still including it for all its perks.

11. Unlike Most Tides by Darcie Little Badger

Details: there is a protagonist who prefers to live in solitude and speaks about it and about her favorable feelings towards it. It isn’t explicitly stated that she is aromantic but, much like The Girl Turns West in Part 1, I’d say it’s a good addition to the list, though it's probably the least explicit of the bunch. Mystery, supernatural, sci fi, suspense, positive ending. CW: murder, corpses, side character death, blood, femicide.

Other masterposts:

@coolcurrybooks's first and second masterpost I consulted

Penny Stirling's recommendation list

LGBTQReads recommendations list

Claudie Arsenault recommendation list

Aro and Ace character database

Aroaessidhe recommendations list

YA Pride masterlist

My own LGBTQ+ free short stories rec list from last year, some of these stories are in it but the majority is not

[daily-fantasy-ideas]

Here be that year in review thing, ill do an actual reflection on the past year when its actually 2022 but in the mean time enjoy looking at some stuff!

I posted 195 times in 2021

191 posts created (98%)

4 posts reblogged (2%)

For every post I created, I reblogged 0.0 posts.

I added 1,702 tags in 2021

#fantasy writing - 187 posts

#writing ideas - 183 posts

#writing - 182 posts

#writing tips - 177 posts

#fantasy setting - 176 posts

#fantasy - 170 posts

#writing fantasy - 170 posts

#writing advice - 162 posts

#writers - 158 posts

#write - 137 posts

Longest Tag: 139 characters

#this post brought to you by me remebering all the fiction i consumed as a kid that involved characters getting dipped in vats of super goop

My Top Posts in 2021

#5

You know what's a neat idea to put in your fantasy thing?

Have weird variations animals who live outside of where they normally should live.

Like an octopus that lives in the jungle crawling up and swinging through trees.

Perhaps an owl that's got big legs that runs over land only jumping instead of flying.

Maybe a wolf that hunts for fish by dashing around underwater.

Or maybe like a fish that can just like launch itself through the air with such an intense force that it can essentially fly.

126 notes • Posted 2021-09-19 20:17:45 GMT

#4

CW/ Death

Here's a neat idea for you to put in you fantasy writing.

Why not have those folklore-y creatures that'd probably be classified as some kind of fairy, nypmh, or sprite experience death with what's effectively roguelite video game mechanics.

So instead of dying when a big rock falls on one of them, they simply dissipate into a burst of bright glow-y ethereal fog.

Then later they can reform in some place with a lot of spiritual mystic power that's engulfed by a deep lingering mist, emerging from wherever beams of light are shinning into it.

But there's got to be some cost to this, so any material possessions are left with where they 'died' and also whatever things they've learned and skills they've gained are set back by to an earlier lesser state.

And to add a further tinge of tragedy, whatever memories of the people they met the things they've done and those they might have befriended have been made hazy, blurry, and all around harder to recall.

Or you could have them just be really annoyed after losing a particularly fancy sword that they just know they're absolutely not gonna find another of with ease.

170 notes • Posted 2021-09-20 19:18:16 GMT

#3

Give your characters like a weird secondary hobby that their not the best at, and it sorta doesn't fit with the rest of their personality but they enjoy it nevertheless.

Also because fantasy, give em some magic hobbies, like growing and shaping crystals into statues of funny little dudes, or making enchanted jewellery, or casting useless spells that just make some pretty looking shapes.

254 notes • Posted 2021-11-05 21:07:28 GMT

#2

Why not give your characters some noticeable but very minor odd physical habits

For example, a character could have habit of closing their right eye in response to engaging in certain physical activities and exertions such as stretching, yawning, dramatically posing or getting hit. You don't even have to give a reason for them doing it, just have it be something they do for some reason.

Or it could also be a social activities thing. Like maybe while talking with people or existing in a social space, a character could be fiddle with their own hands contorting them into weird shapes.

And hey it's a fantasy setting right? So why not have a magic character cast very small low powered spells in their hands while tapping their feet when their not doing or having to focus on anything else.

278 notes • Posted 2021-10-10 18:27:05 GMT

#1

Have a character who comes from a place with very mild and not particularly flavourful food eat something that's super intense in flavour before having them then collapse from all the taste assuming that they have just been poisoned.

As an example maybe the sweetest thing a character has ever had is a little honey stirred in warm water or maybe an apple or pear, then imagine them having a super sweet highly sugar saturated soft drink and proceeding the spit most of it out and yelling "What the hell is this poisonous nectar you've had me consume" before collapsing on the floor and looking absolutely haggard.

441 notes • Posted 2021-11-06 23:12:03 GMT

Get your Tumblr 2021 Year in Review →

[christinaroseandrews]

Looking for a Romance this Valentine’s Day?

So, every publication and blogger is putting out a Valentine’s Day romance list, and we are nothing if not followers. We’ve assembled a large list (33 Books) of a mix of traditionally and indie published books. All of the books on this list are ones we’ve read and feel comfortable recommending. And they all fit the definition of romance - a story where the relationship is central to the overall plot and features a happy for now or happily every after ending.

We’re going to break this down into several categories because not everyone reads Regency romances (but we are going to start there).

Regency Romance

These are books set between 1795-1837. While the Regency itself was only from 1811-1820 most people use these dates including Wikipedia. This was honestly one of the hardest for us to narrow down, mostly because it’s the dominant genre in traditionally published romance -- even Contemporary doesn’t hold a candle to Regency right now.

Sweet Disorder - Rose Lerner - M/F Romance (Steamy) - Election hijinks ensue when the local election hinges on who the widowed wife of a newspaper printer marries. Other Notes: Plus-Sized Heroine, Family Drama, Disabled Characters, Everyday People Falling in Love, Marginalized Author (Jewish).

The Baroness Affair - Jean Wilde - M/M/F Romance (Steamy) - A desperate noblewoman enlists the help of a male courtesan to help her get pregnant... no it’s not what you think. Other Notes: Equal Triad Polyamory, Period Appropriate Homophobia, LBGT Romance, Family Drama.

How To Start a Scandal - Madeline Martin - M/F Romance (Steamy) - A wallflower and secret society reporter reconnects with the Earl Next Door who’s recently returned from the war. Other Notes: Plus-Sized Heroine, Family Drama, Positive Mental Illness Portrayal, Cute Plot Animals.

Project Duchess - Sabrina Jeffries - M/F Romance (Steamy) - A duke returns to his family after the mysterious death of his stepfather, yet another duke, only to be enchanted by a woman who has a connection to the last person to see his stepfather alive. Other Notes: Older Heroine (the whole series features these), Romantic Suspense Series, family drama. I’m really enjoying the whole series and it’s worth a read.

The Rakess - Scarlett Peckham - M/F Romance (Steamy) - This is a love it or hate it kind of book that flips so many of the conventional romance tropes on its ear. It features a hard-drinking, hard-smoking, highly sexual woman who authors progressive literature and causes a scandal just by living her life meeting up with a mild-mannered reputation conscious Scottish Architect with two small children. Even the cover flips the script on the classic clinch cover. I loved it. A lot people didn’t. Other notes: Period appropriate sexism/hypocrisy/etc., CW: alcoholism, neighbors to lovers, adorable plot moppets.

Paranormal Romance

These are romances that feature a fantastical element. This can be anything from vampires to shifters to time travel. These also will often be series which may or may not continue with the same relationship throughout several books.

Hot Ghost - Annika Martin - M/F Romance (Steamy) - A waitress finds love with the ghost who haunts the pier near her family’s restaurant. Other Notes: Major Character Death (It’s a Ghost Romance...), Everyday People Falling in Love, Novella.

Accepting Fate - Deanna Chase - M/F Romance (Steamy) - Fresh from a bad break up, a woman meets her soulmate at an art gallery opening. Together they have to work through their trauma and find out if they can be happy together. Other Notes: Childhood trauma, Fire Fighter Romance, Soulmates, Artists.

Gretel - Niamh Murphy - F/F Romance (Steamy) - A retelling of the fairy tale Hansel and Gretel with a very interesting twist. Other Notes: Age-Gap Romance, Novella.

One Shade of Grey - Monica Corwin - M/F Romance (Steamy) - Dorian Grey, yes that one, has a bit of a problem. He keeps seeing a woman who he thinks is the reincarnation of his lost love. But is she really? Or is he going insane? Other Notes: Positive Portrayal of Mental Illness, Classical Story Retelling, Billionaire Romance, Immortality

Tangled in Time - Barbara Longley - M/F Romance (Steamy) - Cursed to see spirits, Regan is approached by the spirit of a cursed Irish warrior. Now they must work together to lift his curse and fall in love along the way. Other Notes: Fae Romance, Time Travel Romance, Ghost Romance.

Hunger Pangs: True Love Bites - Joy Demorra - M/M/F Romance (Steamy or Fluffy) - A vampire, a werewolf, and a magic user walk into a plot to end the world. Of course they have to fall in love along the way. Other Notes: Vampire Romance, Werewolf Romance, Magic User Romance, LBGT Fantasy Romance, Bisexual Romance, Postive Mental Illness representation, Marginalized Author (Disabled, Queer, Neurodivergent).

Erotic Romance

These are books where the sex is as much a part of the romance as the rest of the story. The plots here tend to be thinner, but they’re still present and important. This is not smut for smut’s sake. The relationship is important too. All of these are going to rate high on the steam.

After Hours - Lynda Aicher - M/F Romance - An executive assistant accidentally observes an after hours orgy in one of the boardrooms. Rather than be repulsed, she’s aroused. And up for more. Other Notes: Workplace Romance, Voyeurism, Exhibitionism, Mild BDSM, Boss/Subordinate Relationship.

Loving Maddie from A to Z - Kelly Jamison - M/M/F Romance - An outwardly happy couple looks to add something to their relationship by inviting their friend into their home and bed. Other Notes: Polyamory, BDSM, Big City Romance.

Ever After - Eden French - M/M/F Romance - An erotic modern retelling of the Cinderella fairy tale featuring billionaires, celebrities, and lots of hot sex. Other Notes: Interracial Romance, Polyamory, Billionaire Romance, CW: Child Abuse.

Test Drive - N.S. Johnson - M/F Romance - A so-called good girl finds that she’s really not when she falls for the leader of a street racing crew. Other Notes: Polyamory, CW: Infidelity, Interracial Romance, Reverse Harem, Recreational Drug Use, Author of Color.

Other Historical Romance

These are romances set outside of the Regency but not during contemporary periods. A lot of old school romances tend to be this because medieval was big then. But it also includes everything up to 1990 too... Yeah... I know... I feel old.

Let It Shine - Alyssa Cole - M/F Romance (Steamy) - Set during the civil rights movement, this story follows two young people struggling to find their voice and love amidst the turmoil of the 1960s. Other Notes: Interracial Romance, Period Appropriate Racism, Period Appropriate Anti-Semitism, Author of Color, Sports Romance, Novella.

In Pursuit Of... - Courtney Milan - M/M Romance (Steamy) - Set immediately after the American War for Independence it features a British soldier falling in love with a Black man who fought for the American side. Other Notes: Interracial Romance, Romantic Comedy, period appropriate racism, author of color, Novella.

Bringing Down the Duke - Evie Dunmore - M/F Romance (Steamy) - A rare female scholar tries to keep her scholarship going while also crusading for the rights of women in Victorian England. Other Notes: Alpha Hero, Clueless Heroine.

Contemporary Romance

These romances are set in the last 25 years and run the gamut of tropes.

Get a Life, Chloe Brown - Talia Hibbert - M/F Romance (Steamy) - Sick of living her life wrapped in tissue paper, Chloe Brown sets off to live a little. And to do that, she needs the help of her building’s manager. Other Notes: Plus-Sized Heroine, Interracial Romance, Disabled Characters, Positive Portrayal of Mental Illness, Marginalized Author (Black). As a note the sequel Take a Hint, Dani Brown is just as good and features a Bisexual Woman of Color.

Beg, Borrow, or Steal - Susie Tate - M/F Romance (Fluffy) - A medical student has to juggle the needs of being a single mother, a student, and paying the bills. And if that means she’s got to take off her clothes to do that, that’s what she’s going to do. Too bad she keeps falling asleep in class. Other Notes: No Sex (No really), But also Super sex positive, Student/Teacher Relationship, Adorable Plot Moppet.

Soft Hands - Ariel Bishop - M/M Romance (Steamy) - A professional Hockey Player ends up falling for the team trainer and massage therapist. Other Notes: Bisexual Rep, Sports Romance, Interracial Romance.

The Year We Fell Down - Sarina Bowen - M/F Romance (Steamy) - Two people who’ve suffered from accidents which have left them disabled find each other at a Harvard Expy. While one of the characters only has a temporary disability (broken leg) it still fucking counts. Other Notes: New Adult Romance, Disabled characters, Sports Romance, College Romance.

Small Town Romance

A subgenre of Contemporary Romance, these are books set in a small town and often the stakes tend to be pretty low. They can run the range of no-sex to lots of steam. They are also often VERY WHITE. While many are set in America, they can also be set elsewhere with Australia and the British Isles being the most common other settings.

Falling for Her Brother’s Best Friend - Noelle Adams - M/F Romance (Steamy) - Who doesn’t love a small town romance featuring characters that used to be childhood friends becoming more? Other Notes: New Adult Romance.

The Last One - Tawdra Kandle - M/F Romance (Steamy) - Meghan, an art student, and Sam, a farmer, and how they meet in small-town Georgia when Meghan comes to teach art over the summer to the kids in town…and ends up staying with Sam and his family. Other Notes: Alpha Male Hero.

If Wishes Were Horses - Caitlyn Lynch - M/F Romance (Steamy) - When an Aussie woman inherits partial ownership in a horse ranch in Ireland, sparks fly. Other Notes: Novella, Irish Romance.

Old School Romance

These are romances that were written before the rise of indie publishing where white men had the power and it shows. These are what people point to when they reduce romance novels to just “bodice rippers” but even then they weren’t just that.  BTW none of these books feature Fabio so suck it!

Skye O’Malley - Bertrice Small - M/F Romance (Steamy) - Daughter of a small Irish lord, this book follows Skye through her life and romances across England, Ireland, and even Algeria. It’s wild and all over the place and is not your typical romance novel. It ends on a HEA but there is a JOURNEY. But gods it’s one of my old-school faves. Other Notes: Major Character Death. Non-Con, Pirates, Interracial Romance, Historical Domain Characters, This is not your typical romance. I like the whole series... but that’s a me thing.

The Traveling Matchmaker Series - Marion Chesney/M.C Beaton - M/F Romance (Fluffy) - A housekeeper inherits a large sum of money and decides to use it to travel about England. Along the way, she makes matches for the other passengers of the stagecoach she’s traveling on while getting into all sorts of adventures. This series is pure fluff and I love it. Other Notes: Period appropriate xenophobia, Age Gap Romance.

Remembrance - Jude Deveraux - M/F Romance (Steamy) - A romance novelist discovers that the reason she hasn’t found love is because of an issue with her past life. So she decides to do something about it... only to find it’s just the very tip of the story. Other Notes: Time Travel Romance, Past Lives, Meta... so very meta.

Desire in Disguise - Rebecca Brandewyne - M/F Romance (Steamy) - Look this is set during the French Revolution and features duelling (quite literally) pirates. This is a wild ride and it’s so old school it hurts. Other Notes: Alpha hero, mistaken identity, enemies to lovers, spies, pirates, But oh so many problematic tropes. This looks to be out of print... so check your local library.

Gentle Warrior - Julie Garwood - M/F Romance (Steamy) - Set right after the Norman Invasion of England, this features a Norman Lord who was granted an Anglo-Saxon wife and all of the drama that comes with. Note... this is the first Romance Novel I ever read.. My mother bought it for me when it was newish -- in 1987. Other Notes: CW: Rape, Arranged Marriage, Non-conventionally Attractive Hero.

Books that check all of the boxes of Romance but aren’t Labeled as Romance because Sexism.

Romance isn’t about sex. There’s lots of books with explicit sex in them that aren’t Romance and several with a strong romantic relationship that drives the plot which ends happily and satisfying. But sexism is a thing and so here we are.

The Princess Bride - William Goldman - M/F Romance (Fluffy) - You’ve probably seen the movie. The book is also fun. And since the romance is central to the plot AND the ending is a happy one (especially in the movie) it qualifies.

The Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins - M/F Romance (Fluffy) - Look who would have thought that in a book about kids killing each other and the violence of war that Romance would play that big of a role? But it does. And it is. And it’s important.

Katherine - Anya Seton - M/F Romance (Fluffy) - This could feasibly go into Old School Romance, but apparently the publishers have decided to downplay the actual romance and try to sell this as literature. It follows the real-life Romance between Katherine Swineford and the Duke of Lancaster. 

Did we leave off any of your favorites? It’s probably because we haven’t read them! We always like recs, especially featuring marginalized authors or main characters with marginalized identities.

If you like this kind of thing, consider leaving us a tip in our Ko-Fi!

[goatdollz]

hi! i just finished with a small project. the comic is done traditionally in pen with some color and effects added digitally. 

it’s a short creepy comic inspired by a very strange dream i had! i hope you guys can get the same feeling that i did from that dream. let me know!

here is the link to the comic if you want to read it in it’s original format :-)

and if you prefer the webtoon/tapas style scroll format- i also uploaded it on tapas here!

i’m also putting some content warnings behind the cut if you absolutely need them!

this is a p mild horror comic so this is just a ‘just in case’ measure. no gore here, no worries!

.

.

. 

CWs: a few intentionally gross visuals, mild body horror, brief mention of animal death, implied purposeful animal endangerment. 

[teacupfulofstarshine]

but i make these high heels work

summary: roman has something new that he wants to try out, but he’s nervous about his family’s reactions. he needn’t be; they’ve always got his back. 

(OR: a birthday fic for roman sanders, set in my moxiety dad au)

a/n: i’m jumping on @notveryglittery‘s “giving the gay everything he wants” agenda. happy birthday roman sanders!!! 

cw: anxiety, mild angst, fear of homophobia

wordcount: ~1.8k

read it on ao3!! 

Roman carefully smooths his hands over the fabric spread out across his bed. He knows that no one else is awake yet. Not even Logan, who routinely wakes up early because apparently he can run on crumbs of sleep and nothing else. Not even Dad, the earliest riser out of all of them, since he doesn’t have any pressing appointments. No one is awake but Roman. 

He’d tossed and turned all night, barely snatching a few hours. He knows he’s going to regret that later, but he also knows that there’s nothing particularly important happening today, so Papa and Dad will be more lenient if he decides to nap. So, rather than waiting until later to roll out of bed, Roman gets up a good hour before anyone else. He makes his bed - properly, this time, pulling off the excess of blankets and pillows and stuffed animals and tucking his thick quilt in. He never has the time or the willpower to make it in the mornings, but today. 

Well.

Today, he has anticipation thrumming in his chest like caught lightning, and he needs something to do with his hands. 

Roman showers, quietly. The bathroom is between his room and Logan’s, and there’s always the off chance that the water running will wake up his lightweight-sleeper brother. He holds his breath, keeping in all the melodies that usually bubble from his mouth in the shower, and is rewarded with no signs of wakefulness from his brother. 

He doesn’t bother to wash his hair, so he doesn’t have to worry about blow-drying his fluffy curls. Instead, he spritzes them with dry shampoo he stole from his Papa and combs through them with his fingers. It takes him about fifteen minutes to get them to just the right state of artfully tousled, but it still doesn’t waste nearly enough time. 

Which brings him to here, sitting cross-legged on his perfectly-made bed, staring at the fabric spread across his quilt. It’s plain, compared to what he usually wears, but he supposes that’s the trouble with borrowed clothing. Adding to all that, it’s not real clothing; it’s an old prop he’d salvaged from a box of costumes destined to be torn apart and repurposed. He kind of wishes he had the courage to ask Dad or Papa to take him to the mall to buy a proper one, but he’s never been that kind of brave. 

Roman fiddles with the hem of the skirt between his fingers. 

It’s red, at the very least, but not the proper shade of red. It’s garish and bright, like a firetruck, like a cartoon bloodstain. It comes down to about Roman’s knees, hanging in loose folds, and it’s not the most comfortable thing he’s ever worn, but he loves it. He loves the way the fabric feels when it swishes around his knees, he loves the way it flares out when he spins in circles, he loves the way it feels to smooth the fabric beneath him in a single fluid motion when he sits down. 

He’s terrified to wear it out of the comfort of his bedroom, but he figures that today, June first, the first day of pride month, is as good a day as any to come out of the closet. Roman sighs, curling his hands into loose fists on his thighs. 

His phone pings with a notification, and Roman almost falls off his bed as he scrambles forward to snatch his cell phone off his desk. He takes a moment to smile at his home screen photo before answering the message: it’s a picture of himself and Janus from last year’s pride festival. They’re wrapped in a rainbow flag like a cape, leaning their heads together and laughing. Janus has a genderqueer flag painted across his cheek, and Roman has rainbow star stickers across his nose and a rainbow bandanna tying back his hair. 

Roman thumbprints his phone open and checks his messages. It’s from Janus himself. 

[7:41 am] snoyfriend (snake boyfriend): you’re going to do wonderfully, dearest. your family loves you, and they’ll support you no matter what. and even if they don’t, i support you no matter what. i love you <3 

Roman wiggles his feet back and forth eagerly in a gleeful stim as he taps out a response. 

[7:43 am] me: thank you, snove (snake love). ily2 <3 

[7:44 am] snoyfriend (snake boyfriend): are you ever going to stop calling me snake-themed nicknames, beloved?

[7:44 am] me: sno (snake no) 

[7:46 am] snoyfriend (snake boyfriend): i hate you <3 

[7:47 am] me: i snove (snake love) you too <3 <3 

*~*~*~*~*

Someone knocks on his door around 8:45. “Ro? Are you coming down to breakfast? I’m making pridecakes!” Dad calls. Roman’s stomach growls at the thought; every year, Dad makes multiple colors of homemade pancake batter and draws pride-flag pancakes on the griddle.

“I’ll be down in a minute!” Roman says. 

“Okay, kiddo!” 

Roman takes a deep breath. He slides off his bed and shimmies out of his pajama pants. Rummaging around in his drawers, he pulls out a white t-shirt with a swooping golden outline of the Disney castle on the front. Carefully, he steps into the puddle of skirt and tugs the red fabric up over his hips. It’s not a perfect fit, but it comes down to his knees. Roman studies himself in the full-length mirror on the inside of his closet. 

“It’s going to be okay,” he sighs, reaching for the rainbow bandana on his desk. He folds it and ties it to form a headband which he uses to push his bangs off his forehead. “It’s going to be okay. Dad and Papa aren’t going to hate you. Thomas and Logan aren’t going to hate you. It’s going to be okay.” 

Roman waits until he hears Logan and Thomas go downstairs before he leaves. He picks up his phone, glances at the photo of himself and Janus one more time, and then steps into the hallway. 

He lurks on the stairs for a moment, glancing into the kitchen. Logan is sleepily gnawing on a bagel slathered with jam. Papa is pouring coffee into a row of mugs while Thomas helps Dad with the pridecakes. Roman grips his skirt tightly in his hands, watching his family, and then he steps into the kitchen. 

“Morning.” 

“Good morn - oh!” Dad whirls around, holding a spatula which he quickly foists off onto Thomas. He hurries forward, taking Roman’s shoulders, eyes scanning up and down his outfit. “That’s new! Where’d you get it?” 

“It’s an old costume skirt,” Roman says. “Is that - am I - do you -”

Dad smiles, eyes crinkling up as he leans in to kiss Roman’s forehead. “I think you look wonderful, Roman. No matter what you choose to wear.” Roman smiles, hugging his dad tightly. He feels Dad reach up and press a hand into the back of his hair, rocking them back and forth a little as they hug. 

When Dad pulls away, Roman’s eyes jump up to Thomas. He grins, flashing a thumbs up, and Roman shakily offers one back. “Nice skirt,” Papa says, wrapping an arm around Roman’s shoulders and pulling him in. Roman feels Papa press a kiss to the top of his head, and he fights to keep himself from crying. 

Roman turns, looking at the only family member who hasn’t said anything yet. Logan is still placidly chewing his bagel, watching Roman with his typical calmness. “Logan?” Roman hates the way his voice shakes a little. “Do you like it?” 

Logan swallows and sets his bagel down. He scans over Roman’s outfit with a strange critical expression and says, “No. It looks completely wrong on you.” 

Roman’s heart sinks to the bottom of his chest. Logan stands up, scanning over Roman repeatedly, frowning as he stares at the skirt. “Logan,” Dad says warningly. 

Logan keeps talking. “That is the wrong color for your skin tone. It does not compliment the tan you always achieve in the summer months. The shape is unflattering on your body type, and the material is -” Logan reaches out and rubs the material between two fingers, shuddering. “- is entirely unpleasant. This skirt is completely wrong for you.” 

Roman recognizes the glint in his brother’s eye as he examines the skirt with a critical eye. It’s the way he looks at pieces of clothing that the theater department asks him to help tailor. “You would look much nicer in a circle or handkerchief style skirt. That red is hideous, you need a darker shade. I think that dark green would also look nice on you.” 

“You . . . aren’t mad about me wearing a skirt?” 

Logan blinks at him. “To quote that Avatar show you like so much, ‘Pants are an illusion and so is death.’ Gender is a social construct and clothing should not be dependent on the genitalia you were born with. I do not care if you wish to wear a skirt or not, Roman. Why would I care?” 

“I was nervous about wearing a skirt because I thought you would judge me.” Logan takes a few steps closer, offering a small smile, and Roman feels his heart start to swell and rise like a balloon.

“I was not judging you for wearing a skirt, Roman. If you would prefer to wear a skirt, I will support you, always. I did not mean to imply otherwise. I merely meant to offer my assistance because that skirt looks uncomfortable.” 

“It really is,” Roman sighs. “I stole it from a box of outgoing props.” 

“Go put comfortable clothes on,” Logan tells him. “I am going to the fabric store with Dad later today. I will take your measurements and you can come with us to find a fabric you like. I will make you a skirt that actually fits you.” 

“You’d do that for me?!” 

“Skirts are relatively simple garments to sew, provided you get the measurements correct. I cannot promise that it will be perfect, but I will work to make sure that it is comfortable and flattering on your form.” Roman bounces eagerly. “Can I hug you?” 

Logan tilts his head, considering. “Ten seconds,” he decides, which is more than enough time. Roman pulls his brother into a hug, feeling Logan’s hand flap back and forth against his bag as he happily stims. 

“I love you, Logan,” Roman says, squeezing him tightly. Logan hums at the pressure, pushing closer to his brother before leaning backwards to signal that he’s done being hugged. Roman lets him go, settling down at the table. He can change after breakfast. 

(Two weeks later, Roman comes downstairs in a dark red circle skirt embroidered with golden stars and detailing. Logan hums, flapping and rocking happily when he sees Roman twirl around and show off the way the skirt flares around his thighs. 

“It’s perfect, it’s perfect, I love it so much!” Roman squeals. “Thank you, Logan!” 

Logan flaps even more in response.) 

[sandersstudies]

CWs with timestamps for new video! Hope this helps!

I’m not tagging this post, as it’s likely that the people who need to see it most are those blocking tags. This post is ABOUT content warnings, and is meant to be informative and helpful, so proceed with caution or skip if it’s not relevant to you.

The list includes for each content warning a timestamp, brief description, and rating from “very mild” to “severe.” Almost entirely spoiler-free! Let me know if there is anything I missed.

(A few things are NOT marked - let me know if you need them to be: Weapons such as Roman’s sword being used for comedy or plot (not violence). Mentions of ghosts in a casual or humorous context. Implied alcohol mention. Plot-relevant discussion of Jeffrey Dahmer (murderer, sex offender) - any mentions of violence etc. surrounding him are included below, but mere mentions of his name are not.)

Continue below the cut!

Blood and Gore

7:19-7:23 Zombie imagery with some blood (moderate) (See “Disturbing Imagery”)

7:25 A very small amount of blood splashes from offscreen and remains on a character’s face until 7:35. (mild)

8:14-8:16 The first instance of a repeated flashback sequence which is scary but very blurry/unclear what is being shown. There is a small amount of blood and implied death, but the sequence is so brief/unclear at normal speed that it’s difficult to see. (moderate-to-severe) (The same sequence is repeated at 17:21-17:24 and at 19:38-19:41.) (See “Violence,” see “Disturbing Imagery,” see “Death”)

14:09-14:16 A character is seen in two shots with a fake dismembered hand covered in blood. There is also blood in/around their mouth. (moderate-to-severe) (See “Disturbing Imagery”)

25:22 A character has their teeth knockred out magically. There is a small-to-medium amount of blood on their face, but the character is calm and apparently not in pain. They are shown intermittently with the blood on their face until 26:22. (moderate-to-severe) (See “Violence”)

Death

5:45-50 Two death mentions, the first serious/spooky, the second casual/joking (moderate) (see “Violence”)

6:29 Shouted death mention, part of a joke (mild)

6:58-7:01 Comedic and cartoonish death, i.e. dramatically falling down, holding flowers (mild)

7:19-7:23 Exaggerated suffocation (moderate) (See “Violence”)

8:14-8:16 The first instance of a repeated flashback sequence which is scary but very blurry/unclear what is being shown. There is a small amount of blood and implied death, but the sequence is so brief/unclear at normal speed that it’s difficult to see. (moderate-to-severe) (The same sequence is repeated at 17:21-17:24 and at 19:38-19:41.) (See “Violence,” see “Blood and Gore,” see “Disturbing Imagery”)

8:24 Death mention. Character makes the motion of slitting a throat with one finger. Comedic. (mild)

8:53-8:55 A living character is put inside a coffin comedically (mild) 

8:55-8:58 A character choking, exaggerated, brief (mild-to-moderate)

8:58-9:00 Joking mention of animal death (mild-to-moderate)

15:44-15:50 Mentions of nudity and burning, possibly slight suicide implication (moderate) (See “Death”)

16:29 Death mention (mild). 

16:47-17:00 Ongoing metaphor involving death (moderate). 

19:16-19:20 Brief implied death mention. (mild-to-moderate)

26:53-26:55 Shouted death mention, part of a joke (mild).

Sexual Innuendo

7:24 The word “porn” is used (mild-to-moderate) (See “Crude Humor”)

9:50-9:57 Silly “sexy” dance and phrase “juicy stuff.” (mild)

10:22 Very brief, blink-and-you’ll-miss-it use of the phrase “brain sex” which is cut off (mild)

11:57-11:59 Use of the word “condom” in a joking context. (mild) (Repeated but “censored” in a joking context immediately afterward) (See “Crude Humor”)

13:52-13:57 Two uses of the word “penis.” (mild-to-moderate) (See “Crude Humor”)

20:09-20:14 A character is licked on the cheek, use of the word “smash” to imply sex. (moderate)

24:34-24:36 A character jokingly begins to get undressed, no actual exposure (mild).

24:52-24:55 Joke playing off the letter “D” being used to mean “penis.” (mild-to-moderate)

28:09-28:12 Use of the word “erection.” (moderate) (See “Crude Humor”)

Violence

5:45-5:50 Murder mention (moderate) (see “Death”)

6:20-6:27 A character is hit on the head and falls down, asleep. The character is not seriously harmed. (moderate)

7:19-7:23 Exaggerated suffocation (moderate) (See “Violence”)

7:25 Use of the word “impaled,” implied momentry violence offscreen (moderate) (See “Blood and Gore”)

7:34 A character is hit in the face with an object, which breaks. The character is unharmed. (mild)

7:53 A character is lightly hit in the face and falls down comedically. The character is unharmed. (very mild)

8:14-8:16 The first instance of a repeated flashback sequence which is scary but very blurry/unclear what is being shown. There is a small amount of blood and implied death, but the sequence is so brief/unclear at normal speed that it’s difficult to see. (moderate-to-severe) (The same sequence is repeated at 17:21-17:24 and at 19:38-19:41.) (See “Disturbing Imagery,” see “Blood and Gore,” see “Death”)

10:47-10:49 Mention of animal torture (mild) 

19:08-19:10 Brief mention of violence, used as a gross threat (mild-to-moderate) (See “Crude Humor.”)

20:20-20:26 Shaking of a character by the throat for comedic purposes (moderate).

22:30-22:34 Murder mentions, casual. (mild)

25:22 A character has their teeth knocked out magically. There is a small-to-medium amount of blood on their face, but the character is calm and apparently not in pain. They are shown intermittently with the blood on their face until 26:22. (moderate-to-severe) (See “Blood and Gore”)

26:50-26:55 A character is hit in the face with a sharp object and falls backward, apparently injured, but immediately gets up and is fine. No blood. (moderate-to-severe) 

30:15-30:20 Discussion of jumping out of a moving car. Non-violent. (mild) (mentioned again at 30:34-30:43)

Disturbing Imagery

5:57-6:00 Shot with hands “creeping” in the background (very mild)

6:09 A character appears in the background of the shot, grinning creepily. (mild) 

6:52 A song sequence begins and contains repeated mild to moderate disturbing imagery and language (think Nightmare Before Christmas, Coraline, or Dr. Facilier aesthetic). If you are sensitive to this imagery, you may want to skip the entire song up until 9:20. The song is summarized and explained afterward. More details below.

6:52-7:00 Fake nudity for comedic purposes, male, waist up. (very mild)

7:07-7:10 Fake “puking,” not graphic (mild) (See “Crude Humor”)

7:19-7:23 Zombie imagery with some blood (moderate) (See “Blood and Gore”)

7:58-8:10 Implied Deceit (outline/silhouette, no face) (mild)

8:14-8:16 The first instance of a repeated flashback sequence which is scary but very blurry/unclear what is being shown. There is a small amount of blood and implied death, but the sequence is so brief/unclear at normal speed that it’s difficult to see. (moderate-to-severe) (The same sequence is repeated at 17:21-17:24 and at 19:38-19:41.) (See “Violence,” see “Blood and Gore,” see “Death”)

8:35-8:41 Images of a fire. No injuries.

9:09 A comedic head-without-body using digital editing. Non-graphic, no blood. (mild)

9:10-9:20 Images of a fire. No injuries. (mild)

9:20 A character shakes out of severe fear. (mild)

11:38 A character removes their ears from their head in a comedic fashion. Non-graphic, no blood. (mild)

13:30-13:45 Mentions of Deceit (never shown). (mild)

14:09-14:16 A character is seen in two shots with a fake dismembered hand covered in blood. There is also blood in/around their mouth. (moderate-to-severe) (See “Blood and Gore”)

20:29-20:33 A character is shown holding a baby doll and knife. They throw the objects. (mild-to-moderate) (Another character discusses the objects until 20:42)

27:48-27:53 Jumpscare. A character screams and the lighting changes and objects wobble. Nothing bad happens. (moderate)

29:06-29:10 Play off of “nails on a chalkboard,” as a gross joke, but no imagery. (mild-to-moderate)

41:15 Butt mention (mild-to-moderate)

End Card: A character lurks in the background creepily eating deodorant and at one point holds a knife, all comedic (mild)

Crude Humor 

7:07-7:10 Fake “puking,” not graphic (mild) (See “Disturbing Imagery”)

7:24 The word “porn” is used (mild) (See “Sexual Innuendo”)

7:34 The s-word, censored (mild)

8:44-8:50 Crude humor and imagery around butts (clothed). (mild)

9:56-9:57 The word “butthole” is used (mild-to-moderate) (It is repeated but censored as “b-hole” at 10:00-10:01 and 28:57-28:58) (it is repeated uncensored at 10:10-10:12 and 14:45-14:46)

11:57-11:59 Use of the word “condom” in a joking context. (mild) (Repeated but “censored” in a joking context immediately afterward) (See “Sexual Innuendo”)

13:28 The word “bulls***,” censored. (mild)

13:52-13:57 Two uses of the word “penis.” (mild-to-moderate) (See “Sexual Innuendo”)

14:09-14:11 Crude phrase referencing the idiom “stick up your butt.” (mild-to-moderate)

14:14-14:16 “Bird” or middle finger, censored. (mild)

15:44-15:50 Mentions of nudity and burning, possibly slight suicide implication (moderate) (See “Death”)

17:02 “B****,” censored. (mild)

19:08-19:10 Brief mention of violence, used as a gross threat (mild-to-moderate) (See “Violence.”)

25:54 Poop joke. (mild)

26:07-26:12 Poop joke. (very mild)

27:45 Censored s-word. (mild)

28:09-28:12 Use of the word “erection.” (moderate) (See “Sexual Innuendo”)

29:55-29:59 Dog butt-sniffing joke. (mild-to-moderate)

31:06 Use of the word “poopy.” (very mild) (repeated at 31:13 and 31:23)

35:28 Butt joke. (very mild)

35:40-35:45 Poop joke. (very mild)

Religious Commentary

6:52-7:00 Reference to Biblical storytelling (mild)

9:04-9:09 Religious metaphor (mild)

9:10-9:20 Hell mention (mild)

22:40-24:00 Ongoing discussion about how religion (specifically Catholicism) can impact views on morality. (moderate)

Hope these were helpful! Sorry you’ve been scrolling for ten years. Stay safe, kiddos. :)

@vividanxiety