#also: feel free to go into detail in my inbox 👀

[sincerely-sofie]

still cant get over travailshipping. i remember when you first tested the waters with it (which i believe was some time before the tpiag chapters started coming out?) and at first i thought it was pretty funny. ark slowly but surely falling headfirst for twig, who if she had a tagline it would be "if i could turn my feelings into weapons, mine would be a goddamn nuclear bomb", and her at first just being oblivious to it and thinking that the letters that expressed love and care that were written in cursive in her mailbox were just funny and she wanted to show them to ark with the guy just looking at her with the most "well that backfired in the weirdest way possible". but when tpiag finally ended i finally connected the dots as to why these two are just. augh. i wont go into detail here in your askbox but i wanna know is: HOW DID YOU DO IT. HOW DO YOU KEEP MAKING SUCH GOOD IDEAS FOR THE FUNNY DIGITAL ANIMALS. TELL ME.

(thinking to myself) "Ugh I should stop posting so much travailshipping stuff... It's probably so annoying to everyone who sees it. I feel bad for my poor followers. I'll check my inbox real quick and then commit to shaking up my content by—" *gets obliterated by your niceness*

Oh man. I remember posting that poll where I hesitantly described a possible Darkrai/Twig pairing in the tags while proposing Twig/Kip as an alternative route, despite it not being the direction I wanted to take the characters, because I was so scared of what people’s reactions might be. If I remember right, I posted it a little bit before I had just barely reached 5k words in the first draft of TPiaG.

I've been trying to write up detailed responses to how I come up with good ideas for travailshipping in particular, but there's one rule I use that defines everything after it and speaks for all of them: I have fun with the characters.

That's it. That's the rule. If I don't want to write a subject, I don't. I stick with what I find enjoyable and resonant. Does a joke make me laugh? Does a scene make me cry? Does a villain make me punch a hole in my wall? Does a cute gesture make me squeal? If so, then into the project it goes. I think people can feel when someone is having fun with their work, and that fun radiates out into their own experience consuming that work. It's like laughter— joy is something we're sharing with others as long as we feel it. Fun is contagious.

Also: when you don't force yourself to make things you hate, you attract people who like the same things as you. These people will find your work even more fun— because not only did you have fun making it, they're having double fun consuming it.

An important tangent I'll go off on is that I think that every creative project idea is a good idea. There's so many beloved bizarro ideas in the world, even the ones who try to be cool about how weird their premises are. There's this weird show where the main character works as a service industry worker in an underwater setting that's ruled by a Roman deity— he lives in a piece of fruit, and his pet gastropod makes cat noises. This show sounds like word salad garbage on paper and could be tossed out for its nonsensical nature, and yet SpongeBob SquarePants has made Nickelodeon over $13 billion dollars and is a treasured part of many childhoods. There's also a character who spends his time locked in intellectual and physical combat with a wannabe clown and wears a costume with bat ears while doing it. Batman's been an icon for over 80 years.

All of this is to say:

Ideas are always good ideas by virtue of existing. They don't derive their goodness from external sources. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Make more of what you love. Don't make things you hate making.

If you have fun while making the thing, people will have fun while they consume the thing's content.

I hope this makes sense. I didn't touch on idea generation as much as embracing existing ideas. Fingers crossed that was the right response. I'd just woken up from a nap as I was writing it, so hopefully it's not too meandering and managed to answer the question and—

— Oh shoot. Was that a hypothetical question??? Uh. Sorry if I went off on this rant when you were just trying to voice your niceness. Oops. 🫥

[marimayscarlett]

This is a FREE pass to deep dive into ANY of your favorite thing(s) about Mr. Zee Kay!!! I wanna hear EVERYTHING about your favorite thing, I love seeing your deep dives and essays on the most important subject to exist ❤️

❗ CAUTION. LONG-ISH POST AHEAD. ❗

Hi! First of all:

Kissies for you for sending me this ask, thank you so much! This has been sitting in my inbox for a while now since it took me ages to decide what this post should be about. I didn't want to make yet another fashion/stage outfit/etc post, so I decided to do something different with it.

I decided this will be a long ass post about Richard's outspokenness and honesty in interviews and some of my favourite quotes/topics he spoke about in the past. This man has A LOT to say and sometimes is brutally honest with his answers. You ask him how he's doing or what he thinks about XYZ? Prepare for a lengthy and detailed reply. You ask him something silly or boring? Be prepared he quite actually reacts quite directly on it.

This list will be sorted by three topics: 1. Quotes regarding work with Rammstein, Emigrate and in general, 2. Quotes about his personal life and finally, 3. Unhinged shit Richard says since this man sometimes has no filter.

All interviews will be linked, german quotes are translated into english. Prepare yourself, this will be long and self-indulgend and I'm probably the only person who's really interested in this stuff but i don't CARE, I love reading about and listening to this man and I'll use this post to my liking thanks to this lovely, lovely anon 💞 Let's get started 👀🤍

Richard on working with Rammstein and Emigrate and music in general

In this interview, Richard talks about being put into the right wing corner by the german media and how hard it is for him and the band: "You want to shout it out loud and convince people otherwise, only to find that nobody listens because nobody wants to know. They want you in this corner. That was very disillusioning."

Here he gives an example for his immeasurable perfectionism and how he tries to protect himself from it: "I spent a lot of time recording guitars over and over again. I ended up giving my guitar engineer the key to the locker where my guitar cabinets are and told him “Do not give me this key back”,  otherwise I would have still been in there recording guitars right now.

In the same interview, he also gives an example how the whole Mutter problem came into play: "So if I’d come up with 45 ideas, then others in the band may feel they’d have to come up with 45 ideas as well. There was lot of pressure going on within Rammstein because of that."

Here Richard talks about how he, back in the GDR days, wandered from peer group to peer group to find his style: "I've always been bored of sticking with just one group of people. The metalheads got drunk too often. So I moved on - and I found that refreshing - to the punks …" Interviewer: … who didn't drink any less. "No, exactly. And they were also dirtier (laughs). Then I was with the bluesmen, and they always went to these blues fairs. And because they also drank a lot, they could sleep well, whereas I, who didn't drink, always woke up at three in the morning because I was so cold - we only had these thin cotton sleeping bags."

Richard on the amount of hours which go in one song of his [interview]: "At some point, I calculated that it takes me about 1000 hours on average for a song to reach the listener. But I don't want to think too much about the time involved. That would just be frustrating."

On his relationship with Flake and that he would be the one member of the band Richard would play an Emigrate album as a test run to [interview]: "Although someone like Flake would probably be very open to that. We have a lot of respect for each other and are in a lively exchange. For example, I regularly listen to his radio show - and call him afterwards to ask him what weird stuff he's been saying. (laughs)"

2. Richard on his personal life

In my alltime favourite podcast with Richard, he admist to seemingly being a quite difficult person to live with (apparently, only his daughter is able to and is relaxed enough to bring him inner peace). He hates talking in the morning, needs time for himself with no talking and reflect on things and sometimes is afraid/annoyed that he has to explain himself to others (since other people tend to take offense because of this). This is one of the reasons why he definitely can't imagine living together with a girlfriend again.

Here he talks about the evolution of friendship with Till: Intervier: How has your friendship changed over more than 30 years? Richard: "Well, as it goes in life: Unfortunately, there's never a happy ending. You should only meet friends once or twice a month. It's unnatural for men to be extremely close for decades. At some point you want to be left alone." Interviewer: You two are more like colleagues these days? Richard: "Sounds stupid, but that's kind of how it is. But I still have a basic trust: If anything happens, I know I can call Till and he'll be there, just like the others."

Here Richard admits to his immense moodiness at times: "I am a very moody person, my mood sometimes changes by the hour."

Why he likes western movies so much [interview]: "It might sound strange, but I have really early childhood memories of my father watching these cowboy movies and falling asleep… that ended up being part of my upbringing somehow."

And his fond memory of the wild times with Till after the wall came down [interview]: "Because at that time, in every house there was a techno or rave party, and we would go there, and 7 in the morning, he would bring his daughter to school, and then come back and we would stay there into the daytime, and dance to these electric beats — I mean, can you imagine us dancing like that?"

How he answers to a fan question in which movie/show he'd like to be a part of (musically or in general) [article]: "I would have loved to have been in Game of Thrones. I really love fantasy worlds, you know? Also Westworld."

3. Welcome to the unhinged RZK corner aka "Shit RZK says":

In this interview, he describes his relationship with music like this: "I believe the music itself must be the king, but I want to be the queen." Alrighty then 👀

Just overall this conversation with him thinking about filming himself having sex [interview]:

The Gauntlet: Do you always have that funny smile during sex? [regarding the Pussy MV]

Richard: "I actually never watched myself but you have a point. I really should watch myself or videotape it. I never really...I can do it. I did that a long time ago but every girl is different. Do I really smile? Sometimes I guess, I will have to check that out. You really have me thinking on that one."

This man seemingly tried every therapy under the sun, which is good, but this one left me a bit speechless [interview]: "I always had the feeling that I was a king without a nation. That was always in my head and I once did reincarnation therapy and experienced this life. It was really interesting and this song came out of that [song: Born on my own].

Here he admits to throwing a guitar at Lemmy Kilmister: "It was the third time a roadie had given me an out-of-tune guitar. So I threw it at him. Unfortunately, Lemmy was standing there watching the show from the side of the stage. But I didn't know that, I just saw Lemmy disappear. That was very embarrassing for me."

Or he throws his credits cards at sales women (how about some anger management my guy): "The last time I was there [New York], I wanted to pay for a coffee in a café with a hundred dollar bill. But not because I wanted to be a big shot, but because I just had this one bill in my pocket. The sales woman hissed at me and threw the bill back over the counter. I just thought: She's out of her mind. I then threw my credit card at her. I was really angry."

If you made it to the end of this post, I really applaud you and apologize for my rambling yet again 🙏 I could go on and on (I didn't even started with quoting the video interviews), but I think since I'm the only one who's into this, I stop right here 😅 Have some smiley Richard as a reward 🍀

[gnashingwailing]

Kept notes on a reread I was doing of The Art of Love and War because I am so obsessed with the gay little borrower darkfic... sharing with u @fireflywritesgt

it falls apart at ch12 because that is where i consistently turn into a puddle under my covers kicking my legs and making sounds only audible to shrimps.

I HOPE THIS IS A SMALL TOKEN OF APPRECIATION FOR HOW GUD THIS FIC IS, SINCERELY... LIKE I SAID PUTTING THIS IN SOMEBODY'S INBOX IS PROBABLY A WAR CRIME. SO.

There is soooo muuuuch I want to saaaay. I did a reread and excuse my being verbose but.

Ch10 where Harry reads about how tinies don’t ask for things and prefer to do favors for them — how extra insulting that makes his message in Ch1!! “Just ask” no wonder Joe was so pissed!!

ALSO him feeling “dirty, somehow” about accepting chocolate that didn’t kill him… was he having a little bit of feelings for “the kind man” and it got transmuted into self-loathing… 😭 oh internalized homophobia tag we’re really in it now…

Re: ch2 I would kill for Joe’s pov of this… I’m also so fascinated to pick up the detail that Joe apparently talked to himself regularly, for Harry to hear him through the radiator pipes… one assumes Joe doesn’t have guests. Poor guy! He’s really smart! He likes talking! The assistant job is perfect for himmmm.

Re: ch3, i wonder how much Captain Calloway’s “if you die it’s your own damn fault” has influenced Joe’s life ethos of fucking around and finding out (btw… Harry would be sooo horrified to know Joe had been poisoned 3 times and still tried that chocolate 😭 yet another fun! anecdote of his) … im also kinda curious about Gutters. What’s that guy’s deal. And OF. COURSE. How Captain got all his injuries. It’s also so very sad he feels this tension with the guys, what they’d do to him if they knew more about who he really was. I love this as a metaphor for homophobia…

Ch5 I’m still fixated on the giants who are guarding the place. Hundreds of tinies going there every day… you’d think there’d be snatchers all over the place 👀 and the other great worldbuilding… lab tinies… “they were corralling everyone everywhere and the women and kids went one way…” GOD. also them building tiny capitalism plus tiny race science is just 😭😭😭 noooo… the way Harry reinforces their shared dignity and humanity by showing genuine interest in Joe’s art.. ouuuugh it hits every time.

ALSO I WAS SO SUSPICIOUS OF HILL WHEN I FIRST READ CH6 BUT NOW THST I KNOW HE IS A BONA FIDE WIFEGUY ALL IS REDEEMED. I AM so curious as to why he keeps tiny town schematics in his office if he dislikes it…

Ch7 profoundly funny to me how Hill is like “miniature is the academic term” and Joe is like what. Tinies.

I really appreciate how Harry started off having some uh. Idk. Colonizer savior complex stuff + noble savage ideas about Joe? Like “oh it’s in mother nature’s hands whether he survives then… I see…” as if the tinies social constructs about Pets are some immutable fact of nature instead of. A social construct !! It’s really well-done, how you show him gradually understanding that he needs to listen to Joe, not assume he knows what’s best for him just because he read a 50yr old anthropology book!! It makes me love Harry all the more that he managed to grow through it out of fondness for Joe 🥺

AND OF COURSE. THE G/T GOODNESS. My god. I loooooove that Joe is so creeped out by giants that he has to keep his eyes closed to stomach it… just feels. Hmm. Realistic?? It would be so overwhelming. I love that his trust gets rewarded with the doctor not hurting him…

The rapport they establish being based on talking to one another… it’s just suuuuch a perfect central theme for this story… Joe being able to tame Harry’s anger by reminding him of Joe’s own humanity. “Please don’t do that, doc. This is mean. You’re being mean.” And “you’re treating me like I’m not even… not even…” UGH. RENT FREE IN MY HEAD, WARREN. “Maybe he could do it; maybe he could sit in the same room as a giant for five minutes. He would only have to do it once, and then he would never have to do it again, he reasoned.” Bitch u thought… get loved and cared for idiot…

Joe asking him “why not”, echoing Harry’s words that stuck with him…

And then him being sooo pissed at the phone it’s just absolutely amazing stuff. Wagging his finger at it/Dr Hill lmaooo. I was hootin and hollerin when I realized this foreshadows him being the assistant!!! He can talk on the phone just fine!!!!

His legs threatening to give way from the prospect of Harry seeing him at ground level after he escapes using the phone receiver… ouuugh. It’s SO GOOD. He’s come such a long way…

“Touching every wooden beam he passed for good luck” is INCREDIBLY cute mental imagery.., he’s happy… poor guy has awful luck tho so Harry is just pissed 😭 HIM NEARLY DESTROYING THE PLATES BECSUSE HARRY SCARED HIM SO BAD HAD ME FEELING.. SOME KIND OF WAY…

Ch8 also has the first mention of Joe’s books… I’m sooo curious where he got these.. did he perhaps make them…? 👀 YEAH HARRY SHOULD FEEL LIKE A MONSTER THO. YOU TERRORIZED A LIL MOVIE STAR!!! HE ONLY BROKE A FEW THINGS… Making him hide under his covers like he saw a monster… 😭

I love their first god awful handshake lmao. Incredible subversion of the usual g/t first meetings… Joe’s just like OK 👋 NOW GET THAT THANG OUTTA HERE

And then Joe going “I know about that!” Joe protested, his voice growing stronger. “It’s up to me, doc. If it happens, it happens and it’ll be my own damn fault.” … something tells me when Harry finally comes to understand Joe’s recklessness with his own life and what feelings about its worth may be underpinning that, he will be so sad 😔

Joe losing his toes to frostbite… realizing that could very likely be from when he was kidnapped and enslaved with O’Grady… uuuugh he’s so brave to want to connect with anybody at all let alone with Harry!!

Ch9 professor wifeguy moments… yesss… I love that he wants to hang out with another tiny too 😭 Joe is making friends!! I can’t wait to find out about Lorraine and what “other place” she knows about!!! Lmfao I can tell she’s going to be incredible just from the little bit Joe hears of her. I wonder too if she’s been marked… aahhh I’m so excited to learn more about these two. How interesting of a parallel, too, that Harry noted Dr Hill might also be a former soldier… something-something folks unable to fully integrate into society finding and building community with each other…

Also PROFOUNDLY interested to note on a reread that the tiny town on his wall says “a SAFE place to be” and the one in Riverdale said “a CIVILIZED place to be” 😬 a damn prison indeed… I also really wonder just HOW the tinies are paying their rent(?) to stay there, if they’re all as disdainful of “borrowing” as a career as O’Grady seems to be…

MAY I JUST NOTE that Joe stimming around is sooo charming to me. He’s kickin’ his legs. He’s pacing back and forth. He’s doing something like that in the walls when Harry was first listening to him. I LOVE HIM.. aND I love how this chapter we see him going from “that tall bastard (derogatory)” to “that tall bastard (amused)”

AND POOR JOE ON THE MOST CURSED FIELD TRIP IMAGINABLE. There is much to love here but I absolutely adore this imagery: “Joe buried himself in the curtain as the doctor, dressed to the nines in his work clothes and vaguely resembling a horse in a brown suit, sidled over to him and towered there and seethed.” HE’S TERRIFIED 😭 and Joe learns that other people value his wellbeing more than he does… wow Joe no need to ponder that any further until Ch15!!!

There’s SO much incredible prose in this chapter… the haaaaands oh my god the hands. The tinies are on the order of 2-3 inches tall, right? You really get a vivid sense of how big and dangerous everything is to them… absolutely A+ stuff.

This part also slays me everytime I think about it: “Joe was hidden inside [the pocket], and the thought of how unhinged his dear neighbour must look to his fellow giants as he walked and talked gave him no small amount of delight.” HE WOUUUULD.

The mystery of just what Joe created as a boy… what he can’t find it in himself to articulate… why he can hardly fathom talking about himself and his inner world to anyone …

PART 10… the difference in the way Joe confronts Harry here vs with the assistant in part 16 is somehow heartbreaking to me. I think the anger must just be displacement for how he’s really feeling (worried, uncomfortable…) and he’s more able to show his feelings to Harry with the assistants than he is now… but Joeeeee. I don’t ever want him to feel hopeless with Harry, like he just has to accept whatever he wants 😭 I love him in this chapter… Arms crossed, eyes narrowed… red faced… clawing at the air as he ranted Jdhdhdj GOD HE’S SO ICONIC: ““Nope. Not gonna happen! Veto!” Joe leapt up from the box, strode all the way to the edge of the table, and jabbed a finger at him. “I don’t know what kind of sick, twisted doctor things you intend to do to people but whatever it is, it’s not happening in my house!”” I guess I want him to still be comfortable with yelling veto at Harry lmao!!

And then Joe being like WHO GIVES A SHIT ABOUT YOU SAVING ME THE OTHER DAY. THAT MEANS NOTHING TO ME, A WILD AND INDEPENDENT TINY WHO HAD IT ALL UNDER CONTROL, AT ALL.

ALSO: the way he words this, I have a strong suspicion he does not know the word “patients”?! “”Let’s make a deal in exchange for patients. Give me something in exchange for patients.” Joe stammered. “You do that and I won’t make any trouble.””

Harry thinking of Joe as “the little bastard” in counterpoint to Joe’s “the tall bastard” really makes me smile too, hahahah.

AND THE FURTHER G/T TROPE INVERSION… just because he was willing to get in the giant’s hands one time doesn’t mean he’s suddenly fine with it!! I love how pissed they are at each other over this misunderstanding lmfao. He’s 👏 a 👏 wild 👏 tiny 👏 ‼️

And it’s so meaningful to me that the two of them bond more over sharing art with one another… Harry wants to introduce Joe to an amazing piano player… and Joe is so happy!!! The idea for a Charlie Chaplin bit with a rich miniature woman is SO inspired btw, I was as delighted as Joe was 😭 Harry being like “oh shit wait is this offensive” and then Joe just being like “THIS FUCKS SO HARD LMAO IT REALLY DO BE LIKE THAT”

And then the tragic aftermath… Harry NOTICING that he didn’t even know that he was doing anything wrong by bringing Joe there, it just FELT so dreadfully taboo (enough that Hill, who is MARRIED TO A TINY, also seems like he’s been caught doing something wrong when Harry first meets him)…. and then of course society reinforces that fear in a terrible way. Only a shared humanity regarding love of art saves poor Joe.. how lucky he’s gotten enough exposure to be able to speak in the presence of giants. You have to ponder how many tinies just as wonderfully complex as him have died for not having that skill. It’s so very sad!!! THE IMAGERY OF HIM ON THE LAMP LIKE IT’S A STREETCORNER JUST TWISTED THE KNIFE. Your writing really is so excellent, the way you can carry us through so many different emotions… Joe my belovedddd. I’m simply obsessed with the implications of him NAMING HARRY. WHAT IS /THAT/?? And the way that the narration in the story from this point on swaps to using Harry as his name… it speaks VOLUMES without you needing to elaborate on it at all. Joe has changed him! He’s becoming someone he likes better than Herman! A day we had good luck… Harry is good luck… Luck as a concept very different from what giants think of… I am absolutely enamored with how clearly he has a whole other world, another culture, that Harry can only guess at and be grateful to be included in.

JOE GETTING A NICE BATH AND A COMFORTABLE BED IN THIS CHAPTER IS JUST SO WHOLESOME (even if it will torment his Calvinist sensibilities later…) I am also so charmed to imagine how Joe must have woken up and been like “what the FUCK did I do last night. Where the HELL am I 🤨”

And then in Ch11 he’s like I WILL PROCEED NOT TO THINK OF THAT AT ALL. <- clueless

Ch11 is one of my favorites I think… we really get a good glimpse into how much heavy-duty rationalizing Joe is doing LMAO. “Taking food is fine, because I’m just using this tall bastard.” “It’s fine if I have leisure time.” “It’s fine if I like Harry and his company and I miss him when he’s gone and I want to give him a name.” “AS LONG AS I DON’T GET COMFORTABLE ALL OF THIS IS FINE.” This line is such a banger lol: “Joe Piccoli was many things as he went to sleep that night, but he was not a pet, and he was not comfortable.” And then the mouse!!! That Joe decides to draw rather than kill!!! Look at his needs being met!!!!!

IT ALSO ABSOLUTELY FUCKIN KILLED ME WHEN I REALIZED IN THIS CHAPTER THAT THE BOYS HAVE JUST. FULLY LEFT THAT FLOORBOARD OFF LMFAO??? THAT’S HIS SKYLIGHT NOW…

And then. Good god. The arm scene… it’s just. Soooo. 👌👌👌👌 I’m so … 😵‍💫💖❤️‍🔥…

“I’m a wild tiny!” “You’re going to be a dead tiny if that gets infected.” Their dynamic is so fucking funny. AND THE TENDERNESS OF HARRY TOUCHING JOE… Joe being so overwhelmed not exactly with fear but HMMM I WONDER WHAT EMOTION AND WHY HE MIGHT FEEL SO OVERWHELMED HE STILL NEEDS TO CLOSE HIS EYES AND PRETEND HE’S HIDDEN UNDER THE FLOOR AGAIN… 🤔🤔🤔 whyever would the touch of this kind giant make his hair stand on end and make him contemplate the reverence he’s being touched with and leave his cheeks burning… it is a mystery

And then Joe being so afraid the mouse would be hurt because in contrast to the kindness he’s been shown, he still has this long history of awful experiences with giants.. this part in particular made my heart hurt:

“Don’t kill the mouse, Harry, please don’t kill it. It’s just like me. It hasn’t done anything to you.” Joe begged.

Followed by him remembering that this is /Harry, his friend, who he knows/:

“The words hit Joe like the breaking of a spell, and he stood in the kitchen windowsill feeling downright foolish. Of course Harry wouldn’t kill the mouse, Joe realized - of course he wouldn’t do that.”

OUGH. This story is SO delicious I’m beyond obsessed…

The two of them having a much less Charged encounter after Joe has resolved some of his internal conflicts, at least for the moment… chatting away like they’re two normal friends while Harry touches him… 😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫 I LOVE THESE TWO SO MUCH‼️

Their motorcycle shenanigans… Harry showing Joe his precious Contraption and Joe absolutely hating it omg it was so peak 😭 PLAYING “WHO’S-MORE-BORING CHICKEN”… the way Joe is like “I would rather Die than have to listen to this guy talk about how he’s more exciting than me. Absolutely not.”

I also very much appreciate the foreshadowing of the street car on this re-read…

AND may I say I really love that they went on a little nature trip together!!! I have thought often of the potential of a g/t story set outdoors, where the normal sized person and the tiny are both made small by how all-encompassing the wilderness is. Something to do with camping or backpacking! Maybe something I want to write one day! This gave me a delightful taste of that.

AND ANYWAY THE ACCEPTING OF COMFORT EVEN AS IT FLIES IN THE FACE OF EVERYTHING HE’S BEEN TAUGHT TO ROMANTICIZE AND VALUE… ouuuughhh GET LOVED IDIOT!! GET SEEN AND KNOWN AND TAKEN CARE OF!!!

And then ch12… Harry’s realization that Joe won’t ever bring up anything if it’s just for his own benefit. Which by the way, on a re-read I can appreciate how cleverly you’ve set this up, if I didn’t write that clearly enough before! There’s something cultural there but also, I think, something uniquely Joe that Harry maybe can’t fully see yet. Harry’s watch from his parents breaking down at the same moment he’s trying to change his relationship with Joe, the new most important person in his life (at least I presume! He doesn’t seem to have other close friends/family) … very very good. This sentence is so evocative. Simultaneously funny and sad: “With the way Joe’s eyes shifted from side to side one would think the doctor had suggested they go rob a bank.” It’s very good angst realizing how much Harry is asking of Joe without him even knowing it…

BTW this part is so delightful. They’re so interested in each other!!! “When his footsteps announced his arrival, he could see the tiny’s movements through the missing floorboards as his neighbour crossed the floor and climbed back up to the windowsill above the counter.” <- guy who absolutely has NOT been gotten

“Joe smiling. A rare sight indeed.” JUST…. My heaaaart ‼️‼️

Also hilarious how Joe and now Harry have both had “mmm I do NOT like the way this guy is smiling right now” moments 🤣

GOD tho, Joe’s opening up about getting snatched… much like Harry, it made me feel absolutely beside myself.

^^^ AS YOU CAN SEE. I'VE FULLY FALLEN APART.

[stellari-s]

Okay, ajjajhajja, I am nervous to ask for this request because I don't want to make you feel uncomfortable, so, that's okay if you decline, I understand-

I had this thought, so: Reader, but they are blind. Like, Helena's level blind, if not worse, and in one match, Ithaqua stumbles upon them, thinking that they'll be an easy catch, but! They are kiting like a beast, jumping, running, stunning

Maybe he'll proclaim them as his enemy? Y'now? The tension? 👀

✨

hi, anon, sorry for the delay! and no worries at all. i'm not uncomfy... in fact i really like getting requests! so i hope to receive more 🥹 i also hope you enjoy this and that it's at least somewhat worth the wait...!

request; yes, by anon! requests are basically always open, so feel free to send them to my inbox!

wc; 1 074.

tags; gn! survivor! reader, default! ithaqua, visually impaired reader, some small melly & norton interaction because i love bickering scenes, please teach me how to kite like this reader.

summary; it's been a while since your last match, when you suddenly are put into one now. there, a certain hunter rekindles your competitive spirit...

“it’s been a while since you saw this letter end up at your door.”

you can hear your friend, martha, lean against the door next to you as you brushed your fingertips across the paper. in different places were indents, somewhat like a code only known to you.

me, martha, melly, and norton.

“i hope i haven’t gotten too rusty,” you reply, “especially in running the hunter.”

“you did seem to have a penchant for being the first one chased.” martha’s tone is lighthearted, but you know there is some truth to those words.

“it was troublesome back then, but maybe i’ll have a new outlook after this break.”

“you’ll probably have to write that down in your diary later.”

“mhm.”

the match preparation room is located remotely from the rest of the manor - it’s a room attached to one of the corners of the otherwise large residence that could house many, many people. you struggle to see the details of the room with the amount of detail most of your teammates see it, but from what they describe, you know there are two sections of the room: one a long dining table with an ominous and mysterious window backdrop that occasionally shows a shadow of long, spindly arms with human hands silently moving about. on the opposite side is a curtain, behind which the hunter prepares for the match.

survivors like you never know which hunter they’re going to face each match, and at first it had made you nervous, but eventually you are able to relax more after playing so many matches. you have run into every hunter at least once so far, so you more or less know how to counter their moves and even predict what they may do next.

well, every hunter but one.

“i have a bad feeling,” norton comments with a somewhat sour expression, crossing his arms, “i swear, if i have to fight against that damn wind storm again-” he cuts himself off, but you have a sense of what he was going to say.

melly lets out a small hmph. “if that happens, i’ll help you out. i wouldn’t mind you being in my debt. in fact it would work quite well in my favor.”

“oh, shut up, your bees are the last thing i want to see and hear.”

you are initially nervous for this match, for multiple reasons, but upon hearing melly and norton’s friendly bickering, you feel a little more relaxed by the time you find yourself on sacred heart hospital’s second floor, from what your feet can feel.

did norton mention something about wind? is that related to this new hunter?

if that’s the case, it might be a good idea to stick to places with higher walls. perhaps near the ruins, the shack, or here near the hospital, where there are large, wide gates just outside.

for a little bit, you survey your surroundings for good measure, walking around and “marking” obstacles in your mind and where they are. you then make your way toward a cipher machine, but when you hear the sound of footsteps coming from the staircase just outside, your heart starts to clench, screaming warnings at your mind.

you can tell more or less where the hunter is because the floor is hard, so his footsteps make a lot of noise. for good measure, you slam a pallet down early as a gust of wind takes your breath away, sucking you in toward the hunter.

“found you!” the hunter says, his voice possessing a slightly singsong quality. you can feel another gust of wind flow past you toward the hunter. this is good: some hunters are more “sneaky”, making it harder for you to run them with you not being able to see well, but with this one, you can use the direction of the wind to give you information.

you can make it work.

jumping down to the second floor, you hit him with the pallet on the hospital’s first floor before making your way just outside.

you try looping him around the wall, but he eventually makes it to the same side as you. with the wind, he hinders your ability to run, and you have to give him a hit.

but that is all you’re willing to give.

five ciphers becomes four.

another stun.

four to three ciphers left.

you nearly get hit from accidentally bumping into the ruin walls, but you vault in the nick of time.

two ciphers left.

the hunter uses that ability again, but you are already near a window. you vault over it and run perpendicular to the current.

one more to go.

for one moment, you run toward him, but quickly turn back. you manage a juke, giving you a second to create a bit more distance.

only when all ciphers are done does he finally land another hit on you. this one is harder than the last one, causing you to rub your back and hiss in pain.

“would it hurt to be a little more gentle...?” you mutter, trying to crawl.

the hunter nimbly picks you up on balloons. “you ran me the entire match and you want me to be gentle?”

“call it a stroke of luck,” you reply, watching as he takes you down to the basement. you don’t bother struggling. “by the way, what is that weapon? i can’t see very well.”

“you can’t see very well, so i thought you wouldn’t last this long.”

“i can’t see very well, but that doesn’t mean my other senses are also impaired.”

“i’ll keep that in mind.” he goes downstairs and chairs you in the innermost corner. “and every time we meet i’ll make sure you’re down at five ciphers.”

“then when we meet here on after, let us see who lady luck favors then.” you give him a small smile: an acceptance of the challenge in his words.

the chair starts spinning, quickly increasing in speed and making you dizzy in turn. the chair descends underground, taking you back to the manor, leaving you quite nauseous in the end.

at least your teammates could make it out though.

it’s been a while since you last participated in a match, so you had thought you lost your competitive spirit. but this match has clearly proven otherwise.

as long as you two consider each other enemies, you have no intention to let this hunter win.

[otomiyaa]

Questions & Answers

Hi hi, finally some time to write this! Due to recent events I've been getting some questions from various people and I also have some questions for you guys so I'll try to do this in 1 post 😸

My answers:

Are you really not planning to write fics anymore?

That's the plan *nodnod*, but you know me. There's always a 'but' and a clown mask ready in my storage to put on if I happen to go against my own words. But the intention is to stop posting fics here, I'm too tired of it now lol. I might post a fic or two on AO3 once in a while, maybe write a collab with Mia if I feel like it. It's just... how do I say it.. my motivation to write more fics basically got washed down the drain together with blog #1. Let us see for how long that motivation swims in the sewers...

Can you reupload [fic name]?

If it's on my AO3, I won't. If it's not, hmm.... I probably also won't. But! It depends on the fic. Always feel free to ask, but please don't get angry when I say no! ^^ For now I have an exception: commissions. More about this down below in my question to you guys.

Why won't you try to get your old blog back?

It would require filing an objection against the copyright claims against me with all the legal risks, submitting my personal info from home address to name, and consenting to USA legal law stuffs bluhblahblah... :") For me too much of a hassle. I don't think my blog is worth it. Even if I don't know the exact details, I'm sure they're not wrong. Whether it's fair or not, most fandom stuff has copyright issues in the end, so I can't protest against the claims with 100% certainty it won't get me in real trouble. More info about this soon in another post!

My questions:

👇 only for those interested, feel free to comment, send ask or DM if you have can help :)

Do you have reblogs of my old posts?

To everyone who has some posts left on their blog that were mine, whether it's a headcanon, fic (still accessible one, so not a broken 'keep reading'- link), manga or anime scene, ask game, gif set or translation, if it's not too much trouble could you maybe comment on that post and @ me? Or... send me a link or smth in DM? Doesn't need to be every single trivial post. Maybe just the ones you liked most, or something... idk. I just might want to re-share a couple of posts here and it's so hard finding reblogs of my anonface-blog through search functions and stuff. Any help will be greatly appreciated!

P.S. I also found a lot of old posts, or posts that I liked (such as tickle art etc.) in the archives of @ticklygiggles, @ticklishdreams, @infrequent-creator - I hope you guys won't mind me making use of this (also thank you for the awesome support through the years afihs;ogojjoihgjn)!

Did you have a commission that was on my blog and do you prefer if this is reposted or not?

Some people 'bought' fics back when I had a shady kofi shop running and those fics were posted both on my AO3 and Tumblr (+ were sent in PDF format if requested). No matter how much you paid for the fic, part of the deal was that it would be posted on Tumblr so if by any chance you lost a commissioned fic and wish for me to repost this here on the new blog, please let me know...:3

Anything else? 👀

Well... With the loss of my account there were more things that went lost than just my fics, such as asks that were still in my inbox, DMs, personal stories and more. I did not back up anything and have zero overview and my memory is shit. If I am forgetting something, if you once sent me something and it's now gone (and you still have it), or if there's anything else I am missing smh, please let me know.

However please note that I am not planning to turn this blog into a copy of my previous one. If you submitted a fic to my old blog, I won't repost it here sadly (I hope you saved it). But if you posted an irl tickle story (I'll still accept these), a headcanon for your fav character or pairing or something else, I'll gladly accept it even if it's a copy of what you once sent to my old blog! With that said, I'll go back to finishing that second-to-last tickletober fic of mine... after I eat dinner. muhahah.

[kexing]

I was reading about the story of kwan and riam, seemed really interesting that they mirrored it in some aspects, and although I couldn't find official translations of the original novel, there were several movie and drama adaptations since it's release!

Anyways, in the story riam and kwan are separated for 3-ish years, like certain somebodies we know 👀, with an angsty reunion (it's actually pretty tragic so I won't go into details) but they had this secret hideaway underwater in this stream? (I think it's a stream) whenever they needed to escape their families or just not be seen by anyone and love each other in peace (again, familial disputes and the likes), and of course it reminded me of how patpran always end up on the rooftop, it's also saying how like, neither of us are competing here, this is equal ground, we can't go any higher, we're one and the same so why not tread this path together (I feel like this does mirror the ending of riam-kwan's story, but not in a heartbreaking, grievous way, but rather like, they were meant to be together regardless of anything else that might come their way and they've got each other's backs kinda way)

Sorry for going off in your inbox again but I had clearly way too much free time and way too many thoughts :)

- anti-wai anon

omg!! i wanted to learn about their story properly but then i heard it’s tragic and well, i’m just not that kind of girl alskskksks

thank you for sparing me!

the parallels start from the beginning. inch resting!

“it reminded me of how patpran always end up on the rooftop, it's also saying how like, neither of us are competing here, this is equal ground, we can't go any higher, we're one and the same so why not tread this path together (I feel like this does mirror the ending of riam-kwan's story, but not in a heartbreaking, grievous way, but rather like, they were meant to be together regardless of anything else that might come their way and they've got each other's backs kinda way)”

WE CAN’T GO ANY HIGHER! YEAH! i agree with everything you said.

also i’ve always liked that their “secret place” was the rooftop. one because i’m a huge fan of high places, they always give me a new perspective of things, like the world is much bigger than me and my problems. and two because it literally puts pat and pran right UP there near the clouds and while yes, the higher you go, the harder the fall i’m with you!! i do believe bbs will have an optimistic ending.

because pat and pran don’t belong to the shadows and hideaways, they belong to the open skies and grand views where the universe can witness the love they created together. which might make the universe jealous 🤣🤣🤣 but it is only pat and pran’s right to show off.

don’t be sorry, friend! thank you for sharing the story and your thoughts with me! i think we think alike which is fun!! ❤️💙

[destinyc1020]

Girl sadly I don’t believe this tea. It’s all way too convenient. The details the person said about z being on her phone, wearing no makeup, Tom paying for her, and Tom not wanting to bother the staff are all specifically supposed to appeal to us fans. They know what we want to hear! This person knows their habits just like we do. Also I don’t believe z would take her mask off in a coffee shop showing that she was wearing no makeup. You just said she was being extra cautious because of filming euphoria. And how does this person not remember what day it happened? Idk I think it’s too good to be real, what do you think?

I meannnn, her post literally said "sip or spit". 😅 If you choose not to drink or swallow (believe) this particular tea,then go right ahead! I always say that more stuff WILL come out eventually if two ppl are actually dating each other anyway. How many times have I said that in here?? 😂

Plus, even if you don't believe this tea,does it really matter, based on all of the OTHER things we've heard about this past week? 👀 Just the very fact that Tom was spotted at that ice-cream shop the other day so close to Northridge already kind of gives me an idea of where he's been staying since last week. 😏

You don't have to believe anything that's posted on any of these blogs,but I just find it very funny how ppl are so quick to believe whatever tea and fan sighting that comes out of London,but when it's LA, oh now we gotta be picking at evidence with a fine-toothed comb. 😒

Lol, most of you all were in my inbox over a week ago yakking about some girl who had spider emojis in her post and linking her to Tom,even though he doesn't even FOLLOW her on social media,and has never even been spotted out with that girl. But now that Tom is in LA and multiple ppl are claiming Tomdaya sightings,all of a sudden it's sus?

Shooot...if you all can believe in spider emoji girl then I can believe in the cafe tea lol. 😂 Tomdaya makes more sense than that random emoji anyway.

Btw, who said Z wasn't wearing a mask?? You can tell when someone is smiling even when they're wearing a mask,and you can also tell when someone isn't wearing makeup. Plus,it's a cafe. Do you really expect her to keep a mask on the entire time while she's trying to eat or drink?? 😅

Anyway, more info might come out anyway.....Some of you all just need to be patient.

In the meantime,you can feel free to believe whatever you want Anon! 😊

[heymacy]

macy... my love ✨✨, you ASTOUND me! your words! the way that they flow, they way that you make them dance to create this beautiful vivid picture. your stories are so immersive, so ALIVE, i feel like i'm watching these scenes play out right in front of me! you've got this undeniable talent, and i feel so lucky to be able to read what you write... like WHAT! i'm just sitting here devouring this... for... FREE?! insanity 💙💙💙

now, i must ask, when you wrote "mickey found himself thinking about his own laugh, what it sounded like, and couldn't remember. it had been a while." and "it was honestly just nice to not be alone for once"........... i must ask HOOOOWW DAAAARREEE?!?! 😡 listen if you wanted to destroy me you could've just said so. "hey, julissa i'm going to rip your heart out" i'd say ok, macy. i'd say sure. because ha ha wow holy shit wow! 😭😭😭

"i was comin to check on mandy..." that was bullshit

"that's bullshit"

oh.

the way that i cackled at this! oh mickey my beautiful boy, he is in so deep. i was reading and vibrating out of my skin the entire time! ALSO comfy sweater ian 🥰🥰🥰

the way you ended the chapter?? once again HOW! DARE! i squealed, i'm so so excited to see where this goes, i love this story so much! and i love mickey SOOO much MY GOD HE HAS A FRIEND! the picture of finn and mickey sitting around stoned shoving chips in their faces, i will cry I'LL DO IT!!! i just have so much love bursting out of me for every single detail of this story, I can't handle it 😵‍💫

i should probably eventually start leaving these love letters in ao3 i guess lol but i do enjoy dropping them in the inboxes. it feels like i'm writing them on paper, folding them up, sealing them with a little sticker, and sliding them through a mailbox slot. 💌

ok, i love you. like a lot alot. thank you for writing and sharing your gift 💙✨

[sobbing] JULISSA 😭 i can’t believe you’ve done this 😭😭😭

okay i’ll tell you a secret 👀 — when i write, it plays like a movie in my head. like, i close my eyes and i’m basically watching a film, with all the turns of the camera and the little details and the wide shots, etc, etc. and i want so badly to convey that with words, to help you guys see what i’m seeing in my head, only in your heads 🥺 so to hear that i did that, and that’s how it felt?? passing out, screaming, crying, etc etc etc 😭

also, listen 😬 i’m gonna break y’all’s hearts with this story. quite a few times. but i’m also gonna put them back together again. angst with no happy ending? in this economy? i think not 😌❤️‍🩹

mickey is so done for. he’s too curious for his own good. it gets him into trouble. “one more google search” “one more scroll through instagram” “one more TMZ article” BOY IF YOU DON’T—

but don’t worry 😌 things will come together 😌 as will our boys 😌 macy shut up literally shut up stop talking 😭😅

finn + mickey 🥺😍😭 they’re friends!!! i ADORE them 🥺🥺🥺 also, prepare for some pretty big cliffhangers. i won’t say where. and i won’t say when. but, they’re there. in the outline. looming 👀

also?? you can leave me love letters wherever, whenever 😇🥰💛💌

i love you more 🥺 so so so so much, you have no idea 😭😭😭