#and if that's the case then that's a whole different problem of: then why the FUCK did they announce the game in 2022 then. anniversary or

[blueskittlesart]

i am an athena cykes defender forever and ever until the day i die but god. somewhere out there there is a universe where apollo justice got actual follow through and it kills me that i am not living in it

[nyerusnova]

nevermind i saw the leaks, i was right lmao.

jason is fine and they just coordinated to trick failsafe to get it to frazzle out afaik.

that makes sense considering the entire point of #147 was bruce deciding to work with his family despite his growing paranoia over their safety, etc. given that zdarsky has been trying to explore bruce's mental state, it would have made no sense for him to immediately validate that paranoia, instead.

[suffarustuffaru]

Reading your tags about how people miss the very obvious "there's some fucked up shit boiling underneath" regarding Otto, just gave me a sudden realization. Otto is the only character I know in fiction where they act all innocent and drive up the "clumsy", "just in the side-lines" and "straight-man (heh)" persona. When. Like no one's in the EMT camp is buying it. They know he's way more capable than he let's on. Meanwhile, the tomfoolery is completely brought on by the Western audience.

Like Otto is failing miserably to make other characters believe that he's not up to mischief, Roswaal even thinks it can bring his downfall. But the audience, who even sometimes *sees* his fucked up thought process, is buying it.

*head in hands*

no u bring up so many good points bc ive been really thinking about this for a while T^T its such an interesting phenomenon in the difference in perception otto has between the japanese speaking half of the fandom vs the english speaking half which can be explained by—yeah. media illiteracy mainly. im also putting my head in my hands anon T^T

because—okay sorry wkdndn im gonna get into meta again but hear me out bc this pattern of the fandom underestimating otto is interesting bc i kind of sort of i cracked the code maybe??? o.o i think the nature of otto is a character is that youre SUPPOSED to underestimate him at first, just like what happens sometimes in universe. i mean wayyy back then i definitely wasnt expecting him to get more depth added to him in arc 4–which was a pleasant surprise—which is also the reaction the vast majority of people have to reading/watching arc 4, along with the other vast majority reaction which is being a bit endeared to ottosubas friendship and respecting otto for being a good friend. and then its easy to underestimate otto bc of 1. all the chaos going on in rezero at any given moment and 2. hes almost always overshadowed by other characters doing worse shit or being more insane than he is and 3. otto of course damn well knows hes easy to underestimate and counts on that. thats what he did against roswaal in arc 4. plus—i mean even aesthetics-wise hes 100% DESIGNED to be easy to underestimate. his outfit and physical features make him look either friendly or frazzled or soft. so i think that the point is that we were supposed to be kind of fooled—at first.

because yeah, we’re endeared to otto. we respect him for helping subaru the way he did. we think that hes a nice person and we now support his actions especially after feeling sympathetic towards him after learning his backstory. (or at least the average audience member will think this wjdndn.) but like—you dont even NEED to look at any side content at all for it to dawn on you that theres something Wrong. with him. like all you need is main route arcs 3-8 aka ottos entire screentime thus far, because at arc 4 its so easy to overlook otto unless youre thinking a bit deeper (for example—he gets violent with subaru. like yeah its entertaining, its played for laughs a bit, yeah subaru needed to be snapped out of his own head, but was it 100% necessary??? why did otto have this response??? bc if you just look at the main timeline otto really decided to beat up subaru first. and bc this tendency is now Less Funny in arc 8).

but even if youre just looking at rezero face value, when you get to arc 5 its starting to get even more clear that ottos weird in the head. like we already saw him being very good at scheming and planning in arc 4–in arc 5, we find out about otto hiding the tome for a year. we find out WHY hes been hiding the tome for a year. the tome then leads the witch cult into priestella, so like—in the sense, otto is RESPONSIBLE for arc 5. but theres STILL a tendency sometimes for the audience to continue underestimating him even though by this point we’re getting more clues and many characters around otto, like you said anon, KNOW hes very capable. i keep wondering why this is, but arc 5 is, again, FULL of chaos and different storylines happening at once, so its so easy to almost kind of forget otto there in the background until he occasionally pops up again. plus otto serves an additional role as comedic relief sometimes—he spends all of arc 5 being bitchy and whiny (i say this affectionately HAH) about his camp being full of disasters, for example, so i think the natural response from the audience tends to be “aw otto!! what a silly guy!!” sometimes. you know? so its like. i think at this point some people tend to be like “yeah fair that otto was wary of roswaal and thats why he saved the tome…. anyway ooooh whats going on with these other plot points” wobsbss. its so fascinating bc—ok this might be my own personal experience but anyone reading this pls tell me if you agree or not—i dont think ive seen a lot of people actually even MENTION otto bringing the tome into priestella attracting witch cultists. and the english speaking fandom LOVES to go into certain characters’ wrongdoings so why gloss over otto????

the only explanation i have for this is that from arcs 3-4 underestimating otto is. kind of the point of his character UNTIL you get to arc 5 and the clues in the main story start seeping in even more. and also the western audience DOES have media illiteracy a lot. theres that too. just look at rezero content on youtube or reddit or fanfic sites or other things of that sort T^T but no yeah i think ottos nature as a character exacerbates it. youre supposed to start asking questions about him. youre supposed to start connecting the dots and then SUDDENLY its now EXTREMELY obvious in arc 7-8 and even while theres so much chaos going on its basically shoved in your face. arc 7-8 is just delivering on all the leadup that was arcs 3-5.

and i think that youve gotta be media illiterate for sure to NOT get that otto is not squeaky clean and innocent BY ARC 8. i think that ottos the deconstruction of the loyal best friend trope, and also a mirror into what subaru couldve been like if he decided to be more ruthless instead of jumping right to forgiveness and saving everyone, except sometimes that flies right over the audience’s head wkdndnd. it confuses me bc ive seen some people completely miss the point or completely agree with otto and overlook the Bad Parts of it or, you know, STILL think ottos perfectly sane—like T^T please.

and yeah so back to what you said about otto Not being underestimated In Universe—its such an interesting detail bc hes ALWAYS been simultaneously pathetic and Very Competent wjdndnd. but yeah no all of his friends have seen various hints and clues and evidence of what hes capable of. like even though he hid the tome from them successfully and even though hes hiding info now its INEVITABLE that its gonna blow up in his face one day. like you got characters like garfiel who literally saw otto punch the wall and break his hand in an unhinged fit of rage, julius who got snapped at by otto and while julius is a Bit naive definitely knows somethings off there, anastasia whos smart as hell and definitely knows not to underestimate otto, and roswaal who, like you said anon, literally went out of his way to stop otto from breaking his hand in another unhinged fit of rage and warned otto that he will literally be destroying himself if he keeps going on like this. its this fascinating dichotomy bc otto is NOT fooling anyone around him but at the same time his current schemes are mostly unnoticed—for now—which yeah i havent seen that in a lot of media!!! its an interesting balancing act bc people around him realistically know hes competent after seeing the Proof of that for the past couple arcs, but otto is still finding ways to try and Win…

which—again, the anger and violence is an extension of arc 4 otto!! this is the same guy!! hes always been like this!! ottos kind of stayed the same, deep down, this whole time and as an audience its ONLY shoved in our face with a big gigantic spotlight on it FOUR ARCS LATER, but it was hinted to all this time. and like you said anon—we LITERALLY see ottos fucked up thought processes. literally what sane person thinks any of that shit. its spelled right out for the reader HAH T^T which—yeah. media illiteracy…. and also this whole ask was a longer way of just saying that otto is VERY easy to see at surface level if youre media illiterate. but at the same time it should be very easy to figure out otto is A Bit Fucked Up bc tappei underlines it in bright red print!!! i think people sometimes just hang onto soft awkward silly otto and forget about the rest T^T either that or they dont think he cares about subaru at all. which. that phenomenon of thinking characters that do care about subaru Dont Care is also interesting to me bc why????? we’re at arc 8 and you STILL dont get it??? o.ooooo

but yeah apart from that….. i said this earlier but yeah sometimes some people agree with ottos realism in arc 8 which is. understandable, but the whole point is that he is EXTREME. with it. hes Not in the right here, but the same crowd that wants wanton revenge in rezero is gonna agree with that kind of stuff T^T ottos been lurking in the background so much so that tappei made it meta by doing the whole “walking in darkness” part of his character, so i guess people just. dont see ottos ACTUAL worst traits and instead think he would ditch subaru at the first opportunity or something. but at the point we are now, arc 8 ottos problem isnt that hed ditch subaru. his problem is that he would sacrifice the world for subaru. his problem is that he gets extremely angry at subaru for trying to do good. his problem is that hes trying to micromanage everything around him and is willing to sacrifice anything necessary to get what he wants. but sometimes people dont get that bc otto doesnt look sound or seem like a character thatd do that. the Underestimation part of his character is doing too well on. certain audiences. please T^T the soft and awkward and silly parts ARE part of his character just like all the Darker parts are!!!

additionally im also wondering if western audience perception of otto is also clouded by the fact that otto looks and sounds more feminine / androgynous and he doesnt have the appeal of Overt Power either……. he cant Really be waifu-ified… and he cant be used as a weird self insert like subaru…. and you Have to look at him closer to understand him…. and for some reason people dont tend to hate on him so aggressively, if anything people cant even see his actual canonical flaws half the time wkdndn so if youre not paying attention otto CANT be aggressively hated on bc theres nothing there if ur not looking at it….. and if youre not paying attention otto seems more “boring” compared to the others…… (not that people arent allowed to not have otto as a favorite character bc thats totally fair but im talking about the tendency to think hes Saner than he actually is.) but yeah these are just my guesses. i have no clue the western fandom is a little T^T some people unfortunately cannot read.

anyway. big thank you to the japanese fanbase for understanding ottos character more and making so much wonderful fancontent for him T^T also i think that we as a collective fanbase should stop underestimating otto in general bc its exactly what he wouldnt want and i think itd be really hilarious. <3333 make him explode with rage please

[oveliagirlhaditright]

This lack of new Kingdom Hearts content or talk (like showing trailers or what have you) is honestly a mistake on Square Enix's part, I think.

A friend of mine, who's a casual KH fan (probably even more than a casual. He's played most of the games and kind of stays up to date with it through me) told me the other day that he missed when KH was relevant: obviously meaning that he doesn't think it is anymore. And can anyone really argue with that?

I know a lot of the super fans, who would be a part of the fandom rain or shine--whether there was content or not--are the least into it right now than they ever have been before, since there's literally nothing to keep us going.

And I'm aware that the plan has been for Missing Link to come out, and to tide us over with that (but things, sadly, keep getting in the way of that), but I still think putting so much on the shoulders of one single mobile game is questionable at best.

I also feel like they're counting on the momentum of KHIII to carry them forward, since it sold so well. But that was partly because some people were like, "Oh my gosh! That game that's allegedly been in development for thirteen years finally exists?! I'm going to check it out! Especially since I may or may not have played I and II when I was a kid." They're not going to have that same reaction with IV. A lot of people also really didn't like III (and thus might not give IV a chance for that reason), for some reason. And some who were big fans decided to quit after III, as it was the end of the Dark Seekers Chronicles and thus a good stopping point.

I feel like decisions they're making now are going to come back and hurt KHIV. But we'll see, I guess.

[alexjcrowley]

You know what? Fuck it. Four Rooms is fun as hell, yes, even the first two parts that aren't written and directed by two great directors people are afraid to criticise. I don't care what the critics say, I had a lot of fun watching it.

[todayisafridaynight]

I’ve noticed a pretty sizable portion of this fandom can’t understand symbolism or basic writing techniques sometimes. Sometimes, it seems to be born from not being used to Japanese media but even then…

Also Demyx is the Master of Master because he’s my mom

i can't even seriously respond to this ask after reading 'demyx is my mom' im crying

[cesium-sheep]

I know some people are still pushing to broaden "neurodivergent" to mean "literally anyone with any mental disorder" and I'd like to reiterate that as an autistic person it's really useful to have a term for the subcommunity of similar folks and taking our term from us just because you want it is uh. well.

folks with mental disorders of all sorts deserve community, support, and destigmatization, but you don't have to take our term to do it is all.

[floral-hex]

January 2024: well, I can’t get my antidepressants anymore and this withdrawal makes me want to kill myself. From now on I’ll just raw dog these feelings so I never have to deal with these side effects again.

June 2024: I’m gonna die. I’m gonna die. I’m gonna die. The world is ending. We’re all walking through the end times and whether I die soon or the world collapses in on itself, I can feel the simultaneous emptiness and crushing weight of the end. There is nothing.

[hellolulu]

I am so TIRED

[lovelyyandereaddictionpoint]

can you do Finding Out Your a Girl with Floyd and maybe the teachers???

Here's Floyd 🖤🖤🖤🖤

When They Discover You're a Girl | Yandere Twisted Wonderland

Divus Crewel 

“This explains a lot…but also not enough.”

He wondered why his dogs were so willing to act as though they were touch-starved puppies around you

Or why they seemed on edge when your friends would try to make contact 

It also reinforces why you were so well behaved compared to his usual curs

He’s appalled his sweet pup has been forced to hide in a den of wolves

In all honesty he might’ve figured out a lot quicker then others

Just picking up on your natural habits and demeanor a lot quicker then many of the other teachers

“From this day on, you will come to me if you have any problems. Do you hear me, pup? Come. To. Me.”

He refuses to let you go through this alone not without his mountainous wisdom on potions to chase those naughty pups away

He openly is the most protective of you 

And prepare for your weekends and breaks to be fought over by hm and Crowley 

“Wait Divus! I need someone to manage the school!”

“Forget it Dire! My pup needs a proper home and I refuse to leave them here with a decrepit bird. Come Pup, if we do return you'll have a whole suitcase full of belongings to carry back.”

Mozus Trein

“I suspected as such. You remind me of my daughters.”

He is probably the first to notice you’re hiding something or that you’re just different from the rowdy boys he’s used to teaching

He sighs as he confirms it with you

“This just isn’t right. To leave you all alone in the school full of rambunctious ruffians.”

He’s the first to volunteer he take you somewhere else his home+

He’s sure his daughters wouldn’t mind coming to meet the latest addition to the family

Definitely sends Lucius to report back the next person he’s goign to burden with as much work and pressure as possible

They can’t taint you if their too busy trying to not make their grades plummet

And don’t bother pleading your case…even if your very cutely calling him ‘papa’ or ‘grandpa’

That won't stop him from destroying their college career

“I’ve heard enough of your protests, Lucius has observed that these boys can’t seem to control themselves around you! And as your guardian I can’t stand for it!”

[anim-ttrpgs]

Help Save the World of TTRPGs and Their Creators.

Okay I’m being a little dramatic, but at the same time I’m pretty serious. This is a call to action, and the livelihoods of myself and lots of other people, many of them (like myself) disabled, are depending on it. This is a post about why, what you can do about it, and (perhaps least often answered) how.

This post is actually an accompaniment to another discussion by someone else. If you don’t want to listen to a 90-minute in-depth discussion of much of what I’m about to tell you, you can just keep reading. Otherwise, click here or here and listen to this either before or after you read this post. (They’re the same thing, just different sources.)

If you have ever made or reblogged posts urging people to switch from Google Chrome to Firefox, you should be willing to at least give a try to other TTRPGs besides D&D5e for much the same principle reasons. I’m not telling you you have to hate D&D5e, and I’m not telling you you have to quit D&D5e, I’m just asking you to try some other games. If you don’t like them, and you really want to go back to D&D5e, then go back to D&D5e. But how can you really know you won’t like other games if you have literally never tried them? This post is a post about why and how to try them. If you’re thinking right now that you don’t want to try them, I urge you to look below to see if any of your reasons for not wanting to try them are covered there. Because the monopoly that WotC’s D&D5e has on TTRPGs as a whole is bad for me as a game designer, and it’s bad for you as a game player. It’s even bad for you if you like D&D5e. A fuller discussion of the why and how this is the case can be found in the links above, but it isn’t fully necessary for understanding this post, it’ll just give you a better perspective on it.

If you’re a D&D5e player, I’m sure at some point or another, you’ve been told “play a different game”, and it must get frustrating without the context of why and how. This post is here to give you the why and how.

[The following paragraph has been edited because the original wording made it sound like we think all weird TTRPGs suck.]

Before that though, one more thing to get out of the way. I'm going to level with you. There’s a lot of weird games out there.

You are gonna see a lot of weird TTRPGs when you take the plunge. Many of them try to completely reinvent what a TTRPG even is, and some fail spectacularly, others really do even up doing something very interesting even if they don't end up being what a core TTRPG player wants. But not every indie RPG is a Bladefish, lots and lots of them are more 'traditional' and will feel very familiar to you, I promise. (And you might even find that you like the weird experimental bladefish type ones, these are usually ideal for one-session plays when your usual group can't play your usual game for any reason.)

You're also going to probably see a lot of very bad games, and man have I got some stories of very bad games, but for now I'm just saying to make sure you read the reviews, or go through curators (several of which will be listed below), before you buy.

Now that that is out of the way, I’m going to go down a list of concerns you may have for why not, and then explain the how.

“I don’t want to learn a whole new set of rules after I already spent so much time learning D&D5e.”

Learning a new set of rules is not going to be as hard as you think. Most other TTRPGs aren’t like that. D&D5e is far on the high end of the scale for TTRPGs being hard and time-consuming to learn and play. If you’ve only played D&D5e, it might trick you into thinking that learning any TTRPG is an overwhelmingly time-consuming task, but this is really mostly a D&D5e problem, not a TTRPG problem as a whole.

“D&D5e has all of these extra online tools to help you play it.”

So what? People have been playing TTRPGs without the help of computers for 50 years. To play a well-designed TTRPG you won’t need a computer. Yes, even if you're bad at math. There are some TTRPGs out there that barely even use math.

“I’m too invested in the narrative and characters of my group’s current ongoing D&D5e campaign to switch to something else.”

There are other games, with better design made by better people for less money, that are the same kind of game as D&D5e, that your current characters, lore, and plot will fit right into and do it better. And no, it's not just Pathfinder, there's others.

“I can’t afford to play another TTRPG.”

You probably can. If you’ve only played D&D5e, you might have been made to think that TTRPGs are a very expensive hobby. They aren’t. D&D5e is actually uniquely expensive, costing more than 3x more than the next most expensive TTRPG I can think of right now. Even on the more expensive end, other TTRPG books will cost you no more than $60, most will cost you less than $20, and a whole lot of them are just free. If you somehow still can’t afford another TTRPG, come to the A.N.I.M. TTRPG Book club mentioned below, nominate the game, and if it wins the vote we will straight up buy it for you.

(By the way, if you had any of the above concerns about trying other games besides D&D5e, that really makes it sound like you are in a textbook abusive relationship with D&D5e. This is how abusers control their partners, and how empires control their citizens, by teaching you to think that nothing could ever get any better, and even though they treat you bad, the Other will treat you even worse.)

“If I don’t play D&D5e, which TTRPG should I play?”

That’s a pretty limited question to be asking, because there will be no one TTRPG for everything. And no, D&D5e is not the one TTRPG for everything, Hasbro’s marketing team is just lying to you. (Pathfinder and PbtA are not the one system for everything either!) Do you only play one video game or only watch one movie or only read one book? When you finish watching an action movie like Mad Max, and then you want to watch a horror movie, do you just rewind Mad Max and watch it over again but this time you act scared the whole time? No, you watch a different movie. I’m asking you to give the artistic medium of TTRPGs the same respect you would give movies.

“I want to play something besides D&D5e, but my friends won’t play anything else!”

I have several answers to this.

Try showing them this post.

If that doesn’t work: Make them. Put your foot down. This works especially well if you are the DM. Tell them you won’t run another session of D&D5e until they agree to give what you want to do at least one try instead of always doing only what they want to do. This is, like, playing 101. We learned this in kindergarten. If your friend really wants to play something else, you should give their game a try, or you’re not really being a very good friend.

If that doesn’t work, find another group. This doesn’t even mean that you have to leave your existing group. A good place to start would be the A.N.I.M. TTRPG Book Club which will be mentioned and linked below. You can also go to the subreddit of any game you’re interested in and probably meet people there who have the same problem you do and want to put together a group to play something other than D&D5e. You might get along great with these people, you might not, but you won’t know until you try. Just make sure to have a robust “session zero” so everyone is on the same page. This is a good practice for any group but it is especially important for a group made of players you’ve just met.

“I only watch actual plays.”

Then watch actual plays of games that aren’t D&D5e. These podcasts struggle for the same reasons that indie RPGs struggle, because of the brand recognition and brand loyalty D&D5e has, despite their merit. I don’t watch actual plays, or else I would be able to list more of them. So, anyone who does watch actual plays, please help me out by commenting on this post with some non-D&D5e actual plays you like. And please do me a favor and don’t list actual plays that only play one non-D&D5e system, list ones that go through a variety of systems. The first one I can think of is Tiny Table.

“I can just homebrew away all the problems with D&D5e.”

Even though I want to, I’m not going to try and argue that you can’t actually homebrew away all the problems with D&D5e. Instead, I’m going to ask you why you’re buying two $50 rulebooks just to throw away half the pages. In most other good RPGs, you don’t need to change the rules to make them fun, they’re fun right out the box.

“But homebrewing D&D5e into any kind of game is fun! You can homebrew anything out of D&D5e!”

Firstly, I promise that this is not unique to D&D5e. Secondly, then you would probably have more fun homebrewing a system that gives you a better starting point for reaching your goal. Also, what if I told you that there are entire RPG systems out there that are made just for this? There are RPG systems that were designed for the purpose of being a toolbox and set of materials for you to work with to make exactly the game you want to make. Some examples are GURPS, Savage Worlds, Basic RolePlaying, Caltrop Core, and (as much as I loathe it) PbtA.

“I’m not supporting WotC’s monopoly because I pirate all the D&D5e books.”

Then you’re still not supporting the smaller developers that this monopoly is crushing, either.

Now, here’s the how. Because I promise you, there’s not just one, but probably a dozen other RPGs out there that will scratch your exact itch.

Here’s how to find them. This won’t be a comprehensive list because I’ve already been typing this for like 3 hours already. Those reading this, please go ahead and comment more to help fill out the list.

First, I’m gonna plug one of my own major projects, because it’s my post. The A.N.I.M. TTRPG Book Club. It’s a discord server that treats playing TTRPGs like a book club, with the goal of introducing members to a wide variety of games other than D&D5e. RPGs are nominated by members, then we hold a vote to decide what to read and play for a short campaign, then we repeat. There is no financial, time, or schedule investment required to join this book club, I promise it is very schedule-friendly, because we assign people to different groups based of schedule compatibility. You don’t have to play each campaign, or any campaign, you can just read along and participate in discussion that way. And if you can’t afford to buy the rulebook we’re going to be reading, we will make sure you get a PDF of it for free. That is how committed we are to getting non-D&D5e RPGs into people’s hands. Here is an invite link.

Next, there are quite a few tumblr blogs you can follow to get recommendations shown to you frequently.

@indierpgnewsletter

@indie-ttrpg-of-the-day

@theresattrpgforthat

@haveyouplayedthisttrpg

@indiepressrevolution

Plenty of podcasts, journalists, and youtubers out there do in-depth discussions of different systems regularly, a couple I can think of off the top of my head are:

Storyteller Conclave (I’m actually going to be interviewed live on this show on April 10th!)

Seth Skorkowsky

Questing Beast

The Gaming Table

Rascal News

Lastly, you can just go looking. Browse r/rpg, drivethrurpg.com, indie press revolution, and itch.io.

Now, if you really want to support me and my team specifically Eureka: Investigative Urban Fantasy, our debut TTRPG, is going to launch on Kickstarter on April 10th and we need all the help we can get. Set a reminder from the Kickstarter page through this link.

If you’re interested in a more updated and improved version of Eureka: Investigative Urban Fantasy than the free demo you got from our website, there’s plenty of ways to get one!

Subscribe to our Patreon where we frequently roll our new updates for the prerelease version!

Donate to our ko-fi and send us an email with proof that you did, and we’ll email you back with the full Eureka prerelease package with the most updated version at the time of responding! (The email address can be found if you scroll down to the bottom of our website.)

We also have merchanise.

[privitivium]

mean ( bratty?? ) buff bro-dude sub x dom m reader

thisbguy,, hes a lil gross,,

from the very beginning when you met through friends, he would constantly make fun of you for simple things. like, normal things. for example..;; "you cut ur sandwiches into triangles? what're you, a.. a kid?" notably stalling as he tries to insult you which you surprisingly don't comment on,, instead, you keep quiet after giving him a dirty look which he quickly returns! him being cruel to you in general is a distinct mechanism that he puts up when interacting with you specifically ㅡ maybe he's just intimidated or something along those lines? who else can make him moan like a girl while edging his fat length along ur shirt he stole and squirm as he begs into his pillow to be allowed to cum besides you afterall??

or, it's something completely different?? a boy who's a little uncertain on how to handle his feelings on you being told 'don't be a pussy', he was already having a hard time dealing with bullying from his within group of friends dubbed "the boys" as were any other group, so he moves onto unusual methods.. being a little mean.. seeing as it originally didn't get any reaction at first, he tries to go further, stealing and dirtying your things with his cum or spit or merely his scent just to have it in ur room because hes honestly a fucking weirdo

and when you confront him about such things,, all came out after he had insulted you about how the way you were merely watching TV, trying to ignore the problemㅡ "what is your problem with me?" you hissed spitefully, jumping up from your sitting position just to stand stiffly as if you were about to throw yourself at him like a rabid animal .. "all you ever do is make fun of me and be a fucking weirdo! i have no idea what i did to you - do you just not like me??" why would he leave cum-stained underwear ontop of ur freshly cleaned laundry if that were the case? :( how could you not get that he was so in love with you,,

"if that's the case, why are you constantly over hereㅡ?!" you continue your rant as you ever so slowly edge closer, your voice raising higher in pitch, before glancing down andㅡ"don't look-!"He had cried, and obviously you fucking looked. he had a tent pitched in his gym shorts - that he quickly covers with his handsㅡ

'y-you fucking.. ..' he swallowed his words, ( unable to bring himself to insult you / keep up the facade with you staring at him like that..) eyes glazed over as he stares into yours that were narrowed with a sort've gentleness to them despite your aggression the second before.. he ultimately cant hide behind his insults, the soft graze of your fingertips along his naked muscular thighs were too much,, ever so slowly raking your nails into his squishy skin,, god hes so happy. so so so happy - finally, he can be touched like this by you. god the fact nearly makes him cum on the spotㅡ already having ruined several of his socks as well as some of your articles of clothing that he's proudly stole..

so you take edging him and overstimulation as a whole;; a means to get back at him for all of his cruel and unnecessary "bullying" and leaving his disgusting mess in your room! forcing him to clean it up himself - while you watched, he begged you to,,

ㅡit was completely uncalled for afterall! which you were reprimanding him for as you twist your pumping fist along his bright red trickling tip, leaving him squirming and jerking his legs around as he grips thr bedsheets or whatever he's underㅡwhile he whines and squeals on how he'll be so much better even if you don't allow him to cum.. so sweet, so suddenly?? "a-a boyfriend th-haa-at will never ever be mean to you everr agaainn!!" as he put it..

you constantly call him a creep to get back at him now that you know how much of an actual freak he is... and he'd argue he's just a guy whos virtually very eager to impress you who came about it all wrong! which isn't far from the truth. he likes,, to impress you.. like bro, this random guy pissed you off ?? look at this picture of him beaten beyond help and recognition.,, "he won't bother you ever again, bro. No worries, no need to thank me..." while his face is smug and grinning widely - obviously hoping for some kind of reward for his "virtuous" deed,,

[cripplecharacters]

Hi! I’m working on an original character project that I want to include a lot of casual representation in (“casual” meaning that the characters don’t need a justification for being disabled/fat/POC/etc, they just are because people can and do exist that way in reality!)

I was wondering if you had any suggestions for finding resources for drawing facial differences(and maybe other visible disabilities), especially in a cartoony style. I’ve looked through the Facial Equality Week tag but would like to see more examples, and since my art is so… goofy, for lack of a better word, I would love any help I can get in integrating differences without being offensive or upsetting.

Sorry if this is a bother, and thank you for all that you do!

Hi!

I'm not aware of any guides for drawing facial differences specifically (or at least, good ones. There's 1 billion tutorials telling you that scars are just a Singular Line, always, but that's not... correct), but perhaps someone in the notes could help out?

For my own advice, you could check out this old post I made. Because you mentioned your art being cartoony, I would specifically urge you to not overexaggerate facial differences the way they often are. Prime example would be how a lot of cartoons portray strabismus;

It's just a funny gag to them rather than, IDK, how some of us look like. Not to mention that one of these is also a mockery of intellectually/developmentally disabled people with "Derp" in the name, but that's beside the point here.

It's the whole "the character is crazy/stupid/wild/whatever and that's why they have it" that's the problem with how it's often shown. You can also see it in how characters who don't even normally have it will be shown with it for a scene where they're saying something nonsensical, etc.

Another example that's nowhere near as rampant is the like... split-face thing with various facial differences being used. Mostly vitiligo but sometimes also facial palsy. I'm talking about this weirdly perfectly halved face that looks extremely different on each side, often used to signal that a character is two-faced or that the author doesn't know how vitiligo looks like.

[note: vitiligo also shows up on lighter skin. I wanted to make sure it's visible here for tutorial clarity purposes.]

This one is just weird because it straight up doesn't look like that? I have no idea where it came from, but it should go back there. Facial palsy doesn't make someone look like the antique comedy/tragedy theater mask.

Unless I'm forgetting some other annoying cartoon trope, these would be the big ones that you should stay away from.

Outside of that, it's really on a case by case basis on how a specific FD should be drawn because they're so different! A birthmark can just be a differently colored patch of skin, but a craniofacial difference would require some more changes to be included. Alopecia is well, lack of hair, and can be done very easily but ectrodactyly can be more complicated to show properly because of the limitations of a cartoony artstyle when it comes to hands. And while I do think it would be great to see more of those facial differences that tend to not be included in art at all, there's nothing wrong with deciding to go for the things you can represent more faithfully, especially if you're just starting.

I will say that if you're making an honest attempt at being respectful and trying to get it right, most of us will still be excited to see your work. Even if it's not perfect or has some inaccuracies. I will take a "'yeah more or less' correct with a happy, human character" over a "Very Technically correct but tagged as #tw burns and with blood splattered on them" any day.

Lastly, I wanted to share some art featuring characters with facial differences (and other visible disabilities) that are done in a cartoony, or at least somewhat simplistic artstyles (I'm using both terms very widely here, but like. Not Realism) - maybe it will give you some ideas!

Man with Treacher Collins syndrome (also one of the first pieces online where I saw a character with an FD portrayed in such a lovely way! A fav of mine) Girl with Pfeiffer syndrome Too many characters to count! Woman with burns Woman with a limb difference Multiple characters again Animation featuring people with Down syndrome [youtube] Multiple characters, including a girl with neurofibromatosis, a burn survivor, a girl with a cleft lip and another with TCS! [twitter]

If you have a more specific art question ("how do I draw a person with XYZ facial difference?") you can send me an ask on @saszor! I prefer to stick to the writing theme on this blog but would still like to help if you need it:-)

Hope this helps!

mod Sasza

Edit: apologies for the lack of alt text on one of the images, it has been fixed!

[longing-for-rain]

Katara and Mutuality in Relationships

There are lots of conflicting opinions about which characters Katara felt attraction towards, which characters she didn’t, and how long she felt that attraction. I see in most cases, people point to quick clips of her faintly blushing or kissing another character on the cheek as evidence, but I think these kind of takes miss the nuance of the purpose attraction serves in a story.

Most importantly, I see these characters treated as if they are actually people capable of making their own decisions. It’s important to remember that these are fictional characters. They don’t make their own choices; the writers make their choices for them for the purpose of telling a story. From that standpoint, it’s more valuable to examine how a character’s story and narrative themes tie into their relationships with other characters. Animators can shove in a kiss or a blush wherever they want, but it’s harder to demonstrate through storytelling how and why two characters might feel attraction towards one another, and how a relationship between them would develop both characters and contribute to the overarching themes of the story.

In other words, when discussing which characters Katara is “attracted” to, I’m discussing which relationships and actions within the narrative build on her established story and arc. Romance is always integrated into a story for a reason, and considering that reason is important.

Unfortunately, ATLA is very much a product of its time in this way. It’s easy to see what romance adds to the arcs of the male characters—but not so much with the female characters. All three canon relationships (kataang, sukka, and maiko) follow this trend to some degree. The primary purpose of the woman in this narrative is to act as a prize for the man for performing some good deed. Once they’re together, she ceases having her own motivations and becomes an extension of the male character she’s dating. This is pretty blatant with Suki—she barely had a personality in that later seasons; she is there to be Sokka’s girlfriend. Similarly, Katara becomes a completely different character—she’s even animated differently—when the narrative pushes her into romantic scenes with Aang. Her character is flattened.

So what is Katara’s arc, and how do the romantic interactions she has throughout the series contribute to this?

Well, that could be a whole other essay itself, but to put it simply, Katara’s arc is one of a young girl devastated by grief at a young age clinging to hope that she has the power to fight and change the world for the better. Which she does as she gains power and confidence throughout the series—culminating in her defeating Azula in the finale.

But the part I want to focus on here is how Katara connects with other characters. She connects with them over shared experiences of grief and loss.

Take Haru, for instance.

Haru: After the attack, they rounded up my father and every other earthbender, and took them away. We haven't seen them since.

Katara: So that's why you hide your earthbending.

Haru: Yeah. Problem is…the only way I can feel close to my father now is when I practice my bending. He taught me everything I know.

Katara: See this necklace? My mother gave it to me.

Haru: It’s beautiful.

Katara: I lost my mother in a Fire Nation raid. This necklace is all I have left of her.

Haru: It’s not enough, is it?

Katara: No.

This isn’t just a throwaway moment; it’s an important character moment that leads up to growth and the progression of Katara’s overall story, both in this individual episode and in the whole series.

Katara finds her power in the connections she’s able to make with other characters. It’s a powerful driving force for her that makes her a strong character even before her bending abilities develop. Imprisoned was such an important episode to establish who Katara is and what her power is, and adds so much to her arc.

But there is one line in particular from the above exchange that also stands out: Haru says “it’s not enough, is it?” and Katara agrees. Even this early in the series, we’re establishing the fact that despite her drive and hopeful outlook, Katara feels deeply hurt, she feels a deep sense of loss that she opens up about to other characters in moments like these. But unlike Haru…Katara can’t go rescue her mother. Her mother is dead, and we see her grapple with that grief throughout the series.

Another character she reaches out to like this is Jet.

Jet: Longshot over there? His town got burned down by the Fire Nation. And we found The Duke trying to steal our food. I don't think he ever really had a home.

Katara: What about you?

Jet: The Fire Nation killed my parents. I was only eight years old. That day changed me forever.

Katara: Sokka and I lost our mother to the Fire Nation.

Jet: I’m so sorry, Katara.

Another important note about Jet is that there are explicit romantic feelings from Katara in this episode. Again, Katara empathizes with another character through a shared sense of loss. Sadly, in this case, Jet manipulated her feelings and tricked her into helping in his plot to flood the village…but those feelings were undeniably there.

That was the tragedy in this episode, but it also gives the audience so much information about Katara as a character: what motivates her, and what she wants. Katara is established as a character who wants someone who will connect with her and empathize with her over her loss—her greatest sense of trauma. She wants to help others but also receive support in return. The reason why she was smitten with Jet, beyond just initial attraction, is because he gave her a sense of that before Katara realized his true motivations.

A lot of people make the claim that Aang is good for Katara because he also feels a sense of great loss and trauma. And while on paper that’s true…does he really demonstrate that? I just gave two examples of characters Katara connected with this way, and both responded with deep empathy to what she said. Very early on in the show—the third episode—Katara attempts to connect with Aang the same way. How does he respond?

Katara: Aang, before we get to the temple, I want to talk to you about the airbenders.

Aang: What about 'em?

Katara: Well, I just want you to be prepared for what you might see. The Fire Nation is ruthless. They killed my mother, and they could have done the same to your people.

Aang: Just because no one has seen an airbender, doesn't mean the Fire Nation killed them all. They probably escaped!

Just compare this exchange to Haru and Jet. No effort to empathize, not even a “sorry for your loss” or anything. It’s a stark contrast, and the reason for that is because this narrative entirely centers Aang. Katara’s narrative always seems to be secondary to his when they’re together—which is exactly my point when I say this relationship has a fundamental lack of mutuality. It’s built that way from the beginning of the series. It does not add to Katara’s arc nor establish what about this dynamic would attract her.

And, look, before someone jumps down my throat about this…I’m not saying Aang is a horrible person for this response. I think it’s a sign that he’s immature and has a fundamentally different approach to problems than Katara. Katara is a character who has been forced to take on responsibilities beyond her years due to being a child of a war-torn world. Aang’s approach to problems is avoidance while Katara never had that luxury. It doesn’t mesh well.

This is all in Book 1. I honestly could have gotten on board with Kataang if the series meaningfully addressed these issues…but it didn’t. In fact, they actually got worse in some ways.

Back to Katara’s mother. We’ve established that this is a core part of Katara’s character and like in the scene with Haru, she indicates that this is an unresolved issue that pains her. But then, in Book 3, Katara actually does get a chance to confront this pain.

This would have been a powerful moment. Surely the character who is meant to be her partner, her equal, would have been there for her. Surely he would have understood and supported her, fulfilling her narrative and adding to her story.

But Aang didn’t do that. I won’t go into details because there are a million analyses out there on The Southern Raiders, but Aang’s response to Katara was the opposite of understanding. He got angry with her, insinuated that she was a monster for wanting revenge, and tried to dictate her behavior according to his own moral values. And importantly, from a narrative standpoint, he did not go with Katara. One of the most important events in her arc, and Aang didn’t support her—he actually tried stopping her. He didn’t contribute to her growth and development.

Also noteworthy:

Katara: But I didn’t forgive him. I’ll never forgive him.

Even at the end of the episode, Aang clearly doesn’t understand at all what Katara is feeling. This line demonstrates it perfectly. He thinks she forgave him when that wasn’t the case at all…but of course, he didn’t even accompany her, so he didn’t see what actually took place. His worldview is fundamentally different from hers, and he’s consistently too rigid in his morality and immature to center Katara’s feelings.

Throughout Katara’s whole arc, her most significant character moments, Aang’s character just doesn’t come through the way Katara’s constantly does for him. Their narrative lacks mutuality. When Katara and Aang are together, she becomes an accessory to him. The ending scene is a perfect demonstration of this.

Now, to address the elephant in the room.

Which character does actually add to Katara’s narrative and support her growth as a character?

Correct! I just talked about how important The Southern Raiders is to Katara’s character and story, how it’s a chance for her to finally address the grief she’s been carrying since Book 1. And who stood by her side throughout this pivotal moment? Right—Zuko did.

You can talk all you want about how he’s a “colonizer” while Aang’s people suffered genocide, but you’re forgetting that “show, don’t tell” is one of the most basic aspects of storytelling. The fact is, despite how it looks on paper, Zuko was the one there for Katara at her critical moments. Zuko empathized with Katara more than Aang ever did—as demonstrated in this episode. Zuko never once brought up his own cultural values. Zuko never once told Katara what to do. Zuko’s position was that Katara should be the one to decide, and that he would support any choice she made. He supported her decision to spare Yon Rha, but he would have also supported her if she decided to kill him. I actually found this episode to be a satisfying reversal to what is typically seen in TV—for once, the female character is centered while her male counterpart takes the backseat and becomes a supporting role to her narrative.

Even before this, Zuko is shown to empathize with Katara.

Zuko: I’m sorry. That’s something we have in common.

I think what gets me about this scene is the fact that he’s still Katara’s enemy, and she was just yelling about how she hates him and his people. But despite that, Zuko still empathizes with Katara. She is fundamentally human to him, and he expresses that to her in a way that allows them to connect. Zuko stands to gain nothing from this. It’s true that Azula entered the picture and twisted things around—but in this moment, Zuko’s compassion is genuine. His instinct was to respond to her grief with empathy, just like she consistently does for other characters.

And finally, how else does Zuko add to Katara’s arc?

I don’t think there is any more perfect of an example than the finale itself—the culmination of the arcs and development of all characters.

Zuko and Katara fight together. In a heartbeat, Zuko asks Katara to fight by his side against Azula, because he trusts her strength. She’s his equal—both in his mind, and in a narrative sense.

Then, this:

Both of their roles are so critical in this fight. They both save each other. The scene has such raw emotion to it. These characters were together at the conclusion of their respective arcs for a reason.

This is the perfect conclusion to Katara’s arc. She just played a critical role in ending the war that has caused her trauma her whole life. She just demonstrated her mastery of waterbending (another thing she’s dreamed of throughout the series) by defeating the world’s most powerful firebender during Sozin’s Comet. Even though she had help as all characters do, these are victories that belong to her and demonstrate the growth and power of her character. And to top it all off? She was able to save Zuko’s life. She didn’t have to endure the pain of feeling helpless to do anything while someone else died for her; this time, she had an active role, she changed her fate, and she prevailed. Zuko plays an important role in Katara’s story without dominating it. They perfectly represent mutuality. They add to each other’s stories. Their narratives become stronger when they’re together, without one diminishing or sidelining the other.

So, from that standpoint, that’s why I always see the attraction between Zuko and Katara and why I see it lacking between Aang and Katara. Zuko and Katara’s story doesn’t need some cheap little throwaway moments to shine. It’s integral to both characters’ stories. We are shown not told of the way these characters feel about each other. Given everything we know about Katara, her goals, her values, her past loves…absolutely everything points to Zuko being the true subject of her feelings.

Because let’s be honest. The ending I just described is so much more powerful and so much more Katara than seeing her being relegated back to a doe-eyed love interest for Aang to kiss. It hardly even made sense—Katara played no role at all at the culmination of Aang’s arc. She was relegated back to a love interest, rather than the powerful figure we saw fight alongside Zuko.

[olderthannetfic]

Now I'm wondering how countries like Japan and China teach literacy.

Since kanji / hanzi don't really have that much in the way of phonetic elements, they kinda have to teach them by memorization and I don't think they have many reading comprehension problems over there.

(Although both countries do have supplementary phonetic writing systems in the form of bopomofo and pinyin for China, and the kanas for Japan)

--

FAVORITE SOAPBOX TOPIC UNLOCKED!

RELEASE THE KRAKEN!

It's a little closer to teaching vocabulary than spelling, but the same kinds of principles apply: You teach the building blocks, like the traditional radicals, which aren't so different from teaching Latin and Greek roots in an English class for English speakers.

And, as a matter of fact, lots of those radicals do predict pronunciation, just not in every single case. They can also be clues to meaning, but again, not absolutely consistently. Many characters have a sound-cueing radical on one side and a meaning-cueing radical on the other. It's just that only some are still useful in the modern day, while others are more like the English word 'plumbing' where knowledge of Roman lead pipes explains why this word comes from the one for lead, but the root probably wouldn't help a kid learn the word in the first place.

One similarity to teaching phonics would be teaching students to tell very complicated and similar characters apart: you want to help a student spot all the little building blocks of the character and then spot the ones that are different, not just glance at the whole character and get a general overall vibe. If you do a whole look-based approach, too many characters are too easy to mistake for one another.

Remembering a bajillion Chinese characters is hard if you're trying to memorize them in a year and not all of elementary school, but I think people who don't read them underestimate how many component parts there are and how approachable they can be if you start by learning fundamentals, not just memorizing a few individual characters as though they have no relation to anything else.

They're actually pretty systematic, just in the way that English spelling is with its overlapping systems and historical artifacts, not in the way that highly regular Spanish spelling is.

Having taken a lot of Japanese classes, I will say that Japanese as a foreign language textbooks often do a piss poor job of this and totally do teach kanji in a sight words-y way... But my Mandarin class started with important foundational concepts that served me well in Japanese later even if I bombed out of Chinese class at the time.

Can you tell how irritated I am by all the foreign language learners who think characters are sooooo hard when, really, it's just their crappy textbook? Haha.

They're moderately hard in the way that learning a full adult spectrum of vocabulary is hard, but people do that for foreign languages all the time. The countries that use characters do tend to make sets that are smaller for certain kinds of applications, same as we have things like simple English wikipedia, but a literate adult will always know lots more, whether it's from their career in engineering or their predilection for historical romance novels.

Uh... anyway, the answer is "Bit by bit in elementary school, just like in any other country".

[hereforhalstead]

Worry.

NOT PROOF READ

Spencer Reid x reader

Spencer finds out you’re struggling with a case whilst he’s away

Warnings: mentions of violence

*****

It was no secret that you were having a particularly hard week, ever since this case landed on Emily’s desk, you’d struggled.

When people ask how it is working with cannibalistic serial killers, they laugh at how casually you confess that it’s gotten to the point where they don’t really phase you, but this was different.

No, it wasn’t some notorious serial killer who had been on your hit list for years. No it wasn’t a mass shooting, no it wasn’t a mutilated body found dumped at the side of a river.

It was a ‘simple’ abduction, simple being the wrong word to use but that’s all it was.

The mum thought the little girl was with the dad, the dad thinking she was with her mum.

That’s it.

But with every second the case continued and another minute being added to the clock without the girl being reunited with her parents, you felt the task of being able to breathe becoming harder and harder.

Of all weeks, of all cases, why did Spencer have to be away for this one?

He knew you.

He knew how these things affected you.

He would notice how you’d take those extra few seconds to stir your coffee as you gazed off, trying to ground yourself before heading back to the group.

The way you would pick at your fingernails as you absentmindedly stared at the board with pictures and maps sprawled across it.

Even the little things of how you’d end up buying more chapstick that week as you hardly ingested any water and constantly licked your lips in concentration.

He knew you.

Better yet, he knew how to make all of those intrusive thoughts disappear, even if it was just for a few seconds as he pulled you into his arms.

But he wasn’t there.

He wasn’t there to rub light circles into the small of your back as he practically had to force you to take a 5 minute breather in Dereks old office.

He wasn’t there to place his hand on your knee as he noticed it bouncing under your desk to settle your anxiety.

He wasn’t there to offer you that reassuring soft smile from across the room, all of your problems seemingly disappearing in those few seconds.

He wasn’t there.

****

It had now been the longest 18 hours of your life, adrenaline still pumping through your veins as you pinned yet another suspects mugshot to the board.

Standing back to analyse the board, you felt as though you’d been doing the exact same thing for hours and was getting no where.

If Spencer was here, he would have this solved and the little girl reunited with her parents by now, was all you could think.

And who was that helping? Oh yeah. No one.

You ran your fingers through your hair, lightly tugging at the roots in frustration as you knew time was running out. You knew the time frames and statistics on missing children and that clock was quickly counting down.

You didn’t have any children, not yet anyway.

But you did have 2 nephews from your mums side of the family and 2 godsons with thanks to JJ, and all you could think was if one of them went missing.

You could feel the tears brimming on your eyes, your vision becoming blurry as you still tried to remain focused on the board in front of you.

You tried to take some deep breaths but your lungs felt as small as peanuts as they failed to let you take one decent breath.

You groaned in annoyance, hanging your hands low on your hips as you threw your head back with a huff to regain some composure.

“You feeling like this, isn’t going to help that little girl” you cursed yourself in a whisper, wiping your eyes before grabbing some papers off the table to take back to your desk.

As you turned, your heart dropped as Emily stood with her arms folded and sympathetic look swept across her face.

She cared for you, of course she cared for the whole team but you were different.

She’d always had a soft spot for you and joked that she insisted that she would take you under her wing when you first joined.

Truth is, she saw you as a daughter, dare she admit, her motherly instincts always kicked in when she saw you like this.

“Wanna talk?”

She broke the silence, still stood in the doorway, blocking you from leaving.

“I’m good Emily, thank you” you lied, still grasping at the papers on the desk and shoving them into a rough pile.

She watched as you continued, papers slowly falling out of your hands as you admitted defeat and returned the stack to the table.

“You miss him, huh?”

Her smile was sincere, her head slightly tilted with her eyes narrowed in a inch of sadness.

“Don’t profile me” You mocked, ushering past her in the doorway and into the corridor, stopping just outside as she shrugs

“Honey, you don’t need to be a profiler to see that. Just need to have eyes” she huffs in amusement “you need to talk to him, tell him how you’re feeling. You know he would want to know”

You leant against the wall, running your hands over your face as your mind flashed to how he would naturally bring his hands to yours to remove them when you did that.

Placing gentle kisses to the palms of your hands as he intertwines your fingers together in distraction.

“He hasn’t even called, Emily” you pull your phone from your pocket, holding it up to her for her to see the black screen

“Is it on?” She innocently questioned, eyebrow raised in suspicion

“Is it on? What kind of qu-“ oh. You tapped the screen and nothing.

It had run out of battery, god knows how many hours ago and you didn’t even realise.

“You wanna know how I know it wasn’t on?” she taunts

“Wha-“ she was quick to cut you off

“I don’t think I have ever received so many messages and calls from him than I have over the past few hours” she confesses “better yet I don’t think I’ve ever received so many messages from anyone. Ever”

“He’s been on at me non stop Y/N, he’s trying to get through to you” Her tone was soft, her gaze on you was sad “He’s worried about you, we all are”

“I’m fine” you shrugged “just tired”

Emily glanced over her shoulder, returning her attention back to you as she threw her hands up in exclamation

“oh! I was just checking if there was someone behind me or that was actually me you thought you could lie to”

“Very funny” you scoffed “just please don’t tell Spencer, he has enough on his plate and I don’t want him to worry”

You pushed yourself off the wall to head back to your desk, stopping in your tracks as you noticed the grimace on her face

“Emily.” You pressed “promise me, you won’t tell Spencer”

All she did was fold her arms, scratching just above her eyebrow as she shrugs “I can promise not to tell him again”

“Wha-“ you were cut off by an all too familiar cough from behind you, your eyes widening as Emily offers you a weak smile

“sorry” was all she could mouth as you shut your eyes in anticipation

Before you could stop yourself, your body had turned to now face a disheveled looking Spencer stood before you.

“Spence!” You exclaimed, pushing down your anxieties and worries as you walked towards him, arms open, ready to pull him into you when you noticed the furrow between his brows

“You don’t think I worry about you?” He questioned, hands shoved into his pockets as his glare down on you was enough to stun you

“Spencer I ju-“ you tried to explain.

Was he annoyed with you?

“Have you eaten?” His tone was sharp

“Yes!” You hit back

“Garcia actually bought in some cupcakes this morning so I had one with sprinkles for breakfast”

He stared over the top of your head, glancing behind you with a shrug on his lips

“the one that’s still on your desk, a small bite taken out of the side? Probably stale and crusted on the edges. That one?”

You swallowed, folding your arms to try and distance yourself

“Have you had any water?”

You rolled your eyes at his questioning, confused if he was stood in front of you because he actually cared or was just trying to make a point

“yes, next question”

His brows were raised, clearly not expecting you to answer so soon or so bluntly

“Baby, I’m not trying to be difficult”

You watched as his whole demeanour changed in a split second, his shoulders dropped as his eyes softened, his hand reaching to cup your chin, forcing you to look at him.

“I just need to know you’re taking care of yourself when I’m not here”

“Spence, I don’t need you to look after me” you hissed “I’m not a child”

The hand that was lightly hooked under your chin dropped to your waist, a slight pull to bring you into him as his other hand reached run along your jawline.

“How do you feel about your plants when you go away?”

You furrowed your brows in confusion, scanning his face, expecting him to crack a smile but he remained serious.

“Spence, wh-“ you tried to interject but he was quick to cut you off

“Just answer the question”

You huffed “I worry they won’t get the proper care and attention they need and won’t grow”

You realised his point as the words fell from your lips, the corners of his mouth pulling into a soft smile as he knew you were understanding his methods

“That isn’t the same thing” you chuckled, lightly pushing your hands on his chest as you left them there to rest against him “I’m not a plant Spence, I’m an adult”

“Right, but when I’m away, all I do is think about you” he rambled.

Fighting your mind from focusing on the feeling of his thumbs padding into the now slightly exposed skin at the bottom of your shirt

“We spoke on the phone this morning and you said you were fine, so imagine my surprise when Emily tells me you’re struggling”

You had to take a second to look away, unable to face the disappointed glare he was shooting you.

“You didn’t even think to tell me?”

“If Dr Spencer Reid couldn’t detect it in my voice through a phone, he’s a terrible profiler” you tried to crack a joke, falling very heavily on an unamused Spencer.

Silence fell over the pair of you as you sighed

“You were busy”

“Baby, please look at me” his hand returned to the side of your face, a light nudge to return your attention to him.

“I am never too busy when it comes to you”

You could hear the hurt in his voice, followed with his puppy dog eyes in full affect as he stares down at you.

“You got that?”

You nodded, allowing your head to fall and rest into his chest, Inhaling the scent you called home.

“I’m sorry” was all you could muster, unsure if he even heard you as his jacket probably drowned out the sorry attempt of your voice

You felt him drop a kiss to the top of your head, confirming he did in fact hear you.

“I don’t need you to be sorry pretty girl, I just want you to tell me when you’re struggling so I can help”

You retracted from his chest, eyes roaming over his features that were filled with such adoration for you with a soft smile.

“Promise you’ll do that for me?”

You nodded “I promise”

You lightly chuckled as he held up his little finger “if there’s one thing I was taught, it was that you can never break a pinky promise”

You hooked your finger into his, watching as his lips planted a soft kiss to your intertwined grip

“Come here” he grinned, bringing his hand to the back of your head to pull you into him, finally pressing his lips onto yours.

“Now” he stuttered between peppering kisses over your face “show me where these cupcakes are”.