#and rearrange it in a way that has like. some kind of flow

[ghoul-haunted]

why. am I so fucking sleepy

[chaotic-vibes-only-please]

Can I request for some ben drowned or eyeless jack smut? Like he sees you in a short skirt and just looses his self-control?

Control(Eyeless Jack x Reader Smut)

Pairing: Eyeless Jack x Afab Reader

A/N: Of course! Here you go🍵💕 Sorry, I took a long break from writing. College has been rough😭

Warnings: Smut, Rough sex, breeding and size kink heavily implied, degradation, afab reader, 18+, MDI

You're lifted up and down onto his cock at a pace that shouldn't be possible. The little skirt wrapped around your waist flows prettily against your hips as they bounce onto his thick shaft.

Jack's large hands grip your waist in a bruising grip, claws digging against your skin and threatening to break it. You're gasping and crying while he continues to use you as his personal flesh light. Your own fingers dig into his strong shoulders that flex underneath your touch, displaying the ripples of muscle he has. The grey skin on his back is scratched up by your own nails. Jack thrusts up into you particularly hard and you fall forward onto his broad chest.

Your poor cunt is so overstimulated that it almost hurts. It's the good kind of pain where you don't know whether you want it to stop or you want more.

"What's wrong Little One? Can't handle getting dicked down? This is what you deserve for wearing this tiny peice of fabric you call a fucking skirt" He grunts into your ear, his brown hair tickling your cheek as he licks a long line up the side of your neck with his monsterous black tongue. "And only a pair of panties underneath? You were begging me to bend you over" Jack chuckles before slamming you down onto your back. You yelp at the sudden change in position. He forces your thighs far apart. Your skirt flips upwards, exposing how your pussy grips his cock, folds slick with your own cum. He forces your thighs wide apart with his hands so that he can reach even deeper inside of you.

He hits impossibly deeper into your cunt, his pelvis hitting against your ass hard. Jack keeps your skirt bunched by your waist so that he can see you fully wrapped around his length. You're left a whimpering blubbering mess underneath him as the knot in your stomach tightens. Your walls twitch and clench down on him the closer you grow to your release. "That's right, take it" He groans while slamming into you harder and faster with each thrust. The pads of his fingers rub against your clit in a circular motion.

Your eyes roll back, eyelids fluttering as hot white pleasure bursts inside of you. Your thighs tremble in his hold. With one last rut of his hips, he buries his cock as deep as he can inside of you and fills you with his cum. You can feel the warmth seeping into your womb. There's so much of it dribbles down your folds and to your inner thighs. You slightly shift and whimper at feeling so full as he continues to pump load after load out of his length and into your pussy.

He thrusts into you hard, but slow to fuck his cum into you. You're left whining and clawing at his strong back. "You know better than to tease me" He growls and looks down to stare at where you're connected to him. You nod your head with a whimper and mutter a quick sorry. He slowly pulls all the way out until the tip is the only thing keeping your folds spread open and admires how his cum oozes from your cunt before pushing back in all the way inch by inch. "You wanted my attention, you'll have it all night long" He hisses from above you. Your trembling, tears covering your face and skin heated. And despite your crying, he starts to pound into you again. You knew wearing the new skirt you bought would rile him up, but as you're getting your guts rearranged you can't help to think you didn't know he'd enjoy the peice of fabric this much.

[honeytonedhottie]

extra self care routine⋆.ೃ࿔*:･🍦

this 8 step self care routine is meant to be super DUPER over the top but its intended more so to make u feel like the goddess that u are and to simply pamper, and spoil urself as u should...plus you'll smell like a cupcake after 🎀

warning, LONG post ahead but thats because i tried to be thorough and clear on the steps of this 8-step routine.✨🧁

STEP ONE ; ICING UR FACE

the benefits of facial icing include more radiant skin, helps with spider lines, and blemish control. if u wanna know more about icing ur face i recommend u read this.

but typically you'll fill up a bowl with some water and ice and dunk ur face in the ice in 60 second intervals (thats how i like to do it) or you take an ice cube and run that on ur skin.

STEP TWO ; OILING UR HAIR

i personally dont recommend oiling ur hair overnight, once u apply ur hair oil into ur hair let it sit for 30 minutes - 4 hours depending on how much time u have on ur hands, but if ur gonna do the 8 step self care ritual i would assume u had some time.

use the scalp massaging tool for blood flow to ur head and MASSAGE. imagine all of ur stress seeping out of ur body. it might sound strange, but when im doing this step i imagine myself rearranging and organizing my thoughts 💀.

while ur doing this whole routine i recommend playing an affirmation tape in the background, or ur favorite playlist. 🧁

STEP THREE ; MASKS

next i'll use a spray bottle and wet my hair before going in with my hair mask, and once thats in ur hair use the claw clip to keep ur hair up and out of ur face.

now its time for the facial mask and i recommend keeping kind of an ARSENAL of masks, whether its a liquid or clay mask or sheet masks just have them on u because i usually do face masks of any sort 1-2 times a week for my LUSTROUS glow.

while u have the hair and face masks in, its a good time to do some dry brushing to remove dead skin cells and improve blood circulation. some other masks that u can do to be EXTRA are lip masks and under eye masks.

STEP FOUR ; IN THE SHOWER

wash ur hair as you would usually do, use the body scrub before using a body wash that has similar tones to the body scrub (this is called scent layering) and while in the shower i recommend to do a shower meditation.

if y'all r interested i'll make a shower meditation guide and u can record ur own voice doing the meditation so u can use it ✨

while ur in the shower make sure to be meticulous and take ur time while u wash ur body. do double cleansing so that u can ensure that you're squeaky clean.

now is also the time to shave if u like to do that and remember use a body scrub BEFORE u shave and once ur out of the shower to use a body oil to prevent ingrowns and to just have a smoother shave in general.

STEP FIVE ; OUT OF THE SHOWER

use ur body oil and ur body lotion, this kind of goes along with the before bed slugging notion which gives the SOFTEST most amazing skin in the morning so i highly recommend it.

HOT TIP FROM HONEY ; using a warmed up towel adds to the whole spa experience so i def recommend that, warming up towels/blankets/robes makes me feel so cozy and toasty 🧋✨

the formula for before bed slugging is (body oil + body lotion + a thick body butter/cream)

STEP SIX ; REPAIR AND REPLENISH

once your out of the shower and you’ve slugged ur body, use a leave in conditioner to repair and soothe damaged hair.

use a face milk

cuticle oil

now’s the time to use pimple patches

and things of that nature in general

this ensures that ur being absolutely meticulous and replenishing ur body the proper way. taking care of ur base so that u can make it absolutely GLOW ✨

STEP SEVEN ; FACIAL MASSAGE

use a gua sha and any other facial massage tools to help blood circulation and just be EXTRA. to sculpt ur face like the goddess you are.

facial massage stimulates blood circulation, promoting oxygen flow and nutrient delivery to the skin cells. facial massage helps to release the tension held in the facial muscles, alleviating stress lines and promoting a more youthful appearance.

AND if ur consistent with facial massage, you'll can enhance skin elasticity AND diminish fine lines.

STEP EIGHT ; YOGA AND STRETCHES

nothing feels better then massaging and stretching stiff limbs, especially if u have pains or aches in ur body. look up a follow along, super light, yoga routine or a stretching routine.

i think that a rly good stretch is the perfect way to end ur super duper over the top 8 step self care routine 💗🎀

[cherryxblossxms]

🔞 i guess it's because there's an event happening and that's why he's on my mind, but i've been thinking about sexual tension and some angst with Lucifer

[NSFW, minors DNI. GN reader, unrequited feelings(?), casual sex, getting caught. Maybe alluding to some angry/jealous sex, possible dubcon at the end?? This is....wayyyy longer than intended/accidental ficlet]

Like just imagining really coming to be attracted to him. Emotionally attracted because he's responsible and serious and intelligent, and then has his sweet and romantic moments that seem like they're only for you. And physically, he has every reason to be the Avatar of Pride. He's probably one of, if not the most, gorgeous men you've ever laid eyes on. Those intense ruby red eyes, broad shoulders, skilled hands that produced both gorgeous handwriting as well as wonderful piano music.

It comes to the point that you can't make eye contact with him or you know you'll get flustered. Starting to get distracted by thinking about what he'd be like as a lover, as a boyfriend. Slight touches are enough to send your daydreams on a journey. But knowing he likely doesn't like you that way, that the feelings aren't returned. And anyway, the plan is to eventually return to the human world, right? Is it worth getting into a relationship now, just to separate so soon down the road? But rather than deal with the rejection and heartache, just swallowing those feelings down and trying to move on with your life.

Of course, amidst the inner turmoil going on in your heart, you didn't expect to get involved with Lord Diavolo instead, the prince approaching you with the most unexpected offer that you decided to accept, perhaps against your better judgment.

It wasn't anything serious, definitely just a fling, simply responding to mutual attraction and a mutual desire for some stress relief. Honestly, it happened rather suddenly, a curious kiss after a meeting quickly evolving into more, but once it started, it was easy to just go with the flow, taking your moments alone to indulge and just release that tension. You reasoned it was both a good way to forget your feelings and still enjoy some kind of attention, and thankfully he was an excellent lover.

However, you had to admit to yourself that, as gorgeous and skilled as the devil prince was, you'd be lying if your mind didn't seem to wander off more often than not to a certain red-eyed devil. Even as Diavolo worked to rearrange your guts over his office desk, risking any documents he decidedly abandoned in pursuit of... greater pleasures, even as his golden eyes burned into you and he devoted himself to learning your favorite spots, your mind still went back to Lucifer.

If Diavolo knew that your heart was elsewhere, he didn't mention it. You were an adult and you weren't dating each other, he had no right to question it regardless. And as the heir to the throne, he had other things to focus on anyway. The whole point of the fling was something simple, pleasurable, and the less you two thought about feelings and regrets, the better.

Of course, assumptions can often be your undoing.

During one such beneficial "meeting" between you and the prince, your hands were grasping— broad shoulders, the desk, his hair, whatever was closest— as you tried to hold on for dear life. Something had seemed to really get under his skin lately, so he was working on releasing all his stress into you instead, his desk at risk of breaking, based on the amount of creaking that could be heard. His large cock bullying its way into your body repeatedly and pressing up against a particularly sensitive spot inside was driving you close to climax, and the overwhelming pleasure was driving any coherent thoughts from your mind.

The volume of the room was loud and only getting louder by the second, a sinful symphony of pants and grunts, rhythmic wood creaking, and the wet slap of Diavolo's balls against your ass. Thus, it was no wonder neither of you heard the approaching footsteps, or at least, couldn't be bothered to pay it any mind. Diavolo adjusted his grip on your hips at the last second, really driving his cock home inside you, and you could feel the band about to snap.

Just before you could go over that delicious precipice, the door to Diavolo's office opened, and your head whipped around to see the intruder. Of all the people it could have been, you should have known there was equal chances of being walked in by Lucifer as there was Barbatos. And yet, seeing him there still froze you to the spot as his eyes met yours.

Or rather, it would have. But Diavolo made one more thrust, the thick head of his dick pressing the sweetest little spot inside, and it was enough for the band to finally snap. In what felt like ages but was all within the span of a second, everything came crashing down. Your body tightened before releasing all at once, spasming in Diavolo's hold as you couldn't help but release a cry. The feel of your hole tightening around him dragged him into climax with you, and he seated himself deep inside before filling you with his cum.

What would have been an otherwise heavenly, earth-shattering orgasm was short-lived, as the horror of what happened quickly dissolved any remaining pleasure. You pushed against Diavolo's chest, trying to get him to move, to at least pull out of you, so you could pull yourself together and try to explain-- explain what, exactly? You weren't even sure, and it wasn't like Lucifer didn't just see you cum on his boss' dick just a minute ago, and in fact were still stuffed with it atop his desk.

You couldn't read the expression on his face, and didn't get much chance to explain anything before Lucifer apologized for interrupting and left.

It's days before you can speak to Lucifer again, practically cornering him in his office despite how hard your heart is pounding and how much you want to run away. You're expecting many different reactions: disappointment, shaming, anger, perhaps even indifference. But when Lucifer finally snaps, what initially seems like anger seems to morph into what is instead... jealousy? Questioning you on when your relationship with Diavolo started, how long you two have been fucking, if there's anyone else you're riding like a whore besides the prince.

You can't help the way your face burns when he spits out that word, "whore", but there's no time to attempt a defense before Lucifer is pushing you over his desk, a hand grasping your hip so hard you might bruise, the other yanking your hair to look back at him. The look in his eyes then blows you away, equal parts desire and anger swirling in those bloody depths. You'd ask him what he's going to do, but the solid length pressing against your backside is answer enough. Despite the shame hanging over you, you can't help the part of you that's thrilled that he wants you like that, even if it was happening for all the wrong reasons. But as the sound of a belt unbuckling caught your ears, you accepted your punishment and just hoped there'd be time later to truly confront each other.

[fantastic-bby]

Pairing: Reader x Yunho

Word count: 896

Genre: Fluff | Slice of life | Non-idol AU

Your casual relationship with Yunho is more comfortable than you thought

Warnings: Implied sex | Implied alcohol | Mentions of pegging

Masterlist

[3:09]

“Are you serious?” you laugh when you sit up. 

“What?” Yunho glances at you with the corners of his lips lifted slightly.  His attention is quickly brought back to his PC when he hears the game loading up. 

“Is this what you do with all of your fuck buddies?” you joke as you slip your hoodie over your head. 

“Nah,” he hums, “you’re the only one I’m comfortable enough to actually keep in my room overnight.” 

“Aww, how sweet,” you say teasingly, climbing out of bed and dragging yourself over to Yunho’s desk where you stand behind his chair as your arms sling around his neck. 

You’ve known each other for a few months. Your friend circles kinda overlap with the help of Wooyung—who has almost a billion more circles than you and Yunho combined—and you were only ‘just friends’ until one fateful night on a trip with your friends where you were both forced to share a bedroom after Wooyoung had passed out drunk in the living room while the only other two bedrooms that were open had been a little too occupied by your friends for either of you to want to be in. 

Despite the option of the living room floor being open, Yunho felt bad and tried to get you to switch. 

Which only made you feel bad, so somehow the option of sharing the same bed seemed to be the best one.

And when you’re both so close to each other, one thing led to another, which then led to you two fucking until the sun rose. 

It’s become a regular occurrence for either of you to be in each others’ apartments, but tonight, you find yourself watching as Yunho starts up his game right after trying to rearrange your insides. 

“Hm, if you’re hungry, I have some leftovers from dinner,” Yunho says as he raises his head to look you in the eyes. 

“Oh?” 

He nods and turns his head back down to face his monitor just as the match starts. 

“It’s just—uhm—chicken fried rice. I was too lazy to actually make anything else.” His voice slowly turns into a mutter the more he focuses. “Felt like I was wasting money on food, so I learned how to cook.” 

“Did you?” You let out an exaggerated gasp and lean back, smiling slightly in surprise. “And I thought Jeong Yunho refused to learn how to cook because daddy’s always putting money in your account.” 

“Yeah, then I realised that I liked the idea of being a male wife,” Yunho snorts. 

“I never pegged you as the domestic kind,” you comment as you make your way to the fridge of his little studio apartment. 

“Uhh, you have pegged me, in fact, but yeah. Neither did I,” he laughs. You laugh as well, opening the door and pulling out the first container that looks like there’s rice inside. 

“I’ll heat some up for you, too.” 

Yunho hums back an ‘okay’, but doesn’t fully turn to look at you. 

Silence fills the air, aside from the clicking from his mouse and keyboard and the sound of the game flowing out of his headphones that he’s moved to hang around his neck. 

There’s always been this unspoken comfort that the two of you share when you’re alone and neither you nor Yunho usually think about it. It’s familiar and it’s comfortable; vulnerable. Almost as if the both of you share the same understanding that this is a space that you need. 

So, you continue your synchronised movement as Yunho continues on with the match and you microwave his leftovers until you’re sitting at his tiny, squared, dining table and he finally stands with his headphones hanging off of the side of his black desk. 

He joins you almost wordlessly, the two of you eating ‘supper’ in silence while you scroll through Instagram and Yunho watches some videos on his phone. 

Only in this moment do you realise just how comfortable you are. Admittedly, you had stopped sleeping with other people after a few months of the ‘agreement’ that you had come to with Yunho, and it seems that—despite joking about his other buddies—he has, too. 

And you’d be lying if you said Yunho also exists as a reminder all over. The park hold ghosts of you and him running away from the swans, cafes; wisps of him handing you his black card to pay for whatever you wanted—you’ve been spending a lot of time together recently. 

Maybe your heart holds something else for him, you wonder for a moment. 

But you ignore the thought and return to your phone screen, scooping another spoonful of rice into your mouth as you find another reel that keeps you preoccupied. 

“Hey.” 

“Hmm?” 

“Wanna try dating?”

Movements halted, your eyes flit to meet Yunho’s and he’s staring at you with nothing but pure curiosity in his eyes. 

And… is that… adoration?

Admiration?

You feel shock running through your veins, but it’s not a bad feeling. Instead, you’re filled with a sense of warmth. 

And what you think you’ve completely missed is the fact that the conversation won’t make anything change because you and Yunho are already in this place. 

So, instead of any kind of uncertainty or fear, you feel like it’s… only natural. 

And you nod, “okay.”

Before you return to your own devices as usual. 

[bestworstcase]

are you willing to share the details on tdt! zhan tiri

behold my incomprehensible diagram!

um. after v9 i lost all sense of restraint, on the grounds that the blacksmith is an aspect of the tree and therefore the tree reasonably might have other aspects, and then there were four, and then there were twelve. lmao. (the artisan is the blacksmith—she’s depicted as a wood carver and lewis called her ‘the lively carpenter,’ so i figured she’d give herself a more nonspecific name.)

because i am also shaking heraclitus between my teeth like a terrier with a rat, Only One ever exists at a time; the tree is always becoming itself and its aspects shift and flow and transform into each other. in various directions and by varied means. ANYWAY,

those quartets (was/is/will-be) are not temporal categories but rather (copying straight from my lore notes here):

Presiding over forethought and remembrance, the Was concerns itself with what may be known: prophesy before, and memory after, for Time is the circle which remembers itself. It would be a mistake to say that the Is presides over, because the Is does not rule; but it might preside at the choosings, the turnings, the changings, and so the Is circumnavigates the Soul. Some things do not change—some things can never be changed—and over what is unchanging and unchangeable, the Will-Be presides: over strife, over hunger, over graspings, over flux.

was is about the flow of time and knowledge, is concerns action and choice, and will-be are manifestations of inevitability—things that Always Are. if you are uh. familiar with bitter snow zhan tiri i’m sure you can guess where she Goes…

The Reaper, called the Sitient Thorn and the Black Vulture and the Flower-Maker and the Goat-With-One-Thousand-Teeth and the Lady-of-Wilds and the King-of-Beasts—for she has been known by many names in many places—appears however she pleases, and it pleases her to change. Her fur and feathers are oil-dark; she crowns herself with the coal-black horns of a ram; her eyes glitter green; she reeks of vegetable rot and brine. Her true name, if she has one, might be the Wrathful Sky. All things want. Her season is Spring.

she is—as in bitter snow lmao—a little unusual in that she’s not a quote-unquote true aspect of the tree but rather something hungry that came from somewhere else, from the dark country which is nowhere. it is ESSENTIAL FOR HER CHARACTER that she’s a strangler fig. always. so she is kind of a quasi-parasitic trespasser into this Situation but also, in the same way that real stranglers protect their living host trees from being uprooted by storms, not an adversarial one necessarily.

what that means in practical terms is the reaper is the exception to a lot of the, for lack of a better word, “rules” that define the tree’s nature. in her aspect as an aspect of the tree, she takes on its nature; when she isn’t manifest within the tree, though, she exists outside and independent of it. so she can, for example, go for walkies in the backyard

by which i mean remnant. lmao

on remnant, the reaper is the god of animals. she didn’t make the fauni but once they came to be she decided she liked them Best and has favored them ever since. many, but not all, fauni receive her blessing, which (like that of the brothers) confers a magical gift, specifically a form of shapeshifting.

NOT like what the branwens can do—more in the vein of ‘cultivating’ the animal-like traits you already have as a faunus, so if (for example) you were born with shark teeth you might learn to rearrange your respiratory anatomy and grow gills, or give yourself sharklike skin. this can be done in a way that is permanent (this is called ‘ripening’) or not (‘borrowing’). most fauni who learn mix and match a bit (and there are different formal ‘paths’ that combine techniques in different proportions and intensities).

the gift itself is called khime and the practice is khimancy; humans often misunderstand khimancy as sort of a fauni tradition combining auralerie and konurgy (dust-magic) into a single art, but that is. um. Wrong.

(it is possible for master khimancers to fully turn themselves into an animal, but it takes a lot of dedication and many years of training to get there. the ones who get there are called turnskins and they’re rare, like on the level of silver-eyes rare.)

anyway the Reason not every fauni in the world receives khime is she only gives it to the ones who ask. asking is Really Simple—just a small ritual to get her attention, though the specifics vary a lot between different sects—and in many fauni cultures it’s seen as a rite of passage marking the end of one’s childhood. but because it’s a religious practice specific to khimerism, obviously not everyone Does It.

conversely, it isn’t Just For Fauni in the sense that a human could petition the reaper for her gift if they so chose, and she might say yes. for all intents and purposes this is Converting To Khimerism and under khimeric law makes you a faunus—although it won’t cause a physical alteration right away, there is a process for revealing your true form.

this is PRETTY RARE but not unheard of. there’s a handful of fauni folk heroes who are said to have been born human and either left in the wilderness as infants and being saved by fauni parents or outcast from human society and turning to the god of animals for solace; mythically speaking, the idea is that, just as the god of animals offered their gift to some humans who refused, perhaps there might be a very few humans whom they missed, or who weren’t born at the right time, and such people will find their own path to where they truly belong.

(IN CASE IT ISN’T OBVIOUS i’ve chosen to veer off the ‘racism allegory’ angle by leaning into the religious aspect of fauni identity; the narrative in ‘the shallow sea’ is essentially “we are our god’s chosen people and through this covenant we were changed” so—in the context of TDT where the god of animals and their shape-changing magic is real—if one chooses to convert and accept that covenant one can become a faunus. the reverse however isn’t true: one can leave the religion and relinquish the gift, but that doesn’t get rid of the fauni traits. nothing is erased, nothing forgotten.)

salem knows about her. (her opinion is chiefly “stop. trying. to eat. my. grimm.” they have tea sometimes it’s complicated.) ozpin thinks the god of animals is a myth, if a curiously persistent one. and the reaper is also like… at least half of remnant’s cryptids because when she’s out for walkies in the backyard most of the time she does it as a horrible mishmash Creature. when fauni characters say the Lady or the King they’re talking about her. she is both the Lady and the King because she doesn’t know what a gender is (and at this point she’s too afraid to ask) and she picks her pronouns on the basis of “i’ll have what my friend is having :)”

the god of light. HATES HER. she crawled in through the jabberwalker (no relation to the walker) (theophoric name) and latched onto the tree before the brothers could Get Rid of her and then made herself part of the tree Somehow!!! (you are what you eat) so now she just exists outside of his power.

(the brothers were both actually far more powerful than the tree when they left the ever after, because the tree is a passive force, it cannot act outside of itself, but the brothers had no power over the tree. so the reaper can’t overrule the god of light on his ultimatum—although she’d like to—but he can’t do anything to stop her from going for walkies. he just seethes impotently.)

[panthera-tigris-venenata]

Huma Soulmark AU ♥

About 2,7k words about everyone’s favourite pirates ♥

In the unholy hours of the morning, after the last has-beens fell unconscious and before the kids will need to be kicked out to school, Uma creeps into her mother's lair.

The place’s dark and half-flooded, the only decorations the empty jars her mother so treasures; she shows off some of them in the restaurant, too, above the counter. As if they were anything to look at.

Uma ignores these, anyway, carefully stepping into the water and trying not to disturb it too much. 

She shudders when something touches her legs: „Sssh,“ she hums to the empty space, bending down to glaze her fingers over her mother’s pets, „It’s me, Uma. I’ll be just a minute, in and out. Just need to look at something, yeah?“

She is not sure how much Flotsam and Jetsam understand her, really, but they cling to her legs as she wades through the water. It's better that way, they canʼt go nag to Ursula like this.

If Ursula knew… Well, Uma cannot imagine she'd be all too happy. She'd throw her out, at the very least, tell her to sneak better next time. And Uma, well, she doesn't want to wait for a next time.

It's been two weeks already, two weeks from her birthday – or at least the day Ursula told her she was born, but Uma figured better safe than sorry, right? So rather, it's been almost a month, as Ursula's account of time has never been the best as far as Uma remembers, unless it's to track her shifts at the shoppe.

It's been almost a month since she's touched another person, and she feels like she's going crazy.

She turns around just to glare at the gloves and the heavy jacket she left by the door and pets the eels again. Evil, look at her now: It’s been a month and here she is, petting carnivorous eels as if they were her best friends.

A month more, and they might actually be.

And that’s not even getting into it – her crew, Harry– Uma breathes in sharply as she remembers him, and something inside of her chest hurts, just where the heart should be. (Too bad she doesn’t have one, right? Villains don’t.)

She comes to the submerged treasure chest and opens it carefully: No sound escapes, but waves ripple through the water

She rearranges the stuff inside, putting her mother’s grimoire on the top, though she doesn’t dare lift it over the water: Gods know the thing might just disintegrate at the contact with the air. She flips through the book, to the page of contents and runs her pointer finger along the numbers, and, there.

Page thirty five. Show-thee-thy-Soulmate Solution.

The name rings at least five different warning bells in her head, two of them related to the word „soulmate“ and another just screaming one name over and over. She ignores all of these, reading the words flowing in her mother’s best dramatic script.

Speaking of her mother– „Stupid girl!“ she says, looming in the entryway but moving to her way to quickly, „What are you doing?“

„Nothing,“ Uma attempts to shield the sight of the book by her body and flexes her muscles, preparing for the hit of tentacles.

It doesn’t come, though the tentacles do close around her body – hard, hard enough to bruise – and move her aside. Ursula towers over her, peers into the treasure chest, at the wide-open grimoire.

„Stupid girl,“ she says again, „That’s the version for the customers,“ she spits that out as an insult. „What were you thinking? Did I teach you nothing?!“

Uma supposes she wasn’t thinking all that much. Kind of hard, to think clearly, when the only thing on your mind is the alarm of not being allowed to touch those closest to you ever again. Not to name anyone though–

The tentacles around her pulse for a moment, and Ursula speaks again: „I suppose it’d be too much to hope you got your wits together and plan to sell that to the other little Villains out there?“ she sighs dramatically.

Uma can only nod.

Her mother finally releases her and Uma breathes in in relief.

„And you’re not gonna kill him, your soulmate is too much of an asset.“

It takes Uma a moment to register what her mother just said.

„I– What?!“ she sputters, „You know who my soulmate is? Why wouldn’t you tell me?!“

Her mother just flicks around her tentacles carelessly and Uma ducks.

„But where would be the fun in that?“

„So who is it? Is it–“

„I’m not telling you,“ Ursula cuts her off before she can finish the sentence and flips through the book, looks for something in the chest.

Of course she isn’t telling her. That’d be too easy. And where would be the fun in that?

So Uma supposes she’ll have to come back later then, get her head straight on her shoulders meanwhile. Just one last question though:

„How did you know?“

Her mother gives her a look and curls her tentacles around to carve out an imposing figure of legends. „They call me Ursula the Soulstealer, child,“ she says, „I have my ways. Now do make yourself useful and carry these jars to the restaurant, yes?“ She points at something in the chest and turns around.

Walks away.

Uma looks after her in disbelief before rushing to the chest and looking for the jars in question. But– atop of them lies the still open grimoire.

This page is written in much less fancy script and in short, informative sentences, with practical notes in the margins: Uma reads it fast, with wide eyes, and then pours over it again. She commits it to her memory.

„Well?“ her mother’s voice disturbs her thoughts, „Hurry up!“

Uma hastily grabs some jars and balances them in her hands: „Coming!“ she calls out.

Now she only has to sneak out, get all the ingredients, hope that the Barrier won’t fuck with the effects too much, and convince Harry to trust her and do this.

Easy.

And to her surprise, it is easy enough: One visit to the Arachneum and few afternoons later, she is in her cabin on Lost Revenge, putting finishing touches to the, um, potion? It looks more like an ointment.

Kind off. Sort off.

It’s hard to tell, under the water: she filled a basinet with saltwater, not wanting to detriment the effects any more by preparing it on-land completely. No one questioned this, as Harry no one has entered her cabin for over a month.

There: The last ingredient, if it can be called that: Uma sinks her face underwater and starts singing the chant she memorised. Just two lines, but they come out jumbled, and the bubbles of her breath stir within the mixture. It pulls together. She hopes it does.

Not wanting to waste any more time, she grabs the finished mixture and spreads it under her eyelids; her eyes close involuntary at the unfamiliar sensation.

It doesn’t matter, though.

It is done.

Gasping, Uma pulls above the surface again, and lets the water droplets fall all around her.

Her eyes still pulse in dull pain, but she forces herself to open them anyway and hurries to the mirror.

Now, it is too late to double-guess her judgement and Ursula’s willingness to cripple her best and least paid employee, but she checks her reflection all the same. It hadn’t changed. Much.

There is now a shimmery sheen over her eyes and if she looks carefully enough, she sees, well, <i>something</i> under her skin, and just maybe, when she looks at herself but not into the mirror, she can more guess than see the same swirling somethings trying to reach out.

That must be it, then.

A bit underwhelming, if you ask her, but it’ll do. It’ll have to.

She stops gawking at herself, dries off her face and hands and walks on-deck, only to freeze barely out of the doors.

Well, fuck.

Turns out that her own soul and the souls of her crew look nothing alike.

And that she had greatly underestimated how hard this is gonna be.

She closes her eyes to escape from the unfamiliar, if beautiful, onslaught of vibrant colours swirling around and trying to reach out to one another, stretching wide with no regard to physical barriers or her senses.

She forgot her jacket and her gloves anyway.

Yes, that is the excuse she is going with to go back to her cabin.

She grabs them from the mirror by the door and left with no excuse, she exits on board again.

„Harry!“ she calls out for her first mate. He appears in front of her as if from thin air, though that is likely because the deck is oh-so overwhelming to navigate now, what with all these people. What with all their souls longing for connection to anyone who will have them and the one or ones that will get them more than anyone. That will be their One True Love, as they’d say in Auradon. Their success or their downfall, as her mother would whisper when she thought no one was listening.

Uma closes her eyes for less than a heartbeat to brace herself and looks at Harry: The book was right. She knows what to look for when she sees it.

She knows that she is looking at her soulmate.

„Are you okay?“ he asks quietly, his hand reaching out and hovering close to her but never touching, his soul reaching towards hers.

„You don’t look too good.“

„Well, thanks, Hook,“ she manages to choke out. She tries to find his familiar blue eyes in the unfamiliar mess that has become her word now.

She manages to make out his blush, too.

„No, not like that–“ he backtracks swiftly, „I mean, are you sure you’re okay? Are you hurt? Do you need to sit down? Uma, you look like the damsels in the soap operas right before they faint–“

She does feel a bit dizzy, but not lightheaded, and she knows her body enough to know she’s not gonna faint. That would be embarrassing.

She’d faint and he’d catch her, imagine what a mark would that be.

„I’m okay,“ she reassures him and then she decides: „Come inside.“

He follows her without hesitation and shuts the door behind them, his eyes never leaving her.

He stays standing in front of the door and Uma keeps looking anywhere but at him – fine, she tries to. She always ends up looking at him anyway.

„What did you want, Captain?“ he asks finally, shattering the silence. 

Uma gulps heavily at the distance that is in his words and at the fact that he isn’t right next to her.

„Harry,“ she says, just to say something.

„Yes?“

There is a thousand things she could say, but the words that actually leave her mouth?

„I think I did something stupid,“ she says quietly. She leans on the edge of her desk and Harry steps just a bit closer.

„Oh?“

She gestures for him to come closer yet and to give her his hand: he does so without protest, though she isn’t wearing any gloves or even a jacket. She gently runs her fingertips over the seams of his once-white gloves as she starts speaking:

„Yeah,“ she breathes out and shuts her eyes, „I think you’re my soulmate. I made one of my Ma’s potions, you see, and…,“ she goes on for few more sentences before she stops, realising how still and quiet he is.

She looks at him and he is just. There. Looking at her with slightly open mouth, his soul in uproar all around them – hers probably too, just much harder to see.

„You think I’m your soulmate?“ he repeats softly. He leaves his hand where it is, in hers.

She realises he probably didn’t hear a single thing beyond that.

„Yes,“ she confirms anyway.

Now he takes his hand away and Uma tries not to think about it too much. She knew there was– she knew he could reject her. Not hurt her, never, but leave her–

„Well, do you want to know for sure?“

She looks at him in surprise: His lips quirked in a smirk – smile – and he has removed his gloves while she was lost in her own head.

„Uma?“

„Yes,“ she answers. Yes, she does want to know. That’s why she did all of this, right? Maybe they can get a small mark that’s easy to conceal, keep wearing gloves–

She reaches out towards him.

He flinches his hand quickly and just as quickly speaks, so quickly she doesn’t have time to linger on his gesture.

„Uma!“ he protests, his eyes shining so brightly through the swirled mess of souls around, „I want a better mark! I want to show it off!“

„Show it off,“ she repeats blankly.

„Yes!“

She thinks his eyes turned a little bit manic; she is still a little bit surprised when he kneels in front of her.

„Show it off. I want everyone to know that I’m your soulmate, Uma.“

Oh, who is she kidding. It’s not gonna be a small, easy to conceal mark.

„If that’s what you want,“ she smiles at him. 

He just hums at her in response, yes, he does want that, but:

„But if you really don’t wanna, Uma, we do your thing. You’re the Captain.“

He reaches out and immediately retracts when he realises what he is doing, leaving the choice to her.

But, you see, she doesn’t think she could say no to him right now.

She hovers her hand close, so torturously fucking <i>close</i>, as she assures: „It’s fine.“ There is something about the thought of Harry clearly marked as hers that sounds deeply appealing to her.

„It’s fine.“

„Are you gonna mark my face, Uma?“

„You wouldn’t mind…?“ she adds the question as an afterthought.

„Not at all.“

Still, she makes no move, hesitant to break the taboo that the Isle society holds so dear. But what is Isle society to her? Why should she care?

„Uma, please.“

She brings her hand to him yet, she can now barely see it over the storm that his soul is creating.

Closer yet.

In the next heartbeat, Harry moves: He captures her hand with his, brings it to his cheek, presses his lips to her pulse point, all in one dizzyingly fast movement.

It is Uma’s time to freeze.

The space around them comes to a standstill as he pulls away just enough to show his now-stained lips.

Uma, he forms soundlessly.

She sinks down to him. He lets go of her and she slowly pulls away her hand, looking at the colour now coating it from both sides, almost matching blood in the tone. She doesn’t say anything as she hugs him for the first time in over a month.

He just hugs her, too, silent until he whispers her name into her hair in a tone so completely awestruck that it almost makes Uma cry. He just holds her tighter.

She doesn’t know how long it is when she finally speaks again: „Harry, I still did a stupid thing. My mom’s potion: I can see souls now. It’s so confusing – that’s why I looked so off on the deck.“

He doesn’t let go of her. She doesn’t think he will any time soon.

„Is that why your eyes were so weird?“ he asks.

„Weird?“

You see, she could get up and look into the mirror again, but she simply isn’t doing that now.

„Yeah. Looked like your mother’s. Like there was some glittery sheen over it. You wear it better though.“ He smiles as he says that, she can hear it in his voice. She pulls away a bit.

„Hmm, definitely,“ he says as he looks at her, „You look so pretty, darling. I can tell you that now, right?“

Yes, yes he can. Now, at least: Later, in public? She might have to think that through yet.

„And I can stay here with you until it goes away,“ he adds, since magic doesn’t last on the Isle of the Lost, „Or until you get used to it.“ (Since soulmates shouldn’t really exist on the Isle either, so who knows?)

She hugs him again.

„Stay.“

[comicaurora]

As a fan of D&D and animated shows, have you been keeping up with the legend of vox machina?

Yea! I haven't seen the very latest episode yet but I've watched the first five.

I continue to enjoy how it's treating the original game as a first draft and doing some rearrangements in the adaptation to improve pacing, flow, and general sense-making - like how Vax's extremely busted Boots of Speed have been integrated into the functionality of his god-champion-artifact armor, and why they changed Vex's near-death experience last season to Keyleth taking the bullet for her because Vex's actual-death experience this season was going to be very important story-wise but mechanically played out very similarly to the first one (one-shotted by dark magic in an area that suppresses magical healing) and having it happen twice would've weakened the impact. Personally I think in an ideal world we'd be getting a lot more time per season to let the characters breathe - the pacing of the original series is frankly very slow, bordering on unwatchable for certain attention spans, but the pacing of this season is kinda breakneck in comparison and characters are getting big upgrades and moments of revelation quite often, which isn't bad but feels like it could have a little more punch if they had a longer windup. Still, that's the nature of the level-based beast and it's not a complaint, just a little tickle in the back of my head.

The animation continues to be gorgeous, and while the 2D-3D blending of the visuals feels a little weird sometimes, I think it works in-story that the 3D-rendered dragons look very different to everyone around them, since it makes them feel more otherworldly and terrifying. I also like that they don't really look like their Official D&D Counterparts, and the way they've respec'd their breath weapons into things like "wings constantly leaking acid" is really neat.

I also think the way they've shifted the magic system is very interesting. D&D has extremely hard-magic rules on who can cast what spells at what time based on what they know or have prepared. The show dials that way back and treats it a little more hand-wavey, though they'll still hint at the spell slot system with casters being like "sorry I'm out of juice" or "I think I can only do it once a day" which is cute. But this shift to a softer magic system does mean the more versatile casters, mostly Keyleth, seem like they can kind of just do anything depending on the needs of the scene - which is obviously not what is mechanically happening, but because we can't see her spell list or class features it's kind of what it feels like. She has all the standard element-manipulation and druid shapeshifting/treehugging stuff, but we also see her bust out the power of the sun and turn into a giant fire monster, which doesn't feel quite as connected to the rest of her powerset - it makes sense if you squint, but in the moment there's a little lurch of "where did THAT come from?" Now that's not bad writing on the show's part, it's a holdover from the inconsistency of D&D's spell lists. It DOES feel weird that a wind magic specialist could cast Sunbeam just because they hit level 11. Narratively what this indicates is that Keyleth is frankly ridiculously reality-warpingly powerful and doesn't really know her own strength yet, which is top-notch characterization and very consistently demonstrated in-show, but it does invite that one storytelling bugaboo of "how are the heroes gonna solve this one? …………magic." It's subletting a townhouse in the suburbs of The Power Was Within You All Along.

Overall really liking it so far!

[cheerfulmelancholies]

How I Figure Out My Characters

Sometimes it's a struggle to write my characters, even if I have the story planned out. I'll be writing, and I know that John Smith has to do XYZ to get to the next plot point, but I'll often find that as the story went along his personality got away from me a bit, and now XYZ doesn't really feel like something he'd do. Character sheets have never helped me all that much, so here's a few ways I flesh out my creations as well as dig myself out of my hole.

Write miscellaneous snippets: If I'm having a hard time nailing down a character's personality or writing them is disrupting the flow of my story, I will often take a break from the main plot and put that character in an unrelated situation. EX: I took Daniel Ryder, one of the main characters from my wip Medical Mechanical, and wrote some snippets about his childhood, as well as his early tie-ins with the mega-corporation he works for. These will never be present in the story. They exist only so I could work some things out regarding his behavior and motives. They really helped me get into his head and understand why he would do certain things, and I was able to give him some more depth.

Build them up in your mind: This is a bit similar to the first one, but rather than spending time writing long drabbles that will never be added to the main story, I simply imagine how they'd react in certain scenarios. Essentially a 'What would ___ do?" kind of situation. Answering that simple question in my mind sometimes gives me enough inspiration to figure out how to rework the issue in the story.

See if someone else can do it: If all else has failed but I still really want a particular conflict or plot point to be present in the story, I will rearrange things a bit to see if perhaps a different character can do it. If it no longer makes sense for John to be the one to do XYZ, perhaps Mary can because something spurred her to do it instead. If that actually works within the story, then I can incorporate John into it but from the other side.

There are times where you're just gonna have to cut some things out of the story or save them for something else, and that's ok. Not everything is gonna make it in and it's better to let the story work naturally than to force things into it.

[luminousnotmatter]

This Close

a little j.h.s. something

pairing: My favorite Texan Naval aviator, Jake ‘Hangman’ Seresin x Female...Reader? OC? She’s kind of both? I’ll explain more in the Author’s Note. 😜 warnings: Mutual pining. Yearny. Friends with feelings they’re not acknowledging. PG-level swears. Takes place in a bar that’s not The Hard Deck. There’s a Dean Martin song used.😜  word count: a little over 1k. author’s note: This is my first bit of writing shared in a good long while, and also my first bit of writing for Top Gun Maverick since that movie happened to me this year. Be gentle please I’m nervous???? 😨😱 This story is actually part of a moment I have in mind for a whole, longer, multi-parted story that’s currently simmering on the stovetop of my brain until I can figure it out more/work up the nerve to plot it out and start writing and sharing it involving Jake and a Lady OC who I’m also still developing. Hence she, ‘Birdy’ a nickname she’s referred to as once here ☺, is sort of straddling the Reader/OC line at the moment. I honestly prefer writing this way than in the second person; it’s easier for me and I find I like the way things flow and feel better, so hopefully y’all don’t mind it. Okay. I’ve officially rambled w a y too much so I’m shutting my cakehole now. 🤐 I sincerely hope it pleases you! 💕❤ bonus material: This is the song that’s playing in the bar in case you want to listen in on Jake and Birdy’s dance.  It’s not a love song really, but I love it and find there is a certain sweet, romance to it. But then again, I’m a known Sap, so form your own opinion. 😉 tagging: My Sweet B.💗 ‘cause she’s a dear, inspiring, and encouraging gem of a lady, whom I love. @bradshawsbaby​

"The sun is sinking in the west the cattle go down to the stream the redwing settles in her nest it's time for a cowboy to dream..."

With the first few lines of the song and Dean Martin's signature croon, the energy and volume in the crowded bar immediately shifts, lowering from it's previous loud, buzzing intensity to a quieter, pleasant hum. A few of the dancing couples rearrange themselves into new pairs, but most stay with their current partners.

  Jake's green eyes glow warm. His lips are still upturned in a gentler, one-sided version of his familiar wide and sunshiney smile, as his gaze sweeps around the space casually, before meeting hers.

"Shall we?" he quirks an eyebrow up. Speaks only loudly enough for her to hear. His left hand remains loosely entwined with her right, leftover from the previous, faster dance, but he's inviting her to join him for this one, not assuming she wants to. A gentleman's gesture.

And some might argue against it: but she knows, believes, has seen, that Jacob Seresin is a gentleman, in the truest sense of the word. He just....buries that part of himself, walls it up, far too often.

She tightens her grip on his hand. Let's herself notice, secretly relish, the roughness of his calloused fingers and palm. And the skipping jolt it sends to her heart. "Let's." and a smiling nod is her only response.

“Purple lights in the canyons That's where I long to be With my three good companions Just my rifle, my pony, and me...”

They step in close to one another once more, less than a foot of space between them. It's not really different than what they had been doing a minute or so ago, albiet slower, but the feeling, the energy between them has changed, just as it has for the place as a whole.

  It's not necessarily an unpleasant change.

Jake's right hand holds her waist with a sort of tentative firmness, the heat of his palm bleeds through the material of her dress to her skin. His left hand has raised her right while they sway and take small steps in time with the music.

At first she looks everywhere but at her partner's face. Gaze sweeping around the room at the other couples, the lights above the bar, patrons' abandoned drinks....

She's exposed, raw, hyper-aware of the pounding of her heart against her ribs, of how hot her cheeks are, of the inherent intimacy there is in this slow closeness, and somehow it seems that if she looks in Jake's eyes it will be a tacit acknowledgement of the Truth she's currently refusing to actively acknowledge: that she likes this. Likes him. This man is her friend (becoming one of her favorite, best ones), so of course she likes him, and she is comfortable with him, as a woman and as his friend, but that Truth? What it actually means deep down? It's a damn frightening thing to look at head-on.

All these sensations and thoughts scramble through her heart and brain in milliseconds.

“Gonna hang my sombrero, On the limb of a tree Comin' home, sweetheart darlin' Just my rifle, my pony, and me...”

The sound of the Naval Lieutenant humming the tune of the song near her ear draws her eyes back to him, almost against her will, but not actually. He's looking around too at first, but quickly meets her eyeline with a gentle widening of his smile.

  "You know this song?" she asks with a smile of her own; she knows this tune well but wouldn't have guessed he did. It brings an ache of fondness to her chest that he does.

"Mm-hm." he nods and grins fully with his mouth closed. His nose scrunches up once, barely perceptible but she catches it. The skin around his eyes crinkles and her chest is hurting again.

  She drops her gaze for just a moment, trying to think of something to say. The silence isn't uncomfortable, it's just that she likes the sound of his voice. Likes the way he talks to her. But when her eyes catch the sheen of sweat on his skin over the hollow of his throat, they fly back up. Immediately.

  Jake is still looking at her. His look is so very unguarded (her heart whispers the word: tender) it sends any thought of words out of her mind. His pink mouth is still smiling, but it too is a smaller, softer, a more intentional, meaningful thing.

“Whippoorwill in the willow Sings a sweet melody Ridin' to Amarillo Just my rifle, my pony, and me...”

He breathes out the quietest, whispered, "Hey, Birdy."

Her throat is tight with some unexpressed, still-ignored emotion but she's able to whisper back, "Hey, Jay."

Jake gives her hand two squeezes in quick succession.

“No more cows to be ropin’ No more strays will I see Round the bend, she'll be waitin' For my rifle, my pony, and me My rifle, my pony, and me...”

Someone in the crowd calls for the song to please be played again, just once more. Their request is granted.

She swallows hard. Jake's lashes are long and his eyes are so green and the unguarded, tender look in them is still there. He is no longer smiling, just looking; his expression still soft, open.  He's not only looking at her but seeing her. The rosy, ruddy glow to his cheeks and the firmness of him beneath her hand that cups his back, all shout of the health, vitality, alive-ness of him.

It's a fight to think of other things besides her desire to lean all the way into his chest.

I wanna give up that fight.  For right now: I can give up. I give up. she thinks to herself. With a finality and resolve to which she grasps tightly.

Before anxiety and self-doubt and outright fear can question and crumble that resolve she does it.

She takes the half-step in, tucking her left hand between their two bodies up by her face and rests her cheek to his t-shirt covered chest, right below his left clavicle. She allows any tension to bleed from her shoulders, her neck, her arms, and lets him hold her.

Just for the rest of the song, she tells herself.

As he curls his right arm all the way round her back, Jake holds his next inhale at its peak for a quick extra second or two, then lets it out evenly, once she relaxes fully against him. She can't see his face of course, but he feels like even his blinking is slow, and careful. She's never been quite this close to him before now.  And he's never....he's not sure he has ever allowed himself to consider that he's wanted her to be...but his deep-down self is realizing: he has. Damn.

He shakes that realization and its implications off for the moment. It doesn't have to be dealt with right now.

  Just enjoy the rest of the song, Seresin, he tells himself. Rests his cheek gently against her head. Holds her.

They sway and take small steps, to and fro, to and fro, until the song does...eventually...unfortunately....end.

[sunsafewriting]

Hey :). I was hoping that maybe you would have some nuggets of wisdom regarding story pacing and plot. Everything you published on ao3 is so well paced and worded in such a way that the reader can vividly picture every scene. Sooo.. question: how do you plan out the plot of a story? And when you don't necessarily have a plot, how do you make sure that the scenes you want to write are well-connected/paced within the bigger narrative?

Anyways, I hope you have a great day. And answer or not, I will keep enjoying your work just the same.

hey mate! thanks for thinking of me but you have actually come to a terrible place for pacing advice bc that is definitely the part of writing that i struggle with most lol . but i shall tell you how I cope and hopefully some of that helps you (?)

basically I cannot plan to save my life. fic or original writing --- if I set out to outline, I come up with bad ideas and stress myself out of even starting. all the stories I plan are MUCH worse than the ones I don't. for some writers planning works great and if that's you that's awesome!!! but I am doomed to walk another path

what I do instead of planning a story is think about what I (me, personally, bc I write fic from a place of indulgence) WANT out of it. like, what's the stuff I wanna see? to me, the essential aspect of pacing is making that stuff feel important and worth it and earned. it has to have emotional weight or it won't be what I'm after .

that's also how I try to make scenes are connected; they're all focused around a general Vibe or Feeling I want to construct.

for example, in Do A Flip, what I wanted was all of them getting to become a family. and so I worked backwards from that --- what are the steps within steps within steps that lead them there? what little aspects can we put together to create that kind of image?

for pacing it's also handy sometimes to ask what the best bit about NOT being where you're aiming for yet is. like, what is worth lingering on and enjoying that isn't the end goal? what fun thing can you only have at THIS moment of the story, rather than later? it makes each part more fun to write .

I started with a much shorter version of the fic (14k) where I wrote a shoddy draft of the whole thing from Diego's pov, and then I went back and added a ton more pieces.

that's also something I use to help myself out (and because personally I love to write this way) --- I write in pieces.

this improves my pacing, because then I'm not having to constantly consider the whole structure. instead, I'm thinking about what the point of an individual fragment is --- what am I showing in this scene, and what does it mean? often it's just something small (like I want to show that Beatrice is comfortable with Ava holding her hand, or that Lilith tries to be friendly to Diego) but I function much better with a hundred bite sized pieces than a massive whole.

in these piece-style stories, I rely on the reader drawing connections between different parts and inferring rather than a smooth flow. it's just something I enjoy as a narrative form --- I like gaps and spaces where you figure bits out yourself.

I also rearrange a ton. scenes get cut and pasted to be in a new spot all the time bc I realise as I go that they could be tweaked and fit better somewhere else. when I'm writing, I also often just leave a break and write SCENE, and then jump on to the next one --- like I don't know how I'm going to fill it in yet, but I know I need something to separate out two more similar bits, or a different POV, or to slow down before X Event happens. half the time I have no idea where a chapter is going until the first version is almost done.

the other thing about pacing for me is that devastatingly I rely heavily on rewriting, editing, and cutting beloved scenes that don't super gel. chapters take SO long to come out bc I rewrite them 2-4 times. a lot of better (and less highly strung) writers don't need to do that much so please don't feel like it's necessary but it's definitely necessary for me bc without it my work would be a total shambles lmao. I also find the promise of rewriting means I'm less likely to freeze up or stare at a blank page because I will go back and improve/tidy up later.

I also think paying attention when you feel pretty meh about something is helpful for pacing. for example, I wrote a 6k version of chapter 3 of Favourable Conditions where a lot more happened, but I didn't like it. I got my girlfriend to read it and she said "the whole first part feels like you're racing to get to the second part, and then it all settles down". and she was totally right --- I had a scene I was excited to get to so I gunned it, but the overall feeling of the chapter suffered as a result. I split the chapter in half and then rewrote the whole first half as a chapter in its own right, and decided to focus on what fun stuff I could do there, rather than just skipping through to get to the rest. I ended up adding scenes that were the ones people in the comments liked most. I also ultimately decided to change the next few plot beats afterwards, based on how that went.

I would also say that generally speaking, not a lot happens in my stories. like, I go for smaller stakes and smaller actions that slowly add up --- mostly bc I'm writing very chilled out stuff. but if you're trying to build a character to the point of doing something drastic, it's a different ballgame to escalating them to some minor change. both are super doable, you've just got to keep in mind what you're aiming for. I like minor stakes because I enjoy trying to make small things like washing dishes or going to the park matter. it's also just the vibe of where I'm at right now --- previously I've written things that were a LOT more dramatic.

if you're really struggling, I would also suggest starting with writing something short. your blog is blank so I couldn't tell what kind of writing you might be interested in, but it's much easier to tweak and change and judge these things if you're working in a smaller area --- like a 2-4k oneshot --- than if you sit down to write 80k. I literally never sit down to write 80k of fic I just accidentally end up doing it lmao.

I hope some of that is vaguely useful? I don't have a lot of wisdom to dispense bc as you can see most of my process is crutches for getting around having no natural sense of pacing. if you have any more specific questions about pacing a particular scene or idea I might be able to help more?

but good luck! 💛

[socialjetlags]

╰ ☆ ◞ avan jogia / nonbinary / he/they ——— no way, is that KAVI DESAI? you know, they’re 32 years old and they’ve been in los angeles for 12 YEARS. they’re chillin’ as a MUSICIAN & MANAGER at ALT CULT RECORDS. oh and they’re notoriously known for being PRETENTIOUS but there are some people who have seen them be ENTHUSIASTIC. i heard they’re a part of a BAND called STATIC MIDNIGHT, yeah, they’re a DRUMMER. to be honest they sound a lot like BASEMENT & CITIZEN. they’re actually A RISING STAR.

I. BASICS.

FULL NAME: kavi desai.

NICKNAME(S): avi (a shortened version of their name, also happening to hold the meaning of "sheep"), shepherd (see: explanation for avi. sheep doesn't seem to flow too well as a nickname, & here comes a moniker he'll never shake), pepsi.

AGE: 32.

DATE OF BIRTH: february 9, 1992.

PLACE OF BIRTH: maywood, california, usa.

GENDER: nonbinary.

PRONOUNS: he/they.

ORIENTATION: bisexual.

LANGUAGE(S) SPOKEN: english, gujurati.

NEIGHBOURHOOD: west paradise.

LIVING ARRANGEMENTS: lives in a one-bedroom unit at the aster apartments.

II. FAMILY TIES.

MOTHER: mindy desai, distantly supportive relationship. there's nothing stronger than a mother's love, they say, but kavi could name a few things. mindy is a good mom, mostly, and she makes sure to check in every now and then. sometimes she'll even refer to recent news of static midnight, if there is anything to speak of. if kavi could complain of one thing, it would be that she always has to slide "your father loves you, you know" into conversation.

FATHER: jevan desai, hostile relationship. to put it simply, jevan disagrees with the life that kavi is living, and kavi often fans the flames—if he's going to piss his dad off regardless, he might as well do a good job at it.

SIBLINGS: palomi desai, younger sister. palomi thought the world of kavi when they were kids, and well... she still kind of does. she is their motivation to do good & be good. if they have one only fan, it's palomi.

PETS: a tuxedo cat (unoriginally) named socks. if you ask kavi, she's "a sweet little thing." everyone who's met her so far would have to disagree.

III. OCCUPATIONAL INFO.

OCCUPATION: musician, manager of alt cult records.

NAME OF THEIR ACT: static midnight.

DO THEY PLAY INSTRUMENTS? IF SO WHAT?: drums.

HOW LONG HAVE THEY BEEN A PART OF THE ACT?: 4 years.

ARTIST INFLUENCES: karnivool, soul blind, superheaven; he takes a lot of musical inspiration from heavy shoegaze artists.

CURRENT MONTHLY SPOTIFY/APPLE MUSIC LISTENS ON AVERAGE: 14k.

IV. APPEARANCE.

FACE CLAIM: avan jogia.

HAIR COLOR: naturally dark brown, but currently bleached to a near-platinum tone. looks a bit like half-assed frosted tips with the dark roots starting to come back in.

EYE COLOR: dark brown.

HEIGHT: 177cm, 5ft10.

BUILD: slim, defined muscles.

TATTOOS: a decent amount on his torso, arms & legs. details tbd.

PIERCINGS: double lobe piercings, left nostril stud.

CLOTHING STYLE: experimental. mixes all kinds of fabrics & patterns, mostly dresses in a muted color palette. wears a lot of loose, flowing pants paired with tighter tops.

DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS: thick eyebrows, long eyelashes.

V. PERSONALITY.

MBTI: esfp-t, the entertainer.

ELEMENT: water.

WESTERN ZODIAC: aquarius.

CHINESE ZODIAC: monkey.

POSITIVE TRAITS: enthusiastic, adventurous, accepting, humorous, forward, decisive, open.

NEGATIVE TRAITS: pretentious, argumentative, (too) open and also somehow not open enough, self-sabotaging, unreliable.

HOBBIES: doom-scrolling, generating ai pictures of himself in different styles, denying any and all wrongdoing that they’ve ever done, irritating their cat and then giving her treats to reel her back in, working out, bitching about working out, fishing for people to tell him that his workouts are paying off, trying new diners, hanging out at bars, window-shopping, rearranging their living room and then ultimately ending up on the same layout, arguing with his neighbors over the noisiness of him moving his furniture every other day, spreading misinformation, pondering the possibility that it’s time for him to grow up and then deciding that he’s still got time.

VI. WANTED CONNECTIONS.

LONG-TERM EX: “the one”, almost. kavi was a flight risk from the get, but this person gave him an honest chance—and fell so in love that they stayed long after it had become obvious that he wasn’t willing to give them what they needed. up and down relationship, passionate one day & dull the next; a routine that established itself and persisted for two or three years. they were living with kavi up until the breakup, which was around christmas 2023. they still have an immense amount of love for each other, but understand that they lack romantic capability. staying friends through it all, for better or for worse. the vibes: the 1 by taylor swift, i know the end by phoebe bridgers, cellophane by fka twigs, two slow dancers by mitski, renegade by big red machine & taylor swift, new perspective by noah kahan, etc etc…

THE BEST FRIEND: they’ve been through hell & back together, even if most of this so-called “hell” was self-created. there’s not much kavi wouldn’t do for them, so long as they keep cat-sitting when he’s out of town.

CUSTOMERS: people who shop at alt cult records somewhat regularly and are often subject to kavi’s pretentiousness, as music is where it tends to come out. the person who thinks he’s so cool, the person who’s sick of him acting like they give a shit about anything he’s got to say, the person who thinks he’s a sleazebag but he’s Hawt so they’ll pretend to be interested in what he’s saying all day every day, etc etc!

QUESTIONNAIRE. 

start at the beginning, who are you and why are you important?

“i’m kavi desai,” he says, as if it that’s all he has to say; there’s something suffocatingly smug in it, telling of who he is. a conglomeration of false confidence and one-liners. “i was just an indian kid with a dream, and now i’m managing a record store and playing in a band that people actually give a shit about; no matter what angle you look at it from, i’ve got something to be proud of, right? and, believe me, it gets better from here.”

how long have you been making music?

“as long as i can remember, really. i asked for a guitar for christmas one year. i can’t remember how old i was, maybe nine or ten, and santa provided. i learned fast and i wrote a lot of songs as a teenager, most which were complete dog shit. i ended up picking up drums ‘cause a good friend of mine was selling their set, and i guess there was somethin’ in me that knew where i needed to be. hey, here i am.”

how would you describe the kind of music you make?

“honest rock music. in a band, you have to work together to make something worth listening to—but if you understand who i am and what i do, you’ll understand there’s a lot of self-revelation in it. i like to try new things, and i like to believe that it all comes from my heart.”

who are some of your biggest musical influences?

“when i was growing up, the main one was the smashing pumpkins. i could probably play every song from pisces iscariot on a guitar to this day—but hey, don’t hold me to that, alright?… nowadays, i really like superheaven. their drummer’s style really stands out to me. they don’t make music anymore, but their discography never gets old.”

what is the first record you ever bought?

“the all-american rejects’ move along. not a single skip on it.”

what has working in the music industry meant to you thus far in your career?

“excitement. if i’m honest, not much else to speak of yet, but i think we’re getting close to something.”

what are some stand out moments from your career so far?

“it’s always nice to be told that i inspired someone to start drumming… or to see a pretty girl lose her shit from catching a setlist. hey, let me tell ya, moments like that will make you feel like a real rockstar!”

what are you still hoping to achieve in your career?

“well,” they start, grinning ear-to-ear—their bashfulness now evens out the vanity from earlier. “i want a sure sign that i’ve made it. this might look different for other musicians, but for me… it’d be nice to hold an arena tour, right?”

what’s next for you?

“keep your eyes on me and you’ll find out soon enough.”

[citylighten]

Hello! I've been reading Sink or Swim, and I am absolutely enthralled in the depth of your writing. Which brings me to my first of several questions... How long have you been writing? I find Pietro's backstory personality very complex. How he presents himself... Handles obstacles... It's intriguing. How long did it take to create Pietro's... well... life? Did you have to do a considerable amount of research? And for my last question, how long does it take you to caption a scene? Are you editing the dialogue right until you post?

HELLO~!

First off thank you for this message! I'm very happy you're enjoying the story!

In regard to your first question: I began writing at a young age. So young, that my earliest memory of writing is sitting on my grandmother's lap and telling her exactly what to write down in Microsoft Word. (I figure these were probably stories about Simba the Lion) Eventually, I told her I wanted to figure out how to use Word on my own and the rest is history. But yeah, I've always been big on writing and reading, there was always a story of some kind in my head. By the time I was ten, I was on FF.Net posting very shitty fanfics. But that's the thing about writing, you know? The more you do it, the more you read, the more you even do something like observe films and shows for the narrative value rather than strictly looking at it as entertainment the better of a writer you become. I also made the decision back in high school to become a journalist (something I don't think I want to be anymore, but I digress) still, having the responsibility of writing about real events, or about real people, definitely influenced my writing, as well. Especially when it comes to the way people speak or may explain something.

Admittedly, writing a story in the mafia genre isn't easy. A lot of research is involved (ranging from reading biographies to just watching films, but I also love the video game Mafia because their worldbuilding is pretty good😂) and I often take mental notes of things so I can understand/apply similar topics with my characters.

In regard to your second question: We've hardly scratched the surface of who Pietro is as a person! I planned to do a few edits of him as a kid as well as a "mini-story" of how he ran away from home at sixteen but I haven't gotten around to it yet.

Pietro is a very new oc - he was made this year, so understanding him/developing him has been a push-and-pull process. Before Sink or Swim started, he was originally meant to be way more antagonistic, but then I found myself liking him. I thought of Pietro and Rosie hooking up and the drama that could entail of, but then I thought, "what if this guy cared about her?" And boom, I found myself jotting out a bunch of outlines and concepts.

However, because Pietro isn't born in America...er, Simerica, I've found myself reading about Sicily a lot. Since I view that as the real-world counterpart to Tartosa. The norms, the lives of farmers, the way organized crime functions there because Pietro's family suffered greatly due to the local mob. But that's all I'm saying about that!

In regard to your third question: Captioning a scene can take forever. I'm not sure why because all I do is copy-paste pre-written text. But the time it takes to write out a scene can vary depending on its length, relevancy, and tone. Small talk is horrible to write, just plain horrible. Banter is usually quick. But when you have scenes like Rosie reading Pietro's email - that took forever because not only am I writing out Sheila and Pietro having a serious conversation, I had to write out the details of the email. Similarly, in my last post, when Pietro more or less confesses that he's an affiliate of the mob: that conversation took three rewrites before I felt it was good enough to put on caps. The first conversation draft was rough, I kept zoning out. The second was a little easier, but I found myself rearranging the conversation to better flow. And the third edit was the easiest because it was like I was 'smoothing' things over and ensuring the flow was decent. Sometimes though, once I paste dialogue onto a cap I do slightly tweak it to correspond with the expression the sim has. But again, thank you for all these questions! I enjoyed answering them!

[kyogre-blue]

Got another ending in Kaveh’s hangout. I think I’ll have to consider this one to have 4 branches, since I can tell the other ending in this “branch” will be about Kaveh’s mother and her notebook, so the content might be fairly different. 

This branch has Alhaitham (sigh) and ruminations about the nature of art and the meaning it brings to life. It’s... more of the same really, in that it’s not awful but it’s quite incoherent and doesn’t really flow. 

Aside from the meaning of art incoherence, I have to say that this continues the trend from Kaveh’s bio in that they present things that are quite similar to everyday real life in a way that makes it seem like the writers have no basic understanding of the real world. 

In Kaveh’s bio, they had that ridiculous mess about how group projects work. (What the hell was Alhaitham even doing, driving people off the project because they “couldn’t keep up,” like, bro....... that’s not how group projects work...)

Here, we have the writers apparently not understanding how libraries work, even slightly. 

Point 1: They have a tradition of writing in the library books. 

And of course, this leads to cases where the notations cause problems.

Point 2: Kaveh thinks it’s fine to rearrange library books at will... but also the “Grand Conservator” rearranged the books based on complaints from students about Kaveh’s long notes, implying they don’t have some kind of structure for arranging the books in the first place...? How do they find things, then. 

Point 3: There’s apparently no rules about keeping quiet in the library. Alhaitham here might be lying like usual, but he’s suggesting that Kaveh is talking very loudly in the House of Daena, and Kaveh mentions that they met when Kaveh saw several other students chatting away near Alhaitham. Neither of these instances prompt any comments about what is appropriate in a library, so the loud talking is fine??

Like, I know Sumeru had that all but forgotten point about how the existence of the Akasha made them devalue books (among other things), but like... this is such a mess. 

This one is not only at best a huge stretch in regard to real life (many people do not consider schooling their “best years,” and it just reflects on the writers that apparently they do), but it also doesn’t make sense for the Sumeru setting. 

Many, MANY characters have conveyed how awful and soul crushing it is to be a student at the Akademiya. Remember Alrani, who would rather get kidnapped than have to work on her thesis anymore? Remember Layla, who is so stressed that she developed a wholeass split personality? Like, these are not people who are going to look back on Akademiya with fondness. 

Additionally, Akademiya is their government?? Half the cast is STILL “at the Akademiya.” They’re employed there, they don’t leave. This is just the writers substituting college/high school with Akademiya when it’s not actually one to one. 

Then, we have Alhaitham’s long monologue about Kaveh: 

This is like......... OK, so this hangout starts when Kaveh straight up walks out on his client. In the tavern, he makes it clear that he’s concerned about doing so because it would have repercussions for his reputation and clients might not want to work with him. Which makes sense. 

What Alhaitham is saying here is..... nonsense? Yes, of course Kaveh spends a lot of time trying to meet his clients’ demands. That’s his job?? 

And yeah, sure, maybe there are architects with bad tempers who get held up as paragons of “staying true to one’s principles,” but the people holding them are probably not their clients. Notice how he very nicely doesn’t bring up whether those inferior architects make any money or even receive any worthwhile work. (Adding on that, if you want to create things as an architect, you must have clients, because otherwise you won’t have the money to create anything. So even from the standpoint of fulfilling his own drive as an artist, Kaveh still needs to take commissions.) 

Alhaitham: have you considered becoming a primadonna that only does passion projects once in a blue moon

Alhaitham, “Admonishing Instruction”: I gave him advice one time, and he broke up with me. Never doing that again. 

And those differences will remain unresolved forever because god forbid Genshin change the status quo after the local Archon quest is over. 

Puzzling comment, to me. Wouldn’t higher-quality timber mean a sturdier, more long-lasting structure? Why is this a matter of aesthetics? 

Kaveh’s comments on art: 

ok, that’s fine.

sure.

ok, also understandable.

(these are from two different conversations, but they fit together pretty well and I missed the dialogue box before the last one)

The last quote is what Kaveh considers as the meaning of art. To create things that can move people, even across time. 

The funny thing is that his definition excludes Nilou’s performances because they are impermanent. Additionally, iirc the original flow of this speech is not quite this smooth. I think he goes back into “art is so painful” at some point, in a way that made me go “you can be passionate about things that aren’t art, dude.” 

AND THEN he drags “divine inspiration” back into it, which doesn’t.... have anything to do with what he’s been saying.......

Kaveh: art comes from believing in and capturing the nuances of daily life. it’s something that moves the soul and will immortalize the artist as their creations are acknowledged across countless years

Kaveh: maybe the gods make you do it

Where the hell did the gods come from??

Assorted comments: 

You don’t know him? If you didn’t play the Sumeru wizard games, you’ve literally only seen him in a few very short scenes with Alhaitham. 

If you have played the wizard tournament, you still barely know him! Like four fifth of what we know of him comes from eavesdropping, no less. 

Why are all you idiots always digging in the desert. Does your damn jungle not have ay buildings for you to investigate? 

Kaveh is more than cool with bragging while also being self-conscious and having too little self-esteem. 

Jumping to conclusions. The woman took one small suitcase with her because she wanted to leave her past behind. But surely the only reason she’d leave behind a book filled with her past is....... for Kaveh. Yup. 

How and why would Haravatat, a darshan she wasn’t even part of, find out her diary password. What is even the point of this comment?  

Rare instance of having a ballpark age! Kaveh is at least 25. 

[rotten-hearts-sharp-teeth]

I can't just ask for all the smut emoji prompts for barrett,,,Barrett,,,, can I? If not, pick a few favorite you have interesting thoughts for. Pls. I need for science.

Yesss! I'm always excited to give details on my boy!

💦 cum headcanon- Barrett is a typical werewolf. Massive, thick load that seems to never stop flowing. His taste is a little more iron rich than a human and takes some getting used to.

🥺 first time headcanon- boy, this was awkward for him. His father gave him the talk from the moment he hit puberty, but it wasn't the typical birds and bees. It was how to hide his nature from a human lover. So when the time came it was unsatisfying for many reasons. Barrett had to conceal his knot and keep a reign on his instincts despite the wave of new sensations he was feeling. I think his first time was with an older, more experienced woman who he financially compensated for the... bad performance. And her discretion of course.

✊️masturbation headcanon- It's difficult for werewolf men to find self pleasure, though not for lack of trying. It takes a lot of coordination and is not nearly as satisfying. Sex with humans wasn't really satisfying either though so sometimes desperate times and all. Let's just say that poor Barrett has spent a lot of his life pent up.

👅oral headcanon- Barrett likes to give much more than he likes to receive. It was his way of working his partner up to the point they might not notice his unusual traits. Getting a blow job felt nice, but since he had to hide his anatomy, it was never as good as other men hyped it up to be.

⛓️ kinky headcanon- Barrett definitely has most of the typical werewolf kinks, but he is also a little old fashioned. He doesn't drift too far into the realm of the REALLY kinky stuff. Most of his darker desires are instinct driven, nothing else.

🔪 dangerous headcanon- Sex with Barrett is just about as borderline dangerous as you can get without facing any real danger. He loves to play it up as far as he can go, but he's experienced with holding himself back so there is no fear of him losing control. He's a gentleman behind the scary appearance.

🛌 soft sex headcanon- I don't think I would describe sex with a werewolf as really soft, but it can be an emotionally transcendent experience. You can't really get closer physically or mentally than being locked together with your partner. Barrett is also fond of compliments, praise, encouragement and declarations of love and devotion. There is still going to be some biting and scratching while having guts rearranged though.

🎁 birthday sexy headcanon- Sex is Barrett's favorite way to celebrate a birthday. For his partner he gets a little silly. A rendition of 'Happy birthday, Mr. President' is sure to happen and on his birthday, he really just enjoys laying back and being appreciated.

❤️ making love headcanon- There is a huge difference between making love and fucking for Barrett. Pace, eye contact, even the way he dirty talks changes when feelings are involved. He feels that love deep in his soul and it shows through his beastly nature.

🎶 music they have sex to- Music is a core component to Barrett's personality. He absolutely has a playlist for everything, including sex. And different ones depending on what kind of sex. Even if it's not played out loud I can guarantee he is singing along in his head to keep his rhythm.

🌹 romantic sex headcanon- Unlike his father, Barrett inherited his mothers sense of romance. He knows how to wine and dine a woman. Make her feel like she's a goddess. The most important person on the planet. Every bit of his performance would be specifically for heightening her enjoyment. Lots of licking, caressing and rubbing.

⏰️ fave time of day to have sex- Anytime. But in all seriousness, Barrett is still nocturnal so night time is the best time in his opinion.

🐱 how they eat the pussy- Thoroughly. With a very long and very flexible tongue.

🍆 how they give blowjobs- He doesn't 😂

🙈 something they are shy about asking for- Barrett isn't very shy about most things but it's hand jobs and blow jobs. Part of him still feels the need to hide his body so being touched freely has become a bit taboo for him mentally. He also feels guilt at taking selfish pleasure. Like he should be the one pleasuring his partner instead.

��� phone sex headcanon- It's not really for his personal enjoyment, but Barrett has a voice and LOVES to engage in dirty talk with his partner. Hearing them grow flustered until they can't take it anymore is a real treat for him. And while he might not get off, the knowledge he can do that for his partner is it's own reward.

📷 naughty pictures- This is another matter entirely. Barrett loves sending and receiving pictures. He definitely keeps a collection. Nothing like sending a random pic during the day to catch his lover off guard. He also enjoys seeing his partner at their most vulnerable. Since they are his and all.

🛁 shower/ bath sex headcanon- This one took some getting used to. As a werewolf, Barrett is a much bigger fan of natural smells and washing them away seemed like a waste. At first. Then he experienced the intimacy and vulnerability of shower sex and was hooked. All it took was washing his hair once.

😴 falling asleep after sex- It takes A LOT to make Barrett run out of steam. Only a heat driven rut really has a chance at knocking him out. Otherwise, his protective instincts take over and he stays awake to keep an eye out for his lover.

🚗 car sex headcanon- Car sex should be impossible for someone of Barrett's size, but having an unnaturally flexible body and the ability to shift organs/ body parts around at will has it's advantages. It's not his favorite. He'd rather bend his partner over the hood, but at least in the car they don't have to worry about bug bites or rain.

🎤 how loud they are- Loud. Very. Barrett can be quiet-ish when he needs to be, but growling and even howling is something that comes natural to him. Boy is vocal!

🍌 sex toy headcanon- Not really a fan. He'd rather offer the teasing and pleasing with his own parts. Using toys on himself doesn't satisfy so much as it drives him into a desperate rut.

🍪 an after sex snack- Tube of raw meat for himself. Instinct drives him to feed his partner. Once they regain consciousness.

🍷 tipsy sex headcanon- Unfortunately, being a werewolf means that Barrett cannot get drunk or tipsy. Alcohol burns right out of his system.

🤪silly sex headcanon- Sex with Barrett runs the full gauntlet from intense, feral, romantic, lazy and also silly. He has a wicked, playful sense of humor and loves to smile as much as he loves to growl. Bonding time is meant to be enjoyed with his partner, in his opinion.

🚨 sex that sent me to the ER headcanon- It took a little while for Barrett to gain control of his body during sex. Some scratches could be a little deep. His teeth clamped down a little too hard. He was a little more vigorous with his size than he should have been. Werewolf sex is it's own hazard for anyone without supernatural healing.

⛱️ sex on the beach headcanon- He's not a fan of sand in uncomfortable places, but will absolutely take his partner into the waves for some privacy. Or on a rock. Or even just standing above a beach towel. If the opportunity presents itself he's going to take it. No matter where they are.

🎇 orgasm headcanon- Literal fireworks. Not only does he feel the throbbing relief in his balls and his knot, but instinctually he feels a deep satisfaction for finishing. Especially if it's inside his partner.

🌄 morning sex headcanon- Barrett is not an early riser. He's actually usually just about to go to bed when the sun comes up, so he's drowsy and less incoherent in the morning. That definitely plays up for some groggy morning sex though, since he's more beast brain. No words, only growls.

🎥 filming or making a sexy movie- Absolutely not. What is his is for his eyes only and he doesn't want to take that chance. Private pics are one thing, but the act itself is a hard no.

🎉celebration sex headcanon- Being a creature driven by instinct with little inhibition means that Barrett's mind usually goes to sex when he is experiencing joy or achievement. Any kind of celebration equals sex. If he has the right partner.

💌 sending/ receiving nudes- Barrett knows he has a nice body and is more than willing to show off any chance he gets. Looking at his partner is something that fills him with pride, even if it is a double edged sword. A wolf man can only take so much teasing.

💋 making out headcanon- Barrett is big on public displays of affection. Mouths and tongues are huge deals for werewolves, so lots of kissing is a must.

[canmom]

The Witch Hunt/Umineko-Project's translation of Umineko is pretty much a sentence-by-sentence one. Individual sentences generally sound natural, but there's a 1:1 mapping between Japanese and English sentences, which lends the whole work a particular cadence. I think it probably makes it longer in general, since in Japanese you can drop a lot of elements of a sentence, which is less permissible in English.

Final Fantasy XIV's translation, now I've played through 2.x with JP voices turned on, is a lot looser. Not exactly as a localisation to modern English though - Koji Fox's approach is to adopt a kind of ren-faire English full of phrases like 'must needs' instead of 'must'/'needs to' or 'mine' instead of 'my', although this oldschool flavour gradually diminishes and becomes more like modern English as the game goes on. But also, the information in a cutscene is often significantly rearranged, so often you notice a short speech bubble in Japanese gets turned into a much longer one in English, and vice versa. e.g. the Japanese might just launch into it while the English has a brief greeting first. My Japanese listening isn't really good enough yet to pick up on a lot of specifics.

There is still a restriction in this 'mapping': I believe the total number of voiced lines, and probably dialogue boxes as a whole, likely has to be the same, since you can change the voices out.

Generally speaking the story is the same at the scene level (you learn the same information about the same characters and places at the same time, you do the same things for the same reasons) and since the cutscene animations don't change beyond lipflaps, fairly close on a cinematography level. The tone of the game is pretty staid early on, so it's usually possible to make rearrangements without affecting the emotional flow of the scene. I'll be curious to see how it changes in the later expansions.

One of the things that I've seen discussed in translation is how an original text that's full of idioms and figures of speech often gets translated in a way that is very plain and literal. So you have to be a little inventive if you want your new prose or dialogue to have some character. (This is, like absolutely everything, a matter of elaborate controversy in fansubbing, the 'keikaku means plan' - 'memesub' - 'jelly donuts' continuum.)

There are some differences of process too. The Witch Hunt were acknowledged in-game and given the blessing of Ryuukishi07, but like most fan translators and even official translators, they received each chapter of the work when it was complete in Japanese. Koji Fox is meanwhile part of the FFXIV writing team, creator of the dragon language conlang and generally a total lore nerd with access to behind the scenes information.

Sometimes Koji's team made fairly large changes to the story, like the tragic loss of horny Haurchefant, although it seems that was only early on, since I haven't really heard similar complaints about the localisation of the expansions.

Though that said, one thing that surprised me to learn is that the Dark Night quests - one of the most popular (if controversially so!) quest lines among English players - got some quite extreme rewrites. The basic thrust of the story is the same, but the characterisation of Fray is quite different, and there's some small changes that seem to just be edgy for edge's sake lol. In general it's also a good example of the sorts of idioms added by the FFXIV localisation.

It's a surprise to me, since I've gone around telling people that if they like the Dark Knight quest, they should look forward to the Steppe in Stormblood, and the whole of Shadowbringers and Endwalker, all of which were written by Natsuko Ishikawa. But it turns out the version of the story I got was pretty far from what Ishikawa wrote.

Anyway, I am writing all this in a pretty neutral way because I'm honestly not sure what is 'better'. I think Koji's weird dialogue actually adds a lot of fun character to FFXIV-in-English that a plainer translation wouldn't, but for a game like Umineko in a Japanese setting that hinges on points of language (particularly in the riddle), Witch Hunt's approach seems to work best - and moreover I get to learn a bit about Japan here and there without the barrier of entry of learning the entire language.

Especially in a visual novel which proceeds at a pace set by the player, I would much rather interrupt the story have a cultural note explaining, say, the Glico running man that I can follow up on and learn something, rather than see it swapped out for a local 'equivalent'. There's a dogma in translation that you should try to recreate the experience of reading the work in original language as much as possible, but that's not always exactly what I want. A work of fiction can be a window into a very distant context, and that could be more important than replicating a 'natural' flow as if it was an English work.

I think it's likely that whichever version of a work I encounter first has an outsized effect - the VA differences of Drakenier don't bother me much, but probably would feel more jarring if I'd played it with JP voices first. But it's mostly interesting to see the possibility space, since translation creative problem about choosing what's most important to preserve, when not everything can be.

For older works, it's common to make many different translations of the same work, and it's kind of a shame that a side effect of the rise of Crunchyroll is that original fansubs have now become much rarer than repackaging of official subs. Not that like... I really watch the same thing twice with different subs, usually there's an obvious answer to how to translate a line and there's only so much time in the world, but it's cool to get a taste of what translators are grappling with.