#being able to watch a character that i relate to so much have such relationships around them has been amazing

[felassan]

New article from IGN: 'How Dragon Age: The Veilguard Used Lessons From The Sims to Craft Its Character Creator and More'

Inside the intricate systems that bring BioWare's RPG to life.

"Corinne Busche wasn’t looking for a job when she sat down for lunch with BioWare’s leadership team in 2019. She had been a fan of BioWare’s games since the days of Dragon Age: Origins, and she wanted to, in her words, “meet my heroes.” “So I went to lunch with a couple of folks in the leadership team at BioWare, and we started riffing about progression systems and skill trees and economies, and we just really resonated with one another,” Busche remembers. “And much to my surprise, they expressed an interest in me joining, and it was kind of the question you don't have to ask me twice. That was such a dream opportunity, and to be able to step in this space, visit the studio, see my favorite characters on display throughout the walls, I was immediately sold. Immediately.” Busche was coming off a stint at Maxis, where she helped design the systems on various The Sims projects. In taking the helm of Dragon Age: The Veilguard, she became part of a wider talent pipeline flowing from Maxis to other parts of the games industry. It’s a pipeline that includes the likes of Eric Holmberg-Weidler, who was credited with fine-tuning many of the systems that comprised The Sims 4 before spearheading the Professions revamp in World of Warcraft’s Dragonflight expansion. Justin Camden, who also worked on The Sims, is one of Dragon Age: The Veilguard’s technical designers."

"Systematic discovery At first blush, it might not seem like The Sims has much in common with an RPG like Dragon Age outside the fact that they both feature romance in some way. Going back to its release in 2000, The Sims has garnered a reputation as a casual, frequently silly lifestyle simulator; the game where you remove a ladder from a swimming pool and watch your poor little Sims drown. Under the hood, though, The Sims is a complex web of systems, progression and relationships. Sims have jobs. They gain skills. They fall in love. “Maxis is a great place for designers to hone their skills,” Busche says. “There are many projects across differing platforms and service models happening simultaneously which give a rare opportunity for a breadth of experience. What people may not realize about the Sims, given its playful outward nature, is the underlying systems and mechanics are deceptively deep – especially as a dev. One of the more interesting parts of coming up through Maxis as a designer is the experience you get with simulation, emergent gameplay, and emotionally relatable player experiences. It’s just a really unique opportunity being a part of these teams, and those are skillsets that can benefit a number of different games and genres.” Busche’s systems design background is evident throughout The Veilguard. It includes extensive skill trees, with sub-classes that are geared around different weapon types and styles of play, and the choices you make also resonate deeply throughout the story. It’s also possible to level up your relationship with individual factions and shopkeepers, which in turn opens up new possibilities for acquiring unique gear, and characters bear long-lasting scars depending on the choices you make. Systems are layered throughout Dragon Age, deepening the player’s intertwined connection with the world and the characters that inhabit it. “What's so wonderful about [The Sims] is there's so much autonomy in that game, and we find that RPG players are hungry for that same sense of autonomy, making decisions, influencing characters. And what you might not realize in the Sims is behind the scenes, there are some really robust progression systems, game economies, character behaviors for their own AI and autonomy… a lot of really fascinating parallels,” Busche says. “So in that regard, I'm very grateful to my time there, being able to take some of those learnings, whether it's about how to convey romantic progression to the player, or design skill progression, game pacing, a lot of really interesting transferable ideas that you might not think about on the surface." In The Sims, characters go through their daily lives in an idealized world filled with strange but charming characters like Bonehilda (Dragon Age, it should be mentioned, has its own living skeleton in Manfred). While Dragon Age’s characters are still bound by the demands of the story, BioWare goes out of its way to make them seem more alive. As we talk about in our hands-on preview that went up last week, Dragon Age is filled with little messages noting how, for instance, you “traded verbal jabs” with Solas. As we’ll go into in a future article, both platonic and romantic relationships are a big part of how characters grow in Dragon Age. And of course, as anyone who has played a BioWare or Sims game knows, both games have their share of woohooing."

"How Dragon Age learned from The Sims' character creator Ultimately, though, it’s the character creator where the resemblance between the two is the most apparent. Dragon Age’s character creator is extensive, allowing players to adjust physical characteristics including chest size, the crookedness of a character’s nose, and whether or not their eyes are bloodshot, among other features. While custom characters are a time-honored BioWare tradition going back to the days of Baldur’s Gate, The Veilguard draws from the lessons of The Sims in everything from body customization to the flow of the user interface. Cross-pollination like this is common within EA, and Dragon Age: The Veilguard borrows from plenty of other sources as well. That incredible hair technology, for example, got its start within EA’s sports games, meaning your Rook can have a luscious mane like Lionel Messi. But the character creator is perhaps the greatest inflection point between Dragon Age and The Sims. “Character creators are extremely complex, and in many ways even more personal. It’s so important that players feel they can be represented and feel pride in that representation as they go through the creation process,” Busche says. “In particular, I remember we were struggling with some of our iconography, and we turned to each other and said ‘how did The Sims 4 handle this?’ While the technology and UI is quite a bit different, the underlying goals and lessons were quite similar.” She adds that Maxis has a “tremendous wealth of knowledge when it comes to representing gender, identity, and the surprising number of localization issues that come along with that when you’re releasing in different regions and languages.” “It’s always nice when you can draw from that prior experience. See what worked, what didn’t, and how expectations have evolved. The fun part is now we get to pay that forward and have been sharing our knowledge with other teams,” Busche says. On a moment-to-moment basis, of course, The Sims and Dragon Age are two very different games with very different goals. One is a single-player action RPG, the other a lifestyle sim. As studios, too, BioWare and Maxis are in very different places right now. The Sims has been a powerhouse franchise for more than two decades, and EA is seeking to expand its reach with a new movie. BioWare, meanwhile, is seeking to rebuild after stumbling badly with Anthem and Mass Effect Andromeda. But when creator Will Wright first decided to focus on the people inhabiting his games, the world he crafted wasn’t too dissimilar from the one found in Dragon Age. Both use unique systems to create reactive, imaginative worlds full of interesting choices, filled with characters with their own inner lives. It’s a philosophy that’s always been part of BioWare’s legacy; now, in The Veilguard, it finally gets to be on full display once again. Dragon Age: The Veilguard will be on PC, PlayStation, and Xbox on October 31. Make sure to keep an eye on IGN all this month as our IGN First coverage continues."

[source]

[edgeasaurus-art]

What several levels of exhaustion does to a mother fucker.

I was listening to the album grow again by Moe Reen while making this. specifically Why Deny (The Climate of Our Love).

You could admit it's all on fire And confess to loving me This world is surely ending soon, Our love is certainly something true So why deny the climate of our love?

Theres so much to say about them. The world is on the precipice of disaster and yet they found each other, the successors to the emperor and empress titans. Did the emperor and empress wonder what their successors would become? did they wonder about who their successors would be? did they hope that they would find the love they had? or did they think the story of the titans ended then?

When Fearne was alone with Nana Morri did she ever dream about the people she has around her now? about sharing a bed, with no other expectations other than waking up together?

When Ashton found themselves left behind after the nobodies left him, did he dream about a group of people who listened to what they said and respected their words? did they ever dream of someone wanting to be with them just because they liked being around him?

when they were at their loneliest, was the thought of each other a fever dream?

I still stand as a firm believer that both Ashton and Fearne have two hands, but watching them grow closer together has been amazing. And I hope their relationship continues to flourish, platonically or romantically.

[beanghostprincess]

I am obsessed with Nirei and Sakura's dynamic because, from the very beginning, their characters start to develop around each other. Whether it's in a shipping way or not, their characters as we know them now wouldn't exist without the other. They're both each other's guiding lights.

Like.

Quite literally:

Nirei makes it his life purpose to help Sakura reach the top because he has been the first one to believe in him and help him out without making him feel weak. And not only that, but Nirei instantly knows Sakura has a good heart. Which is not a hard thing to do because this guy's emotions are displayed in plain sight (as much as he tries to hide it), but Nirei doesn't only realize Sakura's a good person, he also believes he needs help. Yes, Sakura fights for him when they first meet, but Nirei is the (first) one to follow him, acknowledge him as the next one at the top, and be his friend. Because he is what Nirei wants to become and what he wants to protect. He sees Sakura as the future. As a kind soul. As what the town (and himself) needs.

Sakura as a main character has always fascinated me, honestly. And his introduction to his relationship with Nirei might be the most cliché thing of all (ohhh bad guys are beating this guy I just met up. Guess I will have to fight them because I actually have a good heart!!!). But it's so much more!!! Sakura sees Nirei for who he actually is despite his lack of strength and ability to fight. He has ambition. A wish. An unstoppable desire to protect the town and become the type of man he admires so much. And I believe Sakura sees that as something he can actually relate to. As strength. Nirei is the first one to follow him willingly and believe in him, too. He's the first one to reach out. And whether Sakura likes it or not doesn't even matter because Nirei is what he needs. He's someone Sakura knows he can rely on despite his looks.

They both show strengths the other can rely on and appreciate. Sakura is good when it comes to fighting but a whole mess socially and emotionally because he has always been on his own. Nirei is good whenever they need information or emotional support and he just understands people because he watches them, while not being good at fighting. But they both share the same amount of ambition and are able to support each other in countless ways. They lift each other up. They're quite literally written for each other, in my opinion.

They also share insecurities. They know what it means to feel weak. Nirei knows what it is to feel physically hurt and bruised and what it is to carry the weight of the team because he feels like a burden for not being able to help in the same way as the others when he so desperately wants to. While Sakura knows what it is to feel emotionally abandoned, hurt, and lonely, while he also carries the weight of the team on his shoulders because he doesn't let others help him with the burden.

And they are both so, so stubborn. Nirei doesn't tell Sakura he's training and learning to fight behind his back because he'd feel even worse. And Sakura doesn't tell Nirei about feeling like a burden and a bad leader himself, because that'd only make him worse (than he believes he is). But they so desperately wish to help each other in so, so many ways.

Sakura would physically fight anyone who hurt Nirei. He has been protecting him from the very beginning without almost any hesitation. He met his guiding light and proceeded to never let him go. Nirei, on the other hand, is so protective emotionally of Sakura, always caring for him and longing to reach out and get him out of the dark because he can't see he is Nirei's guiding light too.

They're also so, so bad at showing these things. Because Sakura keeps protecting Nirei and keeping him out of fights but that only ever makes Nirei feel like he should be doing something else to help (Sakura only wants to keep him safe because he is precious to him). Nirei wants to reach out to Sakura and shower him with all the love he refuses to ask for but doesn't because doing so would only make Sakura overwhelmed (he has been holding himself back for so long, I swear).

I don't want to talk about this much because I meant to make a post about this, but... Nirei has been holding back his love and care for Sakura for so damn long (shout out to @/cantdrawtosavemylife for saying this actually) and in chapter 146 I swear he just couldn't hold it in anymore and ended up doing a love confession mid-battle. "It's not a love conf-" to me it is. Shut up. I love them.

So what I was saying--

Their characters truly develop thanks to each other.

Sakura learns to care and love for others thanks to all the characters, really, but you can't ignore the favoritism he has towards protecting Nirei and the guilt he specifically feels whenever he gets hurt.

And how he goes from: "Nirei, don't fight"

To: "Okay, I will trust him. I count on you, Nirei"

In like, two pages.

And yes, it's thanks to other characters too that Sakura manages to trust others and not fight completely on his own, lending some control to his friends. But it's the trust he has in Nirei's (and Suo's!!) words that make him improve so much emotionally.

Nirei's quite literally Sakura's heart and logic who can finally make the mess inside of him make sense.

Ohh, but Sakura is Nirei's future, too. His strength. His ambition.

Nirei learns to stand up for himself only because he wants to help Sakura get to the top. Because he promised him. Not only because of that of course, he already wanted to be stronger before meeting Sakura and other characters believe in him too, but now he has somebody to support and fight for.

So he starts only being able to help him out with his brain and heart.

To now be able to at least defend himself properly in a fight so Sakura can keep going forward without looking back.

And not only that! He's now able to fight his fears and be ready to face whoever if it means Sakura won't do it on his own.

And everything because Sakura trusts him.

And I could keep talking about how they're each other's guiding lights and bring out the best of one another. I could mention all the times they spend together which is, like, idk, every damn chapter because if you separate them they might die. I could talk for hours about how their characters wouldn't exist without each other and how Nirei (and Suo. Never forget Suo. I love you, king) will forever be Sakura's right-hand man. Etc etc etc.

Buuuuuut I got tired of writing so I'll just say:

Nirei sees the good heart in Sakura and Sakura sees the strength in Nirei and their dynamic is my favorite thing from this manga.

[lizdive]

Heyy :3 I saw your Lynette! Reader and I'm love with it 🥰 Can I also request some version for Welt, Gallagher, Argenti? Ofc platonic all they wayy [I love ur work 🫶🫶🫶]

Yes you can nonnie 🫡🩷 thank you so much for your sweet words MWAH MWAH 🫶🫶 thank you for requesting !! if you’re unsatisfied just tell me and i’ll redo it <33 ALSO !! NOT CLICKBAIT I GOT TWO POSTS OUT TODAY AND THE CROWD WENT HOME 💯‼️ *Comically gets tomatoes thrown at me* /j

notes 𐙚 gender-neutral reader — "you" used to refer to reader ,, reader is a teenager ,, reader is based off of "lynette" from the game genshin impact ,, platonic relationships ,, mentions of being sold, close to being 'used', creepy old men, and other things relating to lynette’s past ,, mentions of various other characters in various parts ,, platonic relationships ,, not proofread ignore typos

⭑ Much like Dan Heng, WELT did not expect you to fully trust anyone on the express quickly, which was why he tried to make himself seem as welcoming as possible even though he very much is welcoming on his own.

⭑ He was patient with you and respected your boundaries, and when you’d give him your wacky replies he’d just nod his head and leave you alone. He never pushed you to do stuff with any of the members and was overall pretty chill.

⭑ His comforting and welcoming vibes alone helped you trust him easier than the other members of the express, and soon enough Welt found himself walking around with you trailing behind him like a duckling. If he was sitting in the parlor cart, you were next to him practicing or showing him your card tricks. If he was in his room, you were probably there just in the corner doing your thing.

⭑ Tea time anytime anywhere. WELT will always have the time to enjoy tea and snacks with you whenever you’d like! If you make your treats yourself, he’ll help you make them, too. It’s nice bonding time. He’ll also learn a thing or two about tea making from you as it seems that you take the art very very seriously.

⭑ He’s not a swordsman by any means but he’s seen many different fighting styles in his time so he’ll give you some tips on how to improve. He’d still prefer for someone else to properly mentor you and by someone else I mean Dan Heng as he’s the closest one to a swordsman on the express.

⭑ Like some others in the first part, he’ll keep something sweet with him in his pocket so if you’re ever craving something sweet or feeling hungry in general he’ll be able to hand you the sweet treat easily. Feels bad whenever he doesn’t have anything on hand, especially when there aren’t any stores nearby.

⭑ He can do the talking for you if you want him to. He’ll calmly tell others that you aren’t comfortable with conversations and that he’ll be doing the talking for you during interactions. If they don’t cooperate then he’ll just,, leave with you. He needn’t waste both of your times with someone who cannot respect boundaries.

⭑ Not surprised by your feline features as he’s seen many things in his time, but if you lean more into the feline mannerisms he’ll give you extra head-pats and ear scratches and may buy you cat toya if you want them. Makes sure you take care of your nails too!! Doesn’t want you hurting yourself.

⭑ He doesn’t mind participating in your performances. He,,,, he has experience on stage,,,, ahaha,,,, WELT can entertain a crowd! Doesn’t like the tricks that involve the both of you getting a bit messy thought like the water container, but he’ll indulge you in any other tricks! He also doesn’t mind watching your performances! He’ll smile and clap after every trick, praising your skill and what you do. He’s very supportive and would be honored if you teach him how you do what you do.

⭑ If you ever open up to him about your past, he’ll be there for you as he pats your head and rubs your back soothingly, telling you to take your time and that he’s so proud of you for getting through that and having the courage to tell him all of this.

⭑ Like Veritas, I don’t think WELT do anything to the man should he still be alive. He’ll help you forget him if you’re bothered by the memories and help you heal should you be repressing emotions. He’ll teach you how to accept and will make sure by the end of your journey you’ll be the best self you can be. He’s already so proud of you.

⭑ You both are like old people with technology and both learn as you go. A member of the express teaches WELT something, he’s quick to message or tell you about it and vice versa.

"Humans are complicated creatures. Even when they are not doing so intentionally, they will still unconsciously hide their true selves. Though I can always notice a few 'redundant' details, I won't expose their facades when it isn't necessary."

"That’s… very nice of you?"

⭑ You were a performer at the bar, many of the patron and visitors flocking to the bar just to watch your amazing performances. GALLAGHER couldn’t deny that you were a talented kid, and he also quite enjoyed your performances.

⭑ You were young, so it’s not surprise some people did try to get you to work for them instead in hopes of exploiting you. GALLAGHER would always step in if they were being too insistent and sometimes even kick them up, however most of the time they left you alone due to your eccentric replies. They always made him snicker in amusement secretly.

⭑ GALLAGHER will make you drinks as you work and fix up small snacks if there’s anything available. Because of you he’s become a bit of a tea-making expert. Every time you take a break or finish a performance he’ll have a nice cup of tea set up for you in the staff room at the back. He awaits your feedback.

⭑ When you invite him to joins you in your tea breaks? He’s either tossing the bar to Siobhan or another employee, and if there’s non then uhm,,, yeah he can’t join you but he’ll make it up to you! And if you help him with drink making he’ll cry a bit internally. You’re such a good kid,,,

⭑ Not only are you both a good duo in the bar, but you both are a good duo in officer work. He’s is a bit intimidated with your swordsmanship, but he also admires your quick and clean cuts. You become his unofficial official assistant sometimes when it comes to snatching up criminals and it’s actually kind of fun.

⭑ You suck at technology, he’s decent at it, he doesn’t mind. If you want to improve he’ll help you out but if you don’t he’ll supervise you whenever you’re using anything relating to technology so that you don’t burn the bar down or something. Is it possible to get hurt in the dreamscape? I can’t remember. But still, he doesn’t want you to get hurt.

⭑ Calls you 'kitty' jokingly but if you get upset he’ll drop it. Also, only he’s allowed to call you that. Nobody else. He feels that if others do it then it’s mocking you — even if they mean well he just doesn’t like it so only he can do it.

⭑ He’ll help you practice but I don’t think he’d perform insane acts with you. Maybe the more simplistic ones or ones that don’t require him doing really complex things. He just doesn’t want to mess up and ruin your acts. If you want him to do a dramatic announcement for you before you go on stage, he’ll do so happily.

⭑ The moment you open up to GALLAGHER trust that he’ll make sure you’re much more guarded and kept safe. He’ll also be much more observant of the patrons and visitors and nobody will be offering you work offers. He’ll ask you during your break times if anyone tried to do anything to you, and if so, to give him as many details as you possibly can. No need to ask why — he’ll deal with them.

⭑ Should the man that you were sold to dare be alive and enter the bar, GALLAGHER will have him out of there before you even catch a glimpse of him. He’ll also make sure that man is out of the dreamscape. Man, Sleepie has been needing a new toy as of recent!

⭑ Does the talking for you but at the same time not many people will be talking to you anyways after your performances because you’re having your tea break and so he’ll tell anyone that wants to interact with you that you’re unavailable for the rest of the time.

"If you explain a magic trick, then the allure of the performance is lost. Personal relationships are the same. If you want to understand me, why not learn a bit at a time, and gradually piece together a complete picture?"

"I like how you think, kid. Don’t change your mindset ever, got it?"

⭑ A new feline-featured performer holding a show in a planet nearby? Oh how delightful! ARGENTI’s getting a ticket to your show the second they’re available! He’s always loved performances and shows as they show how skilled others are and are always so beautiful.

⭑ He absolutely loved your performance and even wanted to thank you personally for the lovely time! And so after the lights were back on and all guests left, he made his way outside in search of you with an appreciative rose in hand which he expected he’d be able to give to you.

⭑However, what ARGENTI didn’t expect was for you to give him the wackiest response ever. He blinked, handed you the rose, and then continued to converse with you. He’s like Sunday but oblivious — there is no winning with him he can talk for hours.

⭑ It’s a huge yapper / listener situation. You travel a lot for performances and he travels a lot in search of Idrila, so you can’t escape him because he has the excuse to follow you around. Well, he does protect you even if it’s not needed due to your swordsmanship, but it’s convenient so you guess it’s fine.

⭑ ARGENTI also does all the talking for you which is a nice and huge bonus. Sometimes he does it without even realizing and nobody is able to make him shut up. It’s a big win win for the both of you and he never brings it up out of concern because you don’t seem bothered by it.

⭑ Finds your feline features beautiful and would love to help you groom your ears and tail if you’d let him !! He’s be very gentle as he brushes out the loose furs and if you like head pats / ear scratches he’ll sneak them in while he grooms your ears. He’s somehow so good at it for being a first timer (or so he claims.)

⭑ Very present in your performances and will always be there to support you and cheer you on, handing you a rose as a congratulations for the successful show. If you perform for him alone during your free-time, he’ll clap with a big smile and tell you how wonderful that was and how you’re improving so much.

⭑ ARGENTI is probably the best performance partner out of everyone because he puts in so much emotion with the tricks and acts he pulls. Also, he doesn’t mind being in front of a large crowd and he manages to captivate their attentions so that’s a bonus. You’re deadpan and he’s very emotional. A good duo.

⭑ If you open up to him, ARGENTI will be appalled. Not at you — never ever you — but at that disgusting man who dared to even think about using you. He’ll promise you that he’ll make sure nothing like that ever happens again and then he’ll ask if there’s anything he can do to make you feel better. Would you like a specially prepared fish dish? Some sweets? Tea?

⭑ Speaking of tea, he loves tea time with you! It’s a nice time for the two of you to bond and relax from life, enjoying the flavors of the teas that would vary each time you prepared some. If you teach him how you make your teas he’ll be over the moon.

⭑ I don’t think ARGENTI is bad with tech, he’s probably pretty good, so he’ll help you figure out how to not bust everything that contains some sort of tech or machinery. If you break things he won’t be upset or anything — he’s a pretty patient person. He’ll care more about you and if you’re injured.

⭑ Spars with you and constantly praises your agility and clean cuts. You both share tips and tricks for tending to your weapons and fighting in general, too. ARGENTI won’t be too rough on you but he will put up a challenge — he genuinely wants you to improve!

"Building a relationship with someone is like gambling. No matter how much information you have, it's hard to predict how other people might change. I've always had the habit of keeping a safe distance from others, but in your case... I'm willing to shoulder the risk of losing a bet."

"I promise you, you will not regret this gamble nor will you lose."

[moonlightsapphic]

Look, I just need you guys to understand how important queer coming-of-age forbidden romances on internationally accessible platforms like Netflix is, especially to youth in countries where homosexuality still hasn't been legally decriminalised or socially accepted.

That was a mouthful, so let me explain. You, a white American adult with a liberal family, may not relate to a fictional anxious teen Swedish prince grappling with strict familial and societal expectations versus his first love. You may not find anything special in a bunch of queer British teens discovering themselves and figuring out complex relationships that are honestly rather simplistic, in retrospect. It might be a little too trite for you. Like, just a little vanilla without any extra drama. Perhaps corny—cringe, even. Too wholesome.

But you know what that is to me, a desi queer young adult? It's representation, in an unlikely place. My country certainly isn't making movies or shows where I see my secret relationship between me and my girlfriend portrayed. I don't see that happening in the next couple of decades, either, sadly. But you know who’s telling our stories? Alice Oseman. Lisa Ambjörn, Lars Beckung and Camilla Holter. Through fictional storylines that might seem kind of boring to you, I am finally able watch my lived experiences play out on screen.

American media has done such a disservice to queer coming-of-age stories. I want to scream this from the rooftops. Y’all, I’m glad to see more out quirky queer side-characters—I can’t get enough of them—but why is it so rarely their story, in sharp focus, about how they found themselves? I want to know how they overcame internalised homophobia. When was the moment they knew? What is the cost they have to pay for being out? For not being out?

And no, I don’t want it to be dramatic. I don’t need to see violence or betrayals or victorious kisses in public, really. I’m happiest with the teenagers behaving like real teenagers. Innocent, vulnerable, nervous. I want it to be heartfelt, and excruciatingly slow, and authentic. I want to see the small wins and the subtle losses. The quiet mental toll of how much you have to give to a queer relationship—especially your first queer relationship—and how hard that can be to separate from your Identity itself.

Give me that "am I gay?" quiz and genuinely crying at 3:00 AM because you're in a rabbit hole about LGBTQ+ rights in a country where you actually don’t want to be gay and you don’t even know if you “count” anyway. Show me that moment where you're going back and forth from forbidding yourself from seeing the one person that sees and understands you and it's to protect your mental and physical well-being but it's driving you insane. Give me ALL THE YOUNG ADULT BI+ AWAKENINGS where one person strolls into your life and changes everything. No, it’s really not the same as most cis-heterosexual insta-love movies out there, even if it looks that way to you. It doesn’t even cut it close.

The happy ending, the acceptance is only what I can dream of, not what I can expect. The wholesomeness is actually radical to me.

No, we’re not past the need for basic star-crossed queer romances. For most countries in the world (including for many white American teenagers!), we need them as much as ever.

[oneshlut]

Oh my God.

I had a very funny and slightly strange idea...

Imagine that there is mutual sympathy between the reader and Jax. In short, Jax have crush on reader, but the reader... don’t know it (or just don’t see it.)

So, a new person appears in the circus. It doesn't matter who it is, what it is, what their name is, etc.

So, newbie and the reader became very close friends. I mean, sometimes spending the night in the same room, hugging, holding hands...(I mean friends not like lovers)

Look, I just want to see Jax get jealous, okay...?

Thank youuu🫶💋❤️

A/N: awwwww we love a jealous jax,,, thanks a bunches for requesting!! i've been getting OVERLOADED with requests (which is why i closed them for a while, dw, i've got a schedule goin for me now), i'm just so happy you guys enjoy my works!! yesyes, enjoy! <33

Overly Warm Welcome (Jax x Reader) [Imagine]

Rules For Requesting

Characters I Will Write For

Masterlist

Imagine: Reader gets a bit too close to a new character, and Jax gets jealous. How does he respond?

You and Jax have always been close. Everyone in the circus knew this. Mainly because you were partners in crime, pranking everyone in sight together.

Jax would never admit it--not to you--but he had always enjoyed your company. You didn't think of him as some 2-dimensional asshole, but rather someone who actually had a life before. He felt.. seen.

On good days, you'd spend a bit of time in his room with him, chatting about nothing in particular.

Yup, I'm lying. The two of you gossiped about everyone all day. Bantering, teasing, joking.. Jax found himself growing increasingly fond of you. Eventually, he had put his full trust in you.

One day, a new sucker joins the circus. It happens every now and then, but not often, so he finds himself intrigued. Apparently, not as much as you were.

You and the new person became friends immediately. Jax is glad you were able to find someone to relate to, as you were both still pretty new.

Doesn't think much of the two of you at first. He's not immediately jealous, don't worry, his confidence is still intact.

So you start spending more and more time with them. Jax does miss you, but he's, again, not that fragile. He doesn't really care, neither does he care to know the person's name that you started spending all your time with.

He will get slightly more antsy around you, though. Doesn't ask you to join in on pranks anymore, since he thinks you're too busy. Okay, he's just dragging himself away from you at this point.

Jax will watch from afar as you and your friend chit chat and what not.. hoping you still cared for him, and then he just happens to spot the two of your hands were interlocked with eachother.

Surprisingly, that wasn't his final straw. Although, when you had talked to him earlier, he was much more tense with you. He forced laughs, and had a constant envious glint in his eyes.

He would've been fine, if you had just went up, introduced yourself to the new fella, and went on to your day. You could've stayed in a safe relationship with them where you only talked sometimes because of circumstance.

But that's not what happened, huh? Now, you had only spent about two minutes a day with him. And he missed you. There, he admitted it. And if he was being honest, he always wanted you and him to be something.. maybe something more. He's not too confident that's going to happen now, though. He felt overlooked.

You just now begin to notice the edge to his voice. Suddenly, he feels a lot more hostile to be around. He'd mumble about nothing in particular, be lots more rude around you. Ruder than usual, at least. And sometimes, he didn't even want to look you in the eye. Part of you thought that it was something you did.. and a small part of you thought he was just close to abstracting. But you knew him better than that. He had a better mental state than Kaufmo ever did.

One night, he decides to approach you about this. He didn't want to live in silence forever, did he? He also didn't want to.. live without you. But when he knocked on your door, his response was a hollow room.

Jax goes to Ragatha for answers, and tells him that the last she heard of you, you were on your way to the new fella's room. If anything was his last straw, this would be it.

But how else is he supposed to drag you away from them? He'd need a reason, and all he's got right now is.. either admitting he missed you, or admitting to something even more mushy and gushy. He did not feel like doing that at the moment.

Instead, it ends up accidentally slipping out in one of your conversations. Not the liking you romantically thing, but the, uh, missing you thing.

Hearing that he missed you left your heart soaring a mile a minute. I mean, sure, you were close, but.. Jax doesn't normally care for anyone. Except for.. you, apparently.

After you were able to silence the flush look on your face, you questioned him about it. He told you about how much time you've been spending with the "newbie", and how he just misses your company, is all. It didn't seem like everything, though. You decided to save that question for another conversation.

So, he was jealous? Hah, he denied it, but you knew better. You had apologized to him, and agreed to set up a prank on Zooble later that day. His voice no longer felt as tense, and you saw a glint of his usual cheeky grin coming back to him. You smiled back. Not before teasing him relentlessly about it, though.

[curio-queries]

Are You Sure?!

Episodes 5 & 6 Notes

It was very fortuitous that I've been so busy over the last couple of weeks as I really needed both of these episodes together to make sense of my thoughts. This post is definitely far more conceptual than my last ones so if you're up for it, click on though the cut!

AYS's Main Character?

I would like to propose that AYS has a main character OTHER than the individual humans we're following along on screen. (I warned you, this post was going to be conceptual.) And the main character is the relationship itself, how each of the members relate to one another.

Here's Google's AI overview on what this concept means:

A story can center on the relationship between characters as the primary protagonist, with the dynamic and evolution of that connection acting as the main driving force of the narrative, rather than the individual characters themselves.

Key points to consider:

Relationship-centric stories: Many genres, particularly romance, often focus heavily on the relationship between the main characters, exploring its complexities, challenges, and growth throughout the story.

No single protagonist: In such cases, the "character" is the bond between the individuals, not just one person's perspective or journey.

Exploring the dynamic: The narrative would then focus on how the relationship changes, adapts, and reacts to external situations or internal conflicts.

Examples:

"Before Sunrise": The entire plot revolves around the single night encounter between two strangers, with the developing connection being the central focus.

"Brokeback Mountain": The story primarily explores the forbidden love between two cowboys, highlighting the complexities of their relationship in a restrictive environment.

"Steel Magnolias ": A group of girls in a small town in Louisiana experience grief together, including weddings, fatal illnesses, and the loss of loved ones.

Now before anyone comes for me saying I'm just pitching an argument for xyz fanwar, please note that I included the above just to illustrate the concept of a non-person main character rather than stating any of the above are comparisons to the individual member's relationships. We're talking about a show that was produced and distributed for entertainment, nothing further.

Episode 5

My main feeling after finally being able to watch episode 5 was overall unsettled. There was something sticking with me about that episode and I could NOT figure out what it was.

I knew I was feeling like the entire episode was stretched well beyond what the footage wanted for a complete episode. I'm all for getting to spend more time with our fellas but the Jeju trip would have benefited from being cut down to 2 episodes rather than 3, in my opinion.

There was just a whole lotta nothing happening. The guys eat, travel around a little bit, and eat some more. I had some vague thoughts about how I could quantify some data for y'all to explain this point but then it was time for the next episode...

vs. Episode 6

And what an absolutely lovely breath of fresh air this episode was. I know there have been some Run eps that I review with a smile on my face throughout the whole episode but AYS6?? That was 73 minutes of pure bliss.

So I started thinking about what must be different between the two eps. The guys eat, travel around a little bit, and eat some more...wait, that's exactly what I said about ep 5! Lol

But I think the main difference between the two is episode 6's plot points continually focus on the relationships between the members, while 5 falls a little stagnant.

Some examples:

JM/cat & JK/dog. I'm ALWAYS down for more footage of BTS with pets but this is frankly too much time spent on these scenes. It's honestly footage I would have expected in the bonus content instead of the main product. It's not just an establishing beat or a setup for a callback, this is supposed to be a scene but since it doesn't contribute to the journey of the main character aka the relationships. It could maaaybe work if they'd cut it to highlight the juxtaposition of how JM is calm with the cat vs JKs energy with the dog but that would have shortened the time it occupied and they were clearly trying to keep absolutely everything in that would lengthen the episode.

JKs stew. The ONLY thing that ties this plot point into the narrative of this show (other than it happening while he's in Jeju and Jimin is nearby) is the offhand comment he made that Jimin would like it while he was in NY. I'm going to talk more about this footage below but this was absolutely crucial for this whole beat making it into the episode. This is also why the footage of JM eating it and randomly taking off his shirt was kept in. The cut they chose is actually pretty bad story-wise but they used it anyway. We hear JM saying how much he loves it and how glad he is that JK is a good cook. It ties all of this time we spent watching JK do something alone back into the real main character of the show (the members' relationships between eachother in different circumstances).

Anyway, I won't belabour the point any further. With Tae constantly disappearing from scenes and the slightly diminished lack of focus on the member's relationships, episode 5 left me on an odd note.

A Little Production Note

I was completely thrown by the footage of JK in NY that we got this episode. But not for the reasons you may be thinking. (I do wonder if the anon that was sending in asks about the financing behind the documentaries is still around because we're getting into some of tidbits finally.)

So, all along we've been trying to sus out as much as we can, just a few details about how AYS came to be. We've had some hints but the inclusion of this footage may be another indicator.

The facts as we know them:

AYS is distributed by Disney.

Jungkook's documentary is being distributed by Trafalgar Releasing NOT Disney (at least not now, maybe it'll make it onto streaming after cinematic release but who knows?)

Questions due to the footage of JK in NY:

Was this footage captured as part of JKs documentary?

If so, when was it pulled to be utilized for AYS? Did the editors find it or were the writers involved?

We know that HYBE gathers behind-the-scene content without always having a full plan of how it will be used. But there are times where it did seem intentional for a specific purpose. Where did JKs Golden footage fall in?

Once upon a time, production houses would make deals with distributors about quantities of projects that would be delivered. Was that the case with the Disney deal or has every single project been negotiated separately and we only heard about it once there was a confirmed quantity. Somewhere in the middle perhaps?

And that's all I've got to say for now. I do have some more thoughts about things I've gleaned during these last couple of episodes but it'll likely keep until the end.

Anyway, this footage bumped me because it broke the rules of cross-project production. They got away with it for JKs SEVEN footage in ep 1 because they likely were using the same production crew since it was literally the same day so it doesnt feel like they're'breaking the wall'. But the NY-Jeju crews could have been completely different.

Editing to add further clarification to this point in this ask.

On a sidenote, do y'all remember the last time we got footage of jikook in a hotspring?? I'll jog your memory if not, it was in BV:4 and they 'washed each other's faces'. I can't even imagine what we're about to see in episode 7.

Link to my AYS MasterList

[phobos-exe]

Reading Wolverine comics after watching the movies has me absolutely falling in love with the "man or animal" motif that follows Logan literally everywhere.

// Marvel Comics Presents (1991): Issue #75

My favourite read so far is the short 4 issue series, Wolverine (1982), which the 2013 Wolverine movie is based on. Bascially it being about Logan trying not to lose Mariko to an arranged marriage and the cultural powers at play to which he isn't privy to. Furthermore, it absolutely dense with character-centered narrative with Logan's inner conflict surrounding the balancing act he must preform between embracing his animalistic side and his desire to be more than the killer he's always been, whilst he struggles with fitting into japanese society and the japanese underground. I could not reccomend it enough. Issue #3 is such a standout for me, all the excerpts provided are from it also.

One of the scenes i think highlight what im getting at with the motif is how Logan actively interprets an event that took place previously in the story. Earlier, he had fought Shingen (Mariko's father) to defend his own honor and for him to overrule Mariko's marriage so they may be together again, ultimately he not only loses but he humiliates and dishonors himself in the process. In this scene, he has a dream about the battle in a sequence that showcases what that humiliation actually meant for him in relation to his internal fight to let go of the animal he thinks himself of.

Despite how undisputable his physical strength is, the defeat he endures against Shingen crushes him and defines his motivations for the entire series. The words Mariko says in his dream, bascially defining him as a fraud and unworthy of her love, and the panel that follows this one saying he is also unworthy of life, is pretty indicative of his fear that his primal instincts- what he defines himself as -negates his noble aspirations to be a better man, overshadowing his morality.

It's also interestingly delved into with how his relationship with Mariko and his following romance with Yukio is contrasted in how they have an effect on Wolverine's internal conflict: Mariko's influence makes him want to strive for self-improvement, to appease her, while Yukio is able to accept who he is

Mariko's influence makes him want to strive for self-improvement, to appease her, while Yukio is able to accept who he is and his nature. The growth and control vs embracing your supposed truth serves as a new perspective to view Logan from. Basically, it's a reflection of how Logan himself is struggling to not only balance both aspects of himself, but also his struggle to accept them in the first place.

Going back to the films, I think they do a good job of adapting this method of symbolizing his self-reflection. For instance, in the origins movie, one of the conflicts I love from it is how this exact concept is adapted to Kayla and Victor. Kayla, being the stand-in for Mariko, motivates Logan to move past his animalistic side, literally telling him "you're not an animal, logan", whilst Victor is the force that wants him to ditch assimilation and embrace his mutations completely, though in this case it's much more violent and psychotic than Yukio's approach in the comic. The film version is a whole new exploration of his characterin its own right since it's more like these two opposing ideas are telling him what he should be, and the consequent struggle between what he should choose.

Though, and this is just my interpretation, what I appreciate most of this theme is that it managed to be so confusing for Logan that it circles back to being ironic. Because yes, he failed Mariko and he failed Yukio, he failed to assimilate to societal standards and he failed to be true to himself- whatever that really is -but I think one of his biggest failings is concluding for so long that he is an animal and therefore not a man, when in reality he has shown nothing but human desires, ambitions to change, to choose. He is an animal, it's just that that animal is a man.

[dlavend3r]

Hellooo!!! Don’t know if you have a limit of characters, but what about the Hazbin characters with a hopeless romantic s/o?

Hazbin Hotel Characters With A Hopless Romantic S/O

My very first headcanons, I hope you enjoy! : D 🌙. My requests are open!

Alastor

- Being a hopeless romantic for the radio demon, have you lost your mind?! Maybe!

-When you fell for Alastor, oh you fell hard. You didn’t care about the million of red flags you got from him. All you care about was him. You knew once you fell for him that he had a very huge baggage but that didn’t matter.

-Once you fell for Alastor, you’re mind only wanted one thing. For your love to be reciprocated. And that meant by any means necessary.

-You did errands for him even when he didn’t ask. You was stuck to his side, you gave him gifts. You complimented him. You did everything in your will to have Alastor set his eyes on you and you only.

-Oh imagine the joy you got when Alastor remembered your order of coffee. : D. That had the butterflies in you stomach spinning.

-And the bigger surprise when you found out that Alastor actually enjoys you doing the things you do for him. You knew he loved you, and he been knew you loved him.

Lucifer

-You, falling for the king of hell. People called you crazy, psychotic. Nope, you was just in love.

-You loved how Lucifer was a softy once you get to know him. You loved his little quirks and flaws.

-You loved how he tried to gain a relationship with his daughter.

-So you knew the only way to try and get his attention in hopes for him to fall in love with you is doing things he liked.

-So whenever you went to the arcade you always try to get rubber ducky’s for him. You spent a lot of time with Charlie getting to know her and her to know you. And you especially made time to hang out with Lucifer.

-You fell even more in love when you found out that Lucifer made a sucky resembling you. You kept on you at all times. And I mean at all times. You worshipped it every single day.

-And how happy you were to find out that Lucifer feels the same towards you too! If it wasn’t obvious with Lucifer’s attention almost always either being on you, the hotel or Charlie.

Husk

-With Husk it’s very hard for anyone to have their eyes on him. But here you are, like a cartoon character with heart eyes focused on the winged feline.

-You fell hell over heels for the kitty, especially with how he encouraged Angel. You love a man who embraces who you are.

-You did anything to get him to notice you, you helped him by the bar. You tried your best to not annoy him. You get him drinks (which is the action of yours he loved the most). And you obviously getting him a bunch of kitty related gifts! :D

-In return to your actions you noticed that Husk has been warming up to you, and that you’ve both has gotten closer. You even heard him purr once. You never said anything about it but oh my fucking god that was adorable.

-In the end, husk grew to love you not because you got him gifts, but because of the intention of it. All you ever did was try and help husk and love him so of course he fell for you. How could he not.

Sir Pentious

- Oh this man fell for you first. You both are hopeless romantics and that made it even more worth it.

-You just love giving Pentious your love and gifts. You always wanted to spend time with him while he makes his weapons and Pentious love spending time with you as well.

-Pentious would always have his egg bois watch after you if he isn’t able to be there with you. And you just love the egg bois like they’re one of your own.

-How adorable it is for Pentious to see you asleep with his minions cuddled up close to you.

-If you’re warm blooded, you and Pentious would cuddle so much.

-Overall you both love each other so much that nits just you both one upping each other with gifts, compliments and just anything doing with love or sharing love!

[chiibinomonodamon]

WHO WANTS TO HEAR ME RAMBLE ABOUT GAY FURRY DEMON SEX? XD

(damn, there's a sentence I never thought I'd say....)

Okay...so I see some Stolitz confusion and bashing online and I need to type up a defense here because I won't be able to sleep otherwise lol

I consider myself to be a Ship Critic and someone who takes shipping rather seriously.

What I mean by this is, I like to analyze and break down romantic relationships between fictional characters because it's just interesting to write for me. I especially take delight in friendly debating with opinions that I strongly do *not* agree with.

Let me start off by saying I am NOT a "this ship is awesome because gay furry sex lol" type of girl.

FAR from it. I'm generally more passionate about hetero ships between human characters (because I can relate to them more) among other reasons. So if you wanna dismiss my defense as "shallow fangirlism", you can forget about that lame excuse.

I fell in love with Hazbin Hotel when it was finally released in February and suffered waiting for each new two-parts per week. During that time, I decided to watch Helluva Boss as well, after a friend showed me a particularly soul-crushing clip (Moxxie's childhood trauma about his mother).

Yes, I like funny sex jokes as much as the next goofy adult but scenes like this, scenes that carry a very heavy emotional weight are what really get me in the end, even moreso when VERY little dialogue is exchanged. I knew I had to watch the entire episode run after seeing that the creators had a talent for this.

I saw people asking:

"How did Stolas go from using Blitz as a sex toy to being painfully in love with him?"

Oh I can tell you. I can tell you the EXACT moment this is revealed. But it's not spoon-fed to you; it's quite subtle actually and this is why lots of people miss it.

See, one of the strongest talents Vivenne has shown me is that she REALLY knows how to get her characters to communicate their feelings to the viewers JUST from their expressions and body language. These can be 'blink-and-miss-it' teeny little scenes and it may require a couple rewatches.

But since people demand time stamps for all information others post here, I'll rewatch a few scenes from S1 E7 'Ozzie's' as I'm typing this.

'Ozzie's' remains to be not just my favorite episode of HB...but probably my favorite episode of any adult-targeted animated show outside of Japan (aside from S2 E7's Mid-Season Special)

It has this huge reveal for both Blitzo and Stolas.

We'll first address Blitzo's irrational, stalkerish behavior of Moxxie and Millie.

He's obsessed with them. He finds both of them very attractive, fantasizes about threesomes with them and is constantly inserting himself into their personal lives.

Why?

Because they have everything that he badly badly wants for himself.

They have the perfect marriage and he is trying to live THROUGH them.

This was hilarious to me at the beginnning of the show but it's slowly revealed that it's one of the most tragic and depressing things I've ever seen. And it's scarily realistic too.

But you know this already so let's move on...

Blitzo follows the couple to Ozzie's but he can't get in without a date. So he calls up Stolas and yes, this is very low but he doesn't realize how much this means to Stolas (hell, I'm not sure even Stolas realizes it himself!) but the owl man is giddy with joy, he rushes over and they enter Ozzie's.

When Ozzie and Fizz mock Moxxie for being so sappy towards his wife, this strikes a chord with Blitzo (because they're his IDEAL relationship) and he speaks up to defend them.

NOW PAY CLOSE ATTENTION; THIS IS THE IMPORTANT PART:

Fizz, still holding onto his past grudge turns on Blitzo to humilate him:

"Some nerve you got commenting on a relationship"

Time Stamp: 11:37

As Fizz says "-ship", Blitzo VERY QUICKLY makes eye contact with Stolas who has a look of panic on his face. Blitzo is seeking VALIDATION from Stolas in this sharp, subtle second of screentime, as if to ask

"Well, ARE we in one?"

And then what happens next...Stolas remains silent, Blitzo's ex joins in to announce how selfish Blitzo was in bed with her, tearing him down further. Stolas stands up like he's going to put a stop to it but then Ozzie notices him and interrogates him about sleeping with Blitzo.

Blitzo looks incredibly ashamed and guilty as Stolas blushes with similar feelings...and hides his face behind his menu; HIS BIGGEST MISTAKE IN THE SERIES SO FAR.

Time Stamp: 12:24

The look on Blitzo's face as he grits his teeth and darts his eyes away basically says

"Yeah, I should have known...boy am I an idiot for trusting him to stand up for me".

(look how SHOCKED he is...wow, this hurts fr ;_;)

This is a silent betrayal on Stolas's part. Afterall, his reputation is on the line, so if he were to defend Blitzo, it confirms they are in fact, dating. He chose his pride over Blitzo and Blitzo is crushed by this betrayal.

Moxxie finishes his song and kisses his wife tenderly. Stolas watches this and also wants to have an affectionate moment with Blitzo (who is rightfully glaring daggers at him) and tries to reach for his hand.

Blitzo rejects his touch and suggests they leave. As they do, Blitzo still looks furious and hurt. Stolas is now realizing how badly he screwed up with a "What have I done?" face (13:41)

He even looks disappointed with himself.

After Blitzo drops Stolas off, he thanks him and tries to smooth over the awkwardness with sweet talk but Blitzo just rolls his eyes in disgust and pulls on his face like "I don't want to hear this bullshit".

He responds coldly and curtly, "Yeah." Stolas makes more suggestions to spend time with him, which just makes him even angrier and he snaps

"I'm not fucking you tonight, okay!

I'm really just..." (14:28)

he pauses to wipe a tear because at this point he can barely hold it together (top notch voice acting and animation directing btw)

"...not in the mood, Stolas."

Stolas still tries to talk him into doing couple things unrelated to sex.

Blitzo's face switches back to anger and frustration because Stolas isn't getting the message so he goes for the blunt tactic;

"Stolas, don't act like what we have is anything but YOU wanting ME to fuck you, okay?"

(14:42)

"You make that really clear all the time."

(again his voice sounds like he's about to break down)

"But I-I just can't do it tonight, okay?"

(Finally meets his eye)

"...I'm sorry."

I believe this is code for "I'm sorry we're even in this situation and how your reputation got damaged. " Or, more painfully, "I'm sorry I'm such an embarrassment to you".

Stolas replies "Okay" and takes a deep breath to compose himself. They say goodnight and depart.

An important note here is that Stolas calls him "Blitzo" instead of "Blitzy" to show more respect.

As Blitzo zooms away coldly, Stolas looks up at the sky with tears in his eyes, surprised at how much it hurts.

He then sits down with his head in his hands in anguish...because he's getting that

"Oh...no. These feelings are real" epiphany.

And as if this wasn't enough angst, Blitzo collapses onto his couch at home, goes through the memories on his phone and starts sobbing.

I'm going to be real with you; this is the most heart-breaking shit I have ever seen in an adult show of this type. It's also the first time a show of this type got me to cry.

The last six minutes have revealed so much information without spoonfeeding it to the audience because the show RESPECTS its audience.

To recap:

*Blitzo takes Stolas on a first official date to use him

*Stolas is extremely happy about it

*Blitzo gets humilated and looks to Stolas for validation

*Stolas betrays him and breaks his heart

*Blitzo snaps that their relationship is nothing more than lust-driven sex

*Stolas realizes he's actually in love with Blitzo and it's a huge problem because (he believes) that it's unrequited.

*Blitzo breaks down because the ONE person whom he thought would protect him didn't do so.

So these two are convinced that neither one loves the other...while the irony is, it's quite the opposite.

Because if Blitzo REALLY didn't feel anything towards Stolas, he would not have gotten this emotional.

Yes, they are both lonely...but I really don't think that's all there is between them.

So..........we know WHEN they started falling...now the question is why;

I think the answer's quite simple; single-target affection.

It was mentioned in S2 that Stolas and Stella did sleep together ONE TIME...but Stolas didn't enjoy it at all. He is stuck with a wife who hates him so much that she put a HIT on him...and a daughter who thinks he's a loser. Blitzo is pretty much the one person in his life who is able to make him happy. That one small, bright spot. He enjoys the sex with him but he also simply enjoys his company, as shown in Ozzie's episode. He is thrilled to simply talk to him about his day...and do anything else that couples do. They're complete opposites. Stolas is an intellectual but naive and sheltered. Blitzo is poorly educated but cynical and street-smart. Opposites attract...though this is likely more from Stolas's POV than Blitzo's.

In other words, Stolas is into bad boys xD lmao

In Blitzo's case, Stolas is the only character who shows him physical affection which he desperately craves. He's pretty tsundere about it most of the time...but I think he actually does enjoy that attention...especially when he's always getting disrespected by Moxxie and Loona..and quite a lot of people around him. BUT he's too scared to get serious with anyone because of past trauma and he also believes that no one could possibly love him as a person. :(

Reasons I Think This Love is Real

Aside from what I pointed out in the Ozzie's episode...there's quite a lot of evidence, esp from Stolas's POV.

After he realizes he's in love, he goes to Asomodeous for an ALTERNATIVE method for Blitzo to use so they will no longer sleep together. He wants to set Blitzo free. Which means he DOES truly love him because love is about being generous to the other person. He COULD be totally selfish about it but he isn't.

Asomodeous mentions how against love potions he is and Stolas agrees. He thinks that's out of the question.

'Look My Way' music video. Lol I don't have to say anything more.

In S2 E6 OOPS

This exchange at 16:57

Fizz: Seems your taste has gotten more 'regal', lately?

Blitz: Yeah, well unlike you, I fuck who I want WHEN I want. I'm not gonna be tied down to some big blue-blood asshole.

Fizz: You coulda fooled me the way Prince was cozying up to you at Ozzie's.

Blitz (gets very defensive) HEY! Stolas only cares about have a rugged peasant raw-dog him into his mattress, okay!

It's nothing...(gets hesistant and looks away)...you know...

(Fizz gives him a 'bitch please' look xD)

"it's nothing else."

Fizz: Then why were you even there?

Blitz: OTHER very important reasons of course.

Fizz: Whatever. I don't actually care.

Blitz: Stolas is just a loud, thirsty BITCH!

(Fizz is rolling his eyes again)

Blitz: He loves feeling the thrill of getting dicked by the lower class.

It's a novelty to him.

Fizz: LITERALLY just said I don't care!

Blitz: And then he'll call me and try to see how my day was!

And he'll pretend to care about me and comment on my photos laugh at my jokes...

Fizz: (Smirking) OH! That's definitely your clue right there that it's all bullshit!

Blitz: I KNOW, RIGHT??

Fizz: (Making a 'What in idiot' expression, shaking his head)

Blitz: HE'S JUST A FAKE, PRIVELEDGED ASSHOLE...

Fizz: Sounds like you just hate him for being a prince!

No one (laughs) and I mean NO ONE pretends to care that much just for a cheap lay.

All right. IF ANYONE knows what real love is like, it's Fizzaroli...who is in a very HEALTHY relationship with Asomodeous. He recognizes the signs because he's IN that place. He sees it...and he's annoyed that Blitzo keeps denying it and brushing it off...yet clearly can NOT stop talking about Stolas (amusing irony)

To sum up (this freaking essay lol) 'Stolitz' ABSOLUTELY has the potential to be pure and true...these two just need to communicate...or Stolas has to PROVE to Blitzo that he's serious about his feelings in another way.

There is no doubt that this ship is 100% endgame and is a case of the 'Earn Your Happy Ending' Trope. I look forward to the rest of the journey. Ron is putting my feelings about Stolitz in a perfect phrase:

[dragonfly0808]

How Daphne Haunts the Narrative

I love the concept of a character haunting the narrative. Just… ugh I can’t even explain it.

My favorite examples of this are Sejannus and Lucy Gray in the Hunger Games.

I always found the concept of Daphne to be a very interesting one in the OG, this girl who was a Nymph and an amazing fairy sacrificing it all for her sister and winding up a ghost in a lake.

But I felt like that concept was never used to it’s full potential.

So… I tried to do just that.

In my rewrite, Daphne is almost this larger-than-life entity. She wasn’t just Bloom’s sister. 

She was an amazing fairy in her own right, she was a Nymph and the best Guardian of the Dragon Flame that’d been seen in centuries. On top of all of that, she was a dedicated Princess.

That’s part of what makes her tragic, she was the best, and she was still taken down.

Now, Daphne’s situation isn’t what I would call a proper haunting of the narrative, but she’s definetly very present in the way that, in some way or another, almost everything leads back to her.

Bloom is haunted by the idea of having to live up to Daphne, the more she learns about her sister the more she feels like she won’t be able to do just that. 

Bloom’s haunted by the memory everyone has of her sister, everyone who remembers Daphne has an insane level of respect for her and misses her dearly. That’s something that can intimidate Bloom from time to time and even make her jealous.

Then, there’s the fact that, if Domino hadn’t fallen and Daphne hadn’t been cursed, then Bloom wouldn’t even be a fairy in the first place.

Daphne gave up, not just the Flame but also a big part of her own power in order to keep Bloom safe and give her the power she would need to be the Guardian of the Flame.

Due to this, Bloom is haunted by guilt and resentment. Guilt due to the fact that pretty much everything she has could technically be seen as something that was ‘taken’ from Daphne. There comes the guilt, which then meets… resentment. Guilty resentment towards Daphne for giving her the Flame and being the action that drops the dominoes towards arguably every bad thing in Bloom’s life.

So, Bloom’s view and relationship of/with Daphne, is complicated to say the least.

This is something I love, since it allows for Bloom’s complex feelings to turn into something that I feel a lot of little sisters can relate to, just the confusion of loving and adoring your sister but also feeling jealousy and resentment and just, not being sure whether you should be like them and trying to be your own person when you have the same teachers… I think it’s kinda relatable in a way. If you take away all the magical shenanigans of course.

This is how Daphne haunts Bloom specifically, but this is named after the narrative, so how does Daphne haunt the very narrative of Veiled Wings?

That, is a very interesting question that has a bit of a complicated answer.

There are two ways in which Daphne haunts the narrative.

The first is ala Star Wars; the story ‘rhyming’. I don’t know if you’ve watched this very old interview with George Lucas but he said something along the lines of “the story rhymes”, what this means is that the same beats occur in the story, in opposite or contrasting ways. They ‘rhyme’.

This is what happens with Daphne and Bloom, in a sense, their stories rhyme.

Both grow up a bit lonely, both find their heart and soul in Alfea. Both make life-long friends there. Bloom finds her connections with fellow fairies while Daphne preffered witches and warlocks and Palladins.

They meet Tabitha and Stella, both with similar personalities but opposite powers. Avalon and Timmy, with the same habit of diving head first into research about anything they’re passionate about and being just a little (unapologetically) weird.

Then there’s their romances. Both Daphne and Bloom have tragedies as romances. Daphne and Valtor started off great, it was their ending that was oh so tragic. While, for Bloom and Sky, it’s Valtor that turns them into a tragedy in the middle of their relationship.

Politea and Selina, both dear friends lost to inner darkness.

Bloom’s story parallels a lot of Daphne’s. (Even if a lot of it is stuff that I just made up that hasn’t really been mentioned or explained).

The second way in which Daphne haunts the narrative, is that, like I mentioned before, almost everything leads back to Daphne in some way or another.

A lot of the villains or people we encounter have ties to her or are situations that she began/participated in in some kind of way.

Darkar was created in part due to Daphne. Darkar attacks Daphne, in turn, Valtor curses him and he becomes the red skeleton we know and love. Daphne is his origin story.

Before Bloom fought Icy, Daphne fought Icy’s cousin and her coven, who was the first to awaken the Ancestral Witches spirit. That is one parallel that I really like just, adding to the fight even if neither Icy nor Bloom are fully aware of the history of previous family also fighting.

Teachers we know (Griselda, Tabitha and Avalon most of all though Codatorta and Palladium also fall here) were once friends with Daphne.

Valtor’s entire reason for fighting is avenging and trying to bring back Daphne. And of course, the Ancestral Witches are locked away in time back in Domino as Daphne’s final act as a warrior. 

The end of Daphne’s story sets up the world the Winx start off in.

In a sense, all roads lead back to her.

The narrative can’t escape Daphne’s past actions, her choices, her story rhymes with Bloom’s and a lot of what happens in the story happens due to Daphne’s past and things that she once did.

I always felt like she was never fully utilized in the OG show and I really wanted to have her be a nearly constant presence, I wanted her to be perhaps even more than a ghost.

And thus, the idea of her haunting the narrative and Bloom.

[flowerandblood]

The Taste of Shame (4)

[ dom!modern • Aemond x friend sister • female ]

[ warnings: sex content, oral sex, smut, angst, domination, remorse, doubts related to sexual life ]

[ description: Aemond works as a professional dom, fulfilling the various fantasies of his female clients - however, he guards his privacy and does not enter into any relationships with them, recognizing that he does not want or need it. It turns out that what he wants and what he doesn’t no longer matter when he meets his friend’s younger sister for the first time. Slow burn, sexual tension, doubts related to sex work. ]

Series & Characters Moodboard Aemond NSFW Alphabet

* English is not my first language. Please, do not repost. Enjoy! *

Next chapters: Masterlist

_____

He woke up throughout the night, opening his eyes to make sure that what had happened was not a dream − he felt hot in his heart when he realised that she was lying right next to him, cuddled into his chest, wrapped in his arms.

He listened to her calm breathing, gently stroking her hair, not wanting to accidentally wake her up.

He had never let any woman stay overnight in his flat before.

He looked at her as if half asleep, at her gentle face, and thought about what they had done, how much she had tried for him, how much pleasure and satisfaction she had given him.

He thought he wanted to give her something too, to reciprocate her efforts, to give her the feeling that it wasn't going to be just her forever having to satisfy his needs and his fantasies, experiencing fulfilment only in the process.

Vanilla, soft sex was not his domain when it came to women indifferent to him, as he had no affection for them − such a form of intimacy did not seem exciting to him and he would get nothing out of it for himself.

However, looking at her, he was filled with tenderness and care, with the conviction that just watching her melt before him in pleasure would give him satisfaction.

That was why, as soon as she woke up in the morning after a few minutes of cuddling and kissing, he proposed to her that they take a shower together.

The two of them stood under a stream of pleasantly warm water, gently exploring each other's bodies with their hands, able to look at each other at last, placing loud, sticky kisses on each other's lips once in a while.

She could see perfectly well that he was hard and it wasn't just to do with his morning erection − she was beautiful, sweet and sleepy, melting in his arms as his fingers began to tease and rub her puffy clit with gentle, slow strokes.

"− oh −" She mumbled, looking up at him uncertainly with her lips slightly parted, apparently waiting for his commands, which aroused him even more, but she didn't hear any − he simply looked at her.

"− now we will take care of you − hm? − no prohibitions except what we talked about −" He murmured and she nodded quickly, knowing that he didn't like being held too tightly or being locked in an embrace that seemed too limiting.

He kissed her forehead, sliding the tip of his finger gently inside her fleshy, hot walls, rubbing and squeezing with a repetitive circular motion her spot hidden between her muscles − she moaned quietly, looking away, her thighs beginning to respond to the touch of his hand with rocking, demanding more intense caresses.

"− so impatient −" He cooed, leaned in and kissed her, her lips greedily reciprocating his gesture, her hands sinking into his hair, running down his cheek and neck.

A pleasant shudder ran through him, his cock pulsed hard and slapped against her belly, also demanding attention.

He turned off the water and took her in his arms, returning with her to his bedroom, laying down between her thighs.

"− I won't stop until you come − agreed? −" He gasped and she nodded, swallowing loudly, all red, her hips quivering in his hands.

He murmured and sank his face between her plushy thighs, her womanhood all moist from her moisture and water − his lips brushed gently her clit and began to lick and suck on it. She mewled loudly, arching back, her hands entwined in his hair, holding him close.

"− please −" She mumbled, and he felt her moan in his erection, all swollen and leaking with his precum − he took it in his hand and gave it couple quick squeezes at the root, sliding his tongue deep inside her puffy slit.

She moaned helplessly, opening her mouth wide, her nipples hard and popping, evidence of how much pleasure he was giving her, her hips bucking to meet his caresses.

With slow, decisive strokes of the tip of his tongue he massaged and rubbed the spot in her core that he had pressed with his finger earlier while his nose teased her clit − he could feel her hot walls clenching around nothing, her breathing increasingly ragged and accelerated.

"− Aemond −" She mewled, and he murmured loudly, jerking off faster and faster, licking her moisture with a hum of delight, thinking about the fact that she was only his, that he was the one she desired.

"− please, fuck me −" She cried out, and he lifted his shocked gaze to her, licking his lips, stopping in half-motion, feeling his cock pulsate painfully hard in his hand at her words.

"− say it again −" He said quietly, and she looked up at him pleadingly, writhing beneath him.

"− please, fuck me − fuck me − fuck me −" She babbled as he immediately guided the fat head of his cock to her swollen, throbbing entrance, panting along with her, and rooted into her with one sure thrust.

"− is that all my sweet girl wants? − cock inside her tight leaking pussy? −" He exhaled between one aggressive push and the next, resting his hands on either side of her head − she sobbed loudly and nodded, spreading her thighs wide in front of him, running her hands over his buttocks, making him shudder.

"− yes − please − oh God −" She mumbled with difficulty with her eyes closed and lips parted, looking up at him dreamily − with each of his thrusts her breasts bouncing gently, he watched her figure as if enchanted, pounding into her, opening her wide on his cock.

"− look at you − how well you take me − you deserve a reward −" He chuckled, speeding up his pace, clamping his hands on her hips − he kneeled in front of her, slamming into her with sure, brutal thrusts at such an angle that every time his tip slid into her again she sobbed with pleasure.

"− my cum all for you, deep inside you − would you like that? −" He gasped and she nodded her head on the brink of orgasm, responding with a rocking of her hips to each of his thrusts, he could feel her walls squeeze him greedily.

"− please − m close −" She mewled, and he licked his lips, feeling that the sight of her like this, helpless, eager for him to fuck her good made him know that he himself was about to come.

"− cum on my cock, baby − that's it, that's my good girl −" He cooed as she cried loudly, her body shook with fulfilment and pleasure, she tried to push him away but he sped up, not letting her escape, feeling that her weeping cunt was sucking him inside.

"− lay still − let me fill you − yes, take it, theeere you go −" He gasped coming inside her with a sigh of relief, feeling his semen squirt inside her − he was surprised at how strangely peaceful this experience was, it seemed so innocent, so right.

"− fuck −" He mumbled falling on top of her, panting along with her, proud of himself, looking at her expectantly.

"− did you like it? −" He whispered like an excited child who was waiting for praise, and she nodded quickly, looking at him with misty eyes, her lips parted in a heavy breath.

"− yes −" She whispered, gently stroking his cheek with her hand.

"− was it tiring for you? −" She asked uncertainly, and he chuckled under his breath, running his thumb over her lip.

"− I'm afraid I'll never get tired of listening to you begging me to fuck you − you've just fulfilled one of my fantasies −" He murmured, and she swallowed loudly, all red, pressing her lips together. He kissed her and she sighed heavily, tired as if she had run a marathon.

"You can choose what you have for breakfast − scrambled eggs or toast."

They spent the morning together, then both separated and each wandered off to their classes − they agreed not to speak to each other for twenty-four hours to cool down and distance themselves from what had happened between them.

He wanted her to think things through properly without his presence, he was afraid that otherwise she would feel trapped.

It didn't change the fact that he'd been dying all day, fighting with himself not to text her, to simply say that she was wonderful, that in his wildest dreams he'd never suspected he'd ever be able to have this kind of sudden, unprecedented closeness with anyone.

However, he decided that he would not break his own rules and waited patiently until the next day.

She did not write to him.

He began to worry and wonder, feeling discomfort at the thought that perhaps he had overreacted after all, that he had over-sexualised the meeting, as if that was all he cared about, where he wanted something more.

He feared that once she had cooled down she felt objectified and used.

He clicked on his phone's display from time to time, pretending to listen to a lecture, his knee bouncing in a nervous gesture. He swallowed loudly, glancing at Robert.

"How are you doing? How's your sister?" He asked casually, feigning indifference as they left the hall.

Robert looked at him puzzled, completely not expecting this question, however, he didn't see anything inappropriate in it and clearly needed to get something out.

"I'm fine, and as for her, well... she's been behaving strangely. She was at a friend's house for the night, and after she came home she seemed sad and stressed, but she wouldn't tell me what happened." He muttered, and he felt a tightness in his throat and a cold sweat on his back, his heart starting to pound like crazy.

What had happened? What was she thinking about? Why hadn't she spoken to him, hadn't she wanted to share her doubts with him?

After their brief conversation, he said he would go out into the yard to smoke − he took a cigarette out of his jacket pocket along with a lighter and lit it with a quick, impatient gesture, slipping it into his mouth beforehand, taking a deep drag.

He exaggerated.

He'd let himself get carried away by his euphoria, allowed her to feel that he was all about sex.

FUCK!

He pressed his lips together, thinking despairingly that for some reason he wanted to cry.

Should he write to her or not?

If she wanted to, she'd write to him − maybe she felt it was a mistake and wanted to distance herself? Or maybe she didn't talk to him because she thought he didn't really want her to, that he had done what he wanted with her and didn't need anything more?

He clenched his eyelids as he let the air out loudly through his nose, swallowing hard, feeling an unpleasant tightness in his stomach as if he was about to vomit.

Why couldn't he be normal?

Why, instead of fucking her that morning, hadn't he just hugged her, talked to her while stroking her hair, focusing only on simple tenderness without subtext?

That's what she needed then, not sex.

He pulled out his phone quickly and started typing to her with a cigarette in his mouth, feeling his hands tremble.

He sighed wearily and swallowed loudly, feeling that he'd fucked things up with his purely physical approach, with his dominant, perpetually wanting more nature stifling her natural innocence.

He pressed his lips together seeing that she had displayed his message − he waited a few minutes, but she didn't write anything back.

He tucked his phone into the inside pocket of his leather jacket, smoking his cigarette to the end, thinking with regret that he didn't deserve what she wanted to give him, that he was clearly not mature enough to accept it.

He shuddered as he sat down in the hall for the next lecture and heard his phone vibrate − he took it quickly out of his pocket as if his life depended on it and unlocked the keypad with a hard pounding heart seeing the message from her.

He swallowed loudly, writing her back quickly.

They'd made arrangements for her to come to his place immediately after her classes − he'd finish an hour before her, so he'd have time to clean up quickly. He was terrified of what she was going to say to him.

Usually he was the master of the situation, but in this case he felt small and powerless.

Vulnerable.

He opened immediately when he heard her quiet knock on the door and let her in − they greeted each other awkwardly without embracing.

After he offered her some water to drink they both sat on his sofa in the living room without touching each other; she did not look at him and he could see that she was pale. When she finally lifted her gaze to him he saw that her lower lip was trembling, her eyes were red.

He felt a tightness in his throat and an ache in his heart, knowing that she had suffered because of something he had done.

"− I − I don't know how I feel about what happened − at the time, when it was happening, it was so pleasant, but when I came home − I felt empty − I don't know why, I can't explain it, I −" She whispered in a trembling voice and he felt his jaw clench, his eyebrows arch in pain.

He thought he was about to cry himself.

"− I know − I know, forgive me − I − I don't know what was going through my head to start all of this like this −" He muttered, trailing his fingers along the armrest of his couch in an involuntary, nervous gesture, not looking at his hand.

"− it's just − it's just something I know − something I'm confident in − I don't think I could show you the enormity of my interest in you otherwise − how much you affect me −" He choked out in a trembling voice, thinking it was pathetic − he swallowed hard and covered his face with his hand, trying not to burst into tears.

"If I stayed with you tonight…would you be able to hold back? Just hug me?" She asked in a breaking voice, looking at him pleadingly − he looked at her in pain and nodded, clenching his hand into a fist.

She moved a little closer to him and he stared at her with hope, only to find a moment later he was already holding her tightly in his arms, her face snuggled into his chest, looking as if she was trying to hide inside him, as if she needed confirmation that he would protect her, also from himself.

"I'm so sorry. Sex is the only way I have ever shown my emotions to women. I…I think I just need to open up to the fact that they can also be shown in other ways. To step out of my comfort zone, just like you stepped out of it for me. Will you give me another chance? One more first night?" He asked in a whisper, kissing her sweet-smelling, soft hair again and again, stroking her head and back.

She nodded.

He let out a loud breath with a feeling of numbing relief.

They didn't feel like watching or doing anything and just went to his bedroom. She got his T-shirt to wear, which she changed into in his toilet − although the sight of her in his clothes immediately made him completely hard, he didn't let it show, just reaching out to her with his hand.

She smiled at him shyly, just as she had when he had first seen her and he felt the heat in his chest. She let him pull her close and snuggled into him, while he was lying in his T-shirt and the sweatpants he always slept in.

He turned off the lamp and faced her, letting her sink into his body, enclosing her in the embrace of his arms, sighing quietly, closing his eyes.

He could hear her quiet breathing and the sound of cars driving past his window, the ticking of the small watch on his bedside table. Her warmth emanated in all directions, her scent filling his entire lungs, calming him despite his arousal, making him feel some kind of bliss and relief.

She was beside him, in his arms.

She didn't scold him.

He stroked his fingers through her hair, playing with her curls without opening his eyes, and heard her quiet murmur of contentment − he smiled involuntarily under his breath.

"Do you like it when someone strokes your head?" He murmured softly, smoothing her, nuzzling his cheek into her hair, remembering that she had also stroked him then, after the lecture, when he had told her about what he was doing.

She nodded, snuggling into him more, embracing him around his waist, her hands starting to run down his spine making a pleasant shiver run through him.

He'd never been this close to anyone before.

"Yes. When I was a child my mother used to stroke my head when I couldn't fall asleep. I loved it." She whispered, and he kissed the top of her head, snuggling his nose into her hair, taking in her scent.

"− then I'll do it every night from now on −" He whispered and heard her smile − she nodded and he embraced her tighter, stroking her head, her back and her neck.

He did this while feeling her slowly fall asleep in his embrace, breathing quietly, her body rising and falling gently with each movement of her chest − he lay with his eyes closed, combing his fingers through her hair, feeling only peace, only fulfilment.

Only love.

_____

Aemond Taglist:

(bold means I couldn't tag you)

@its-actually-minicika @notnormalthings-blog @nikstrange @zenka69 @bellaisasleep @k-y-r-a-1 @g-cf2020 @melsunshine @opheliaas-stuff @chainsawsangel @iiamthehybrid @tinykryptonitewerewolf @namoreno @malfoytargaryen @qyburnsghost @aemondsdelight @persephonerinyes @fan-goddess @sweethoneyblossom1 @watercolorskyy @randomdragonfires @apollonshootafar @padfooteyes

[anticanonsposts]

Random Fluff Headcanons-König pt. 2

Completely SFW

He loves surprising you with little trinkets and shit, he is well aware that your favorite color is pink and legit if he has to run to the store to grab something and he sees something in pink, you can be sure that he’s gonna buy it for you. (I am self inserting.)

Side note its super fun to see him in your bed, like this hulk of a man in your hyper feminine pink ass bed filled with stuffed animals. (I am self inserting again)

One point of slight contention in your relationship, at least during the beginning, was how much faster he walked due to his height. Like the first few times you walked anywhere with him you would be panting trying to catch up while also not seeming like you were putting too much effort in.

Since at the beginning he was also very nervous and wanted to impress you, he typically would be lost in thought and not realize so you eventually need to point it out to him

When you do he is very apologetic, it takes him a while but eventually he is able to walk with you without dedicating a whole lot of thought to monitoring his speed.

Fun thing tho is whenever you two need to catch a bus or train he will just scoop you up and jog to catch it, this way you’re faster and the driver can’t miss his frame charging towards them. 

Random but if you work early in the morning he loves going/walking to work with you. Since it is so early, not many people are out and about so there’s less eyes on him which makes him feel more relaxed.

Whenever you guys sit on a couch together whether alone or with friends his arm is always draped over the back of the couch and you rest your elbow on his thigh, given the height difference it makes him the perfect arm rest. It is also a form of touch that doesn’t make him uncomfortable to do in front of people. 

This guy opens EVERY single door for you, to the point that it becomes a game to you when you try to open one before he gets the chance.

He also always insists on paying when you guys are out, it doesn't matter what you are doing, dinner, drinks, stopping at Target for some essentials.

He has literally been in Target with you grabbed the items from you when you talk about paying then quickly walking to the front and paying before you can even catch up to him.

He has also taken your phone before while you were in the shower, gone to your (whatever app you buy things from most) and changed the default payment method to his card.

It took you like 3 trips/purchases for you to even notice and once you did he acted like he had no idea what you were talking about and that it had always been like that. 

I really like to think that when he was in grade school he went out for the football team (soccer) and the coaches just put him in the goal because of his size, he was just so big that players on the other team were too scared to go near him or the goal. 

I feel like he loves the x men movies because he sees them as being exploited for physical traits that they have no control over, and these same traits being seen as both a hindrance to him being ‘normal’ but also very useful in more violent contexts. He also feels like he is often treated very differently because of his size so it is comforting to him to relate to any of the characters in x men, since that is such a prominent part of their storyline.

A little angsty but when you first started going out he was always worried that you would be afraid of him, and not feel safe, since you opened up  to him about your past and not feeling safe around a man you trusted, he just assumed that due to his size and nature of his job that you didn’t feel safe with him.

That is until one day when you two are just cuddling in bed, maybe watching a movie, maybe on your phones, and you nonchalantly say that you feel very safe and secure with him, and to say he was happy would be a ridiculous understatement. 

[okanra]

FEW FUN BEHIND-THE-SCENES STUFF I DID FOR “THE UNSPOKEN” WEBCOMIC SERIES (still ongoing, of course)

So I’m migrating some of the (public version of) pre-production stuff I did in 2021-2023 for THE UNSPOKEN webcomic (back when it still had the old name “Trunks and Goten in High School AU”) here, since X/Twitter apparently annihilated the old Moment feature for real. These are mostly research stuff, some warm up doodles and inspiring sountrack playlists I did before a chapter or a story got made. I usually do a lot of research offline before working on any creative project, that’s why sometimes it feels like there’s so many information gets jammed into one chapter: it was mostly to make do for all the time that I didn’t get to, or wouldn’t be able to work on the comics.

Will add in the chapters along side the information paper for clearer understanding ✌️

———————————————

1. The warm-up expression practice sheet (or doodles, in my case) of Son Goten and Trunks in my webcomic series (late 2022 or early 2023):

Since the idea in mind for these two in the webcomic was to be more “mature, human-like” than the original manga version to fit with the narrative I want to tell and aim at the older demographic, practices are needed :p

2. The Martial Arts techniques research information papers - Chapter 2 and 3 aka “The Spar” 1 & “The Spar” 2 (2021-2022):

A. Goten’s techniques:

B. Trunks’s techniques:

This research about martial arts techniques was actually very fun to do due to martial arts and cultural aspects are being two of the things I enjoy the most in life. That’s probably parts of the reasons why I went back to Dragon Ball in 2020: motorbikes, martial arts and mixed races culture.

Back then I did plan on sharing my research to everyone in the form of little fun art lessons, so there were interesting tweets like this or this. Later I decided to share this somewhere else more private (like my Patreon community) since I realized pre-production researches (or something akin to visual developments) are not that well-liked for most online viewers even though it’s a very much needed process in a creative project 🤔

This martial art concept is one of the actual main themes throughout the whole webcomic series, not really the (super duper gay) b-romance relationship between Son Goten and Trunks, yes I’m very sorryyyyyyy I like them too but I like worldbuilding more lmaoooo :p

3. The brief character design sheet and Chinese-influenced culture research information papers - Chapter 4: “The Iron Woman” and Chapter 5: “Her Resolution, His Origin” (mid-2022 until now and will be continued):

A. Character Design brief sheet:

B. Culture research stuff:

The hilarious thing about researching for these chapters are: Back when “The Iron Woman” was being made, the research limited at reading articles and some books about Chinese cultures, and watching documentaries on Youtube. But when “Her Resolution, His Origin” was being made, the research tuned into a real life trip to China, to take real life reference photos and listening to real legends and stories.

This research for “Her Resolution, His Origin” will be posted to Patreon later, of course ✌️

4. The Original Comic introduction and comeback announcements in mid-2022:

I must have eaten some edibles while drawing this because the boys look so good here. Goten looks so good, I even made him the profile picture for my Patreon account lmao.

5. Soundtrack playlists for inspirations (2021 - now): always the cherry on top. I listen to these playlists everytime I work on the series.

A. Duo playlist for chapters featuring both main characters: link

B. Character playlist for chapters focusing on single character, or anything related to that character: link

———————————————

All in all, posts like this are for people who like to see what’s beneath the surface when working on a creative project. I completely guarantee you, what you’ve seen on this blog are just the tips of the ice berg 🤫

Def not a PR, but my Patreon has lots of this lmao. Half joking half serious, there’s even a “non-posted” comic up there too and many other things. I’m just stating facts.

That aside, I’m just really happy to be able to work on this webcomic. THE UNSPOKEN webcomic series has always been a long-term indie project, not a daily content so I hope the readers who like and follow this series would stay tuned for more ✌️

———————————————

For easier reading, you can either follow the links that are included above, or just read this Tapas updated version.

[devine-fem]

How would you personally prefer and make things to go if Damijon were to become canon?

Firstly, slow burn it, make insinuations that they might like each other so the readers can get used to the idea. They don’t need to commit to anything, just have them have repressed feelings for each other they don’t understand. Jon being someone who maybe wears it on his sleeve and Damian being oblivious to this, although it may bleed through with Damian - like feeling protective or even jealous at times and not knowing what to do with it.

Make them awkward please. It would sweet representation for the young queer experience of not knowing how to properly articulate your feeling and express them - not knowing the exact words for how you feel and what you’re doing.

I feel like if anything were to come to light then… I feel like Damian would probably reject Jon or possibly vice versa.

If Damian; “I don’t really have time for this,” type of thing.

If Jon; “I prefer us as friends,” even.

Then after that Damian can progress in a direction that makes him more raw with his emotions and Jon more strong willed and stern. If anything were to happen then they’d probably do it in secret, I think it would be sad but it would also be nice to watch characters who are scared to come out at first. It would feel more real. Then at times maybe Bruce, Lois, or Clark can find glimpses of maybe something else is going on - I know I love Bruce, Clark and Lois so much and it’s not likely this were to happen but it’d be fun to see them maybe not really get it at first. A lot of the time in comics they have it to where the parents accept immediately which is realistic TO THEM because they are heroes but I still feel like even heroes can have these moments if they’re out of the loop with certain cultures.

I imagine they become serious in their 20s in my head and still keep their same dynamic as they had in Super Sons, I prefer if they fight like a married couple and kept their personalities but also were able to grow along side each other and on their own.

Their relationship itself could be something that makes them want to find an identity outside of their fathers - in my opinion my least favorite thing about their characters is that because they are the blood related sons they automatically are first for mantle and I hate it - what if this was the catalyst that tells them they want to step out of their shadows and despite everything be something else entirely like Dick had to even though he was first Robin.

That’s honestly perfect to me. For Damian and Jon to do that with someone who has the same struggles as them as a hero would be feel so raw and perfect for the both of them.

That’s me.

Bonus;

[mapoeggplant]

skip to loafer chapter 63 analysis // spoilers

school trips and sunsets: how the beauty of today can be the beginning of a farewell. chapter 63 not only marks the start of a new arc, but also the arrival of the future.

it’s always so funny the chapters of skip to loafer seem so harmless at first, until we stop to really analyze all the small pockets of change that begin to emerge. what may seem like just another moment to enjoy youth with such beloved characters ends up hiding the pain of understanding that, one day, they will no longer be together. well, maybe it's better to buckle up because i believe a buzz is just beginning.

i like how the chapter opens directly with the difficulty between yasaka and mitsumi in understanding each other and starting to deepen their relationship. on mitsumi's side, i can see more anxiety in strengthening ties, in trying to bring this new friend much closer to her. in yasaka's case, i believe that this new opportunity to start getting more involved with someone who truly sees her as a friend and not a threat, could be the trigger for her to open up more and seek support not only from mitsumi, but from the other girls as well.

in addition to this, i was happy with yasaka's small appearances throughout the chapter, demonstrating how she is very observant of everyone around her. not only in relation to the boys' feelings about her, as she herself told us and later noticed the same in ujiie, but also two other moments: when she notices shima's change in behavior in not accepting being touched by one of the girls and showing discomfort with the approach, and later when she sees mitsumi going to meet the girls to watch the sunset.

i'm curious about this second look. i wonder if she noticed something in mitsumi's expression that made her curious, or if she didn't feel a little melancholic, a new desire to be with a group of girls njoying the trip together. it's quite noticeable how much she enjoys observing and studying mitsumi and the way she interacts with the others around her, so i wonder if she noticed something that we couldn't capture, or if this desire for an opening has started to emerge. this is the first mini arc that i noticed starting.

the second, of course, intertwines a little with what i just said: shima's change in behavior. before, it was clear how much he tended to be more peaceful and give in to anything that was asked of him, always with a great fear of upsetting people or being judged in some way. now, even if it was a very subtle and small move, dodging a touch that he would have accepted out of politeness before, shows how much this peacefulness is bothering him — and it also leads me to believe that he is also trying to keep his distance from people that mitsumi has shown some discomfort with (as shown when he didn't defend her, previously) or that he himself has heard them making ironic comments about her. anyway, this is the second mini arc (which i believe will start to evolve more and more and will clash with mitsumi's arc once they finally have their "encounter") that is starting to emerge, showing another step in shima's change that we have been following until now.

and finally, of course, the most important arc in this whole chapter: the beginning of the discussion of what the girls' lives will be like from now on. it's a bit bittersweet to finally have to face the fact that they're growing up. it's so nice to be able to follow each one's

development, see how they become adults and find their own individualities. but it also hurts to know that they won't be teenagers forever and that, soon, each one will go their separate ways. i know it's still a little early to start worrying about this, but how can i not feel a pang in my heart when i see their little faces so full of anguish? how can i not want to stop time and make them live their whole lives side by side? the future always arrives, just like every sunset. a new challenge begins in the lives of each one of them: their third and final year, in addition to choosing colleges.

i adore how sensei implemented this little detour in the middle of a chapter so full of happiness and lightness. i think this balance is ideal for the development of the story of skip to loafer and even how it has been developing up to this point. there is beauty in pain, and there is also sadness in happiness. living is knowing how to balance the mix of feelings and make the most of today, even with all the fear that the future brings.

well, let's enjoy our current chapter and wait for what the future holds 💛 thank you so much for reading and, as always, support the author if you can!!! see you next month