#but the conception most people had is very much counter to my own

[postdoe]

I understand why it would make sense to use it to fill that niche, but when the vast majority of writings on doll/witch dynamics basically turned into soft mommydom with light fantasy elements, it did eliminate almost all of the draw for me.

[drchucktingle]

Good day Dr. Tingle. I haven't read your stories, but I've known about you from afar in this website for a while. Your recent post about separating Ideas and Message is very similar to how I teach a class. I wanted to ask you, if you could share some of your Messages, in whichever structure/length/complexity you think about them before writing, to have some real world examples to show in class.

Personally I tend to simplify and shorten my messages as much as possible, like "everyone deserves forgiveness" for example, so that I can permeate it throughout the story, and so that anyone experiencing the story can come to a similarish conclusion.

I'm curious as to how your Messages look like inside your head, during the creative process. Not the refined versions used for marketing and sales and stuff.

Thank you!

sure buckaroo.

high concept idea of the book STRAIGHT was this: zombie apocalypse story but the rage only effects straight cis people (there is also a second high concept idea in there which is: what if zombie plague only happened one day a year? how would culture handle this politically and otherwise?)

so i had this idea that i thought was good, but before i can write it i think 'well what do i want to SAY about this? what am i FEELING?'

and i realized that i was a little torn about how to write this story because of the one day a year thing. when is it okay to fight back? can you hurt a zombie if it turns back into a person the next day? is that right or wrong? and WHEN is it right or wrong? what situations?

then i realized that with the metaphor of this story what i was really asking was something bigger: why is it up to the victims (in this case queer buckaroos) to be forced to make these decisions? marginalized groups have TWO kinds of violations done to them, the first is the obvious act of violation, but the second is that they are forced to use their time and mental space and emotional tolerance to learn how to HANDLE the first violation in an 'acceptable way'

so THAT became my message. if you want to know how i feel about these questions you can read STRAIGHT and find out.

CAMP DAMASCUS high concept idea was (SPOILERS IF YOU HAVE NOT READ CAMP DAMASCUS STOP READING HERE) what if the church really DID decide the ends justify the means and instead of stopping demonic possession they were inflicting demonic possession to counter sinful acts.

but that is not the message of the book. that is just the idea. if i just had that idea i would not write it, but as things evolved i realized WHAT i wanted to say with this story

in this situation WHO is the force of 'evil'? would it be the demons? would it be the possessed? or would it be the SYSTEM AND MENTALITY that was creating this situation in the first place? so the book sets out the answer this question and express the conclusion that ive made for myself

i also noticed that many churches who are anti gay have a sort of infantilizing trot with how they handle their young buckaroos. this idea that gay feelings will just go away if they are ignored and that they can almost keep young queer buckaroos from ever aging into fully realized adults. obviously i think this is WRONG and so fighting back against this mentality became part of the message as well, and that informed most of the metaphor and symbolism in the book.

it is important to keep in mind that sometimes the message can change. as the book trots along i am LEARNING myself, working out these thoughts on the page and coming to a conclusion of my own. this is actually VERY true of BURY YOUR GAYS, which is probably most autobiographical thing i have written. i will save talking about that MESSAGE and HIGH CONCEPT for after book is out though

EDIT FOR CLARITY OF MY WAY:

when i say i write MESSAGE FIRST that does not mean i think of the message first in TIME (although that does happen sometimes) it means the message is the most important thing over plot or characters or anything like that (although those are important too). it means that i write with message as my north star, which is rare, but it is how i make art

[charmedreincarnation]

As most people don’t know I just want to say I’m definitely more into shifting than any other spiritual practice as that is something very much apart of my life and I’m indulged in. Not to say I don’t care or want to talk about other stuff but I know way more about shifting and stuff related to that than the void state !!!! I love dicussion about quantum jumping, the multi verse, time, 3D vs 4D, chakras, plus I have so many shifting stories hehe. Don’t get me wrong, I love void discussions, it’s a fascinating thing and other Loa inquires but I also want to talk about shifting more because that’s something I’ve actually mastered 😋😋 I’ve also been in the shifting community for way longer than the void community so I have more years of experience, and have met so many people who have educated me so much more than for example the void state!

Anyways here are my reality shifting tips that I talk about often and can also be applied to manifesting (for those who separate the two concepts) and even the void state or whatever you desire

1. You are limitless.

When I first started I had a bunch of questions about limits and what I can and can’t do, and what are the boundaries I can’t cross after learning about this phenomenon. Now I can say, you make to own rules because you quiete literally are god. If you can intend and imagine it, you can make it your perception and reality. This can be applied to anything, shifting, manifesting, even something as minuscule as playing a sport or passing a test. Society did use to tell us we can do anything if we put our mind to it and to dream big and reach for the sky, but it truly is a real concept I wish they ingrained in us a little more. Unfortunately for society, us being prepared to work 9-5s to give back to the government is more important. You don’t have to follow that path though, you found this for a reason so utilize it to live your dream life. It’s your life and your rules

2. this ties back with point one but the universe doesn’t shift you, because you are the universe

every time I browse shifting communities it’s someone saying you have to shift like this or that.. for the universe, or other false concepts like divine timing Well, the universe doesn’t care respectfully, because we are the universe. You can ask for help from the universe if that’s your belief and manifest your environment to help in your biddings but at the end of the day, it’s all you. This is why when people try to enforce cutting karmic ties, doing shadow work, learning about chakras, giving back to the universe, etc, it can be counter productive to your journey. While that can help SOME PEOPLE… it’s not what everyone needs or should even do. I’m not methodical at all and that stuff didn’t mean much to me and when I tried to force myself to care and it honestly slowed me down and was a waste of time. You know yourself and what you need. So follow your heart and intuition!

3. if I could tattoo this in everyone’s mind I would but feeling is much more important than visualizing or affirmation.

The feeling is the single-handed most important concept that everyone can utilize. A lot of people are bad visualizers and think it’s the end of the world when the feeling is what changes your visualizations into reality. I’m a maladaptive daydreamer so trust me when I took the visualization part and only did that, I got super sad when it didn’t help me shift since it’s something everyone preaches is so important. I wish it was the key to shifting because I would have done it in seconds. But our subconscious can’t tell the difference between images we see in our heads/daydreams and reality, so it’s the feeling that changes the perception and awareness successfully. Someone asked me how to successfully “feel” so I’m just going to explain it here because I think it gets to the point.

It’s hard to feel something you’re not feeling. As for shifting.. that’s the content of knowing you’ll wake up in your dr, but then again if you haven’t shifted yet how would you know what it feels like. To us, it would be pure bliss, and a state of fulfillment, the same as accomplishing a goal. But it’s hard to feel the fulfillment while trying to fulfill it if it makes sense? That’s why most people utilize other things like music, to get to the happy feeling and pretend with that by using methods like the sunny or Estelle method but to me, that stuff is distracting so I just had to practice and enhance my “smelling, hearing, and tasting”

I think it’s easier to pretend to feel and see (as in the sense of feel) but it’s harder to try to feel like you’re smelling your dr, tasting food in your dr, and hearing other people in your dr. I would try visual practices like pretending to eat an apple. For me I’m a great visualizer (again I’m a maladaptive daydreamer) but could you get yourself to taste the apple and hear yourself eating the apple. And maybe feel annoyed because to me the crunch of an apple is so annoying lol. Could you embody the state of being annoyed?

Oh, yea also practices using the first person. That’s something I also struggled with because I like watching my visualizations but that’s not my feeling. That’s seeing, and you should use all 5 senses together

In short don’t just feel the happiness you know you would have, utilize your 5 senses in your imagination when trying to shift, it will bring you closer to your home.

4. stop running away from your problems under the guise of the law of assumption.

For a long time, I ignored my reality and would pretend oh “I’m going to shift anyways so it doesn’t matter” you’re not assuming you’re going to shift if you’re hoping to do it. I would say I assume it will happen then hope and beg for the universe to shift me. you can’t gaslight yourself to not have doubts lol and you may be saying you’re going to shift but again feelings trump affirmations and you feel in your heart you won’t so that’s your reality. Now I know a lot of people on here have hard-lives, it’s why and how a lot of people found shifting. But seriously try manifesting a better current reality you’re aware of while trying to shift. Manifesting and shifting are two sides of the same coin and you can easily intertwine them to benefit you both ways. Find what works for you. You’ll have a better time assuming you’ll shift when you’re not clouded with stress from your cr and the sadness you get from it. (Not saying you can’t shift if you’re sad depressed or have doubts, You can) I’m saying it helps to not feel a weighing pressure to shift to escape, instead of shifting to escape for your eternal happiness.

5. There is nothing wrong with escapism

This is such a huge discussion in the community and such a stupid one at that. Every form of entertainment is a source of escape. Watching tv, vacations, having friends, sleeping. It’s a normal part of the human psyche, why should we be forced to only work, go to school, and sleep and have that be are only life. Shifting can be for escaping! It is, wether you do it temporarily or permanently, and THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THAT. You shouldn’t be forced to stay here with everything wrong with the world, especially after you shift once you just know there’s so much better life out there for you. You are not confined to any reality, nor are you forced to stay anywhere you are not happy and anyone who tells you otherwise can shut their mouth. There is nothing wrong with change, and finding what makes you happy. The only thing wrong is staying where you’re not appreciated or happy when you have access to other sources. Please don’t let anyone gaslight you into feeling bad for prioritizing yourself and well being.

6.Lastly this ties back to the last point but find a support group whether in real or online

I know not everyone finds this to be some huge journey but I think we can all agree it’s become a huge part of your life. Find people to talk to not only about your journey but anything at all. I’ve made great shifting friends and they’re the only reason I’m coming back before I perma shift! I want to help them with their journeys before I go as well as all the amazing people on this subreddit who helped me.

Special note: All methods lead to shifting and manifesting successfully <3 behind every successful shifting method is a strong intention by the user of said method. All methods are doors to your desires, just choose which one you want to open, and don’t over complicate it! If you think your method work it will work.

that’s it. anything else could fall back into one of these categories! If one resonated with you, or all six or even 0, that’s fine! You’ll find what works for you as you go along but if this helps even one person I’ll be happy. sorry if it’s too long. I tried to keep it short and concise, cause I could probably go all day

[actual-changeling]

i think it's funny that whenever i post something about aziraphale not caring about individual humans—only humanity as a concept—the ONLY counter argument everyone always throws at me is 'he gave his flaming sword away'.

mate.

that was six thousand years ago. LITERALLY fresh out of heaven, to the only two humans in existence, who were the entirety of humanity at that point.

let's look at what he's like in more recent years, yes?

ah yes, telling a person living in an alley that her girlfriend is going to hell with a smile. what a kind person. and the wonderful follow-up which sounds like it is straight out of some conservative, capitalistic asshole's mouth.

and fun fact, someone like that has said THOSE EXACT WORDS to me at some point.

crowley asking the real questions here like always

but hey, that was 1827, maybe he was just having a bad year. or decade. or century.

what about the present day? see, crowley is terrified of gabriel and hates his guts, but do you know what he does? he answers his questions very patiently. he is kind. once he realises gabriel isn't pretending he makes him hot chocolate and tries to help him remember, he empathizes.

aziraphale's patient is non-existent. he yells at him immediately, gets frustrated with the most simple questions, refuses to interact with him and leaves crowley with him after crowley told him "what i NEED is for him to be nowhere near me". how considerate. but hey, maybe he was just having a bad time.

job! he was kind in job, right?

except that he doesn't care about job losing his house, his farmstead, all of his animals being slaughtered and only has a problem with the children dying; which he then tries to rationalize away with his fucking "that's not what god wants" shtick.

meanwhile crowley already has plans to protect the animals AND the children AND job and sitis as best he can.

the flood? perfectly alright to drown everyone, including innocent animals and children! it is god's plan, and what do a few humans mean in god's great big ineffable plan, huh?

then again, he doesn't show much empathy for god's son either when he's being nailed to the cross. french revolution and people being beheaded? oh yes, sure, dreadful—anyway i'm just here for the crepes, the dying humans are just background noise, let's not do anything about that even though it is literally my fucking job as an angel. but noooo. he got peckish and then had lunch. what a fucking hero.

'accidentally' killing a dove because he just had to shove it up his sleeve for a magic act.

someone getting shot and dying? because i was careless? don't care. anyway.

armageddon and all of humanity dying? don't care either until i realise what i personally would lose and then i suddenly give a shit.

centuries upon centuries of aziraphale piling up money and he rather terrorizes poor people than entertain giving them a single dime. crowley has to remind and talk him into it, and as thanks he gets dragged down to hell and tortured.

aziraphale is dripping kindness, isn't he? and all of this doesn't even take into account the ball—human puppet show for his own amusement, this is supervillain shit and you know it—or all the other times he ignored human suffering so he wouldn't be personally inconvenienced.

and ALL OF THAT does not take into account how fucking horribly he treats crowley before time even existed.

aziraphale is not unkind. on a big scale, he cares about humanity, he cares about being nice, being good. he wouldn't intentionally harm someone, but he does not care enough to not be careless—he IS careless, and does NOT care if it kills creatures or humans.

his own personal wants and comfort trump everything else, and that is canon, it is text, it is fact. if you have any canonical examples of aziraphale being genuinely kind simply to be kind, not to be selfishly altruistic, please do add them, i'm serious! if you think i'm wrong, prove me wrong. everything i just listed exists in canon, so please, do the same in return.

giving his sword to adam and eve six thousand years ago does not magically erase everything that came after and it does not give him a free pass to behave however he wants, no matter the cost.

[awryval]

death of an author, reclamation, and you

"We never are what we intend, or invent 'Cause I make little lies and then I pull them apart Think something dark's living down in my heart And if I wanted to die before I got old I should've started some years ago digging that hole"

Brand New. "At the Bottom." Daisy, 2009.

Brand New was among one of my favorite bands in high school, and I still listen to them today. Their music is important to me and shaped a big part of who I am. Their lyrics about being tortured, burnt-out, and choking on the weight of your own self-perceived flaws are relatable! Their compositions ooze with a level of self-hatred that can only be genuine. It's utterly depressing, and I adore it!

That's not not the full story, though. Jesse Lacey, the vocalist of Brand New, is a sexual predator. This informs everything about how the music of Brand New is. It's self-loathing for a very good reason. I love Brand New. I condemn Jesse Lacey. These two statements coexist. I used to be a part of the /r/brandnew subreddit, and when the allegations against Jesse Lacey came out in 2017, many redditors of that sub were quick to claim "death of the author." After all, the band had broken up immediately after the news broke, and they had also cancelled their tours. Currently, the people using that subreddit mostly talk about buying old BN merchandise and discuss what their favorite concert memories were. Jesse Lacey himself confirmed that the allegations against him were true, so there isn't much debate to be had. The subreddit serves as a monument for fans who still enjoy the music, and as a platform to speak about it with like-minded fans.

In my opinion, claiming "death of an author" is a slippery slope. We can't always claim that Miku is the creator of Minecraft. But often, we see that that is the response people have when a creator is outed to be problematic; "I still like the thing So-and-So made, so I will ignore that the creator exists!" The reason that this worked for Miku Minecraft is because, by the time that Notch was publicly making transphobic comments, he did not own Minecraft anymore. The joke is quite literally that he does not own the thing that people like. He sold it to Microsoft, so he doesn't get royalties from it anymore. You can play Minecraft devoid of supporting its original creator. This joke works so well because it is an actual case of the death of an author! That's great and all for Minecraft, but what about other instances? What happens when we claim "death of the creator" erroneously? And why are we so obsessed with this concept anyway?

So like, back to Brand New... they released their last album, Science Fiction, back in August 2017. The allegations came out later that same year. I own all of Brand New's discography physically, including their last release. I bought most of it off eBay when I was 15. I was not supporting them post-allegations. But that leaves me with a lingering question- what do I do with all these CDs that I still very much enjoy the music of? From how I see it, there are two firm camps on this topic:

Camp 1: You know about Lacey's crimes now and his music cannot be separated from his actions. Solution: Throw your CDs away.

Camp 2: It's something you bought without knowledge of Lacey's crimes, so you should enjoy it anyway. Death of an author! Solution: Continue as usual.

I'm not fond of either of these answers. They come off as too polarized for a situation that is the entire Pantone swatch library of grays. "But, how are there any shades of gray when its clear that Jesse Lacey is in the wrong?" I want to provide some counter questions for you to think about:

What about the other people in the band? You might not be directly supporting the sexual predator anymore, but there are other victims here too- effectively his band mates lost their jobs overnight. (Another example would be LOSTPROPHETS)

Is it feasible to destroy each object you own because it was created under problematic circumstances? When or when isn't this the case? Does it apply to your cup of coffee? Does it apply to the clothes you wear? What about any product with palm oil in it? What about the hardware in your computer? If you look into any company, you're going to find some horrific things you don't like about it. The takeaway here is that it isn't beneficial to treat situations like these as black or white. I don't think that destroying my CDs is going to do anything to take away the abuse that Jesse Lacey caused. Nor do I think ignoring the context of his music will do anyone any favors. The music he made is a product of his crimes. To ignore that fact would be disingenuous to why people enjoy his music and why the music exists in the first place. There's another element here, though. I, and many others, are no longer monetarily supporting Jesse Lacey. You can't even officially support the release of Brand New's music anymore as their record label (Procrastinate! Music Traitors) doesn't even seem to have a functioning website anymore? Regardless, I wouldn't want to support his music in a way that supports him, anyway. Yes, I enjoy the music and the themes of it, but I do not want to be directly supporting abuse that happened BECAUSE he was a vocalist in a band. And I can safely do this with CDs that I bought secondhand, right? This is death of the author. So what's the issue?

I believe there is an issue when people claim “death of the author” far too quickly and scramble to reclaim the media for themselves. It’s an increasingly popular trend these days to pluck characters/concepts from an author deemed to be problematic. "I'll save [Character I like] from this shitty piece of media!", they claim. I don't think people realize how multifaceted in effect that is, though. For instance, if the author is actively making money from their creation, you can't truly "reclaim" a character from them. It's more like you're paying homage to them with fanart.

My best on-going example of this would be Floraverse. There are a multitude of reasons why people do not like the author/s of Floraverse, which I will not go into here. To put it simply, though, since its inception in 2013, many artists and writers involved with Flora either left or were kicked out. These artists either directly contributed to the art and worldbuilding of the webcomic, or were heavily influenced by it. To this day, there are many times someone links me to art on Discord and I’ll say “oh I remember that person, they used to be a Flora fanartist!” and the other person is absolutely floored that that artist was ever linked to Floraverse. Anyway… There have been multiple attempts at people trying to reclaim Floraverse from the author, and this never works out. Like, it really doesn’t work out. Any time that someone tries to reclaim Floraverse characters for themselves whilst condemning the author, that person is dogpiled by the Floraverse community. Which is a weird behavior for a CC BY-SA webcomic, but I digress. Here are some highlights:

In 2019, there was a thread dedicated to Redesigning Floraverse that immediately got taken over by Floraverse itself a month later.

An artist got harassed for multiple years (I think it was 2020-2023) for having an oc based on Beleth, a character in Floraverse.

Just 2 months ago, an artist got harassed for drawing fanart of the characters

Historically, reclaiming Floraverse characters from the author hasn't worked out. And I mean.. why would it? It's an actively running "webcomic" (I'll be charitable) and with an active community that supports the author's current works and views with their wallets. It's one thing to enjoy a piece of media with a problematic author and want to reclaim that media for yourself. It is another for this reclamation to actually be effective. Attempts of "reclaiming" Floraverse get written off as fanworks that the community dislikes. You cannot reclaim Floraverse characters as they do not exist in a vacuum. Listening to secondhand Brand New CDs does work in a vacuum; Jesse Lacey's career is dead in the water. The same cannot be said for reclaiming the art of Glitchedpuppet and co. Floraverse characters and stories are not divorced from the abuses they cause. Characters will be used as strawmen to abuse community members, past or present. Or entire works will be up dedicated to making light of your childhood trauma! These characters were made by an abuser, and will be used to abuse. That is a simple fact about Floraverse. Except... in that statement, I'm not even talking about Glitchedpuppet, the current author of Floraverse. I'm talking about Marlcabinet, the previous author of Floraverse. This statement does however, apply to both of them. Hey, wait a minute, that's weird! I've been talking about "death of the author" for this entire post, and I just said that reclaiming Floraverse characters can't work because the way the characters were used to abuse real people doesn't exist in a vacuum. So like, why does this work within the Floraverse webcomic itself? Marl is the abuser of Glip, but Marl is also the author of the majority of early Floraverse. Isn't the story itself, as it currently stands, an act of reclaiming characters used to abuse community members, minors, and any detractors? Then who is to say that those who contributed to Floraverse and were similarly abused are not also allowed this same privilege? Their real-world suffering is what fuels the comic. When I was 13-16, I adored a Floraverse character named Cayenne. His whole deal was that he was an autistic child slave and was horribly abused by everyone around him. Weird character to connect to, but he’s the character that made me figure out I had autism! I drew a LOT of fanart of this character and I even own a (gifted) life-size plush of him. The authors only ever treated him as a joke and it was a joke even within the Floraverse community that I was the only person who actually liked/cared about him. Sometimes I think about reclaiming him for myself. But I also don’t want to get harassed, and I know I could design much better things, and write better things. Conversely, I also think about how this is the exact character that made me get into contact with Marl when I was 16. It’s a heavy weight to carry knowing that this exact character was the reason I was almost in the clutches of a child predator. Glip personally deferred me to him. Reclaiming Cayenne would hold emotional value for me as a reminder of my triumph over a predator. Would it be wrong for me to reclaim an abused child character from a comic that abused me and many others as children? I've no clue. And I don't think anyone can answer that. I've waffled on it for ~2 years now. Reclaiming Cayenne would give attention to an individual that profits off abusing others, myself included. I'd say that reclaiming Floraverse characters wouldn't be a case of "death of the author", but the original creator of them was a child predator that's no longer on the internet. Floraverse is already practicing death of an author, and it is a shell of its former self. That being said, it is not a story that only has one author. Its other authors are still active, and these authors include every person that it has abused in its wake. After all, it's a comic that relies on you to know about its dramas with and traumas of real people. Tell me: Does a death of the author matter when its being written about you?

[bunnakit]

can i have your top 5 feral boys AND old mans you meet this year?

lkjlakjglk YOU KNOW ME SO WELL - so i just started watching BL in june??? so pretty much everything is new to me, sorry if some of these are old news to ya'll. idk if you meant for me to pick 5 of each but that's absolutely what i'm gonna do.

"OLD MEN" BRACKET 🌸 (most are my age or younger)

hoooooly shit papang in general. houghghhh i want to lick the blood off his teeth. i want to raise anarchist young adults together. i want to-- well. let's not bring beam into this, maybe. regardless, old man of all time.

what right does this old man have??? hello??? you just go around LOOKING LIKE THAT? all the time? i want to run a humble restaurant together. i'd be his ride or die.

i had to go make a gif special for him bc no one loves akk the way i do apparently. i wanna fuck that old man - and yeah, you can add that one to the counter. obsessed with him, i wanna see him get a romance of his own, i want to know everything about him. (and this is saying something bc i hate cops, but The Sign boys get a pass - for now.)

i know chan has pretty privilege ok? i KNOW. i do not care. i love him, i want to know everything about him, i've started several fics about him, he was my first absolute brainrot in BL.

i understand what chen yi was about and once again i am asking sooo so nicely for a prequel about his and ming lei's past and relationship. i would love if it was a parallel to chen yi and ai di.

FERAL BOYS BRACKET 🌸

this comes as a shock to absolutely no one. ai di is my specialist boy. i adore him so much, i want to hang out with him so bad. i wanna be best friends. i can't wait for my rainbow sweater to get here.

jack and his boobs are everything. he really stole the show for me (as all side romances tend to.) this is another show i could use a spin off or sequel of just them, give me everything, i love them - jack especially. give me jack's whole past, his pov up to meeting chao lian.

pisaeng counts, don't @ me. he was so feral in his own way for kali. absolutely unhinged behavior. wingmanning your own crush? winking and finger gunning at him on day one? PINING FOR HIM FOR YEARS? pisaeng something is deeply wrong with you and i love you for it.

tan is the epitome of "you're delicious as a concept, but as a real person i worry for you" - ESPECIALLY after reading the novel. i'm still laughing that according to personalities database we are the same personality. his flavor of feral is just soooo so sexy.

babygirl there is something so very wrong with you. this bad boy can fit so much repressed trauma in it. i think he should be allowed to bite people for fun. every fanfic i read exploring black's mental state makes me love him more and more. (also he's so difficult to write, i respect fanfic authors that explore black's pov so much)

ask me my top 5 anything BL!

[asshlyyyy]

Red String

Before I see the comments, there will be no part two. I need to crank out these fics if I want to finish my ongoing stories. This idea came to me when I learned about the red string legend. I tweaked it ever so slightly, but the main concept still stands. This one is a weird one, and I hope you enjoy it!

Masterlist

Pairing: Elvis (Or Austin!Elvis) x Fem!Reader

Warnings: Swearing, Teasing, Some Angst, Spelling and Grammatical Errors. Some information regarding the legend may be false. Let me know if I missed anything!

Word Count: 2.1k

You looked down at your ankle and let out a sigh. No matter how hard you worked to try and shorten the distance, it never seemed to lead you to anything… or anyone. You were getting on in years and quite frankly, you were about to give up and cut your string. Which honestly, you weren’t sure if you could even do that. 

The story of the red string was one that everyone grew up with. It was a way to explain why they had a red string attached to their ankle. One end was attached to yours, and the other end was attached to your soulmate’s ankle. Once your soulmate was found, the string would turn to gold and would turn into an anklet. It was to indicate you had found your soulmate. 

Most people found their soulmate early on. Middle school early on, hell some even met them while they were still babies! Yet, here you were in your thirties, and still… no golden anklet. You’ve been asked so many times why you wouldn’t follow it to the other end. The answer was simple, by the time you reached your soulmate the string would rip. Greed is what breaks the soulmate bond. 

You were supposed to find your soulmate off of some fate. You would bump into each other and you would mold. You watched your friends and family mold with their soulmates and you were tired. While no one has ever dared to cut their string. It is said that if you cut your string you give up all hope and chance.  When you cut your string you give up the chance of ever having a soulmate.

It wasn’t like you wanted to give up. Heck no! You wanted to get married and have kids. You couldn’t do that without finding your soulmate. It was very rare that you saw two people together with red strings still. They were the rule breakers. The ones who didn’t care much for finding their soulmate. You wish you could have been like that.  

“I need two cheeseburgers and fries for table five!” You told the cook and placed the menus in their dedicated spot.

“Coming up!” The cook responded and got to work. You leaned down over the counter and placed your chin in the palm of your hand.  You looked around at the couples in the diner. Each and every one of them had their gold anklets. It wasn’t fair. How come they found their soulmate and you were still standing around like a lost puppy. 

“How’s the soulmate hunting coming?” Sherrie asked as she came riding on by. You turned your head over to her. 

“Well, I’m still tripping over my own red death so I would say… shitty.” You responded as you watched her skate around. She frowned and made her way over to you. 

“Hey, one day he’ll show up and… it will be so magical… so romantic… And hopefully not embarrassing like mine was when I met Chris.” She let out a pout. You remembered the day. It was like any other day in the diner. Well, besides the fact she bumped into someone. Everyone here was practically skilled at skating so bumping into someone was weird. 

“But isn’t meeting them supposed to be out of the blue? That’s why you can’t just follow your string.” You explained to her. In every single story you’ve heard or read about, soulmates found each other out of the blue. It was when they least expected it. 

“Do you want to meet your soulmate while covered in burning hot coffee?” She raised her eyebrow at you. A soft laugh left your mouth and you shook your head. She had you there.

“Table five, order up!” The ding broke you out of your conversation. You skated over to pick up the order and brought it over to the couple. You asked if there was anything else you could bring them. When you heard that no response, you made your way back over to Sherrie. 

“He helped you clean up though, and apologized a bunch. Your eyes met and…” you smiled softly, “and it was like you two knew. That was your magical moment.”

“Yeah… I guess you’re right.” She smiled as she remembered that meeting. You rolled your eyes playfully at her. After you two started to do some other tasks you heard a bunch of high-pitched screams. You turned your head towards the sound and found a multitude of girls crowded outside. 

“What’s up with that?” You asked Sherrie. She raised her eyebrow in confusion as she looked outside. 

“I have no idea,” she shrugged. You two decided to ignore the screams and got back to work. You cleaned up some of the tables and helped the customers. Pretty much what you did every day. 

You looked over at the clock and did a mental celebration. It was your break, or at least it was about to be. Not only did you finally get to eat, but you only had half a day left. You announced to the other girls that you were going on your break and grabbed your lunch bag and headed out behind the building. 

It was very rare that you ate food from the diner. The food there is amazing, but you just liked being able to make your own food. The cooks already had to make so much food, they shouldn’t have to cook for you too. 

As you walked outside you shielded your eyes from the blasting sun. When your eyes adjusted to the new light you noticed a tall man standing over you. You let out a scream but it was soon concealed by his mouth. 

“Please don’ yell,” The guy said. Okay, who the hell did this person think they were? Not only to be standing out behind your business of work but for putting his hands on you. You took the opportunity while he was distracted and bit down on his hand. He yelped in pain and pulled his hand away. “The hell was that for?!”

“You put your hands on me!” You looked up at the guy. “I should be the one saying that.” You huffed and walked away from the creepy man. 

“That still don’ give ya the right to bite me.” He followed after you. You stopped in your step and turned to face him. 

“Do you want me to call the cops on you?” You said it in more of a statement rather than a question. When you first stepped out you didn’t get a good look at him. But now looking at him, you saw who he was and you froze. Your mouth gaped open and you heard him laugh at your reaction. 

You quickly closed up your mouth and marched away. That self-entitled prick! Does he really think that he deserves everything and an apology just because he’s Elvis!? Hell no he doesn’t. You just wanted to enjoy your lunch in peace, and yet you had to deal with this famous rockstar, who was too busy in his actor era. 

Don’t get everything twisted up. You loved Elvis Presley, you thought he was a great singer and some of his movies were great. However, you were on your break. It was your personal time, and you didn’t want to have to interact with anyone or anything.

“Hang on now,” his southern accent wisped its way through your ears. You couldn’t help but feel your knees almost tremble. Those southern accents always got to you.

“What could the king possibly want with a little low-life servant like myself.” You looked at him annoyed. Any other time, you would be crying at seeing his beauty. Right now though, he was taking out the minutes of your half-hour break. Quite frankly, you didn’t appreciate one bit of it. 

“‘M sure you’ve seen those girls out front, I-I just wanted someplace to eat… Figured I would try the back door.” He tried to explain himself. Whoever goes and tries the back door first off? Especially when there are big letters on the door that say Keep out.

“You know that’s for employees only right?” You pointed out to him. You didn’t know if he was missing his glasses or just blind. The back door held big letters on it saying employees only, keep out, amongst other sayings. 

“Yes, I can read. But I fi-”

“You figured just because I’m Elvis Presley I can get what I want.” You mocked him. He looked at you annoyed. Out of all the workers he could have possibly bumped into, he got you. The girl who possibly wouldn’t care if he was some high-top celebrity or even the president. 

“Are you-”

“No, I am not, because you are wasting my lunch.” You peered down at your watch, “You already waste ten minutes of my thirty. So, I am going to walk away before you take away the other twenty.” You turned and walked over to the picnic table. You sat down and opened your lunch box and started to eat. 

There was this small outdoor eating area that the surrounding businesses use. It was a small beautiful area. Around summertime and the weekends, you guys would get around and have a cookout. The community was great, and to sit outside and eat while enjoying the fresh air… It really helped you calm down. 

“So-” you let out a loud groan and looked down over Elvis. Why was he following you? Why did he feel the need to talk to you while you were on your break? You didn’t want to converse while on your break. You wanted to sit, eat your food, and calculate when you had to get back to work. 

“What do you want?” You asked him as you munched down on your sandwich. 

“You treat me differently.” He stated the obvious. You looked at him with the Are you kidding me look. “I… look, ‘m used to people always screamin’ and runnin’ towards me. You… you yell at me. You don’ praise me.”

“Oh yeah, no problem. I would do that to anyone who bothers me on break so… You’re nothing special.” You explained with a shrug of your shoulders. It was true, you were gently a nice person. When it came to your personal time though… that’s when you started to get grouchy.

“Well, your string would say otherwise.” You looked at him confused before you looked down at your ankle. The once red string was no longer there. When you left for break it was there and no- that only had to mean one thing. 

“You got to be kidding me.” You spoke under your breath. You slowly turned your head to look at Elvis who had… a pleased look on his face. It was like that… you teased me and now I’m getting my revenge.

“Oh come on, I can’ be that bad.” He chuckled lightly. 

“You have taken away so much of my break time… I disagree.” You said in response. 

“Well, now ya don’ got to work anymore. I can provide.” Because that is something every girl wants to hear. Quit your job, stay home, cook and clean… look after the kids.

“Who says I even want to be with you.” You tilted your head to the side lightly. 

“Are you one to go against your soulmate's choosing?” Elvis questioned. He had you there. You weren’t one to go against the person who marked you and Elvis as soulmates. There had to be a reason for it, and you just couldn’t see that right now. 

“Absolutely. Because all I want right now is to eat my goddamn sandwich-”

“Y/n! Your break’s over!” The cook called out to you. You closed your eyes and breathed in a long thick breath. You got three bites out of your sandwich. Three goddamn bites! You dropped your sandwich down onto its wrap and rubbed your eyes.

“I have to get back to work.” You said softly and gathered your things before getting up. Looks like another day where you’ll starve a work. The rest of your shift should be very exciting. 

“Before ya go, could I get ya number?” He questioned as he turned to face you. As you looked at him you let out a sigh. He was your soulmate and you had to accept that. Maybe he couldn’t be so bad. Plus… you would be able to travel the world.

“Visit me at closing and I’ll consider.” You told him and walked off. Unbeknownst to you, Elvis wore a smile on his face. This was certainly not how he planned his day, but he was glad he met his soulmate. He was glad, he met you. 

Mutual Taglist: @darlinboypresley @emmymaehereeeeee @venus-haze @austinstyles

[sapphic-agent]

Sorry in advance for how long and wordy this gets.

My Hero Academia is squandered by the less than mediocre writing of Horikoshi. I will give him credit only on his ideas and concepts as the premise of the series and the setting are likely the only reason any of us are still tuning in, that and spite.

The show is too quickly paced and surprisingly for a complaint about a shonen, it's too action packed it doesn't offer much up in the way of quiet moments allowing characters to breath properly outside of conflicts and so I don't really care much about the conflicts they are involved in, especially when the thematic relevance of said conflict got spoon fed to me moments before it started in a shoehorned scene or a flashback.

Hori introduces themes of Heroic corruption regularly but never actually shows any corrupt hero's, and those that are said to be corrupt show very quickly that they aren't, usually at the detriment of others.

A complete reboot is necessary, slowing down the pacing immensely to the point where this war arc we are on will take place once they have all left UA. Have major events of the story take place staggered across the three years of UA, include "filler" with dedicated episodes to every student of 1A with mini arcs exploring the more important side characters such as Todoroki, Tenya, Uraraka, Tsuyu and maybe even Momo.

Completely redo Aizawa to actually perform to his own standards, he should teach the students to work on their fundamental "quirkless" capabilities as he more than anyone should know how easy it is to beat someone who has had their quirk countered to make sure they won't die in a situation where their quirk is useless, instead of threatening to expell them for having a weak quirk or non versatile quirk.

This can be done easily by just inverting his test. Have elementary/middle schools let kids use their quirks in gym and PE to help them understand their quirks and use them safely and give genuine context for why teenagers are expected to be skilled with their quirks when public quirk use is illegal. And have his starting test be about who is the most capable without them, showing him to be an unorthodox instructor and less of a hypocrite as that genuinely ties into his fighting style.

Have Izuku be quirkless for either half or all of his first year at UA. Have All Might take notice of him but still teach at UA to scout out a proper successor. Have Izuku manage to get into UA and do well in it's entrance exam as someone quirkless.

Make quirkless people exist and actually matter. 20% of the human race are quirkless, that is a much larger number than people realise coming in at a wopping 1.6 billion would be quirkless out of 8.1 billion. That cannot just be the elderly like fannon suggests.

Have Izuku go from the quirkless wonder to user of OFA actually matter, have him being conflicted about it, have other quirkless people actually have opinions on it, have people discredit him for being Quirked all along, only pretending to be quirkless. If you have him inherit the quirk at all.

Have stain be quirkless and have that revelation chill the world, have him being rejected from heroics for being quirkless have Stain parallel Izuku in many ways.

I could go on and on and on and on about a million and one ideas that would make the show/manga better but I feel like I've made my point well enough that there is so much here untapped that Horikoshi has, but rushed his way past for the next action scene and ultimately squandered.

Agree that MHA does need a major rewrite. It had such great potential and introduced a lot of intricate concepts for an average shonen, only to squander it at every turn. Like someone super smart in one of my reblogs said, "the story has a lot of interesting ideas, the author just has nothing interesting to say about them." A series that was built upon discrimination, inequality, and prejudice has done nothing more in the end than prop up the privileged, bigoted kid over the MC he abused.

Talk a about disappointing

[russellsppttemplates]

You have me (Charles Leclerc)

Note: english is not my first language. This is, again, particularly special because this is a topic that I feel huge responsibility writing about and I feel grateful that I'm trusted enough to have it be requested. This is a neurodivergent!reader piece and while I, like I said in the other one I wrote, like to see everything as we are all the same and I hate the idea of labelling, I tried to do this is the most respectful way with help and knowledge that I gathered over the years. These are a few little moments but they are in no way representative of the whole spectrum! And please remember, there are 5 fingers in a hand and they're all different and we need them all, there's no need to spread hatred or mean words to someone just because they're "different" than what is socially expected as the norm 🩶

Thank you so much to everyone who likes and reblogs, your feedback is appreciated 🤍 and I'm not taking requests, but I am writing some blurbs when I can (usually at nighttime when I can) so if you have any ideas or concepts that can be written in a small amount of sentences and you want to share, feel free to do so!

If things had been going smoothly with Charles, right now they had taken a bad turn. You did not usually get that bothered about people commenting on how you sometimes behaved differently when compared to other people, but when you noticed a few more accounts that supported your boyfriend and his racing team point out how you usually stayed back and did not get involved directly in the celebrations, how all the other drivers had gone to an after party and you and Charles had stayed behind in the hotel and how apparently you had been keeping him from the world, nastier words flying around about you like they weren't directed at a human. Sure, there had been the odd comment here and there but usually people had been very respectful about it, even when it came to people approaching you and Charles on the street during your walks around the city, they respected your space while still being kind and understanding, but it seemed that online they had taken their thumbs to a new level, the posts even so much as going to make fun of things like how you tended to tap your fingers on top of the counter in the Ferrari garage or how you rarely ever took off rhe headphones as the noises around you bothered you a lot. Deciding that it wouldn't do you any good to keep looking at what other people thought about you, you locked your phone when you heard the front door unlock, youe boyfriend coming in as he dropped his training bag in its usual place, "Mon coeur, I'm home! I showered at the gym too, so I don't smell bad. Are you up for a hug?", he said as he crossed the corner and sat next to you on the sofa, already noticing your nervous stance, "is everything alright?", he asked worriedly, "is something bothering you that I can help with?", he finished carefully as he tried not to approach you too much, knowing you liked your personal space if you were feeling particularly sensory overwhelmed, "it's not what you think it is, everything is fine on that", you said simply, "but people online have been really mean. And without any reason for it. It's not my fault", you said as you felt your lip tremble slightly, hearing a sigh on Charles' part, "I also saw it this morning, I was genuinely hoping you wouldn't see it. I never meant to hide it from you", he apologised as he tentatively reached for your hand, your own hesitating before latching into his, "I know you didn't. And I don't want to hide from it either. But it also doesn't make sense as to why they're doing it, because it really isn't nice", you admitted as you seeked for more comfort in the for of running the zipper up and down on your boyfriend's sweatshirt jacket material, your head snuggling into his chest, "I was thinking, with your permission obviously, about posting something. Doesn't need to be very structured but I want to show them that I do not support that whatsoever. I love you so much beyond whatever they are pointing out. All of it is part of you and I am madly in love with every single part of you and will not tolerate this behaviour towards you", he said as he kissed the top of your head, "that'd be good, yes", you admitted, "I love you too, handsome".

.

"I'm going to play some games with the guys, okay?", Charles said as he placed his hand on your shoulder, pressing a kiss to the top of your head as he excused himself from the living room where you stayed in reading your book. You flicked through the pages quite quickly, the plot holding your attention until you decided you wanted to take a bath, the position you had been in from working on your laptop for university making your muscles tense and a bit painful. Grabbing the usual products you use, you carefully let them soak in the water for a bit before it was at the perfect level for you to get inside, your muscles welcoming the warmth while you got the rest of your body submerged, just enjoying the peace and quiet as only the water swooshing around was heard.

Charles had lost yet another battle with George as they raced on the game, "honestly, Charles, will you ever win?", Alex asked as Pierre could only laugh, "I'm trying, I really am", he said as he managed to restart the game, racing eachother like they did on track until he heard a rhythmic noise, almost sounding like a bang, and he was up before the gears fully turned in their head, "I have to go, guys, bye!", he said as he followed the noise, the inkling he had that it came from your shared bathroom proving to be true as he heard you inside, opening the door as he announced his presence, "mon coeur, I'm coming in!", he said as he walked inside, his hand coming to the edge of the bath where your head had been banging on, "Hey, gentle, gentle", he urged you to stop, "all good now?", he said as he grabbed a towell, with his other hand, ready if you wanted to leave, "sorry, got distracted", you mumbled as you looked up at him, "No need to apoligise, just don't want you to hurt your pretty head. Do you want to stay for a bit longer?", he asked, your head shaking no as you accepted his help to get out, your foot tapping on the drain piece so the water would go while you let your boyfriend wrap the towell around your body, kissing your shoulder once he had you in his embrace, "you smell nice", he said as he guided you both back to the bedroom, "it's my new scent, the one I chose with your mother as my birthday gift", you revealed, Pascale being attentive to the scents that you did and didn't like. While you got ready in the bathroom, Charles offered to make dinner, "Ma belle, dinner is on the table", he announced as you got up from the sofa, joining him at the table for your meal, "this is really nice, I like this recipe", you said, "you do? That's great, means I can cook more often for you", he beamed, happy to have made something you liked, "so definitely nothing like the pie I made last week?", earning a giggle from you, "it was okay, Charles, just not my favourite though".

.

While sitting on the hospitality's outside area, you and Charles enjoyed the sunset while he spoke to Carlos and the engineering team about the upcoming race, your thoughts leaving you to distract yourself and you started running your hands through your hair, grabbing a strand and twisting it along your fingers, doing it without minding it much until you felt a knot forming, "here, mon coeur", you heard Charles whisper quietly as he placed your hand on the nape of his neck, your fingers quickly finding the longer hairs in there that he had yet to get cut and running your fingers there, "merci", you whispered as you took the opportunity to look at how his eyes looked even more beautiful against the sunlight that was painting the sky, "I'm here for you, always. You have me.".

[mxnaluv]

could i kindly ask for a blind date? For afab reader, but can be any pronouns, brown hair, average height, curvy figure. A person who is a dependable, responsible and though on the outside when needed to be, like work, or when others need help but in their downtime are really childish and likes watching cartoons and are pretty innocent at heart. Hobbies include pottery, learning languages, travelling, cooking or baking and basically trying out each activity at least once. Highly disliking conflicts, will avoid them at all costs, even at their own cost. Hate loud and bright places due to easily being easily overwhelmed. Love the concept of parallel play dates or doing some kind of activity together dates as I am really nervous to open up to people if my hands and mind is not busy with doing something. Idk if i look for something specific, maybe for them to just be patient with me as I have a difficult relationship with a feeling called love. I am sorry if that is to much too, then please ignore this request

JJK Blind Date

Thank you for the submission! I pair you with Gojo!

Gojo is someone who loves sweets, so he would definitely love your baking

Gojo is someone who can be very playful at times, especially with his loved ones. But despite his playfulness actions, he is also very responsible

Gojo also really likes Digimon (fun fact) so he most definitely watches cartoons

The perfect date I can see you both on is a baking date!

--------------

Gojo had shown up at your house with full bags and held them up, "I was thinking we could have a date night."

You were surprised and confused but you let hi in, then asked him what the bags were for. Gojo didn't say anything but took out what looked like ingredients.

Gojo then held up a big bag of flour before plopping it down right on the counter, "Okay! Let's make a cake."

You started to put the ingredients in the bowl but Gojo stood idly by while watching you explain how to actually make a cake. You didn't know why he wasn't actually doing anything until you asked him if something was wrong. Gojo just shook his head, "Nothing's wrong, I just like seeing you do the things you love." he smiled, "That, and I'm also hungry."

[callsignrascal]

Oooo could I request a rooster x reader soulmate au where the reader is a bartender at hard deck and has multiple people hitting on her, so she doesn’t think anything of it until she realizes Rooster’s her soulmate? Sorry if that’s not the best prompt or doesn’t make sense!!

Iridescent

Pairing: Bradley ‘Rooster’ Bradshaw/Bartender!Fem!Reader

Summary: In this world, your soulmate’s first and last name is written on your left wrist. Reader is bartender at the Hard Deck, nearly desperate to find her soulmate. Little did she know that her name was etched into the wrist of a Navy pilot.

A/N: thanks for my first ever request anon :oo i was a bit confused with the prompt but i hope i did it justice !! so sorry the soulmate part is a bit boring of a concept though haha …

Warning: drinking, bad grammar, unedited :)

no use of Y/N

The San Diego breeze flew through the open patio door of the Hard Deck. It was a cool set off to even out the California summer heat. With the bar’s AC fighting to stay alive, it was much appreciated. 

“Slow night?” You asked Penny as you stepped behind the bar, tossing your bag next to the cash register. You grabbed your apron and secured it around your waist as Penny maneuvered around you, preparing drinks for some customers.

“For now,” she replied, “but it’s only 5, you know how it is.”

You’ve been working with Penny at the Hard Deck since she bought the place. As much as you enjoyed working with her, this wasn’t a permanent position. Penny was generous enough to put you through the work so you could pay for college in order to pursue your major. Your work schedule wasn’t too draining either, you had the leeway to choose your own shifts. Because of this, during the school year you were able to pick up shifts whenever possible. Lucky for Penny, it was the summer so she had your help daily.

You watched as some Navy sailors trickled in wearing their service khakis. This wasn’t a rare occurrence, the bar was the unofficial official stomping grounds for pilots. Hence, the name. In fact, both you and Penny came from Navy lineage. Penny being the daughter of late Admiral Benjamin. Your father did not rise in the ranks nearly as much, but still gave you the military brat lifestyle. Being raised on base, it was no surprise you’d find familiarity in the bar.

As you delivered a drink to a customer, you caught sight of a man at the other end of the bar flagging you down. You quickly took the money on the counter before you made your way to him.

“Hey there, sweetheart.” The man was a regular, so you didn’t mind the nickname. If you were nice enough to him, he tipped real well.

“How are you doing, Hangman.” You flashed him and his friend standing next to him a quick smile. “Coyote.” Very rarely did you call your pilot patrons by their real names, often opting for their call signs instead. “So, what will you two be having today?”

“I was hoping for you, but I know you’re not on the menu.” Hangman flirted with his signature smirk.

You laughed. “I’ll let you know the moment I am.” You were used to customers, including him, flirting with you. You had a pretty face and you knew how to use it. It’s part of the reason Penny hired you, brought in good business. And you could handle a couple hours of being hit on by sloppy drunks if it meant you could make your rent and student loans.

They gave you their orders and you jogged back to the bar to grab them. Looking over at Penny, you noticed her talking to a guy her age wearing an older leather jacket adorned with military patches. While she was friendly to most of her customers, this one was different. She leaned over the counter to talk to him and abandoned the wine glass she was cleaning. Eyeing his wrist, you saw the familiar name etched into his skin, ‘Penny Benjamin.’ Your eyes widened at the sight. This must be Pete Mitchell. Penny had the matching soulmate mark on her wrist. 

You remembered the conversation you had with Penny around the time you started working at the bar. You had seen her soulmate mark in the iridescent color instead of the normal black, which indicated that she had found him. You had assumed it was Amelia’s dad considering he was no longer in the picture, but Amelia had her father’s last name, and it wasn’t Mitchell. Questioning her about it, all she said was that they met when she was younger but he wasn’t ready. Of course, you regretted asking as soon as you did. 

You quickly eyed the name on your own wrist, sighing at the dull black color it stayed.  You envied everyone who found their soulmates and stuck with them. The thought of being with someone who was completely meant for you is a dream. Considering you work at a bar, it shouldn’t have been hard to find your soulmate, right? People come in and out all the time. But you knew it was wishful thinking. Sometimes you wondered if your soulmate was even real. I mean, what kind of name is ‘Bradley Bradshaw’? 

After handing Hangman and Coyote their drinks, you made your way back behind the bar with Penny to treat the customers sitting there. You had your usuals of course; the same men every week who would come in to drink and engage in small talk. You knew that they probably also liked to look at the two of you, which came along with the job. Most of the guys knew what the boundaries were though. They knew you’d flirt and talk to them just to get a nice tip out of them. You also knew that all of that worked well.

Before you knew it, you heard The Bell ring. You looked at Penny with a raised eyebrow but she just stared down with a smirk at the (supposed) Pete Mitchell. He didn’t look like he would disrespect a woman or the Navy so you weren’t surprised to see his phone laying on the counter. You chuckled at the exchange and got back to work.

As the night got livelier with promises of a free round, you and Penny rushed about behind the bar; taking orders, making drinks, and most importantly; sweet talking your way into more tips. It was an easy job with a crowd like this. Most of the patrons that made up the Navy crowd were men afraid of commitment, making it easier to flirt your way up to bigger tips. 

With a glance to the door, you feel your heart jolt straight out of your chest. Walking in like he owns the place was the prettiest man you’ve seen in your life. He wore civvies, a faded old Hawaiian shirt over a wife beater, but you knew without a doubt that he belonged to the group of military that huddled near the billiards. You observed the pride in the way he held himself that could only scream Navy. Or maybe it was the 80s pornstache he had on. No civilian would wear that so confidently. 

Penny walked up behind you without you noticing, “He looks like your type.” 

Out of shock you spluttered, “What- what do- what do you mean?” It came out a lot more panicked than you wanted it to. 

“Don’t know,” Penny’s eyes widened as she looked past your shoulder. “Maybe you’ll find out because he’s on his way over.”

”Shit, already?” You panicked a bit, but when you turned around and saw him walk over you tried to muster up some fake confidence. “Hi! What can I get for you?”

The mustache man raised an eyebrow at how fake your greeting was. He chose to ignore it, though, “Right now, just a Moscow Mule. But maybe your number later.” He winked at you.

“Real original, sailor.” You matched the raised eyebrow that he wore when you first spoke. 

“Pilot, actually.” The man leaned on his elbows atop the counter as you started on his drink. “The name’s Rooster.”

“Rooster? That’s unfortunate.” You teased, knowing that it was only a callsign, but you were a bit disappointed. You were wishing he told you his real name, in the hopes that it was scrawled on your wrist.

Rooster got up off of his elbows to wave his hands, “N-no. It’s just my call sign, like in the Navy we’re given-” He cuts himself off when he looks at your amused face as you shake his drink. “But you knew that. You work at the Hard Deck. Surrounded by military personnel.”

That ripped a giggle out of you. His embarrassed face mixed with him rubbing the palm of his hand on the back of his neck was enough to keep you happy for the rest of your life. Little did you know, was that your laugh had the same effect on him.

“Here you go, Mr. Rooster.” You pushed his drink across the counter to him, using his callsign to tease him.

He picked it up, taking a sip. “Thanks, but I didn’t catch your name.”

“I don’t think I threw it.” You smiled at his expectant face. “You can call me Gertrude.” He gave you his callsign, you gave him a fake name.

“Gertrude?”

“Gertrude.”

He obviously knew it was a fake name, but decided to settle with it. “Okay… Gertrude. I’ll see you later, then.”

“See you later, then.” You repeated. Rooster then walked off to meet the group that was now with Hangman and Coyote.

Penny bumped you as you stared off at him. She giggled when she caught your dazed face. A silent conversation went on between you before you both went back to the bustling customers. On this particular night, the bar began to pick up later on, customers trickling in and filling up the seats. You and Penny kept busy preparing drinks, talking, and laughing with each other. You glanced up at one point, watching the door as more customers entered the bar.

You and Penny were pretty occupied tonight, and while you wanted to make small-talk with the new guy for some reason, you didn’t have much of a chance now. You and Penny moved behind the bar, doing your usual thing as you mixed drinks and retrieved beer for everyone. Penny halted her work every now and then to talk to Pete. But she wasn’t the only one distracted. You often stopped to look up toward the pilots who have been congregating at the pool tables. Truthfully, your eyes always shifted to Rooster and you caught yourself each time, wondering why you couldn’t stop looking at him.

“Hey,” Penny started as you worked on an order, “That man has not stopped watching you since he walked in.” She bit her lip, nodding toward Rooster as if to draw your attention that way.

“Yeah, I was beginning to think he was just here to check out the goods,” you laughed as you thought about how he hasn’t ordered much alcohol despite being at a bar.

“Well, go give him the goods,” Penny replied, elbowing you lightly.

“Penny Benjamin!” You gasped. “Just because your estranged boyfriend came in doesn’t mean you have to meddle in my love life.”

“Hey, I didn’t say to sleep with him,” she defended herself, “I’m only saying that he likes what he sees and that means you’re getting paid tonight if you flirt a little.”

“Yeah, I know that. But we’ve got a pretty full bar. It’s not the night to focus on one group of guys that may or may not even tip.”

“He’s just your type,” she said in a sing-song voice, ignoring your statement. You followed her eyes over to the pilots, again letting your focus fall on Rooster. She was right at least, he really was cute.

You turned away. “Yeah,” you replied, “but he’s military. We both know how that could end up.”

Penny clicked her tongue, “Don’t let my misfortunes deter you from your fate.”

“Fate? What-” Before you could turn around to look at her, she was already attending to another customer. You rolled your eyes playfully as she moved over to Pete again and continued what you were doing.

The bar was pretty slow now, everyone already having drinks in their hands. You started wiping up glasses and spilled beer. Your head shot up when a bunch of customers complained about the jukebox being unplugged. Soon after, you heard The Bell ring once more. What surprised you was that it was towards Maverick again. Laughing at the indication that he wasn’t able to pay for the round of drinks. You watched with an amused smile as Hangman, Coyote, and a third pilot threw him out of the bar.

Instead, your attention was grabbed by a Hawaiian shirt sitting at the piano. The rest of the patrons crowded around him, so it was hard to see, but you pulled yourself up to sit on top of the counter. With everyone distracted, you and Penny were able to watch the show without anyone asking for a drink. 

Rooster sat at the keys starting to play a song you’ve heard a hundred times. 

Great Balls of Fire by Jerry Lee Lewis. 

Your dad was a Navy sailor in the 80s, of course you recognized the song. But he played it so expertly that you swore he’d be able to play upside down and with his eyes closed. 

He sang the song proudly, like it was second nature. You were shocked at his ability to command a crowd. Throwing his head back and belting out the song. You moved to get a better look at him. 

Singing the lyrics, “Kiss me, baby…” He locked eyes with you. He played the interlude waiting for something. And you knew what it was. You threw him some slack and blew a kiss to him from your position at the bar. He shivered, acknowledging that he caught it. “Ooh…that feels good, baby.” 

You laughed as he continued his song, making eye contact with you for nearly the whole thing. His Ray-Ban caravans slid down the bridge of his nose letting you see his eyes for the first time since he came in. The warmth of his eye contact made you heat up like the drink it shared its color with. You were sure that your skin had changed its hue because you felt like you were burning up. It wasn’t unwelcome, no, not at all. In fact, you kind of enjoyed it. 

But before you knew it, the song was over. 

–

The night went on, and hours later you still had a few of the pilots sitting mingling at the pool table along with a handful of other customers. You helped a few strays here and there as they stumbled into the bar, but for the most part, the night had wound down and the place was pretty dead. You figured you’d check with Penny to see if she wanted to check out early to go talk to the dude she threw out earlier. However, you stopped at the sight of Hangman and Rooster walking up to the bar counter through your peripheral vision.

“Bartender,” one of the men said. You turned back, sort of unamused that they were calling you by your profession and not the fake name you gave them.

“Well, that was rude. I do have a name, you know?”

“Well, you didn’t give me a name during introductions,” Rooster said.

“I did, actually. I said to call me Gertrude.” you replied.

“That’s not your name,” he smirked at you, “I know that’s not your name. That’s a fake name that women give out to creeps in bars.”

“Well, can you blame me?” You questioned, motioning around you to indicate that you were, in fact, in a bar.

“No, I don’t. I bet you meet a lot of creeps working here,” Rooster bit his lip, studying you as if he were trying to figure you out. You caught on to the way he looked you up and down briefly, lip still caught between his teeth.

“They’re not all creeps,” you replied as you leaned in closer to him, elbows now resting on the counter as you met his stare. You couldn’t be sure, but it seemed as if he might be hitting on you given the way he bit his lip as he watched you. If nothing else, you could at least encourage him to drink more and tip more if you made yourself look interested.

“I bet you’d tell the non-creeps your real name,” he said, watching your reaction. It was definitely a test, either you let him know he wasn’t creepy and tell him your real name, or you refuse to offer up your name and convince him that you definitely thought he was a creep; which you really didn’t want to do. He didn’t seem like a creep, none of these guys did. But past experiences with customers made you think carefully about your response.

“Well, then she thinks I’m a creep too.” Jake added, taking the last long drink of his beer. You remembered that you gave him the same fake name when he asked for yours the first time.

You laughed lightly at him as he slid you his empty bottle. “I don’t, but sometimes I wonder.” 

The men ordered another round of beers and you delivered. You stepped back once they had their drinks, now working on cleaning up since the place had slowed down a bit, just a little. You listened as the men chatted, enjoying their drinks and recalling the missions they went on. All within their military clearance, clearly. You went about your business, letting them take their time. You only hoped that if they kept you here any longer, they’d tip you well again. At least they were mellow people. They mostly just talked and laughed, leaving you as you prepared to close up for the night.

But, it wasn’t long before Rooster came back. “You closing your tab now, Roo?” You questioned, putting the last pint glass you were cleaning up into the cupboard above you.

“How’d you know?” He asked, pulling out his card from his wallet. 

“Work here long enough and everything becomes predictable.” You took his card as he offered it. “Thank you.”

“Even me?” 

“Especially you.” You lied and turned to the register.

Everything he’s done today has been a surprise. For one, was ordering a Moscow mule. For two, playing Jerry Lee Lewis for the whole bar. One thing you definitely did not expect was the name on his debit card. 

“Something wrong, bartender?” Rooster asked from the other side of the register. He looked over to see you holding his card. 

You stood there frozen as you clutched his card in one hand. Your other hand stayed paralyzed above the numbers of the cash register. The silver, raised letters on his card contrasted against the deep red of the Navy Federal Credit Union card. ‘Bradley Bradshaw.’ 

“Yeah, that’s me.” 

Oh shit. Did you say that out loud? 

You quickly punched in all the things needed for him to pay, not to mention giving him a generous discount. After what seemed like forever, to the both of you, you walked out from behind the register. Now that there was no cash register blocking your view, you could see Bradley’s confused face. 

Hopefully this will help him to understand. You passed his card back to him with your left hand, your wrist pointing face up for him to see. You watched as Bradley’s face contorted from a very muddled one to a blissful one. He stared in awe at his name on your wrist changing colors.

“My name’s not Gertrude.” You giggled. “But, I’m sure you know that.”

Then, in a similar manner, he looked into your eyes as he took his card back with a big dumb grin. “Yeah. Yeah, I do.” Was all he could muster out. Looking at his wrist as he took his card, you saw your first and last name etched into his skin. “It’s nice to meet you, ‘Not Gertrude.’”

“And it’s nice to meet you, Bradley ‘Rooster’ Bradshaw.”

Both of your wrists burned as the names turned into an iridescent color. Neither of you could even begin to care, though. Too distracted by the feeling of euphoria in your chests. 

“So… when do you get off?”

Before you could answer, you heard Penny yell from the other end of the bar counter. “Right now!” Making it obvious that she witnessed the whole interaction.

You looked around, hoping no one else did. But it was clear that, in fact, the whole bar did. Thankfully, it was only the rest of the pilots and a handful of others who were probably too drunk to remember it the next morning. You put your head in your hands, laughing out of embarrassment. 

Bradley made eye contact with his squad as they wolf-whistled and cheered at him. He chuckled at them and looked down at your bright red face. How lucky could he have gotten to have you as his soulmate?

Recovering from your embarrassment, you turned to look at Penny. “You sure?”

She nodded vigorously. “Of course, sweet pea. You go have fun,” Winking, she continued, “but not too much.”

You were about to revert back into a tomato before Bradley chuckled. “Thanks, Penny.”

“Of course, Bradley.”

And the shock was back. “Wait, so you knew the whole time?” You asked Penny. 

Penny giggled and shrugged. The crazy lady. She knew from the moment you showed her your soulmate mark. She was friend’s with Goose before his unfortunate passing, of course she would know his son. But you didn’t know that. 

She watched as you grabbed your bag from next to the register and headed out. Not before giving her a kiss on the cheek. Penny gently hit you with her rag on as you lifted up the bar counter to leave. 

Faintly, she heard your conversation on the way out.

“Your parents must’ve had a twisted sense of humor.”

“Why’s that?”

“Bradley Bradshaw.”

“Oh, okay, Gertrude.”

“You know that’s not my government name.”

“You could’ve come up with something better.”

“…”

“…”

“I hope you learned how to throw a right hook before going to elementary.”

“Oh my god.”

[m-jelly]

Hello! I don't know if this where you can request? Bcs I usually read them. But if this is the correct place to request, then I would like to have a levi oneshot, a Hybrid AU to be specific? This is my first time requesting something, so idk how the system works?

So basically, the fem!reader is a petite, shy, smol bunny hybrid - she got bunny ears and tail in appearance and also has the bunny/prey instinct like. She works as a florist and is either reading or making a bouquet (or doing other stuff) during her free time.

levi - he's a wolf, the appearance is the same as how reader's is: got wolf ears and fluffy tail as well as the predator/alpha instinct, he kinda got dragged by hange and erwin for some purpose -

He just happened to came across her shop while walking around - well to be exact, trying to run away from his friends - and he smell a slight sweet aroma from the shop and just out of curiosity to find out who/what it is.

And that is where they meet. At that time the reader was very intimidated by levi bcs of him being the predator and ofc the frown he has on his face. So she kinda just froze whatever what she was doing and just stared at him intensely out of fear. (also she had to take over her friend's place at that time, usually she just works as a preparation of flowers) And then the introduction and the flow of the story is up to you.

My apologies if this request looks detailed. You can twist the plot in your own way bcs I hv a thing for predator & prey/ wolf & bunny concept, you know? (I very much adore them) hope you can understand them, English isn't my first language. It can be quite confusing. You can ignore them if it's difficult for you - since I already read your request information, so I'm worried if this is how it should be. Other than that, remember to take your time and have breaks to rest!

Anon? I LOVE this request. I've done a bunny reader x wolf Levi long fic and I am addicted to the concept. I love it so much!

@ladycheesington <;3 Bringing this banner back to remember the fun fic!

Puppy eyes

Pairing: Levi x fem! Reader

Tags and warnings: Future AU, hybrids, wolf Levi, bunny reader, fluff, romance, falling in love, gaining trust

Levi runs from his friends and gets enchanted by the nice scent of his destined mate. Levi tries to get to know you, but you're very nervous. Levi keeps coming to the shop to earn your trust and finally asks you on a date.

@ladycheesington @levisbrat25 @nyxiieluna @li-anne @galactict3a @youre-ackermine @thebobaprincess @2moth-anon2 @cypidity @notgoodforlife @demonsimp6 @nbinairyn

Levi was irritated by his friends, who had dragged him around the city. He wanted to go home and be left alone. He was jogging through the street, but he slowed down when he smelt something so intoxicating to him. His tail wagged a little as he followed the wonderful smell to a cute florist.

He pushed open the door to see the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen in his life. He felt breathless as he gazed at you, your adorable little bunny ears twitching now and then as you focused on arranging some flowers for an order.

Levi's tail started wagging fast as he felt joy fill his heart. He moved closer to you and tried to control his excitement, but it was a bit hard. "H-Hi!"

You jumped at the voice and looked up to see a big wolf gazing at you. Your ears went back as you shook a little. You didn't know what to say or do. Normally you were prepared to talk to people, but seeing a wolf just appear out of nowhere was hard. Plus, you felt this intense connection to him on a deep romantic level.

Levi moved closer and leaned on the counter. "Are you okay?"

You back up a bit as he stared at you with a frown. You let out a little whimper. You didn't know what to say. The wolf before you was incredibly handsome, even though he had a frown. You felt bad for freezing up, but your old predator and prey instincts had flared up.

Levi's ears flattened as he whined. "I've scared you...I'm sorry. It's just...you smell like my mate and you're so pretty."

You gulped hard. "S-Sorry, you umm...surprised me."

Levi perked up and his tail began wagging hard again. "I'm sorry too! I won't hurt you, I just want to talk to you." He pointed. "I will buy something. I love flowers. Um...can we talk?"

You shifted a little. "I um...sure."

He wagged his tail fast. "Really? Wonderful!" He cleared his throat and hurried around the shop. "I'm Levi."

You gave your name. "Umm."

Levi grabbed a few flowers and hurried over to you as he hugged the flowers. "These."

You gazed at his tail wagging and smiled a little. "Those?"

"Yes."

You took them for him and wrapped them up. You told him the price and let him pay for it all. "Thank you."

He gazed at you. "You're pretty."

You gasped as Levi ran out of the shop and left you alone with your thoughts. You blushed a little and felt rather happy. You were still a little scared, but he was rather cute and sweet under the surface.

Your friend leaned in the doorway and gazed at you. "He's back again."

Your cheeks burned as you thought about Levi. Levi had come to visit you often. He would buy a lot of flowers and plants and ask to see you. At first, you were nervous around him but you soon got to know him and he was rather nice and sweet.

You cleaned your hands and smiled. "I'll go see him."

"You know, he's rather cute for a wolf."

You felt your cheeks burn. "Yeah."

She hummed a laugh. "A wolf and a bunny, huh? Adorable. He'll hunt you do for kisses and cuddles."

You shifted a little. "That sounds...nice..." You hurried out of the room and bumped into Levi. "Hello."

Levi's tail wagged hard. "Hi."

You hummed a laugh. "Your tail gives your emotions away."

"My face fails me, but my tail always shows how I feel."

"You must really like me."

He nodded. "I do." He gulped hard. "Are you still scared of me?"

You shook your head. "No, you've proven you're a nice wolf."

He walked closer to you. "You smell good."

You blushed a little. "Thank you."

He leaned closer and sniffed. "Mm."

You giggled as he sniffed the crook of your neck. "Tickles."

He pulled back and blushed. "Sorry."

Your little tail wiggled in happiness. "You're really cute."

"If...I'm cute...would...would you like to umm...go on a date with me?" He gulped hard. "I know I'm scary still, but umm...I like you and I feel a connection to you. I think we're mates."

You reached over and took his hand in yours. As soon as you touched, you both felt electricity shoot through you both. "I feel it too."

He gasped and pulled out a little brooch with a flower encased inside it. "I made this for you. The flower I got here, but I made the brooch. I just wanted you to know how serious I am about you."

You took it and pinned it on yourself. "I love it. Thank you so much."

He smiled as his tail wagged hard. "Tch, damn it brat bunny, you make me so happy."

You hummed a laugh. "You make me happy too."

"S-So, date?"

You nodded. "Date sounds great."

[wingzie]

Behind the Screen

The Beginning

On 20th September 2020 I posted my first ever Live Reactions on GCF in Tokyo. I was very nervous. In a world full of so much hate, would my attempt to go back in time to reminisce together and spread positivity be accepted? I wasn’t so sure. My idea behind the very concept of Live Reactions was because I was sick of so many fights about GCF in Tokyo. I wanted to show the true loving reactions to these moments, without all the drama that ends up going around in a vicious cycle. Thus, I started doing some research.

After I finished advanced searching on various social media platforms, I got ready to make the thread. I found myself quickly enjoying looking through old posts. It was fun and I think that’s a big part of why I am still making these now, nearly three years later. Plus the support. Once the thread was made, I posted it and actually hid my phone. I came back to it about an hour later and was very surprised to see such a huge response to it. At the time, it was one of my most popular posts and instantly there was a desire for more. 

I decided to throw myself into it.  If people wanted more, then I was happy to help with that! Especially when it was making so many people happy. I made a new Google Drive account and a spreadsheet to go with it, so that I could keep track of which Jikook moments I had already done or not. Over time, I would start formatting my posts properly and understand how the advanced search function worked on Twitter. I am a History and English major, so being accurate is very important to me. This gave birth to my second style of posts: Discussion and timeline threads. The Unexpected

Though these threads are well received and made with a lot of love, there was a dark side to this that I have never really spoken about before. The jikooker hierarchy is a strange one and is one that I try to ignore, but with that comes consequences and a certain isolation. A group of jikookers did not like that my account had apparently grown from out of nowhere and started spreading rumours about me, my posts and my identity. This hurt because I had never spoken to these people before. I would love it if we actually conversed, because I enjoy talking to people and I like to think that I am a pleasant person. But they were not interested and instead they continued to try and tarnish my name. I decided to come out to my closest friends and just continued what I was always doing.

I mostly ignored the bullying and it soon stopped once they realised that I was really not interested in the drama. I never have been and never will. After all, that was the main reason I started this journey of making threads. To try and counter the hate and drama, I just never expected it from my own side. It made me more determined than ever and I also made a promise to myself, to make sure others NEVER experienced what I did. A good friend of mine recently revealed that I was one of the only ones that would reply to their curious messages about Jikook. I feel like this is also something important: How we are seen from the outside. We want Jikook to be recognized for their bond and their talent. But how can we do that if all we do is fight or act better than others? I will always be here to talk or help others, it’s just in my nature to do so.

The Present and The Future

In the last few months or so my life has changed dramatically, in real life and also online. I have lost family members, got a new job and I am currently on carers leave. I decided to bring my laptop in the hope that I could work on some posts whilst everything was happening. I have (somehow) managed to find a balance between both and now have a loose schedule that I try to follow. I also try to not pressure myself whenever there is a new Jikook moment to instantly start working on it. I used to get really stressed, but now I am much better. One thing, however, is making this whole process rather difficult. Twitter. Or “X” as it’s now called. I can no longer just work on a post whenever I want to, I have to be time conscious. I currently have four accounts and have to rotate between them. Last night Jungkook went on We-live, with Jimin active in the comments. Jikookory happened. It was around 2am my time, but I’m still struggling to sleep in case I am needed. I decided to work on getting screenshots and it was hard. The search function does not work as well as it used to and my timeline is messed up on my backup accounts. There’s probably a case study that can be done here, but I just really wanted to work on a post without being restricted. I continued though, determined to show what others see. Sometimes we’re only aware of what is is happening in our own circles and not what is going on around us. Those that are in personal spaces with me know my deep frustration with all of this. On my Birthday, my main account got double limited and then my second account got locked. It was not fun. However, I refuse to give up. I have already completed my scheduled posts for August and September and am (very slowly) working on posts ready for November and December. Assuming that “X” is still around then. If not, I’ll post elsewhere or here. And for those asking why I haven’t been posting on here, my account seems to be bugged and won’t let me post links or videos in text posts for some reason. No idea why. Guess I don’t have much luck with social media platforms. With the way things are right now, this is a promise. I will continue to keep doing what I have been doing over all these years. It might be harder but I still have that same goal that I’ve always had: To spread postivity and appreciation for Jikook for all in a safe environment. Love you all.

[thegodmother007]

My New Neighbor

This is my first time really giving writing G/t content a try. The concept is that this is a newly integrated world where both Giants & Humans co-exist...or at least they try to as much as they can.

TRIGGER WARNING: This story will eventually contain violence, angst, threat of death, swearing, dark humor, adult themes like sex & drugs, racism, classism, sexism etc. Do not say you have not been warned

Chapter: Prologue - The City of Epherton  

My heart was in my throat as I watched…no felt them walk by the coffee shop I was ordering a chai latte in. I looked around to the other patrons in the coffee shop to see that no one else in line seemed to notice it as much as I did. I looked around the café while I waited for my name to be called, to see how others might be reacting to the tremors but everyone was still preoccupied with their own drinks, the works on their laptops or even chatting with friends. It was like I imagined the tremors that emitted from the floor, but I know I hadn’t, not in this city. As my adrenaline levels lowered, I focused on keeping my breathing rhythmic & steady, trying to keep myself looking cool & collected, like I belonged here.

“CAIN!” Yelled the middle aged ginger woman sliding my chai latte across the counter to the pick-up area, spiking my blood pressure once more. However, looking at my drink made it a lot easier to calm down, as I had something else to focus on. I could immediately taste the warm cinnamon & cloves taking the first sip which got a relaxed, deep sigh from me; one I had been holding onto for the last hour. The train ride in was anxiety inducing as it was, but to actually be here, was a whole new experience. As I exited the coffee shop, I put my sunglasses on & pulled my beanie down, keeping my eyes straight forward in an attempt not to gawk at the enormous humanoid figures across the street. This is my first time visiting Epherton, so I did not want to make any trouble for myself by offending anyone. 

Walking down the street & to my appointment, I could not help but allow myself a glance or two at the giants that seemed to surround me & the other Humans who walked the sidewalk. When I did look up, I could feel my stomach drop into my shoes, watching these giants boldly exist in front of me, an embarrassing reaction to something it seems most humans here have become okay with. I could see people, no, giants, ignoring us who walk across the street, laughing and having lives like regular people. It was weird to watch them like I was some fly on the wall, but reminded myself very quickly not to be caught staring at them, per the suggestion of all my friends and family. For every 10-Humans, there was only 1 giant, so although we outnumbered them 10 to 1, it did not matter in my eyes. One giant could take down hundreds of Humans if they really wanted to, and many have. It is why this city is so special, because it allows for an integrated existence for both Humans & giants. It is the first of its kind to ever exist, “Epherton: A City of the Future” many called it, but I deemed it a place I would circumvent until I no longer could & today was the day I could no longer avoid it. 

So then, why am I here at all? Well, the housing market is garbage & I am a 21 yr old who can’t afford much. This town is full of young people, giant & Human alike, looking to plant roots & start lives of their own. Like so many others in this city, I am looking for affordable housing & I am weighing my options by exploring the Integration Housing Program that Epherton is offering. I am not unique in my reason for being here, from what I am observing, but I am unique in my attitude towards them. However, that is something I plan on keeping to myself for now. After about a 20min walk, I find myself at the Human entrance of the government sanctioned apartment building where I will be inquiring about the Integration Housing Program. I looked at the other side of the property, which was sectioned off with a 10ft concrete wall, but that hardly would stop any giant if they wanted to just step over it. I look to see giants coming & going on the other side of the property. There is a man holding the apartment door open for a giantess who has her hands full with a box of some sort, there is a gardener who is trimming some trees which are being used for décor & a giant man smoking on his balcony. It was pretty humdrum activity for beings who were easily towering at 60-85ft respectively. I shuttered a little bit before steeling my nerves once again, reminding myself to play it cool if I want a chance at this program. I opened the door to a fluorescent-lit office space with a wall lined with bronze lock & key mail boxes, a buzzing from the ventilation system & a shiny waxed floor I could almost see my reflection in. I approach the front desk with a false bravado & cheap smile “Hello, I am here for a 1:00pm apartment tour for Cain Wagner?” The front desk attendant, a portly, older man with a graying mustache and balding head sits up with a smile “Welcome to Hedge Heights, I will be your guide this afternoon!” 

[empyrangel]

what’s your opinion on the raiden shogun/raiden ei, girl i gotta know

See, that one’s pretty complicated.

When I first played the Inazuma archon quest, I didn’t think much of her at first. Which makes sense considering we don’t hardly see her until the end. Then came the reveal about how the loss of her sister caused her to retreat into her headspace and leave the mortal plane behind. As someone with MaDD who spends most of my time in my own headspace to hide from life and problems, she really resonated with me. So after that I had a pretty positive view of her for a while, but then I started to notice how her character was handled post-archon quest, as well as the criticisms from the many people who dislike her.

They’d talk about how Ei had allowed her grief to consume her and abandoned Inazuma with a puppet for a leader. How she said that she knew about the vision hunt decree, and the fatui to starting the civil war and trying to give people delusions. She let all of that happen because it didn’t conflict with her pursuit of eternity. I realized that these were valid criticisms and agreed with them despite liking Ei. I don’t have a problem with morally dubious characters, as long as they are handled properly, but Ei was not.

I was hoping to enjoy seeing how her character would change after the end of the archon quest. Yes, she was grieving, yes, she suddenly had the burden of being the archon and ruler thrust upon her shoulders immediately after everything with the cataclysm, but that doesn’t excuse what she did. I was hoping to see Ei regain her belief in humanity by interacting with the people of modern day Inazuma, and see her people gradually regain their hope in her. I wanted to see her regret her past and put in the work to make up for it for the sake of her people. I wanted to see her apologize to them, to become an active ruler and participant in Inazuma society. I wanted to see her face the consequences of her actions with people rightfully angry at her for abandoning them, and see Ei determined to win back their trust because she cares about her subjects. I wanted to see her struggle to not fall back into her old mindset or to become disappointed and angry at how Inazuma has changed, and to persevere despite all that. That would have been a well written character, but that’s not what happened.

Instead, she got a hasty redemption arc, after which all her teeth and claws were immediately removed for the sake of making her more marketable. She was never confronted with her actions, no one was ever allowed to feel angry at her for what she did. We pretty much just moved on immediately from everything that happened. We see in certain limited time events that the people of Inazuma are still scared of Ei, but it’s played off like a joke.

I mean, I suppose Ei did have to fight the shogun (who symbolically represented her past self and ideals) for 500 years in that pocket dimension in her second sq, but we (the player/traveler) only saw the very beginning and very end of that, and the people of Inazuma never knew about any of that. I don’t want her to suffer just for the sake of suffering, so that didn’t really mean anything to me.

Some hardcore Ei stans have the counter argument that since Ei is both a totalitarian dictator and a god there isn’t anyone who can hold her accountable for anything, so expecting Ei to make change or make up for what she’s done is unrealistic. But I believe that her being unable to be held accountable is exactly what would make her having a real character arc so good. Since nobody can make Ei do anything, she’d have to hold herself accountable. She’d have to display the will to want to change without any punishment or incentive driving that. And I think that would just add to her character.

So I guess what I’m trying to say is that I love Ei in concept, but not the execution. I love her potential, I love what she could have been, but not who she turned out to be.

As for the Raiden Shogun, since she’s a different person than Ei, I guess I just feel sorry for her. I don’t think about her very much, but I like how you can see the differences in personality between her and when Ei is controlling her, with Ei being more casual, soft-spoken, and friendly, and the Shogun being more cold, withdrawn, and serious. I mean she was created by Ei and then immediately left to rule Inazuma herself as Ei had disappeared into her headspace. And she doesn’t have autonomy, she can only follow whatever parameters Ei has coded into her. That sounds like a sad life.

[phoenixradiant]

OC Interaction Tag Game: Jarsali and Lettic

My thanks to @tildeathiwillwrite for the tag!

Kate's OC: Jarsali Fortus is an Ilunian Tinker with red-blonde hair, pale violet eyes, a creative streak, a sense of humor and a big stick to wack people with. She forges strong bonds with those she trusts, and if that trust is broken there is little hope of forgiveness. She wants nothing more than to build a world where Mages are as widely accepted as where she grew up, but she has to settle with helping Mages on the run. She is good with her hands, always working on one new project or another. A Storm Mage, she has the ability to change the weather and generate lightning, something she makes use of in combat or with her clockwork inventions. Because of this, she doesn't carry around metal objects. Sometimes she wishes that her eyes weren't such an unusual color, it's the second-most-obvious giveaway that she's a Mage (the first being altered hair color, although that's incredibly rare). She hides a lot of trauma behind her usually sunny and joking demeanor, and prefers to bottle up any negative emotions (side effect of being an eldest daughter). Most of those emotions are guilt over something she had no control over. Naturally, keeping such a tight rein on her emotions has caused them to burst out, producing unexpected, electric results.

My OC: Lettic Hjodyrsson is a young Aladorian goatherd, training to become a knight. He shares his older brother's golden hair and his oldest brother's muscular frame, though he's significantly shorter than both of them. He's not particularly touchy about it, seeing as he is the youngest and can still knock most people flat if he wants to. He enjoys exercise and wrestling, as well as math (but he hates negative square roots). Though he's often described as jaded and mistrusting, anyone who knows him more than incidentally would say he's among the most honorable people they know. He's fiercely devoted and would rather die than break his word, will work himself down to the bone to ensure your well-being, and will provide emotional support, in his own terse way, should you need it, though it often comes in the form of dry jokes at your expense. The corollary to the rigorous standards he meets, however, is that he expects the same from others. He has thus far been disappointed, and so he spends much of his time alone, training his woodworking skills and exploring the wilderness, with neither friend nor purpose to guide him. Since his brother Cellic joined the Deathguard, Lettic has heard high reports of King Faldarin, and has decided to pursue knighthood as a path forward. The concepts of oaths, duty, and the thrill of the fight entice him.

Interaction: The most likely circumstance of their meeting would be through Cellic or Maiph, both of which would drag Lettic into helping Jarsali get another mage out of trouble, likely with a group of Thasnian mage slavers (they both are mages and enslave mages, and while technically illegal in Alador, for international relations reasons they're very hard to deal with). While he'd be nauseated by her cheeriness, he'd agree for family's sake and for the principle of the thing. Her jokes would be countered by the most deadpan, moodkilling expression, and then he would say something back that was sarcastic, but sounds completely serious. Either he'd provoke an emotional outburst by destroying her counterfeit mood, or she'd be so stubbornly, desperately happy that he'd stop talking just so he could stop hearing about it. After the job is done he'd inquire about her motives, she'd tell him, and it would sound too altruistic so he'd just fold his arms and go "yeah right" and insist on tagging along until he figures out what she's really after. Once she proves her good intentions (or fesses up about what she's been repressing) he might actually consider her a friend, though whether or not she'll appreciate his personality in return isn't certain.

NP tagging @jakkon-and-rose-topic, @aesthetic-writer18, and @corinneglass!