#but the story has no romance and is over 100 chapters in with no end in sight last time i checked

[isekyaaa]

Talking about the checking an author's other works is that like.... it's really junk when you're reading a story that has no romance, but when you go into the author's other works, the only things they've ever written were romance. So you're stuck trying to figure out if they'll eventually turn the story romantic or not.

[speakergame]

Progress Update - 3/4/24

Hello and happy March!

It’s been a while, hasn’t it? 😅 Well, I finally have some good news for you this time: I have some actual news!

I'm happy to be able to announce at last that an update is on its way! I’ve still got some assets to make and code cleanup and testing to finish, but I should finally have something to show you soon.

I’ll put a cut at the end of this and go into more detail about the what and why of what I’ve been working on during this long and unintended hiatus, but the tl;dr is that I hope to have an update out by the end of the month, and that said update will break any saves made in Chapter 4. Unfortunate, but unavoidable, since Chapter 4 had to be recoded from the beginning 😞

I just want to thank all of you once again for sticking with me through my extended silence! Especially to my patrons who’ve put up with me putting everything on pause month after month while I dealt with my real life shit, and to everyone who’s sent me kind and supportive messages to let me know Speaker hasn’t been forgotten. It really means a lot to me.

Okay, enough of that sappy shit! I’m gonna get back to work finishing this up 😁 I’ll put out another update later this month once I have a more definite release date.

Thank you all for reading! I hope you’re having a fantastic 2024 so far, and that the rest of the week treats you kindly. See y’all soon! 💙💙💙

(For those who want a more detailed breakdown on what’s been happening and what to expect, hit the readmore)

I won’t go into the personal life stuff I’ve been dealing with this past year that has slowed down my work, but as far as the actual game goes: 

To put it simply, I just wasn’t happy with it. Some of it could be because of how many times I had to reread the same section while I was coding the scenes that would’ve taken place after the last update, but no matter how much I edited or rearranged it, I didn’t like how that scene turned out. There was something… formulaic that had been happening with the way I always laid out scenes, and a bit of stagnation in the story, character, and relationship development that bothered me.

So I rewrote it. And when I still didn’t like it, I rewrote it again. And I still didn’t like it. I thought about scrapping the whole thing on more than one occasion as I struggled to get out of the corner I’d written myself into.

Inspiration finally struck at the beginning of this year, thanks in part to another interactive novel I follow, and I really like the direction I’ve taken it now. 

Instead of the RO split scenes happening where the last one left off, Speaker, Seer, and Gavin are gonna have a chat about Things™ to move the next story arc forward. Then Speaker will get some downtime, by themself at first and then in an extended scene split with the RO of their choosing. 

All the Big Plot Things that were going to happen in Chapter 4 will be moved to Chapter 5 instead, and 4 will be a bit more of a filler episode. A deep breath before the plunge, as it were.

This split won’t just be a quick conversation/reaction from the RO, but a full on different direction for the rest of the chapter based on who you choose. Most of them will involve leaving the house; all of them will involve actual one-on-one time (or one-on-two time, as the case may be) away from the others. And though romance isn’t required, all of them will have the potential to really move the romance forward if you so choose. One or two might even have a lock-in choice (maybe. I’m not 100 percent on that, so don’t hold me to it) 

These scenes won’t be in the next update, because they’re all very complex, but the update will definitely have the Seer chat and at least some of the by-yourself stuff. The update after will have the rest of the alone time stuff (including the clothes/body CC you’ve all been waiting for), and then the one after will start the RO scenes. I think.

I may actually split the RO scenes into separate updates, and let my darlings over at Patreon vote for the order they’re released. That way I can focus on one at a time instead of trying to split my attention six ways at once.

Okay, that’s enough rambling for me today. Time to get back to work! Still got a lot to get done before this is ready, but it’s so close now.

[kysuguru]

you REPLIED IM SO HAPPY😭😭🤞 btw the fact that suguru AND satoru are both her love interests im so HAPPY stsg for the WIN!!! i love how suguru and shoko automatically know what satoru is implying cause hes so so OBVIOUS!

i cant imagine the troubles suguru and satoru would have with reader.. shes so enduring and she allows them to do whatever because shes too sweet! ofc shes serious when the time comes down to it but i just know she takes the two lightly and cares too highly of their opinions to really say no to them. i 100% know suguru is worst when it comes to teasing her. in this universe i want to believe suguru does not deflect so he stays there w them. although reader probably does not realize the two actually is in love with her, she probably assumes they are with each other so she does not want to intrude.

what if shoko and reader were discussing about first dates and she finds out reader never had her first anything and sets her up with one? maybe rin or shin?! LOL and behold satoru and suguru being menaces and completely mean to her . the trouble they would cause to the way they would be so upset. reader actually enjoyed her first date but shes confused why stsg are so upset over her. they always teased her for not having a bf and when she does try theyre even more ruthless?? bc in reality to stsg they always thought she belonged to them and they’re actually in shock that shoko would do that knowing about their crushes on reader? (cue shoko laughing in the background)

i love these asks smmm😭 tysm for sending. and ur right!! i have chapter one and two written and posted on my ao3, but suguru doesn’t defect, i cant allow that. and yes… stsg are sooo annoying when it comes to jealousy. like they are so suffocating..

this is new, very new.

it was a brief conversation, so mundane you wouldn’t bother to remember it unless brought up. shoko asked a simple question. “you ever been on a date before?” after talking about her horrible experiences with lousy men. it was an easy answer, “no.”

and you thought it’d end there. of course it’s normal for girls your age to go on dates with other people, experience the life of romance at a young age, but it wasn’t odd to meet a girl your age who hadn’t been on a date. so you weren’t sure why shoko put you up to this.

rin sits across you with a beaming smile, the fluorescents of the cafe highlighting his freckles. you fiddle with the warm cup of coffee in front of you. you weren’t much of a coffee person, but you panicked and ordered the first thing on the menu. it was bitter, terribly so, you weren’t sure whether you’d prefer this or satoru’s cups of diabetes.

you sip on it occasionally, to make yourself look engaged. you hope your poker face has improved, you’d be humiliated if the bitterness on your tongue manifested itself onto your expression (rin noticed, but felt too awkward to speak up).

it’s weird, and you try pretending this wasn’t set up at a romantic date.

you like rin, he’s really nice, but you’d never even imagined him romantically.

he’s beaming at you, you think he’s blushing, and he looks as if he’s in a daze with his cheek resting on his palm. the look of adoration is so shell shocking you’re gazing around the cafe at other customers he might be looking at.

you chalk it up to excitement of being in such a nice place.

conversation with him is easy though, you realize.

it’s unlike satoru or suguru. suguru’s a listener, unlike satoru who’s a talker. they fit in so well with one another it makes it hard to fit in. you don’t mind that, watching from afar is enough for you. but you still yearn.

maybe that’s why shoko did this in the first place. to get your mind off of them. you suppose it wouldn’t be bad to broaden your spectrum, you needed more friends anyway. you couldn’t always hang onto shoko, suguru, and satoru forever.

hours pass, and before either of you know it, the sun sets.

rin was full of stories, he had so much to tell about kyoto, his classmates, and his missions. he was so fond of it all that you couldn’t bear to stop him. it was nice listening to someone on the same level as you. not that you disliked listening to satoru boast about his missions and how awesomely strong he was, but it was a nice change of pace to hear such things come from someone of your caliber.

you could get used to this.

your entering the school with a content face. you feel them both before you see them.

satoru drapes himself onto you, talking obnoxiously loud in your ear as suguru sends you a soft smile. your company with rin was wonderful, but you didn’t realize how much you missed your favorite people until you see their visages.

“where were you at for so long?” suguru asks calmly, though there’s a hint of something else you can’t really decipher. maybe suspicion.

“shoko set me up on a date with rin.” you say sheepishly, scratching your cheek.

they both freeze, you can feel the way satoru’s breath stutters as his hold gets loose. you look up at them both, brows raised.

…

it’s so silent. was it something you said? were they perhaps upset you didn’t say anything? did they want to tag along? you would’ve said yes immediately.

“rin from kyoto?” satoru whispers, and you think he sounds angry. you can’t fathom why, so you try and brush if off. even though there’s a seed of dread starting to grow in the pit of your stomach.

“yes... shoko said something about chemistry. whatever that means!” you chuckle nervously.

satoru let’s you go, backing away. now you’re worried.

“i-is something wrong?” you look up at suguru for assistance but he’s turned his head.

you shuffle your feet, anxious. they’re obviously upset, but you don’t know why. “did i do something?” that’s the only thing you could think of. or did they not like rin? he was a nice guy, so you wouldn’t understand why.

satoru rubs your head, startling you.

“it’s nothing, sweets,” he says.

but he’s walking off before you can speak any further, he makes a point not to let you see his face as he departs. suguru gives you a strained smile before he’s following. “night,” he mutters.

and even though satoru reassured you, that seed of dread continued to grow.

satoru and suguru are busy. satoru hasn’t asked for your notes in awhile. you wanna assume that he’s got it down until you hear him loudly bugging suguru for his notebook. your heart drops at the fact that satoru just hasn’t asked you. you don’t know why that hurts, it shouldn’t. maybe suguru just conveys the answer better, there’s nothing wrong with that.

they go out for lunch, leaving you and shoko in the empty cafeteria with your cold noodles. shoko’s great company, of course, but the lack of satoru’s loud voice and suguru’s scolding makes it feel eerily quiet.

nights in the common room have shrunk to just you and shoko. it’s been like this for a few days. only a few days. yet you feel as if these days are dragging on slower than usual. shoko notices, and rolls her eyes, muttering under her breath how pathetic boys could be.

you think she’s spoken to them, for they look at you a little more now. but they barely talk to you unless the situation calls for it, even then, they’re awkward.

but it isn’t until shoko has been in high demand after a dangerous mission that the first years came back from that you’re alone with them. you’re nervous, feeling their eyes trained on you. you don’t dare make contact.

they begin talking to each other, and you feel joy consume you at the familiarity of it. you’re looking up now, making eye contact with the both of them. satoru opens his mouth, but you intervene.

“i’m sorry!”

their eyes are wide.

“i’m sorry for whatever i did. it’s just.. you guys feel distant. if it’s because of me then—”

“i should say sorry,” your eyes flit up to suguru’s as he scratches his neck sheepishly. “i was being childish.” he speaks into his palm. “we were being childish.” he corrects himself, eyes glaring into satoru’s, who huffs and crosses his arms.

“so it was something i did?” your brows knit as a frown etched itself onto your lips.

“it’s more complicated than that,” suguru says. but you’re not convinced.

satoru mutters something under his breath, you catch nothing but rin’s name. so you ask him to repeat himself.

“i just don’t like rin, is all.”

you blink.

“d-did he do something?” you needed to know, if he hurt or insulted suguru or satoru in any way you were ready to break it off—

“no. not exactly, we just… don’t like you being alone with him,” suguru admits, flushed.

oh!

you felt relief fill your chest.

“i think i know now.” you smile, happily. they stare. they both lean slightly forward, anticipating. “if i ever go out with him again i’ll invite you both out!” you clap your hands together.

they were upset that they weren’t invited along. that makes sense. you’re relieved. satoru did eye that cafe whenever you three passed it.

they share a look, one of amusement and one of exasperation.

“such a ditz,” satoru grumbles.

“we’d like that,” suguru smiles.

you’re happy, so happy you could cry tears of relief.

“i’m glad, i thought you were both gonna hate me forever.”

suguru grabs your hand, caressing your palm, your heartbeat spikes. “that’d never happen.”

satoru scoots closer to you and drapes himself over your shoulders, the familiar action has your cheeks hurting from how big you’re smiling. he squishes his cheek against yours, rubbing softly as he speaks, “never go out alone with rin again, okay? you need at least me or suguru there, not even shoko’s enough!”

they will never forget how she betrayed them so.

“of course,” you exhale, joyful.

and yes, abt stsg ur also right! this is kinda a poly thing. stsg love each other and the reader

[lavender-long-stories]

Writing Advice: Getting Words on a Page

With the 75k word count in November and 90k in August, I have been asked questions like how do I keep focus and what do I do when I get stuck. I am going to compile all the advice I have.

Over the last few years, I have posted 700k+ words of fan fiction and have been posting 3 to 6 chapters every week for the last ten months. This is not how to make your writing better. This is how to get words on a page. 

This is not all my original ideas. This is just a collection of things that have worked for me.

I am not sure I am the person to tell you how to make your writing better, but if people want my thoughts on that. I can make that post too.

When inspiration strikes, write like wild. 

If you have the time and you are bitten by the writing bug, keep writing anything while you are in peak form. You will thank yourself later when you feel like you can’t write everything. I have done the extreme version of this where I have a month (four chapters) written ahead of almost everything on my post schedule (you don’t need this), but this was really nice after I brunt out after finishing out the 90k challenge I destroyed myself with in August.

Write in little pockets of time.

You don’t need to sit down and write for two hours. Write 100 words here and 500 there. It will all add up. When I was struggling at the end of the 75k, I would just open a doc every few hours and write half a page until I got distracted and tried again later.

Change your font.

If you are struggling to edit or even just find yourself drifting while writing, change your font. It helps trick your brain into paying attention. (I like doing a mono font like Courier when I need writing vibes. It looks typewriter-y)

Take a shower. 

Not just for shower thoughts, being clean and fresh helps with focus

Get dressed.

I love being comfy, but something about getting dressed makes me feel like I am working and should finish my task. Extra points for it being fun. (Maybe cosplay a pirate or something.)

Move Locations.

Desk, kitchen table, bed, outside: changing location helps move you out of a brain rut.

Handwrite notes.

I take most of my notes on notion, but when I am struggling with my plot, I write out notes by hand, starting with what happened last and continuing from there, writing even things I know will happen. Then I transfer this to my digital notes so they are easier to move around in order, AND a lot of time, I add details when revising them to digital. Double power.

Always, always write down your thoughts and keep them.

Some of my most popular stories came from me rediscovering a 2 am thought that I wrote down six years ago. Keep a notepad next to the bed if you have to.

Change POV

If something is not working in a scene, maybe it is who you have reacting to it. Try switching POV. It helps you think of the scene from another perspective.

Watch a show in your genre.

I watch a lot of the silliest KDrama’s and get lots of romance ideas. Maybe I didn’t think of sending my character to a park or trapping them in a sky lift. Maybe I should add a stalker that sounds fun.

Take your bathroom breaks.

You should always drink lots of fluids and remember to take your bathroom breaks because the brief moment of walking away always gives me an idea.

Skim through the story and make notes on what HAS happened, not just what will happen.

This helps more with my style of having next to no plot outline. Need your next plot point and don’t know where to go? Remember that time they did x? Let’s build off that. This helps intertwine the plot without losing things.

Just read the story back.

You don’t always need to make notes, but sometimes just reading from the beginning can make you pick up on a detail that was unimportant at the time, and you may not even have meant to put in that could have a lot more meaning now. Then, you can call it clever foreshadowing.  

Explain your problem or the scene you are struggling with out loud.

It doesn’t have to be to someone. It could be a glass of water. This is called ‘rubber ducking. It’s a programmer term (hello, that is my day job). Restructuring your problem in a way you have to articulate it most of the time makes the solution come to you.

Try focusing on the scenery.

If you can’t get a scene to work open with the weather or how the floor is creaking under step, give the world a new feeling. How does the person feel about the weather or the temperature of the room? 

Can’t figure out what is wrong? Rewrite the chapter from scratch. 

Open a new doc and rewrite the chapter from memory. I do this a lot in the beginning of a story that didn’t quite hit the way I wanted it to. I will start the chapter from memory and skim the old one to ensure I didn’t miss anything important. Can’t do it from memory? Read a paragraph and write that from memory. 

Take a left turn.

Sometimes, if you can’t go any further, go back a sentence, a paragraph, a scene, a chapter, and just make a different decision. Turn left instead of right. Change how someone reacts to an argument. It opens a whole new lane to go down.

Excited for a scene that is in the future?

Write it! You don’t have to use it word for word in the future. Sometimes, you can copy and paste it in, and sometimes, you can just rewrite it, and you lose none of those thoughts you originally had.  Writing it might remind you of something that needs to happen first to help you get there.

Have more than one story you are working on.

I don’t think you need to be working on four+ stories like I do, but having something to switch to when your brain really isn’t feeling your main is a great way to keep you writing. Call it productive procrastination. This is the REAL reason I have so many stories uploading.  (ᵕ—ᴗ—)

Other Somewhat Related Advice

Context Switching

I work on multiple projects at a time, and I tend not to mix them up because they have a different vibe to me. It feels like stepping into each world.  If you are struggling with context switching between stories, I suggest finding a song or making a playlist that gives you that story’s ‘vibe’ and keeping a link to it in your writing folder or snagging a section of your story that captures the vibe you are going for and keeping it off to the side to reread when you need to switch.

Don’t edit the same day you write.

You’re not going to catch errors. Your brain is too familiar with what you wrote. Also, I recommend Grammarly or another grammar checker for all your missing comma and period needs. (Word, Docs, and any other text editor simply won't bully you enough.)

If you hate editing, don’t leave yourself with a painful amount of editing.

When people ask me how I edit my work, how many passes I take, etc, I tend to disappoint them. The short answer is one read-through (after using a grammar checker).  I learned a LONG time ago that as much as it would be nice to write a bunch of dialog and then tell yourself you will go back to add all the actions or write without quotes because it takes time, you will save yourself a lot of time and pain if you learn to write it correctly the first time and then editing won’t be as much of a chore. I have been writing for years, and I am used to how I write and edit. If you are newer to writing, give it another pass or two, but try to shift some of that work to the writing process, not the editing process.

Make yourself an editing cheat sheet.

Make yourself a doc or a notion of words you notice you use too much or common words you misspell when writing.  I usually make one when I get back and do a post edit (when the story has been up for a while and I get back with fresh eyes and edit it). Reading through your old work and find things that you don’t like or don’t want to do anymore is a great way to build this list and improve your writing.

Now go write.

Got any advice for me? Reblog and tell me.

[wataksampingan]

Very long Chapter 96 feelings/thoughts below cut coz I saved my hard-earned Naver cookies for this and I'm going to react while it's fresh dammit.

Spoilers in every possible way, as always.

Oh my God its their first official date and of course it doesn't go Theo's way at all coz he's fighting a lost cause against an author with a sense of humour I share. Thank God his people love him

Nearly 100 chapters later and only now do we start steering towards Therdeo "My angel" Lapileon from the prologue (which I still find it difficult to fathom; the road is long and arduous from Therdeo 'Face as Red as My Eyes' Lapileon we see right now)

I have yet to translate the dialogue properly, but that last panel of him honestly unnerves me (and judging from Google Translated comments in Korean, I'm not the only one.) I'm not really one for the kind of ML who is madly obsessive over their love interest to extremely difficult extents coz I'm too old and cynical to see this as a good thing in a relationship, fictional or otherwise (This is purely a personal preference; no judgement if that's your jam and jelly)

But the thing is that it makes sense. Of course Theo would get dangerous over the first woman he's fallen in love with. Of course he'd do anything to keep her now that, yknow, she's actually made her feelings known. After 90+ chapters of angsting, literally watching her die a few times in front of him, holding such huge feelings of guilt for what his blood has done to her, quietly despairing over keeping anyone close to him coz he's a Lapileon and they succumb so often to death -- this overwhelming fear of losing her is understandable. The idea of her leaving now must be intolerable, like "not after every damn thing I've been through. Everything we have been through. Over my cold dead body".

...I've had the thought quite a few times that seungu succeeded in convincing me that Theo is scary, and this chapter - while also very sweet - is really laying that fact out again in no uncertain terms: Therdeo Lapileon really shouldn't be messed with.

The thing is, meta-wise, there is no end to cold, stern dukes of the frozen North with fearsome reputations, black/dark hair and red/dark eyes - it's one of the most longstanding fantasy romance tropes in manhwa after all. Throw a stone and you'll hit a milord with a chest so wide you can fit a full dresser sideways between his shoulders and a face so stony Medusa is taking notes. And of course, his grace is going to have the reputation of Ultimate Warrior and Sovereign of His Land, Tamer of the Terrain, Reviver of the Barren Soil Now Made Fertile under His Leadership, because only such a powerful man with a heart of ice and terror would have the wherewithal to bend the unyielding north to his will. He isn't emperor/king simply because of circumstances (TM), character and/or choice.

To name just a few: Prince (...kinda? Sorta? Its a long story) Killian from Like Wind on a Dry Branch, Hades from I Married the Main Lead's Dad, Riftan from Under the Oak Tree, Kandel from I Thought My Time Was Up, Milian from Karina's Last Days; heck, even the other Killian from Not Your Typical Reincarnation Story is about to inherit a territory that isn't so great but which he will no doubt develop into a thriving land coz he's Capable that way. If you remove the hair and eye colour conditions, there are even more examples. 99% of them are said to strike fear into the hearts of men just by being mentioned in a room.

...ngl, putting my gigantic bias aside, Theo truly is among my top three scariest ML. Not even Killian (Rieta's) gives me pause the way Theo does, and I have immense respect and admiration for the way Like Wind on A Dry Branch is told (and translated). I know Killian is a powerful man; I feel Theo is threatening. (Brief aside here to acknowledge that Killian has game for days, while Theo is....... look, he's trying.)

Take this opinion with many grains of salt, but few MLs that I've seen so far (and admittedly my repertoire is probably very limited compared to others) has come close to the time Theo plain snapped during Celphi's bullying arc, and when he nearly decapitated a wholeass princess in front of the entire court because she killed his wife (again. And yes, justifiable but still, in front of the EMPEROR HIMSELF.)

Also, the man looked like THIS when the servant who poisoned her begged him to "go back to the princess":

I say this with all love: Theo is not a balanced individual.

We already know this is a world where medieval torture is par for the course, but so far it's been reserved for Gen, who tortured and experimented on a child, and this dude who's been an accessory to Dodolea's crimes since the beginning. Theo does not give a single fuck about trivial things like consequences when it comes to Celphi and Perry's wellbeing. The world will burn if it must, just so he can find out who hurt them.

I said before that Saoirse is a true Lapileon, and Theo was the softest hearted of the siblings. I still maintain it's true, but with the addendum that Theo isn't far off in ruthlessness. You just need to make the mistake of hurting his wife or his son.

Granted, the obsession is only a problem if he restricts Perry just because she's "His". And she's proven a few times that she will Do Shit She Wants regardless of the Lapileons, Princess Dodolea or even herself (god, the way she second guessed herself so hard, only to bust back into the room with those shackles and physically FIGHT MIA OFF in ch 92 - Phineas owes her impulsiveness his life literally). I don't think the story can logically progress that way unless Perry has some sort of personality transplant. And I trust seungu too much for that. The fear is in more what he'll do behind her back (please don't Theo, we've been through this, you know what happened the last time you did things without telling her first - and even if other things went well (like suppressing ugly false stories in publications) that doesn't guarantee you're doing the right thing by not keeping her informed, you walnut.

...yes I know she also has the same bad habit of Not Telling You Her Business but she's LEARNING. I think.)

...also, tbf, Theo doesn't need his obsession to make him a danger to his own love life. Romance or not, he's still Socially Awkward and Fucked Up so lord only knows how many awkward mistakes he's going to make trying to actively court his wife 🥲

Then again, it's not like she's any better considering her last serious relationship was so awful, she literally died and went back in time. I'm not surprised, and in fact quite glad, it took her this long to admit to her finer feelings. However, now this is slightly uncharted territory, and this woman bottles up her feelings and lies to herself just about as much as Theo does. (Why are you so bothered Mia spent so much time around him? Why are you so upset that you can't do more to help him? Why are you so worried whenever he's seemingly avoiding you? Why do you look away each time he gives you puppy dog eyes, Pereshati? HMMM? WHY INDEED)

And now they have to return to the capital with all these revelations, and be within reach of the imperial family again and I AM AFRAID FOR THEM, PRECIOUS, I TRULY AM.

On a completely different tangent: I am truly not a fan of the novel ending where Theo ends up being crowned emperor. So if this manhwa ends with the coronation of His Imperial Majesty Emperor Therdeo Lapileon and Her Imperial Majesty Empress Pereshati Jahardt, I will be heartbroken. Like, I would have the same reaction to it the way Game of Thrones fans reacted to Season 8. That's how bad I would take it. I hope to all things good seungu deviates from there as well. It feels like the romance is following the novel just a smidge more - a soupçon if you will - in this season, so I'm a little trepidatious about what other aspects might follow. I remain a big fan of how different the manhwa direction is, so... GO SEUNGU!! FOLLOW YOUR STAR!!

P/S: my train of thought while reading ch 90:

Seungu is just bringing all of Phineas' personal trauma in full technicolor when he flashes back to his younger self witnessing his parents fight while his older brother sustains a severe eye injury, oh my god. This poor boy - no wonder he wanted to run so badly.

Oh god, Gloria having to try and save her children from this insane man.

Okay, so this cements that it was Theo's grandfather who was tyrannical as fuck and abused everyone including his youngest grandson? not Theo's father who also looks like he was just Trying His Best? But Gen's dialogue mentions "abeoji" (father)? Did Phineas' older brother neglect his kids or grow up into another abuser??? oh GOD THIS FAMILY

PPS: I cannot WAIT to see how the English translators handle that panel in ch95 when he finally finds enough braincells to return her embrace (that's not just any hug, cmon - that's a full on, no holds barred, literary Embrace)

I'm fairly sure she said "It's/I'm cold", but I also got overexcited because I thought she said "I like you" (???) It's easy to overlap/overhear either phrase as each other coz they sound fairly similar if you say it quickly (same energy like saying "suki" in Japanese but you need context to know if they mean they like a person or something else entirely).

Either way, it was definitely NOT "saranghae", which let's face it, IS FAR TOO DEEP for where they are right now. These two doofuses have only just begun to find out what their feelings mean, tho Theo may be too quick a study , eomma help.

PPPS: Ep 87 comes out in English tomorrow morning (for us in GMT+8 anyway) AND I WILL HAVE WORDS ABOUT THAT CONVERSATION, VJFHDJSKSKSL I CANNOT WAIT

PPPPS: it just occurred to me that all the examples I mentioned about the other comparable dukes of the North have more or less Definitively gotten together with their love interests, emotionally and/or physically. I mean if someone came up with a gantt chart/comparative timeline/line graph of when each duke finally kissed/tumbled into bed with their love interests to prove me wrong/right, that'd be fantastic but anyway

Theo has only just hugged her in ch 95.

They have shared a bed for over 90 chapters and it is ONLY JUST NOW that there is prolonged bodily contact apart from holding (often gloved) hands.

...I keep saying this because it's true: I love this slow burn so much.

[within-your-eyes-if]

November 1st Progress Update

I hope everyone had a safe and enjoyable Halloween, for those who celebrated!

First and foremost, real life has thrown some curveballs my way, I'll be largely unavailable at the end of this week. I have a long update here, so lets jump in.

Alpha Testing Progress: It's moving along quite well! Only 3 more scenes to implement (hi testers, I know you're waiting ♥), and then Part One will be 'complete'. Once additional testing and feedback implementation are done, it'll undergo a brief beta test. Current word count? A whopping 146k! I anticipate it crossing 150k after these scenes. And yes, I may be recruiting a few more testers today or tomorrow - I have kept applications, so if you’ve already applied, no need to reapply.

Big Shoutout: To all my testers - you're stars! Thank you for your dedication and patience.

Heights and Measures: I've been mulling over the heights of female Gabriel and male Xiao for quite a while. While I've previously addressed and altered fem Lee’s height, fem Gabriel’s has been on my mind too. I'm aiming for more diversity in my ROs, so your thoughts would be invaluable. Here’s a poll to gather some feedback. Please remember, while I deeply value your input, the final decision will be based on what feels right for the story.

About Poly Routes: Many of you have expressed excitement about the inclusion of poly routes, and I apologize for not offering clarity on their nature earlier. Rest assured, I remain committed to delivering these routes, but I aim to ensure each one is rich and fulfilling. Presently, I'm contemplating both triangle and V poly dynamics, with the goal of finding what aligns best with the narrative and characters. Although the triangle dynamic was my initial plan, I believe I may be able to implement both, but I'm still not 100% certain yet.

In structuring the poly routes, particularly as they debut in Chapter 3, I debated including the casual flings found with certain ROs in non-poly routes, alongside the deeper romantic ties intrinsic to all ROs. After reflection, I've resolved that poly routes will emphasize romance exclusively. Thus, if your character's preference leans towards no-strings-attached flings, these won't characterize the poly routes. Given the array of ROs and their diverse dynamics, not to mention non-RO flings, this decision streamlines my writing process and makes it easier for me to have one aspect to focus on with them. Your patience and understanding in this matter are deeply appreciated.

That being said: Given the depth of my story, I'm leaning towards releasing future updates in smaller segments, akin to Chapter 3's structure. This isn't just about speed but about ensuring quality across the numerous ROs and narrative paths.

Chapter 3 expanded beyond my initial imagination, causing some initial stress, making me wonder what was needed and what wasn't (but it all felt necessary). So in the end, I decided to break it, and I'm very glad I did. It's relieved a lot of my worries. This lets me keep the story's richness intact and (hopefully) reduce the wait between updates.

I've started to notice my creative process sometimes takes me beyond initial outlines, or even reevaluate them entirely, letting the story breathe and evolve more naturally. This realization is relatively new for me, but it's shaping how I approach future updates.

From Ch3 Part One and on, future updates will likely be broken into parts, potentially leading to more "Chapter #: Part One" styled releases. I hope this provides clarity on my evolving approach and is seen not only as way for me focus on individual parts, but as a way to consistently update.

I hope this all makes sense! While I don't have a specific release day in mind yet, I feel my mid-November prediction is correct. Thank you all for your continued support and love. It means the world to me!

[girlfromthecrypt]

I finally got to read the update!! Don't mind me rambling a bit about everything I loved about it...

I really enjoyed the beginning of this chapter.  Being playful with Basil in the van is super cute. It was interesting to see Reem and Basil not getting along a little bit, it makes me intrigued about if there will be any cracks in our little friend group's foundation that might start to show. And if so what that might mean when things start going bad.

Also, Anita is adorable!! It had me giggling when she called everyone attractive--I loved getting to tease her about it afterwards. I chose to room with her and the siblings--though the thought of Basil sleeping alone makes me nervous for the future...

Definitely Looking at Anita's comment about how your sanity starts slipping when you go without sleep. I'm SO eager to reach the horror. Though the slightly slower, cheerful beginning is so great. I love getting to know everyone and seeing them happy and bonding, knowing that there's horror on the horizon...

Javier talking about his mom marrying his dad straight up made me snort laugh. I work with kids and they truly do say the most out of pocket things. It's very true to life. And ooooh, Basil and Gabriel just...staring at the woods got me so hyped. Reading that scene gave me a proper thrill, that little 'heart-pounding-faster' feeling that makes me love horror so so much.

Hell yes at getting to tell the kids a scary story!! I remember being a kid and hearing classics like Don't Turn on the Light and being scared out of my socks. It's sooo fun to be able to play at passing that on to a whole new generation!! I'm 100% in to romance Basil, but this update makes me want to do a run where I romance Anita. She's so so cute. And the siblings both are great in their own ways... I'm sensing that I'll end up doing runs for each of the ROs, you've made such fun and sweet characters!

Aaah that ending!!!! Genuinely terrifying, and made me so anxious about the kids!! I KNOW my MC is going to be hard-pressed to keep them all safe. I can't wait to see what comes next!! I love how you write characters, they're all so likable and distinct!! This was such a good update, it makes me really eager for more.

HI (omg it's that cool person) HIIII <3

Thank you so much for this. I'll have you know I reread this ask like three times and I'm probably gonna read it all over again tomorrow bc it gives me life. I can't express how happy I am that you cared to write such a long ask bc of my IF if all things. Thank you, it made my day.

Basil and Anita's on-the-road scenes in the van were my favorite to write!! And yes, there's certainly a bit of tension in the group. MCs with high sociability or perception will be able to pick up on this, also on George's fondness for a certain colleague--- but don't worry, no one's at each other's throats. Yet.

And yay, some Anita appreciation!! Cut her some slack, she's not used to being around hot people and between a possibly cute MC and the FUCKING MALAKS of all people... yeah. It's not easy for her.

Ok so you know that you can also sleep in the van with Basil if your relationship stat/his approval of you is strong enough? I hope that was clear from the dialogue options and you just chose the cabin despite of it, bc if not, I might have to rewrite the choice. Furthermore, while I can see why you'd be worried for him, I'd be more concerned for an MC who chooses to sleep alone ;) [yes, this is me hinting at a future horror scenario possibly unique to that route].

Ah yes, Javier, my son <3 lol. Nahhh I don't favor any of the campers. Though, if I had to pick which one I liked to write the most, it'd probably be him.

Now I feel bad haha. Ok but srsly, kids can be VERY outspoken, and Javier especially has noooo social filter. You might notice that some of the campers' traits specifically correspond to some of the ROs' characteristics... Looking at Gabriel and Basil here.

Both campfire stories are also really close to my own heart, so I jumped at the chance to include them. As for the ROs, I do hope you'll do a run for each of them! I'm trying quite hard to make it difficult to choose between them ;)

I love that the ending hit the way it was supposed to. If you want to know what's up next, I have one word for you: confusion. Lots of confusion.

See, I need to give this story a slow, slice-of-life start, bc purely from a narrative standpoint, it wouldn't make sense for the horror to come out guns blazing. That's why the MC will at first be the only one to experience the horrors and for the horrors to (seemingly) originate from one of the kids, bc if it was more dramatic and the threat was to come from an exterior source, everyone would just pack up and flee and then the story would be over. That's what I figure.

Anyhow, I'm so glad I still got you hooked with this project. Thanks so much for this super long message.

[sl-vega]

✧Going of Script✧-prologue

prologue-a little fall of rain can hardly hurt me now

THIS SERIES IS CANCELLED: announcement about the cancellation

placing your phone back into your purse, you took shallow breaths

you choked back sobs as you walked through the rain. your fancy dress clings to your body as you hear your heels click against the sidewalk.

you didn't care where you were going as long as it was away from him.

today was supposed to be special, perfect even, it marked your four-year anniversary with your boyfriend chaoxi. you made reservations at a fancy restaurant, got dolled up and everything. only for him to forget the whole event, and break up with you.

he confessed that he was cheating on you. there was another woman

except you felt like the other woman in the situation, seeing as how you were the one being dumped.

you let out a bitter laugh, still walking down some random street, hugging yourself trying to keep yourself warm.

your phone buzzed

walking down the street, you saw lynette's car. she got out holding an umbrella and towel.

"you're soaked" she said as she held the umbrella above your head while handing you the towel, it had her signature teal diamond patterns.

you nodded, whispering your thanks to her as you got into the car, settling down into the passenger's seat. swaddling yourself in the towel as if it were a blanket.

lynette got into the drivers seat and started the car. the two of you sat in silence for a bit.

lynette spoke up breaking the tension:

"do you want to talk about it?" she asked

you looked at her, with your tear-stained face, trying to calm yourself down, but you could only sob.

lynette put her hand on yours, gently brushing her thumb over yours, she was focused on the other cars passing by, but you could tell that she was genuinely trying to comfort you.

"you don't have to talk about it now"

additional notes:

-yes ik this chapter is a bit boring but i gotta set the scene

-only lowercase for the aesthetic

-for those of you who don't know, chaoxi is an npc in liyue who is dating three girls at the same time without them knowing about each other

-the title of this chapter is a reference to the song "a little fall of rain" from les miserables

-i considered making the title "in fair verona where we lay our scene" the title since it references the prologue to romeo and juliet, but it just didn't work

-lightmode cuz why not

✧Going off Script✧

synopsis: Xingqiu's next major english project requires him to write a romance short story, the only problem is that he has zero romantic experience. meanwhile, you just found out that your boyfriend cheated on you, and you need to show him that you're 100% over him, the only problem is that there's no way you can get an actual boyfriend that quickly. clearly, the solution to both of your issues is to fake date each other. all you need to do is stick to the script

spoiler alert: you go off script and end up falling for him

masterlist

(CLOSED) taglist: @freyao7

this series is cancelled

[holy-puckslibrary]

𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐜𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐦𝐚𝐬 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐭

here's a list of every upload from the fic-mas event i did on patreon last year, as well as a link to the selection of said uploads that are now available to you here on tumblr (depending on when you see this post).

hope you enjoy, and happy holidays!

˗ˏˋ 𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 ˎˊ˗

again, this is a list of ficmas uploads that are available on my patreon and will remain there for the time being. if you'd like to learn more about how to access them, please refer to 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐏𝐎𝐒𝐓.

if you'd to pursue the content available now (or soon-to-be) on tumblr, please refer to 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐏𝐎𝐒𝐓.

˗ˏˋ 𝐒𝐖𝐄𝐄𝐓 𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆 ˎˊ˗ 

𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 — stargirl!connor mcdavid x famous!reader 𝐰𝐜 — 3k 𝐜𝐰 — none, excluding cavities. 𝐬𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬 — romance is not dead if you keep it just yours. (requested)

need a refresher or to get caught up? here's the 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭.

˗ˏˋ 𝐇𝐎𝐖 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐄𝐎 𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐋𝐄 𝐗𝐌𝐀𝐒 ˎˊ˗ 

𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 — ceo!sidney crosby x assistant!reader 𝐰𝐜 — 2.8k 𝐜𝐰 — mild angst, but that's it! 𝐬𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬 — sidney's hatred of the holiday inadvertently thwarts the enjoyment of it by someone he definitely doesn't hate. (inspired by a #darvey scene from suits)

˗ˏˋ 𝐁𝐈𝐆 𝐁𝐀𝐃 𝐖𝐎𝐋𝐅 ˎˊ˗ 

𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 — jamie drysdale x reader 𝐰𝐜 — 2.4k 𝐜𝐰 — references to past hook-ups but nothing explicit and heavy angst (per the request) 𝐬𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬 — merry meddling brings two volatile foes back under the same roof. can holiday magic mend the burned bridge between these former enemies-with-benefits?

˗ˏˋ 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐊 𝐀𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐔𝐄 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐁𝐋𝐄𝐌𝐒 ˎˊ˗ 

𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 — adam fox x heiress!reader 𝐰𝐜 — 3.2k 𝐜𝐰 — a smidge of angst. 𝐬𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬 — the princess of park avenue and the hotel manager's son, once childhood sweethearts, are reunited by a precocious permanent resident just in time for the holidays — and the heiress' wedding. (inspired by the best movie of all time, eloise at christmastime)

˗ˏˋ 𝐒𝐈𝐃𝐍𝐄𝐘 𝐂𝐋𝐀𝐔𝐒 ˎˊ˗ 

𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 — sidney crosby x reader 𝐰𝐜 — 2.8k 𝐜𝐰 — references to a previous one-night-stand and some drama. 𝐬𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬 — five years ago, she left the club's annual holiday celebration with an unexpected party favor. said party favor meets more than just st. nick when they return this year. 

˗ˏˋ '𝐓𝐈𝐒 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐃𝐀𝐌𝐍 𝐒𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐎𝐍 ˎˊ˗ 

𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 — tyler seguin x oc (caroline allen) 𝐰𝐜 — >10k 𝐜𝐰 — adult themes and content, angst (and a lot of it), description and repeated reference to an injury + chapter-specific warnings.

𝐬𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬 — tyler seguin will attest that caroline allen, acclaimed author and his childhood love, is "the one that got away" until his dying day. even though the "got away" half is (more than partially) his fault. but that didn't matter much when he was thousands of miles away, skating his heart out and partying the years away. by some stroke of luck or a cruel twist of fate (he isn't quite sure yet), a season-ending injury has sent him back to recover in the one place he knew she'd always be. will this second chance to make things right be the gift of a lifetime, or just another lump of coal weighing down his heart? 

the family trees

Have you ever been watching a Hallmark movie and been suddenly overcome with the urge to visit the festive little town where the story takes place and the seemingly mismatched leads fall madly in love?

Well, look no further than Merriment Island, Christmas' official home in the States! 

For over 100 years, the jolly citizens of this aptly shaped island located just off the coast of Washington have been spreading holiday cheer amongst themselves and all who visit. This year, Mayor Seguin has selected you all as the guests of honor for our annual Winter Wonderland celebration - the longest-running of its kind!

Be sure to join us from December 18th through Christmas Day for festive fun, friendly competition, and the opportunity to create unforgettable memories with your loved ones. Make sure to keep the exclusive flyer handy (attached after the stylized map designed by our very own Benny Allen), as it will be your ticket into the 8-day, all-inclusive event! 

If you have any questions about the event, please email Jennifer Bishop-Allen (Winter Wonderland Chairwoman and co-owner of the Allen Family Farm), or her daughter, Caroline Allen. (Yes, the NYT best-selling author!) 

If you are not staying aboard the Sleigh of the Sea (Merriment's very own cruise-liner that docks in Seattle!) for the duration of the celebration, please contact Catherine or Lily Seguin at the Yuletide Inn to make your reservation as soon as possible. Rooms are limited and going faster than you can name all eight of Santa's reindeer! 

╰┈➤  an excerpt of the email accompanying the the invitation flyer

All of the stories and fantasies written or discussed on this blog by the owner or by followers are purely fictional and are not intended to offend any parties.

©2023 holy-pucks, all rights reserved. I do not give consent for any of my work to be copied, re-posted, or translated here, on Tumblr, or on any other platform. Reproduction of any content from this blog is considered plagiarism.

⤑ to my inbox 💌

⬸ back to the catalog

⬸ back to the main blog

[saratinz]

Maneater (Chapter 7)

pairing ➩ Ex!Bucky Barnes x Promiscuous!Reader (College AU)

series warnings ➩ drinking, asshole!Bucky, enemies to lovers, exes to lovers, love triangle, smut, slut shaming, cursing

chapter warnings ➩ cursing, slut shaming, mentions sex

synopsis ➩ Y/n explains her past.

word count ➩ 700

“It was my freshman year, and I bright-eyed and bushy-tailed my way into becoming the go-to math tutor. I had passion and drive, and I still do, but it was different. I had innocence, hell I even had my virginity.”

“Wait, what?”

“For your own sake, I’m just going to pretend you never asked that.”

“Thank you.”

“I know it’s surprising, but yes, I didn’t lose my v-card until college. I guess this is sorta my slutty origin story. Let’s get back on topic. Bucky Barnes was the new promising player, and I had my eyes set on him, and only him. He was failing calculous, so I got called in. When I say I fell for him, I mean I fell hard. I chose to ignore his arrogance and fuck-boy behaviors. It was all mild flirting and stolen glances between us. But one night, the mutual attraction became more, we had our first kiss. It was sweet, and it gave me hope. When we went on our first date, he won me the ugliest stuffed animal from a claw machine. Even though it looked like a sloth on cocaine, I loved it with all my heart.”

“James started to feel like home to me. Just his essence invited me to vent about whatever was on my mind. I just knew in my heart that I wanted him to be the first guy to have sex with me. So little by little, we started doing more stuff. And eventually we had sex, and I realized that I really liked it. Everything was perfect, or at least that’s what I thought. Little did I know, he wasn’t completely faithful. He never cheated, but his heart wasn’t 100% set on me. He started to eyeball my best friend at the time. Her name’s Natasha and she was equally beautiful, funny, smart, and experienced. From my understanding, they would hang out alone, just to talk and get to know each other. Eventually, he figured out that she was everything he’d ever dreamt of. I thought I was in this fairytale romance, one that people would envy. But one day, he just dumped me. There were signs, but I was too in love to notice. After he broke up with me, I was a wreck. I started drowning myself in booze and guys that didn’t give a shit about my wellbeing.”

“I had to watch as my first boyfriend fell in love with my best friend. I tried to be okay, but I felt like I was suffocating every time I saw them together. I started to get a reputation as the campus slut. Pretty much anyone could have sex with me if they just gave me a bit of attention. You can watch movies and listen to songs about this shit happening, but until you actually live the nightmare, you have no idea how you’ll react.”

“So, what happened to Bucky and Natasha?”

“She cheated on him actually.” 

“Kinda seems like he got what he deserved.”

“Y’know what Peter, I am really starting to like you.” He give a bashful smile in response. “When they broke up, I finally felt a sense of relief. My alcohol and dick consumption started declining. After a year of feeling inferior to every pretty girl I saw, I realized that I was worth something. I didn’t need guys for validation, I just wanted them for pleasure. During sophomore year I stopped caring what anyone thought of me. That’s how I ended up, well, me. James reacted the same way I did, using sex to drown the pain, and he has never had a girlfriend since. And Nat, well, the slut-shaming got so bad that she transferred.”

“Anyway, this year I fucked myself over. I fell for a guy. I got scared of him, and wound up having sex with Bucky twice. Thinking back I see all these obvious signs that Steve wasn’t what he seemed. Hindsight’s 20/20 I guess. Bucky knew that he was using me, hell, he was the one who suggested it. So I can say with full confidence that Bucky Barnes does not love me, and maybe he never did. But everything with him is over now, thank god. I’m done with that prick.”

Previous chapter / Masterlist / Next chapter

taglist:

@cjand10, @afraidofshrimp

[inukag-archive]

Hi! I'm coming to you because one of my favorite inukag fics "Secret Love, Secret Power" by Silent Sky on FF.Net has been deleted and I'm pretty bummed. So I was wondering if you could possibly recommend me long-going, completed, adventure/romance fanfics that are canon compliant or post canon? SLSP kind of fit those general elements for the most part and I'd like to sooth my broken heart by reading something similiar if possible. I hope this isn't too big of an ask. I understand if you can't find anything.

Hello!

We were able to find a copy of this fic via The WayBack Machine

Secret Love Secret Power by Silent Sky (M)

Summary: When Kagome and the gang are attacked by a powerful demon with strange powers, will Inuyasha risk everything by revealing his secret to save them? COMPLETE

--

We also brainstormed a mini-list for you of other canon/post-canon epics you may enjoy, listed below!

Metamorphosis by Sueric (E)

InuYasha and Kagome discover that sometimes loving your friends means giving up a little part of yourself, too… Originally housed at Mediaminer and FFnet. 81 Chapters + Epilogue Complete

--

Light Me A Lantern by @inuyashasforest (T)

Picking up the pieces after being separated for three years isn't as easy as it may seem. A quiet, burning kind of chaos sweeps through Feudal Japan, and it's going to take a lot more than a fairy tale ending to put things back together. They defeated a man who would become the Devil. Can they survive a man who would become a God?

--

The Return by SweetInuGirl (M)

Kagome has returned to the feudal era after three years. Finally feelings are revealed and a new life begins for our favorite miko and hanyou. Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha or the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

--

A Tale of Ever After by @knittingknots (T)

And they lived happily ever after - my vision of what InuYasha and Kagome's happily ever after. Picks up the day of Kagome's return to the past. This is gonna be long...

--

Mating Season by @splendentgoddess (E)

FINALLY COMPLETE! 100 Chapters! What was once a cliche PWP is now an epic tale of romance and adventure! See how Inuyasha suffering from "mating season", and a squable with Kagome over some pocky, sets the dominos in motion for the story of a lifetime!

--

Feel free to add your own recs in the comments or reblogs!

Check our Masterlist of previous lists to see which topics we've covered. 

Send us an ask (here).

[obstinaterixatrix]

I read all of The Honest Life of a Game Studio and now I am obsessed do you have recs for anything like it.

I wish. I FUCKING WISH. but it’s really one of a kind. higefusa really just wrote mundane slice of life office drama with the level of detail that could only be provided by a gamer who has worked in the industry AND he threw in some life or death stakes as a treat. how often do we get an incredibly normal office worker stuck in time prison??? and it’s ONE ARC??? not often enough.

none of these are gonna be just like game-ya but in terms of romances with attention to detail for industry/niche fields… ok all of these are gonna be kind of weird so bear with me.

double section is a BL about an auditor for an insurance company and an insurance salesman, I wouldn’t necessarily give it a blanket rec but I liked how Passionate the main characters were about audits and workplace regulations. a lot of heated drama for the most normal office setting possible. in the author’s note the artist talks about interviewing health insurance salesmen.

ginmokusei is more of a conventional BL but it’s about a guy who inherited his grandpa’s tailor shop and an ex maître d who shows up and demands to help him before he goes bankrupt. there’s a little bit about branding and marketing and bank loans. what has Always Stayed With Me is when the love interest basically goes like ‘you’re using all these flashy ads and being really pushy with discounts. are you selling beef bowls.’ every time I pass a clothes shop that goes really flashy with the discount banners I think ‘are they selling beef bowls…’

panel x magic. okay I said it was going to be weird. so this yuri is about a recent graduate who applies for office jobs and ends up doing image editing for… I guess a brothel? it doesn’t go into critiques of the sex industry, but I thought it was interesting how it takes a really logistical perspective in terms of marketing, advertising, and image manipulation… one of the chapters has the main character going like ‘oh god I’m trying to edit this risqué photo by making the thighs thinner and giving the face a glow-up but I keep making the model look like a weird alien this looks like something from a photo booth’ and gets advice from her coworkers like ‘hey why don’t you look up makeup tutorials to get a sense of what to touch up.’ hasn’t been translated in a while but it kind of hits that… really in-depth look at the logistics of a job.

I think there’s more I’m not remembering at the moment, at one point I think sundry made a joke about rating office romances by how much office work is shown. there’s a couple ones that *kinda* fit but not really… wait. wait wait wait. WAIT. oh my god it has such a h•rny title. okay. so I’m being 100% sincere when I say that the main story for hammered and pounded is a BL with interesting office politics. it’s also incredibly h•rny, but game-ya gets pretty h•rny so whatever. but yeah there’s a whole subplot where the love interest, who works in sales, has actually always wanted to work in R&D, and it becomes A Whole Thing where the head of R&D is in conflict with the head of sales over whether or not a transfer is gonna happen and there’s no romance involved with the conflict it’s all office politics

and in a similar vein, to your right, you will see my boyfriend is about a guy who’s working as a tour guide in kyoto and at the artist talks about how she used to work as a tour guide. I think it’s fun, though I have my qualms. the main character does do studying about how to be an effective tour guide and goes from being like ‘ugh I’m saying all the facts but no one’s listening’ to ‘haha check out this extremely long name of the temple we’re about to see! make sure to remember it, it’ll be the password for getting off the bus ;D’

I have another category of vaguely similar vibes of genre bending mundane office work + fantastical situations

tokusatsu gagaga is a gen series that’s a BIG fave of mine, the main character is an OL who loves tokusatsu so she imagines a lot of scenarios with that sort of vibe. it’s not diagetic, but it’s really fun when it’s stuff like ‘I’M AT KARAOKE WITH MY COWORKERS BUT I CAN’T OUT MYSELF AS A TOKUSATSU OTAKU THIS IS JUST LIKE BEING ATTACKED BY A KARAOKE-THEMED MONSTER EMERJASON HELP ME!!!!’ the eng tl hasn’t been updated in a while but there’s a live action adaption that’s really good

magilumiere co. ltd. is a gen series that’s basically ‘what if magical girls were like… sanitation workers for monsters’ so it’s a lot of company logistics in a fantastical setting. I don’t think I got that far into it before getting distracted, but it was interesting (though perhaps overly generous/idealistic about start-ups as a concept).

[thatoneluckybee]

Do you have any webcomic recs?

I am really showing the Webtoon dealer huh

A lot of recommendations depend on what one likes personally. I notice I gravitate towards those with darker themes (like current short Nevermore hyperfixation) like horror and thriller genres, or even more lighthearted stuff with serious themes like Castle Swimmer. (Like... I have read too many zombie apocalypse things it has a good balance usually!) So good recommendations for me take into account what someone likes personally. But I can recommend some general ones!

I mostly use Webtoon but one story I enjoy a lot that isn't on Webtoon is the Backmaker by @catnippackets. You can find it on their pinned post! It's still early on in the story but the description is this on the website:

I'm mostly on Webtoon (easy to use on mobile which I'm almost always on) and have read a lot there. I don't want to spend 80 years with descriptions so some I read that I think are good or just like are

Nevermore (as of like. Yesterday or so.)

Castle Swimmer

Morgana and Oz

School Bus Graveyard

Deathsitter

Suitor Armor

Homesick

The End of Ma'at

The Four of Them

Space Boy

Silent Screams

Not So Shoujo Love Story

Realta

1HP Club

Nomads

Surviving Romance

Funtime Phobia (and any of Strawberry Circus' stories! They're a wonderful group)

ShootAround 

High Spirits Neoma

Dead But Not Gone

Cursed Princess Club

UnOrdinary (the entire Joker arc INFURIATES me but the last 100 or so chapters have been really good! Just went through a rough patch but it's good now imo)

Marionetta

Sable Curse

I'm on this website too often. Probably a lot more I'm forgetting but these are generally the ones I look over when thinking of propaganda to make for mutuals. Hi.

[espilver-week]

Fanfics...

Last month we had 💜🤍Espilver Week 2023🤍💜, and we set up some polls to ask Espilver fans about their favorite everything for this ship ✨

"What tags do you like to see when looking for an Espilver/Silvespio fic?"

Over half of the votes went to fluff 💕 Many people seem to prefer something sweet and comforting for Silver and Espio. Mod as well, loves to read fluff as well! But since we are talking about fanfics, there are a few that I would like to share!

Us (by Midnight Mischief, 2014-2015; Words: 17,753; Rate T)

One of the earliest fics mod has read, and this is a re-imagined story for Rivals 2 with romance subtext. For people first starting to look into the two characters' chemistry, what's better than looking at something similar to the games? There are a bunch of interesting character dynamics between the cast, and events are mainly significant moments in both Silver's and Espio's story. People will need to know the Rivals 2 plotline to recognize certain setting re-use or changes in this fanfic.

No Evidence (by Cubicrot, 2018; Words: 23,519, Rate T)

This is a fic with plenty adventure and a bit of romance, with Espio and Silver first encountering each other in an alternate event which is irrelevant to Rivals 2. Silver was in desperate need of chaos drives, while Espio was on a case investigating a case of missing chaos drives. They ran into each other by chance, and went on their joint journey to achieve what they want. Despite not following the games 100%, it can still be counted as "canon deviation". Being one of the earlier fanfics you can find on the internet, mod absolutely enjoyed reading through it!

Time Together, How Sweet (by mousewritings, 2020; Words: 2,374. Rate G)

A silly story about Espio and Silver going to a store to buy presents for Charmy, but ended up getting kicked out of the store for certain reasons. A purely fluff fic, great for people that wants a quick but pleasant time to read an Espilver fanfic. Genuinely light hearted, this is one of the cute fics mod likes a lot. 💛

New Beginnings (by TrueBlueSonic, 2020-2022; Words: 195,768, Rate T)

Mod believes many people have already read this, in fact, with how there is over 13k hits on AO3, many might have taken a like to Espilver because of this fanfic! Congrats~! 🎉 This story is an aftermath of Rivals 2, "canon deviation" fanfic that involves Silver getting to experience life in the present time, choosing between going back to the future or staying in the present. Many fluffy moments and tear-jerking chapters, those who want a few novel-lengths of fanfic to immerse will have a good time reading this!

Sharp eyes would realize these fanfics here are from years ago! Mod wants to share them for newcomers, so everyone can experience how people perceive Espilver/Silvespio during earlier days when content for this ship were less frequent. Hope you enjoy reading them!

Many fanfics involve not only fluff, but with conflicts and heart-wrenching moments as well. Mod is glad to see people willing to try out all kinds of content despite our main preference!

I noticed many people tend to enjoy stories with Silver feeling conflicted about going back to the future or staying in the past. Indeed, fiddling with timelines are a huge topic that could go on forever, and the decision of staying became very important to Silver. Espio himself then became one of the biggest reasons Silver travels back in time, and even stay in the present forever in some stories.

Letting Silver enjoy life with Espio in the present is also one of the most popular scenarios. Some fanfics with more than a chapter or two would sure to have them hangout in a chill manner, maybe explore their feelings with each other in the meantime.

Besides the main focus on fluff or happy endings, quite a lot of fanfics also go with #slow burn, #friends to lovers, #established relationship, etc. For people that want something other than these settings, now it's the time for you to shine!

There are lots of content for Espilver/Silvespio on the internet, with all kinds of preference and ratings to take note of. Remember to keep an open-minded mentality and enjoy your time within the fandom!

[ilikepjo24]

Hi, have any sokkla fics recommendations? Thanks!

Of course I do! I'm not sure whether or not you want smut or if you want a one shot vs a multi chapter story so I'll list a bit of all the categories

Prisoners dilemma by PurplePlatypusBear21

In an alternate universe where Mai and Ty Lee betray Azula slightly earlier, Sokka finds the princess trapped in the Boiling Rock, barely clinging to life and sanity. What will he do?

(No smut, multiple chapters, fluff, hurt/comfort)

P a i n t by lotusunset

After Suki's untimely death, Sokka needs to do a little soul-searching. Along the way he finds Azula living in a small town, making a humble living as an artist. He also discovers she's keeping a secret she didn't even know she had.

(No smut if I remember correctly, multiple chapters, hurt/comfort)

Accidentally posted this when I just wanted to edit it and add more fics, please ignore for now

All the pain of yesterday by ButterflyGirl006

Her own body is killing her, and she is so far from home.

OR

Azula falls irreversibly ill and has to make it back home in order to die properly by Fire Nation standards. But home is miles away, and filled with people she doesn't remember.

(no smut, multiple chapters, mostly focuses on Azula and her relationship with everyone around her but does contain Sokkla, hurt/comfort)

Can you handle the heat? by tjlyricz

Wax drizzled over his chest. Azula left a more than a generous amount on his right nipple. Tears pricked the sides of his eyes, but he refused to let them fall. He refused to give her the satisfaction of breaking him.

"You're a horrible liar, Sokka." Azula tilted the candle again, this time spilling a small stream over his left nipple. She drank in his cry of pain. "I can't help but wonder if you secretly like me treating you like this."

(smut, one shot, tw non-con)

Gladiator by Seyary_Minamoto

In a world where the Avatar wasn't found, the Fire Nation has taken over two nations and they strive to overcome the last one. Water Tribe warrior Sokka seeks to fight for his people's rights, but he's captured by his enemies. His life is no longer in his hands as he fights as a Gladiator, and his fate will eventually depend on the Fire Nation Princess, who needs him for her own ends...

(eventual smut, multiple chapters, slow burn, occasional hurt/comfort)

The Blizzard by DeadDirector

They were supposed to be in the South Pole for the Festival of the Winter Solstice. However, the harsh and unyielding blizzard had other plans for them. Trapped in an igloo together, newlyweds Sokka and Azula have to come up with something to pass the time.

(Smut, fluff, one shot)

My Slave Boy by dickard23

"No kissing on the lips," she said to him. "It's too personal." After his invasion fails, Sokka agrees to become Azula's slave to free Suki from Boiling Rock. Follow them as they go from slave/master to lovers and eventual spouses and all of the chaos along the way.

(smut, multiple chapters, eventual fluff, I know that it sounds like it but it's not really 100% non-con, more like meaningless angry sex)

The wine, not the label by PurplePlatypusBear21

"You're sure you're gay, right?" Azula asked with hopeful skepticism. "Yeah…" Sokka replied, the upward inflection of his voice betraying his uncertainty. "Then why are you staring at me like that?"

(No smut I think, multiple chapters, humor and romance)

The Failed Search AU by AKIIZAYOI4869

When Sokka sees Zuko dangling Azula over a cliff, his big brother instincts kick in and he decides to step in before things get worse.

&

Part 2 of The Failed Search AU. Zuko has finally found Ursa, but things still don't feel right. Meanwhile, Sokka decides that the best way for Azula to heal is to take her away from the fire nation, and after a suggestion from Suki, he takes her to Kyoshi island.

Azula gets the healing that she deserves, Sokka discovers that somewhere along the way his feelings towards Azula began to change, and Zuko has a lot of growing up to do.

(No smut, part 1 is a one shot, part 2 has multiple chapters and is not complete, hurt/comfort)

Sokka's Dumb Decision by sthomasf

Sokka get off work at Republic City, and heads to bar. There, like most nights, he makes an incredibly dumb decision

(no smut, one shot, fluff, humor, angst)

Interruptions and a Confession by AKIIZAYOI4869

Sokka attempts to confess his feelings to Azula but keeps on getting interrupted. He is not amused.

(no smut, one shot, humor, romance)

Surprise by OnceUponACaskett

“Um, whatcha got there, Sokka?” Aang managed to squeak out.

Sokka grinned and held out the cup in his hand. “Oh it’s mango-papaya juice! Want some?”

“Uh…not what I meant. Other hand, buddy.”

OR

A short drabble about Sokka visiting Katara and Aang and bringing Azula with him.

(no smut, one shot, fluff, humor, inspired by fanart)

Okay now I'm done, if you need more recommendations don't hesitate to ask

[tobiasdrake]

The very last bauble. The very last hangout. As we move towards the conclusion to it all, we've heard from Vivia about what he wants us to bear in mind. Now it's time to hear what guidance Yakou has to offer us.

Oh, okay, we're gonna give him a pep talk. Disappointing to the very end, aren't you?

Really. We're really going to spend the last hangout yet again shilling the OTP that remains mired in the exact same place it was in way back in the Chapter 2 rooftop epilogue?

The answer, Yakou, is that it's not. Things are not going. There's been lots of blushing and lots of awkward pauses but nobody has said or done a single thing yet because writers despise romance despite how hard they try to inject it into their stories.

Ooh, Yuma doesn't know but that is a painful question.

*spit take* NOT SOMETHING TO BRAG ABOUT, FUCKING HELL.

God fucking dammit man. Even if you're making it up, "I was so great at cheating, you wouldn't even BELIEVE" is a terrible thing to make up. It doesn't need to be true to reflect poorly on your values.

I'm going straight back to the homunculus testing site so I can push you dipshit ass off a cliff.

This is the worst final hango--

Why was that Fubuki's final conversation topic!? Ew ew ew ew DX

This is the second-worst final hangout!

...wait.

Hold up.

Is he talking about actual kittens?

Or that, I suppose. Still, the way he chose to play this up has caused my opinion of him to nonetheless sink lower. It's not about whether he did or did not "three- or four-time". It's about the fact that he considers the image he tried to sell to be an admirable presentation of masculinity in the first place.

"LOL It's so cute how they'd get jealous whenever they'd find out about my other girlfriends!" This kind of casual misogyny is exactly the kind of behavior that makes me loathe "guy talk". Men will take one look at you, see a kindred bro, and then proceed to say the grossest shit to you with absolutely no filter whatsoever.

Too late, damage already done. There is no salvaging your reputation from here.

Now we're getting to the meat of it. I expected Yakou to give a counterargument to Vivia, but they seem to be on the same page.

Vivia asks, "Is it always right to reveal a cruel truth?"

Yakou says, "You need to put Kurumi's wellbeing first."

These both feel like things that are going to be important for Yuma to carry with him in the final confrontation with Makoto. Which is why the two baubles were put here.

It's not, and I hate that you think that. This exact mindset, that men only exist for women and nothing else, is a major contributing factor to toxic masculinity.

This conversation must be, like, right before Chapter 5. Yakou's getting ready to carry out Huesca's murder. That's why he's trying to connect with Yuma like this.

Yakou Furiou. I didn't think very highly of him when I met him. But then I got to know him and see new sides to his personality. And through that journey, I was able to learn that I was overestimating him and adjust my opinion even lower.

I don't like Yakou on a personal level. I don't hold his drinking or his grief against him. He's a damaged man who's been through some trauma. But he's also a frequent obstacle who has gross opinions and mostly gets in the way.

Nonetheless, I still stand behind him 100% in the murder of Dr. Huesca. Like I said before, I'm not fond of Yakou the Detective but I adore Yakou the Murderer. That we were all able to pull together and carry off the Crime of the Century to avenge Yakou's wife and assassinate the most well-guarded man in Kanai Ward?

Yeah. I'm proud of that. We did it. Huesca isn't Yakou's victim. He's our victim. We made this happen for Yakou and I have no regrets about it. I'd kill Huesca again if Yuma would let me. Shove him over that railing and let him be a malfunctioning immortal in a pit at the bottom of the secret lab.

Yakou isn't someone I would want to hang out with for an evening. But I'm glad he found his closure, even if this was the only way he could.