#common ra*bits W

[yume-fanfare]

we can now say with full confidence ra*bits had the best album outfits

[lazaruspiss]

done w social media aus where they all have that [name] [sexuality] [age] [pronouns] format. need 2 make my own parody pages for them. diversify bio styles

[blackwell-academys-airdrop]

For the ask game 6,8 and 25

6. which ship fans are the most annoying? uh. No offense intended whatsoever, but I simply do not vibe with Grahamscott (the gay one). I mean, I guess I see the appeal? But it just kinda rubs me the wrong way a little. I think it's cuz it's a very popular (I might even call it overrated) mlm ship in a very wlw-oriented game and fandom. It's like, there's 5 times more mlm on AO3 as opposed to wlw last I checked. Not that there's anything inherently wrong with mlm; it's just not for me, and it's something that gets hyped up a LOT in fandom spaces, often to the detriment of wlw, het, and other ships.

Anyway. Very popular ship for what I would go so far as to call a crack pairing. (The inherent homoeroticism of, uh... beating a guy up so hard he has to go to the hospital?) Want proof? Here are the most popular relationships (platonic inclusive) in the Life Is Strange fandom on AO3 as of the time of writing:

There are more Grahamscott fics than there are Marshfield fics (admittedly not by a lot), and that's a travesty.

FANDOM-WIDE CHALLENGE: Write >17 Marshfield fics so we can knock Grahamscott out of 4th place!

I reiterate: I do not hate Grahamscott, nor do I hate those who ship them. It's got a lot of (non-uwu softboy, mind you) potential. It simply isn't for me.

8. common fandom opinion that everyone is wrong about Bae or Bay Before the Storm is not a bad game. Actually no wait I'll save that one for 25.

Hm.

How bout this: William was NOT a perfect dad. He was a good one, for sure, but remember: our idea of his character is rose-tinted with Chloe's and Max's overwhelmingly positive memories of him. "That's one thing he left us: wonderful memories." (I paraphrase) I'd like to see his flaws explored a bit more.

25. common fandom complaint that you're sick of hearing I've said it already and I'll say it again: Before the Storm is not a bad game. It's not a great game, and it definitely doesn't live up to the original, but it's a good game.

High points of the game (keep in mind I haven't watched/played the game in about 4 years):

Steph

Interesting take on a young Nathan

CUNSn

The SMASH scene (brought me close to tears. The controllable helplessness of it all, God)

Steph and Mikey

Skip

EN FUEGO UTERO

I LOVE what they did with Samuel actually

The take on Rachel was really interesting, especially the whole backstory thing and the actress mindset

FIRE POWERS FIRE POWERS

I'm intrigued by the drawing of an older Max hanging from a noose in a tree in Chloe's journal. WHAT does that IMPLY, WHAT does that MEAN

Steph

Barb the Barbarian (I named one of my DnD characters that and made her a She-Ra expy)

Chloe's dream sequences and general sleepiness (reminiscent of depression)

PUTTING AN ENTIRE CAR BATTERY INTO HER PANTS POCKET

The snitch straight-up admitting to Damon that he snitched was not at all realistic but it was very funny

The play scene, especially if you get all the lines right

Victoria drinking the drugged tea

Farewell, especially the little choose-your-own squirrel story ^w^

Low points:

"tHe StArS aRe DeAd" THAT IS NOT ASTRONOMICALLY CORRECT (I have ranted about this before)

Damon. Everything about Damon. His character, his impact on the plot, everything.

The whole James and Sera backstory was really hackneyed

I am ambivalent about the Backtalk mechanic

The whole third episode was just such a letdown. So much wasted potential

Much like LIS, there are a lot of different subplots, but LIS wove them together well while BTS didn't.

I've reblogged a rant about this before, but Chloe has so very little agency while Max has loads of it! Admittedly, the game is a prequel so some things have to happen no matter what, and Chloe's lack of agency (and unwillingness to acquire it) is a big point of her character, but it does not make for a fun video game protagonist. There are way too many But Thou Must! moments in the story.

The friggin' end scene with Frank fighting off Damon

do NOT retcon that Pompidou was a gift from Damon. do NOT

I'm also ambivalent on the whole Max and Chloe text exchanges retcon. Like, I think Chloe miiiight have reached out to her, but Max would not have responded. The anxiety is simply Too Great.

I am also ambivalent about the Sam & Nathan thing. I wish she'd gotten more characterization than just "sweet kind girl who loves books".

Megan Weaver didn't show up. I wish she had, cuz she was evidently important to Chloe for at least a little while, and we know so little about her

I know there was a strike going on or something but I am sad we didn't have the original VAs :( (but they came back for Farewell, so rejoice!)

Chloe's VA's performance was kinda lackluster

Okay THAT got longer than I anticipated. Sorry. Anyway. There are a lot of good points to BTS. There are a lot of bad ones, too. But hey. Canon is a construct.

[aeoki]

Dream-Coloured Princes - Chapter 5

Location: Yumenosaki Drama Clubroom Characters: Tomoya, Hokuto, Keito & Wataru

TL Note:

Baku spirits (獏) are supernatural beings that devour dreams and nightmares in Japanese mythology.

Wataru: I shall repay you with a role for making me laugh!

Hokuto-kun, you’ll be the prince of “Trickstar” and Tomoya-kun, you’ll be the prince of “Ra*bits”. Together, you’ll aim to be idols…☆

Tomoya: W-Wait a minute. Prince? Aim to be an idol? I don’t understand!

Do you understand what he’s saying, Hokuto-senpai? It’s not just me that’s confused, right…?

Hokuto: I don’t understand, either. Why would a prince aim to be an idol? Did the princes you meet want to be idols?

Wataru: No, they said they had to defeat “Dream Eaters” and protect their land.

Apparently, they’ll fall asleep for eternity if they’re attacked by them. Like baku spirits[∗], I suppose.

In any case, they were rather skilled with the sword. All that experience acting as the “princess” paid off ☆

Tomoya: A princess… Uuu, I just remembered something awful…

Wataru: Oh? Come to think of it, you admired me and decided to join the Drama Club after seeing my play, correct?

“My goddess”, was it? Hehehe. Shall I crossdress for you? Here is the goddess you’ve always admired. You don’t have to hold your tears back, you know?

Tomoya: I’ll be crying tears of blood instead! Uuu, if I knew the person I admired was a Masked Pervert, I’d never have joined the Drama Club…!

Hokuto: Do you mind if we return to our previous topic? The princes you met came from a world with “Dream Eaters”, right?

Wataru: Yes, they said it was something only they could defeat, so perhaps it's only those with the position of prince that can do that.

Hokuto: Hmm, the princes from the Land of Jewels. And dream eaters… Looks like we can make a play out of that.

It wouldn’t be a problem to remove the idea of the princes wanting to be idols, no?

The president met three princes. We’re a club of three members so the roles are perfect.

I don’t think it’s necessary for me and Tomoya to be the princes of our units, though?

Wataru: If that’s the case, then there wouldn’t be anyone to act as the dream eaters. Well, I don’t mind playing that role.

But I don’t know what they looked like. Even with my skills, I don’t think I’ll be able to pull it off ☆

Yumenosaki Academy is a school that specialises in training idols. Which means making the princes aim to be idols would make it far more interesting!

Well, that’s more or less the reasoning behind it…♪

Hokuto: So I’ll be the prince of “Trickstar” and Tomoya will be the prince of “Ra*bits”.

The president will be the prince of “fine” and we’ll aim to be idols… Is that correct?

Wataru: Quite close~ Of course, I shall stand on stage as the prince of “fine”.

If we include the prince of Gartina, Oliverite and Saphinia, then that would be perfect…☆

Hokuto: That means you’ll be playing four roles? If it was anyone else, I would’ve rejected the idea no matter what.

But you’re not someone who lives by common sense, president – you should be able to pull it off.

Wataru: I thank you for your praises…☆

Hokuto: I did no such thing. No matter. The roles and story… We can use our costumes here, so the problem is where the play will take place.

Tomoya: Yes… We can rent the auditorium but would that be difficult?

Wataru: Well, then let’s ask Mr Right-Hand Man. He should be in the student council room at this time.

Please wait here in the clubroom, you two. If I return late, I don’t mind if you leave and go home.

I shall leave with the wind – To the student council room…☆

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤLocation: Student Council Room

Keito: There aren’t any issues with the documents. The application reason is also acceptable. It should be fine for me to give them the stamp of approval.

The other documents I need to look at are… Hm, that was the last one. Now, that’s one thing finished.

…………

Ugh, I blacked out for a second there. Looks like I’m quite sleep deprived. I had to finish student council work late into the evening yesterday too, so no wonder.

In the end, I couldn’t finish it all so I brought them home and managed to complete it all near morning… But I haven’t slept enough. I’ll definitely fall asleep the next time I close my eyes.

I should take a nap. But sleeping in the student council room doesn’t sit right with me. I’ll close my eyes and rest for a while.

…………

Wataru: Amazing! I wonder when was the last time I visited the student council room? Perhaps half a century ago? Ahahahaha, neither I nor Mr Right-Hand Man existed back then.

…Oh?

Keito: …………

Wataru: Hm, I take it this doesn’t mean he has noticed my presence but has chosen to simply ignore me?

If I listen carefully, I can hear him breathing in his sleep. He’s quite defenceless in front of me.

I suppose that goes to show how exhausted he really is. I don’t recommend living fast and recklessly – I don’t want to lose my rival.

I shall sit and sing him a lullaby. Hopefully, he can smile in his dreams instead of frowning.

……~♪

Keito: …Mmm.

(Someone’s singing…? Is someone in the student council room?)

Wataru: Hehehe, you’re awake? Good morning, it’s yours truly, Wataru Hibiki…☆

Keito: Wha!? Why are you here? Were you the one singing just now?

Wataru: Was it to your liking? Then, I shall sing another~☆ Laalalalaa ☆

Keito: No, stop. But wait, I didn’t notice you entering… What a blunder. Sleeping really is important – I must do what I can to ensure I’ve slept the minimum.

Anyway, why did you come to the student council room? Eichi isn’t here, if that’s who you’re looking for.

Wataru: That’s no problem~ I’m here to ask you something.

Actually, because of this and that, I’ve come to the student council room to ask for permission to use the auditorium…☆

Keito: Hey, don’t skip over the details. Explain everything from the beginning.

Wataru: Then, I shall keep it brief. …That’s the gist of it. Have you understood?

Keito: You explained it at break-neck speed… But well, I understand the situation.

So you met the princes of the Land of Jewels while daydreaming and you wish to use the auditorium to put on a play based on your daydream…? 

Sorry, I don’t quite understand. Give me fifteen seconds to think things over.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ← Previous Chapter ᠂ ⚘ ˚⊹˚ ⚘ ᠂  Next Chapter →

[uhohitsgeode]

✮⋆˙Original Character Info ༘⋆Divider credits; @isisjupiter and @enchanthings

𖤐 NAME: Matthias Azureman

𖤐 COMMON ALIAS: Dudebro

𖤐 AGE: 23 years old

𖤐 BIRTHDAY: March 21st

𖤐 GENDER/PRONOUNS: Cisgender man, he/him/theirs

𖤐 CHARACTER DESCRIPTION: 5'9, orange hair, hazel eyes, wears a strawberry beanie

𖤐 SEXUAL ORIENTATION: Bisexual Polyamorous w/ no preference

𖤐 LIKES: Strawberries, skateboarding, campfire scent, singing and dancing

𖤐 DISLIKES: Seagulls, the heat, grapefruits

𖤐 PERSONALITY 𖤐

Matthias is the textbok definition of "theatre kid now stage performing adult." Matt loves to perform for crowds, no matter if it's a regular dance with friends, adult dancing with his girlfriend, or duos with his boyfriend. While he loves being a center for attention, they also know when to have quiet time to themselves or with close friends and his partner. Dudebro will fight for those he loves, and can sometimes be extremely stubborn because of how determined he can be for victory. Matt isn't afraid to be himself, being openly bi and being proud of dating two people. He's also extremely sociable, and loves meetingnew people in new places. He also is loud and proud about his loves for the arts, sometimes just bursting into song and dance whenever he gets excited!

𖤐 ABILITIES AND SKILLS 𖤐

Matthias, despite appearing skinny and lanky, is quite physically fit and strong. He learned self defense at a young age, and eventually learned how to fight on his own. Matt had a teacher as a child who taught him fire magic, and in his teenage years, learned how to levitate and use telekinesis. Dudebro is also gifted in the arts. He enjoyed singing and dancing from a young age, and LOVES to figure skate as well. While he enjoys the sophisticated arts, Matt also has a knack for makeup, and has even dressed up in drag! One of Matt's favorite pastimes is skateboarding. He picked it up from one of his closest friends as a child, and still enjoys it today. His magic teacher gave him a hoverboard as a teen and he learned how to use it almost immediately. The hoverboard is one of his most prized possessions, and he doesn't go anywhere without it.

𖤐 LORE 𖤐

Dudebro is a fire mage born in a seaside village, and has an older brother, Desmond. His mother was known for her incredibly beautiful magical abilities and just like her son, has glowy orange hair. It is said that those born with the hair of their mother will inherit the magical gifts she has. DB's older brother has white hair, akin to their father. This is important. Growing up, Dudebro had an incredible gift of magic and the arts. He learned how to control his fire powers young, and his mother taught him almost everything he knows to this day. His brother became extremely jealous of DB's prodigal knowledge and gifts. and always wanted to be better than his younger brother, despite himself being incredibly smart and quite strong. DB came out to his family as bisexual when he was 13, and his parents were incredibly supportive, but his brother was utterly disgusted, and that same night, he lead him away from home under the guise of having a brotherly heart to heart. Instead, his brother beat him senselessly, almost permanently injuring him. His brother ran from home that night. and DB hasn't seen him since. A friend found Dudebro laying on the ground bleeding and bruised, and was able to get him help. DB still has nightmares about this horrific incident to this day, and two of his fingers are permanently bent out of shape. When he was 17, his mother went missing out of nowhere. This was extremely traumatic and devastating for him, and he’s made it a goal to find his mom since then. He travels all over the world, searching magic temples to gain more fire magic knowledge and abilities to help find her. Dudebro came out as poly at 19 to his father, and he was a bit confused at first, but came around not too long after. Dudebro has a boyfriend, Bo(21), and a girlfriend, Maiyra [My-ra](25). He met a sorcerer, Scarlet, a year into his travels around the world, and they’ve been inseparable best friends since. He also met an up and coming lightning mage, Jovi(my own self insert), and is training him as well.

*ੈ✩‧₊˚References/Drawings ⋆｡𖦹°⭒˚｡⋆Credit will be provided to artists!⋆｡𖦹°⭒˚｡⋆

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧Art Credit: @/gigicrazydraws

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧Art Credit: @/scupprs

[problematic-faves-appreciation]

Is there some where other then the wixsite page where Raechel Smythe has said her shitty webcomic isn't an exact adaptation of the mythes?

Where did this idea that Rachel Smythe "claimed" she was writing a "beat-by-beat retelling" come from? It's such a common, but erroneous "LO-critical" (AKA LO antis) talking point.

Here you go, anon. Straight from the horse's mouth:

[Q&A]

[WEBTOON Interview]

Question: How do you create your characters' personalities?

RA: When I'm doing research, I'll go through all the myths and I'll look at all the characters. I'll basically take their personalities and deconstruct them a little bit, then recontextualize them in a modern-day setting.

Obviously some behaviors and traits definitely work in the classical sense, but they don't make any sense in a modern setting so you need to look at an approach and a way to get them to fit in that would make sense to us.

[L.A. Comic Con Interview]

6:38-7:38

Interviewer: I read a lot of mythology books in the library growing up. I lived there.

RS: At this stage, I'm really fascinated with who's giving us the translation. Who did it come from? Because there was a few books that I read through when I was researching Hades and Persephone. They seemed legit, right? And you realize that they were written in, like, the 50s – so it's not really a translation of anything. A lot of people cite them as source material. I'm like, when do we stop citing things as source material? When does it become a fanfic? Essentially what I'm doing is a fanfic. Maybe in a billion years from now, human beings will be like: *joking tone of voice.* "Look at this very technical resource called Lore Olympus!" How far back do we need to go?

[GUEST: RACHEL SMYTHE – The Happy Writer with Marissa Meyer]

12:16-13:11

Interviewer: For listeners who are not familiar with your work, could you please tell them what is Lore Olympus? What is it about?

RS: It is. Lore Olympus is a modern day retelling of the myth of Hades and Persephone. I like to refer to it as a deconstruction because it is not meant to be read as a beat-for-beat match of the mythology.

[CXLIII: Adapting Greek Myth, the World of Lore Olympus w/ Rachel Smythe]

47:28-48:07

RS: Some people think it's meant to be a beat-for-beat thing. A beat-for-beat interpretation. And I'm like: No no no, this is something else. It's inspired. And obviously I've thought about it a lot. I think about it every day of my life. Please don't cite it as scholarly source, for the love of god. Please don't write your essay and add in that Hades made Persephone an espresso in his kitchen. That's never happened – he never made her an espresso, guys.

TL;DR: Lore Olympus was not written as a direct adaptation of the Greek myths. It's a Modern AU.

Go watch these videos if you get that pressed about authors putting their own spins on interpretative characters:

[plush-rabbit]

SFW Alphabet - Bakugo Katsuki

A: Affection (How affectionate are they with a s/o?)

Katsuki isn’t very affectionate in the public eye, he prefers to keep most things intimate behind closed doors. In the public eye, he will throw an arm around you or hold your hand. Behind closed doors, he likes to keep you close to him and press his lips against your cheek and hands that rest on your waist.

B: Breath (What could their s/o do to take their breath away?)

His breath can get taken away if you defend him. Being such a brash person, he’s likely to get some hate on him and he can hold his own, he doesn’t care what people say about him because he’s confident in who he is. But when he sees you talk back to some random person who was bad mouthing him, yelling and shoving your finger into their chest, he’s awestruck and impressed.

C: Cuddling (Do they cuddle? If they do, how and when do they cuddle?)

He wants to keep his image as this intimidating guy so he won’t ever admit it to anyone else but you, but he loves cuddles. He prefers to be the big spoon. It makes him feel better, like he’s protecting you even in slumber. His arms are firm around you, pulling you close to his chest. Often times, he likes to be little spoon, he likes it when you wrap your arms around him and whisper sweet things to him as he falls asleep.

D: Dream (What do they dream of doing with their s/o?)

He dreams of coming home to you and not having to worry about the outside world for a change. He loves to be a hero and he’ll strive to meet his goal but if he can just come home to you and have you pet him while he sways with you in the middle of the room. It’s a simple dream, but it’s so intimate to him.

E: Effort (How much effort do they put into a relationship?)

He puts a lot of effort in his relationships. He knows that he’s a lot to handle and that he can get tunnel vision, so he’ll always make sure that you know that you mean a lot to him. He’ll make sure to keep things on him that he knows that you’ll need, like a snack or pain killers.

F: Fear (What do they do if their s/o is scared? How do they handle it?)

If the fear is physical, say a spider or something like that, he’s getting rid of it immediately. He’ll scoop it up and toss it out the window and walk with you to the kitchen late at night if you need a snack. If the fear stems from a more mental issues, say his career as a hero, he needs to know the specifics of it, so he can help. His career asks a lot from him and he knows it can put a strain on a relationship so he’ll  get to the root of the problem and talk about it with you.

G: Gifts (What type of gifts do they give their s/o? Do they want a gift in return?)

It’s small gifts- things that you’ve mentioned wanting before or bringing a snack on the way home. Gifts aren’t extravagant unless it’s a special occasion. He usually doesn’t expect gifts, he brought it to you because he wanted to, but if you were to give him something back, he’d deeply appreciate it and bring you in for a kiss.

H: Hugs (Do they hug their s/o? How often?)

He hugs fairly often. It’s more of him throwing his arms around your shoulders or hugging you from behind. He’ll hug you quite often through the day, always having an arm around you but front facing hugs are a bit rarer and reserved for when you two are alone. Those hugs always leave you breathless, they’re tight and he’s pressing you against his chest and burying his face in the crook of you neck.

I: Intimacy (How romantic are they? Do they have problems with intimacy?)

He’s a fairly romantic partner when with his significant other. He will make sure that you know where you stand in his life. He won’t go overboard with the flowers and chocolates, but he will bring you flowers on important days. He isn’t the most romantic person but he tries for you. He has no problems with intimacy. He might be stiff about it at first, but once he’s relaxed, it’s clear he has no issues with intimacy.

J: Jealous (Do they get jealous? How do they act when jealous?)

He doesn’t get jealous easily, he’s actually fairly tame if someone is trying to hit on you because he knows you won’t cheat on him and he’s confident in the relationship you have with each other. However, if the person continues to hit on you and you’re now expressing discomfort and looking to him for help, he gets jealous and will wrap an arm around you and tell the other person off.

K: Kiss (Are they a good kisser? Do they like to kiss? How often do they try to kiss you?)

He is a good but rough kisser. His kisses are pressed harsh against your skin and teeth nip at your bottom lip. He loves to kiss you, loves you hear you moan against his lips and feel your hands entangle into his hair. His kisses are a lot more prominent when you two are alone. You’ll wake up with a kiss and sleep with a kiss. In between, he’s leaning against you or kissing your shoulder.

L: Love (When do they say they love you? How often do they say it? Do they prefer to say or show it?)

Katsuki says the l-word fairly quick into the relationship. He’s a very emotional person and while the more negative emotions are shown, he also feels a lot in the other aspects. He’s one to say it out loud, acting as if it’s just another word, but his back is turned when he first says it so you won’t see the way he flares up and trying so hard not scream when the words leave his mouth. He prefers to say it- it leaves no questions about how he feels towards you. It’s common to hear him say it when it’s quiet in the room. He likes to say it and he likes to hear you say it.

M: Marriage (Do they want to get married? If so, what kind of ceremony?)

He would like to get married but it isn’t the biggest concern on his mind. He wouldn’t want to get married too quickly. His job is a lot, his life is at stake and he doesn’t want to risk putting someone close to him in danger or even in the position of knowing that he could just not come home one day. He’ll want to wait a while for marriage, just a few years to make sure that this is the life you really want. If he were to get married, he would like a fairly small ceremony with only close friends and family.

N: Night Out (What type of dates do they like to go on? How often do they like to go on them?)

Date nights usually consists of going out to a nice restaurant at least once a month. He likes quiet dates where you two can just catch up or eat in peace. He knows that eating at home or ordering take-out can usually get repetitive, so he likes to take you out and get dressed up.

O: Out of the Ordinary (What’s something they don’t normally do with/for their s/o?)

There isn’t anything he won’t do for you. You want him to run to the store in the middle of the night because you want donuts; he’ll complain but he’s already out the door. However, he won’t change his entire personality. He can tweak at it a bit, control his temper and what not, but he’s not going to be “proper, young man” for you. You chose to date who he is, that’s what you’re gonna get.

P: Playful (Are they playful in a relationship? If so, how do they play around/mess with their s/o?)

Katsuki is a playful person in a relationship. He likes to tease and poke fun at you for anything. He’ll hold you down and tickle your sides until your begging for him to stop. He likes to see you scrunch your face and stick your tongue out at him.

Q: Questions (Do they ask their s/o their opinion on things? Do they share theirs?)

He’ll ask for your opinion on things concerning clothes and body sprays. He wants to make sure that you’ll like what he wear and smells like. However, even if you don’t like something and he does, he’ll still get it- unless it’s body spray since that’s a something that will linger. He will share his opinion even if you don’t ask for it. He’ll look over your shoulder and make a comment, smirking when you tell him you didn’t ask and he’ll shrug and let the smile grow on his face.

R: Random (How spontaneous is their relationship? Do they do things on the spot or plan ahead?)

Relationships with him aren’t very spontaneous. He likes to keep things regulated since his job can call for him any moment and he wants to know he has a set date to spend time with you. On the very rare occasion that there is no date planned, he’s taking you wherever he can think of, grabbing your hand and tossing everything in a bag and going around.

S: Sleep (How do they sleep with their s/o?)

Katsuki will ease into sleep with your curled up on his side but if you happen to fall asleep first, he’ll stay up as long as he can watching you, tracing your features with his hand and pressing soft, feather light kisses against you.

T: Trust (How much do they trust their s/o?)

He trusts you with his life. He puts all his trust in you and will come to you with whatever problem he’s having.  The amount of trust he places you is immense. He doesn’t like to keep secrets form you about his life, so he’ll go up to you and just talk to you.

U: Unique (What makes them unique as an s/o?)

He’s a very brash person who isn’t afraid to say whatever is on his mind concerning his S/O. He’ll call them out if needed. His temper is something that puts people off and makes him intimidating so to see him come undone with a simple touch, where you had this aggressive man who nuzzles into your touch, and will fall apart in your arms.

V: Vulnerable (How long until they can be vulnerable around their s/o? What are they like in this state?)

While he’s an emotional person, he’s also keeps himself very guarded. He won’t be vulnerable with you for a long time. Once he’s vulnerable, he’s taking shaky breaths and holding you tight, fingers that dig into you an face buried into your neck where you can feel tears slide. He’s a lot needier in this state, wanting to be close to you and suddenly he seems a lot smaller, letting you hold him and put him to sleep. He’ll wake up and be embarrassed about it, clicking his tongue and avoiding your gaze as he thanks you.

W: Wild Card (Random headcanon)

Always has cough drops on him and gargles apple cider vinegar in the morning and at night due to a sore throat because of all his screaming. You like to feed him marshmallows while he rests at night.

X: X-Ray (What would they do if their s/o got injured?)

If you got hurt because you stubbed your toe on the coffee table, he’s snorting and telling you to watch your step but the moment you’re out of the room, he’s shoving the coffee table somewhere else and putting a plant on it or something so it’s more noticeable. If you get injured by an outside source, either an attack or because you were caught in the crossfires of a villain attack, he’s stiff. He’s going to bite his tongue and hold you close to him but once out of sight, he’s baring his teeth and hitting things until his knuckles are bloody. His mission afterwards is to get whoever hurt you behind bars.

Y: Yuck (Do they have any pet peeves about their s/o? Are there any habits that might bother their s/o?)

You need to be able to keep a clean space. He’s fine doing all the cooking because cooking is a learning process and he wouldn’t mind teaching you how to cook, he would find it endearing and even a good sort of date night. But cleanliness is something that needs to be established. Everything has a place and everything should be in its place.

Any habits concerning him, would be that he is an early riser. He wakes up early and opens the blinds where the light will spill in and he’ll leave them open despite you still sleeping.

Z: Zeal (Are they passionate as a s/o? Do they want or like passion?)

He’s a very passionate person as it already stands so as a partner, he’s really into the relationship. He may not go out with all the gifts and surprises, but he’s going to make sure that you know that you’re loved.  He needs passion in the relationship; he wants to know if you’re as committed as he is. He loves when you come up to him and sit on his lap or hold his hand without asking, he likes it when you’re passionate about your dreams and kiss him with so much force he’s taken aback for a second before returning it tenfold.

[gullethead]

Writing In Eternian

Hey! I made a post about a little season 5 easter egg yesterday (not linking it here because for some reason it blocks the post from showing in the tags)and while I was poking through the tags, I noticed that a lot of people want to learn how to use First Ones writing! Writing and orthography are actually things I'm really interested in, so I decided to make this guide for people. It's a bit more in-depth than the official press release, so if you just want to use that, feel free!

Here’s the original tweet from the She-Ra Twitter account, which has more examples: twitter. com /dreamworksshera/status/1055474341553623040

Here we go! Putting it under a break so it doesn't eat up your whole screen.

THE SOUNDS OF ENGLISH & THE IPA

So first of all, we need to start with a brief introduction to the IPA. (If you’re already familiar, you can skip to the next big heading.) Lots of languages use a lot of different letters or other characters to represent certain sounds, but when you're working with linguistics, you need to be able to say exactly what you mean. So, we made the International Phonetic Alphabet. This is a long list of individual letters and markings that represent very specific sounds, and you use them by placing them between slashes, like /d/, and sometimes to distinguish, you place the actual writing between corner brackets, like <d>. So for instance, /t/ and /h/ make the same sounds that <t> and <h> make in English, but <th> (usually) makes either the /θ/ or /ð/ sounds. These change based on where you live, but in general the consonants are the same for all English speakers.

Knowing this is important, because something I love about the First Ones alphabet is that it isn't just a letter substitution! Many "secret language" alphabets I've seen in kid's series (like Artemis Fowl, for instance) are just simple one-to-one substitutions for the Latin alphabet we use. But First Ones writing is actually very different! It uses the actual sounds made in the word. So if you wrote "cat" in the First Ones script (which I'm gonna call Eternian, after Eternia from He-Man, which flows better than "First Ones script"), it would actually look like "kat", because the letter c can be used for the sounds k or s, so it doesn't translate.

The alphabet we're using right now was created for the Latin language, derived from the Greek alphabet, which itself has a very long history behind it. English is NOT descended from Latin - it's a Germanic language, and the Germanic family is only kind of related to the Romantic family that developed out of Latin. However, a lot of our vocabulary has a Latin infusion because of mixing with Old French in the 1000s-1100s, and even before that, we used the Latin alphabet because it was the most common. This means that in order to express all the sounds we have, English speakers writing English had to combine different letters together; this, plus over a thousand years of different spellings and dialects, means that our orthography - our way of writing the sounds we say - is FUCKED. The Eternian alphabet is actually a much more efficient way of writing these sounds!

This is the total list of English consonants:

A few notes here:

To make sure you're not lost, /ŋ/ is <ng>, /j/ is <y>, /θ/ and /ð/ are <th>, /ʃ/ and /ʒ/ are <sh> and <zh> (the French <j>, not usually distinguished in English writing) respectively, and /tʃ/ and /dʒ/ are <ch> and the English <j> respectively.

Most consonants can come in voiced and unvoiced versions (although, because English is weird, these are called "fortis" and "lensis" because we pronounce them with different amounts of energy). /b/ is /p/, but pronounced using the vocal chords. Only the nasal sounds, the "approximants", and /h/ don't have pairs in English, although /h/ DOES actually have a common voiced pair, and you can technically pronounce the others voiceless in some languages although it's very rare.

The /x/ sound, famously the end of the Scottish word "loch", is only found in Celtic accents (Scottish, Irish, Welsh) and in the South African accent (because of influence from Dutch). Other English speakers realize it as /k/.

The /r/ sound is weird. What /r/ technically represents is a trill, like in the Spanish <rr>. However, in English, that trill is very rare; what we use <r> for is called a "postalveolar approximant", [ɹ̠]. However, it is usually easier just to write the letter r, so that's how we transcribe it for English's IPA.

English also sometimes has what are called "syllabic consonants", which are consonants that can act as the center of a syllable in the place of a vowel. In English, these are mostly /l/, /m/, and /n/. For instance, the word "bottle" is technically pronounced [ˈbɑɾl̩] in General American English, and the same goes for words like "rhythm" and "button"; however, because this would complicate things a lot, phonologists consider it to include a very small vowel, so with the example of "bottle", it would be /ˈbɑtəl/ instead.

The vowels are a bit more weird than the consonants. Our alphabet was originally created for Latin, which only has ten vowel sounds, long and short a, e, i, o, and u (although technically the short vowels are /a ɛ ɪ ɔ ʊ/ instead of /a e i o u/, because fuck it I guess). However, we have a MUCH different vowel "inventory" in English - instead of the uniform 10 paired Latin vowels, in General American English we have anywhere from 11-13 vowels depending on your interpretation along with three diphthongs (combinations of two vowels used as a single vowel):

If you look at the British (Received Pronunciation) chart it's much different from that, which is why the accents are so distinct; however, Eternian is made with GA English in mind, so I'm just going to focus on that.

More notes:

/ə/ (a schwa, like in "uh"), /ɜ/ (very similar and hard to distinguish in writing), and /ʌ/ (something between an "uh" and an "ah"), are all very close to each other and sometimes interchangeable, especially between the first two.

/oʊ/ is usually simplified to /o/, and /eɪ/ is sometimes simplified to /e/, since the normal versions of those sounds don't show up so we don't have to make the difference clear.

A lot of accents in North America make /ɔ/ sounds (similar to "aw" or "au", like in "caught") into /ɑ/ sounds (the o in "hot").

Now, let's move on to the alphabet!

ETERNIAN GLYPHS & SIGILS

The "letters" of the Eternian alphabet, in my opinion, are better described using the more general term "glyph". This is because, while they are distinct shapes that mean specific sounds, they are used kind of artistically and variably within one large interconnected word-shape called a "sigil", much different than we would consider letters in the English alphabet. These glyphs are organized in words by lines starting at the basic shape of the sigil and stringing them together in order.

Eternian glyphs are split into two major categories that differ by shape: consonants and vowels.

CONSONANTS

The system of glyphs for Eternian consonants is actually very easy to remember, once you get the shapes down! Let's go back to the voiced/voiceless pairs. English has eight pairs of these, four plosives (made by quickly starting and stopping air with your mouth) and four fricatives (made by constantly moving air through your mouth). These eight pairs - along with another pair for /r/ and /l/ even though they aren't voiced/voiceless, because they're also closely related - make up most of the sounds in English and most of the consonant glyphs in Eternian. In each of these pairs, the voiceless (and /l/) have a basic, empty polygon shape; the voiced pair (and /r/) use the exact same shape, but with a dot in the middle. Like so:

Outside of this, English has four more vowels - /m/, /n/, /ŋ/, and /h/ - and two "semivowels", which can be used either as a vowel or a consonant. One of these semivowels, /j/ (the English y), is used as a vowel in Eternian, while the other, /w/, is treated as a consonant. Except for /w/, these remaining consonants are all marked by the fact that they’re solid color; they also all use the same basic shapes as many of the others, but aren’t related to the sounds which share their shape:

Pretty simple once you get the hang of it! Excuse the messiness; if you want a more precise rendering, you can reference the original release at the top.

I'm pretty sure this is all accurate, but there's one thing that seems weird to me. In English, <th> can be used to express either voiceless /θ/ or voiced /ð/. However, in Eternian, they gave us a "dh" glyph. I assume that this is meant to represent /ð/. However, in Wrong Hordak's "Smooch The Chef" apron, "the" is spelled with the glyph used for /θ/. But honestly I'm just assuming human error on that one, especially because /ð/ is very rare at the beginning of words except for articles or pronouns like the and these, most cases of <th> at the beginning of a word are /θ/ like in "thorn".

Now, for vowels!

VOWELS

Like I said earlier, this bit is much more complicated to get than the consonants, but luckily, this is actually much better for English than Latin letters!

Eternian vowel glyphs are divided, seemingly at random, into two subsets with a single exception. First are line-glyphs, which are formed by altering the connective line between two geometric glyphs. The others are circle-glyphs, the ones used for /ɛ/, /i/, /u/, and /o/. These function in the exact same way as the consonant glyphs, except that they are all circles where none of the consonants (except /n/) are.

There's a few issues here with transcribing words, but they mostly come out of simplifying English's horrible vowel fluidity. For instance, there's no distinct letter for writing the schwa /ə/, but it can be folded into the letter for /ʌ/. That, and combining /ɔ/ with /ɑ/, simplify 16 sounds into 13 letters. The last letter, /j/, is the other semivowel I mentioned above; <y> in English can be used for either /j/ or /aɪ/ and /ɪ/, but this letter specifically represents the /j/ sound like in "yes" or "yak".

BRINGING IT TOGETHER

This is where things get very interesting. Let's start with the basics, walking through how to write the word "Adora".

Eternian, as a writing system, is much more artistic by design than Latin, and words and sentences can be constructed in many ways which are all read the same way. Eternian words - better called "sigils" - are read right-to-left, like Hebrew, Arabic, or traditional Japanese and Chinese. We form the sigils starting with a line sloping down in that direction book-ended with dots. The exact angle and length doesn't matter, but the right side is always noticeably higher than the left, like this:

We then add two additional decorative lines built off of that base, which end in dots:

These flourishes can be curved, geometric, or a mix of both, and often inform a lot about the "personality" of both a sigil and its writer, and can distinguish one sigil from another. They're like the sigil's signature. They can be any shape or length, but never overlap with themselves or other lines.

The next step is to begin adding the sounds. Much like the flourishes, these are constructed differently for every sigil, although again they are all read from right-to-left and the symbols are placed with that in mind. These are strung down from the sigil's base, connecting with straight lines. Let's start by placing the a-sound in "Adora" near the right-side edge of the line (this is the /ʌ/ line-glyph, like the u in "fun"):

Because the /ʌ/ glyph is a line, it replaces the normal connecting line. Let's finish this syllable line with the /d/ glyph:

...and then add another line with the glyphs for /orʌ/:

Generally, when a cluster ends with a line-glyph, it connects back to the base line. Clusters not at the end cannot end on a line-glyph (though I'm not sure about what to do for line-glyph-only words like "I" or "a" - perhaps the base line is changed, the line curves in an arc, or it ends at the changed portion?). Additionally, line-glyphs are always turned in the direction they're going - the beginning and ending /ʌ/ glyphs are flipped from each other, because the ending glyph is turned upwards going towards the base line while the beginning is stemming from it.

The important thing to remember is that sigils can be formed in a variety of ways - the flourishes, line angles, how you structure the syllables, all of these are dependent on the writer, so long as they follow those general rules. I constructed that sigil “AD.ORA”, but it could just as easily be “ADO.RA”, and in larger words there’s much more potential for structural changes.

Sigils in a sentence are connected through lines which meet the word next to each of the flourishes, and which bend to fit the shape of the sentence. Sentences are not read in any specific direction, but words are clustered in aesthetically pleasing ways and sentence order is shown by these connecting lines. However, The initial word in a sentence only has a line connecting on its left side, the final word only has a line on its right side, and words in between connect to the previous word on their right and the next word on their left.

Let's try extending this to a simple sentence - "Adora is She-Ra." We already have the She-Ra sigil from canon, so we just need to connect them with the word "is".

First, let's write the next word, below and to the left:

And connect the two with a line:

And then repeat with the "She-Ra" sigil.

...and finally...

There we go! You've officially written a sentence using Eternian glyphs! I hope you have fun with it! If you have any questions feel free to shoot me an ask. Thanks for reading!

[louiserandom]

Of Punishments and Rewards

Pairing: Senju Tobirama/Uchiha Madara | Rating: M

Summary: The citizens of Konoha have long grown used to (and frankly bored of) the often destructive spectacle that is Madara and Tobirama screaming their lungs out at each other in the market district. During one such clash, however, Madara suffers an accidental concussion and proceeds to not-so-accidentally flirt with, grope, and expose his secret affair with none other than the white-haired Senju he's supposed to hate.

Now this has the whole village intrigued.

Read Chapter 1 on AO3 or continue under the cut :3 Ko-fi info is in the header!

The citizens of Konoha have long grown used to (and frankly bored of) the often destructive spectacle that is Madara and Tobirama screaming their lungs out at each other in the market district. So when today the Uchiha Clan Head, foul mood and all, stomps towards an unsuspecting Tobirama (who really isn’t bothering anybody and seems to be busy enough picking out oranges) and starts shrieking at the top of his lungs about some manner of ‘experimental bullshit' crawling out of Tobirama's 'death trap of a lab,' most of the passersby find themselves stifling a yawn.

Another day, another bout of fires and flooding from the two village founders whose hate for each other hasn’t diminished in the slightest in the two years of Konoha’s existence.

Grown stronger, if anything.

“BECAUSE I AM NOT,” Madara bellows at the end of his first public rant of the day (though surely not the last), “GOING TO STAND FOR YOUR BRAZEN INCOMPETENCE ANYMORE, SENJU!”

Of course, Madara accusing Tobirama of incompetence is also nothing new, although it is common knowledge that it’s the latter who often has to get the Hokage and his best friend out of ridiculously foolish debacles.

(Konoha still remembers how the two godlike shinobi somehow stumbled into quite the deep hole intended for garbage disposal and in their drunken stupor ended up forgetting that they could have simply jumped outーwhat with their immense chakra reserves no less. Tobirama, naturally, had been exceptionally cross that day.)

“Incompetence?” Tobirama only scoffs in answer. “Whatever problem you have with how I handle my duties, Uchiha, pales in comparison to the damage your complete lack of logic deals to society.”

“You shut the fuck up,��� Madara snaps, fists clenching and chakra becoming visible alreadyーa faintly shimmering fire-cloak upon his form. That really never bodes well for the market’s survival. “And study the logic behind proper fucking sleep so your complete lack of sense and self-restraint doesn’t lead to more dangerous fucking jutsu that spiral out of fucking control!”

This does perk up a few ears; after all, what novelty of Tobirama Senju’s could appear more dangerous than his summoning of an undead army that past Obon Festival?

“I am conducting a perfectly safe study,” Tobirama says, though Madara doesn’t seem like he believes him at all. “And not of a jutsu but a living being. Though it’s unsurprising your handful of brain matter failed to distinguish the two.”

“A living being with nine godsdamned tails made out of enough chakra to wipe out the whole of Fire Country?!”

This perks up a few more ears but seeds no panic; it’s thanks to Tobirama, after all, that most of Konoha has seen much, much worse. 

“It's a perfectly docile and friendly chakra fox,” Tobirama insists, crossing his arms. “Now for the love of all things holy and unholy, stop your shrieking.” He glances at the mostly disinterested crowd. “You’re embarrassing me. And yourself, though I doubt there’s any room to sink lower than you have.”

“I will fucking destroy you, you worthless piece of shit!” The crackles of a budding Katon flicker around Madara’s fists. “Now go and take care of your fucking experiment-living-chakraーwhatever bullshit, or I will fight you and there will be no remains left for your brother to cry over.”

Tobirama glares, straightening to his full height which has him towering above Madara’s bristling frame. “How so much fight can fit in so little a man,” he sneers, “I will never understand.”

Three things happen in quick succession.

Naturally, Madara attacks. A massive raging wall of fire sizzles straight at Tobirama, who matches Madara’s wild toothy grin with a smirk as he jumps out of the way with the usual easeーonly for Madara to charge at him, fist coated with white-hot flames, and unsurprisingly, Tobirama dodges yet again.

What does come as a surprise is Madara’s slight... miscalculation, it seems, as his eyes linger a bit too long in the general direction of Tobirama’s thighs for some reason, and he’s just slow enough to miss the giant crate of oranges that falls from a panicking store owner’s shelf.

“Madara-sama!” the salesman cries as the legendary Uchiha collides with the box headfirst and drops limply to the ground. “F-forgive me,” the poor man stutters, appearing quite a bit more worried about Tobirama than Madara’s squirming form.

After all, neither of the two are happy when their fights are interrupted before they can destroy at least one building, and as expected, the Senju in question frowns and visibly deflates.

“Madara?” Tobirama asks, tentative, banishing the spikes of ice he’s conjured with his jutsu.

“Mmm,” Madara articulates from the ground, face scrunched in pain as he squints at the sky as if it’s personally offended him. “Mm-wha?..”

In a yet unseen show of kindness, Tobirama walks up to him and kneels to check on Madara’s condition. Quite a few stares shift in their direction. Shouldn’t Tobirama be inclined to leave the Uchiha to suffer?

Apparently not.

“Madara? Can you hear me?” Receiving no answer, Tobirama coaxes him to sit up as he checks over his head. Though unwounded, it does appear he’s seriously concussed as he starts slurring nonsense and pointing at a part of the crowd mumbling something about ‘fute birdsies.’ “Listen, IーAnija will be really upset if you’re seriously hurt, so can you tell meー”

Madara slaps a gloved hand roughly over Tobirama’s mouth. Another uncharacteristic move that provokes many a frown. The pair usually avoid skin to skin contact religiously, even when fighting.

“Your lips,” Madara slurs, eyes unfocused as he stares dazedly at his supposed enemy, “could putーbe put to... much better use than talking.”

“W-what?” Tobirama stammers, shoving the hand away and scrambling to his feet.

“I said your lips,” Madara tries to clarify, before Tobirama cuts him off, “Shut the fuck up, you moron!” he grits through his teeth, extending a hand to the Uchiha as he flops back down to lie on the ground.

“And get up," Tobirama orders, "now. I’m taking you to Anija. Concussions are tricky to heal and I might not be able to avoid leaving lasting effects.”

Madara smirks, and for some reason that prompts a look of horror to settle on Tobirama’s face. For good reason, as the onlookers discover.

“It’s always up for you, Tobirama,” Madara’s slurring is mixed with a bit of a stupid-sounding drawl as he positively ogles Tobirama, eyes once again lingering a tad lower than appropriate. “The question is if you wanna play.”

“Madara!” Tobirama hisses, casting death glares at the crowds now circled around them as one unified and now definitely intrigued mob. “Stop this foolishness right this instantー”

“Stop isn’t our safe-word, Tobiー”

“ーand take my fucking hand!”

“I’d rather have it wrapped around myー”

“MADARA!” Tobirama is trembling with fury at this point, chakra radiating killing intent enough for shinobi and civilian alike to feel it wash over them. The people gathered only scuffle closer, disappointed that the rest of Madara’s sentence gets drowned out by Tobirama’s shout and their own collective gasp. Tobirama pinches the bridge of his nose. “Not. Here.”

“I kno-ow,” Madara whines, finally grasping for Tobirama’s hand only to use it to yank him down once he gets ahold of it. “This hand indefーit definitely needs to be reaching a lot lower.”

“Madara, gods fucking dammit,” Tobirama growls as he wrests himself from Madara hold, “people are staring.”

To be fair, the self-proclaimed honorable and pure-hearted citizens of Konoha make an effort to pretend they aren’t gapingーwhich really isn’t an easy task though, because the display is turning out to be more exciting than any of the village-wide festivities to date.

“Oh?” Madara seems to be trying to raise one eyebrow but ends up skewing his face into an awkward frown at best. “If yesterday’s anything to go by, you don’t mind a little voytriloquism yourself, koibito.”

Another round of gasps follows as Tobirama blanches, mouth slightly agape and lips trembling. Someone helpfully shouts, “Do you mean voyeurism, Uchiha-sama?”

“Yes-yes!” Madara pipes up, still squirming helplessly on the ground. “Voyagerism. That.”

“Uchiha,” Tobirama glowers, a sheen of blue energy wrapping around his limbs as his ire escalates, “I am literally begging you toー”

“Didn’t get enough earlier, eh?” Madara leers, finally managing to wriggle into a half-sitting position, sending a few oranges rolling on the ground. Intrigued and unperturbed by Tobirama’s spluttering (and what a strange sight it is, to see the usually composed Senju at such a loss for words), Madara picks up two of the fruits and proceeds to shock the bystanders to the core once more, “You know, they say fresh squeezed oranges are good for you in the morning, but I think your fresh squeezed diー”

“MADARA, NO!” Tobirama roars, this time quite evidently to drown out Madara’s words.

“Madara, yes,” the Uchiha moans, “that’s all I remember you saying to me this morning.” A few desperate “Kai” resound in the area as Madara Uchiha incarnate starts licking the oranges in his hands. He keeps eye contact with Tobirama all the while as he sucks on them, shameless and wanton, swirling his tongue over the fruits with such wanton enthusiasm one might think him a common harlot. “Remind you of anything, To-bi-ra-ma?”

Needless to say, the world plunges into chaos. Choruses of cheers and wolf whistles, sounds of both affront and confusion erupt from the bystanders as quite a few women rush to cover their husbands’ eyes lest they require the same astonishing level of skill from them.

Tobirama, meanwhile, seems to have finally regained his ability to act, if not speak, and proceeds to grab Madara by his collar and drag him into a wobbly stance, slapping a hand bathed in faint green glow against the Uchiha’s forehead.

"Get permanent brain damage for all I care.” Tobirama gives Madara a pretty hard shake. “Now will you stop fucking talking?”

"You don’t tell me what to do, Senju,” Madara grumbles, looking a bit steadier on his feet now even as his voice still sounds a bit shaky. “And how did I get here?”

Tobirama ignores him, directing one last glower at the excited crowd as he commands, “Don’t you dare speak a word of this to the Hokage,” before disappearing into thin air with Madaraーhis secret lover, something Konoha still can’t wrap its collective head aroundーin tow.

Granted, the younger Senju must have sensed his brother’s approach because the next second none other than Hashirama steps into the market with the usual wide grin on his face, flowers sprouting on each patch of ground he steps on. The crowd stills and grows silent but for a few moments as Tobirama’s order rings clear in their minds, and yet,

“What happened here?” Hashirama asks in childlike confusion.

In just a handful of moments, it proves too much of a temptation for Konoha prolific rumor mill to resist.

“Madara was doing what in front of my Otouto?!”

[yume-fanfare]

crazy how ra*bits was the second climax event and it hit all the correct spots perfectly and no other climax event has been that good ever since

[otteroflore]

thinking back i really vibe w/ glimmer & bows relationship from she-ra because it always struck me as having ace/demi vibes, like not realizing you're in love with someone, because theres not a *spark*

I've seen people explicitly state that they don't feel like fictional relationships where people are best friends and end up in a relationship over time are "realistic" because "realistically" you are "supposed" to I guess... know you want to /be/ with that person right away? Which is not a feeling I've ever had upon meeting someone and (at least among people I know) its common for those on the ace spectrum, even those who are alloromantic to not understand the "immediate attraction" feeling that so many people go on abt.

The only character I do really see headcanoned as ace on she-ra was entrapta, and I do love her, and also relate to like... not understanding! people! but on another level theres a bit that bothers me about the only ace character being the character who has significant trouble communicating with people and thus i will continue headcanon like 5 of the characters to be ace

[spoonie-living]

[Image: a young person with black sporty tee and ripped black jeans lying on the ground with knees bent, looking at the sky. Source: Khusen Rustamov]

So You’ve Got POTS

A Starter Kit For The Newly Diagnosed, Suspecting, and Self-Diagnosing

I’ve had POTS for [checks watch] five years now, and while sending advice to my newly-maybe-diagnosed cousin, I realized that I have just a pile of info, suggestions, and resources! So I’ve compiled them all here for all of those new to the POTSy life.

Right now a lot of this post is from my own experience, with a moderate case of POTS, based on information I’ve gleaned or received from my doctor. I could be wrong, or I could be off-base; this is just what I do or have done.

Folks with POTS, please feel free to give me your input! I will update this post as it is received.

❤, Editor Diane

Start Here

Are you new to chronic illness? If so, check out this zine I made just for you: Chronically Badass: A Guide For The Young And Chronically Ill.

Diagnosis

To get diagnosed with POTS, you need to get a Tilt Table Test. You can ask your PCP to order this for you, or if they won’t a cardiologist may be willing to. My test was administered by a physical therapist.

I was required to have someone else drive me home. Even if you’re not required to, be sure to have someone on hand, because TTTs can mess a body up (though not always!).

This article discusses ways to survive a TTT with diabetes and RA, if that’s relevant to you.

Can’t access a TTT? Valid. Try the Poor Man’s Tilt Table Test as a (less accurate) alternative.

Comorbids

Keep an eye out for common comorbid conditions: stomach problems, disregulated mood (even causing symptoms of bipolar disorder!), ME/CFS, Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, Mast Cell Activation Disorder, and plenty more.

You can find a longer list of comorbids here.

Above all, remember that POTS is a type of dysautonomia, or dysfunction of the nervous system. If it doesn’t work in one place (your circulation), there’s a good chance you’ll see that playing out elsewhere too, particularly in your body’s fight or flight/rest and digest responses.

Did you know your nervous and immune systems are close enough together to influence each other? Learn more about the link between Mast Cell Activation Disorder and POTS here [video link; no subtitles].

Don’t be too surprised by thermoregulation (hot flashes/cold spells) problems and other nervous system shenanigans showing up here and there, either.

Medications

One of the first things your doctor may put you on is a beta blocker. These medications lower your heart rate—which cuts down on the “running a marathon” feeling—but bring your blood pressure down, too. It’s a bit of a necessary evil for many, and requires a good balance on the right dosage.

Note that bodies don’t take well to sudden withdrawal from these things, so don’t cold-turkey off of them! This is a medication you’ll want to be extra careful about refilling, stockpiling, and having on hand, in case of emergency.

Don’t get caught unaware. Here’s an article with advice on preparing for and dealing with drug shortages.

Another medication worth investigating is Midodrine, which increases your blood pressure while standing. The drawback is that if you lie down flat and/or try to sleep while on it, your blood pressure will end up at a fairly unsafe level, so you need to be at least partially upright while using it.

Some doctors may prescribe various stimulants for you, and your mileage will seriously vary. My experience was with Modafinil, and for me it only masked the fatigue and ruined my highly necessary daily nap. But, some patients apparently do well with these!

Other Treatments

The first line of non-pharmaceutical treatments: lots of water and lots of salt. These both work to increase your blood volume and pressure, which makes it easier for your poor heart to pump.

For water, I was told to have twice the recommended daily value for my demographic, offsetting any caffeinated beverages with an additional, equal amount of hydration. Get used to being joined at the hip with your water bottle.

Drinking water can be tricky. Drink too much water at the wrong time and you risk upsetting your stomach’s pH levels. It’s best to give yourself half an hour before and after your meal where you aren’t just chugging it, especially if you’re having a lot of heartburn. Ask me if I manage to follow that guideline, though.

For salt, my doctor suggested over FIVE times the recommended daily value. This will require a combination of salt tablets, electrolyte drinks, and diet to accomplish; you can even salt your water if your lil’ stomach can take it. See the Buy/Download list at the end of this article for some recommendations.

You can ask your doctor to prescribe high-dosage salt tablets from the pharmacy. If your stomach can tolerate it and your insurance covers it, you may find it a better solution that buying the less powerful salt tablets.

Your doctor will also recommend compression garments, which physically squeeze your blood vessels (and body) tighter to improve blood flow. There are about a million of these on the market; you can also get a prescription and try your luck to see if your insurance will cover them, but you’ll have less cute options. Check out the Buy/Download List for my faves.

Another common recommendation is to raise the head of your bed by a couple inches. This is essentially meant to train your body to move your blood around better, while you’re sleeping. If your POTS is too severe this may be problematic for you, and it’s not always easy or affordable to raise the head of your bed.

The cheapest way to raise your bed is probably to tuck a spare comforter or two underneath your mattress and fold progressively thicker toward the head of the bed to create a gentle incline. You can buy these for cheap at local thrift stores.

There are also some POTS recovery programs out there that give you safe exercises that slowly increase your strength and tolerance for upright cardio. One major program is the CHOP Modified Dallas Protocol [PDF, screen-reader friendly], a free and very detailed system that takes it nice and slow.

Here’s an article on how exercise can help POTS patients to heal, in case you’re curious about the details.

THAT BEING SAID, be on the lookout for signs of ME/CFS, as exercise is the opposite of what you want for that condition and can often make it worse. If you aren’t tolerating the exercises you’re doing or aren’t bouncing back the way one usually does after a workout, that’s a red flag that you need to get a knowledgeable professional to work with you. One who knows why graded exercise therapy isn’t recommended for ME/CFS.

Things To Expect

This is a very incomplete list of little things I’ve learned to attribute to my POTSy body. It’s taken me some time to work them out, so let me spare you the confusion.

So first of all: when you’re POTSy, the blood is not getting to your brain. That’s it. It just helps to know why you suddenly cannot focus or remember a word. But conversely, if you’re focusing real hard, your body is working extra hard to pump the blood to your brain (and perhaps to tensed muscles)—so when the inevitable crash hits, now you know why.

Sorting out your symptoms and how to treat them while you’re brainfogged is an absolute nightmare. I highly recommend creating a symptom and treatment guide for yourself so you can easily check what might be causing your symptoms and have a list of the best courses of action right in front of you. It’s made a world of difference for me.

And it’s not just the brain! If a part of your body is busy, the blood is going there! Waving your arms around, reaching, lifting… phew. Blowing up balloons and singing will leave you more winded. Try and avoid when you can, or at least plan ahead.

Your stomach will also give you trouble: if your tum is working real hard to process something, you may very well suddenly feel like a limp noodle. Overeating will hit you harder than it does most; in fact, I recommend smaller meals across the day for this very reason. Finally, [⚠️ very mild emetophobia & poop talk warning] you may experience a crash right before throwing up or having diarrhea. I consider it my early warning system when a stomach bug is going around 😂 [/⚠️] Finally (for now), showers are gonna be ROUGH. Summers are gonna be ROUGH. Heat is now your enemy. I got u, tho: I’ve made a point of collecting ideas and products for dealing with the heat here.

Daily Routine

As a mild-to-moderate POTSie, I start my day by chugging a whole bottle of water before I even sit up (my bottle has a straw, which makes this nice and easy). Ideally, I take about a half hour before I even try to get up. 

If it will be a busy or hot day I’m sure to pull on my compression socks. In the summers I wear calf compression (so just a tube around my lower legs, with no foot action) to keep cool.

Part of my morning hygiene routine is swishing salt water around in my mouth (I have a tiny jar of salt and a glass set aside for this), as I was told it would be good for my oral health. For my POTS? I just swallow it instead of spitting it out. Two birds, meet one stone 😁

I get to meds and food immediately. My breakfast includes a hot drink, a glass of Nuun electrolyte drink, another bottle of water (yes, ignoring my half-hour buffer rule) and a high-salt meal. 

My best meal combo for this is: a piece of fruit, a boiled and well-salted egg, a piece of sharp cheddar, and either a few kalamata olives (an evil, evil thing to taste in the morning, but a great salt-bomb) or a few slices of salami.

Hooray! I have caught up with any deficits from the time I spent sleeping.

My ideal daily routine looks a bit like this: an hour of breakfast/leisure time after getting out of bed > PT and possibly a small physical task (like bringing laundry downstairs) > an hour or two of focused, sedentary work > a break for lunch; a larger physical task or two like unloading the dishwasher or tidying up, maybe some outdoor time or an errand > wind-down followed by a nap > slow wakeup and water chug > an easy dinner with some TV time > some physical chores or activity > shower > wind-down time > sleep.

Of course, my real routine is a bit rockier than this to make room for family, responsibilities, Illness Of The Day, and appointments. That being said, it helps to think in blocks like this to understand when the best times of day are for scheduling certain activities and appointments, and what gets dropped when you schedule something.

For snacks, I favor salted nuts or chips. And I put tons of salt in and on everything.

Water-wise, I have another bottle of water with breakfast (yes, ignoring my own warning about timing, mentioned above), and another before lunch. One after lunch, one after my nap, one and a half after dinner, and one around shower time. If I wake up from my nap feeling unwell, or if I have a busy evening, I may have another Nuun too.

I’ve always had a very active bladder, but that’s cranked up to eleven with my current water consumption. Since my body and I don’t like getting up from lying down or sleeping, I try to give myself at least an hour’s buffer between drinking water and going to bed. 

 Advice on Moving Around

Sit funny! Put your feet up, sit on the floor, lie on the floor with legs up against the wall (this is great for managing a flare-up or crash), sit cross-legged or “mermaid-style” with feet tucked to your side. If you do this already, now you know why!

Try to avoid bending over. Pick things up with your feet, get a grabber tool, or even roll around on a skateboard if you’re working on the floor to tidy up (bonus: using your legs like that is great for blood flow). If you must bend over, try a squat instead, or at least keep your head upright—the less postural change, the better.

Engaging your muscles helps the blood flow! When you’re getting up, do it slowly and kick your feet around. If you’re stuck being upright, bouncing up and down, bouncing your leg, or crossing and uncrossing them will help.

Try not to use your arms too much. Reaching up, in particular, will mess you up pretty fast, so make use of stepstools and other people to minimize the amount of stuff you do with your arms up.

Buy/Download List

Now that you have a bunch of data to work with, here are some tools that’ll make your job a lot easier.

Hydration

Plant Nanny (free) - This app helps you track your water intake for the day, and I use it to make sure I’m drinking enough without taxing my shoddy memory too much. Just note you’ll need to screw around with the “weight” settings to get the correct water intake amount for your needs; otherwise, it’ll hold you to normie standards. I prefer the original Plant Nanny app—so get that if you can—but it’s being phased out in favor of the remake, Plant Nanny². Plant Nanny² for iOS | Plant Nanny² for Android

Cirkul ($30+/month) - If you can’t cope with straight water, this might be a good solution! Cirkul is a neat-looking flavored water system that allows you to adjust how much flavor you get in each sip. The flavor’s pulled through the straw, so you won’t get a film on the inside of the bottle over time, and the flavorings are all sugar free. The cartridges are on a monthly delivery system, but with the affilliate link above (cribbed from/benefitting a podcast I love, Within The Wires), you can get a starter kit for $5 plus shipping.

Salt Salt Salt Salt Salt

Nuun Sport Hydration Tablets (40-80¢/tablet) - Waaaay better than Gatorade (breakdown here), and delicious too! I like to put a tablet in half as much water as they recommend so I can get a stronger flavor, but that’s only a good idea if you’re drinking more liquids to balance the electrolyte intake. Buying in bulk from Amazon is the cheapest option, but if you have the spoons and extra money to resist the Evil Amazon Machine and buy from elsewhere, please do. Many grocery stores sell this product now, and it’s with the powdered lemonade and similar drink mixers.

Thermotabs (100 for $6.49) - These are the cheapest buffered salt tablets I have found, and they’re in smaller amounts than you’d find in prescription salt pills. I take two with lunch and two with dinner.

High Salt Foods - After a lot of squinting at nutrition facts, I’ve found that Bugles are far and away the best quick source of salt. After that, I believe the ranking goes Cheetos (puff-corn > original > puffy), Fritos, and finally regular tortilla chips. But be sure to check that for yourself, though, because nobody ought to trust my memory. Salted nuts are a great source, as are instant ramens, canned foods, and classic, rib-sticking frozen meals. 

More - We collect info on other electrolyte options in our Electrolytes tag.

Heart Rate Tracking

Pulse Oximeter ($10+) - This is a little device that measures your heart rate as needed. It hugs the tip of your finger and tells you your blood oxygen levels (SpO2) as well. Most come with or are made to accommodate a lanyard or keychain.

Smartphone apps (free) - Turns out your smartphone can measure your heart rate, using the camera and flash or a built-in biometric pad! Check your phone’s fitness app for a measurement tool, or hit up the app store for several dedicated app options.

Fitness bands ($25+) - Most fitness tracker bands like the FitBit can measure and even track your heart rate, so take a look at what’s out there! I’ve just gotten a Mi Smart Band 4, which at $35 is way cheaper than most other options, and I really love it! I was able to set it up for constant heart rate monitoring and tracking with Notify & Fitness For Mi Band 4, a 3rd party app that expands its capabilities, and it tracks my sleep quality and shows my phone notifications to boot. It’s a bit fiddly and buggy, but if you take a little time to get the settings right it can be a really powerful tool—all I have to do to see my heart rate is lift my wrist! It’s waterproof, too.

Everything Else

Shower chairs ($20+) - These will make your showers way easier, and honestly? They just feel super fancy. There are stool, bench, and chair options, some of which fold away for easy storage. Don’t skip out on these just because you don’t feel like you’re “sick enough,” okay?

Compression garments ($15+) -These things can be such a big help, especially when you have a big day ahead of you or when the temperature is climbing. I highly recommend Sockslane for an inexpensive, solid product with some nice bonus padding on the soles (my seamstress friend LOVES them). Lately, though, I’ve been wearing calf-only compression (think tubes for your lower legs) so I can wear thong sandals and go longer between washes. You can find compression tights, thigh-highs, and knee-highs that cover your toes, cut off at the toes, or cut off at the ankle. Here’s a quick run-down I did a couple years ago of what’s out there. You can get doctor-prescribed compression garments, too, but they are generally made of stiff nylon and not very pleasant to wear. You’ll probably only want to go for these if your doctor doesn’t think regular consumer compression levels will do the trick for you, or if you can’t afford to buy consumer products and think your insurance will pick up the slack. We collect compression resources (some for leggies, some for other parts of your body) in our Compression tag.

————

Okay, that’s all for now. Now go forth and be upright!

[loveau]

college!au seulgi

request: elli!! can u please do a college gf au with seulgi? i think we could all use that cute fluffiness right now 🤧 p.s. thank u for sharing ur wonderful writing ilu 💕

major: business w/ a concentration in human resources management

minor: dance

club: prob vp of the school’s women in business club!!! she joined in the middle of her sophomore year and became vp in junior!

she’s most likely been an RA in her sophomore or junior for the upperclassmen

she was in it for the door decs before realizing she actually liked it lOL

originally was a bio major and was stressed about it, but switched to business after being an RA because she thought it was her calling???

it just fit a lot better and she didn’t have to stand there hunched over her lab work and worry about accidentally breathing in pathogens

she had declared a bio major because the plan was to go to med school if all else fails and she didn’t really know what else to do, so that was a safe option right?

never before had she been so relieved to find out that she actually really liked spending time in her business and management classes and leading her volunteer group and being an RA

she also now has an excuse to dress up super nicely for interviews and such because she had so many outfits in her closet but never got a chance to wear them out

she became so much more at ease and bubbly about it too

no more sitting in lecture halls having to recite the functions of B-cells or whatnot

it also helped to have sat down with her ARD irene who told her she might like business

it was a long process of convincing because most of it was spent trying not to keep gossiping about the other RAs on campus alfsdlknfmsdlgkn

afterwards she quits reslife so she can focus on other stuff and lives in an apartment near campus her senior year

she becomes pretty popular around campus for her happy personality and her calm energy to match, making it so easy to start a conversation with her or just hang out

seulgi will be studying somewhere in a common student area and previous residents or club mates or classmates will wave to her or stop by for a quick chat

she’s also normally p busy tho being the vp of the wib club and also making sure she’s updating her resume and leaving time on the weekends to volunteer at the animal shelter like she loves

and also making sure she isn’t spending too much on online shopping for clothes and oOPS HER FINGER SLIPPED AND NOW SHE HAS LIKE TWO TOPS AND A PAIR OF OVERALLS ON THE WAY 

but she often doesn’t have a lot of time to spend with her friends unless they plan it like a MONTH beforehand since she’s been applying and interviewing for countless internships

she was just so excited to find something that she’s super passionate about instead of biology and she kind of overloads herself on that energy akfsldgnskjgn

so of course when her friends invite her to parties or kickbacks she has to decline because she has to make the next powerpoint presentation for the club meeting and also make sure the club’s end of semester dinner is being all squared away

seulgi’s a busybody and enjoys what she does, so much that she doesn’t realize that she keeps overloading her schedule and not giving a lot of time for just herself

which usually means she also spends a lot of time cramming everything at once and might end up passing out at a friend’s place during a study session, in the middle of club meetings, or even in the library late at night

that’s just how she spent her thursday night 

she had been setting up a speech for her recruitment and selection class and had been so tired from her club meeting a couple hours before that she ended up falling asleep in the library

it was kind of cute since she had hairs slipping from her bun, some coffee stains on her sweater, ink all over her hand from notes, candy wrappers spread around her area, and her head was tipped back and her mouth wide open as she slept

okay............ not that cute

she was a mess

but it was enough for her to get startled awake by a longboard rolling across the room and hitting her chair leg quite hard

she didn’t know what happened at first and checked around only to find a somewhat empty library save the couple of students also diligently working

her laptop she left open was dead and she cursed because she didn’t save her speech and her phone was below 10%, but it was enough to tell her that it was like 3am in the morning

seulgi only noticed the skateboard because she was going to go to the bathroom to freshen up and almost slipped on it when her foot landed on the top

she caught herself and saw that there was a bottle of water and a granola bar and a note on it

‘hey, you look like you need a little refresher. i also had a spare charger in case you needed it, your laptop has been open the past hour’

sure enough there was a charger but it had been knocked to the floor after she slipped on the longboard

silently, seulgi placed the items on the table with the rest of her stuff and looked around for anyone who would have given her the stuff

except nobody was popping their head up and were all busy

plus they all had chargers with them so she didn’t know who would have given her the treats

nonetheless she opened the water bottle and felt replenished when the water hit her throat

she was so confused????? still?????

she decided to take her trip to the bathroom like she wanted to and maybe she could scope out whoever decided to give her the food and drink while she was at it

subtlety wasn’t exactly her forte either since she was craning her neck around every table and making the other students confused

eventually seulgi makes it to the bathroom and cleans herself up and when she comes back the longboard is gone and her laptop was charged for her and a new note lays on top of it?????

who???????

‘i had to go for the night, sorry about that! don’t worry about the charger, i have another one and i’ll just collect this one when i bump into you again :)’

and just like that seulgi was completely and utterly confused

she stays like that for the next two weeks or so, seeing no sign of anyone with the same longboard and she tries not to pounce at every person she sees riding one to class

it gets so bad that the prez asked if she was okay and getting enough sleep since she was so distracted during her meetings and if she called the caterer for the dinner yet asgGNSGDN

her friends sooyoung and yerim were also trying to use this as an advantage for her to get invited out to “clear her mind” as they say since she’s been so out of it lately

and they’re absolutely elated when seulgi agrees and decides to go because why not?? she’s been so stressed about finding this mystery person because she wanted to properly thank them... but also to get the laptop charger with hello kitty stickers all over it back to its owner

and also did they see she had drool running down her chin bc that was really embarrassing and she just wants to make sure if anyone saw that before she promptly packs her bags a moves to another country

she’s blushing at that don’t point it out or else it’ll get worse amsdlknsg

once they’re actually inside, she can’t help but look for any longboards by the door even though most of the people at the party came by on foot or by someone’s car since the house was relatively close to campus

sooyoung and yerim are basically pushing her further into the house as they chatter excitedly and they’re happy it isn’t a byob type of party

seulgi is basically saying she won’t drink that much because she’ll look after the two and let them go ham... for a bit..

but they’re basically like

“seulgi it’s fridaaaaay it’s fine”

“yeah! besides we know the house owner and can call joohyun if we anything”

and they’re both going “pleeeeeeeeaaaaase” and doing their best to yell it over the loud music

and before seulgi can deny any longer she’s turned to the kitchen that’s been blocked by a foldable table and there’s cup lining it and drinks all over on the counters

but she’s not distracted by the abundance of drinks and people surrounding it.........

she finds you smiling cheekily at her

“what can i get you?”

and seulgi starts sputtering over her words and she REALLY cannot get a single word out because oh my gosh who are you and are you single because UHHHHHHH her brain is going overload

and both sooyoung and yerim are already cackling at seulgi’s stunned silence and giving each other mischievous looks behind seulgi while she malfunctions

meanwhile you’re just drinking it all up with an amused smile and gleam in your eyes and oh god do you HAVE to lean against the counter like that?

seulgi can barely get a word out before you’re laughing a little and turning around to prepare three red solo cups

you pass the cups to sooyoung and yerim and they basically BOLT away to leave seulgi all alone and more importantly alone wITH YOU SOMEONE SAVE HER

you laugh at her red cheeks that shine from the kitchen lights behind you and seulgi is absolutely enamored by you at this moment

“don’t worry, i gave them more fruit juice than i did alcohol. they’ll be fine”

seulgi barely registers this and gapes like a fish to where her friends are dancing and drinking from whatever you prepared them

had she been paying proper attention like she normally does, she’s notice that yes you basically watered down the alcohol with some lemonade

“i know how crazy those two can get after a couple parties with them, so i’m making sure they don’t go overboard”

seulgi only watches as you take her cup and put it under the sink to give her water

she takes it an tries not to get giddy when your fingers brush

inner seulgi facepalms because she’s acting like she has a crush in high school

but she’s never felt this way since she switched majors???

and omg that feeling was so addicting exhibit a when seulgi overloads her schedule and now??? she just met you and can’t get enough already

“thank you” she practically inwardly screams when she realizes how meek she is but you only give her a friendly smile

“yeah! thought you could use a little refresher. i didn’t know if you wanted anything so i didn’t want to give you anything you wouldn’t feel pressured to drink. let me know if you need anything else!”

all seulgi does for the rest of the night is basically hang around the room and watch everyone get kind of crazy and make sure sooyoung and yerim are staying on their feet, but with a second set of eyes she actually feels like she has more freedom

especially since you stopped giving them alcohol and basically have been serving them just juice after they started getting past the bit of tipsiness

eventually seulgi has enough of just standing around and has had enough cups of water (she had maybe 3) to finally talk to you

before she’d been working up the courage to talk to you and had come back with a refilled cup of water but noW???

NOW???

she’s ready

at least she hopes

seulgi’s marching up to you and then sooyoung is at her arm whining and sort of falling over

seulgi manages to catch her and is p disoriented by everything like what is happening is she okay??

and sooyoung is just like

“seulgiiiiiiiii i wanna go hoooome, can we get burgers?”

and before she can ask where yerim went, she suddenly pops up and joins in

“burgers? i heard burgers can we go, i was foooood”

before she knows it she’s dragged out of the house by the two and basically walking them home a couple blocks away

and now seulgi’s bummed that she didn’t get to finally talk to you like she wanted

she doesn’t even know when she’ll be able to see you again since she didn’t get your name at all and she’d be mortified by all the teasing the younger two would give her since they knew how choked up she was if she asks them who you were

she’s even kind of sulking about it and she’s so caught up in it she gets a notification from her phone that she needs to finalize things with the caterer and reserve one of the areas on campus for the club’s dinner and that reminds her she needs to shop

but as she’s on her phone she nearly swerves into somebody and it shocks her enough to bring her back to reality and she moves to apologize to the person and all of a sudden

“oh hey! you again, fancy seeing you!”

and she’s now forgotten everything since she sees you smiling at her

this time she forces herself to find her voice and not embarrass herself and it’s like her interview persona comes in and she’s got that natural confidence oozing in and she beams that pretty smile of hers right back at you

“and you too! i never thought i’d run into you again”

you laugh and all of a sudden you’re like an inch shorter and seulgi looks down and spots that you’d been riding a longboard before almost crashing into her

and she recognizes that longboard with all of the sanrio stickers on it and is that a sicker of your face with some filter on the corner of it???

but she recognizes the longboard since it’s been engraved in her mind and it just clicks for her and suddenly seulgi is scrambling to pull her backpack from behind and you just watch on like

uh r u okay? are you good? pls don’t take out some random textbook and smack me over the head with it

the hello kitty covered charger she’s been saving in her backpack is suddenly thrust into her hands and you think she’s about to stumble her words again like in those anime love confession scenes but she’s almost aggressive with it????

“i’ve been keeping this in my backpack for a few weeks! i didn’t even know what you looked like so i had no clue how to find you, do you know how stressed out you made me? you’ve been on my mind for almost a month!”

she doesn’t even realize how her words sound until you’re responding back in kind with another one of those easy smiles of yours

“sorry, i’ve been meaning to catch you sooner but i’ve so many labs back to back” you look at your phone and bite your lip nervously, something seulgi is a little too focused on “i actually have one in like five minutes, that’s why i almost crashed into you...”

seulgi finally realizes you’re wearing a white lab coat, something you’d worn in preparation since you were already rushing to be on time

your phone is thrust into her hands with the empty contact already loaded up 

seulgi quickly types in her number and even snaps a cute profile photo of her and it’s your turn to be stunned by her because wow that was an impromptu photo and hOW DID SHE MAKE IT SO GOOD????

and then seulgi is ushering you off because you have like thREE MINUTES BEFORE LAB and you’re like OH YEAH UH BYE!!!! I’LL CALL YOU????

and she shouts back with a “YOU BETTER!!”

and suddenly seulgi gets a phone call and when she picks up she can hear the wind rushing past the speaker and you’re kind of breathy since you’re reaLLY using those leg muscles to PUSH to that lab

“yEaH so UH i wanted to tell you but i didn’t get the chance since i don’t want to have to do a makeup lab??? bUT UH, i saw one of your dance performances last year and thought you were really cute!!”

seulgi vaguely remembers that because she had done a solo dance for a showcase in the performing arts department and it was basically for the students to show off what they were working on and to her it was just a homework assignment on top of like four labs and a research paper

“oh yeah! i remember that... well not really, i’d been so busy that it all just flew by”

“yeah! that was around the time you were a bio major, right? i’d been meaning to talk to you then, but i wasn’t able to since you switch majors afterwards!”

“ah, bio as well?”

she hears your voice echo and she knows you’ve entered the building by now

relief floods her system that she didn’t keep you too long 

“nah, i’m a chem major. it translates pretty well to mixing drinks, huh?”

instead of getting embarrassed and recounting that previous experience at the party, seulgi’s business confidence is suRGING and i mean IT IS LARGO and she’s like

“i can’t really say. you’ve only made me water, so i’ll have to see another time?”

at this point you’re absolutely vibrating with excitement at the proposal of a date and you quickly accept

and that’S WHAT HAPPENED BUT YOU SPENT IT OVER A HOMEMADE DINNER WITH WINE AND SEULGI COULD NOT HAVE BEEN MORE IMPRESSED?!?!?!?!?

you’d cooked it all and brought it to her apartment since you said your housemates were hosting some study session so you just offered to bring it all over

she’s also shocked you managed to find time to do all of this given the busy stem major life and how she was struggling before

but she’s also mentioning that giving her one cup of wine doesn’t mean that’s mixing up a drink so you’ll have to do this again

and it happens aGAIN when you’re at a restaurant this time and it’s a pretty nice one near campus and y’all are just chatting away about seulgi’s women in business club dinner and she invites you to be her plus one aSDFKNSLF sHE MAY HAVE BEEN TOO SHY TO SAY DATE BUT YOU GOT THE MESSAGE

bUT AT THE SAME TIME the restaurant is the one making the drinks, so you’ll have to have her over again and mix something up

and sooyoung and yerim and just so distraught lIKE GO OUT ALREADY

and seulgi’s like we are?????? WE ARE????? WE ARE GOING ON DATES AND STUFF

but they just groan out and are about to storm up to in the middle of a lab and just hand seulgi over like

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE JUST CALL HER YOUR GIRLFRIEND ALREADY

when you finally do it’s funny because it’s at another party that sooyoung and yerim invite her to and you’re there mixing it up again but she didn’t realize that the first party where she met you was your house????

she’s hanging out with you in the kitchen and you’ve made her a cup of something sweet and seulgi has to admit that it is pretty good

and you just wink at her saying that your chemistry skills are actually pretty good

BUT THE CHEMISTRY BETWEEN THE TWO OF YOU IS EVEN BETTER HEHEHE

and you’re totally not just hanging out in the kitchen away from the sweaty dancing crowd and sticky floor you’re having your housemates clean up since you’re the drink master

and yOU ARE ABSOLUTELY NOT STEALING KISSES FROM EACH OTHER WHILE SEULGI’S SITTING ON THE COUNTER AND YOU’RE PRETENDING TO REACH AROUND HER FOR A BOTTLE BUT NO INSTEAD YOU’RE REACHING FOR HER WAIST AND HOLDING HER CLOSE AS YOU KISS HER AND NOW YOU’RE SMILING AGAINST EACH OTHER’S LIPS

you spend late nights in the library together now and you’re also most of seulgi’s impulse control when it comes to making plans and doing stuff

mainly because you’re telling her that no-no do not force yourself to go to that resume workshop you’ve been to them enough times to LEAD those

and then she gets all excited like REALLY DO YOU THINK THEY’D LET ME?!?!?!

and you’re like no stOP WE’RE STAYING IN FOR A MOVIE NIGHT AND WATCHING CARS 2

but it’s also funny to see seulgi falling asleep against your shoulder and her mouth is hanging wide open and you’ve set so many pictures of her like that as your homescreen and been yelled at too many times to change it

and when you do change it, it’s just a different picture of her in that position from a different day

she likes to run through her speeches and presentations with you and you find it so cool that she’s so poised when doing that BUt she gets so shy when she wants a kiss but doesn’t want to say so and SHE KNOWS you know she wants a kiss

you’re constantly doing her buns for her since you’ve had some practice keeping your own hair out of your face for labs but also getting tips from other girls in your labs and lectures and when they find out the reason why they’re just like pLS YOU TWO GET MARRIED

but the closest they can see the two of you dress up together is when seulgi decides to wear her business clothes out on a date and you’ve gotten stuff to match her and now you’re basically a ceo power couple walking around campus to go return some books to the library

you sitting in on her meetings and watching with lovestruck eyes as she basically spends the good half of it also staring right back at you and when they’re in discussion or activities she just clings to your side and cuddles you

you teach her how to longboard and she’s still a little wobbly but it’s SO CUTE when she’s fearfully holding onto your hands and staring down at her feet and shouting at you to NOT LET GO AT ANY COST

eventually she gives up on that and buys a pair of rollerblades instead so you can just pull her around while she hangs onto your backpack strings while you move on the longboard

BUT WHAT MAKES EVERYONE JEALOUS???

you hold her hand instead :)

she’s just laughing and giggling and being all around smiley when your hands are linked and you’re rolling around campus with her in tow

you even go to all of her dance events as well!!!

she’s been able to put a lot more effort into them since switching majors, but especially since you manage to keep her rooted and not going off doing so many things at once

she also wants to make sure she looks good for you

when does she not though??

y’all are literally tooth rotting sweet for each other

it’s the absolute cutest thing and you totally didn’t put a sticker of her sleeping face with her mouth open on your longboard........ and on your charger...... and the laptop........ and hers.... -q- zzZZZ

[vagabond-sol]

FFXIV Character Sheet:

Name: Cazhim “Caz” Delrune

Pronounced Kah-zeem Dell-Rune

Age: Mid 20s

Pronouns: He/Him

Birthdate: 1st Sun of the 3rd Umbral Moon

<<Place of Origin>>

Race: Raen Au ra

Hometown: Dalmasca

Current Residence: Empyreum (Alone)/Lavender Beds (w/ Xavier)

<<Appearance>>

Eyes: Hazel w/ Pale green umbral rings

Hair Color:Light grey

Hair Type:Short and curly

Hair Style: Short undercut dreads in a similar style to his in game haircut.

Body type:Closely resembles in-game model but a bit stockier/thicker.

Height: About 200.66cm (6′7ft)

Skin: Dark reddish brown

Facial features: Scales on the bridge of the nose, rounded chin scales. Features resemble someone of African descent. Horns resemble the horns those in-game but a bit shorter and a bit thicker.

Body features: Thick scales down the spine with thinner areas spreading out from the spine and along his collar bone and throat. The scales on his shoulders, legs and forearm are thicker than usual but maintain the common placement most Auri men have. The back of his pointer and middle fingers also have additional scales.

Favorite/Common Clothing: In general he prefers attire that is light enough for travel but sturdy enough to handle the occasional battle. Because of this he tends to employ leather armor and jackets over cloth. If additional protection is desired he will resort to scale mail, partial plate mail or more commonly, weaving chainmail into the leather or cloth armor.

<<Skills>>

DoH: Leather-worker(Expert), Blacksmith(Average), Armourer(Average), Goldsmith(Beginner). Not a trained Culinarian but still a decent cook.

DoL: Well informed in both the fields. Rarely gathers his own materials unless it is a very specific item.

<<Combat>>

Main Discipline: MNK

Secondary Disciplines: *AST*

Tertiary Disciplines: *DRG, SAM, DRK, MCH*

*Cazhim is not a trained Astro however he does use gravity and time magic through learning of the Time Battlemages of his homeland. He knows how to use the weapons of the Tertiary classes but does not use their associated power sets.*

Fighting Style: Cazhim is an aggressive combatant who has learned that a short fight is a safe one. When facing an individual he tends to stay close and focus on restricting his opponent’s ability to swing their weapon while primarily relying on swift strikes, much like a boxer, to wear down or outright incapacitate his foe before they can ever mount a proper counterattack. While he still fights under similar principles when outnumbered there is a shift in his tactics. Unlike his stance in duels, Cazhim will use much more direct movements intended to kill or incapacitate in one strike rather than overwhelm. In addition it is against multiple enemies where Cazhim will rely on what limited ranged techniques he has. An aether blast or thrown weapon are not uncommon sights when he wades into a horde. In most cases when Cazhim finds himself on the defensive, he will use his superior agility to dodge but as a Monk he will block, parry or regenerate from most attacks as necessity demands.

Difficulties: Cazhim can cast magic but as opposed to his masterful skill in physical combat, it would seem his spell weaving talents are average at best and would require considerably more time and effort to improve. This is why his unique styles takes so long to develop. This incorporation of magics into his martial arts has made the process much longer but no less rewarding despite his mundane spellweaving.

<<Personality Traits>>

Positive: Soft spoken, good natured and brotherly to those around him, Cazhim is a model adventurer. He tends to be one of the more even tempered members of a party but he is no less a fearsome teammate. As someone looking to keep things at ease among his fellow adventurers, Cazhim usually engages in lighthearted banter or simply offers words of encouragement in between battles and similarly stressful situations though he has been accused of having a notably dry delivery.

Negative: Despite his willingness to help just about anyone, Cazhim is reluctant to let others in and generally responds poorly to prying. He may budge if his hypocrisy is pointed out and even then it depends on the subject. Additionally Cazhim tends to lack direction, coming off as robotic due to his lack of self interest when he is without a leader to follow while becoming much more vibrant when he is serving a group or cause.

<<Likes>>

Environments:Arid locations. (Thanalan/Gyr Abania)

Weather: Light rain.

Flavors: Savory and Sour.

Texture: Leather, wood, smooth stone.

Favorite Dish: Nomad Meat Pie

Favorite Colour: Orange/fall colors.

Favorite Sound: Waterfalls, Clockwork and metal clanging.

Favorite Smell: Citrus and petrichor.

Favorite Place: Arms of Meed and Dravanian Hinterlands Ruins.

<<Dislikes>>

Environment: Arctic/Frozen Tundra

Weather: Heavy snowfall

Flavours: Super sweet things

Textures: Coarse Sandpaper

Least Favorite Dish: Eel Pies

Least Favorite Colour: Gold

Least Favorite Sound: Sand Paper

Least Favorite Smell: Beer

Least Favorite Place: Coerthas Central Highlands and Aurum Vale.

<<Hobbies>>

Most Common: Sightseeing, Equipment modification, Bounty Hunting.

Less Common: Crafting non-combat items, cooking.

<<Relationships>>

Parents:Both deceased in Dalmasca. He remembers them.

Guardian: “Yemmir”(formerly) she was his squad’s leader in the Dalmascan Resistance and his direct mentor as a marksman. She died during their final mission in Dalmasca and urged Cazhim to flee to Eorzea as her dying wish.

Siblings: Albina “Snow” lux Polux (older sister figure) is one of the Garlean defectors Cazhim’s squad was tasked with escorting out of Dalmasca in exchange for intricate detail on the IVth’s magitek arsenal and ongoing experimentation. She was one of the few that both survived and chose to flee to Eorzea and join Cid Garlond. The two stuck together for a time after they arrived in Thanalan but remained separated after Cazhim took to more extensive adventuring.

Romantic Relationship: Xavier (Prime timeline), Feo Ul (Solo timeline), Single (Scion AU)

Friends: The Scions, Leatherworking Guild, Pugilist’s Guild, The Ironworks, Skysteel Employees, The Facets, the Fae and the Dwarves.

Rival: Zenos, if Cazhim is the WoL. Otherwise it’s an open slot.

Special Gesture of Friendship: If Cazhim really likes you, expect a high quality crafted gift in your future. Very rarely he may invite someone close sightseeing with him and share quieter adventures. Rarest gesture is talking about his time in the Dalmascan Resistance; however he will still not offer this, it must be requested.

<<Dealt With/Is Dealing With>>

Nightmares:While no longer frequent, Cazhim does occasionally have nightmares about his final mission in Dalamasca that claimed the lives of most of his squad. Occasionally has unpleasant dreams about recent battles being lost, especially during Shadowbringers.

Racism:Being a less common race, Cazhim experienced his share of racism during his travels and it came up the heaviest in Ishgard during Heavensward. Words were often ignored to goad them into fighting while outright threats were met with an open willingness for violence. Additionally Cazhim recognizes he has some prejudices against Garleans though he rarely voices them.

Aimlessness: Cazhim has grown up fighting to meet expectations, often putting others wants and ideals before his own. Now stripped of two families and wandering an unfamiliar land it is not surprising that he lacks long term goals. As such he often gives himself wholeheartedly to a cause that sounds worthwhile. This makes for a loyal ally but also a man who has depressingly little outside of work. This Changes over time but it is not easy to stop being a soldier.

Anger: His escape from Dalmasca made his young adulthood one wrought with a lot of frustration due to his inability to save his comrades or his nation.

How he deals with this?: Time with “Snow”, aka Albina lux Polux, and the Ironworks greatly improved his world view and introduced him to his love of building and crafting. Later on simply experiencing the world and it’s beauty allows him to keep a net positive outlook and bring into focus his own desires.

<<Odds and Ends>>

*Most likely to change from time to time*

Notable Weapons: As a powerful monk he most commonly battles “unarmed” using gloves and gauntlets more for the protection of his hands than for damage. On rare occasions he has been seen using a pair of tonfa. As a Mystic he is seen using a fiery lance, a wind-shrouded blade and a slab of rock resembling a greatsword.

Notable Mounts: Female griffin named Sagitta who had been “blessed” by Bismarck, temporarily through Heavensward and Stormblood. Permenant bond formed post-Shadowbringers. His company chocobo is green and his name is Theo. Theo is incapable of flight but instead gains greatly enhanced speed and jumping height after gathering aether currents.

Notable Minions: Sabertooth kitten(belongs to Ms.Snow though an adult by Heavensward’s end), Little Leannan temporarily in an attempt to encourage her to be less aggressive and to let her travel.

Keepsakes: A mythril coin necklace he crafted resembling Dalmascan currency though the back bears the symbol of the Resistance. A journal documenting his adventures, a few personal thoughts but mostly observations on the flora, fauna and “Dungeon” specific notes.

Education Level: Pre-Eorzea he has an average Dalmascan and Garlean education: he can read, write and count in his native Dalmascan tongue and fluently in Garlean and Eorzean common. He also knows a great deal about the geography, wildlife and weather of his native land and some few Eastern lands his ancestors traversed, knowledge which may or may not be applicable in foreign biomes. After living with Ms.Snow both immerse themselves in general knowledge of Eorzea and her recent history. In summary he’s intelligent. He learns and comprehends quickly but, he’s not the most well read when compared to his fellow Scions and those more dedicated to scholarly pursuits. There is much for him to learn in terms of the world away from Dalmasca.

Whew ok that’s all done! I’m sure there are still some mistakes floating around in there but I hope that answers or gives you guys some questions or atleast wasn’t too boring a read. Anyways here’s the link to the person that made the blank template and maybe you too can take a whack at this!

PS:I will edit this randomly and constantly because ideas are infinite!

[weaselbeaselpants]

The virgin Hazbin vs. The Chad Helluva

((hey is the “virgin vs. CHAD” meme associated with alt right or anything iffy guys I’m kinda worried it is. PM me please))

This is long. Also read my earlier post for context.

Earlier this month I was chatting it up with a friend about how Viv gets heat for her material stuff while other purposefully “edgy” or “problematic” writers get a pass. The convo made me realize another important note about why I prefer Helluva to Hazbin and that’s it’s approach to it’s own themes and humor:

There’s a spectrum of pure shock/schlock humor to biting, meaningful satire. South Park, Drawn Together, Panty and Stocking and anything by Brandon Rogers is on the schlock end. Bojack Horseman, King of the Hill and Aggretsuko are on the black-comedy-satire end. In the middle are Rick and Morty, Kill la Kill and Venture Bros, where the humor can be either basic and cruel or strive for something more.

The schlockiest of schlock still have their followings who are in on humor that’s, first and foremost, out to get under your skin and even makes fun of them. When these works are “progressive” it’s usually just through sheer representation of a minority, and if they DO strive for a message, it’s little more than a much needed hot-take pointing out how stupid something is. South Park in it’s prime was ESPECIALLY good at the former.

Another interesting about these properties? The characters aren’t really that complex. They ARE strawmen! They are stereotypes! They ARE awful people. But either through the sheer audacity of the situation or how much the plot involves them, you somehow end up caring for these miserable, one-note people.

Viv’s humor fares more on this basic “schlockynottooseriousparody/comedy”-side of things, but Helluva Boss does this better than Hazbin.

Helluva Boss -both the actual pilot and it’s promotional material- doesn’t make any promises for any “deeper” character development. None of these demons at I.M.P are good people. None of them are SUPPOSED to be good people - they are literally demons who were never human and know nothing but absolute sin. 

((yes, I know this sounds similar to the “they’re in hell” non-argument. My point is not that this defense is foolproof, but that it works better in the context of Helluva vs. Hazbin. It’s a world building quirk, even though I’m not 100% sure Viv and her audience are in on the joke))

It makes their weird bits of NOTawfulness more funny because what business do they have being polite about their work or having any emotional connection to each other(Moxxie and Millie)? But they do! Blitzo is weird, even for a demon, but again he IS ONE, so his breaking into his coworkers house is just “annoying” to Moxxie and Millie rather than, you know, stalking which is absolutely what that is <--- it’s a bit of comedy that, to me, tells you what you need to know about these demons and what somehow is and isn’t good to them, which is to say: it varies!

((The one MASSIVE exception to this is Stolas who is 100% predatory and it’s played for laughs. Beejesus no. Get  owl boy out here. ))

Different series use their mythical creatures to different affect. In Satina the joke is that this demon-antichrist really is more of a little girl with a looser dad w. the version of hell being a send up to classic, even basic depictions of demons in media. Helluva’s different, with the Hell in that world being more of a ritzy, scummy city where everyone’s a dick to everyone else, and that’s fine. Even the joke in the beginning where the imps interview one of their clients tells you all you need to know about why this guy is in Hell, how he doesn’t get the point, and what the humor and tone of the short is striving for. I guess that’s why I’m just not offended by them using the R word, Blitzo laughing at the homeless (which is more of a joke on Blitzo, I thought), or the child murder. It felt oddly in character for these awful little creatures.

Helluva knows what it is and what it wants to be. While it’s fans and creators still take it too seriously, it really doesn’t set out to do much.

Hazbin has 99 problems and good world-building aint one. What IS one of those 99 problems - just as if not more than the lackluster storytelling or world building - is it’s attitude towards the subject matter.

Hazbin wants to have it’s cake and eat it too, but it isn’t properly established and the creators/fanbase already overemphasis how our cast ‘isn’t ALL bad; deep down’ and how they’re ‘complicated’. It gets me mad when people claim Angel IS GOOD representation because I just ‘don’t know the whole story yet’.

-You’re right! I don’t. Stop building it up because as I’ve said before what we have at the moment is what we 100% get. I can’t criticize what I don’t know but I can criticize what I do know.

And what I know about it is Viv tends to promote her brand as being representive of LGBT+ people. Her fans and her act as though her works are actually a total net-positive ‘guyz we’re just being edgythey’reinhellandit’sapilotsoit’sfreefromcriticismanywayletswritefanfictionforaserieswedon’tactuallyknowyet.’

If Viv and her brand didn’t promo Hazbin as being deeper than it actually is/NEEDS TO BE at the time of this production in the storytelling - well THAT would axe a lot of the bad criticism right there. For all the discourse in the She-Ra and SU fandoms about what is and isn’t good representation, the showrunners of those cartoons don’t aim to stereotype + hit for the lowest common denominator while also insisting that their show is actually woke and ya’ll “just don’t get it.”

((As an aside, if you are any of the following: gay, crossdresser, sex worker, undead spider demon-whatever, and you DO find Angel Dust empowering. GREAT! AWESOME. MORE POWER TO YOU.

But just because you aren’t offended by it and it was made with good intentions does NOT give it a pass < that’s the point I’m trying to make. ftm even with the explaination of the infamous ‘Charcoal’ design in SU, black people still have the right to be offended))

Remember the episode of Family Guy where Quagmire’s dad transitioned? It was Family Guy so no matter what it was gonna fumble the message, BUT what made things 100000x worse was Seth McFarlane promoting the episode as something the Trans community would really like.

It’s one thing to be ignorant or trying -and failing- to make a difference. It’s another to be arrogant about it. 

If you are gonna go all schlock-humor I think it’s best to take the lead of Bltzo’s voice actor, Brandon Rogers. He makes A LOT of sacrifices for the most insanely-purposefully-offensive jokes that straddle between making fun of everyone or just rustlin some jimmies. Dude’s the modern John Waters.

He also doesn’t promote himself as a gay icon. He just is gay and what helps a lot of his characters is that he’s often making fun of gay stereotypes by giving them character or making homophobes the butt of the joke. Brandon doesn’t act like a net-positive. It’s when you hear him in interviews that you know he’s genuine and know he’s not a threat.

And it’s why I don’t have the same expectations I have for his work that I do for Vivs; Vivs works are often telling me how I should feel. ((ftm it’s also why Brandon’s approach to writing, comedy and potentially deeper elements are better than Doug Walker’s or Sam Fennah’s attempts to make awful people “moving”))

.....hey is there anyway we could give Viv’s shows to Brandon cause I would love a Brandon-Rogers-flavored Hazbin/permanent Helluva!

---

TL:DR: If Hazbin had established itself like Helluva with it’s cast just being unlikable, nothing else you needed to know about them, it could have then PROBABLY have worked it’s way up to being like Venture Bros or Rick and Morty in it’s activism. As is, it’ still only “progressive” in a hypothetical sense, and I’m sorry but that hurts it’s credibility as a joke and a thought piece, which or whatever it wants to be...

[hanawrites404]

Part 3

"Des-pa-ci-to, na na na na na na na na na Burrito, pa ta pa pa ra pa pa na ra Secco, na na na na ta ra ta ta ta ta Procciotto~ Mmm...I love this song".

"Give me a break" Jotaro said, and his prayers were answered because the radio started to get all distorted.

"What the??" Noriko got disappointed and sulked as her song got ruined. Jotaro was smiling to himself from the inside, but the happiness didn't last for long when the car abruptly stopped in the middle of the road.

"The hell??" Mr. Kujo tried to start the engine again and again, but it didn't respond back.

"W-What happened??" Noriko asked him. "Don't know. I need to check the engine".

As soon as he said that sentence, on fat drop of water fell on the window with a thud, and it was soon followed by many and eventually it had started to rain cats and dogs.

"Fan-fucking-tastic" Jotaro remarked sarcastically as he slapped the steering wheel from frustration.

Jotaro noticed how Noriko was silent the whole time. He took a glance at Noriko and found her mumbling something to herself. She then rubs her chin, looks back from her seat and then opens her seatbelt and starts to get off the car.

"Wait, where are you going??" Jotaro took hold of her wrist to stop her. "Checking the engine. Why??". "Let me do that. You stay inside". "No, let me go" she struggles to get her hand out of Jotaro's grasp.

"Fine. Do what you want to" he then lets go of her wrist.

Noriko smiles and opens the door, but it wasn't even budging. She looks at Jotaro who shows her the car keys, which means that she won't be able to get out as he had locked all the doors automatically.

She glares at Jotaro and tries to get the keys from him, but he kept it inside his pant pocket, making it out of reach.

"Ha!! I don't need keys to get out" she smirks. She then goes to the driver's seat and does something down the steering wheel and the door opens with a click.

Now let's ignore the fact that Noriko had her boob pressed on Jotaro's knee when she was unlocking the door, shall we??

"How did you do that??" Jotaro asked her and Noriko just smiles and winks at him.

She then gets off and naturally the rain started to drip intensely on her. But ignoring all the awful wetness, she opens the front of the car and starts rummaging through the car parts, being careful not to disturb the other components.

Jotaro had gotten off too but he had an umbrella with him. He observed how Noriko was concentrating on her work and was not getting distracted by the cold rain.

Her whole attire was wet and Jotaro could see her small figure as her clothes clinged onto her body. He also noticed how the little girl was shivering from the cold, but still she was focused.

Her hair had turn darker due to the water and her hair waves had been straightened up, making her hair look longer.

The only thing which was intact was where her eyes and hands were and how her lips were slightly opened in order to take air in and out and also vibrating a little due to the cold.

However, her bangs were continuously disturbing her as they dropped on her face frequently. She always pulled them back but they kept falling on her face, hiding her vision.

To add some ease to the already struggling lady, Jotaro brushes her hair gently behind her ear.

Noriko looked at the owner of the hand with a slight hint of longing for a second and then continues her work. Jotaro's heart skipped a beat when the girl locked her amethyst eyes with his.

He was now truly in love with her, just like how he fell in love with his highschool sweetheart.

"Oh.....so the battery is dead" Noriko came to the conclusion. "Is that so?? Let me call the service center then" he was about to grab his phone.

"No wait" she stops him. She then looks around and sees a bus stand which was lit up.

"Perfect!!" she exclaimed. She then gets out the battery of the car.

"Do you have the battery charger??" She asks Jotaro. "Yes, I have it in the back". "Get it, quick".

Jotaro gives it to her and she then connects it to the battery. She then bites the other side of the wire's coating so that she could connect it with the bus stand's source.

"Pick the battery up and come with me" she orders him, and Jotaro picks up the battery and follows the girl.

The girl gets up the stand and rummages to find the wires which were connected to the source, and luckily she found it in no time. She then disconnects the wires and the bus stand's light goes off.

She then connects the wires of the charger to the source. It took her a minute, but after she was done, Jotaro was surprised to see that the car battery had started charging now.

Noriko grinned at her work and got off. She then casually goes and sits on the seat of the stand and looks up at the dark rainy sky while humming to herself.

"How do you know all of this??" Jotaro asked her with wonder.

"I worked as a mechanic at one of my part-time jobs, so I know the basics. Also, I want to become a mechanical engineer when I grow up" she told him.

"When I was a kid, I used to have a dream where I make a flying car which would be better than any vehicle which ever existed. It would be like a vision of the future" Noriko told him.

"That's great" Jotaro said. Noriko smiles at him. She then asks him "What about you Jotaro-san?? Why did you became a marine biologist??" Noriko kept her face on her palms.

"It's......a very long story" Jotaro told her. "I'm listening. We have a lot of time anyway. The battery will take only half an hour to charge, and I think Jolyne wouldn't mind us being a bit late" she told him.

"Fine.......I used to have these dreams........where I am standing in front of an aquarium and a plethora of marine species appear in front of my eyes. There were fishes, shrimps, corals and what-not.

But the most intriguing part was how my younger self and my lover were inside there too, and we were in each other's arms as we stared longingly at each other and went deeper and deeper into the waters.

Although the creatures of the dreams were always different in every dream, two things were common in it. One was us and second was how we pressed our lips against each other's as we submerged deep into the vast sea at the end of the dream".

"Wow, now that's very......poetic" Noriko was amazed.

"So was she your wife??" She asked next.

Jotaro shook his head no.

Noriko's eyes widen a bit, she then moved closer to him and asked him with curiosity.

"Who was she then?? Tell me!!" She asked like an excited baby.

"It's a he, Noriko". "A he??" Noriko raised her eyebrows, and Jotaro slowly nodded.

"Y-You mean, you are gay??". "I cannot really say. It was.........something that I had never expected from myself.

When I was of your age, I was not interested in girls as they were all annoying, and I usually got into fights with the boys.

He was a transferred student by the way, and our first time meeting each other was not pleasant at all, but I didn't know that eventually we would become so close to each other that we would be afraid to lose one another, and also that his death would still haunt me" Jotaro started to rub his eyes.

"Wait, he is dead?? What happened to him??" Noriko asked him. "I......He got a very fatal wound which literally passed through his stomach.....And I was not there for him at that time...........And he was only 17.........."

Jotaro's voice cracked at the last sentence as he had started to sob over his lover's memories. He covered his eyes with his hand but the tears weren't stopping at all.

Noriko's heart broke on watching the professor crying like this. She then moved more closer to Jotaro and hugged the man. She then started to rub his shoulder and back as she whispered sweet nothings in his ear to soothe him. Fortunately, Noriko was successful in comforting Jotaro for a bit as he stopped crying.

"I.....I'm sorry. I got a bit carried away" he wiped his eyes. "It's alright......I know how it feels to lose someone dear to you" she admitted.

"And you know what's the worst part?? I can never find peace ever again in my life after his death" Jotaro continued. "What do you mean??" Noriko asked.

"I got married and Jolyne was born. I was hoping to find love once more and have a normal family by my side, but it didn't work well. My profession had distanced me away from my family, and I had began to barely give any time to them.

I am also a target to one of the most dangerous people, and I don't want my family to be one of the targets because of me. That's why I got a divorce from my wife, and Jolyne now has an incomplete family.........".

"Yeah.....she had told me about the divorce. But I didn't know that you had left your wife because you wanted her to be safe"

Noriko then holds his hand and caresses it with her smaller ones.

She then smiles to herself and says "You are a very good person Jotaro-san. There is no way one can call you unjust or crude".

"The time when you offered to come with me to the hostel, I had already got an impression that you cared for me even though it had been only minutes since we met.

And the time when you defended me from that perverted manager, I got to know that you didn't like evil even a single bit, and that you protect weaker people if they are in trouble. Now that's a trait I love in a man" she told him.

Jotaro's cheeks got heated up and he looked away from her. Noriko chuckled as she spoke next.

"Not to sound creepy and all but, if only I was a bit older, I would have loved to marry you" she grinned.

Jotaro's blush worsened. He desperately tried to hide his face by hiding in his hat, but the red girl was smart, as she removed his hat and cupped his face. She then turned his head towards herself and pecked him on his cheek.

"A small thank you, for everything" she said and caressed on of the curls of his black hair. Now Jotaro was helpless, he cannot hide his flustered face now as it was fully exposed to the red lady.

She chuckled at the cute expression of the professor. Their relationship had now evolved from formal to informal from the very time Noriko kissed the man.

Noriko didn't regret it and Jotaro pretty much enjoyed it to the most. Speaking in a nutshell, both of their intimacy just went to the next level.

"Well, I think 30 minutes have passed now. Let's go home" she then lets go of Jotaro and goes to disconnect the battery.

Jotaro touches the cheek where the girl had kissed him. It reminded him of his lover's sneaky kisses which he used to give while he was sleeping or when no one was looking.

He also remembers how he used to hit him in the head for that and it pained the red head for the whole day.

*10 minute time skip, brought to you by Cock-yo-ween*

Both of them had now successfully reached home. They then got off the car, grabbed the dinner and rang the doorbell of the door.

Jolyne was quick to open the door. She then asked "What took you two so long. Do you even realise that it's 11 now??".

"Sorry, we had some problems with the car. The battery had died so we had to charge it" Noriko replied as they both entered the house.

"Alright. And what about the manager?? Did you kick his ass??" Jolyne asked.

"Ummmmm.....About that....."

"I had taken care of him for her".

Noriko looked at Jotaro with a bit astonishment. "Wait, you did?? For me??". "Yes. I wanted to--"

"Jotaro-san!!! Not fair!!" She then punches him in the chest and goes away in the kitchen to keep the food.

Jotaro then facepalms and mumbles "Ugh, give me a break". He literally saved her from harassment, and this is how she repays??

"Jotaro-san~ Huh Dad??" Jolyne was next to tease him. Jotaro blushed and looked away from his daughter.

"I-I just wanted her to drop the formalities with me" he defended. "Oh is that so?? Then what's that on your right cheek??" She asked.

Jotaro touched the area where she was talking about and felt something silky and slippery. He then looked at his hand and found a red substance which smelled like cherries.

"You might be wondering what the hell is this?? Well this is cherry lip gloss, and Noriko is the only one I know who puts it and she was with you the whole time, wasn't she??" She crossed her arms.

Jotaro was busted. What he feared the most has now happened. He braced for the harsh impact and was expecting Jolyne to shout at him, but all he got was his daughter speaking to him in a soft manner while holding his shoulder.

"You love her, don't you??" She asked her father.

Jotaro did not look into her eyes. Though her suspicions were correct, he was afraid to agree with her as he thought that it might lead to certain unfavorable consequences. He would have not given a shit to anyone else but this is his own daughter we are talking about right now.

"Dad, please tell me. I'm not going to judge you or anything" she assured him. He then finally nodded without saying anything else.

Jolyne was silent for a moment, processing everything in her brain. After some seconds, she lightly chuckled to herself.

"Honestly, it's not surprising to me. She really is an attractive individual. Not to mention, she really looks like your lover, uncle Noriaki".

Jotaro shot his eyes up at her face when he heard that name. So she knew it the whole time??

"Dad.....you have gone through a lot and you deserve to be happy. If being with Noriko does the trick then so be it. Although I'm sad that Mom was not enough for you, but it's alright. All uncle Noriaki wanted after his death was you to be happy, so do it at least for him".

"B-But what about--". "Age gap?? Are you really worrying about that?? You are Dr. Kujo!! The big, bad professor who doesn't give a fuck to anyone and won't hesitate to kick bones and break ass" she winked.

The alternation she had done to her sentence seemed to make Jotaro chuckle a bit.

"And also, remember how great-gramps married great-aunt Tomoko when she was way younger than him??".

"Don't compare me to that old man" his said grimly. "Alright, sorry. But you do get my point right?? Tonight, you are going to give it to her hard" she punched his shoulder motivatively.

"Give me what??" Noriko came out of the kitchen to see what was going on.

"O-Oh it's nothing Noriko" she grins innocently at her while keeping her hands behind her.

Noriko shrugs and then calls both of them to have dinner as it has been reheated.

"Oh great. I was starving anyway" Jolyne went to the dining room.

"Jotaro-san, come on". "Yes, coming" and he too joined the girls for supper.

*Time skip till bed time brought to you by the lazy author*

"I'm really sleepy now. It's good that I don't have to wake up early tomorrow and see Anderson's owl face" Jolyne yawned.

Noriko chuckled as she scratched her red head. "But that doesn't mean you are not going to study tomorrow. And do note that I am going to clench you hard".

"Yeah yeah I get you. It's better to get lectured by you instead of that excuse of a teacher".

"Oh come on, he is not that bad". "Oh he is very bad Noriko. Don't even ask me where he comes in my ultimate list of total bitches and assholes".

Both of the girls then laughed happily as they gossipped about school and many other things. Jotaro was happy to see both of them bond with each other.

It reminded him of when Noriaki used to tell him facts about everything he ever spotted on their way.

'Jotaro, did you know that Jaipur is also known as the Pink town??'

'Jotaro, did you know that Singapore is one of the greenest cities??'

'Jotaro, did you know that you have more than 100 million bacteria in our nose??'

Though it pissed him how he always acted like a nerd on a trip, he enjoyed listening to his factual rambling.

In turn, he too used to share some information on marine life he read in magazines and Noriaki listened to him patiently. A few kisses here and there were inevitable which made the session even more interesting.

"Alright then. I'll see you tomorrow then. Goodnight Noriko" Jolyne then retired in her room after their night conversation was over.

After bidding Jolyne goodnight, Noriko turned to the man who had his eyes on her the whole time. She then calls out to him with a small blush on her cheeks.

"Jotaro" his name slipped from her lips like petals, and it turned him on. The taller man approached her slowly, eyeing her from top to bottom. He then caressed her rosy cheeks and cupped her face, their faces only inches away.

Noriko was looking directly into his ocean green eyes, loosing herself in those orbs. Jotaro had his eyes on her plump lips as pink as peaches. She could not hold on anymore, and so could not Jotaro himself.

Both of them finally pressed their lips together and it was as if two opposite ends of magnets finally met. The kiss was gentle at first, but then it got more passionate as he pulled her closer by her slim waist.

The smaller girl had wrapped her arms around the broad shoulders of her partner. She being way shorter than him had to stand on her tippy toes to reach his level.

Jotaro noticed how she was struggling, so he offered. "You want to do it in bed??".

Noriko blushed a deep red, but then nodded at him. Jotaro picked her up in bridal style and she held onto him. He then took her to his elegant bedroom.

Though is was a decorated simply, it was looking very exquisite. The floor was wooden and it creaked softly under Jotaro's steps.

The taller man laid down the smaller lady slowly and carefully on the bed as if she was made up of delicate glass. The girl stared longingly at the man hovering over her as she leaned up to kiss his lips.

(Part 4)