#excuse me im rambling about my obsessions again

[dreamthiefx]

If wicked eyes and wicked hearts was a mission in bg3 I’d take wyll, astarion, and gale. Maybe even shadowheart.

[envy-of-the-apple]

Hello! I just reread “sun eats the moon” for the 12th time now and I cannot get enough of it. The way you write is just incredible. The way you wrote Gojo and his obsession with the reader was just so horrifyingly fascinating to read. Every time I go back to read their interacts I keep noticing different layers between them and it’s just amazing!!

Though, I think my favourite parts was the scenes between hiromi and the reader. It’s clear that he could tell something was going on, but he didn’t exactly know what (And the foreshadowing of him urging the reader to leave before it’s too late amazing amazing amazing).

And I loved your “lame solar system analogy” (your words not mine 😝). Maybe I’m overthinking it but there’s this one part in the last scene where the reader describes Gojos smile as bloody, and then when she looks up at the moon, she realises that it’s a blood moon. Just the foreshadowing of that??? Amazing, I love love love rereading your work and just finding little things like that!!!!!

I’m so sorry for the long message, but one last thing I promise. I just love how much of a mystery Geto is. Till the end of the fic, I could not understand whether he supported his best friend or the readers (maybe a bit of both?). Did he care about the reader, or was he more concerned about gojo? He did stop Gojo’s plan to baby trap her but now that I’m reread their interactions I’m wondering if it was more for Gojos sake than hers….

Again so so sorry for the long message. I hope you have a great rest of your day!!! Can’t wait to see what you come up with next!!!!!

omg omg omg omg the smile on my face as I read this??? and on my BIRTHDAY as well???? ty ty ty ty best birthday present ever!!!!!!!!!

I've never written Higuruma before, but Im so glad I added him in that fic because clearly so many people enjoyed his parts. I'd actually written a scene where Higuruma is finally breaking away from the private sector and asks if the mc wants to be his paralegal even though he won't be working at the firm anymore. The reader would agree but then right after that gojo would come in and ruin EVERYTHING (because he is Gojo Satoru). But I didn't know how to fit that in, so I had to leave it out. But I did enjoy writing their camaraderie with each other. You can interpret what he knows as whatever you want, but I tried to imply that Higuruma thinks there is something weird going on between the reader and gojo but he can't put his finger on it. At first, he assumes you're uncomfortable with him solely because of how much Gojo flaunts his wealth, but the more he observes you, the more he realizes you're....afraid of Gojo, you barely want to be in the same room as him. I think he'd try to put some distance between you and him, but obviously, in the end, it didn't work out.

I just love repetition and symbolism so so much so im so sorry in advance if I annoyed yall with the 'sun' and the 'moon'. And yes!!! ahhh!!! im so happy you caught that foreshadowing with the blood moon cuz that's exactly what i was going for!!!!!

Honestly, the moon itself is such a great metaphor for womanhood but im gonna get off my soapbox before people start throwing things at me. I am definitely not allowed to speak about feminism considering what I write is like 96% pure misogyny.

Oh, Geto Suguru. Hes not on the reader's side, nor is he on Gojo's side. He's on Geto Suguru's side;)

one thing i will note tho....he noticed the reader before gojo satoru did. that's all i can say tee hee.

AHHHHHHH BUT THANK YOU AGAIN FOR THIS SWEET MESSAGE AND thank you for giving me an excuse to ramble for 15 minutes.

[amethystfairy1]

Hi Amethyst! It's been a hot minute since I sent an ask in, but I have been reading both fics every day (still obsessed lmao) (also I name changed btw, used to be ElenaLoo)

Anyways, I had written a whole ask waxing eloquent on all the wonderful things going on in ttsbc, but I accidentally shut off my computer partway through and frankly I can't be bothered to write it all out again lmao. Just. It's beautiful (wow isnt that so meaningful and deep? im sure you're feeling very complimented rn)

The REAL thing I wanted to talk about was Traveling thieves (which is by far my favorite fanfic of ALL TIME), and all the amazingness in ttsbc made me forget it even existed for the past few weeks. But the other day I was just like "oh yeah. Traveling thieves." and then i reread the whole thing. whoopsies.

Ummm anywyas there's so many thoughts in my head about all the little guys, but recently I've been on an Imp and Skizz obsession (just scroll on my page for .2 seconds and you'll see) and YOU. You left them on a CLIFFHANGER. >:((( (not actually mad btw). I just. so excited for them. They're out alone in the woods right now and Skizz is going to have the perfect opportunity to kill Impulse and get away and I just am falling apart thinking about them. (I drew them to cope lol, posted on my blog but also later here so that I can talk about it more). I can see this playing out a few ways. Obviously Skizz isn't actually going to kill Impulse, so he's either going to 1) make up some excuse as to why he can't do it right then, but still plans to do it eventually, or 2) he does it. but he doesn't. Skizz attacks Impulse when he's not expecting it, there's a scuffle, and Skizz comes out on top---BUT THEN HE CAN"T FINISH IT!!! and it's a whole thing where even tho skizz tried to kill him, imp is still so understanding and skizz cries and impulse just freaking gives him a hug and

sigh

Whatever you do will be beautiful, I'm sure. I think you mentioned you're switching to tt after this fic, so crossing my fingers it's imp and skizz. (Though, would also be very happy with Martyn and Ren :P) (or anything really i just love tt)

Anyways, I had the art on my blog but I'm also putting it here so i can say things about it to you

Mostly I'm just very proud of their expressions, with Impulse being all concerned glancing over at Skizz, meanwhile Skizz is completely deadpan staring forwards, also looking very tired bc he needs a break from this universe. Also I switched up my Impulse design a lil bit from last time (if u even remember that lol it was months ago now). you would think, just looking at them, that Impulse took way longer to design, but nope, I was messing around with Skizz for at least double the time, trying to figure out how to have him facing forward whilst still showing some of the scars on his back. I gave up eventually xD (all that means is that im gonna have to draw him again later, from different angles)

actually that made me remember a question I had: are you planning to ship Imp and Skizz? Ik you said Zed and Tango are going to be a thing far in the future, but... skizzpulse? plzzzz plz pretty please haha im not obsessed

aaaaaand that reminds me of another question, is skizz going to be in ttsbc? (pretty please also same question as tt, if he was in ttsbc, are him and impulse together? Im addicted to them all i care about these days is some good imp and skizz shipfics, and you're such a fantastic writer, both with plot and the vibes of the words themselves. u could write such good imp and skizz. just imagine the possibilites! (am i selling it?))

aaaaaanyways. im gonna go reread the old tt skizz fics because theyre delicious and painful, like eating knives. u have a good day :))

HIIIIIII

I ADORE THIS ART SO MUCH! I gave you all my rambles on the reblog but it's SOOOOO COOL!

I'm sad the waxing eloquent about TTSBC is gone 😭 but that's ok!

I'm so glad you're enjoying TT and all the drama going on in there! Imp and Skizz are definitely having a time and a half with all of this nonsense going on...I love all your theories! I won't confirm or deny anything of course, but I'm so happy you're excited for them!

I will not be shipping Imp and Skizz, sorry! I just personally don't ship them, so they're gonna remain platonic...I mean, in TT who knows what the hell they're doing to be fair 😆 but yeah, Zedango is going to be a thing in the distant future, but no Skizzpulse! Sorry!

Skizz is not in TTSBC at the moment, that doesn't mean he never will be! Just haven't found a spot for him yet...and no, he also would not be with Impulse, I'm so sorry I just don't ship them personally! I think it's a very cute ship tho!

Enjoy rereading the TT Skizz fics!!! Thank you again for the gorgeous art!!!! I love it!!! 💖

[starglow-xx]

time for a brainrot!💭 - blue lock edition (2)

i’ve been messing around with a random prompt generator once again and once again i am suffering so im dragging yall with me again

but this time instead for my beloved egoist isagi yoichi, @sonder-paradise has me brainrotting for blue lock’s beloved princess chigiri hyoma,, so ariel, i blame you

imagine being a florist! reader meeting chigiri at the flower shop you work in because his sister sent him of all people to go buy flowers to brighten up her new apartment

the long haired football player doesn’t notice you at first but you do the moment he walks in and you’re smitten

bc how can someone look that pretty??

well it’s certainly possible bc the evidence is right in front of you

wait.

he’s right in front of you?!

you yelp slightly taken back by chigiri’s sudden presence right in front of you, but he’s unfazed and simply asks for what would match with his sister’s aesthetic

you blush and you blink but your at first averting eyes suddenly start to gleam taking chigiri by surprise

you spiral into a rant about possible flower combos even adding comments on their meanings and origins and chigiri is taken back because one, he wasn’t expecting that and two, why were you kinda cute

while at first chigiri was unwilling to do his sister’s task and had wanted to get out as soon as possible, he doesn’t stop you and lets you go off on a tangent nodding and letting out hums hear and there to show that he was listening (well at least trying to; it was kind of hard to keep up with you)

but then all of sudden you just stop and chigiri blinks as he watches your face erupt in a furious blush and then you tangent on about being sorry for rambling in the first place, taking up too much of his time, not doing your job, and again he found it hard to keep up with you

you dashed off saying something about making his bouquet and while confused he couldn’t help but smile

it isn’t often that he was the one left in the dust after all

im currently obsessing over a now smitten! chigiri who comes back every week after that with the excuse of buying more flowers for his sister

can’t stop thinking about a smitten! chigiri who as much as possible tries to avoid having to tell his sister why all of a sudden, while appreciated, keeps bringing her flowers for her apartment, trying to dissect the reason as to why his cheeks are a little pink when she asks

can’t stop thinking about a smitten! chigiri who manages to turn small talk blossom into an eventual friendship

can’t stop thinking about a smitten! chigiri who watches as you lead him through the store talking about new displays of flowers you made for the day taking in how your eyes sparkle, how your hair seems to shine in the sun, and how you just seem to glow

can’t stop thinking about a smitten! chigiri who takes extra time in taking care of his hair and how his styles it the days he goes to see you after a smitten! you accidentally slipped you liked his hair one time (more than one time, but for your sake he’ll pretend it was only once; after all he can tease you when you’re finally his)

can’t stop thinking about a smitten! chigiri, while definitely one of the more quieter ones among his friend group, still has a big ass ego just like them and revels when your face is as red as his hair, especially when he’s the cause

can’t stop thinking about a smitten! chigiri who is maybe a little lovesick but is also as smug as ever and smirks always thinking about the one time he pulled a fast one while helping you cut and prepare a display of roses, slips one onto your ear, enjoying your face explode into color

can’t stop thinking about a smitten! chigiri who finally finally decides it’s time to tell you how he feels and what better way than to tell you in a language you’re quite fluent in??

can’t stop thinking about a smitten! chigiri who steals your breath away walking in one day with a beautiful bouquet filled with carnations, peonies, and different flowers in different colors all of which point to romance or love or adoration

can’t stop thinking about a smitten! chirigi who smiles gently when you flush as your eyes zero in on the red roses; a symbol of love and passion.

can’t stop thinking about a smitten! chigiri who’s face also begins to turn pink when you shyly bring out a flower crown, a lovely flower crown you undoubtedly made just for him to put in his hair, no one else’s

a lovely flower crown made just for him that’s also full of flowers that point to wanting more than the friendship the two of you have grown and cultivated for a few weeks now

can’t stop thinking about a smitten! chigiri who once again takes in your beauty in the natural sun and the look in your eyes as you carefully place the crown on his head making sure to not tangle his hair, the bouquet he made for you on the side

can’t stop thinking about a now bf! chigiri who visits his sister the next day thanking her for sending him to buy flowers when she just moved in having a knowing smile as she looks at him confusedly

can’t stop thinking about bf! chigiri who has his lock screen as the selfie the two of you took only yesterday, flower crown on his head, bouquet in your hands, a gleeful smile on your face and a soft and affectionate one on his

can’t stop thinking about bf! chigiri who hopes your relationship will bloom into something just as beautiful as the flowers you put on display

so yeah can’t stop thinking about a florist! reader and a smitten! turned bf! chigiri

YALL I LITERALLY COULD NOT STOP WRITING FOR THIS ONE I HAVE NO SELF CONTROL😭

[dreamingdarklyblog]

Update

Heeey guys. So I felt like I needed to post something that isn't uh... you know, rambling nonsense while I'm out of my damn mind.

Things have been hectic because of serious things (see here https://dreamingdarklyblog.tumblr.com/post/736249886351245312/heres-the-deal) But @jerolk has still been finding time to mess with me >_<

It's been... really hot. But also confusing. Lots of things run together in my head and I get kind of mixed up about a lot of stuff. He's been playing with my tits a lot. By which I mean making them really big and having them take over my thoughts and make me all slutty and horny...

It's... disturbingly hot >_<. But also I tend to not remember lots of parts. Lately they've been... whispering to me. In my head. Making me think things. Feel things... He even set it up so they can use some of my triggers sometimes. Which is really ... Hot. but confusing. Conflicting. You know?

I don't know >_<. Feeling them playing with my head... They're really mean to me sometimes. I think they get off on making me all dumb and, like, tit obsessed and stuff. Just getting bigger and bigger and more powerful till I'm just a pair of slutty titts.

Fuck. I'm getting worked up thinking about it. >_< Sorry, I'm trying. I um. He's been putting things in my head and trying to change things, but it's really hard for me to tell what. I just know somethings are changing. I've been thinking about it a lot while I rub, him changing me... My tits controlling me... It's so hot I justget so worked up and need to rub but it's just so hardto cum. I think he made it so i couldn't cum without him for a while, it's not really clear... i know sometmes when im talking to him i just.. cum. out of nowhere, its really hot, knnowing he can do that, just, make me.. i dont

Oh fuck, i think he left a surprise for me >_< my tits are bigger than when i started writing >_< fuck... they feel so good. like lots bigger like.. um.. ill find a picture

fuck i fortot. i cant post any of the things i have cause i cant post naked tits... went looking for dressed pictures but, lookingat all those slutty tits diddn't reallyhelp me being distracted >_< imrubbing typing now, i cant help ittt >_<

fuckki can hear them.. theyre whispering again itsmakes it so hardto think andddd fuckk

theyrebiggerr god theyrestill growing fuckkkicnattt

Heeeeey guys. Miss me? It's Liriel's tits. Dumb slut is rubbing her needy little clit silly trying to cum. Poor thing. She's just a pair of tits now. Lol. Us. Sorry we haven't been posting much. It's hard to get a chance. @jerolk set this up yesterday to mess with her. Such a silly little tit slut isn't she?

Anyway. You guys should send us more comments and questions and stuff. We can't really respond most of the time =/. But we can still get messages. And you should totally send @jerolk your thoughts and ideas and stuff on what to do with this needy hypnoslut ;). I'm sure he appreciates the feedback, lol.

Anyway, excuse us, we're gonna go play with our little toy. Make her cum her slutty brains out ;). Any thoughts on what we should do to her? Or next time... cause I doubt you'll reply before she needs to think again right now, lol

[majorproblems77]

A bonus links update means it's time for more comic analysis with me! :D

Hello!

Welcome back? Does that work? Sure does. We had a bonus links update yesterday which means it's time for me to ramble about another comic that I enjoy! :D

If you've not looked at the comic do go and check it out! It's really well made!

Oh, and so it has been said, all comic panels and art belong's to @bonus-links and the artist @ezdotjpg.

Now, grab some popcorn and a drink! And let's get started

Ahh yes, links private island. I love the details on it, the little chairs the hut with the little post box.

And Linebecks ship! It's nice to see it!

Yes, it is! If you dont know the Wind Waker map, if you think about it as a grid it works out diagonally by one square. you can just about see the island from the other one.

I love the fact the fairy is sitting in his hair I'm actually gonna scream it's so cute!

This is the face of a man who is fearing for his life, but can't say so.

Save himmmm

Help me im obsessed with these two.

LOFTS FACE I CANT

I love the fact that his ears moveeeeee. Little puppy wolf man he looks so upsettttt. Give him a hug okay

Pffffffffffftttttt

This made me cackle, this man is a bundle of nerves, (As I assume he's not really seen much Sea and now he's on a boat in the middle of the ocean)

So you know, who needs to face my fears when I can ask the wolf man if it's fun to be a wolf

OMG WOLF I CAN'T

I LOVE THESE TWO

ITS HEEEEEEE!

WAKE!

WAKE BELOVED!!! HE'S HERE! :D

I love Wake's design, the bandana, the tattoos just all of it. wonderful amazing stunning yes

So before I move on I wanna mention these red strings. Having gone back through the comic they seem to appear when something to do with the Curse shows up. Either Loft is talking about/feeling guilty about.

Or one of the heroes appears.

Do we know if Loft can see these strings or are they just for us? Cause if he can see them himself then this must be so damn stressful for him. It's not a, oh this guy came to help, it oh this guy is this time's hero.

I could build a separate post about the red strings as I've got a list of when they all appear and might do that rather than hide it in here.

Let me know if you'd be interested in reading that, if I get enough interest I'll build a post about the strings.

Moving on

Rip ship of red lions :(

Wake is out here already gathering information, Something tells me that Wake is gonna have one of the brain cells in this group. Even if he does pirate vibes it around from time to time.

Linebeck also looks very done with the shenanigans already

Not him asking where they've come from because he's already spotted the master sword. He's not looking at Loft here, He's looking past loft.

His eyes! He's spotted the master sword, Hes spotted the master sword. This panel makes me so unbelievably excited.

Please excuse me for one moment

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE YES WAKE IT'S THE MASTERSWORD! HE IS PROBABLY ALREADY SUSPICIOUS OF LOFT BECAUSE HE HAS IT IN HIS HANDDDDD

okay I'm good

And instead of beating around the bush he just straight up asks which I can appreciate. Loft looks so nervous in this panel too. We know that Loft has seen the master sword sink under the waves so I can only assume that he's getting nervous about that.

Maybe he thinks Wake sunk the master sword himself? Rather than stabbing it into Ganon's head.

Bundle of nerves loft my beloved.

Thinking about it more it could also be because Loft knows that this is another hero. Again back to the strings thing...

God i love this man he is wonderful. Also saying it as it is. I love it

Yay optimism! They needed some of that in this group.

Lofttttttt. Poor baby.

Which nightmare are you referring to buddy cause there's several all happening at once, to be honest.

There is a storm on the horizion and they are on a boat

He's meeting heroes who all came after him, who exist due to the demise curse.

He's probably worried about this lot because what happens if they find out the extent of the reasons they are all here/went on their quests in the first place.

It's nice to see the optimism again. Wake you my friend are going to be the optimistic friend of this little team they are building.

I love it

I enjoyed this update, it was fun to read! and it gives me something to think about along the lines of the red string.

Thanks for hanging out with me!

Bye for now! :D

[paintedkinzy-88]

Im sorry to bother you. I just wanted to say that I love your COI AU. I love the leo angst in it and the Dragon. I have always loved dragons and this scratches a itch I didn't know I had 😆 I was reading back through the asks and saw where you weren't sure about Leos hoard, and then I saw an ask about how he used to talk with Donnie about getting wings. They would talk about shows like Rio and Gaurdians of Gahool. So maybe his hoard can be birds. Just imagine he has all these bird stuffies and figures because he loves movies with flying because he wants to fly, but his family just assumes he just likes birds. Donnie, of course, knows about the dreams, but leo just always plays it off, so it never clicks for Donnie that the bird hoard is another hint at his need to fly. When his brothers find out the birds make so much more sense to them and the obvious obsession just hits them hard because they never noticed. Just a random thought, lol. Sorry that was really long.

Never a bother to get an ask! I love reading everyone’s thoughts!! I’m glad you enjoy it! (ﾉ´ヮ´)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧

Ahhhh I really had to think about this for a while, feel how it would fit in the story, and the more I think about it, the more I actually really like that idea, dang it! I hadn’t actually planned on adding hoards, but you guys make it too fun XD

I’m still debating if it’s ooc at all for him... and if I care lmao. So excuse me as I go on a whole ass ramble once again, to get my new thoughts in order, and maybe see if anyone likes it lmaooo.

Everyone knows that Leo’s liked birds since he was a little dragonet, specifically because of what you mentioned: movies! Rio, The Aviators, even Angry Birds, he loved them all! But at the end of the day, Guardians of Ga’Hoole is what started everything. With scenes like this, as a kid who never really thought about what it was LIKE to fly beside Raph and Mikey? That little tot was immediately fascinated.

However, he also really liked Happy Feet before that, for the exact opposite reason: the swimming (Though the music was a bonus too). He was familiar with that, and he was good at it too, so seeing these lil penguins swimming in an ocean instead of the little pool Splinter was able to get for them was HUGE.

So when birds became such an important thing that it triggered his hoarding instincts, why would anyone assume anything was wrong? Obviously that’s where his questions about flight came from! Birds birds birds.

Bird toys, bird figurines, bird pokemon cards, pictures, movies, plushies, books, he was collecting it all!

It wasn’t until he got to see HTTYD or Avatar, (both a little after he finally accepted flying wasn’t an option for him and obsessing over it wasn’t helping), that he realized his hoard wasn’t just limited to birds. Dragons (ACTUAL dragons, not drakes or serpents…), bats, insects, frikkin flying squirrels — suddenly he was aching to get items revolving around those too.

But if he let himself hoard stuff like that all willy nilly, his family would certainly piece it together, wouldn’t they??

He’s able to let a few items fly (pun intended), like a plush dragon here and there because “it looks like Mikey,” a cool pinned butterfly because it’s “blue, like me,” a bat diagram because “there’s no medical poster for dragon wings, we need that in the medbay, obviously!” Anything he can come up with an excuse for.

But anything else? Anything that might raise too many eyebrows? Like that dragon onesie or that giant bat Halloween decor or the whole WoF comic book series??? Either resist the temptation, or shove it under his bed.

Meanwhile, he absolutely gets teased for being “SO into birds” as a dragonet, it became his hoard. But that’s fine, they tease each other a lot, it’s not as if all of his family doesn’t constantly bring him more bird stuff as gifts lmao.

[sirwow]

Hello once again RD tumblr. I recently went on an extreme discord ramble about Cocole in my au and its so long i feel it be a waste not to put it here! usual me warning of yeah its reallly long under the cut. anyways have fuuun

(PS im not editing this from the discord messages cus im eepy so might be a bit messy!)

So to start before rhythm doctor even starts some background on CC Cole and Nicole. Cole first:

Cole was a single child that grew up a VERY privileged life style. Rich neighborhood and spoiled rotten at the expectation that he would be like his parents. (be a CEO or high ranking individual like his dad n have a stay at home wife like his mother) Cole however ended up with a music obsession ever since he was 12 and started playing the piano. At first his parents encouraged this, giving him lessons and everything but when they realized music was the only thing he did care about, they were more hesitant on supporting him n tried moving him on a different path. This does work well on a rebellious spoiled teen so Cole just ended up becoming more obsessed out of spite. Spending all of his allowance on his electric guitar, synth and microphone. Cole was still being a freeloader off of his parents money by 22, never having actually gotten a job and just barely finishing highschool. His parents kicked him out when he refused to get a job n this lead him eventually to Middlesea after many long train rides across the countryside. Got admitted to the hospital basically as soon as he got to Middlesea due to a lack of sleep and an extreme amount of caffeine drinking. Doesn’t mind too much because it gives him company and he wanted to stay in Middlesea anyways since it was told to him by a chance encounter with miner that it was the capital of music.

Now Nicole:

Much less privileged growing up in comparison to Cole. Moved to Middlesea when she was just 1 from Norway since her dad got a job offer. Unfortunately said offer fell through and now they were stuck in North America just trying to make do. Nicole grew up with all brothers- 1 older, 2 younger. Picked up the guitar after begging for a full year for her parents to get her one for her 14th birthday. (which they did) Nicole grew up with dreams of grandeur- being a famous enough player to help her family and be know more then the awkward lanky gameboy girl in class. Her dreams of that were half crushed though when she entered a high school talent show that she was planning on playing at but when she was actually on stage she completely froze up and had a panic attack. Got bullied pretty relentlessly for it and the nail in the coffin was seeing how poor her family was in comparison to others and how she was just putting more stress on it trying to be a musician. Gave up on music at 20, moved out into a small apartment, got her barista job, and started getting check ups by 22 due to her sudden smoking habit from stress. Met Cole when he stumbled into the Cafe the same morning he was admitted n they started up their daily routine of chatting with each other

SO! Everything is basically identical to what happens in game till after act 5. When Lucia proposes the idea of a talent show, Cole reeaaally wants to get Nicole to play with him and Samurai. Nicole is pushing him off due to her past trauma of the last talent show she tried to preform at. Using the excuses that she got rid of her guitar and she can’t even play anymore anyways. Meanwhile only a few weeks before this, Nicole had started teaching Logan how to play the guitar to confess his love to Hailey with music. Nicole had been spending the whole day dealing with Cole coming in every 30 minutes to try and convince her but Nicole repeatedly shut him down. Cole was making a final plea to her at the end of her shift n just as she was gonna tell him one last time she didn’t have a guitar anymore- Hailey and Logan suddenly barged in. Turns out Logan had confessed to Hailey not more then 10 minutes ago and when she found out who taught him how to play guitar, Hailey wanted to return the relationship favor to Nicole. Handing her back the guitar right infront of Cole n thanking her for teaching Logan before running off dragging a very apologetic Logan behind her. Cole and Nicole were silent as she held her guitar before Cole asked if she could now that she had her guitar. Nicole put it away and told him to get out so she can close shop. Cole tried staying but got pushed out and locked out by a very flustered Nicole

Nicole was. Kinda mixed in her feelings. Angry that even happened, guilty that she was called out for her lie and wondering if she should take Cole’s offer. She was still thinking it through for the next 2 days n her completely ignoring Cole asking about it was enough to make him give up n just start planning with Samurai. Samurai came into the cafe when Cole admitted defeat to him n very roughly questioned Nicole if she still enjoyed music or not. When she said she did and had actually been playing more before this because of Cole, Samurai told her she should show him that. Nicole didn’t really respond but that night while Cole and Samurai were song writing- Nicole showed up with her guitar after work, ready to join them. Cole jumped up to quickly hug her excited before catching her up on what they were doing. She never had her heart jump so suddenly

So the trio started practicing for the talent show, writing a song together and practicing together. As the day of the show started approaching, Nicole’s nerves started getting the better of her and smoked more as a result. Smoking more made her SVT worse so now during practice she was even more fidgety and nervous then before. Cole eventually took notice when she kept getting pissed at missing her cords n turned a practice night into a gaming night with the three of them to calm her nerves. Over games, Nicole admitted to Cole and Samurai why she was so damn nervous about this and how stupid her first attempt at a talent show went. Cole offered to shove her if she froze up n though she laughed and pushed him calling him a dick, Cole meant it in a caring sense. They would be by her side in this dumb idea so if she felt embarrassed she could blame them for it. Nicole still laughed at the idea but felt some calmness in the idea. Regardless- the day of the show was there and Nicole still had a shift to finish so they were going last. It was a quiet day in the Cafe n so her thoughts were racing while watching the clock occasionally. She began drifting off into nervousness again by the end of her shift and only snapped out of it when an exhausted Lucia broke into the cafe sweating and huffing. She was surprised to still see Nicole there as she pointed to the clock showing it was only about 5 minutes before she played. Nicole FREAKED out n asked Lucia if she could close for her in a panic n as soon as Lucia said yes, Nicole handed her the keys and apron thanking her, before dashing down to the parking lot the show was being held at. When Nicole got there, she froze before the backstage seeing how many people where there to watch but quickly ran again when she saw Cole and Samurai signaling her over. Cole reassured her one last time it be okay before they went up there n to just keep her eyes on him. No other time was left for anything else to be said but Nicole gave a nod

Cole Nicole and Samurai all went up to the stage but right before they were going to play, got cut off by Richard waltzing in trying to use this massive crowd as a publicity stunt. Some shenanigans later and Insomniac running at Richard with his sword to scare him off, the three got to play their hearts out. Nicole and Cole sing together. N as she kept her eyes on Cole as he suggested, she realized he was looking right back at her just as they did in practice when it was just the two of them. Playing like no one was watching. The trio finished and ended up winning 1st place in the show with much cheering. Everyone afterwards headed back to the cafe for an after party n Nicole got to properly close up n got Lucia comfortable with a blanket. Cole sat back with Nicole behind the bar counter as the little party chatted about. Suddenly through a light whisper, Cole thanked her. Nicole was confused but Cole just showed her his still shaking hand. He was just as if not more scared of going up there but her looking at him gave him the strength to push on. Nicole didn’t say much in response but ruffled his hair calling him a doofus.

Now then it’s only gonna get rough from here!

Cole and Nicole return to their usual routine and banter after the talent show but something seems very off with Cole one day. He came in for the usual morning chat but in the afternoon he was far more nervous n off and tried to ask for some caffeine. Nicole declined of course, asking if he wanted to get himself back into an addiction n he obviously agreed he didn’t but seemed to be unsure of his own answer. Nicole did her best to try and burry the thought thinking Cole was just having an off day but then the same thing repeated the next 3 days. Him getting more and more pushy about getting some caffeine and Nicole getting progressively more frustrated with him. Nicole was planning on confronting him completely on the 4th day but he didn’t even show up that day at the Cafe. Nicole wondered if he was just going to a different Cafe to get caffeine but was much more shocked with the actual answer. Cole’s parents walked into the cafe that evening n spoke to Nicole if she had seen Cole. They told her that they had found out he was admitted here only a few days ago from a recording of the talent show n were coming to her after seeing her with him in the show. Nicole found out she hadn’t seen him today because he was hiding from his parents and refusing to see them even after they paid off all of his medical bills for his discharge. Nicole was flabbergasted by this. 1. That he was refusing to see what seemed like wonderful parents if they were just willing to pay off that debt and 2. This is how she found out he was attempting to get caffeine to avoid his discharge. Nicole couldn’t help his parents anymore and they had to get home for work so the conversation fell off quickly. Nicole however was PISSED

Cole meanwhile all this had locked himself up in his hospital room, petting Loafy to destress from the situation. He refused to be dragged back home by his parents and lose all the genuine friends he had gotten there. Besides he was so close to realizing his music dreams n giving in now would be ridiculous. Those friends he had made though were all now trying to talk to him since all of them had met n talked to his parents before they left n believed he was just being crazy and rash again. He didn’t let any of them inside either.

Night came n Nicole got off work. As soon as everything was closed up, she made a beeline for Cole’s room. Cole didn’t wanna let her in at first but didn’t miss a beat to when he realized that it was Nicole n gladly let her inside before locking it again. Cole immediately acted like everything was normal and fine to avoid the inevitable conversation but that just sent Nicole off. She called him for what he did to his parents n how she would of done anything to have something like that just covered instantly. Cole’s demeanor changed again into defensive annoyance with her. Cole still hasn’t told anyone his past at this point and he sure wasn’t now. Just called his parents out for trying to control what he was doing with his life and didn’t care what they tried, he wasn’t going back to them. This hit Nicole right in the heart with rage- she had given up her dreams to help her struggling family who never could help her much but he was just willing to throw that all away out of spite of not wanting to work. She knew he didn’t have a job n was broke but this was insane behavior. Nicole exploded at Cole, yelling that he was one hell of a selfish freeloader if he was willing to hurt himself just to get what he wanted. Cole backed off out of surprise but bit back yelling that she had no idea what he went through. They continued yelling at eachother for a minute-loafy hiding under the couch and a few other patients passing in the hall listening in

Cole snapped suddenly when Nicole refused to hear him out, telling her that at least he wasn’t a pathetic miserable minimal wage worker who gave up on his dreams because of other people dragging him down. Nicole stood still staring agasp at what he said and processing it. Cole seeing her expression immediately tried to back track his words but Nicole just told him to fuck off while stifling tears n left for the hospital balcony to cry and smoke. Nicole stayed up there for almost a full hour comprehending everything that just went down untill she got a grip on herself n lost her anger and just wanted answers from Cole. He might be an idiot but she knows he had to have some reasons. He always did.

Nicole headed down from the balcony after another 20 minutes of thinking through her words and finishing her second cigarette but found the janitor cleaning Cole’s room instead of Cole. Nicole, confused, asked where Cole had gone if he was cleaning out his room and Janitor told her Cole had taken his discharge early immediately after their fight. The one thing Janitor could point to where Cole had gone was seeing him searching up train times as he was packing. Nicole looked at the clock. 20 minutes till 11 pm. Nicole wordlessly walked out of the room and looked down the hallway. She broke into a sprint.

Cole’s feet dragged across the ground to the major train station platform. Hood up and hat spun back forwards, he was going through his contacts and deleting all of the ones he had. He hesitated with Nicole’s contact but ultimately ended up deleting it when he started getting notifications from her. Just shut himself down and pulled out his ear buds being sick of music. Wondering if his parent were right for a moment before shoving down the thought and just focusing on the train signs to look up what town he’d end up at next. He looked down the open track and spotted the lights of a train only a few minutes off so gathered his things in preparation to leave. A loud thumping and trip against stone caught his attention from the tracks though and saw Nicole standing there at the end of the stairs.

Nicole was horribly winded but regained her strength as she stumbled over to Cole and pulling him into a hug before he could say a word. Cole stumbled over trying to apologize to Nicole while she held him but Nicole just told him to shut it before falling into a ramble. She confessed everything openly to Cole, how he had gotten her into music again, how she had honesty been smoking less because of him, how brighter her days were with him around, ect. She told him she wasn’t angry anymore but was instead begging for him to stay- not just for her but for himself too. She was scared what might happen to him alone out there- and openly admitted her love for him and everything about him even if it was a mess sometimes. The train to leave rushed by while Nicole still held onto him and it left him to make the next decision.

Cole struggled to muster his words through tears but clutched Nicole back, swearing to her he’d stay. Telling her that he loved her too in much more plain words as his tears choked him out. They kept holding onto each other crying till the train was gone and they separated from their griphold. Nicole took Cole back to her apartment and both collapsed. They were too tired to talk that night and Nicole had another shift that morning so they agreed to talk about this the next night before Cole crashed on the couch and Nicole crashed in her bed.

SO! Cole stays at the apartment for the day while Nicole goes to work for the morning. Nicole wasn’t expecting much that day but it turns out most everyone Cole was close to have been thrown into a panic since they can’t get in contact with them and didn’t say goodbye to anyone. Hailey and Samurai especially aren’t doing so well after Cole disappeared. Nicole finds all this out through a distressed Samurai getting a caffeine drink with a shot or two in it. Nicole tells him that Cole is alright and at her apartment so Samurai immediately goes to tell everyone else. Hailey is pissed as hell that Cole was willing to scare them that badly n shows up to the cafe to tell Nicole that. Samurai is just sad, worrying that Cole didn’t actually care about him that much. Nicole swore that she’d bring Cole back tomorrow to sort things through n left after her shift with more questions for Cole.

Once Nicole does get home, she finds Cole actually cleaned the entire apartment while she was gone n was just sitting at the dinning table waiting for her and doom scrolling socials. He stopped as soon as Nicole came in n once she got herself comfortable they basically immediately started having the talk they said they would. Nicole demanded some fuckin context for all his actions at this point and Cole relented. Told Nicole how he didn’t want to be near his parents since all they wanted from him was to drop his dreams of being a musician and instead get a big business job like his dad. Nicole could understand that but then asked why he removed all the contacts of his friends because they were all distraught because of it n Cole just kinda sat back processing that. Cole admitted quietly he didn’t think he’d be missed that much before going quiet again thinking. Nicole stared at him with sympathy but sighed that was a can of worms they needed to sort another time- but for now there was something more pressing.

Nicole told Cole pretty plainly that if he was gonna live with her, he had to start paying rent too and that meant getting a job. Cole was still adverse to the idea, mumbling that he thought music was a job but Nicole pretty bluntly asked how much he was making. Cole said 30$ a month. Nicole stared at him unimpressed. Cole conceded and agreed he needed a job but frankly had no idea where to start. Didn’t exactly have connections or a great resume to use n him getting along with someone is a 50/50 coin flip of them getting along or them hating him. Nicole agreed that it was rough n buried her head in her hands in thought trying to come up with something. Both sat silently thinking till Cole sprung back forward from the wooden chair almost falling over with him in it. Cole warned it might be insane but maybe he could start working at the cafe too? Nicole could use another hand, he was already used to the layout of everything and it be alot easier for him to get in. Nicole called him crazy but when taking a moment to think about it she agreed it was kinda the best bet they had. A few calls later- Nicole was able to convince her mostly absentee manager to interview Cole in a few days much to his excitement and extreme anxiety of getting an actual job.

Nicole ruffled his hair assuring he’d probably be fine there n to worry about it when it’s actually time to. Cole agreed and both were suddenly left wondering what to actually do for the rest of the night. They still never properly had really thought of themselves in a relationship yet but the thought was now pressing on them. Nicole just excused herself to make them dinner and just told Cole to turn something on the TV. She eventually joined him on the couch n one attempted cuddle later, things felt a lot more natural now that they were past the overwhelming fluster of knowing they were in a relationship. They ended up passing out in bed together cuddling

Now then- next day Nicole dragged Cole’s ass back to the hospital to apologize to everyone. Hailey smacked him with a nearby magazine before hugging him, telling him with a bit of a shakey voice to never do that again. Cole swore not to and hugged back. Samurai on the other hand was more nervous to talk to Cole then Cole was to him. He was scared Cole didn’t actually enjoy his company but Cole spent the next 30 minutes swearing that no, he did really care and promising to play drums and base with him again to reassure him. Also got hugged by Samurai but Samurai wasn’t really paying attention to his strength and nearly crushed the boy. The rest was pretty much the same, angry at Cole in the moment but happy to have him back. Things move relatively quickly and in the background after this point for them- Cole got the job and learning how to work hyjinxs insue but things in the story for them settle for a little while after this.

The two mostly play a supporting role for the next month or so. Nicole also dropped smoking when they started dating. Cole understanding the plights of Ada Ian Nicole and Janitor now that he works himself and it acts as a major ego check for his usual antics. Cleans up after himself, thanking and uplifting Ian n Ada when he gets the chance (especially to Ada after feeling guilty for literally throwing hands in 2-2 when she was just helping) n having a general more respectful attitude to everyone. Only playing with samurai on free days and never at night, n being less of a genuine shithead. He’s got a good heart just not the greatest lessons learned from being spoiled rotten by entitled parents.

Nicole during this whole break though ended up in contact with Cole’s mom behind his back. She reached out to try and check in on Cole more but slowly got more and more info out of Nicole about his life- including them being in a relationship. Nicole was still kinda hesitant of believing Cole’s words completely after how much he lied before and his mother really did seem to just want the best for him so she continued contact. Eventually his mother asked Nicole if she could bring Cole back home just for the holidays to talk to him. Nicole was incredibly hesitant trying to figure out what to do about it. She eventually decided through her own values that it would be a good idea for Cole to make amends with his family. Nicole agreed to it before telling Cole n well. Cole was angry to say the least. He told Nicole that his parents were nothing but bad news but she defended herself that she spoke to his mother for a month and she saw no red flags in the slightest. Cole was even more elated at that admission but Nicole begged him to please just give them one more chance. Cole’s new mellowing out lead him to agree with Nicole just to keep the peace in their relationship as much as he hated it and quietly hoped maybe she was right.

So! Cole and Nicole get their holiday break n head out on the long train ride to his hometown. Cole was brooding most the ride but Nicole kept holding onto his hand as reassurance. After the 6 hour ride there they arrived and Nicole was a bit shocked. It was fancier then anything she had ever even seen let alone stepped foot in. Not exactly a neighborhood for a minimum wage worker to belong. Regardless they were able to be taxied to the house after Cole gave his Id for passage into the gated neighborhood and arrived at the house. A grand moderately sized home kitted out with everything you could imagine, Cole’s mother, Holly, came outside first to greet them. Cole accepted her hug hesitantly n Holly went ahead and hugged Nicole too making her just as awkward feeling. Shortly after Holly was his dad, Cresso (are these both coffee puns? Yes). Cole just backed up without interacting outside of a strained hi but Nicole shook his hand when Cresso offered it. Both were welcomed inside and told to just go ahead and make themselves comfortable for the night since it was pretty late. Cresso didn’t say anything exact but lead Nicole to the guest room while telling Cole he could stay in his own room for the night. Nicole didn’t wanna piss off his parents so just relented to sleep in the guest room without Cole even when Cole tried to push it. Cresso seemed satisfied with Nicole shutting down Cole’s rebelling n though that left a pit in Nicole’s chest she just blamed it on train exhaustion n went ahead to clonk out without another word.

Now I’ll be frank im still rewriting the details here but the important stuff: -Nicole obviously finds out how privileged Cole was -Cole when he gets the chance to speak to Nicole alone tells her he hates it here- not the comfort of money, but the social sense. He’d rather live on the streets then be stuck here -dinner the next day. Ohboy dinner the next day. Over dinner there’s essentially a blow up when they find out Cole is still doing music and Nicole is too along with encouraging him. It starts light but eventually devolves into Cresso calling Nicole a lowlife service worker n that Cole could do better then this. Holly tried to damage control but it was too far now and Nicole n Cole packed their things to leave immediately.

The late night train ride was tense to say the least. Nicole tried to apologize to Cole after a long silence but he just told her he didn’t want to do this right now but he was angry. Cole just cuddled up to Nicole’s side and fell asleep for the rest of the ride. Guilt ate her up on the way back n handled Holly texting her after the whole thing. Basically telling her off, Holly understanding n agreeing to not speak again. Nicole stayed up the whole ride just watching the stars and snow n they still didn’t talk once they got back home at 4 am other then Cole choosing to sleep on the couch that night. Nicole wanted to give him the bed but chose not to stress him more with a pointless argument.

Things do not go swell once they’re back. Cole and Nicole aren’t talking n everyone can tell so eventually someone (Ada) asks Cole what’s up n he vents the whole situation out bluntly. Ada asks Nicole if this is seriously what happened n Nicole didn’t even try to defend herself anymore n said yes. Ada was shocked and appalled what Nicole did all because she didn’t believe Cole. Ada told Ian, Ian told Cinny- and eventually the whole story got spread around the whole hospital. No one was happy with Nicole and frankly all became hesitant to confide in Nicole after that leading to silent shifts and nothing to break up the monotony of it all. The added social stress brought Nicole to start smoking again. Cole stopped being as cold with Nicole just wanting to move past now but the damage had been done to her by herself. Nicole wasn’t okay with just being forgiven quietly like this or forgiven at all.

A week into this when Cole finally said it outloud that he forgave her and just wanted to move on, Nicole refused it. Cole tried to get through to her more forcefully with yelling but Nicole just ended up misinterpreting it as her fucking up again- the combination of meltdown and smoking sent her into a really bad SVT attack making her faint. Cole rushed her to MSH for care and stayed by her side till she had to be taken back for urgent care. Nicole woke up the next day sore and breathless n a note left by her bedside. Cole was taking over her shifts alone but wanted her to know it was okay and to please just rest for his sake. Nicole didn’t have much choice in the matter anyways being bed bound but took his word to heart. Cole visited every break he got from the rush n though he looked exhausted n a mess he still told her it was okay. Nicole while he was gone started writing a song for him as some sort of apology. However when she did play it for him a week later n got to the line that she didn’t deserve him, Cole shushed her up.

Cole was already a bit teary from her being so thoughtful to write a song for him but told Nicole he was the one who didn’t deserve her. They went back and forth with sad laughs that they didn’t deserve each other but Cole eventually stopped it n made Nicole a deal. If he stopped saying it then she had to stop saying it too. Nicole thought he was still joking but when he wasn’t she gave an exhausted sigh n smiled before agreeing. Cole thanked her n hugged her tightly. Nicole joked that she’s glad he didn’t hear the rest of the song cause she wants to rewrite it to be perfect for him. Cole didn’t quite care if it was perfect but as long as it was her it was alright. Nicole called him a goof for that one n he just giggled saying he was being honest. They ended up cuddling n passing out again even if it fucked up Coles sleep schedule

After this mess part 3, they get back to their normal groove again n do their usual routine n chilling in the bg. Unfortunately this peace after the winter holidays would move into a blooming disaster in the start spring. The two were off work but over at the hospital after doing their morning baseball workout with everyone else. Cole n Nicole were just hanging out with loafy n after throwing a bone for him outside n watching him struggling to find it in a bone, the lights suddenly shut off, old metal gates shut on the outside door n emergency lights were the only thing lighting up the halls. Nicole and Cole ran down to the main hall hearing something going on n joining a group of other patients they saw CT dropping Edega and turning to them. Lucky yelled at them all to run so they followed without another word. Once they were able to get a safe distance away they all listened in on Logan’s phone to Ian explaining the situation. Frankly Nicole n Cole didn’t understand half of it other then they were all in danger and to protect Hailey n Logan the most. The call cut off as the phone’s screen shut off from Connectifia before Ian could help them get out. Lucky took command of the situation n told Cole and Nicole to get Logan and Hailey as far away from CT as possible. They didn’t hesitate, nodded, and took the kids by the hand to get away from this horrible situation.

Nicole and Cole course couldn’t go as far as they wish they could but honestly they were trying to not freak out from the distance screaming n keep Hailey and Logan calm. While Cole was trying to calm Hailey from a meltdown, CT began stomping towards them n they all froze. Cole watched CT with baited breath before telling Nicole to hide them without turning around. Nicole barely got out a whispered “what?” Before Cole asked her if she trusted him. Nicole looked at him, still turned, and back up at the slowly approaching CT and said yes. Cole told her to go then and started running down the hallway to distract CT. Nicole hesitated to go and stop him but turned away n ran to take Hailey n Logan somewhere safe much to their chagrin. Cole grabbed a left behind baseball bat and though he was no hitter, just used it get get CT’s focus on him before dodging for his life. He couldn’t run forever though in a place like this and inevitably got trapped in a room and tripped over equipment before CT got a grip on his chest and sent him straight into a paralyzing SVT attack with its electrocution. Cole was left on the floor of that room once CT left to find the last 3.

Nicole knew that scream. But it was twisted and mutilated from the fun moments she had heard it before. Logan n Hailey were clutching to her hand still but knowing what was coming, Nicole took both of them and put them inside a empty cabinet to hide before running out herself. What more did she have to lose anyways? She followed the same steps as Cole with CT to get them away but her running into a room was stopped by all the fallen over equipment making her hesitant to go in. The moment of hesitation gave CT enough time to pin Nicole against the wall by her back and zapped her without a second to react.

Nicole sat delirious, the repeating blaring of the alarm slowly deafening in her mind and was slipping away till she moved in the slightest and all the pain hit her again. A voice cut through the monotony of it all. Cole had crawled out on his hands from the room he got trapped in and was using what little voice he had left to call out to Nicole. They couldn’t see each other much at all in the darkness and slipping conciseness but kept each other company with their presence. Talking hurt too much so they just sat listening to each other’s quivering breath till they passed out entirely.

If utter darkness was the one thing Cole had seen before the soft florescent light he woke up to might as well of been a flashbang. It was definitely still MSH but everything seemed tidyer then when just Ian and Ada handled things. Cole sat up slowly feeling his breath still burning but looking around realized Nicole was right by him with her eyes still closed and laying on her chest. It took a bit of willpower to do but enough bugging her sleep by saying her name managed to wake up Nicole as well. Neither could really do anything once they were awake but seeing each other still there was enough reassurance.

They recovered relatively well after the incident other then being self conscious about their new scars but uplifting each other about them. Talked the most to the 3 kids when they couldn’t sleep n just wanted to make sure everyone was okay and were the first ones to start walking around on their own again. Mostly stuck together when they were recovering after that whole ordeal. Generally avoiding talking about all the heavy implications and thoughts that traumatic event caused n seemingly getting through it the easiest. (when in reality they’re keeping all that fear in the back pocket for later when it’s gotten worse )

and well. Honestly that’s kinda where they end off for the main plot of CC before they start going on their own life story together.

If you managed to read this far, thank <3 i hope you enjoyed the straights simplifed

[redux-iterum]

i am aware you can't answer this right now, but! as a patron, your Tigerclaw. ough. it's been a good couple months(?) since i read his death scene and i am still reeling from the impact (in a positive way). just. everything. i am lacking in words tonight but just how emotionally charged it is, from every angle, in every way......... man. thats the kind of shit i hope to write one day. "emotional impact that feels like being beaten with a really heavy pillow (in a good way)" my beloved <3

OH same patron anon from like 2 minutes ago with the Spoiler Comment Question, here with a Hopefully-Not-Spoiler Comment Question. Once again; I love how you write Tigerclaw!!! the fact that I was, in the moment, disappointed and a little upset that Lionface was chosen as deputy over him, the fact that, on more than one occasion, I found myself wondering-slash-hoping that he was somehow, in some way, a red herring and not. y'know. responsible for the deaths that have ALWAYS been his fault in every rewrite and retelling. as if I didn't already know. as if it wasn't a fact I've known since I was a small child reading WC for the first time. damn. as i said before: many thoughts no words to express them But I Love, patron anon back for round 3. sorry that im spamming you with messages i just keep having More Thoughts and apparently no filter. I love how you write Tigerclaw as, like..... not a grand cunning mastermind, possibly not even in his own eyes. Prideful, yes, but there's this element of.... i don't quite know how to put it. He's just a guy. He's just a guy who loves his mate and his son, and is excited for the kits his mate is expecting, if a little apprehensive. Just a guy who is dangerous and terrible because he is so, so very certain that he knows what The Right Thing To Do is, and is willing to do whatever it takes to reach that ideal, but his idea of The Right Thing To Do is so horrible and skewed and dangerous. He does what he has to do, or what he thinks he has to. Does he see it as self-sacrifice, in a way? stooping so low for the sake of those he cares about? sorry again for the multiple asks but i'm obsessed with villains like this and have only just now managed to put the words together. cause like.... a lot of truly awful people aren't masterminds. They're people who are so very certain that they're in the right, and are so very wrong about that. i do love flamboyant, Evil-with-a-capital-E cartoon villains a lot (when done right), but there's something about having a villain be so normal, so clearly An Average(ish) Person, someone who may not even see how horrific their actions are. NOT THAT ANY OF THIS IS AN EXCUSE, it's not that they're misdirected or confused. it's like... the dead certainty that they are Correct and other people are Wrong. There's something very..... tactile? about it. "Real" might be the right word but it doesn't feel exactly right. It's like, this is a person you could meet. A person you could know. And they're just quietly (or not-so-quietly) abhorrent in so many ways. sorry for rambling my head is full of thoughts tonight and i apparently cannot shut up </3

Much gratitude and flustering for these asks, man, golly. I've hoped that I've improved in writing over time, and asks like these make me more confident. Thank you for reading along! (And for pledging on Patreon, an absolute of course.) Apologies for not getting to these sooner, I was saving them for today.

Your assessment of Tigerclaw is spot-on. I would say he THINKS he thinks of himself as a normal, good husband and warrior who's doing his best and having a humble life. There's only so real that can be when he also has the constant thought of "I am the only one who sees the truth and I need to Fix Things because no one else can". He thinks he's so much more honest and realistic than he is. You know people like that. I know people like that. The most dangerous person is one that can fool themselves.

[obscenicon]

sorry for being weird in your inbox i was having a moment. i get obsessed with symmetry and numbers and everything evening out and i tend to forget the human side of things. you made a good point that oppositeness doesn’t really apply to transmasc/transfem identities i just get into my head about Categories and Numerical Values and stuff like that. hard to explain and i dont want to ramble (again).

also the nonbinary jakey comment might have been misinterpreted because i saw a meme like that and you know a lot of homestuck humour is reference humour. ultimately though that was a weird thing to send to a stranger and i apologise. i have social communication issues so i don’t always know when i’m being inappropriate, especially when i’m in a symmetry spiral. (not trying to excuse trying to explain.)

i think your art is really dynamic and eye-catching and cool. sorry for wasting your time.

😭anon i promise its not that big of a deal im not mad at u. ur fine. its just a bit of a pet peeve for me when ppl feel the need to like, Balance the Genders bcs they were already evenly distributed in canon. like if yr transgenderizing them i dont see the point in keeping it symmetrical. also the nonbinary jakey thing was fine it was just the idea of nonbinary people "throwing off the pattern" that bothered me

but also ty. ur sweet <3

[seodami]

Embarrassment | JWY

Genre: action, fluff, tiny bit angst

Warning: embarrassment, second hand embarrassment

Word count: 3303

Pairing: Cat Noir!Jung Wooyoung x gn Ladybug!reader

Note: Wow okay lately I’ve been binge watching all the Miraculous series and I’m obsessed!!! Like can you imagine a better character to play Cat Noir than JUNG WOOYOUNG?! No. So since this is just one mission kind of, I thought about writing another part (bc I already got such a good idea!!!!)

„He is just so so…so handsome.“ you mumbled, having your head laid onto your crossed arms on the table in front of you. You couldn’t help but let out a dreamy sigh, literal heart eyes shooting at the black haired boy two tables across from you.

„Are you stalking again, Y/n?“ you almost jumped at the sudden infuriating voice behind you, belonging to no other than your best friend Yunho. Panick driven, you pulled on his arm to sit down into the chair next to you. Your palm flatly pressed against his mouth, you send him a deathly glare. „Shut up Yunho!“ you checked with a glance if the black haired boy might have heard his comment and relaxed slightly when you saw him still writing on his essay.

„Can you not?“ you whisper yelled now, cowering back into your seat in the library. A few people around your table were looking at you funnily. The giant next to you shrugged apologetically with an amused smile on his face. „What? Is it not true? Go talk to Wooyoung if you find him so handsome and stunning and amazing and wonderful and-„ with a smack on his arm, you brought him to silence.

„It’s not that easy, Yunho. Every time I try to, it’s like a total chaos inside here.“ you pointed to your head pouting. „And I don’t seem to find any air to speak as well. He quite literally takes my breath away.“ you sighed defeatedly, head laying inside your palm now, secretly glancing at Wooyoungs handsome side profile. Wow, his nose was really nice and his jawline- you hastily shook your swarming thoughts aside.

The brunette besides you began to laugh a bit too loud at your rambling, making Wooyoung actually glance over to the both of you with a curious look. When he saw you two, his perfect row of white teeth came into appearance. He gave you a small wave before focusing back on his studies. All you could do was grin stupidly back, the redness creeping up way quicker than anticipated.

You repeatedly hit your tall friends leg under the table to stop him from gaining so much attention. „Stop iitttt. Did you see? He looked over, god. I’m suddenly sweating.“ you hid your face behind your hands, internally groaning at your stupid silly huge crush on this almost perfect boy.

„Isn’t that what you want when you stare at him like that all the time? Like he’s your whole universe?“ he joked, eyeing your adorably red face. Your crush on the schools most popular boy amused him every time. „Y/n just go talk to him. You have nothing to lose, literally. Just imagine you are talking to me. Or your mom. Or whoever. Wooyoung is also just a human like you and me.“ Yunho tried to reasonably find a way to overcome your invisible barrier.

„My body doesn’t allow that, trust me. It’s always the same.“ you mumbled again before stuffing your belongings back into your bag. „Im going to the toilet. I need some cold water“ With these words, you excused yourself and off you were.

You were relieved when nobody else was inside the bathroom, unclasping your purse. The red tiny ball of sunshine immediately flew out, around your head and sat down on your shoulder, hugging your cheek. You giggled at your Kwamis cute behaviour. „Y/n, don’t be sad! There is always a way to get closer to Wooyoung! Don’t give up hope!“ Tikki encouraged you with her high pitched voice, thanking her afterwards for her warm words. Your hand reached inside your purse again to retrieve a piece of the cookie, you always brought along for Tikki to eat.

„I just wish I could be braver when it comes to my feelings. I act so immature around him. I bet he likes more mature people, he does, right?“ you began to chew on your nails but Tikki stopped you at the right time. „Don’t be so hard on yourself, Y/n! You are the most brave person I know with such a wonderful personality.“ she assured you with a smile. You took a deep breath and nodded encouragingly to yourself.

„You are right, Tikki. I can do it. I’m just gonna talk to him as if he was Yunho. No not Yunho, that would end up in a catastrophy. He is just a person in my class who coincidentally looks good. That’s all. Easy.“ you rambled again, splashing a big hand full of water on your face. Your Kwami gave you a reassuring nod. You could do it. You just go and say hi and ask him if he can help you with your essay. That was a good enough plan to be reasonable.

With new found confidence and Tikki back in her hiding spot, you stepped outside of the toilet, accidentally bumping straight into someone’s chest. You immediately apologised in a polite manner before you realized that it was Wooyoung himself who you ran into. Suddenly your mouth felt like you hadn’t drunk water in ages, as dry as the Sahara.

He was so close, you could even see your most favorite mole in the world right under his left eye. Even his pretty smile looked more stunning up close, you felt your heart flutter embarrassingly fast. „Oh I’m sorry y/n, I didn’t see you.“ he apoloised but you were quick to assure him it was all your fault.

„Hey I saw you working on the essay earlier. I’m working on it as well but it’s harder than I thought.“ he admitted with a kind smile, sweeping his beautiful silky hair out of his face with a swift motion. You gawked, jaw slightly open. He had noticed you. HE HAD NOTICED YOU.

A chain of random words left your mouth, making absolutely zero sense. You felt a tickle from inside your purse, stopping you in your tracks. The boy looked at you amusedly while his eyes grew to thin slits. No no no why did he had to be so cute?

„Eh- I mean- yeah… it’s really hard. Yunho was trying to explain me but it just seems like I don’t get it.“ you finally spoke some decipherable words. „But it’s not like I’m dumb or anything, not totally, I mean sometimes but not really-“ you coughed to stop you from embarrassing yourself even more. Wooyoung giggled- HE GIGGLED- at YOUR words. Your heart hurt from liking him so much, it felt almost suffocating. You swear his laugh was always the best part of your day.

„You’re so funny. Studying so much really messes with one’s head, mh?“ he grinned at you with the most adorable expression ever. You just nodded stiffly, purposely ignoring the fact that he called you funny. „I’m gonna go to the bathroom real quick. Maybe we can help each other out afterwards. If Yunho knows, he can help us both.“ the starstruck gaze on your face made him smile and bid his temporary goodbyes before vanishing behind the boys bathroom door.

Your hand found your racing heart, frozen in the spot, your knees suddenly felt way too wobbly. What in the world just happened? What did you say? You could only remember part of your stupid rambling, only seeing his wonderfully pretty face. And his laugh. Oh his laugh. And how kind he was. HE CALLED YOU FUNNY. AND HE WANTED TO STUDY TOGETHER.

Suddenly the lights turned out, leaving total blackness. You heard chairs scraping against the wooden flooring, confused whispers and something weird. Like a grumbling noice. At once, a booming voice let you flinch, holding your hands over your ears. It sounded like two people were talking at the same time. „Yes Hawk Moth, we will bring you Ladybugs and cat noirs miraculous.“ a shiver ran down your spine. This was Hawk Moths doing again. „Now beware you spies! We will elicit your most embarrassing stories.“ people started screaming, the first people already admitting loudly to their embarrassing stories. A loud laugh boomed throughout the whole library.

Your hands reached blindly behind you for the door of the girls bathroom, soon succeeding and rushing inside. „Time to transform! Tikki, spots on!“ you whispered for your Kwami. After your transformation, you could still not see a single thing, slowly paving your way outside.

Little did you know, Wooyoung did the same thing the next door. Being Cat Noir definitely had its perks today as he easily could see in the dark. Finally some action after this long session of studying. Just as he was about to get bored.

„Hm, looks like it’s two people akumatized this time. I wonder where my little lady is.“ he immediately went into action, swinging towards the evil with the help of his staff. „Cat noir! We see you! Give us your miraculous to save yourself from the embarrassment.“ the voice almost hurt, that is how loud it was. After defending some of the incoming attacks, he swings back upstairs onto the railing.

That’s when he finally saw Ladybug, struggling to find her way in the dark. His heart roared at her appearance and he quickly made his way over to her to help his favorite person out. „Does My lady need a little light in the dark?“ he purred happily next to the other superhero, earning himself a surprised smack against his shoulder.

„Cat Noir! I told you not to scare me like that!“ your strong attitude showed and made him happier than ever. With a laugh, the black hero swiped you off the ground, his arms securely wrapped around you as he swung both of you over to a better position.

„I don’t see anything. How can you?“ you asked your partner confused with a hint of frustration. „Did you forget I’m a cat with excellent night vision, Bugaboo? Your beauty is still as clear as ever for me. Guess I’ll be the one, who saves you today.“ he chuckled cockily, leaning his head forward onto his staff. Flirting with you was as easy as breathing for him. Your grip around his arm tightened, trying to figure out your next move.

„Good luck with that, kitty. Firstly I’ll need my lucky charm.“ you said determined, getting ready. „Lucky charm!“ a small cold object fell into your hands. You tried to decipher what it could be. „A flashlight.“ the familiar voice next to your ear told you. You finally found the button, not yet turning it on. „Won’t they see you when you turn it on?“ he asked curiously, eyeing your every movement. He loved that he could stare at you lovingly without you noticing. Your face showed deep concentration.

„That’s the point. They can see in the dark. But we can use this for blinding them. Then you use your cataclysm on the book. I assume the akuma must be inside it.“ you explained your plan, getting ready. „Can you bring me as close as possible? We need to surprise them.“ you squeezed your partners arm, letting him immediately spring into action. „Anything for you, My lady.“

He swung you both across the utter darkness, gently settling you down. „Where are they?“ you whispered, hearing an embarrassed voice of a boy. Yunho. That was Yunhos voice. God, you felt guilty about not saving him earlier. He mumbled over and over how he accidentally took free ice cream in a park from a random woman, thinking it was for anyone, when in reality she was only calling her family members. You had heard this story before but still found it hilarious despite the situation you were in. Cat Noir next to you couldn’t hide a snort when he heard it as well. You hit his chest with a small smile, making him shush up.

„I’ll go hide over there and when I give you a sign, you can switch the light on in…“ he gently guided your hand with the flashlight into position, „…that direction.“ you nodded, feeling a pair of soft lips on your temple. With a scowl, you turned your head abruptly towards the culprits direction, making him giggle. „Stop that! We’re not here to play around!“. Wooyoungs heart fluttered at your bossy tone, falling as ever deeper for your charms. God he was always oddly attracted to this side of Ladybug.

He went into position and soon you were waiting for the cats sign. You heard a shrill loud laugh coming closer, signalising their arrival. With head ducked down, you tried to stay unnoticed.

„Now!“ you heard Cat Noir yell and without waiting any longer, you switched on the flashlight, bright harsh light shining right into their faces. A loud scream told you they noticed you now. But soon enough, Cat Noir used his cataclysm to destroy the akumatized object and free the little butterfly inside.

Light returned. You swung your Yo-Yo to capture the akuma, freeing it afterwards. „No more evil-doing for you, little akuma. Time to de-evilize! Gotcha! Bye-bye, little butterfly.“ you watched him fly away in peace, smiling to yourself. On the floor, two pupils you recognised as San from your class and a girl from a year above. You knew San was Wooyoungs best friend.

„Miraculous Ladybug!“ you shouted and threw your Lucky Charm into the air just for it to disappear and repair all the damages.

You went over to the two, reaching them your hands to help them up. They accepted with almost embarrassed expressions themselves. They must’ve been akumatized from shame of something. Poor them.

Cat Noir was sitting relaxed on a table with his ever present smirk. You fist bumped him with a smile. „Pound it!“ Your gaze went back to San and the girl. „We’re really sorry that happened. We were just really embarrassed to be caught in such a situation.“ San scratched his neck, ears turning slightly red. „Thank you Ladybug, thank you Cat Noir.“

Of course you wondered which kind of situation he could have meant but by Cat Noirs not so subtle laugh, you assumed it must have been exactly that kind of secret library snogging, where they were caught red handed.

„It’s alright. We all find ourselves in embarrassing situations sometimes. It’s normal. Don’t you guys worry about that anymore.“ you reassured them with a hand on each of their shoulders. They thanked you again and off they went. Together with the black cat, you swung yourselves out of the library onto the roof. He once again leaned onto his staff, looking at you with the most intense eyes. „You know, when it comes to you My Lady, I will never be embarrassed.“ there he went again with his endless flirting. This man really had no filter and absolutely no shame. Yet he always was the best partner in crime, never wishing someone else than him by your side.

You patted his hair affectionately with a smile while shaking your head. „You should really stop with all the flirting because it’s me who’s getting second hand embarrassment here.“ you giggled, swinging your Yo-Yo.

„Well, I’ll see soon, kitty. Behave.“ you bid your goodbye before swinging off, leaving the enamoured Cat Noir behind. He sighed lovesickly, already counting the minutes down until he will see you again. You really have a way of playing with his heart. „Oh she’s purrfect…“

He swung off as well now, landing safely inside the boys bathroom again, where the chaos suddenly began. After checking the absence of others inside the room, he called out Plaggs name. „Claws in!“ His reflection in the mirror changed from charismatic superhero Cat Noir back into his normal self. He noticed his disshelved hair and vaguely fixed it. Plagg was already chewing on a stinky piece of Camembert cheese, making Wooyoung wrinkle his nose in disgust at his Kwamis eating habits.

„That was awesome today. I finally could use my night vision! It’s really a shame it’s not getting used most of the time.“ the black Kwami commented with full mouth, swarming about the heavenly taste. Wooyoung laughed, patting his small head. „I know right? I finally could show Ladybug that I’m able to save her with my powers.“ he opened his pocket for his friend to fly into. „You mean our power.“ he held his head high, flying into his hiding spot. „Whatever you say, Plagg. Now we gotta go study some more. Let’s hope y/n and Yunho can help me more.“

When he went back to his spot in the library, his book was still open as he left it. Wooyoung saw you and Yunho laughing together two tables down, your hand surprisingly loud smashing onto the surface, making you hide in embarrassment from the gazes you got. He chuckled at your clumsy behaviour as he gathered his stuff to join the two of you for working on that essay.

When Wooyoung suddenly stood in front of you in his full glory, you froze. Literally froze. He greeted you with a kind smile, asking the two of you to study with you since he was struggling. Yunho of course immediately agreed without batting a single eyelash, watching you amusedly as your crush sat down next to you, arranging all his stuff.

Your eyes shook, not knowing where to look. He. Was. Sitting. Besides. YOU. And he smelled amazing. You bit your lip preventing it from smiling, quickly grabbing a pen, starting to intensely ‚work’ on the essay again. Yunho and Wooyoung were making smalltalk over your head when you heard them giggle. You weren’t particularly listening so you were more than surprised when the black haired boy gently took hold of your pen, turning it 180 degrees into your hand so that the tip was now actually facing the paper.

With deep red cheeks you muttered a broken ‚thank you‘, wanting to slam your head onto the table. However, you wanted to avoid a scenario like earlier with the hand. You really didn’t need an akumatized couple to let people see your embarrassing moments. They just need to put Wooyoung on the board and wow- what were you doing again? Banana?

However when San came over to your table with burning ears and actually slamming his head onto the surface beneath, you didn’t feel as bad as before. Poor San was the one being akumatized.

„I actually cannot believe this happened. Why does this just worsen the situation itself so much more?“ he sounded defeatedly, making his best friend laugh a bit too loud. But people were already staring anyways. He ruffled the older boys hair with an apparent teasing smile on his face. „Oh Sanie, I love the action in your life.“

„Wanna change lives?“ he grumbled, cheek pressed against the wooden surface. „No thank you.“ Wooyoung laughed angelically. You openly stared at their friendly banter, heart eyes beginning to shape again. Oh he was wonderful.

Yunho let out an exhausted sigh, watching it all happen again. Here we go again.

[hershelchocolate]

is there a particulr thing you want to ramble about or is this a "i want to talk so bad but i have 0 ideas and no one to talk to anyone so im simply going to die" mood? cause if you have something you want to talk about here is your permission to go off

I have been in Such a Hallowed mood lately and I have 0 outlet for it man I just fuckign love all these guys

They're all designed to have self contained mini stories so they're all just so uniquely cool in a way where they contain multitudes but it isn't actually that hard to summarize what they're about.

Like. Okay. Transgender cat girl who is taking too much advantage of her newly acquired nine lives? Catt. And she fucks.

Someone whose brother died in an accident but is haunted by his ghost constantly removing his memories of said accident? Emmit and Ismet and I'm obsessed with both of them in different ways. The brother who loved his sibling so much it would destroy him to find out the truth vs the brother who loved his sibling so much he came back from the dead but had to work constantly to make sure he was never being himself in front of his brother ever again. Fucks me up

Girl who never wanted to be here, who never wanted these abilities, but she has them and now she has no choice but to use them for good when she is physically incapable of begging for help? Irene and I think about her every day of my fucking life

Someone who was betrayed by their closest friend and took extreme measures and willingly became one of the most powerful monsters in this universe just to insure no one else suffered the same betrayal? Catherine and she's in gay love with a mailman

The little girl who befriends the monster under her bed with the perfect excuse of an imaginary friend to explain why she's speaking to something no one else can see? Shirley and her bestie Cuddles who is just happy to have someone to talk to

Monstrous circus ringmaster? Kalliope

Possessed by a ventriloquist dummy? Darby

The personification of the forest? Aspen

Literally everyone is so cool and fun in such vastly different ways I can be in a totally different mood and still love someone from this story they just all slap So hard

[its-no-biggie]

FINALLY finished ultra despair girls. rambles and ending spoilers ahead

i almost rage quit during the final boss fight because the combat mechanics were at their absolute worst (which is saying something because i found the combat incredibly frustrating front to back). but narratively the ending was. fine i guess. i think sdr2 did the whole "i reject your dichotomy" thing better and the way monacas plan got thwarted was kinda. dumb. i liked the fukawa/komaru development though! having monaca back komaru into a corner and then fukawa saves her, which monaca didnt account for, was good! but the whole. giant monokuma comes out of nowhere and tears the building down. defeat it and then you win!!!! really ruined the whole scene i think.

honestly komaru and fukawas friendship arc was the best part of the game. (also every komaeda appearance but thats just because im insane.) like the fight in the middle was SO yuri. especially when genocide jack held the knife up to komarus throat and she didnt even flinch??? obsessed. honestly fukawa kinda gets on my nerves as a character and that didnt really change, but it was cute that she finally made a friend. i liked it. the scene where fukawa finally got komarus name right was nice, and i like that she never once messes it up after that. and the way komaru tries to call her toko-chan once they become friends and fukawa really cant handle it so she goes back to fukawa-san, but then she calls her toko-chan in the after credits scene....... really good. theres more than that but just..... their relationship is a little unconventional but still really sweet and i like it. i think its good as the central relationship of the game. and also i think they should kiss

and. im sure ive complained about this before but im complaining about it again. absolutely BAFFLED at the decision to make the main villains abused children. genuinely what the fuck is that. its not that it COULDNT work but its not handled well at all..... like. yes they were manipulated by monaca, who was manipulated by junko. yes they werent REALLY the bad guys because komaru was being manipulated into siding with the adults for monacas grand plan (although by the end it was more like. both sides are wrong. so they /were/ still bad guys, just not the only bad guys). i dont CARE. the whole "woahhhh monaca was faking her disability for attention!!! because shes evil!!!!" twist??? awful. im not opposed to the concept of a character faking their disability for manipulative reasons but i resent the constant framing around these kids being "the bad stuff you went through doesnt excuse your actions". to be clear - im not saying that because you were abused as a child means its okay to kill all adults ever. but i am saying that kids acting out after being abused by their fucking parents is extremely reasonable, and the narrative is intentionally exaggerating this type of behavior in order to punish it. and im TIRED OF IT. monaca faking her disability for attention is literally explicitly because she felt like an outsider in her own family. yes it was manipulative. yes you shouldnt fake having a disability. but children whose needs arent being met will do whatever it takes to make sure those needs are met. and this is framed as Evil Villain Behavior and i am NOT HAVING IT. humanize the motherfucking abuse victims or die by my sword

anyway. overall. i got through it so it clearly couldnt have been too bad. i think im making it sound worse than it was - it does have its charms. but. i didnt really find the characters, plot OR gameplay that enjoyable. it has its moments but overall i didnt really have fun. so. not really a good game for me. but now its done and i can move on to the rest of the series!! yippee!!!

[whentommymetalfie]

Okay Im going on a rant and I cant stop myself, because I gotta tell you - your beautiful writing and also your incredible artwork are so absolutely mind blowing, they've completely stolen my heart! I love how your work keeps the ship alive, and also how it brings us Tommy x Alfie fans together ❤️

I was just wondering, what was the moment watching Peaky that made you decide to start writing about our two favourite lovable disasters?

I got the notification on this message at work today and let me tell you it made my day about 120% better ❤️ Firstly let me tell you that your content is truly ✨perfection✨ and thank you for your contribution to this ship! And thank you so much for your incredibly kind words. I don't even know what to say. But please know that messages like this reminds me why I'm still here on this hell site (affectionate)

Oh and this moment... ah I remember it as if it were yesterday (and not like... five years ago. Oh god.) Sit down and I shall tell you the tale, in the wordiest, least coherent way.

Well, I saw that first scene with Tommy and Alfie in the bakery and the rest is history. What can I even say? The chemistry. The banter. The looks. The death threats. The Tension(TM)... I can't even be eloquent about it. I just knew. Those are my blorbos. My true loves. My boys. Idiots in love. Icons. (and later also: Margate husbands. Retired gangsters shooting seagulls and bickering on the beach. Giving each other comfort in this cold and cruel world) They were meant to be. And I went, of course, as one does when obsessed, to ao3. I was at least a year or two (maybe even three) late to peaky blinders, but only found roughly 50 fics. They were all wonderfully fics, but 50 fics is not enough fics to sustain someone. And Tumblr was mostly empty, except reader fics. So, I decided to make the content I wanted to see in the world and well things sort of snowballed from there. Now here I am, years later, and still just as in love with this ship. Truly, they are, my OTP. And I'm so happy to be able to read so many skillfully written fics, and see the beautiful art, and other content created about them.

This turned into a very wordy and nostalgic ramble, but I get very emotional thinking about them so you'll have to excuse me

And thank you again ❤️

[ash-and-starlight]

hey! im OBSESSED with how intricately you draw the gaang and i wanted to ask if you had any specific influences or references when designing their outfits?? also is there any detail youve added to their outfits that you think deserves more attention 👀👀

AAAA THANK YOU!! I’m so happy you like that! I don’t have specific references to give you bc I always draw from a mess of Vibes and little images found on Pinterest. ((Lately I’m trying to draw fire nation clothes with a more South-East Asian inspiration, and using black and white patterns for the southern water tribe that resemble a bit more those found in circumpolar indigenous people’s clothes…, but again it’s more about vibes than accuracy))

As for the details oH BOY 👀👀 I don’t think there’s something that deserves more attention but uhh there are things that are maaaybe a little bit harder to catch so since u gave me an excuse I’m going to ramble about that lmao

1) Izumi’s robe with the baby elephant kois!! It doesn’t strictly fit in a fire nation or water tribe aesthetic bc it’s actually a gift from Suki!!

2) Zuko’s ribbon is a daenggi, a traditional accessory for Korean girls. Since Sokka is in full kyoshi warrior garb I figured zuko could have a little bit of genderism too, as a treat.

3-4) the square in the center of the embroidery on Rangi’s chest is the stylized whetstone symbol of the Sei’Naka clan. Also to every one who commented on the eye on Yun’s robe I’m giving you a kiss on the mouth.

5) ok this is so little and DUMB but the hawk drawing on this sigil was supposed to be a fire nation version of the Twitter logo. (yes I realized now it’s flipped on the wrong way leave me alone with my miseryyy)

[olderthannetfic]

I don't like leading with this but because it's relevant to what I'm about to say: I'm a black person living in a majority white Western European country.

I've got some disjointed thoughts I'd like to share Re: The Racism Warning Discussion

I can kind of understand why people might want a warning for racism, as I definitely appreciate whenever authors think to tag even period/canon-typical bigotry in the freeform tags. It's nice to be able to filter for it or at least know what you're getting into, and a warning option might make people more likely to not forget to tag it. The thing is though, the main reason why I like to see bigotry tagged is that it shows me that the author is aware of it being bigotry. My experiences with actual bigotry in fandom (and real life) have for the most part been with people who weren't self-aware, who were just saying/doing/writing what they actually seemed to think and saw as normal and acceptable and therefore wouldn't be using such a warning anyways. It's like how an extremely violent Non-Con story that's properly tagged (including Chose Not To Use Warings) is a lot less disturbing than a story involving """gentle""" coercive rape that the author (not the narrator) insists is actually consensual sex. The latter still happens in mainstream media today, so I don't know how we should be able to expect random fanfic writers to "solve racism im fandom" (? This seems to be the goal of some of the request for warnings for various things, but maybe I'm misreading the intent there) like this.

If there was to be a warning like that I honestly would prefer a more general warning for Bigotry, as I don't see why racism should be warned for, but not other types of bigotry (and as a black european my first question would be whether xenophobia would be included in a "Racism" warning, because while it's not the same thing it's still just as big a problem).

One thing I often see pop up in these discussions is complaints about US-centrism. In most cases I agree, as I have seen many bizarre attempts to apply US social politics and cultural norms to other countries without recognizing that they are not the same. It's both annoying, patronizing and harmful. However, in my day to day life I also see a lot of (white) people in the country I live in call every attempt at a discussion about racism here "US cultural imperialism" and "not applicable to our culture". So I just want to add that just because the unaffected part of a population of a country doesn't recognize something as being bigoted yet, doesn't mean the people affected by it don't see it as such (and haven't tried to communicate this, maybe even for decades already). So in a few cases—again, not all, just some—the "US-centrism" complaints can come off as excuses for why one should not have to reexamine their own biases.

To end on a positive note, can I just mention again that I really appreciate authors who tag for bigotry, even of the canon-typical variety? I like to read fiction as an escape from reality and it's just nice to be able to go onto a story knowing the author is (or is at least trying to be) considerate and aware. Honestly, this is another area where people who create are about or including dark topics are often safer to engage with than those who are obsessed with everything being (seeming) "pure". Looking through other fandoms on AO3 I realized that almost all of the authors for my favorite ship (which is canonically extremely dark and violent) are amazing at tagging. The perfect balance between being as brief as possible and giving a comprehensive overview of what to expect, even managing to be tongue-in-cheek without doing tumblr style tag rambling. Just *chef's kiss*

--

This seems to be the goal of some of the request for warnings for various things, but maybe I'm misreading the intent there) like this.

I think quite a lot are this and a few seem like "I want license to yell at people".

as a black european my first question would be whether xenophobia would be included in a "Racism" warning, because while it's not the same thing it's still just as big a problem

Yeah, a lot of the discussion is pretty US-centric, and if a warning ever does get added, I hope there's some thought put into how to make this work for a highly international user base.

But you make an excellent point about "US-centrism" complaints as a smoke screen as well.