#i can think of a few who definitely wouldn't though HAHA

[weirdmageddon]

i love these tags this person is so right

actually, can you imagine if dave was raised by B1 roxy?

i wanna get into this actually

(ok i had to spend a few hours rewriting this because IT DIDNT FUCKING SAVE AFTER FIVE HOURS OF WRITING WHEN MY COMPUTER UPDATED WHILE I WAS AFK so it would mean a lot to show this post some appreciation. i LOVEEE hearing what other people have to say)

even though these things mom does are presented in an extravagant, kitsch, jokey way, her intentions always came from a place of sincerity. she is simply Funnie

but rose reads too far into it and assumes things that aren't there, that her mother is passive-aggressively feigning interest in rose's interests simply because the things she does are so extra. "why do all of this if not to mock me"

im telling you right now if dave lived in this household he wouldn't assume antagonism, he'd go,

don’t forget who LITERALLY patented tangible jpeg artifacts as their post-scratch adult self and scattered shitty scummed up statue of liberties all over the planet. theres no way some of that overboard artful shit wasnt post-ironic / circling back around to genuine funny sincerity

dave's natural state is funny sincerity like roxy. he's had the natural capacity for this type of humor from the start and this is the direction he goes towards when he grows out of his brother's shadow by the end of the comic. dave and roxy share an earnest “so bad its good” type of humor

(lots more under the cut; the length of this meta analysis just got unwieldly with all the pictures and whatnot)

despite the alcoholism, roxy is a supportive mother. she's not the ideal guardian but hells of a lot more supportive of her kid than bro is. if she knew dave's interests she would totally indulge in them with some over the top silly goofy haha shit as a genuine gesture simply because she loves him

rose isn't too keen on it though. but she is more similar to dirk in her natural state of thinking of overthinking shit and assuming the worst, like the tags said

and yes dave got the sweet cuddly yet sometimes backhanded ouppy gene from roxy, probably even moreso lol

roxy's even said rose "sounds like girl dirk"

side tangent here, but this is something i wanna talk about.

i dont think bro should ever be in custody of children ever but if theres anyone who would be up to the task it's rose probably. i know she'd be able to keep up with him. not only does she have a defined personality (dave is more malleable and absorbs his environment like a sponge), if anyone can pick apart B1 dirk's batshit brain and probably be right on the money it's her. lil cal has been pumping patriarchal nonsense into bro's head and rose would be able to bring the fucking facts to the table without losing her own and being a living example of a badass little girl. i also don't think bro would try to force masculine roles onto rose like he did with dave, seeing as she is a girl, so she would actually have more of a leg up and get some passes that dave was never afforded. and rose wouldn't stand idly and accept any bullshit; she is no doormat. and i think this would earn bro's respect

but anyway, from this, couldn't we conclude roxy "sounds like girl dave"?

yeah okay. we havent even gotten into their penchant for funny typos or misspeaks, deliberate or otherwise

so, dave's environment

the sentiment "god you hope you can be as good as your bro at this some day" might have been genuine at the time when he idolized bro but of course he's not able to express that in any sort of sincere fashion because he's in dirk's fucking household. and this level 10 irony shit isnt doing dave any favors

his role models were the Internet and a vague idea of what Bro was like. So he built up his facade based on irony–not the literary definition of irony, as Rose might be quick to point out, but a popular concept of irony based on the idea that things that didn’t make sense actually made sense in some roundabout way. As a master of irony, Dave probably reasoned, he could see in a way other people couldn’t why a world that was scary and didn’t make sense really did make sense, and could therefore convince those people that he was superior to them. And he would wield his knowledge to maintain the appearance of superiority by calling everything ironic and pretending he didn’t care about things that didn’t make sense, and he would use walls of vaguely rhyming words to keep everyone at arm’s length so they wouldn’t discover his insecurities (source)

roxy's style is the embodiment of post-irony. being raised by mom lalonde would be like being raised by joel vinesauce ok

what can i say ….. (getting meta about this actually, hussie got these jpeg wizard wallpapers from a spyware website. link takes some time to load because internet archive)

rose is quick to read post-irony as actually being a joke/insincere, which in bro's case would be true. but i believe dave's natural instinct, outside of the influence of bro, is to read post-irony as genuine, which is exactly how mom serves it. we see this as early as act 3 from him; he understands her motives better than rose does herself:

and in act 6 intermission 2 i think it's pretty clear

but the thing is, it's always genuine from her. dave wouldn't have to second guess it because he's not one to naturally second guess someone's sincerity; that was learned due to his bro being virtually unassailable

there two types of ironies at play here:

seems like a joke, is actually genuine (roxy)

doesnt seem like a joke, is actually a joke (dirk)

you can make the argument that the second is is more psychologically destructive because it makes you question the reality of what is genuine sentiment and what isn't. dave never knew what was genuine and what was irony so he just sort of existed in this sincerity-ironic limbo and always did the opposite of what he genuinely felt on principle even if it always did originate from a genuine place.

"it just a joke bro i was just being ironic i dont actually x" is so much more trust-breaking and psychologically damaging than "wait are you being serious" / "i am being so fucking fr rn davy gravy" / "ok thats actually pretty fucking awesome. giant ass wizard statue" / "RIGHT"

how much about dave would change do you think? his character arc would be completely different for one thing, i think he'd have it good aside from mom's alcohol issues. he'd be left with the sweet and funny parts of him that we see at the end of the comic. the fake coolguy stuff is out, but this remains. this is dave in his element and we see it as early as act 1

he'd probably have no shades growing up in the lalonde residence* either cause those were given to him by bro straight out of the crater as an extension of his own cool image. and john gave dave ben stiller’s aviators for his 13th birthday to replace them so he could “spread his wings”

dave said he was wearing them for the ironies but i kind of doubt it. maybe post-irony but there was some reacharound to it being genuine because dave never put those pointy anime shades on his face again.

*though... it’s kind of hard to imagine him without his shades at all? B2 dave still got stiller’s shades from stiller himself so maybe getting them is a universal constant. i can imagine mom getting him them as a birthday gift cause shes pretty wealthy and probably could buy it out in an auction. but also itd be cool if john still gave him it as a gift

dave is actually a lot more genuine and easy to read than he lets on even when grappling with his upbringing with B1 dirk (again, see this post). this can be seen all throughout he comic but a good example is the evolution of thoughts about his interest in the preserved dead things in his room:

if B1 roxy was dave's guardian he probably WOULD have pursued paleontology because she wouldve indulged him in it and probably find it cool and worthwhile to pursue, instead of allowing dave to flounder under ironic detachment, being poisoned by irony to the point of gaslighting himself into believing he doesnt actually believe he thinks this shit is cool. even if it was indulged in this such a way; a superficially kitsch and ironic appearing presentation, it comes from a genuine place and inspires genuine interest. just read the comments.

basically, i think if B1 roxy raised dave, their relationship would have a surface level appearance of being bizarre or over-the-top but they’d have an unsaid mutual understanding that it’s completely in earnest and just build on each other's funny and absurd gestures of affection. rather than seeing it as one-upping each other, it'd more like collaboration of some silly bullshit that you take a step back and look at full and just say, "fucking incredible"

speaking of paleontology, mom had the proto-ectobiology lab. maybe they'd be able to use the equipment to appearify paradox ghost imprints of the dead shit to create paradox clones of things from the cambrian era??? sounds like a fun mother son bonding activity. and theyd actually put the sciencey shit in the household to use

oh god i know exactly the kinds of music shed listen too also growing up as a teen in the 80s. she on that (post)-punk/art rock/new wave/new romantic mtv stuff. XTC shit fr. this is a B-52S HOUSEHOLD. maybe the associates for the campy melodramatic flair. so he gets to keep the record on his shirt cause he is an enjoyer of the shit in her vinyl collection. dave would still gravitate towards musical expression and music itself but of more variety outside of just rap, with an 80s-90s, even 70s flavor due to mom’s influence. see this for perhaps a glimpse. ​she probably visited new york city a lot for business trips and because the music scene was cool as hell around that time, imports came straight from jfk airport, she probably got in on that a bit and have remnants in the form of vinyls and cassettes. in this way she could be distributing void to dave (influencing him with forgotten / presently irrelevant music). now he can REALLY rave about bands none of his friends have heard of. “hey davy grvay watcha listenin to” (he holds up vinyl cover) “omg snakefinger”

btw dave lalonde would look like this to me

[kisakis-boyfriend]

🎃 nsfw headcanons for fyodor, nikolai, and sigma (+dazai and chuuya if you’d like) with a werewolf s/o?

Author's Note: I'll do Dazai and Chuuya in a separate post, thanks to tag limitations 😔

Pairings: Fyodor, Nikolai, Sigma x male reader (separately)

Warnings: Male werewolf!reader, dom/top!reader, sub/bottom!characters, mentions of breeding, knotting, biting, scratching, leashing, mindbreak (Fyodor), virginity kink (Sigma)

Fyodor

The 'fake dom' Slut

Fyodor likes to pretend that he's in control, but really, who's he fooling?

Trying to control a semi-feral beast. Yeah, good luck, buddy

You'll allow our favorite skinny Russian to put you on a leash, but it's only because you know that he can't hold onto it while you're railing the brains out of him

Fyodor is literally folded in half in a mating press, drooling like a whore. And you're loving every second of it

He definitely keeps track of the moon cycles — clearing his schedule on full moons and coming up with an excuse to be around you those nights

If your human form is also bigger/taller/more muscular than him; Fyodor will swoon

Not that he wouldn't swoon anyways, no matter what your human form looks like. He's just possibly got a little size kink 🤐

Nikolai

The Overt Slut

Nikolai is so not subtle…

"Oh my, what sharp teeth you have. You could totally bite me and make me bleed haha :)"

"Such sharp claws… it would be a shame if you accidentally scratched me with them!"

"What a big, thick cock! I could never take one that big… unless? 👀"

He'll sit next to you, knowing that you can see his phone screen, and look at werewolf knotting porn 😐

I mean, literally. NOT subtle in the least

Nikolai loves when you take control and breed all of his little holes

Just manhandle him and cover him in your seed please. You'll have a very happy jester in your possession

Personally, I think Niko has higher than average stamina; so he'd be able to go quite a few rounds, even after you knot him. If you want to keep rutting into him, he's all the happier ☺️

Sigma

The Shy Slut

“I am not taking that! You'll never fit!”

30 minutes later, Sigma is crying as you pound the virginity out of him

Sigma acts like he doesn't enjoy being filled and having some rough sex, but it's just his insecurities, really

If you make him feel loved, he will eventually agree to certain things :)

Always screaming "I can't take it!" Or "it won't fit" but, again, none of that is true

Sigma easily becomes your moaning slut once your dick is fully sheathed within his gummy walls

Full moons make him nervous — he, conveniently, hangs out with you on those dates though…

Sitting in your lap as the sun sets, cupping your face and requesting kisses too

In a rare, confident display, your pretty boy will ask you to fuck him in your werewolf form all on his own

Still complains about his sore ass and the scratches covering his body tomorrow though 😶‍🌫️

[yndrgrl]

katsuki bakugo has a glow up during summer break, & now he has a lot of girls' attention

fluff. ooc! bakugo. bits of jealousy. sfw. x reader. acquaintances to lovers. long ass fic.

a/n: the horny content will continue after this message :) also i kinda got nerdy so just ignore my rambles about fighting haha

the whispers & murmurs buzzed like bugs throughout the halls of u.a. you couldn't help but eavesdrop when you heard lower classmen gush about how good katsuki looks, how he definitely had a summer glow up.

it's not that he was bad looking before, that's just not the case. so, when you heard that he somehow got hotter over the span of a few months, you grew curious.

your best friend, ochaco, began to rave about him. "no, you don't understand, y/n. have you seen him yet?"

"i haven't yet, but it doesn't matter! he's still rude as hell!" you told her. "besides, aren't you still going after midoriya?"

"yeah, but i can still appreciate attractive people," she retorted, shoving the rest of her her breakfast-on-the-go in her mouth. you fished your phone out of your school cardigan pocket to change your music when, like a kdrama (or a shitty fanfic), you ran into something-- no, someone.

speak of the devil. "oi! watch it!" the abrasive blonde spun around & met your eyes. his harden glare soften oh so subtly.

"i'm sorry," you quaintly apologized. it's the first day & the first hour of the next 180 days, & you're not going to get in a fight.

"it's whatever, just make sure where you're going next time," katsuki responded. his tone was still harsh, yet what he said was almost nice.

he walked off into the both of yours' classroom, leaving you & ochaco stunned. you both stared at each other, mouths agape. "what just happened?" she finally spat out.

"i have no idea."

"WAS HE JUST NICE?"

a week later, you sat in class, listening to mr. aizawa drone on about something so utterly boring, you'd rather stick your head in a toilet & flush it yourself. you let your eyes wander around the class. for the most part, everyone stayed the same.

then, your eyes landed on katsuki, who was seated by the window. now that you had time to think about it, he did change. his jawline was a tad sharper, his hair appeared more soft, & his shirt clung onto every inch of his upper body. he definitely bulked up during the summer.

his skin is clear, he must've also began caring for a sense of style because his fingers displayed grunge rings, & his eyes were somehow a darker, more alluring shade of crimson. wait, his eyes... were staring at you.

no, he was staring at you staring at him.

god, you felt like a creep. you were expecting him to yell at you, scowl through gritted teeth, but no. he didn't do any of that. he shot you a smirk, then went back to jotting notes.

confusion settled in after embarrassment. you couldn't help that a light pink dusted your cheeks. it wasn't noticeable though, thank goodness.

the subtle, weird antics didn't stop. maybe he's just playing with me or something, you wondered. or maybe i'm looking too much into thinks.

when passing him in the halls, he'd acknowledge you by giving you a small nod-- even if his friends were talking his ears off. he'd hold the doors open for you & only you, but would walk away quickly. he was treating you differently then he treats everyone else, & you don't know why.

"bakugo~" a girl you barely recognized greeted. "you look handsome today!"

he & his friends sat on the other side of your friends' long table. you were the closest to his squad, only three seats away from them. they could hear your conversations, but that means you could hear theirs.

"shut it, & eat your food," he scoffed, rolling his eyes. with his chopsticks, he picked at his bento box.

"ooo~ what did you pack?" she pressed as she inched closer to him. "aww, did your mom make that?"

"no, i did," he raised his voice. she wouldn't take the hint though.

she merely giggled, asking, "could you feed it to me? i wanna try some~" she crossed her arms under her breasts to intensify her cleavage. she was picture perfect, to say the least. any other guy would be drooling at the sight of her.

not bakugo though. he was goal-oriented, focused on the future, & not into dating from what you gathered. a small part of you is bummed out that he isn't interested in romance. he was practically everything you wanted in a guy after all-- just minus the whole "jerk" part.

"what are you looking at, bakugo?" you didn't realize you were staring -once again- until the girl whipped her head around & caught your gaze. her cattish smile dropped into a thin line. "quit staring, idiot-"

"don't call her that, bitch."

both yours & her eyes widened at the quickness & unexpected defensiveness spewed by bakugo. he stuck some of his egg omelette in his mouth, unbothered.

"wh-what? i don't think i heard you, bakugo."

he swallowed his food, ran his tongue across his top teeth, and started to pick up more food with his chopsticks, reiterating, "don't talk to y/n like that, got it?" he put the food in his mouth.

she scoffed, humiliated. "i have to leave," she said, voice dropping at least an octave. your eyes trailed her as she sat with her friends, & they immediately began gossiping. how could you tell? the way they all looked back at you with a nasty expression on their faces.

you returned your attention back to bakugo, who had both your friends & his friends floored with what just happened. "thanks for that," you started. "you really didn't have to do that."

"i know i didn't, but someone had to shut her up."

you replied, "i mean, i'm sure there was a nicer way."

"i tried," he told you with that small smirk on his face again. "she didn't get the hint, i have to be more obvious."

"yeah, in more ways than one," a friend on his side, sero, snickered.

"hey, what's that supposed to mean?!" classic katsuki, reverting back to yelling.

ever since that happened, your friends haven't stopped talking about it since. "guys, c'mon. it's almost been a week," you groaned. you were all getting ready in the school locker room to do hand-to-hand, no quirk combat with a celebrated instructor.

"i think bakugo likes you~" ochaco teased in a sing-songy voice.

you tried to reason, "maybe he was just annoyed with her, & it has nothing to do with me."

"i don't know, y/n," momo laughed, pulling her hair into a ponytail. "he seemed pretty into you."

"no way, not bakugo-"

"well, why not bakugo?" mina, who just so happened to be good friends with said man, asked while she slipped on her shoes.

"because we all know what he's like. he doesn't really scream the dating type, you know?" you grabbed a water bottle & locked your back into your locker.

mina shrugged, & ochaco said, "you said one time that bakugo was the closest to your type... do you like him?"

"WHAT?"

the rest of the conversation was cut short when tsuyu pointed out they should be in the training room by now, causing all the girls to scramble out of the locker room.

the instructor, once the bell rang, introduced himself. he was a nice man seemingly. he was a well-seasoned martial artist who knew what he was talking about.

after his brief speech, he had his assistant -a younger, more egotistical guy- be his dummy when explaining a move. "does anyone have any questions?" he asked. no one answered. "cool, find a partner, & try it out."

everyone scurried to find their partners. pair by pair, no one chose you... all except-

"hey you, be my partner," bakugo practically demanded.

"me?"

"no, the wall behind you. yes, you, y/n," he joked, the same smirk only you get to see on his face. this time, however, it was a full-blown smirk.

"are you sure?"

"yeah," he scoffed, dragging you by the arm to an empty space. he studied how your face contorted from surprise to concern. "listen, if you think you're gonna drag me down or whatever, you're not-"

"no, it's not that," you interrupted. you felt your pride inflate slightly.

"then what is it?"

"i just don't want to hurt you."

it was his turn to be shocked. what did you mean by that?

the first hour went by, techniques were taught, & moves were learned. however, now it was the time that really put things to the test: open spar. it was at this time in training when things got heated. everyone in the room gives it their all no matter what, so the atmosphere turns into something animalistic, yet so empowering.

but before that, is a small water break. speaking of water, where did you leave yours? you swear you brought it in. bakugo must've seen how confused you appeared when he offered (or told you), "here, take some of mine."

too thirsty to even care the open-mouthed expressions from your peers, you took the bottle from his outstretched hand. "thank you!" you cheered, taking a few sips then handing it back to him.

"was that even enough? you barely drank anything," he jested. it sounded like he was teasing you, but, again, he said something like he cared about your well-being.

"yeah, i'll be fine. the worst that can happen is i'll faint."

"you better not. i need a good training partner."

"oh whatever, you're getting a good training partner."

suddenly, the instructor boomed, "water break is over! get back with your partner for sparring!"

once everyone huddled back with their partners & got situated, the instructor explained briefly that everyone will be grappling ("no striking" he repeated ten times as well) five minute rounds, switch partners, another five minute round, & so on so forth. "alright got it?"

"yes sir!"

"good," he nodded to his assistant, who got the stop watch ready, "3, 2, 1, go!"

yoy & katsuki go into your stances. one thing about being shorter than him is that, in the game of wrestling, you're at in advantage at first. "don't go easy on me," you told him, it was meant as a warning

"i was just about to tell you i wasn't." the moment he finished, he took a double-leg shot. it was executed near flawless-- emphasis on the near.

you sprawled your legs back, collapsing your body on top of his. you drove your shoulder into his neck, which resulted in bakugo's face smushed against the mat. he might be strong, but no one's neck is that strong to hold up an entire person. you heard him audibly groan "fuck!"

you caught his arm & his head with one of yours. the two of you were on your knees, but your goal was to get him flat, stomach down. with his trapped arm & leg, you pulled him out from under you & quickly sped towards his back. you mounted him, keeping yourself close to his. you gazed up at your instructor, who gave you a knowing nod of approval.

like a good fighter, katsuki sprung his head up. he missed your nose, instead having his skull collide with your cheek. it hurt, but you had to keep going. "since when did you learn how to wrestle?"

"what do you mean?" you thought everyone knew. you swore that you've mentioned it in front of the class.

"you're fucking good, you know that?" he praised as he fought of your hands.

"you're not too bad yourself," you told him before you crossbody locked him.

"no, i'm being serious. you're too damn good. you're gonna be my partner every time we grapple."

you & bakugo, now you call him katsuki, have only grown closer since then. he would take time out of his study session to ensure you understood the material. before he could finish, the library assistant -a girl around your age- would ask if he needed help with anything, shy blush on her face.

other times he'd walk with you back to your dorms when a group of girls would ask for his number.

it was a constant occurrence; girls notice him, ask for something, then ultimately get rejected. it wasn't in a nice way either. he always degraded & humiliated them, but they'd let him because of how handsome he was.

it was a saturday afternoon where you & katsuki got food from a nearby convenience store & sat in the park. no scheduled training or overwhelming amounts of homework. he insisted on paying for you, & who are you to reject free food?

"okay, but i really have to ask," you started, eating your food, "why aren't you dating anyone?"

"i don't know," he simply put it, downing a bottle of a protein drink.

"you do know, you're just not telling me." you actually didn't know if that was true, you were just bluffing.

"fine, i'm just waiting for a some girl to realize i like her," he admitted so nonchalantly, as if he didn't drop a mind bomb.

your mood dampened. he was your dream guy, the more you hung out with him. you might have developed a crush on him, yet you didn't even realize he liked anyone else.

"no way! who?" you had to sound enthused or he would know something was up.

"no one, forget i said anything," he cleared.

"i want to know~ i can help find out her favorite flowers or something so you can confess!"

"really?" he asked, brow quirked. you nodded your head.

"tch, alright. what's your favorite flower?"

that didn't make any sense. "what?"

"you said that you're gonna help me confess, so what's your favorite flower?"

"katsuki, i don't think she has the same favorite flower than me."

"oh my god, you're so fuckin' dense," he muttered under his breath. "i want to know your favorite flower, y/n, so i can confess." his cheeks reddened as he gave you intense stare, studying your expression. it was still confused.

"confess to who-" he cut you off by putting his hand behind your head & pulling you into a kiss. it was gentle, passionate, & truly shocking to you.

"confess to you, idiot," he panted when the two of you pulled away. "i'm already here," he said with a fuck-it attitude.

"y/n, i've liked you for a long time, a really long time. i thought i made it obvious but you never really caught on cuz you're a dumbass or something."

you laughed, & he smiled at you.

he continued, "so then shitty hair told me i had to make it even more obvious, so that's what i've been doing this entire year."

"but all those girls-"

"yeah well i didn't know i was getting a fan club this year. honestly, they don't fuckin' matter though. what matters is you & i," he told you, his face still so close to yours. "so tell me, if you feel the same."

"i-i do," you stuttered out. in your defense, you were not used to such close proximity to anyone, let alone a sculpture chiseled by ancient greeks themselves.

"say it again," he said, voice deep & eyes half lidded. "i need to hear it again."

"i do, katsuki," you repeated per his request. "i really, really like you."

he pulled you into another kiss, & you both felt each other smile. it felt right.

[blkgirl-writing]

I love your touch starved Gale so much 😭❤️ honestly it's so tender and yum haha

Do you have an A-Z/Alphabet NSFW thing for Gale??? 🙏

I do now!!! I totally forgot abut Alphabet stuff, if ya'll want one for every character let me know, I'm working on Astarion right now!

Gale Dekarios NSFW alphabet (x reader)

A = Aftercare (what they’re like after sex)

Gale is kind and caring, he will always make sure you get what you need before he really relaxes. Sex isn't over for him until you're taken care of, aftercare is a part of the sexual experience to him.

B = Body part (their favorite body part of theirs and also their partner’s)

C = Cum (anything to do with cum, basically)

Creampie every time, though after eating you out he has stopped to cum on your thighs.

D = Dirty secret (pretty self-explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs)

Not that much of a secret since anyone who looked at his underwear knows, it's self jerk off underwear. Honestly I think he's used them during battle when you look extra hot. Trying really hard not to show that he's pleasuring himself.

E = Experience (how experienced are they? do they know what they’re doing?)

Gale is fairly experenced, having a few mortal hookups/relationships and obviously a long fling with Mystra that left him a bit sexually traumatized (and generally very traumatized). He's had enough sex to know what he wants but still open to try new things.

F = Favorite position (this goes without saying)

Side fucking is his favorite for sure, it's easy to get away with while camping with the others as well. Also plowing you from behind while you lay on your stomach is a favorite, as he can kiss your neck or hold down your waist.

G = Goofy (are they more serious in the moment? are they humorous? etc.)

Very serious. Once he gets in that mood there's no getting him out of it.

H = Hair (how well groomed are they? does the carpet match the drapes? etc.)

He's trimmed for your pleasure, otherwise he'd definitely just forget.

I = Intimacy (how are they during the moment? the romantic aspect)

Gale is a great mix of romantic, passionate, and filthy. Everything does hand in hand very well, he can absolutely run a train through you in astral protections with gangbanging you with literally just clones of himself, but he will still whisper sweet and romantic things, still check if you need to stop or if anything is too much.

J = Jack off (masturbation headcanon)

Gale cry jerks like all the time lmao. Guilty masturbation is something he has mastered. Thinking about you before you get sexually involved? he will feel guilty.

How he jerks off is two different ways. The only way he can really cum is by grinding on something, his hand, the bed, his enchanted underwear, etc... But he doesn't need to cum. So he also jerks off with his hand behind the rocks near the beach in act 1s camp.

K = Kink (one or more of their kinks)

This is gonna be a hear-me-out kind of situation.

Semi public sex kink. in front of windows, on balconies, middle of the forrest, etc.

lil bit of a jealousy thing, leaves hickies on your neck to show that ya'll fuck good.

he wouldn't do anything to harm you, so anything thats too 'harsh" is a no no for Gale.

thigh fucking kink?

sweaty kink?? cause battling? that whole speech was one of the most sexually charged things I have read.

lil bit of a breeding kink, not with actually getting pregnant, but definitely the deep creampies and keeping his cum in you.

L = Location (favorite places to do the do)

Gale cannot WAIT to fuck you in every single inch of his tower. Whenever he pictures fucking you, he pictures you in his home. It's kinda romantic.

M = Motivation (what turns them on, gets them going)

Honestly, any glance at you will get him going. Like an instant hard on. If he looks at you too long, boner. if he looks at your thighs or butt? Boner. Slightly low cut top? Boner. Battling? Boner.

N = No (something they wouldn’t do, turn offs)

He would never do anything to hurt you, the most he'd do is wax play.

O = Oral (preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc.)

Giving. This man GIVES. He fucks to serve. He wants your pleasure, he doesn't cum til you do, no matter what. If that means he won't cum, then he won't cum. If he could spend all day between your legs he would.

P = Pace (are they fast and rough? slow and sensual? etc.)

Sensual but fast and hard. This man pounds.

Q = Quickie (their opinions on quickies, how often, etc.)

He hadn't ever been able to not last a while before you, now, he can actually do quickies, which infatuates him for a while so you have a lot of quickies for a time. But usually everything lasts an hour or so.

R = Risk (are they game to experiment? do they take risks? etc.)

Gale is down to try just about anything you'd want, but he definitely already knows what he likes most.

S = Stamina (how many rounds can they go for? how long do they last?)

Shockingly he can go for awhile. He will need to just lay for a while because he definitely isn't made for long sessions, he just ignores his knee and back pain for you until he absolutely can't.

T = Toys (do they own toys? do they use them? on a partner or themselves?)

We all know he will, can, and has used magic hand during sex. Does copies of him count as toys as well?

U = Unfair (how much they like to tease)

Gale isn't one to tease much. Verbally, sometimes, yes, telling you how hot you are, how good you look, etc, while having no time to slip away to fuck.

V = Volume (how loud they are, what sounds they make, etc.)

I feel like Mystra wanted him silent, so he's working on getting more vocal during sex. But he doesn't moan loudly, sometimes whimpers or gasps.

W = Wild card (a random headcanon for the character)

Gale absolutely reads smut. We know this kinda from his diagram books basically, but I think he has a whole bookshelf dedicated to smut. His favorite being wlw.

X = X-ray (let’s see what’s going on under those clothes)

Said this before but honestly? I watched something and that dick that was shown just screamed Gale to me, so I'm revising my HC and saying Gale is 7 inches, girthy, and curved upwards and slightly to the left, it absolutely fucks. Like tied with best dick of the group, tied with Wyll and his ribbed cock.

Y = Yearning (how high is their sex drive?)

Gales sex drive is very dependant on you. If he's thinking about you or around you? very high. On his own? slightly above average.

Z = Zzz (how quickly they fall asleep afterwards)

Depends. After a long fuck, literally instantly after he checks to see if you need anything. after astral fucking he feels energized, after a quickie he feels a bit tired but fine overall.

-

-

@shyminnie07 @makers-breath @claryvoyantfray @black-sapphic @fapqueen

(Consider supporting me on Ko-fi)

[sigcorp]

bg3 characters as retail managers in my boyfriend's* educated opinion

(*he refuses to post this so i'm doing it for him)

wyll - i think wyll would be a really chill manager, he'd let you goof off sometimes But after a while he'd still make you go do something productive. probably would have some random assignment like dusting the fucking lights or something if there's nothing to do but he's not too strict.

would get mad at a customer once and you'd be thankful you never have faced his fury (he'd never get that mean with you though)

basically the "haha yeah okay okay guys seriously go zone we can't all be standing here you're gonna get me in trouble" type of manager

lae'zel - insane workaholic. you'd dread working with her and she'd make your shift exhausting, but you also can't deny the place would go to shit without her because she's so on top of things.

you'd feel immense joy having her come up for a stupid item return that is against policy because she would absolutely never bend for it no matter how bitchy the customer got. not because she cares about you really but she'd be damned to go against policy for literally anything

karlach - literally so chill that you forget she's a manager until she has to call you to her office which freaks you out because you know you've been extremely lax around her and you forgot she actually has to do shit about that but it's actually just to give you your next raise. you love her and she loves you

shadowheart - when you first work with her you find her insanely intimidating and a little bitchy but after a few shifts you kind of get Why she's like that. wouldn't be a favorite manager but you'd probably sympathize with why she buys wine after her shift every night. if you're lucky enough to hang with her out of work you get special privileges (as in she doesn't scold you for standing still for 3 minutes like she does the others)

gale - nice, but unlike wyll who has a balance between pleasant chats and doing work, gale will literally stand there and accidentally force you to actually stop focusing on what you're working on to have a conversation with him. that can be a good thing, but then you're behind and another manager gets grumpy about it. chill guy but you never actually see him do much for his job. how did he even get to this position???

astarion - call HR.

halsin - dude knows how to run a place. he schedules everyone perfectly and there's always a feeling of harmony as you work together to get projects done. he's friendly but focused. he doesn't care if you don't finish your projects he assigns you so long as you were trying your best, but he would be a little disappointed if it happened too often

i feel like he'd definitely be the manager who actually gives the customer whatever they want even if you said you couldn't though 💀 he wouldn't be mad at you for saying no but he'd make you look like a jackass to the customer

minthara - i actually don't know her so idk but from what i gather i would say also call HR

withers - he's been with this company so long that he knows where literally everything is and every single specific policy and how to solve everything. he doesn't talk much and he doesn't really tell you what to do, he expects you to figure it out and leave him alone unless you need to ask where the most obscure item of all time is to help a customer. genuine lifesaver in those circumstances though

jaheira - the mom manager. checks on you when she notices you're clearly not feeling well. will cover any shift without complaints. you feel safe with her. she handles any difficult task because she doesn't feel like explaining to you how to do it, which is nice but as soon as you have no choice but to do it on your own you don't know how

[catnippackets]

as someone who’s coming to terms w their own aroace identity, what does queerplatonic mean to you? you have a handful of characters in those relationships, so i just assume you understand the concept since you write it. sorry if this sounds strange, english is not my first language! 🧡💛🤍🩵💙

this doesn't sound strange at all! your english is great :)

well first off, from what I've learned over the years, everybody has their own little definition of what queerplatonic means to them, so my explanation of what it means to me might not be the same as what it means to other people. it's sort of a nebulous concept that can mean whatever you want it to mean, kinda like how nonbinary can mean whatever you want it to mean and just because you strongly disagree with how someone else is using it doesn't mean either of you are wrong

I also wanna say that I've written a few qprs in my day and they're all different! there is no single consistent portrayal of what I think a queerplatonic relationship is, bc each qpr I write will look slightly different and involve different things. but at the base of it all, to me, a qpr is a relationship that isn't romantic but that is still more intimate than a platonic friendship would be. usually I say that to mean physical intimacy, like cuddling or whatnot, but it includes emotional intimacy as well. I also like to imagine it as sort of the aroace version of being in a relationship, but you DON'T have to be aro or ace to be in a qpr, anyone can have one if that's what your feelings are

sometimes I like to imagine a qpr as sort of the halfway point between platonic and romantic; you're not in love but maybe you snuggle or even occasionally kiss like you are, but there is no romance there, you're just close in a special way that you aren't with your friends. sometimes qprs will even involve sex, and from an outsider perspective, look like you're just in regular love. sometimes qprs barely look intimate at all and from an outside perspective, you just look like regular friends. all of these examples are still qprs! because it all depends on how the people involved are labelling it, and different people have different standards for their own attraction. if someone regularly kisses and cuddles with all their platonic friends and that's normal for them, then a queerplatonic relationship might look really different for them, but for me, if I had a friend who I felt comfortable kissing and cuddling with, that would DEFINITELY be a qpr for me bc I would never even dream of doing that with a platonic friend. but also I wouldn't label it as a qpr either, even though it would technically be one by definition, because I wouldn't be comfortable being in a relationship if it had a label and I would prefer to just be somebody's person and know that we've committed to each other without being "partners" or whatnot. I know that's probably kind of confusing but I can't think of any other way to explain it haha

basically at the end of the day if you feel like your feelings of attraction can't be defined as strictly platonic or romantic but they're still definitely there, that would make them queerplatonic, but of course you don't have to use any labels at all if you don't want to. I hope that was helpful in some way lol

[66sharkteeth]

Belated weekly thoughts-

Mostly because this was too big of an ep to completely skip and I really wanna clear up a few misconceptions I keep seeing in the comments. I know only a small percent of readers see these, but at least a few of you will have the canon facts:

First off, just some personal thoughts-

I get asked a lot of reader input has ever influenced the story and, aside from a few fan-servicey memes like Roof Blank, the answer is no for the vast majority of the comic. This episode was kind of the one exception. I definitely never intended to address Rex's ace identity in the comic (outside of his obliviousness), but the more people learned he was canonly ace, the more I realized how important that was to a lot of people, so I thought it'd be cool to actually canonly address it- of course in a way that's realistic. To be clear, Rex absolutely has no idea what asexuality is, and I doubt any other characters do either. This comic does not take place in the digital age, so Rex doesn't have resources like twitter and reddit to help him figure this stuff out lol. He just knows he's not experiencing attraction the same way everyone else seems to, and that's what this episode is addressing.

Now as far as misconceptions- He is not aromantic. I've seen a few people jump to that? And I'm not really sure where it comes from, because he is very much in love with Bell, as I thought (?) I made clear in this scene. I understand the demi assumption, but I don't think he's that either. Bell's just the first person he's felt romantic attraction to, but he does not have sexual attraction (towards her or anyone). However, he's not repulsed by the idea, and that was also important for me to depict, as someone who...basically identifies the same way haha.

Now, for the BIG misconception- Bell potentially taking Lyss' face. So let's clear some things up:

This would not kill Lyss. She got plastic surgery on her nose that Bell already stole, so she would have a way to breath if Bell took the rest of her face.

Lyss would be able to resume a completely normal life after some reconstructive surgery. Blank victims still have a mouth and eyes under their sealed flesh. She explained last season that the only reason she's missing her eye still is because her parents wouldn't pay for the surgery to fix it after she moved out. Basically, giving Bell the rest of her face would just result in a painful and expensive surgery, but she would be by all means fine.

Not so much a misconception I've seen in this episode but just in general when I bring up the reconstructive surgery point- No, this does not mean you can just keep having your face stolen over and over and over. Your face gets a little harder to rebuild each time, and it's very expensive and painful. Think like an acid burn victim getting facial reconstruction, but just smoother...then getting in the same accident and surgery over and over. Surgeons can only do so much.

Bell would not "lose herself" or "become Lyss" if she stole the rest of her face. At this point, Bell is practically a half-blank in the sense that she fully her own person with her own personality, and stealing the rest of a face wouldn't really change that beyond maybe some influence- Much like how when Rex stole Mikiah's face, he didn't stop being Rex. He still maintained the personality and preferences he had as Rex, but just now has knowledge and memory of all of Mikiah's personality and preferences. Bell is slightly different in the sense that she *started* as a copy of Lyss, so many of their preferences and identities are the same (i.e, if Lyss is a straight cis girl, Bell would be a straight cis girl. If Lyss hated cilantro, Bell would hate cilantro), but she's developed in such a different environment from Lyss, that she has very much adopted her own unique personality (though with traits from Lyss, like her fieriness), and taking the rest of Lyss' face wouldn't change that. She would just have memory and knowledge of the rest of Lyss' life. The only real consequence of taking her face might be...getting some unpleasant memories of Rex and Scion, but even then, Bell has grown into such an understanding and forgiving person, I don't think she'd hold those past actions against them (except maybe Scion for the whole attempted murder stuff).

[ryanyflags]

min- | fin- | nbin- lin- | glin- | agin- nin- | mvin- | xin-

min- / minsexual / minromantic / etc. : attraction to people who consider themselves masculine.

fin- / finsexual / finromantic / etc. : attraction to people who consider themselves feminine.

nbin- / enbin- / nonbin- / nbinsexual / enbinsexual / nonbinsexual / nbinromantic / enbinromantic / nonbinromantic / etc. : attraction to people who consider themselves nbine/enbine/nonbine/nonbinarine (nonbinary gender quality).

lin- / linsexual / linromantic / etc. : attraction to people who consider themselves androgynous.

glin- / glinsexual / glinromantic / etc. : attraction to people who consider themselves genderless.

agin- / aginsexual / aginromantic / etc. : attraction to people who consider themselves agenrine (agender gender quality).

nin- / ninsexual / ninromantic / etc. : attraction to people who consider themselves neutral. (the original definition also includes nonbinary and null, though people mainly just use nin- to mean neutral now.)

mvin- / mvinsexual / mvinromantic / etc. : attraction to people who consider themselves maverine (maverique gender quality).

xin- / xinsexual / xinromantic / etc. : attraction to people who consider themselves xenine (xenogender gender quality).

-★-

The terms are prefixes basically, so they can be attached to any attraction ending (such as -rose/-romanticsexual, -tertiary, -platonic, -alterous, -sensual, -aesthetic, -physical, -emotional, and more). I only listed the -sexual and -romantic variations to keep it readable.

For the definition of these terms, I reworded them a bit from common wiki definitions, but it follows the general idea I've seen in other posts discussing these terms.

Basically, when it comes to gender qualities, what counts as what can vary greatly between people. What one person considers masculine, feminine, androgynous, etc. can be really different from what another person considers it to be. Especially when you factor in things like different cultures, people with complex identities, or really queer people in general (as they can challenge such definitions).

Who's to determine what counts as what? Or say one definition matters more than another? I think it should be determined by the person in question. I can imagine a few issues otherwise. Wouldn't it be weird to put other people in boxes they don't identify with?

Also, these orientations aren't just being attracted to men, women, enben, etc., they're attractions to gender qualities (in either presentation or gender identity). So, for some examples, someone could consider themselves masculine while not being a man, and so be included under min-. It's the same for the others, someone could consider themselves maverine without being maverique. Or present femininely while being nonbinary. The combinations/examples are practically endless.

So the point of these labels is to be broad, and include those who want to be included, and exclude those who wouldn't want to consider themselves under that label.

Now that that wall of text is out of the way haha,

-in orientation flags :D [part 1 of 2] second post

It started with me wanting to make a couple of flags that I felt should exist, finding the 7 stripe -in orientation flag format and really liking it, wanting colourful matching versions, and so, an entire set (along with really thinking about the definitions). (like usual hah) There's so many flags I split it into 2 posts, and the second one will have 9 flags too.

For the flags, I based them off of the 7 stripe -in orientation format, where it gradients to darker stripes on the outside, with a dark stripe in the center (minsexual, finsexual, ninsexual examples). I chose them because I thought the format looked really nice, and also because I don't know how to make symbols for these flags (if anyone wants to make symbol versions, feel free to do so). Unlike the original format though, the stripes on both sides don't mirror each other. I did this just because I wanted (more) colourful versions.

As for the colours, they're inspired (not exactly colour picked) by the corresponding gender quality flags. So masculine for min-, feminine for fin-, nonbine for nonbin-, androgynous for lin-, genderless for glin-, agenrine for agin-, neutral for nin-, maverine for mvin-, and xenine for xin-.

[vainvenus]

⌲;꒰ Groovy! ꒱

Pairing :: Johnny Cade x Fem!Reader

Synopsis :: Johnny starts to crush on Dally's new friend who's a little bit different from everyone else.

Includings :: Hippie!reader, mutual pinning, readers love languages is personal touch, wingman!Dally, panicking!Johnny, this is kinda short, fluff

An - I'm just trying to drop/finish my drafts even though i think this fandom is practically dead...send outsiders requests if you'd like though!

"I still don't get all that peace and love crap, it's not gonna solve anything." Dally scoffed as he walked beside the you and you shrugged your shoulders.

"You don't have to understand me. If you think fighting will solve everything I'll let you think that." You shrugged and Dally rolled his eyes slightly before his brows raised a little bit and he waved his hand up at a figure who was a few feet away.

"Johnny! That you, man?" He called out and the black hair boy froze like he was caught doing something illegal until he saw a familiar face and he eased up.

He walked over, looking over to the you. He took quick notice of your wardrobe, upi didn't look like too much like a Soc and you definitely couldn't of been a greaser.

You wore a white shirt that seemed a few sizes to big and bell bottom jeans that had multiple patches of different patterns along them and tan sandals. You had multiple necklaces on and a mute orange bandana.

You smiled softly at him and waved your fingers at him which made him stomach flutter a little bit.

"Aww, so you weren't lyin'! You do have friends~!" Yoi giggled, hitting the boy softly on the shoulder and the brunette rolled his eyes with a small snarl.

"Haha, so funny. Johnny, flower power. Flower power, Johnny."

"Flower power?" Johnny repeated as he shook your hand and you let out a short giggle which made his stomach flutter all over again.

"Not my real name of course, it's a nickname. My real name is [Y/n] but you can call me whatever ya' like."

"Ohh." Johnny nodded along, noticing how you still hadn't let go of his hand. Yours were warm and felt comfort at touch. "I...uh..I like your pants."

You beamed, letting go and shaking your leg a little. "Really? Dally thinks they look like an art project gone wrong."

"Because they do." Dally muttered and you rolled your eyes.

"I think they're far out, you're such a downer Dally! Hah! Downer Dally!" You laughed and Dally had let out a sarcastic chuckle with another eye roll. "Ahah. Almost busted a lung there."

"See? A downer. Johnny-man thought it was funny." You turned back to Johnny, messing with one of the loose patches on your jeans. "I could make ya' a pair- actually they probably wouldn't be your sty-"

"I'd like that!" Johnny piped up before you could shut the idea down and your eyes widened in surprised, you smiled at him. "Really?"

He nodded, smiling growing along with yours. "Groovy! I'll get onto it as fast as I can."

"Groovy?" Johnny repeated, tilting his head a little bit and you nodded. "Groovy, it's kinda like when y'all say tuff. It's just a good thing."

"Oh, groovy." Johnny said and you had giggled, patting his shoulder.

"You make it sound so weird like it's a different language or something. It's kinda cute." Johnny only smiled, trying to ignore the fact that you had called him cute.

Dally looked between the two of you, narrowing his eyes a little bit before a small smirk itched onto the end of his lips.

"Johnny, you wanna tag along with us? We were just about to head and see that new movie that just came out."

"You should, if you don't mind horror movies." You added and Johnny pressed his lips together in a small yet strained smile.

"Naw, I don't mind."

★

"I could have paid for y'all, you know. We didn't have to break in." You sighed and Dally chuckled.

"Now where's the fun in that?" He hummed as they all took their seats, a little bit away from the front.

"What kind of horror movie is it again?" Johnny asked and Dally shrugged his shoulders. He never really came to pay attention to the movies, he came to be a bother to those who were trying to.

"Some sort of slasher. Shouldn't be too frightening if you're scared."

"I'm not scared!" Johnny squeaked and you had giggled, leaning back in the chair.

"It's alright if you are. I wouldn't judge. You can even hold my hand if you want." You offered as the movie had and started. Johnny pursed his lips before he took your hand in his.

"I'm just holding yer' hand in case you get scared." He established and you had nodded, entwining your fingers with his their hands were basically locked together.

He smiled at that as he tried to focus on one thing.

Not looking like a scaredy cat.

But the movie was barley ten minutes in before Johnny had jumped back in his seat from the killer jumping out of nowhere, his scream muffled in the collar of his jean jacket.

He glanced over at you as he felt you squeeze his hand comfortingly. "Sorry.." He mumbled, his sunkissed skin growing warm from embarrassment.

"Don't apologize. You don't have to act all tough for me, Johnny. It's a horror movie for a reason." You reassured with a small smile as you moved closer to him, resting your head on his shoulder.

"Next time we can see something a little more relaxing."

"Next time?" He repeated like it was a foreign statement.

You nodded excitedly. "Yeah, next time! Do ya' not wanna see me again or something?"

"No!" Johnny quickly said. "I'd.. I'd love to see a movie with you again."

"Groovy."

[yuseirra]

Relationship Anaylsis: the parallels of Aqua-Akane & Aqua-Kana and Hikaru-Ai

In short, what Hikaru had with Ai is the combination of what Aqua has with these two girls.

I'm really good at analyzing emotions. It is my forte. I think I got this!! I got a huge hunch after having seen the most recent episode of the onk anime (S2 EP 15).

this post is mostly about Aqua's relationship with the two girls. It does lean towards aqukana.

If you're okay with it, please read!!:

*this was originally written in a different language, then translated through chatgpt..hshsh I've been doing this a lot..wow but it's so helpful though..

I just watched this episode, and oh, there's definitely something to it this time. I do have the volumes, but I read them last year... haha, and the memories are really coming back.

I think this episode really highlights how the relationship dynamics were set up.

It became clear that Hikaru and Ai's relationship split into Aqua-Kana and Aqua-Akane. Akane's relationship with Aqua feels like she emotionally supports him. On the other hand, Kana tends to break through Aqua's barriers and pulls him towards her.

Moreover, Akane's feelings towards Aqua seem to be a mix of wanting to help him, feeling sorry for him, and a tender affection, wishing he wouldn't be sad.

Kana's feelings towards Aqua, on the other hand, are the kind that make her happy and excited. Seeing Aqua lifts her spirits and energizes her. This greatly affects her condition—when Aqua responds to her, Kana can perform at more than 200%, but when their relationship isn't going well, she drops to below 70%, becoming subdued and deflated. Acting is her main job, so she'll perform regardless of Aqua, but when it comes to her idol work, which she started because of Aqua, the fluctuations are much more pronounced.

I think Aqua's main feeling towards Akane is gratitude. If I were to classify it as a type of love, it would be more like storge or pragma, a comradely affection accompanied by a sense of stability. He sees her as someone who understands the difficult parts of himself that he finds hard to express to others.

Aqua's feelings towards Kana, on the other hand, are romantic. If we were to classify it, it would be eros or philia—love that makes his heart race. The reason I felt it would be hard for this character to end up with Akane is that he has never shown any romantic excitement towards her. On the other hand, he's shown this a lot towards Kana throughout the manga, consistently. If Akane provides stable support, Kana's actions have a significant impact on Aqua. Kana is the one who shakes Aqua, making it clear that "Aqua likes her." Aqua is usually a very subdued character, but Kana stirs him up, provoking meaningful reactions and lifting his spirits. Whenever this happens, Aqua is a bit surprised and troubled, wondering why he's feeling this way, but he definitely becomes brighter.

I believe this would be similar to his biological father. Actually, Aqua has never once been distracted. He is clear about who he likes, and this consistency makes it hard to call him a playboy, even if he might seem like a bad boy.

Hikaru probably liked Ai and only Ai. There's little room for doubt about that. Even if he dated someone else, his heart was with Ai, which would have left the other person feeling very hurt (similar to how Aqua was with Akane). That's the type he is.

Speaking of which, I think Aqua and Akane might have ended up together if Akane hadn't taken a knife and tried to find Hikaru. Storge-pragmatic love is still love, even if it doesn't have the thrill. Being with someone can feel comfortable and stable, bringing peace of mind. That's a feeling usually found in couples who have been together for years. If nothing had happened and Aqua decided to focus on Akane and ignore Kana for a few years, it might have been possible.

However, Akane has an unusually strong desire to protect Aqua, which sometimes makes her overly intrusive into his personal space. It's not that her character is bad, but this is the opposite of Kana...

Unfortunately, Kana hasn't had many opportunities to deeply understand Aqua, while Akane goes in too deep. That's probably why it's hard for me to fully attach myself to her character. She's skilled at profiling and understanding others, but it feels like she's crossing a delicate line—almost rude, even if it's out of affection. Her character is kind. But, as someone who analyzes characters, I find that dissecting someone's personal life and then acting based on those assumptions, before they've said anything, can be really touchy and intrusive. It's more considerate to wait until the person opens up to you. Akane, however, strongly believes in what she perceives, which is why she took up the knife for Aqua. She saw something so clearly, but the problem was that Aqua didn't want her to go that far. That's why things didn't work out.

I understand where she's coming from. Akane is very sensitive and perceptive. When it comes to characters, analyzing deeply doesn't hurt anyone, so I can comment on them. But with real people, even if I notice something, I can't act on it with such certainty. It's important to experience things directly and listen to what the other person wants. Akane's confidence in her perceptions led her to act, thinking it was the right thing to do for Aqua. However, Aqua didn't want her to take such extreme measures, and that's why it didn't work out.

Watching today's episode gave me some insights. It seems that Akane's feelings for Aqua are indeed love, but they also resemble a maternal kind of love, wanting to protect and support him. Saying "I'm on your side no matter what you do" is something a deeply loving partner might say, but Akane and Aqua aren't at that level in their relationship yet, even if they have mutual affection. At this stage, such words seem to stem more from a sisterly or motherly instinct to protect rather than romantic love.

So, it struck me that Ai's feelings for Hikaru are essentially a combination of Akane's feelings for Aqua and Kana's feelings for Aqua.

To add, Ai's influence on Hikaru is similar to the combined influence of Akane and Kana on Aqua.

In the current movie arc, the emotional aspects of Akane-Aqua and Ai-Hikaru relationships seem very similar. Ai was a source of protection for Hikaru, someone he could turn to in times of great distress. When they were dating, Hikaru genuinely loved Ai and saw her as his only understanding companion. Their relationship was one of emotional support.

Ai wanted to share Hikaru's burdens, and it seems they might have even lived together for a while (in chapters 153-154, Ai packs her belongings, including a toothbrush, to leave. The fact that she could fit everything into a small bag and leave in such a sudden manner feels very real;; This must have been devastating for Hikaru, as it signaled the end of their relationship, she didn't even leave so much behind). To Hikaru, Ai was a refuge, and Ai wanted to provide that for him.

However, their relationship wasn't just about emotional support. The excitement and "I'm in love" feelings that Kana has for Aqua seem to echo in Ai's recorded videos.

Scenes of Hikaru and Ai dating or kissing are said to be fictional and Hikaru himself claims they are fictional. However, if we compare these scenes to Aqua's relationships, they resemble his interactions with Kana (and these emotions are typically found in romantic relationships, which is why I think Aqua and Kana will end up together). While they might be labeled as fiction, Aqua's immediate rebuttal suggests that, although not exact replicas, these scenes are likely rooted in truth.

I feel that the Akane-Aqua relationship has already reached a certain conclusion (I think these two will remain partners and good friends).

What's still unresolved is the Kana-Aqua relationship. The theme here is that while Akane was the one supporting Aqua, Kana is the one pulling Aqua towards her, bringing him into the light. I think this is the significance of Kana's role in the story. Just meeting Kana brings Aqua to life (honestly, this alone makes me think that Aqua would be happy with her).

I believe that ultimately, this is also what Ai wanted to do for Hikaru. She wanted to support him, share his burdens, and then, move forward to live a future together with him.

The fact that such words could be said about Hikaru shows how much Ai cared for him when they were together. A few paragraphs up, I mentioned Kana's excitement towards Aqua.

Actually, Ai's character is rather indifferent. She's cute and pretty, but Ai rarely shows genuine emotion, even when smiling. Hikaru even thought that Ai never loved him, just like everyone else. Even though they had two children together, he still wasn't sure if he was loved.

But Ai says that Hikaru was the first person she ever wanted to love. This is significant. When Kaburagi explained the moment Ai fell in love, Ai's face showed a blush and an expression of infatuation, which was really how she felt about Hikaru. This wasn't well depicted in the movie arc (I think it's because of the idea that Hikaru thought he was relying on Ai had to be convincingly portrayed. That's why it was handled this way). I think there's a chance this might come out more clearly as the Kana-Aqua relationship develops. I was cautious about whether Ai truly loved Hikaru because her feelings towards him seemed similar to Akane's feelings towards Aqua, which is a form of love but not quite the romantic, heart-fluttering kind between lovers. However, after watching the video, I understood. Ai really liked him. Romantically.

Both Ai and Hikaru must have had the same kind of love that Aqua and Kana share.

The emotional trajectory of Aqua and Kana is moving towards the brighter side together.

Ai probably wanted to give that to Hikaru. She wanted to take him, who was wandering in the dark, and bring him into the light where she was.

But she couldn't do that before.

The reason Kana's turn comes at the end is because of this. I believe Kana represents light and the future, and moving towards that direction would conclude the story.

It reminds me of Death Note. Everyone knows that L is far superior to Near and Mello. But Near says that combining his and Mello's abilities could surpass L.

Akane and Kana individually might not surpass Ai's abilities. But if they combine their strengths, the outcome for Aqua could be better than what Ai achieved for Hikaru.

The relationship dynamics for this comic are set up incredibly well. This is truly well done.

And I think Ai didn't give up on Hikaru. Something Ai left behind will likely offer redemption for Hikaru. It's like accomplishing something with the main characters that she wanted to do but couldn't as a child...

Additionally, as I mentioned before when analyzing Kamiki, Ai was an immensely significant presence for this character. Hikaru was originally a person who lacked love, and Ai gave him almost all the love he longed for. He couldn't help but love her. Look at what he says about Ai in chapters 153 and 154. He loved her enough to sacrifice his life for her—I've always thought this line was crucial. When would he have risked his life? He also said he genuinely loved her from the bottom of his heart.

Those words have to be true. Seeing his reaction after watching the video, I'm sure of it. I think there's a high probability that he never tried to harm Ai. I'll estimate about 70%.

Losing someone like that? The reaction should be something like Mephisto or Fatal. He would definitely be capable of doing anything for her sake. Such a strong feeling towards someone would lead to that.

And Ai really did like him.

I believe Ai will ultimately get everything she wished for because she's ambitious :) I think the true essence or the final impact of the song "Idol" hasn't come out yet. I believe that song will encompass everything until the end of this story. It seems like it was made with the ending in mind.

I'm looking forward to it~

[shepherds-of-haven]

Me: omg I love the SoH ROs so much all I wanna do is daydream about them

Me, daydreaming about them: what if they almost died... What if they're bleeding out... What if the MC is bleeding out...

Unfortunately they're all blorbos now, which means I want them to suffer (affectionate)

Which brings the question, in a near death situation, which one of the ROs goes for a dramatic one liner and which one tries to actually say something meaningful?

Blade: he isn't one for drama so I feel like he just wouldn't really think, "i'm dying so this may be my last chance to say something," and would just be like "you... need to get out of here..." (always thinking of the other person), but if he did think he was dying, he'd try to say something meaningful!

Trouble: I don't think Trouble thinks he can be killed for real so he'd probably not even notice the severity of his own wounds, like "I'm fine, stop fussing over me and help [someone else wounded] or get after the enemy or etc.!!!" Not necessarily being nobly selfless like Blade, just sort of not aware how close he is to death and so isn't thinking about it/taking it seriously

Tallys: if she actually thinks she has a real shot of dying, she's staying calm and composed for the other person's sake and is going to fade away with quiet dignity, but she's definitely going to exchange some of the most heartfelt, gut-wrenching, meaningful words anyone's ever heard in their life on her hypothetical deathbed

Shery: I think she'd be sort of panicking and hysterical and trying to think of something meaningful to say, but it'd probably come off as menial, like "Make sure to look after Caine, and... please look after my plants..." Like frantically trying to go down a checklist and sort of being confused and panicky rather than having the wherewithal to actually say what she'd want to say in that kind of situation!

Riel: he'd be extremely calm and would be dishing out instructions on how it's going to go down and what's going to happen next. Basically getting his affairs in order in an efficient and tidy way as he's like literally bleeding out lol, by his composure alone you wouldn't think he was wounded! Basically the exact opposite of Shery, and it would only be in the final few moments of consciousness that he could stop being totally "logical" and he'd get quiet and be like, oh. this could actually be the end. In which case he'd try to sneak in something heartfelt and striking and poignant, but he'd probably have expended all his energy on the first part and would lose consciousness halfway through, so no one would know what he was going to say, and he "wouldn't remember" when he woke up lol

Chase: I think it really depends on the situation... he's been in so many near-death scenarios that he's gotten out of perfectly fine that it's a bit hum-drum for him now, so if it's a simple matter of "oh no i've been shot and i'm bleeding out" he'd probably go for the quip or the dramatic one-liner purely to put the people around him at ease or get them to crack a smile, but if it's like a "oh I'm already dead and there's no way anyone's going to save me except by literal intervention of the gods", maybe he'd say something more meaningful?? It really depends on who's with him and how lucid he is, though!

Red: he'd try to be bracing and good-hearted about it so as to not worry anyone or sabotage himself while he's down (he's of the mindset that if you embrace/accept death too preemptively, you're more likely to die, whereas if you act like it's going to be fine, there's a higher chance that, like, placebo effect will somehow help you pull through), so he'd be like, "Don't worry, haha, I've had worse..." *is bleeding out from a gut shot* "YOU HAVE??" "Well, no, but it hardly hurts..." I think if he genuinely thought it was too late for him, he'd say something meaningful, but it would take a lot for him to get to that point lol

Ayla: I feel like she'd just be pissed and not accepting the gravity of the situation, like, "Why are you all looking at me like that, I'm fine??? Blood replaces itself, you are being dramatic" So she probably wouldn't "waste time" on being sentimental when she can just WILL herself to get better, but if it got to the point where she thinks it's genuinely over, she'd abruptly get scared, emotional, tearful, and she'd probably choke out something vulnerable, like "I don't want to go like this..."

Briony: I think she'd be in shock and would behave similarly to Shery where she would just be saying whatever was racing through her mind, so it could possibly be meaningful and vulnerable, like "I always wanted to... [x]" or it could be somewhat nonsensical or brushing the whole thing off, like "It's just a scratch, I just need to rest, make sure that so-and-so is seen to because I saw that they were limping..." (thinking she's just going to pass out now)

Lavinet: I think she'd be very noble and dignified and graceful in near-death, like she'd arrange herself very beautifully and would be lying there in some infirmary bed with her hair spread out across the pillow as so-and-so clutches her hand and weeps and she murmurs to them to not to worry and tells them "her last words" in a delivery and meaningfulness straight from a dramatic novel

Halek: I think the first time he'd say something so flippant and stupid, like "Holy shit, getting shot is such a pain" -> 😵 (passes out) and if he had the luck of waking up again he'd be like "oh my god those could have been my last words" and he'd take it more seriously the next time and try to think of something more meaningful beforehand lol

[summercosmos]

Fablehaven Pokemon AU; pt. 1 (Kendra)

what i have worked out so far:

Kendra as an aspiring pokemon researcher; she and Seth are sent to Fablehaven (daycare/sanctuary) to help out their grandparents

the main point to that is to get them some field experience with a variety of pokemon. you can't get the full experience of pkm handling as a city kid!!!

child labor laws in the pokemon universe are extremely dubious, but still, Kendra and Seth don't really work Work like Dale. they get the menial jobs, i.e, grooming, feeding, and occasionally training pkm

this works out great for Kendra!!! she gets to see (and register in her pokedex) all types of pkm while also learning all about their behavioral patterns

I can't really see Kendra as a big fan of battling; she has the occasional friendly battle when prompted, sure, but her team selection is in no way geared towards competitive strategies

they are just Her Little Guys 🙁

absolutely a fan of contests. those are basically the equivalent of idols for the teenage girls in the pkm universe

obligatorily i have to make most of her team fairy types but i think she'd enjoy the occasional water and grass type

NOT immune to magical horse propaganda! her biggest little-girl wish was a galarian ponyta

the Sorenson are all the way over in Unova unfortunately . sorry kendra no unicorns for you

(she doesn't Know)

Kendra drifts more toward defensive pokemon — the ones that can take a hit and hit back harder

speed isn't much of a priority (leafeon & rapidash as the only outliers)

she spends her time differently depending on the pokemon. swimming with azumarill, going on runs with leafeon, making the psychic horse read Jane Austen, etcetera

team! from oldest to newest

Azumarill: azurill is a fairly easy pokemon to raise — that's why it was the first one Kendra ever trained, a gift from her parents. high friendship comes easy after a few months, and a marill quickly evolves into Azumarill. they so sunbathe together by the edge of the pool

Leafeon: originally an eevee, given as a graduation present for trainer's school. it only evolved after Kendra was already in Fablehaven — there was most definitely a mossy rock in the middle of those woods. they make a good match! leafeon as a species don't enjoy battling all that much

Altaria (Raxtus): same old story of dragon egg raised by fairies except this time they were actually fairy-type pokemon. methinks Raxtus was a wild pokemon who took a liking to Fablehaven as a sanctuary, and upon interacting with Kendra, took a liking to her as well. technically, Kendra hasn't caught him, since a pokeball would restrict his ability to wander around, but Raxtus always comes back to hang out or to help with anything important, so! they're besties. also he mega-evolves bc that's about as close as a can get to canon Kendra's battery abilities.

Galarian Ponyta: remember when i said she wouldn't get to have the unicorn bc she hadn't ever been to galar. well. SOMEONE who does a fair amount of traveling may have ACCIDENTALLY stumbled upon a wild ponyta and decided to catch it and bring it back all the way to unova upon hearing Kendra did very much wish to have one. who would do that though haha. smitten loser behavior (→→→→→ bracken ←←←←←)

Decidueye: originally a dartrix Seth caught in a ranger mission (will elaborate on this. eventually)! they got along fine but this whole evolution line is unbelievably prissy. they need one grooming down daily at LEAST. it was simply not feasible for Seth to take care of it especially since rangers spend most of their time with their partner pokemon only. so Kendra kinda takes care of it unofficially. when it evolves they start practicing archery together. yay

this au has been gnawing on my brain for a while now and im happy to share my genius. seth should be next!

[writingjjfics]

What about kook!reader who’s the nicest girl on the island she’s good friends with kid and jj has a crush on her so he gets nervous every time he sees her or she hangs out with them

Unexpected love

Pairing: JJ Maybank x kook!reader, Platonic!Pogues x kook!reader

Warnings: Nothing I can think of *(but correct me if I'm wrong please)*

Word count: 1.8k

A/N: I hope you meant Kie haha! Thanks for the request love, hope this is what you had in mind.

I'm so sorry for all the late updates, I've been struggling with writers block and I feel like everything I write is bad. Besides, English is not my main language so that makes it more difficult for me.

Keep sending me requests tho. I still love to write every change I get.

& Thanks for all the likes and reblogs I've received on my other posts in the meantime. I appreciate it and it means a lot to me ❤️

"You sure he is okay with me being there? He always ignores me", you said to Kie as you walked toward the chateau.

Earlier in the day, when Kie invited you to hang out with the Pogues, you were instantly excited. You haven't known them for very long, but you loved to spend time with them. Aside from that, you don't have many other friends. You live as a Kook, but you're actually a Pogue at heart, which doesn't make you very popular. You hated most Kooks, Kie being the only one who understood you. You soon became good friends with her and after a while, she introduced you to the rest of the Pogues.

"That's just JJ being JJ, don't worry about it. He needs a little more time to gain people's trust, but he'll come around soon", Kie reassured you.

You blushed while talking about the blond pogue. Your crush on the boy grew stronger by the day, even though he clearly shows no interest in you. It's not that he's mean to you, he just acts differently toward you than the rest of the Pogues. Like he's uncomfortable having you around. At first, you thought it had something to do with you being a Kook, but he was acting normal towards Sarah, so that couldn't be it.

JJ ignores you most of the time, but not because he doesn't like having you around or doesn't trust you as a Kook. No, it's completely the opposite. He ignores you because he is afraid of his feelings. He's not the type to fall for someone this quickly, but the moment Kie introduced you to him, he felt different. He wouldn't call it love at first sight, but it was definitely something. He didn't want to get you into his bed like all the other girls, well maybe he did, but he also wanted more. However, when you approached him to introduce yourself, JJ went into a complete blackout and could no longer form sentences. His normal flirty self wasn't there. So he stuck to a basic 'hey', but it came across as very rude. Like he didn't want you there. He hates the way he acts around you. Especially since you're being nothing but nice to him. You are the sweetest person he has ever met and he makes you feel unwanted just because he can't handle his feelings.

"I hope so"

Kie already knew there was something else going on with JJ. She started noticing the secret looks JJ gives you when you aren't looking and caught him stalking your Instagram page a few times. She's not going to tell you tho, that's up to JJ.

----------

Not much later, you and Kie walked to the porch of the Chateau where the rest of the Pogues were already in full conversation, though JJ was not in sight. You thought that was weird, wondering if it had anything to do with you coming here. Not knowing JJ went to the bathroom for the hundredth time this day because he was so nervous and had to 'take a piss' every 5 minutes, including checking every time if he still looked decent enough. You greeted everyone else and sat down when you heard footsteps coming from inside.

"Yo, what's up with th-", JJ said as he walked out of the Chateau, but stopped halfway through his sentence as soon as he met eyes with you. You smiled at him and greeted him kindly. He only mumbled something unintelligible, waved weakly, and quickly returned to his seat next to Pope. You could tell he was trying his best to avoid eye contact with you.

ouch, this hurts more than you thought

An uncomfortable silence followed. Everyone had noticed the uneasy scene between you and JJ. You glanced at Kie and she gave you an apologetic smile. She knew his act was bothering you.

After a few seconds, John B cleared his throat and continued the story he was telling before JJ interrupted him. Everyone else joined in except you. You zoned out, wondering again why the blond boy in front of you disliked you so much and how the hell you decided to fall for him. However, you snapped out of it when the boy in question suddenly stood up.

"I'm going to get more beer"

Not a minute later you also got up and announced that you had to use the bathroom. But what you really intended to do was to confront JJ. You've had enough of him ignoring you without having a reason. And if there was a reason behind it, you were ready to find out.

You walked into the Chateau and saw JJ looking in the fridge.

"Why do you ignore me?"

JJ was startled and jumped up a bit, not thinking you'd be behind him. He quickly pretended that he was meant to do that before answering nonchalantly.

"I'm not ignoring you"

"Yes, you are. Is it because I'm a kook? Or just annoying?"

"It's just because you're new. I need more time to get used to someone extra in this group. Don't take it so personally. It's not that big of a deal. Not everyone has to like you, you know"

JJ's words came out much more blunt than intended. Almost like he was mocking you for wanting everyone to like you. You nodded and bit your lip to avoid the tears coming up. You weren't used to people being harsh at you and you clearly couldn't handle it well.

"If you don't want me here just say so"

At this point, JJ saw the pain in your eyes. He figured you didn't like the way he treated you, but he never thought it would hurt you so much. This was never his intention. He hated seeing you like this. He hated himself for it. When he noticed you were ready to turn back around to go outside again, he exhaled nervously and quickly grabbed your hand to get your attention.

"Wait Y/n, let me explain please"

"What's to explain? You made it pretty clear you don't want me here"

You yanked your hand from his grasp and made your way to the door, only to be stopped abruptly when you nearly bumped into someone. That someone is JJ. He had quickly run ahead of you to stop you.

Your first reaction of being annoyed that he was in your way didn't make you realize how close the two of you were. You looked him in the eye and for the first time since you met him, he looked right back at you. As if he finally saw you. It gave you butterflies and made you forget that you were, in fact, angry at him. When JJ noticed your expression had changed, he knew he had to speak up.

"Please just listen"

By now you had become curious about what he had to say and you noticed he struggled with his words. Deciding to give him a chance to explain himself.

"Okay, I'll listen"

"Can we maybe sit down? That makes it easier for me", JJ chuckled nervously.

This was the first time JJ had spoken more than just a few words to you. It felt good to have his attention. You hoped that after this conversation, you could both forget the past and become friends. Although you still had a little hope for more.

Meanwhile, you and JJ had sat down on the couch, both at the very end on each side, leaving a lot of space in the middle, and JJ played nervously with his rings avoiding your gaze.

You waited for JJ to start talking while JJ waited for himself to get the courage to tell a girl for the first time that he had feelings for her. Actual feelings and not the usual 'I'm drunk and horny and I want to hook up with the first, possible girl I see' feelings. This was all new for him.

"I, uh- I want to apologize for how I've been acting around you", JJ started but you interrupted him quickly.

"Yeah, you really acted like a dick toward me"

But when he glanced in your direction and quietly told you to let him finish, you understood not to interrupt him anymore.

"Sorry," you laughed nervously. "go on"

"I know I made you feel unwanted and uncomfortable, and I'm truly sorry. And I know you feel like I don't like you and don't want you here, but I assure you I definitely don't feel that way. The way I act is because I don't really know how to behave around you. You make me feel things I'm not used to and I don't know how to deal with them. I like you Y/n. And that's a first for me. I've never felt this way for anyone and I think every time you were around my head just got errors because of the unknown feelings. I'm so sorry I hurt you because of it"

You frowned, confused if you had heard him correctly. The JJ Maybank had feelings for you?

"So you're telling me you acted like this because you like me?"

JJ nodded and let out a soft "yes" with a nervous laugh.

"Oh my god", was all you could say as you let yourself fall deeper into the couch. It made JJ feel insecure. He wanted to run to 'his' bedroom across the living room, pack his bags and move to Yucatan so he wouldn't have to deal with the pain of rejection. But as soon as he indeed planned to run away you finally spoke up.

"I can't believe I've tried so hard to ignore my feelings all this time. All because I thought you wouldn't like me in any way with the way you behaved towards me. I thought I was stupid enough to like someone who showed absolutely no interest in me"

"I'm sorry for making you feel-", JJ began but stopped when he realized what you were actually confessing. "Wait, so you like me too?"

"Sadly yes", you said teasingly with a big grin

"Oh shut up, like it's a bad thing to fall for this?", JJ reacted cockily while he pointed to himself and his body.

You started laughing which made JJ laugh too. He loved seeing you smile and he was finally the reason for it.

After a few seconds, JJ cleared his throat and became serious again. "So, can I take you on a date?"

"If you promise to talk more than 1 sentence and look me in the eye, I would love to go on a date with you"

JJ rolled his eyes playfully which made you laugh again.

"I promise Y/n"

[midnightsun-if]

Hiiii!!! :D 👋

Hope that you're having a great week!! ^^ So I just discovered Midnight Sun and played the demo, and I'm absolutely already totally invested haha. Your writing is excellent, I love fantasy/Supernatural academia and the Vibes™️ are everything I'm always looking for!

I'm totally weak for Friends-to-lovers, so Blake already has my whole heart 🥺 But for alt playthroughs there's so many other good ROs that I know it's gonna be fun to be totally different each time! (Looking respectfully at Caedan and Cyra haha)

But looking through the blog I saw the Christian response to ROs ask and it got me wondering (if it's not too spoilery) - What would Cienna's response to the ROs be?? She seems like she'd defo have some...pretty interesting (*cough* strong *cough*) thoughts 🤣

Thanks so much for all you do!! 🤗 Can't wait to see where this goes :D (But please don't feel rushed or anything take all the time you need!!!)

Hello!! ❤️

I've been having an excellent week, I hope that the same can be said for you! It makes me so happy that you're invested in Midnight Sun, I have so many fun adventures in store.

Blake is one of my favorite characters to write for because what you see on the surface isn't necessarily what's deeper, which is something I love to balance and work around. Caden and Cyra are two that I can't wait to explore more and discover the things that truly make them tick.

You're definitely right about Cienna!

Koda: She thinks he's a nice, sturdy man that'll treat you well. Someone that you can count on when times get rough, which is something she wants for you. She wants you to have a dependable person in your corner, and Koda is just that.

Scarlett: Wouldn't really know what to think of Scarlett, to be honest. She's met her many times in the past and has seen how she has flourished in various ways, and Cienna would be surprised to see how much you have shifted Scarlett's usual countenance. In the end? Cienna would be happy for both you and Scarlett, you both deserve to find your one and only.

Cyrus/Cyra: Has general misgivings when it comes to House Aurelia, but she can see that C means well. That they truly care for you, and that's all that matters in the end. Though, she'd probably be a bit colder to them until she's able to get comfortable around them. Which, knowing Cienna, might take a bit.

Quinn: The two have never meshed well in their past meetings, due to various factors, and Quinn's parents meddling, but Cienna has never thought anything truly horrible about them. She'd honestly find it funny that you were the one who ended up getting together with them.

Caden: I think she'd be pleasantly surprised, to be honest. Caden usually keeps to themself, there but not there at the same time, and it'd be a bit intriguing for her to see how they begin to mesh with the family once more-- especially now that they can't simply fade back into the background.

Sloane: Wouldn't be able to be around them for long periods of time. She knows the grief of loss, the hole that it carves into your heart, and Slaone is a walking entity of grief at times. Seeing it? Being consistently around it? It'd drain Cienna completely. She wouldn't dislike Sloane though.

Blake: Honestly she's surprised it didn't happen sooner. She finds Blake amusing, in small increments, and is happy that they've been able to offer you a sense of companionship. She already considers them family, so it's not that big of a stretch for her.

Reginald/Regina: Is vehemently against it. I can't exactly tell you why, but seeing it? It'll cause various emotions to swarm through Cienna's body-- very few being the ones she wishes to experience.

[cacodaemonia]

You seem to know a lot about AO3, do you know how to engage more of your readers? I’ve been trying to get comments on my fics but all I get is kudos. I just want to know if people are enjoying my writing

Hi there! I definitely wouldn't say I'm an expert when it comes to AO3, but I find the fandom culture around AO3 to be really interesting, so I do talk about it a lot, haha. I've only been posting works there since 2019, though, and I'm sure folks who have been doing so for longer or have volunteered as tag wranglers or on the policy & abuse committee, for example, would know a lot more than I do. <3

But I'm really sorry to hear that you only get kudos and no comments on your fics! That really sucks. :( Like you said, you have no idea what those people actually think about what you made—just that they consumed it.

Honestly, I'm not sure I'm a good person to ask about getting readers to interact because I post both fanart and fanfics, which isn't super common, at least among people I know. I'm pretty sure that most of the folks who comment on my works followed me from Tumblr to AO3 back when I used to post art here. If I wanted to share nsfw images, I could only post cropped versions of them on Tumblr, so I would sometimes do that and link to the full image over on AO3. I suspect that's a big reason why I even have subscribers on AO3, haha. My writing certainly isn't better than that of plenty of people who also write for very niche ships and don't get as many kind comments as I do.

I also started out in my current fandom making art and writing about more popular characters until I quickly shifted focus when I found some that I like much more 😂 But I'm sure that quite a few people found my stuff because of those old works, and some of them probably stuck around.

Speaking of popular... This isn't something I do because I'm only motivated to make things that I like, but of course, there's always the 'write stuff for popular ships/characters' option. :/ Even now, when I happen to include fan favorites in my fics or art, all kinds of people come out of the woodwork to comment on them. And because I'm a contrary ass, that then makes me not want to create works featuring those ships or characters XD;;; But anyway, that is one option, haha.

A friend recently told me that they started asking little questions in the notes of each chapter of their fics, and that seemed to encourage readers to respond in the comments, so maybe that would be a good thing to try? I haven't tested it, so I can't say.

One thing I have tried that I think has made a difference is adding a blurb in the end notes of my works that I got from @longlivefeedback! They have a great template that you can customize and try out if you like (just make sure to read the bug fix part about curly/smart quotes versus straight quotes, since the curly quotes will kill your html).

One tried and true method to get more people commenting on your fics, of course, is to get to know people who also like the fandom/characters/ships you write about. Read some of their stuff or comment on their art or just chat about headcanons etc. And maybe they'll check out what you wrote.

(My caveat to this would be: do not do this with the sole purpose of getting someone to comment on your fics. I've had plenty of people do this to me, and it was so transparent that they had no interest in me as a person, but just wanted me to draw their OCs or scenes from their fic, or reblog their art, etc. Trying to manipulate someone like that just for your own gain is such gross behavior, and of course, I'm not saying you would do it, but it's common enough that I wanted to mention it 😓)

Okay, unsurprisingly, this got very long and rambling, haha. Sorry I couldn't be more helpful, but I hope you get more folks interested in your writing!

I'd be curious to know if other people have advice for @sonofhighrock! :)

[lensman-arms-race]

Episode 70 part 2 spoilers and speculation

I definitely had to rewatch this a few times to catch everything that happened - several bits happen so fast that I missed them on first viewing! Also, it doesn't help that there are 2 cams who look very similar (both black coats, one with plain black tie and one with lozenge-y patterned tie).

Let's follow along with @gamie99's bingo card!

The toilet bursting into the lift uses a dead cam as bait (so we think a friendly cameraman was the one who opened the lift ceiling at first). The bait-cameraman has a black coat and black tie, looking very similar to one of the living cameramen in the lift - and that cameraman dies first to the toilet (by being impaled). Only they're not quite dead - they pull the toilet down the hole with them (the hole blasted by the bomb strapped to the dead bait-cameraman). That confused me until I worked out the sequence of events!

We can tick off heroic sacrifice because of Black Tie's actions. Also, holy crap, how strong are cameramen?! They pulled that big-ass toilet down with them!

I think we can cross off jumpscare too, because we thought 'yay, a friendly' then OH NO.

Something else that happens so quickly I didn't clock it at first: Assassin Speakerman then ferries Salmon Shirt and Lozenge Tie out of the lift (through the hole blasted in the ceiling) one at a time using their jetpack.

That means they could have saved one of the Mint Twins!! D: Waaaa! All this time I thought that that wasn't possible because the jetpacks can't carry passengers. They can!

Plunk uses their spikes again - I'm still baffled by how these work - to climb the walls of the lift, rather than accept Assassin's help. (I think Plunk gets the spikes from a toilet in the previous episode, but it happens so quickly, and Plunk appears to be able to retract and deploy them at will like Wolverine claws? I don't quite get it.) I think Plunk might have just had the same realisation I did - Assassin could have saved at least one Minty! Plunk is angry at Assassin all over again.

Assassin makes a metallic 'honk' sound when Plunk slaps their hand away. It sounds a bit like 'what?', haha.

Walking through the corridors in the dark feels rather videogames, haha. It's interesting that Assassin turns off the red light on their driver - what's that light for? Is it just so other units can see them, or does it grant them some optical sensing ability?

Mildly interesting that the night vision is green. Human-made night-vision apparatus is green because human eyes are attuned to green more than to red or blue - we can see more shades of green than any other colour. It wouldn't necessarily be the same for cameras. Presumably DFB just did it that way so that we the audience would understand it was night vision; maybe that's all there is to it. Maybe it hints that the cameraman were human-made or they modelled themselves after human-made tech on purpose?

Animation error! Salmon Shirt's trouser arse clips through their coat! Bwoo ha ha ha haaaa!

It's not that there's a big hole in their coat; the arse disappears in the next few frames.

Then we get to that room.

Is that Titan Camera's arm?! Looks like one of Titan Speaker's knives and the body of a camera strider too.

I think this is further proof that DFB adjusts the size of the models depending on what looks good, and the Titans have no fixed size other than 'big'. Compare the hand above with Plunk and TCam in episode 51:

There's just no way the hand in episode 70 is that big!

Then we see that piece of paper. (Skibidi Toilets are Greek?) Well then. What is the connection between the Scientist and McMagnets??

Maybe we can tick off insane fucken lore drop? No lore has actually been dropped, though - just Implications. In which case we can probably tick off "WTF??"

And some plain English! Is this anything from Half-Life? I barely played those games. The two in the middle would appear to be the same models as Freaky-hands McMagnets and the Secret Agent. Which of them is the 'new administrator'? I'm not sure if the other figures are significant. Or the date - it might be just to establish a timescale, or the specific date might have relevance later.

Possible background: the two dudes above created the Astro Toilets and the Alliance hardwares respectively and are waging a proxy war against each other with their creations. (That doesn't explain where the Skibidis came from though - maybe a failed creation of the Astros.)

Book! Why didn't they open it to look inside?? The book has the TV symbol on it, which I couldn't see when I viewed the episode on my phone. Here's a screencap with a brightness-boosted inset in case you can't see it on your screen either.

Salmon Shirt shrugs and puts the book back on the table! Why don't they look inside??

Then... RIP Salmon Shirt. That's kinda gutting - not just because another friendly unit died but because it feels unsatisfying. It's not a poignant death, it's just a bummer! Now we'll never find out their connection to the Secret Agent! (Well, we probably will, but it doesn't feel like it at this stage.)

We get to see a POV shot of the Red Screen of Death!

I'm disappointed that it just says 'end yourself' instead of something more brutal. Feels like pissbaby TikTok-level self-censorship.

I've always been intrigued by why DFB has the TVs speak backwards. It sent me down a rabbit-hole of looking up how CRT screens work, to find whether there was anything in a CRT that can be said to run 'backwards' before it reaches the viewer, but I couldn't find anything. I concluded that DFB did it for Rule of Cool and to give viewers an Easter egg if they chose to reverse the sound. Could it be that the RSOD text is backwards because it looks the right way around to the TV displaying it (imagine wearing goggles with some text on them) and they're such proud idiots that it doesn't occur to them that it's the wrong way around to everyone else? Ahahaha.

Assassin Speaker saves the day! Along with the lens protector given to Plunk by the dying large cam. (I want to see Plunk wearing it - I bet that looks silly!) RIP Lozenge Tie though. It seems Assassin did try to save them too but the toilet simply impaled them. Plunk immediately returns the favour to Assassin by rescuing them right back! (Something else I didn't see on first viewing because everything happens so fast.) Hopefully they will become pals again eventually.

Assassin goes squeak and it sounds kind of like 'wow'. Heheh.

Plunk has Salmon Shirt's mysterious doohicky now, and we get a proper look at it. Looks kind of like Winamp, haha.

Wiju Bi Gojze!! :D

So, where did that toilet come from? The red and black mechanical arm was in plain sight, but where was the rest of it??