#i'm back here again; the place i begun (ooc)

[thefvrious]

y'all, i crawled myself out of the trenches!

[a-aexotic]

request for rafe:

rafe is being oddly quiet when everyone in his friend group is pestering him about getting a one night stand. Reader walks in and he just goes all starry eyed, but he doesn’t wanna admit he loves her even though… its so obvious. (grumpy x sunshine)

(love your work, i hope you’re doing well 🫶🏻)

pairing. rafe cameron x fem!reader

warnings. fluff!!!, ooc rafe, mention of weed + alcohol, one kiss at the end, lmk if i missed anything!

summary. rafe has the biggest crush on y/n, when topper finds out he decides to help his best friend get with the girl of his dreams.

➜ missing out on updates? ❪ navigation. masterlist. taglist. ❫

Rafe had just about enough of his friends. It'd been months since he'd had a girl over and they were starting to worry. Why had he suddenly just stopped liking girls?

Topper was worrying maybe Rafe was about to just end it all. He knew Rafe wouldn't actually but they hadn't seen Rafe this sober in years.

"Dude, she's checking you out." Topper whispered to Rafe. He looked over at the girl and she was indeed checking him but he immediately gave her the cold shoulder and turned away.

Topper was confused. She was pretty; nice bathing suit, pretty eyes, a big ass. What more could Rafe want?

"Nah, I'm good, man." Rafe sighed as leaned back into his chair. He had eyes for one girl and one girl only, and she wasn't there yet. Topper furrowed his brows.

"Dude, what? She's a total catch, I mean, look at that-"

Rafe cut him off with a glare making Topper scoff and turn away. Was something wrong? He was getting more and more worried about Rafe.

"Dude, you okay?" Topper mumbled. They were at this fun party, hot girls everywhere, weed everywhere and he doesn't want anything at all. That wasn't like Rafe at all.

Rafe rolled his eyes and groaned in annoyance. Topper's nagging was really getting on his nerves. "Yes. I am. I just don't want to fuck every single girl I see, okay?"

"What about smoking?"

"I don't want to anymore, okay? That shit's bad for your lungs." He remembers you telling one of your friends that you hated smoking because of how bad it was for your health.

Hearing Rafe say that made Topper fully think he had somehow shifted into a different parallel universe. This was not the Rafe he'd known since third grade. This was a doppelganger because no way in hell that Rafe Cameron just insisted that smoking was bad for your health. Topper's jaw was on the floor.

Rafe looked back at Topper with an annoyed expression but quickly shifted his gaze to someone behind him. His expression morphed into a delighted one.

There you were, with all your glory. Pink tube top, light blue jean shorts with your iconic white high-top converse. His cheeks had begun to turn pink as Topper had to where he was looking and suddenly it clicked. Rafe had a crush.

You were greeting your friends and Rafe caught your eye. You sent a happy wave his way and he gratefully answered with another wave.

Topper smirked and then looked back at Rafe. "Oh, I see what's going on here."

Rafe's expression dropped as he turned to Topper. "What?"

"You like Y/N."

Rafe rolled his eyes. "You just realized that, dude?"

Topper was again, shocked, by Rafe for the second time tonight. Rafe admitting his feelings? Where was Rafe and what was this imposter doing in his place?

"I mean, who wouldn't. She's gorgeous and smart. I just wish she wasn't so nice, it's making it harder to bond with her." Rafe mumbled the last part, making Topper nod along.

Topper had known Rafe essentially all his life and he's never been whipped for any girl. He wanted to know why she was so special. "Can I help?"

"No." Rafe said simply, making Topper scoff.

"I'm really friendly, man. I can like, help you, trust me." Topper put his hand on Rafe's shoulder and squeezed it. "Do you have her number?"

"No, I don't. I've been trying to send her an dm but I feel like that's not classy enough. Plus she probably has like 100 other guys in her dm's, I wanna stand out." Rafe ranted, genuinely perplexed.

Topper sighed, "you're making it way too hard. Just go up to her."

Rafe turned to Rafe, glaring daggers his way. "It's not that easy."

"Yes, it is. It's really not that hard. She's just a girl." Topper spoke, like it was the easiest thing ever.

"Just a girl?!-"

"Shh, Rafe. Get up and talk to her, be a man." Topper pushed Rafe up and away from the chair, making Rafe grumble. He noted to make sure to punch Topper for that later.

He looked for you at the party, Topper's voice echoing in his mind. Be a man, be a man, be a man. Rafe turned a corner and then there you were, sitting with your friends. He felt his heart drop and Topper's voice was fading. He was just standing there, like an idiot.

You turned and you saw him standing there and you had a big smile on your face. You excused yourself from your friends and walked over to him.

He immediately whipped his gaze to the seat next to him and sat there immediately, trying to look like he was doing something. He wanted to face palm himself; when did he become such an awkward guy? He was usually so smooth, especially with girls.

"Hey." He recognized your voice and his heart skipped a beat as he turned to face you. How could someone be so pretty?

Rafe cleared his throat as he smiled. "Hi."

You took a seat next to him. "Noticed you just standing there, I was wondering where Topper was? He's usually always with you."

He groaned subconsciously at the mention of Topper. "He's clingy."

You laughed at that. "Yeah, but that's okay. That's kinda cute."

"Topper? Cute?" Rafe stumbled out. Did you like Topper? He made a disgusted face at that; how could a 10 like you, end up with a 3 like Topper?

"No, he's..." You tried to find the right wording. "He's okay." You tried not be mean, he was attractive - but not you.

Rafe relaxed at that. "Yeah, he is. He's just okay, I don't know how anyone could find him attractive."

You laughed but instantly stopped yourself, "that's mean." You still had a smile on your face. Rafe smiled at that.

"Why are you just sitting here alone?"

Rafe shrugged, "Topper was getting on my nerves. He, uh... wanted me to smoke."

You furrowed your brows in disgust. "Wow, did you?"

He shook his head in slight delight. "Nope. Smoking isn't for me."

"Wow, I'm glad to see someone not succumb to peer pressure, good for you." You smiled knowingly.

You've known Rafe since middle school; you know he loves smoking, you've seen him scream and break a chair in half then jump into the pool: no sober person would do that. You weren't mad that he lied to you, you found it sort of endearing.

"Yeah." He nodded. "It's just like, really bad for your lungs."

You couldn't help but giggle at his words: he was literally you quoting word for word, not deliberately. It's so cute. "God, you're so cute."

You both stopped at stared at each other for a few seconds. A blush rose from Rafe as you felt your heart literally stop.

"You think I'm cute?" Rafe spoke quietly, an octave above a whisper. You could barely hear him.

You couldn't get yourself out this one. You couldn't just lie, might as well just rip the band-aid off. You nodded. "Yeah, well you are."

"I am?"

You laughed at that, trying not to turn red from embarrassment. "Yes, Rafe. You're cute."

"You're cute, too." Rafe felt like a little kid confessing to his crush and he was scared of rejection, he was avoiding your gaze. I mean, you already had confessed.

You found it adoring how shy he was. Like mentioned, you'd known him since he was a kid and you've watched him grow. He was always confident and it was a sweet how shy he was all because of you.

You grabbed his hand and his skin began feeling hot as he looked back up you. Your hand was just as soft as he imagined it would be. You both made eye contact. Rafe's eyes kept wandering down to your lips, then back to your eyes. It was a silent gesture of saying 'kiss me.' As you were leaning in, you heard a shout from behind.

You both turned to see Kelce and Topper. They walked towards you both, a huge smile on their faces. Rafe's anger was radiating from his body; he could not believe his jackass friends just ruined his almost kiss with you.

"Wow! My plan worked, Rafe. You guys are holding hands now, see! Told ya being a man worked." Topper was obviously drunk and oblivious to the awkwardness he was causing. Kelce nodded.

"I didn't know you liked Y/N, man. The more you know." Kelce talked to Rafe. He turned to you with a smile. "I don't blame you, dude, you are gorgeous."

You nodded and smiled at that. "Thank you, Kelce. I appreciate it." You know he didn't mean it in a weird or creepy way, so you found it endearing.

He cleared his throat. "You dumbasses are ruining my moment. Can you guys fucking leave?" He whispered to them, trying to make sure that you didn't hear it. But you were pretty close to him so you could.

Kelce and Topper looked at each other, then you, then back at Rafe. They nodded. "Okay, bye Y/N."

They both left and Rafe turned his attention back to you. "See what I'm dealing with? They act like fucking children, I swear."

"Rafe."

"What?" He turned to you and you put your hand on his face, leaning in to plant a single kiss on his lips. He was so caught off guard but when you pulled away, he instantly wanted more.

You smiled. "Let me give you my number."

"Y-Yeah, sure." He was still in shock, stumbling over his words, the taste of your lipgloss still on your lips. He handed you his phone.

You looked down at in and smiled. "You have to unlock it." You held in your laugh at how out of order he was just because of one kiss. He took his phone back, opening it with Face ID. He gave it back to you.

You put in your number and then put in your name. You then opened his camera, snapping a quick picture then putting it as your contact picture.

You gave it back with a grin as you stood up. "Text me, okay?"

He nodded, "Sure. Yeah." As you walked away, he couldn't help but lick his lips and the taste of your lipgloss was still on it. He couldn't believe that just happened.

[hina-hina]

Could you possibly do Ghost or König falling head over heels in a bar over fem! reader, but upon actually going to talk her they find she's mostly mute, signing and such. Though eager to try and converse with this tall masked man who sits at her booth, all pretty smiles and leaning in to listen.

Hello and thank you for requesting!!! This was a super cute senario!! I already wrote a selectively mute reader imagine, but this one is going to be slightly different!

Guys, I'm so sorry for being behind this week! I think I know what I want to do for 1K, but I think I'm going to finish with requests first! Again, sorry for ending my daily posts but hopefully this will cause more high quality work!

First and foremost, I am a Roach-Ghost bestie stan. Someone help me with writing accents!!! ::>_<::

This work is not beta read!!!

→ COD Masterlist

|| Ghost + König With a Mute S/O ||

Tags: Protective Ghost, Meet-Cute, Exchanging of Numbers, Soft Ghost, Bashfulness, Mute!Reader, Ghost knows Sign Language, Possible OOC Ghost (but I try to remain as faithful as possible), Nervous König, Awkward Flirting, Maybe OOC König,

Warnings: Pushy Guys, Alcohol mentions,

Female!Reader // Romantic

|| Ghost

Ghost very seldom finds people attractive. What even rarer is that he acts on said attraction. He doesn't want to doom anyone to be attached to him, a phantom that death clings to like an ill-fitting coat.

This evening wasn't unlike all the others that happened after a particularly taxing mission. They bar wasn't particularly crowded or nice, filled with stale air and some distant rock music playing over crackly speakers. The others seem content in their conversation, sipping their drinks and laughing as they unwind. Ghost was sat, mask pulled up slightly as he took the last sip from his class of bourbon.

While he does his scan of the room, something catches his eye. Or, rather, someone.

He sees you, sitting off in one of the booths. He finds himself wondering how such a pretty young women is alone in a place like this. Ghost finds himself unable to take his eyes off of you and maybe that's a good thing because he's watching when a (clearly intoxicated) man stumbles over to the booth.

For a moment, Ghost is sure this must be the man you came with and starts to turn away. However, he manages to catch your uncomfortable expression as you try to turn the man away with some hand gestures, to no avail.

With a gruff, "be right back," that is majorly ignored by his companions, Ghost pushes away from the bar and stalks closer to the booth. As he gets closer, he starts to hear what the man is saying and finds himself more disgusted. He is shocked you haven't cursed the man out and slapped him across the face for your trouble.

He clamps one of his hands down onto the (much smaller) man's shoulder, immediately causing him to freeze and glance over his shoulder. "Get lost," Ghost's dark tone reaches even this drunkards rationality causing him to scoff and stumble off.

Upon his departure, Ghost looks back at you who has now begun staring wide eyed at him. He clears his throat, gesturing to the empty booth across from you, "This seat taken?"

You shake your head, gesturing outward to the seat as if to say, "be my guest."

Ghost nods, slumping down into the seat and trying not to make it obvious he was avoiding eye-contact, "I hope that wasn't presumptuous of me. You must've came here with someon'. 'm... Simon. By the way."

You smile, still staring openly at him before shaking your head, signing something with your hands.

Ghost freezes for a moment. He didn't expect this sudden hiccup. He is, for once, thankful for being friends with Roach which led him to learning some sign in order to communicate with him more efficiently.

"'m sorry, love, I didn't catch that," the term slips out before he can stop it, "I know some sign, but can you go a bit slower?"

You look at him in shock for a moment that he can understand before slowing down and signing, "I'm here alone." and tacking on a sign-spelling of your name. You take special care to slow down, carefully signing each word to make sure he catches it. You ask him what he's doing here.

"I think I should be askin' you that. This isn't really the place for pretty ladies," he takes a secret pride in the blush that spreads across your cheeks, "I'm here with some friends."

You glance towards the bar where the other members of 141 have started to calm down a bit before signing, "I was supposed to be meeting someone here. Looks like I've been stood up, though."

Ghost scoffs, "If he wanted to meet you in this place, he ain't worth your worries."

Your smile twitches, "Your probably right. It's not turning out all bad though"

This causes a small, amused scoff to come from his mouth, "I'm glad I can entertain."

Before he could say anything further, a slightly tipsy Soap calls from across the bar, "Ghost! You comin'?" The others have begun paying their tabs and collecting their jackets. Ghost makes a mental note to smack him upside the head for interrupting, nonetheless.

He sighs, "Duty calls." Ghost reluctantly slides, from the booth. "You should get outta' here too. Need someone to take you home?"

You smile and shake your head, "No. I could settle for your number, though."

Ghost's lips twitch into an almost-smile before he holds out his hand for your phone, "That can be arranged."

He looks so baby girl here

|| König

It wasn't often König found himself going out to bars with his colleagues. Mostly because he found himself getting nervous in crowded places and because it wasn't really acceptable to wear a sniperhood in public spaces.

But, with some urging from his recently-acquired friend Horangi, he found himself reluctantly agreeing. Instead of his normal hood, he put on a simple, black surgical mask to try and help with his anxiety. At least this bar wasn't anywhere near crowded.

He still felt incredibly awkward sitting hunched over in the too-small bar stool. The others seemed to be having a good time at least, all of them caught up in some sports game playing on the tv above the bar. König quickly took a sip of his drink, scanning across the room before his eyes landed on you, sitting quietly off to the side with a group of friends. He pauses, stunned by your smile for a moment before he turns away quickly. Despite his blush being mostly covered by his mask, Horangi notices somehow. "You should send her a drink." If his eyes weren't covered by sunglasses, he was sure the statement would have been accompanied by a wink.

König gulped, "I couldn't..."

Horangi landed a friendly pat on the bigger man's shoulder, "Sure you could. What's the worst that could happen?"

König can think of quite a few things that can go wrong. But even then, he can't get your smile out of his head. He slowly lifts his hand, calling the bartender over before asking for some pleasant, fruity drink to be sent to your table. To you.

When the waiter came to collect the drink to bring to the table, König made a point not to look in your direction. He could already feel the hot waves of embarrassment wash down his back. He briefly thought about bolting from the bar before he realized it was too late, glancing over his shoulder as you scan the bar. Your eyes meet for a moment before König quickly turns away.

He expects nothing to come from it, that you would just laugh about the occurrence with your friends before going about the rest of your night. He figures he's wrong when he hears light footsteps approaching him from behind. You set the drink that he sat you down before sliding into the bar stool next to him. König glaces up nervously.

"I'm sorry..." König can't keep the apology from coming out. You frown slightly and shake your head, signing something with your hands. König pauses, clenching and unclenching his fist around his glass, "Oh... I don't know that much English sign..."

You nod sympathetically, thinking for a moment before gesturing to yourself before slowly fingerspelling your name. König watches intently before nodding slowly, "My friends call me König." At you curious look he laughs softly, "It means King in German. It's a... long story." He didn't really want to get into why he got his callsign.

You smile, slowly signing something along the line of "thank you" before gesturing towards the drink.

König nods, resisting the urge to sheepishly rub at the back of his neck, "Your welcome... I didn't know if you would like it or not."

In response, you smile and take a sip of the drink.

He finds himself laughing softly, turning more openly towards you before saying, "I'm glad. I'm sorry for taking you away from your friends. Your just... Really pretty."

You laugh softly, brushing a strand of hair behind your ear. You start to slowly sign something else but your friends call out to you. You both turn, seeing your friends had begun to collect their things. This causes you to frown slightly, which König can't help but find unreasonably cute, before you turn an apologetic look back to König. He waves his hands dismissivly, "No, no, I-It's alright! Go and join your friends."

You take the last sip of the drink he sent you before pulling the napkin you had been using as a coaster from beneath it. You reach across the bar and grab a nearby pen, quickly squibbling down your number onto the napkin before presenting it to König. He takes it carefully, staring astonished before shrinking into himself, trying to hide a rising blush, "Danke..."

You smile before winking back at him, moving towards the bartender to pay your tab before throwing one last look at König that says, "You better text me!"

König nods, carefully folding the napkin and sticking it into his pocket before letting out a deep sigh. He can't help the small smile the comes to his face when he thinks about talking to you again.

Thank you for reading! Likes, reblogs, and comments are greatly appreciated!

⇣Taglist⇣ @scarlettproof @unabashednightmarepizza @kk00789 @cl0udii-m00n @polar2oidsworld @meepsters-world @uwu-i-purple-you @punziesworld @heaven-angels-world @crystalliebling @southernbluebellereader @nptnewr @blueoorchid

[fluentmoviequoter]

I Didn't Know Where Else to Go

Requested Here!

Pairing: Jim Street x fem!reader

Summary: You lose your keys during a rainstorm and can only think of one place to go.

Warnings: pure fluff | Word Count: 1.2k+ words

A/N: This is my first attempt at writing Street, so he is probably OOC. I actually really enjoyed it, so I'm absolutely open to keep writing for him if anyone has more requests. I'd also love to hear any feedback you have!!🤍

As you park your car, the rainstorm stalled over Los Angeles goes from bad to worse. What started as a steady sprinkle is now a torrential downpour, and you have to run from your car to the front door. Sighing, you watch the water coat your windshield.

“Sunny Los Angeles, huh?” you mutter, reaching for your bag.

Sliding your hand into the pocket where you keep your house key, you only feel the fabric of the pocket. Frowning, you pull your bag open further, tipping your head forward to look inside. Your key has vanished, it seems, and you have no idea where it could be.

“Great.”

Sitting back in your seat, you try to think of a place where you can go. The roads had begun to flood as you drove home, a downfall of living in a city not used to continuous rain. Unwilling to travel more than a few miles, you check the time before backing out of your driveway.

There is only one place you can think to go.

✯✯✯✯✯

Sliding your bag onto your arm, you take a deep breath and open the car door, rushing up the driveway and onto the porch. When you’re under a covering again, your hair and clothes are soaked and dripping onto the concrete below you. Shivering slightly, you tighten your grip on your bag and raise your hand to knock, whispering a request for someone to answer the door.

After a moment, there's no answer, and you take a step back. Turning around, you look out into the rain as you pull your phone from your bag, scrolling through your contacts and failing to find anyone you can call.

You hear your name and turn around quickly, sighing when you see Jim standing in his open doorway.

“I didn’t know where else to go,” you admit quietly, glancing down at your sopping wet shoes. “But-“

“Come in. I’ll grab you some dry clothes,” Jim says, cutting you off before you can apologize or offer to leave.

“Thank you.”

Stopping just inside his door, you stand by the wall and wait.

“You good?”

Raising your head, you see Street looking at you intently. Jim has never been easy to lie to, and he cares about you. He’s your best friend, that’s why you came here.

“Yeah, I’m okay. I lost my house key and didn’t realize until I got there. Didn’t know where else to go,” you repeat.

Jim nods before disappearing around a corner. He returns a moment later with dry clothes and a towel in his arms. Extending them to you, he fails to hide his smile as he asks, “You want to use the bathroom or change right here? I don’t mind either way.”

You roll your eyes, setting your bag on the floor while you point out, “I’m going to get water everywhere on the way.”

Jim lays a hand on your shoulder, pushing you forward a few steps before saying, “Too late. If you want to shower or anything, go ahead.”

“Thank you,” you say over your shoulder.

After you close the bathroom door, you peel your wet clothes and shoes off, dropping them in the bathtub before drying off. After dressing in Street’s clothes, you take a minute to enjoy the feeling. Being close to Jim has always been comfortable, but this is different, and if you’re honest with yourself, you like it. A lot.

Jim knocks on the door, drawing your attention away from his clothes.

“You can put your clothes in the dryer when you’re ready. Need anything else?”

Opening the door, you smile as his eyes move down your body and back up to your face.

“I’m good, Jim. Thank you, you’ve already done more than enough.”

“I’m making coffee,” Jim says, looking away from you quickly. “Want anything?” You don’t have a chance to answer before he adds, “I thought so. I’ll make your favorite.”

Watching him walk away, you furrow your eyebrows. Jim Street can be act strange at times, you know that, but this is unusual even for him.

After putting your clothes in the dryer, you walk to the kitchen and stop in the doorway.

“Do you- should I leave? I can find somewhere else to go,” you say quietly.

“Of course not,” Jim replies, turning to set a steaming mug before you. “Sorry.”

Shrugging, you run your finger over the rim of the mug. “For what? You’re helping me, Jim.”

“Yeah, I mean, I know that, and I’ll always be here to help you. But- I’m just sorry if I’m making this weird.”

Jim’s eyes drop, his gaze catching on your neck, where his shirt rests against your skin. Thinking – hoping – that he’s thinking the same thing you are, you take a step closer to him. Taking his hand, you raise it between you before looking up at him.

“Maybe you should make it weird,” you tease.

“I’m glad you didn’t know where else to go.” You narrow your eyes, and Jim chuckles, adding, “You know what I mean.”

Smiling, you drop your joined hands and take one more step, tilting your chin up and leaning in.

“Is this okay?” you ask.

Jim nods quickly, and you move your free hand to his jaw, gently pulling him to you. Just before your lips meet, the power flickers before shutting off. You don’t stop, though, too invested in Jim and this moment.

Jim grabs your waist, tugging you against him as he kisses you. He pulls back suddenly, and you lean against him before opening your eyes.

“Do you…” you begin, trailing off.

“Sit down. Please.”

He steps away from you, turning back into the kitchen while you walk to his couch, taking your drink with you. Sitting alone, you take a few sips before Jim joins you. He hands you a blanket before setting a tray of snacks and candles on the table before you.

“Romantic,” you hum.

“Careful,” Jim warns. “You don’t even have clothes right now.”

You laugh, quieting as he sits beside you. Unfolding the blanket, you spread it over both of your laps.

“Thank you, Jim,” you say again, leaning your head against his shoulder.

“You know, when Luca told me I was in love with you I almost didn’t believe him.”

“Your friends had to tell you that? I’ve known for months.”

Street pulls the blanket off of you to set it to the side, and as you begin to ask what he’s doing, he grabs your hips and tugs you toward him, flipping you so you’re facing him. Catching yourself on his shoulders, you rise to your knees on either side of his legs.

“I know it’s your job, but I wasn’t resisting,” you mumble.

“You certainly weren’t,” Jim replies, smiling as he sets his hands on your hips.

Thunder rumbles in the distance, and you think you could stay here forever. You look over his head to the rain-streaked window.

“Hey,” Jim calls, waiting until you look back down at him to kiss you again.

He pulls the blanket over you, covering both of your heads. You break the kiss in surprise at his actions, and he tugs you to lay against him as his chuckles mix with your pleased laugh.

“I’m glad I didn’t know where else to go, too,” you say.

“And now you’ll have to stay here until you can replace your key. A pity.”

“Trust me, I know. It will be hard to cope,” you reply, playing along. “There’s only one thing that will make it manageable.”

“Me?” Jim asks happily. “Because I’ll always be here.”

[unrequitedloveletter]

I want a love like the movies- give me a trope/character dynamic from this list, a song (or a specific lyric from a song that you want me to base it off of, or even a poem, anything that is seen as art is acceptable here) and a time of day. I’ll use that to write a fic with a minimum of 1k words. 

kaz brekker with 29 (from the list) anddddd almost by hozier?? idk first song to pop into my head haha

Love- K.B x gn! reader

okay, this is the last of your requests and it's coming out on my official two year fic-iversary! I posted my first ever fic on maliciousbrekker two years ago to the day, and it's been a wonderfully wild ride in things ever since! No regrets with anything I've done here, honestly!

As for requests generally speaking, the goal is to have at least one more coming out over the weekend! My two year anniversary requests are taking precedent right now because I've been demotivated and haven't posted many of them, but after the two year anniversary requests are done, I'll go through my inbox and decide what I want to write vs what I don't and then I'll proceed and hopefully my requests will be open again by the date in my bio!

The prompt you chose was: reader/writer

Fic type- this is fluff!

Warnings-Kaz is probably a little ooc

"You and your books," Kaz observed as he came into your place. You lived in a flat not too far from the Barrel, one that was simultaneously within walking distance of the Crow Club and the Slat as well as Wylan and Jespers place.

You'd bought it to own it with a portion of your money from the ice court, spruced it up to your liking and saved a room to turn into a library. Bookshelves lined the walls, covered in every book you owned and organized to your preference.

You'd bought a desk for Kaz to use, and within it were countless heist plans, countless letters to Nina, Matthias, and Inej, and even a couple of the journals that Kaz had bought two years before but had only begun using in the weeks after the Ice Court job had been completed.

"I have my books and you have your heists, love," you said, shrugging as Kaz sat at the opposite end of the velvety couch you'd kept in the sitting room. "Everyone has their vices."

"How is it?" Kaz asked. You jabbed at each other for your hobbies occasionally, poked fun and delighted in the sounds of scoffs that eventually turned into barely amused laughter, but in the end, you cared about the other persons hobbies, too.

No matter how much you may have poked fun at Kaz and his love for unlined leatherback journals, for the expensive ink he purchased from a Fabrikator near the heart of the city, you always bought him the ink when you noticed he was running low before he did.

You bought him new leather journals when you saw one that he might've liked in a windowsil and bought him ones engraved as a gift on his birthday or during the holidays.

And, in turn, Kaz did the same. He bought you books from the authors you loved whenever he'd heard that a new one was releasing, took your most beloved books to a book binder when the covers were wearing out and the spines needed re-gluing.

He asked how you liked the books you were reading when he noticed you were reading a different one, bought you the books that your eyes lingered on whenever you'd see something in a bookshop window.

"It's good," you said. "How're the heist plans coming?"

"Decently enough," he responded. "A hundred thousand kruge per person on a seven person crew, if you're in?"

You grinned as you closed your book, looking at the cover for a moment.

"How convenient it is that you ask me to join you on a heist when the book I'm reading involves one."

"Is that your way of saying yes?"

You shot him a look, and he nodded. "Yeah. It's your way of saying yes."

You watched him stand, heading for your office, a pen, and one of his journals.

"Love you!" You called after him. You heard Kaz's amused laughter in response and smiled to yourself.

He didn't need to say it back for you to know he loved you in turn. If anything, he'd likely be the one to turn down the lamps and blow out the low-burning candles when he was done planning the heist he'd asked you in on.

He'd be the one to find you with a book in your lap, having told yourself "just one more chapter" even as your eyes were drooping and sleep was on its way

[youreobsessedwithtoomanyfandoms]

In a World of Boys, He's a Gentleman

Words: 1748

Warnings: references to cheating, name calling, probably poor writing and OOC characters but whatever

DC Masterlist Main Masterlist 1989 (TV) Event Masterlist Join My Taglist

This takes place pre Dick. Maybe little bit of being Batman? Basically Bruce is still really known as a playboy, but unlike many of my other ones here, this Brucie is a good boy and isn't gonna cheat because hell nah. I also am having that, like Bruce, Y/N had her own reputation because that just makes sense to me

Also, Y/N is also rich in her own right, which is why there are references of her and Bruce growing up together and other things like that. So yeah, yippee

The swimsuit that Y/N wears is described to be a two piece, but not that it shows skin or not so imagine that however you wish you; if you see it as a bikini or one with a top that covers everything and has bottoms basically making it a one-piece

This is the "Slut!" part of my 1989 event! You can also see this as the one for "Blank Space" since I wasn't doing one fully

Anywho, enjoy

Love Z <3

Y/N stood next to Jessica Sturwich as she talked about her husbands new investments. The sun beat down on them as they stood on the yacht that Bruce had recently begun to own. Her eyes drifted around, trying to drown out the sound of Jessica's annoyingly high pitched nasally voice.

She laughed to herself as she saw Elizabeth Bynes in, what she would describe as, a flamingo pink bikini, shamelessly flirting with Bruce. A small smile graced her lips as she saw him throw her a "help me" look.

She looked back at Jessica and gave a small, fake laugh. "I'm sorry, but I'm gonna take my leave now, Bruce is calling me over."

As she turned on her heel and made her way towards him, she tried to not let what Jessica said hit her. "Hey, it's just the guy of the week. Not like you have to do everything he asks."

All she did was turn and shoot her a sweet smile, "Why don't you tell something similar to your husband's mistresses." Before turning back and making her way to Bruce.

As she reached him, she gently grabbed his bicep and kissed his cheek before smiling at Elizabeth. "Betty! I haven't seen you in such a long time! How's your mother?"

She watched as Elizabeth's smile faded. Betty had always been her least favorite nickname, plus Y/N knew that Elizabeth knew that she had been caught.

"She's been well." She watched as Elizabeth glanced at Bruce before looking at her again. "Who knew that the two richest people in Gotham would end up together."

Y/N hummed, "It makes sense." She smiled up at Bruce, who's arm fell down to her waist, before looking back at Elizabeth, "Also helps that he's much better than the other men I've been with."

"Right...and which number is he?"

She felt the way his arm tightened around her waist before he spoke. "I think that it's more of which number she is for me." She listened to his fake laugh before he sighed, "I think that we should finish up here and head back to shore. Why don't you go locate Adam Becker, I'm sure that he'd like you by his side at his gala tonight." He started to push him and her away, "See you later."

The two of walked away, out from the sight of everyone, before she leaned her head into his chest. Small tears gathering in her eyes. She hated the words that were always said about her. Even if they weren't lies, she did go from guy to guy...person to person. But she didn't sleep with them all. Only...at most half. Many of them weren't even relationships she had wanted. They were relationships her family had put her with.

But this...this wasn't it. This was one she had wanted.

Bruce gently kissed the top of her head before mumbling against her hair. "We don't have to go tonight." He tightened the grip around her waist, "We can stay at the manor, swim in the pool under the moonlight." She smiled against his bare chest as he rubbed circles into her lower back, his thumbs occasionally toying with top of her swim bottoms. "I could tell Alfred to leave us alone and we could just...be grown adults, alone, in a big pool."

She giggled before looking up at him, "As fun was that sounds." She gently grabbed his arms from behind her, moving them in from to hold his hands. "But we promised to be there. I already told my parents to not go cause I'd be there on their behalf."

He sighed, "Well...always can do that afterwards."

"Are you trying to get me to have sex in a pool, Mr. Wayne?"

He shrugged, "Not like you've never done it before."

"You wound me."

He smiled innocently, "Nothing around about that sweetheart."

She carefully moved from him as the bell rang that they were back at the port. "I think that I will meet you at yours before the gala tonight Mr. Wayne."

He gave her a lovesick smile as she walked away, "See you tonight, Miss. Y/L/N."

--------

Y/N stood next to Bruce as he talked to Lex Luthor. She adjusted her stance every once and a while, attempting to ignore all of the eyes on her. She knew why they were there, after all, she always ended up breaking up with guys at the third gala she went to with them. This was their third.

Everyone was expecting it to happen...but it wasn't going to.

"Y'know, I was surprised to hear that you and Miss. Y/N Y/L/N were together." She turned her head back to the other man, a small smile on her face as Bruce held her tighter. "Maybe you'll be the one to tie her down."

Her smile faltered and she move uncomfortably as the words left Lex's mouth. But before she could cover her uncomfortability with an awkward joke, Bruce came in. "I don't see it as tying down as much as I see it as me possibly being someone she finds safety in."

She looked up at him with a smile, a real happy smile, as she leaned into him. He was right. For the first time in years, she felt like she could be herself with him. Be...not the dumb rich girl she had pretended to be for so long.

She had been so lost in her own world that she hadn't realized that Bruce had pulled her away from Lex and the rest of the crowd until she felt her back collide with a wall and he brought his hand to her face gently.

"You were upset. What happened?"

She sighed "People were staring."

"And?" He leaned in and kissed her, "You look so fucking gorgeous tonight, of course they're going to."

"But that's not--"

"You're all dressed up, let them stare."

She allowed her lips to form a small smile, "We're both dressed up, so I guess...I guess they might as well be looking at us."

He smirked, "Really?"

"And...I think, maybe for once, it might be worth being called a slut." She leaned in before whispering, "Or maybe I'm just drunk."

He tilted his head to the side in confusion his lips opening slightly, as if he was about to say something. But they closed before a gently smile and look fell upon his face. "Why don't we go back out there, hm?"

She smiled gently and nodded, "Okay."

--------

Y/N laughed at the front page of the newspaper as Bruce came and wrapped his arms around her. She lifted the paper for him to see and soon enough his own chuckle filled the air. "World renowned rich, billionaire, heiress, and slut; Y/N Y/L/N looks like she might have actually fallen in love with billionaire and philanthropist Bruce Wayne as she gave him this look last night at Adam Becker's charity gala. Has she really found the one or is this just her current boy of the month?" He looked down at her, "What do you say?"

She hummed, "I think that they looked at my drunk expressions and try to read my mind."

He kissed her temple before speaking, "I mean to say, you hardly had anything to drink to drink last night. What did you mean by being drunk?"

She smiled up at him, "Not from alcohol." She tilted her head to the opposite side of his, allowing her lips to ghost the shell of his ear. The words leaving her mouth before she meant to let them, her still half asleep mind not fully thinking. "I meant drunk from love."

She felt herself and him freeze, both of them processing what she had just said. The L word. Something she had contemplated saying for so long, but kept convincing herself to not to out of fear for what he would say just slipped out of her lips.

But instead of anger or him laughing at her, his lips formed a smile. "You love me?" She silently nodded and he turned her around before kissing her intensely. He pulled away, but only to put his forehead onto hers. "I love you too."

It led to her swallowing hard, "But what if it blows up in our faces...in your really pretty face?"

He shrugged, "Then it does." He kissed her gently before brushing hair from her face, "I love you so much. I was just scared that you didn't."

"And I was scared that you didn't love me."

He smiled, "I guess we're just two idiots."

She smirked slightly, "Two slutty idiots."

He laughed and nodded, "Yes, two very slutty idiots."

--------

Y/N sobbed as she held onto her stomach, trying to comfort herself. She knew she shouldn't let it affect her, but she couldn't help it. She tried to ignore the television as it played the news channel talking about Bruce with another woman last night. She sobbed, she knew Bruce. But it didn't that she knew that everyone wanted him. But she knew it was just one of those issues when someone was at the right place at the wrong time...or maybe this case it was wrong place, right time.

She barely heard the door to the bedroom click before she felt Bruce's arms wrap around her, whispering into her ear that it was okay. She sobbed into his shoulder. She didn't understand why this was hurting her in the way that it was.

"I'm so sorry baby, I tried to push her off of me before. Please believe me. I'll...I'll do anything to prove it to you."

She breathed shakily, "I believe you. I just...I don't know why this is hurting me the way it is."

He moved to gently take her head in her hands to make her look at him. "Because...this is the longest real relationship either of us have had." He brushed hair from her face, "Trust me when I say that I never want to hurt you. Not on purpose at least."

She nodded and buried her head against his shoulder as he held her tightly. She refused to let him go. Refused to let him get away from her.

She refused to let him go as it felt like he was one of the only gentlemen in a world full of boys.

[friendsoup]

Hello, may I request dikke helping her gf out during her period while she has unbearable cramps pls? Have a nice day/night☆

Acts of Service

Recipe: Romantic fluff, tooth rotting sweetness, Dikke x reader, fem!reader, Reader is referred to as Dove and M'lady, Dikke's love language is acts of service, Miscommunication due to cultural differences WC: 1,346 Chef's Note: This is the third time I'm writing this today... Hopefully this works! This was all self-indulgent bc I was in a lot of pain last night. Might be a bit ooc.

“M’lady, are you around? You were absent from the suitcase’s daily activities…” Dikke called, knocking on your door. You groaned. She was right, you had avoided your daily routine today, something which you were usually rigorous with. Though it wasn’t as though you were without reason! It just so happened that last night, your period had begun. And it was something fierce. You didn’t know exactly where to go with your troubles. Despite the suitcase being full of mostly women, no one discussed things such as periods. You were sure that if it came to it, you could scrounge around for a tampon or pad, but you hadn’t expected them to get this painful. You could hardly move, squirming around on your bed in pain. You were certain your sheets would be stained red forever, and you’d feel soiled for the rest of your life. “M’lady?” Dikke asked, her voice growing panicked. Before you began dating Dikke, you had seen her as someone to stay cool under all types of pressure. Which was true, for the most part. However, when it came to you, her composure seemed to crumble. Perhaps it was insecurity, or maybe she was less composed than you originally thought. Whatever it was, you didn’t want to make her more worried. “Don’t come in.” You called back. You were a mess, you were certain of it. You didn’t want Dikke to see you all sweaty and gross. “I’m fine. Just stay out there.” The pain in your voice was obvious, but Dikke tended to be on the more oblivious side. You hoped she’d take your word for it. “M’lady. Need I remind you my thoughts on liars?” Her voice was cold, but only for a moment. “If you require assistance, please let me in. Allow me to aid you.” The shift was quick, but noticeable. She sounded so desperate, it made your heart twist. “Fine.” You muttered, flipping yourself over so you could face the door. “Come in.”

Dikke opened the door slowly, keeping her gaze to the ground. She knew you were hesitant, and didn’t want to overwhelm you by barging in, though she truly wanted to. Upon seeing you in bed, her eyebrows drew together in quiet confusion. “M’lady. Are you sick?” She asked, kneeling by your bedside. “No. I mean, yes? I’m on the rag.” You admit. Dikke blinks, your words completely missing their mark. “I mean, my Aunt Flo is here.” You try again. Once more, her gaze goes right through you. “I’m on my period?” Perhaps being a bit more direct will work? She narrows her eyes, attempting to make sense of your words. “I’m menstruating.” You put bluntly. That seemed to do the trick. Dikke closed her eyes and nodded. “I see. That is why you isolated yourself.” Dikke gently placed her hand on your forehead, pushing hair out of your face. Her skin felt cool against your own. “I may not know the modern remedies for such a thing, as I imagine they have changed greatly between our times, but I will aid you the best I can.” You smile at her words. “That’s lovely, sweetheart.” The fact that she’s so eager to help warms your heart. “First, we must get you clean.” Dikke nods to herself, “I will run a warm bath with healing herbs.” Before you can object, she stands and runs off. You blink at the space she once inhabited, feeling a bit worried. What was she going to put in your bath? As much as you loved her, you knew that medieval medicine was not as accurate as today’s (or tomorrow’s?) science. You stayed in silence, with nothing but your pains to keep you company. It hurt greatly, but there was nothing you could do at the moment to stop it. Luckily, she arrived back shortly. “Your bath is ready, M’lady.” She announced, hovering over you again. “Dikke, I’m sure the bath is lovely, but I don’t really want to walk anywhere.” You protested meekly. “You think I’d make an ill woman walk?” Dikke scoffed, scooping you up in her arms. You felt so small in them, her strong arms wrapped around you. You put your head on her chest, feeling her heartbeat quicken beneath her armor. As you glanced up, you saw a hint of blush on her cheeks. “Now, let’s be off.” She quickly spoke, carrying you to the bathroom. The scent hit you at once. Rose, wormwood, and something close to peppermint filled the steamy air. It was as fragrant as tea, and you could see bits of the herbs floating around in the water. 

Dikke placed you close to the tub, before standing back up. “I will allow you your privacy while you bathe. In the meantime, I shall prepare your room for your return.” Before you could speak, she was gone again. You stripped yourself of your dirty clothes, and sank into the warm water. It was perfect. The right temperature to ease the pain in your gut, as the scent relaxed your muscles. You closed your eyes, picturing your Dikke perfectly measuring the herbs needed to go into the bath, making sure the temperature was right, all the while worrying about leaving you alone. 

The two of you had only started dating a few weeks ago, yet she treated you like a princess at every convenience. Roses would appear by your door, perfumed letters were handed to you by confused middle men. She had quite the bizarre way of showing her affections, always indirect and nervous, but you found that charming of her. Your favorite of her affections were the acts of service, which came endlessly with her. Chores would be done without you asking, meals would be prepared, and things like this bath were all reminders of just how much she cared for you. A lazy smile came to your face as you sunk deeper into the water, your heart warm with her love. A bit later, Dikke returned with new clothes to dress you with. The usually stone-faced girl was surprisingly giddy, unable to hide her slight smile. Forgetting her shyness, she helped you dry off, giving not so much as a bashful look away. You were confused, what had caused this change in personality? As she draped a plush robe around your shoulders, you decided to ask. “Dikke?” “Yes, dove?” She hummed. “What’s going on?” You blinked. She’d never called you a pet name before. “Am I not allowed to be joyful when with my partner?” She asked, innocently. “I suppose so. It’s just-” You had no time to complete your sentence, as Dikke once again lifted you into her arms. She marched back to your room, unable to wipe the smile from your face. Once she opened the door to your room, your jaw dropped. A display of warm foods and snacks lay on your table. Freshly washed blankets and sheets on your bed, creating almost a nest. Your tv was on, displaying one of your favorite movies. And to top it off, the entire place smelled like roses. “The captain is bringing tampons. She said she had to go out to fetch them, but it’ll only take a minute.” Dikke says, placing you on the bed. “I didn’t know you could buy such things now. How strange is that!” Once you were secure, she turned to leave. You couldn’t stand to see her go again, reaching out your hand and grabbing hers. “Dikke!” You called. “This is all nice, but I want one more thing.” Confused, she nodded. “Anything at all, I will provide.” “I want you to stay?” You timidly asked. Dikke’s face grew red once more, the shade you’d seen her wear the most. “Of course! Let me just rid myself of this armor, and I will be by your side!” With that, Dikke removed the plate armor, and took her side by you. You fiddled with the remote as she wrapped you in her arms. Feeling a sense of relief that has never come with your period before.

[bamdelune]

sickly dan heng x reader fluff drabble

notes: not proofread, just fluff in general, might be a little ooc dan heng because this is my first hsr work

A series of knocks echoed through the archive room where a sickly Dan Heng laid as a virus threw punches at his body.

The Nameless had begun an expedition on a new planet where a Stellaron had been found. This time the planet’s climate was not-so-pleasant (read: never-ending thunderstorms) and Dan Heng had initially warned you to bring an umbrella.

Did you listen?

Of course not!

“We’ll manage, love. I’m sure it’s not that bad.”

You thought you would be able to manage because the towns were filled with roofs anyway but little did you know that little could be done to avoid the harsh rain and thus, finding out that the thunderstorms continued inside the numerous establishments of the city.

That day, you were the subject of a handful of unamused stares of “I-told-you-so” from your boyfriend.

✦

Here you stood in front of his room with a tray in your hands, standing in a certain guilt. Lucky for you, your immune system had the balls to fight the cold that was creeping up on you whereas Dan Heng’s… not so much.

You slide the door open with your foot to create a space for your head to poke through.

“Hey, bud. You alright in there?” You ask sheepishly with an awkward chuckle.

With all the energy Dan Heng could muster, he shoots you a weak glare. If looks could kill, you might as well been buried way underground already by the time he makes eye contact with you. You sigh with a nod. “Right, right.” You then push the door open to give way for your body to come in.

You set the tray down on a free space on top of one of the shelves, praying to any entity above that it won’t drop as you tended to your boyfriend as it was halfway off the shelf.

“Sit up for me, please?” you say, kneeling down to his level on the floor, your hand finding a way to press on his back to support him. He grunts tiredly, shifting some of his weight onto your palm and sits upright. Dan Heng then leans against a shelf with a huff.

You shuffle over to where the tray was whilst on your knees and come back to Dan Heng’s side, placing the tray down on the free space on the floor.

“What’s that?” Dan Heng asks softly, prompting a soft sneeze from him right after. His face was mostly pale with pink blooming particularly on his nose. His voice was a subtly scratchy. You assume that he has a mild case of a sore throat as well from his cold.

You pick up a bowl, its evaporating steam following in a trail of movement. You gently spoon through the liquid to cool it down a little. “Porridge. Not the usual one you like though since Pom Pom said it apparently ran out so I had to manage.”

You catch an uncertain look on Dan Heng’s face and pout slightly, “Do you not trust my cooking?” You jest, feigning hurt.

“I trust that you wouldn’t want my reply on that, darling.” He coughs, turning his head to the side to avoid coughing in your direction. "In fact, I'm not sure I trust your judgement."

“You wound me."

He sends you another look,

"I'm sorry, I'll listen to you next time." You exhale in defeat.

“Hm.”

You scoop some of the porridge onto the spoon as you bring it to close to your lips, blowing on it gently before you move it near Dan Heng’s.

“Open,” you nudge the spoon slightly to prod his mouth open.

Dan Heng follows with no reluctance when he feels the metal of the spoon on his lips, gulping down the warm porridge down his throat.

You take the spoon out of his mouth and settle it in the bowl, before looking back at him with hopeful eyes. “Is it good?”

Dan Heng nods, sniffling his nose afterwards.

You feed him the porridge until it’s almost finished, setting the bowl on the tray again after it has cooled down.

“Himeko told you to drink this after eating.” You hand him a tablet of medicine packaged securely in a tin packaging. He examines the label before picking the area around the medicine with his nails to take it out. Your hands reach for the glass of water and wait for him to pop the tablet in his mouth before giving it to him.

Once he finishes drinking, he returns the glass to the tray and sighs with relief and slumps down back into the duvet covers. You bend over to tuck him in properly and place a gentle peck on his lips.

“Don’t do that, you’ll get sick.” He mutters with a pout before clearing his throat.

You chuckle quietly at your boyfriend’s words before placing another one on his cheeks.

“Trust me, I won’t. Now get some rest.” You say as you pick up the tray and dim the lights of the archive room when you leave.

Suffice to say you spoke too soon when you wake up two days later with the same cold, earning you another “I told you so” from Dan Heng. But despite his words, the man is eager to take care of you just as you did.

© bamdelune may 2023. do not repost or plagiarize any of my works, thank you so much! reblogs, notes, and comments are always appreciated!

(masterlist)

[sweetroyalberry]

ooc; TOA Anniversary Munday!

Celebrating TOA and the people who contribute to make our group what it is.

Repost, don't reblog. Only fill in what you feel comfortable sharing!

Happy anniversary, TOA! Here's to many more years spent together.

tagging: you know

---

Name: Neku

Pronouns: he/him/his [starting to consider they/them]

Birthday (no year): February 24

Where are you from? What is your time zone? Northeastern USA; EST

Roleplay experience: ~1.5 years, starting with Puyo Puyo Tumblr RP (yes I am serious) that led to friends recommending me to try FE indie RP. I went on hiatus for a few years but am back in closed RP form.

Got any pets? I only had some short-lived goldfish when I was veeery young

Favorite time of year: Winter

Some interests and things you like: Math (ew), gaming, music, golf

Some funfacts & trivia about you: Okay how did I miss this my first time uhh I try to do competitive gaming in Smash and Splatoon! Also I had a very brief time of playing drums when I was younger but now I just keep the rhythm to myself.

What non-Fire Emblem games do you play? Smash Bros, Splatoon, TWEWY, Touhou Project, and (most current delusion) Kiseki/Trails

Favorite Pokemon type & Pokemon: Fighting, Empoleon (this one is too hard)

How did you get into Fire Emblem? Older brother has exposed me to many franchises I liked, with this time being him showing me a bit of FE7 on his totally legal GBA. From there I eventually played it myself but first got to complete Awakening later on and it snowballed from there.

What Fire Emblem games have you played? All of them barring FE1, 3, 5, and Three Hopes. FE4 is also technically there but I have attempted to start it many times; oh and FE12 as well.

First Fire Emblem game: Blazing Blade

Favorite Fire Emblem game: Echoes: Shadows of Valentia

Any Fire Emblem crushes? I think Lyn was my first due to FE7 being my first game (very creative I know), and now currently Ayra is probably within my walls

If you’ve played the following games, who was your first S support? - Awakening: Tiki - Fates: Kagero - Three Houses: I literally cannot remember and am too lazy to check but let's just say Shamir - Engage: Ivy

Favorite Fire Emblem class: Promoted mages, specifically Sage

If you were a Fire Emblem character, what would be your class? Probably General because I'm too big.

If you were a Three Houses character, what would be your affiliation? Blue Lions

If you were an Engage character, which Emblem would you Engage with? Sigurd would be my pure gameplay pick, but Ike would be really fun to vibe with [he's probably my favorite lord behind Alm!]

How did you find TOA? Short story: N. Longer-ish story: I started to desire trying to RP again, especially with my rekindled interest in FE thanks to Engage's reception, and then I begun hanging out with N more and he told me more about this place. Yeah, said it was only longer-ish.

Current TOA muses: Mae, Sonya

Who was your first TOA muse? If you don’t have them anymore, could you see yourself picking them up again? Mae is someone I saw (not too highly) placed on 2022-2023's Most Wanted list and I knew I wanted to do an Echoes muse to start. I don't know if they mesh with my own personality/style well, but they are definitely fun to play around with still. :>

Have you had any other TOA muses? Shamir was a short project that got smashed up due to a busy summer/nerves, but I do want to visit her again someday. Her voice and personality is very strong, but might not be for me.

Do you think you have a type of character you gravitate towards? Magic cool. Pegasus knights cool. Sword people cool! Personality-wise, I think I try to veer more toward social muses, which like I said w/ Mae doesn't really fit me in real life but...hehe.

What do you believe you enjoy writing the most? I'm still trying to find a general vibe, but I really do like writing scenarios that deep-dive into muses' thoughts, like...not 100% angst, but still not light?

Favorite TOA-related memory: I'm still young but running in right as everyone started kissing each other and being able to join was...very good.

Got any delusions that didn’t see the light of day in TOA that you’d like to share? I somewhat shown off my more out-there delusions via tier lists (highlights being Yglr from a very brief attempt to bandwagon from FEH Book II hype before reminding myself why I hate bandwagoning) and I made my interest in Citrinne pretty public, but currently (when I am NOT getting absorbed into Alm-route side material oh god spare me please) I am desiring Anna Fire Emblem. No specification on which one, because that's part of the fun for me too :)

[princess-of-the-corner]

Thoughts on how Chloes redemption arc was ruined?

Buddy I've talked on this A LOT but here we fucking GO! I'm putting this under a readmore because it's getting long!

Honestly it really just came down to TA deciding not to go through with it but not even putting in the effort to make it make sense.

Season 1 had setup, showing that she did genuinely care about people like Adrien and Sabrina. Yeah she's a jerk and doesn't seem to know /how/ to be a good friend but she cares about them.

Season 2 had more of this. And her actually apologizing and taking responsibility for things. Then we also see why she's a bitch(her mother's emotional abuse) and we do see her become a Hero for real! Someone Ladybug legitimately chooses to work with.

By Season 3, Chloé was getting better. It was taking time and she wasn't getting much help from others on /how/ to be nice other than being told to be nice, plus accidental sabotage from Mari telling her to get along with Audrey.

But there was still progress. The biggest episodes I point to are Miraculer and Startrain.

In Miraculer, she is the first person to ever fight off Hawkmoth's influence once he had actually begun speaking to her. We have had a few moments of people calming down or cheering themselves up when the Butterfly was aiming for them(both on accident and on purpose). But here Hawkmoth was already in her head and infecting her with his Magic.

Chloé was still upset and pissed and feeling ignored and neglected by her Hero. There was no one cheering her up. She just said 'no, I am a Hero, and I will not let you use me. I am not taking your power'.

Later she would go one on one with Mayura who is trying to manipulate her to the darkside, and Chlo tells her to go fuck herself. She is trying to be good and isn't going to help the villains just for little tastes of power and all that.

At the end, when told she can't be Queen Bee again because her identity was revealed, she takes that with grace and accepts it.

Next is Startrain!

Chloé was great in this. She saw a disaster and took charge, evacuating the train car and keeping people safe. She did this despite having no powers, and did what she could in the situation.

It's really just. While she wasn't perfect the rest of the episode, this is a big step. It's great.

Then we get to Miracle Queen......

There was just.

There were legitimate reasons for Chloé to be upset and venerable. Her parents were Akumatized. Hawkmoth confronted her directly and had her trapped. Ladybug seemed to have abandoned her, choosing a Hero who also should have been benched as their identity was also known to the public.

Her going along with Hawkmoth, either out of fear out out of anger, should be justified. The situation is fucked.

I would have been fine with her fighting back anyway of course. I would have been fine with her complying to save herself. Hell, I would have been fine with her lashing out because she was hurt and having a tragic fall into being worse and worse because of that.

But TA has decided that none of the context matters, she did it becuase she's 'an evil spoiled brat who can never change', despite the fact that she was changing.

Now we're in Season 4 and just.....

They're trying to emphasize the bad. Making her almost comedically worse than she was before any development. Making her do things that are incredibly ooc(like trying to get Adrien withdrawn from school despite getting him in in the first place).

They go out of their way to replace her with Zoé, emphasizing how sweet and kind and uwu she is compared to Chloé. But that's her only purpose. Literally anything she does could have been done by Chloé if they had kept where they were going. I like Zoé fine! But she only exists to fill that spot left when TA decided to take Chloé out.

And it's so wildly frustrating for so many reasons.

The biggest one I harp on is how Gabriel is still portrayed as a sympathetic person worthy of redemption with noble motives, despite being a grown adult supervillain. Even if Chloé never had any of the development in the first place, she is a 14 year old girl.

There's also the fact of how there was so much time spent on her that feels wasted. We had several episodes dedicated to her learning and growing as a person. But none of it matters. Why not take those episodes and give them to other underdeveloped characters?

Then we have the message it sends. Because there are kids out there who related to her in ways, and who want to be better people. Telling them they can't change is awful.

It's a hot mess and its frustrating every time. I sincerely hope that it eventually gets turned around, but I don't think it will happen anytime soon.

[miyanom]

I saw you have Jean Requests open lol, dont worry I'm obsessed with him to. How about something with reuniting with Jean after Trost. Him trying to find you and worried that something may have happened to you. Just fluff though...I'm not sure how much more angst I can handle in this show! 😭💗

TOGETHER

MASTERLIST | JEAN KIRSTEIN X F!READER

notes: I know you said just fluff, but the start is kinda angsty, sorry!! This does have a happy ending though. Anyways, I’m glad I’m not the only one obsessed with him haha, he really is best boy huh

warnings: some angst, mentions of death, slight description of corpses, jean might be ooc

The battle of Trost had been a costly one.

That much was obvious as Jean trekked through his hometown’s streets, passing more bodies than he could count.

It was sickening really, knowing that he could’ve been one of these corpses had the others not come to buy him time to replace his gear… it was sickening knowing that Y/N could be one of these corpses waiting to be discovered in a dark corner of Trost somewhere.

He hadn’t seen Y/N since they were split on to different teams at the beginning, and though he knew he should be worrying about other things, he couldn’t help but be scared that the next corpse he found would be hers.

She had a whole life ahead of her, a family waiting for her to return, dreams she deserved to see come true.

He could still remember the day Y/N came to him during dinner to relay a story Armin had told her...

“It’s called an ocean!” Y/N explained, her bright smile almost contagious. Jean sat across from her at the table, his chin rested in the palm of his hand as he stared at her. “So much water that it stretches beyond the eye can see. Can you imagine that, Jean?”

Jean let out a simple hum, too busy admiring the light in her eyes. The same light she had whenever she spoke about things that she liked — the same look she had when she spoke about him, though he had yet to notice that.

“I think Jean-bo’s imagining something else!” Connie teased with a laugh, as he threw his arm around the boy’s shoulder, successfully pulling Jean out of his daydream.

“I told you not to call me that!” Jean told him, trying to push Connie away. Until Y/N’s voice filled his ears once more, and he found himself looking back in her direction.

“I can’t wait to see the ocean,” Y/N spoke dreamily. “It’s beautiful… I can picture it already.”

Oh, what Jean would do to hear her laughter right now. To see her smile… to just see her, standing in front of him alive and in one piece.

“I want to join the Survey Corps.” Y/N had stated one night, her eyes filled with determination as she stared up at the night sky. They had ended up training later than usual thanks to Eren messing up, and then the two of them had decided to stay back just a little longer, settling down beneath a tree to get a moment of rest.

“What?!” Jean’s eyes widened.

“Don’t you want to see the outside world, Jean?” She suddenly turned him. “The-”

“Is this about the ocean again?” Jean averted his gaze, ignoring the blush creeping onto his cheeks after he had realised their close proximity. “You don’t even know if what Armin said was true. Having a safe, comfortable life in the walls is-”

“It is real, Jean. I just… I can feel it,” she whispered. “Maybe- maybe one day we’ll see it together.”

In the moment, Jean couldn't have cared less about seeing the ocean. He just wanted to retreat further into the walls, he wanted to be safe. But now? Now he wished he was right by Y/N’s side, staring out at the water.

Anywhere was better than here.

Jean slowly came to a stop, his eyes falling onto a body crushed beneath rubble. He stayed there, frozen in his spot, wondering if Y/N was somewhere crushed like that. Wondering if they’d even be able to identify her.

As Jean finally lifted his head once more, his eyes fell onto a girl up ahead. Though as she removed her mask, he found himself running toward her.

“Y/N!” He shouted.

The girl turned in his direction, her eyes widening in shock. “Jean!” She yelled, dropping the clipboard she had been holding as she was pulled into his arms.

“You’re… you’re alive!” He whispered, holding her tightly as if he still couldn’t believe it.

“I am. I’m here, okay?” Y/N placed her forehead against his shoulder as Jean’s hands gripped onto the back of her jacket.

Not a single word was uttered for a moment, as they both just took it all in. “I’m here. I’m alive,” she finally spoke again. “You’re alive. I thought-”

She cut herself off as Jean suddenly pulled away from her. “Jean?” She stared at him, noticing the tears that had begun forming in the corner of his eyes as he stared back at her.

“Y/N, don’t… don’t do that again. Don’t disappear like that again…”

Y/N’s expression softened as she began nodding her head. “I won’t, I promise!”

Jean let out a noise of surprise as Y/N threw her arms back around him, holding him tightly even though they should be returning to moving the bodies.

As Jean carefully wrapped his arms around the girl, he made a silent promise to himself… he was going to take Y/N to see the ocean, even if it was the last thing he did.

No… they’d see it together. Hand in hand.

In a world like this, they deserved that much, didn’t they?

AOT TAG LIST (JOIN HERE)

@filipinhce

[thefvrious]

hello dear mutuals, please hit the heart if you are interesting in interacting. specifically if we have not interacted before/it's been a while. i have a cluttered dash and probably need to unfollow some people. :)

[ogravensimp]

this one is for@mistkissedmoon a lil more Dad!Constantine with a ft. from Jason Blood and John would be so terrible at taking care of ppl but still like really care, so I hope I captured that feeling in this

“This was your big emergency?”

Jason Blood gave a blank stare to the British man across from him.

He didn’t usually just drop everything to attend to someone; especially if that person was John Constantine, but ever since the exorcist decided to take care of the Gem of Scath he proposed it would be a good idea for John to keep him on speed dial.

He didn’t actually expect John to use said number.

Constantine was a demon expert in his own right. Jason believed that he was right to assume that the only reason his help would be sought after was only if the apocalypse had begun.

He felt a nerve in his temple twitch in annoyance (and, ashamedly in disappointment).

It's just that when John rang him and pressed for him to come to the House of Mystery, he had simply been expecting more...destruction. Maybe some blood and fire raining from the sky, the earth itself cracking open to release eldritch horrors of all kinds or even complete ripping of the fabrics of reality.

Anything along those lines would have justified his presence being required, but instead, he was met with-

“achoo!”

Jason looked down at the small form below him.

The spawn of evil incarnate was smaller than he thought it would be. If one ignored the glowing red gem wedged into its forehead, it could easily fool for another harmless 7-year old girl.

Especially as it laid half-dazed in its bed, staring up at the ceiling in a lucid trance. With only half its face poking out from under their star themed blanket, it sniffled pitifully due to the snot dripping out its flushed nose.

The room was perfectly mid-temperature, but the child has so drenched in sweat that even the towel on top of its forehead had over-soaked but yet it still shivered as if it was below -0 degrees.

Was the level of the child’s symptoms extreme? Yes.

Was it worth calling him for? Definitely not.

The daughter of Trigon was sick, yes, but it was obviously just the flu.

“That’s what I‘ve been saying.”

Jason turned to the source of the voice—a young woman stood in the doorway and held a tray of what seemed to be cups and bowls.

John had introduced her as Zed and he had just assumed they were in a relationship— to focused on the assumed threat to try to examine their personal lives.

Maybe he should’ve guessed this excursion would be a waste of time by Zed’s expressions. When he arrived she had shot him nothing but apologetic looks. At first, Jason believed the worst laid behind the doors he was led to but as he now knows, that was not the case.

“That idiot thinks it’s some paranormal curse,”, Zed huffed as she sent a glare at the blond man who began to try and defend himself.

“It's been weeks and she's still under the weather. You think Beelzebub gets the bloody sniffles?!”

“But a child of her age would! Especially one who reads in the tub and doesn't dry her hair before going outside in August,” Zed rolled her eyes as she spoke as if the answer was obvious—and they were, "maybe if you stopped treating her as the destroyer of worlds and instead as a 7-year-old, you won't have wasted the poor guys time."

Jason couldn't help but internally agree with her words.

John continued his defence, "All I'm saying is when I got a cold, I just carried on with my day maybe a bit foggy up there but hardly half-dead like Blackbird over 'ere."

Another eye roll from Zed was the only reply.

Approaching them, she extended the tray towards Jason. He gave a look at the cup of tea and noticed it seemed to be next to another 'sweat towel' in a bowl, he cringed a little before rejecting the offer.

Zed just shrugged before dropping the tray onto a side table and drinking the cup herself. Taking a seat at the edge of the bed, her gaze was soft as she stared down at the child, her hands ran through the child short dark tresses in a comforting manner.

Jason studied how she gently cupped the back of the Gem of Scath’s head and raised it, picking up a cup of water from the side and bringing it to the demon’s mouth and it drank with obedience.

The more Jason watched, the less he could even continue to refer to this child as a demon.

Etrigan was a demon—looked like one too.

How could he use the same term he'd use to describe the bastard in him, to describe this tiny looking thing before him? And though he could sense the hellish magic pouring out of her, for now, she was harmless.

"Alright, summon him out."

John's voice pulled him out of his thoughts. He gave him a perplexed look before asking, "Excuse me?"

"Etrigan. Your demon buddy," the way John looked and spoke, you could tell he saw no issue with his request, "Just wanna confirm from a primary source whether if this is something worse or natural way of life."

Jason was flabbergasted, 'was this why he was called?!'

John sighed.

Actually looking peeved by Jason's confusion.

To the side, he heard Zed's chuckle as she began to switch the towels on the girls head, "told you he wouldn't do it."

"Oh bog off," John retorted back before turning back to him and placing a hand on Jason's shoulder, "Listen, it's either you or I visit ol' Luci and I'm simply not really...eager to have that encounter. So do me a favour here, and just bloody say the rhyme."

Jason looked at the hand on his shoulder like it was a parasite before smacking it off. Taking a breath to compose himself, he turned to the exorcist, " I assure you, there is nothing Etrigan can assist you with that I cannot also offer."

"A huge fuck-off sword?"

Jason glared, "Let me see the child," he spat—obviously ignoring the previous statement.

John put his hands up in surrender before indicating with a turn of his head to the child who had actually risen during their conversation and was now sitting upright—well, slouched and she was staring half-lidded at the wall with the only sign she was awake being her harsh breaths.

He bent down as to be in her level of sight and stuck his hand out, "Hello, my name is Jason Blood, you must be..." "Raven." "-yes, thank you, Zed. They tell me you are a bit under the weather?"

Jason realized halfway that he never learnt the girl's name and had simply just been referring to her as the Gem of Scath. He felt a tinge of guilt for his rudeness, but the dazed stare the girl gave him was confirmation that she was barely conscious enough to even notice.

He also realized it was ridiculous to try to shake a child's hand and was bout to retract it when he felt a pair of smaller ones latch onto his fingers.

Looking up he met a sleepy pair of amethyst eyes trying to focus on him, "N-n-nwot sick...jus-jhwust..uh sleepy and...cwold," with a voice that was softer than a whisper, plus the slurring of her words due to the fever, she was basically incomprehensible.

He was going to try and retract his hand again when he felt something soft come in contact with it. He looked down to see that she had placed her face in the palm of it and wrapped around it like a snake.

With a single muttering of, "...warm...like hellfire", she fell asleep with his hand still under her.

He looked at Constantine.

Not really sure what to do, but the con-man only grinned before giving him a tap on the back, "Good lad Jason, put her to sleep. Even I couldn't do that, let alone Etrigan. Guess I'll leave it to you."

And with that, Zed and John stood up and began to exit the room.

Jason was still in shock to even speak; so before he realized what they were doing, they already switched off the lights and closed the door with a soft click.

He simply stared into the darkness, the only illumination being the moon and stars outside.

Sighing, looked down at the fiend holding his hand prisoner and contemplated yanking her off. She was small. it would incredibly easy to flick her away and then he could simply depart home...but then he felt a squeeze.

As if the girl sensed his thoughts, she clung harder onto his limb like it was a lifeline.

She looked truly at peace right now; her harsh breaths were now nothing but puffs and she was less...sweaty. Demon spawn or not, the girl was no more vulnerable than a newborn fawn at the moment. Jason just didn't have the heart to disturb her peace for his own gain.

Another sigh could be heard in the silent room.

'Maybe an hour longer won't hurt but after that, never accept a favour for John Constantine again.'

hope you like it, feels weird writing characters that aren't just raven and my other faves, hope I didn't make anyone ooc

[snapdragon-mina]

Critical Beauty

A/n: This is my part of the POCuties Playlist Collab :)

I love bo with my WHOLE heart. I'm sorry if it seems rushed or ooc, ive been hella stressed lmao. Anyway, enjoy this fic based on Critical Beauty by Pentagon.

Warnings: Swearing? I think that's all.

•••

You became friends with Konoha Akinori rather easily when you transferred. He was fun to be around and you guys just clicked. After a few weeks of friendship, he offered for you to come watch him and the team practice.

"Hey, (l/n), you don't have anything to do after school... Do you?" He asked.

"Uh no, not that I know of. Why?"

"I wanted to see if you'd come watch me and the others practice." He shrugged as he relaxed in his seat keeping a watchful eye on the clock.

"Volleyball practice? That's a bunch of hot sweaty men in one place, sir who do you take me for?" You held a look of disgust on your face as you looked at him. Konoha snorted and shot you a look.

"You don't wanna know."

You faked offense but agreed to watch his practice after class.

You arrived shortly after practice had already begun. You opted for quietly taking a seat as nobody had even seemed to notice you slip into the gym. You were there for a good five minutes before Konoha realized you were already here. He had stopped dead in his tracks, piquing someone's attention.

"Wait, (l/n), when did you get here?"

You rolled your eyes at the question. "Been here for like 5 minutes, thanks for finally noticing tho." As the two of you were joking around you could feel someone else's eyes on you.

"Konoha, why is the one with that phat ass staring at me-"

As soon as those words left your lips, Bokuto froze and all eyes were on him. Akaashi bumped his shoulder against Bokuto's and that knocked him out of his semi-frozen state. "What's your name?" He blurted out almost immediately.

You raised an eyebrow but answered him nonetheless. "I'm (l/n) (y/n); Konoha's only friend."

Konoha flipped you off at that.

"I'm Bokuto Kōtarō, Its nice to meet you (l/n)-chan!" He smiled really wide up at you.

"(l/n)-chan, huh? Okay." You smiled back down at him and he swears he felt his heart swell.

•••

At this point the entire school knew. A few days ago, you bumped into Bokuto in the hallways. As you went to apologize, his eyes lit up and he reached into his bag, pulling out a -somehow perfectly intact- flower. "(l/n)-chan! This morning I was walking, and there was a rose. If you like it you can take it!"

"Oh, thank you, Bo. Pink is actually one of my favorite colors." You smiled as you gently took the rose from his hands.

His eyes widened slightly at your smile and shifted his eyes away. "I never knew you liked pink... But now that you're holding it in front of me, It suits you." He walked off before you could notice the growing warmth spreading through his face.

That wasn't the only time, though. Over the course of three months, you would receive dozens of gifts. Anything ranging from flowers, to food, to jewelry. He always said something that made it super obvious how absolutely infatuated he was with you. However, his dumb ass didn't even realize he was being obvious until you called him out during his latest gift.

Bokuto came up to you after one of his practices. "Something annoying but sparkling was strangely in my pocket. I swear I don't know how it got there." He handed you a silver ring with some sort of gem inside of it. Was it real? You have no idea but you wouldn't put it past him if it was. "You can have it, since my fingers dont fit."

You looked at him skeptically before slipping the ring onto one of your fingers. His face started heating up again as he watched you and you could've sworn you heard something along the lines of: "it fits on your finger so well that it gives me chills."

"Are you positive you have no idea where it came from?" You asked, peeping the ring that looked eerily similar to the one he just gave you, on his finger.

"Yep! Not a clue. It's just a coincidence that the same one happens to be on my finger too."

At this point you'd had enough. You stared him directly in his eyes, not saying or doing anything; waiting for him to crack.

He started shifting his weight from leg to leg under your gaze. "Don't stare at me like that." You didn't let up. "Fine, what are you curious about?" He tried to look anywhere but directly at you.

"Bo, you keep gifting me these little gifts. I really do appreciate them, but I need an explanation." You crossed your arms and waited patiently.

He took a few deep breaths to calm himself down. "I don't need to say the obvious again, it's written all over your face."

You grinned. "I'm not saying anything in response until I get a proper confession. Details and everything." Bokuto's eyes widened.

"I'm not ready to-"

Your smile softened. "That's fine, Bo. I already adore you as is, so I'll wait for you. Just do it when it feels right for you." The panicked look on his face dissipated and he nodded.

"Okay! Wait for me until then, please." And with that he ran off to do God knows what.

•••

Four more months and Bokuto was still giving you gifts, but he had yet to actually "confess properly". You were patient through it all and then one day, Bokuto stopped giving you gifts.

Your thoughts were spiralling as you questioned why. Why would he stop? Did he mean to? Did this fucking idiot go broke buying me all that shit? You shook your head as you walked towards you locker. You almost didn't notice Konoha standing there with a smug little shit eating grin as he held out a letter with a little heart seal on it.

"Konoha what are you-"

"(l/n)-chan I'm so in love with you, please make me the happiest man in the entire world and accept my confession!" It was obvious that he was faking. He could barely get through a word without laughing.

"Eat shit and die." You laughed as you snatched the letter from his hands.

"It's actually Bokuto-san's letter. He was supposed to give it to you like a week ago but he chickened out and Akaashi-san had to get the letter from him. He asked me to deliver it to you since we're in the same class and all."

"Oh say less" He waved goodbye to you and walked off, leaving you with the letter. You carefully opened it and read it to yourself silently.

"I would fall over and die if I said this in person, but this is a letter! :)

Day after day I live for you, I'll give you everything. If Im with you I swear everywhere will feel like Hollywood. You have the best smile I've ever seen and everytime you smile I feel really hot, it's like I'm addicted to you. I just want you to know that I really really really like you.

-Bo <3"

You smiled softly before placing the letter in your bookbag and getting what you need out of your locker.

After class ended for the day, you walked towards the gym as you knew volleyball practice was being held today. The moment you pushed the door open, Bokuto's head snapped up and he looked at you. "(y/n)!"

"Ooh first name basis I see. Okay then, Hi Kōtarō." You smiled. He returned it as he dropped what he was doing and rushed to give you a hug. You returned it with a laugh. "Dude, you're all sweaty."

He pulled away and apologized quickly. "So uhm, did you? I mean, did Konoha give you my letter?"

"He did. Kou, you are the absolute fucking cutest." His smile grew almost 10 times wider. He looked and felt nothing but pure euphoria at that response. You could hear his signature "Hey Hey Hey" outside with how happy he felt. He all but peppered little kisses all over your face.

"Bokuto-san we have to finish practice." Akaashi called out and Bokuto nodded and promised that he'd take you out on a real date as soon as he was able to.

"I swear I'll make you as happy as you made me."

[rpbetter]

I'm a novella roleplayer who writes long-term threads. Since this is very rare on tumblr, I've noticed that many muns are intimidated or put off by how much I write, how much information there is on my muse, and other things inherent to long-term roleplay. People have even told me outright, "I'm intimidated by you". But I do wonder if there's another component besides, well, just the amount of writing I do. Maybe there's a way to negate some of this by using certain techniques, wording, etc in my rules and overall presentation. Do you have any advice on how to reduce how intimidating I seem, even with the amount of writing I do? Any particular things I should avoid? And at what point should I just not worry about it, because it's out of my control?

Hello, Anon! Thank you very much for this question, I think it's a discussion many could benefit from. That should probably be head's up for everyone that this is going to get long, yes.

People have also told me, outright, that they're "intimidated," and I know that's something my writing partners have been told as well. It's also something that seems to be a common statement toward novella roleplayers in particular, and one's chance of having it said increases with factors such as being a long-term RPer, particularly good vocabulary, visible skill with writing, and indeed, having a muse you've dedicated obvious time to developing - made obvious in not only the amount of information available on your muse but also in your confidence about that muse.

I honestly do not think most people who say this any more realize that it's a little offensive than they know precisely what it is they are trying to tell you. Regardless, it makes it a bit hard to know what you're doing, if it's actually something wrong, is it something you can or should change, or is it just another case of being the minority in the RPC, therefore, having more muns out there that you're not suited to writing with? No one knows, because it's vague!

So, I’m additionally going to beg everyone out there to not say this. Please, if you find yourself categorizing another RPer as “intimidating,” do everyone a favor and consider what is making you feel this way, even if you never tell them this. Eventually, you will tell someone, and if you’ve thought on it already, you’ll be better able to express yourself in a way that is neither offensive nor vague. If you do tell someone they are “intimidating,” expand on it and be specific. Tell them whether it is the length, writing style, the mun OOC, it’ll be very helpful. You needn’t be shitty about it, just honest and polite.

Try: “I’m not confident enough to write with you, I don’t feel like I’m capable of writing that much, or that well, but I would love to keep following so I can read it!”

You’ve not been offensive at all, but have told them what your difficulty is. You’ve also kept this a you problem, not a them problem. When we tell people they are “intimidating,” that is a negative connotation that implies they are doing something wrong. We've made it a Them Problem. Maybe there is something they could work on, but your feelings over perceived limitations aren’t their problem. They can’t change the way you feel about yourself and your writing in contrast to theirs. By saying it this way, it’s still clear that you don’t think this will work out, you’ve told them why, and you’ve done it without projecting responsibility.

Alright, sorry, just in case anyone out there who says this and isn’t immediately turned off by the length of this reads it.

As I said, I've been told this as well, when it seemed like a mun that would be alright with me asking for specifics, I have. Unfortunately, they couldn't describe those specifics in any more detailed terms. I'm not saying this to shame anyone's capacity to describe their impressions or wishes, sometimes even the best writers aren't good at expressing themselves more personally. I'm just saying that a clearer description wasn't possible, and that I am taking this from what has been expressed by these people and others in limited ways, directly stated or vented about vaguely.

The length appears to be the predominating issue.

"It's just a lot," "I feel like I'd miss things in it," "intense," and "I like quicker back and forth" are some of the major points that have been made to or around me. They're the first and primary things that are mentioned, and they all deal with the length (though, the intensity thing also deals with the writing itself).

As you already know, as a novella RPer and how unpopular that is, the length is usually an issue, yes. Let me rephrase that - it is an issue that is a part of the vague descriptor of being "intimidating," I do not feel that lengthy RP itself is a problem! Just the problem that some muns are having with seeing you as a viable, approachable RP partner.

Looking at someone's writing is something I always highly advise doing while looking for new partners, but I believe that our writing as novella RPers can obscure it for some when they're not actively a writing partner yet, thus, not involved in it. I enjoy reading threads I am not a part of, and since everyone I write with is also novella, that means I'm essentially reading short stories every time I do - that's not typical. Most people just see Wall of Text in a novella thread they're not involved in.

It's kind of a seeing the individual trees in a forest situation, and might not have anything to do with the mun's potential interest or viability as a partner. I mean, I doubt you're looking to engage interest of short multi-para or one-line muns, since that isn't your preferred writing type and yours is not theirs. So, you're likely looking at the few and far between other novella and any lengthier multi-para muns. So, it's not going to be an issue of simply being novella, thus immensely overwhelming and not their thing. It's more likely to be that your novella is particularly lengthy, and again, they're not yet involved in it. They’re seeing a task, not the fun engagement of it yet.

I know that I've had several mid to lengthier multi-para muns approach me wanting to write, they're usually interested specifically in beginning to move toward doing novella. They also see the fruits of these great storylines, OOC friendships, and in-thread relationships on the dash, not the building that went into them. The expectation is different from the reality, and once they start receiving my replies, that can quickly turn overwhelming. They've now got something on their hands that has been too lengthy for other, established novella writers, and it's all at the beginning still with the muses.

This is when I tend to get that I'm intimidating from people who have begun to write with me, and I think it is telling of the Wall of Text problem with partners you've not gained yet, too. The problem of how they're viewing the writing is that they do not see things within it that are immediately, and easily, engaging to them specifically.

The people I referenced, they're having the same problem. Our muses do not know each other, there is no established connection of animosity or affection, no "dynamic" to fuel their replies. When looking at a lengthy novella reply and trying to judge interest in writing with the mun, they're naturally not going to see that either, since it doesn't exist yet.

And it might not exist at all.

I want to be clear to everyone that I am not saying one needs to write in a way that is not enjoyable to them, I'm just guessing at problems based on the majority of the RPC's interests and what I have been told over the years, a lot of years. Like, no one come at me about forcing anyone to write anything, or being acephobic or something fucking nuts, thanks!

People are really, really into the romantic ships. I do not care what the RPC says because it knows it's the right thing to say lol if it wasn't true, it wouldn't be a huge, and totally observable as true, problem that characters who are hard to ship with or do not ship are passed over. Regardless of beautiful writing, engaging muses, and incredible worldbuilding, they're passed over because they're not a ship partner in the waiting.

So, it's quite possible that if you do not have threads in which there are observable ships, muns are seeing the Wall of Text because there's nothing that grabs at their particular interests. I don't even just mean smut, either. I've found that far more muns than there used to be are willing to not write that, but they still want the ships.

You might be a RPer who does not do shipping at all, has a difficult to ship with muse, or who simply does not place this as a priority in your own interests. There is nothing wrong with either direction of this preference! It’s alright for people to have preferences, even if they can feel annoying to us because they’re leaving us out, or we genuinely just do not get the thrill. It’s totally okay for people to not be interested in shipping, or not place a particularly high value on it, and more muns than the RPC realizes feel this way. It’s as unpopular, and far more limiting, take on RP as being here openly only for them is. There’s nothing wrong with you as a writer or a person if you don’t write ships and smut, but it is the opposite of many people’s interests here. This would be something you can’t control, yeah. It’s still good to know as a part of the puzzle!

They see a lot of things they do not have any instant feelings about and/or what they perceive as interaction points. As, unfortunately, the predominant mode of writing here is reactive, and in brutal honesty, often self-interested. It's not rewarding to many muns in this RPC to build stories cooperatively together for the sake of those stories and love of the muses, they require putting their muse on display, having impassioned interactions through that muse's reactions.

So, you might be writing the most vivid scenes, the most beautiful character study, and letting your muse be a fleshed out, realistic person, but they're seeing "I can't react to this."

Which is, by the way, bullshit. Not just that it's bullshit as a way to try to write together, it's also bullshit in that you can react to anything. You can react to, literally, nothing. If you're muse has said not a word to mine for an entire reply, not physically interacted with them, they're just sitting there in a chair staring off into space (also not a great way to write, but I'm giving an extreme example) the whole time, I can react to that.

To be fair, my primary muse is really uh, busy, let's say lol it does make him both incredibly easy to interact with and very easy to generate natural reactions from. And that might also be a problem people are having...

Your muse is quiet.

They're the opposite of someone who is physically or verbally “busy.” They think more than they move or speak, they remain at emotional, verbal, and physical distances from others. The quiet, and still, type on the outside.

I don't think there's anything wrong with that, I love reading a muse's internal processes because I'm approaching this as a reader as much as I am a writer. It doesn't need to be something my muse can know or react to for me to enjoy it, I want to enjoy your muse, other people's muses are part of the joy of RP for me. And not just in what I might achieve having mine interact with them. There are muses mine very, very much did not work out with that I have continued to enjoy the stories of for years without writing with them!

But that's me. And I'm weird.

A lot of people are going to look at the sort of writing, particularly when not involved with it yet, and see...Words. Maybe they don't find them boring or any such thing, but they can't so easily envision themselves responding to it with the sort of vigor required to reply with length in kind. It's again the same dual issue going on that might just be making your writing difficult to approach.

It might be legitimately daunting, and might be more so if...

You're well-written.

One would think this would be a boon to written roleplay, but I haven't seen it be that in a long time. On tumblr, that has weirdly come to signify "elitism."

It's not just more legitimately intimidating for some out there because they feel they cannot write as well as you, might appear lacking or boring, end up dropped because of it. No, of course not! It's tumblr, where decent behavior as well as logic comes to die! It's because they've gotten the idea that you might be shitty to them because you posses more experience, skill, or innate talent with writing.

That's not helped when every time someone is told on any basis at all, in any manner at all, or one has any existent expectations for RPing that someone else might take issue with as though they're being forced to comply with them instead of not interacting, people freak out and call it elitism. Since most people who choose to be mutuals only and as such, are going to have to decline sometimes, are also those who are lengthier RPers...we're all categorized as Elitists.

People see what works for us as different kinds of RPers as something that is in opposition to them, and judgement of them. We can’t have scores of active partners when we write ten thousand word or more replies to everyone, it doesn’t work for us, and that doesn’t mean we think you’re an awful RPer for doing this differently than we do. We’re just exercising boundaries that are necessary for the way we enjoy it. Like how much length in return, literacy, and dedication we’re going to give and expect in return. It isn’t passing judgement, but when you want to write with a particular portrayal and they’re limited threads, mutuals only, novella and it shuts you out of the interaction, it’s easy to agree with the posts you’ve seen condemning differences of choice as elitist and hateful.

While you'd hope that people would exercise their own judgement, with the way that the RPC is so often on edge, you can't entirely blame people for being willing to believe they can identity a potential source of unpleasantness to avoid. As wild as it is, that includes people within the novella community. Your OOC is too well-spoken, your writing is too well-written? Might be an elitist. Even while they write much the same way as you do without realizing it!

I think when most people say someone here is "intimidating," it's not exactly what they mean, but for others, it's more literal than it is literary.

If you have any reason to believe this might be part of the issue, while I would never advise anyone to alter their writing to be something they personally feel is lesser than what they're capable of, you might want to consider a greater air of the casual in any OOC posts you make. Try to be as approachable there as you can - so long as that doesn't mean lying about it, of course! If we're genuinely not that gregarious or socially open, we shouldn't act like that's the case. That sets up one party with expectations that are neither true nor going to prove anything but frustrating to the other party.

I've had some success with that! And, even at my most casual, I'm not the most approachable of people lol I come off as rather intense, kind of aggressive, way too salty, curses flow from me like water during a monsoon, interspersed with...well, things like "interspersed." So, if I've seen success with that, it's possible that muns who are more genuinely gregarious, chill, and verbally polite people might see it as well!

It seems to be a case of allowing other muns the opportunity to see that you, yourself, are not frightening. You're just a person like they are, and a person who isn't going to be hateful to them if they are not perfect writers or perfectly on your level of writing. When that is apparent, approaching the writing itself is more openly done - yes, this mun has a grasp on description/dialogue/vocabulary/descriptive scenes that I do not, but they don't aggressively think they're the shit for it, so, it's safe for me to try to interact.

The Wall of Words that was once a poster for how badly they might be treated is now a collection of RP replies.

Write for the partners you want to attract.

Again, I do not want anyone to stop writing in the way they enjoy! However, what we put out is also what we attract to a large degree. It could be that your writing is an attractant for only a very small portion of the RPC, and it already is, by virtue of being both novella and the sort of novella it is.

That's very easy to do anyway, but even more so if we have few partners to write with. What we have on display is minimal, it might not have the range we're actually capable of, and therefore, might not be attracting that range of muns.

This is something I have experienced as well, though it was a little different a situation. Upon first writing RP on tumblr, I couldn't find anyone writing novella. I could barely find anyone doing short multi-para. Just as I'd find it inappropriate for someone approaching me to insist that I do one-line RP because it's what they do, I didn't find it appropriate to force novella on these muns. That's what I agreed to by interacting with them, after all! It isn't what I enjoy doing, however, it's harder for me to write short replies, so, I was consistently on the lookout for novella partners.

Those novella partners couldn't exactly see decades of my lengthy RPs, though, since they didn't take place on tumblr. They could only see the current threads, which were all quite short and rather limited in range of action, tone, muse interaction, and so on. Basically, just about whatever someone was willing to give me, and those things were pretty similar. I couldn't exactly blame potential partners for looking at this "resume" and thinking that I just thought I wanted to write novella, but was capable of neither that nor the sort of stories I wished to create.

Since I couldn't find partners to organically give me these different things, I wrote them sans partners. Much of this was in headcanon form, showing that I had spent quite a long time thinking about my canon character as more than was presented in canon only, as well as showing that I could string more than a paragraph together, but it seems like you've got the muse information down, so this might not be the best direction for you.

That might be the other thing I wrote to this end: one shots.

Especially as I do not do open starters as someone who requires some plotting, these served as a way of allowing various situations to be displayed in which other muns could better see what interacting with my muse was actually like. They could see that this truly is the way I'd prefer to write, this is a better display of my muse under various conditions and emotions, and this is how interacting with my muse as this or that type of person might go.

I don't know if you have a canon, OC, or multiples of both, but it also seemed to be helpful that I took canon events people might be familiar with and wrote snippets of them from my muse's perspective - yes, even if they were already in those events, it shows your unique portrayal. People like that for the same reason they like fanfic, a dozen people can write a canon event and give you a dozen different takes on it. It meant that they'd be more likely to read it at all, too, let's be honest.

If you have an OC, you can flesh out a fandom-specific verse they have by writing such a one shot revolving around a fandom event. I'd say not to directly insert your OC into a major canon event, but if you're going to anyway, be sure you are giving realistic changes that might occur with this character's presence in that event. Not going overboard and making them the thing that saves the day, not just having them there in the midst of some great cataclysm miraculously surviving to bear witness only. It's still my advice to place them within that world and have them aware of an event.

Something like...trying to think of a fandom and event the most people would be familiar with here...your OC is in the MCU or has a verse there, they're employed as a police officer with the NYPD - tell me what they did at work the day of the invasion in New York City in the 2012 Avengers. Did they see superheroes in the distance while they and their fellow officers were engaged in a situation they were in no way equipped to handle? And how did your OC feel about that?

That sort of thing.

If it's a canon, try to think of a situation that isn't represented among your current threads, but that is also going to be of interest potential partners. If you have few threads showing your muse in friendship with another, find something in their canon that does. No threads with much action, go for that. Show an aspect of your muse that was present when they were younger, but that is downplayed in them now. Show some things that will be new information from your unique portrayal, and do all of this while displaying your range as a writer - you can be more serious or more fun, can destroy someone with angst or make them hope a ship works out well.

This way, you're showing people what all they might get, not just what you've been given to work with. That can go a long way toward negating feelings of "intimidation" if all they're seeing is you doing one thing extremely well, so well that they feel they cannot compete with it. So, yeah, write the things you feel you're not good at, too! It puts people at ease to see you're not perfect either.

As regards rules...

Oh, boy...lmao with no intent to inflame anyone's righteousness here, so long as your rules are conveying what you feel they should, they're fine. I'm not going to say that rules cannot be a turn off, that you shouldn't find a voice that is clear, polite, and when it needs to be, firm. It's simply that you do not come off as someone who needs to be told that, Anon. If you're worried about how your rules might sound, they're almost certainly fine.

However, rules are the way they are for a reason - if you feel like you're coming off as too strict, harsh, whatever, there might be a reason why that was your first inclination. If you remake them to be softer, are you going to run into the same problems that caused you to harden them before?

I know, you're trying to attract people and downplay a notion of being "intimidating," but it's important to realize that, short of either finding a way to please everyone who comes across them or telling everyone to do whatever they please, you have no opinions, expectations, or needs, you're going to put people off. I've seen people be incredibly offended by the nicest of rules simply because they were rules. They were still clearly stated boundaries that did not align with what was desired.

For example, if I were to have in my RP rules the following:

My rules are basically just have fun and don't be a dick! This is just a hobby, I'm not paying you.

That's going to turn some people off and anger them because that's, firstly, incredibly vague, secondly, the latter part has become seriously negative.

If I were to have in my RP rules this:

I have a lot of detailed rules because I want to only write with people who will be as dedicated to it as I am, I'd rather we know now than later that we're not a good match before anyone is disappointed or offended!

That's going to turn some people off and anger them because it is contrary to the way they view and partake in the hobby. To these people, it'll come off as ridiculous expectations that are aggressive despite the wording not being so.

The point is, because this is a hobby dependent upon interacting with other people, there is a lot that is out of your control.

I probably should have done a better segue to this, but hey - most of this is out of your control.

By its very nature of individuals interacting, what is "intimidating" means different things to everyone. What I find to be that, isn't going to be what you find to be so. You can't know what someone, let alone everyone who says this, means by it in order to make those changes.

Some of those changes are a damned if you do, damned if you don't situation, like the rules.

Other changes are undesirable. You, obviously, cannot RP without partners, but it's no good making changes that will see the partners you won't work with being added, or that will ruin the things you enjoy about RP. If changing your writing style is going to do that, don't do it. If opening up new types of plots is going to do so, don't do it. Anything that is going to excessively give you stress or personal disappointment isn't a change you should make. That’s the sort of shit that was meant by it being “just a hobby” in the beginning - you’re not obliged to make yourself miserable like you are at a job sometimes, and you aren’t beholden to the standards of a professional author unless you wish to be.

It's wonderful that you're addressing this problem from the perspective of what you can do! The idea of changing much of anything is a negative one to many people. They have to be carefully approached to even consider that as a possibility, and once they do, it's more often than not that the reaction is volatile. We never think we're perfect until someone so much as loosely implies we might need work on something. So, your willingness and interest in what you can do to fix something nebulous is both incredible and a credit to how approachable you probably are in all actuality.

It bodes really well, is what I'm saying lol or...it would, if this were not the environment that it is. One in which people do react with volatility to anything that does not go exactly and immediately the way they desire. Including wanting to interact with a particular muse, then seeing that the mun doesn't write in their preferred style, length, or with their desired topics.

Many times, that's really what is meant by "intimidating." It isn't truly that they're afraid of you or your writing, but rather, that they're not getting exactly what they think they want, in the way they want, on the timeline they want. But they don't want to be offensive, they're walking on eggshells like most everyone is when telling someone, "I'm sorry, but I don't think we'll work out" is tantamount to personally attacking them.

So, giving what they feel is a compliment that still shuts down the possibility of someone trying to push for interaction anyway, that becomes the best approach. They're not giving you specifics because no, they may not even know those specifics, it might just be the feeling your writing gives them, but they're also not giving them when they have them because they don't want to be unfairly taken to task for the crime of being honest with you. After all, when we don't know someone OOC yet, we don't know that they're a reasonable person. Telling someone, "I like what you're doing, I love your muse, but the tone of your writing isn't something I can reply to, it's just too different," might have them defensively putting words in your mouth.

As I said, asking someone for details didn't get me very far. I've had to try to piece together what "intimidating" means to many different people over the years by what they tell me in conversations away from the mun they said was thus more than anything. So, don't expect that you'll get much either, but next time someone tells you this, if they seem like someone who won't take as you pressing for interaction and react badly, ask them to give you specifics. Tell them you'd like to know what makes you intimidating to them so that you can work on it, that it would really help you out to know. Make it about them helping you, not declining you.

Just going off of the only writing I have from you, which is definitely not sufficient (if you'd like, you can always submit a portion of your in character writing or tumblr message me some of it so that I might be able to be more effective) since it's both short and OOC, I'd say people might feel that you're not...relaxed? Not entirely the word I am looking for, I apologize! But something in that vein!

It doesn't come off like you're frighteningly or excessively official to me, but knowing tumblr, I can see it. Because you are quite well-spoken, and even in this casual format, you are displaying good grammar and principle. Fifteen years ago, I might have also felt something like “intimidated" by you!

Like everywhere, tumblr is full of educational snobbery. Which is insane, considering it's also full of crimes against writing that make me want to rip my hair out, but anyway...the mark of being authoritative is to display one's intellect the only way we truly can here - by suddenly out writing everyone. If we're already establishing ourselves as well-spoken muns, we've laid the foundation of being capable of utterly destroying someone publicly by shaming them on a core level.

Tumblr is also full of people who are not at a point of life experience, and the writing experience accrued within it, to use what they've learned in the higher education the majority have or are presently obtaining. It's easy for younger people to feel pre-offended by someone who writes with more skill and confidence than they do. They've bought into the notion of such validations of superiority, but they can't quite lay those down upon themselves yet, or see that they’re capable of this and it doesn’t make them an elitist, so, it’s absurd to assume everyone else is on the same pretext.

Please, everyone here under, like, 25, I'm not shaming you. I've obviously long internalized it as well! When I'm angry, I don't become less articulate, I become more so. That probably says something unpleasant about how well I understand this problem. So, don't be offended. It's a societal problem, we're all impacted by it. It just takes a little bit to realize these things is what I'm saying here. Not that you're dumb and malicious because you're young and learning.

With this in mind, it's very possible that some younger muns, or muns who have otherwise been given cause to feel they are lesser than you because of your proper writing, might be intimidated by it. Part of that is also that proper writing, and verbal speech, can come off as lacking warmth. It can be impersonal, give fewer clues as to someone's tone when that's already lacking in writing that isn't descriptive, as in an RP thread itself.

Again, I always have a bit of an issue recommending someone change something vital about themselves, and one's mode of writing is that. However, you might want to consider giving way to some indicators of not being official in your OOC behavior toward others. It's something that I did, something I will admit I still struggle with as well. I'm not naturally inclined to add things like a :) or a xD because I have some problems conveying those things either correctly or organically in person. If I'm not either, literally, acting or feeling something intensely, I'm the grand master of resting bitch face no matter what I'm feeling.

As a quick on-the-safe-side interruption: people, please, I am aware that some forms of neurodivergence can exhibit in struggles with understanding and conveying tone, as can be the side effect of some medications and physical conditions. It’s possible that you have this difficulty, Anon, it’s possible that some of the people you have approached do. Advising how to work on understanding and conveying tone with these difficulties in mind is a huge post of its own, however. (Though, if people might be interested in it, I can add it to the list, of course.) All we can do is try our best, work on it, and if we know we have this issue, politely warn partners in your rules so they know you’re not coming off less emotive and warm intentionally. You’re not thinking yourself in an ivory tower above them. I so do not want to be bitched at about how advising someone in ways to be more approachable in text is ableist, just don’t. I don’t know you, Anon, so I don’t know what difficulties you may or may not have, if you do have some complication that is impacting this in your own opinion, please, just send another ask and I can work with that information more specifically!

It's also...it grates on my nerves when people text speak, I'm not going to lie. So, forcing myself to do anything too close to it feels like someone has separated the halves of my brain. I do it because it can make people more comfortable, I don't sound like a damn robot like I easily can when trying to explain something with a lot of specifics, for example.

What was easier was letting go of the inhibition of writing conversationally. That is always something that is advised against intensely, it isn't proper writing. Don't write like you speak, and all that. It's often been my inclination to write conversationally, even if I struggled to let the hell go and actually do it, and when I allowed myself to do so, people responded to it much better. It's something I get compliments on as a part of what can make my storytelling immersive, humorous, relatable, and frightening. (Just so that the last bit there isn't confounding - in addition to the professional writing that sometimes pays for my internet, I write horror lol...now y'all know! I deal in "freak shit," I'm sure.)

People responded to me much better. I still get that my writing is intimidating, but it tends to be over length and wording more than being wholly unapproachable. Too like trying to respond to a novel that most people would only listen to if it was about a character they were deeply into and read by an actor they were also deeply into. There seems to be a more natural engagement with the material for more people this way.

I'm only using this as an example of something I found that worked to some degree in making me more approachable, meant to say that there might be something that you would enjoy, unique to yourself, that would make your writing more approachable for more muns. I'm in no way recommending that you, or anyone else, try to go with what I did! That isn't going to work out for everyone, of course. It isn't everyone's solution in those specifics, just the idea that following what people have expressed they especially enjoy about your writing could be a good path.

Other things to consider:

When you have obtained a new partner who says this not in declining further interaction, but within a conversation or one of those interaction memes, especially if you are writing them a starter at this time, experiment with what you can do in your writing that makes it more approachable. I say “experiment” because this is another point of individuality, it's naturally going to vary like everything else.

Like I said above a few times, most people approach RP in terms of reaction. And, again too, that's part of RP. I didn't say it earlier because I felt like that was obvious, but after considering...how tumblr is, I probably should say it. It is necessary to have things to react to in order to build the interaction between muses and their world. I believe in the “yes, and” method and having things to react to. My meaning by saying that people approach RP in terms of reactions was that people excessively do so. Their muses have trouble existing fully in their own right sometimes, they literally require multiple points of possible reaction.

So, give it to them while you’re figuring each other’s writing out.

When you're writing your starter or replies, give them what I call Actionable Points in unexpected places. For example, when your muse is doing as I said earlier, sitting in their chair, having Deep Thoughts they're not expecting any action within, give them something in the environment itself to interact with. Perhaps there is a pet, an insect, temperature change, or sound for their muse to notice.

He was still, as though the animating force of his very soul had flown. So entrapping were his thoughts that the ladybug making its way across the floor, technically before his eyes, escaped notice. No notice, even as it briefly took flight like a tiny, skipping stone across water, headed for where his attention would truly prefer to light as well.

Which would be, of course, the other muse in the room. They can't interact with the things in your muse's mind that you're revealing to the mun, but they can have their attention jump to the insect. They can also react to your muse’s facial expressions, most people make micro-expressions even while in thought, but this isn’t as active or available.

Just small, simple possibilities that make no difference to the immediate happenings in the thread. They can become things of great difference, that's half the fun of it! How something like a bug can alter the course of a thread's trajectory is really cool to see happen.

By doing this, feeding multiple Actionable Points into the reply, you're giving someone who feels intimidated by the thread's length and weight more points to feel active within it. If they can see themselves interactively within the text of the story, it's less intimidating I've found.

Eventually, people relax and start creating these points for themselves. They're now part of this story and its direction, so they organically see things within it. While their muse is in the room with the Chair Muse, they notice a ladybug on the floor themselves because they feel comfortable and confident enough to create that sort of realistic moment.

Most of my experiments of this nature have had that objective - make my writing partner feel more confident about their writing, muse, themselves. It either works out wonderfully, or...you can spoon-feed some people actions, ideas, and confidence forever without them ever taking up the spoon themselves (some people will totally miss the spoon every time, even). At the latter point, if they're still feeling unconfident about writing with you, "intimidated," it's never going to change. It might be better that this be addressed as something that simply isn't going to work out for either of you.

Because it can become tiresome to do this. Tiresome and disheartening, and you never want to set yourself up to feel like you've wasted your effort and energy. That's a great way to experience burnout and frustration.

Another thing to make yourself, and by nature of that, your writing, more approachable and available is to put out a decent variety of memes for people to send you and engaging in tagging games. Not only do these not need to be writing memes like starters, it's better that they are not! If someone is intimidated by you/your writing, they're not going to engage with a meme meant to begin a thread.

Reblog memes that are meant to be answered OOC like headcanon asks, writing asks, and asks about the mun. Do tag games with tests in them, bolding aesthetics or other information, and those that give details about the muse...or even yourself, there are Munday versions as well!

The point of doing this is to show people you want to interact with them, neither you nor your writing is scary and removed from the vox populi of the RPC. You're not someone with so much skill that you're above such common pursuits. You're just another RPer with the same things of interest as they do - enjoying yourself whether it's something silly like a quiz that tells you what coffee your muse would be or an in-depth headcanon. Just another mun who loves their muse and wants interactions with them.

This, too, is something I tried, and it might have been the most successful thing I did. It's even easier to do these days, as more muns don't just tag people outright, but rather, offer that anyone can take it, they just want to be tagged back so they can see the results. You don't have to wait for someone who neither knows you nor knows whether you'd be alright with being tagged to tag you in them anymore!

And as an aside, this is why I encourage that. I've seen some muns out there taking issue with it, thinking it lazy and less interactive for people to be forgoing tagging others in it. Yes, it is unfortunate that you might miss such a game from a mutual or friend, but you do realize you can go to their blog anytime? You can search their tag for these kinds of dash games, or scroll what you missed while you were away, and I recommend doing that anyway with close friends because tumblr's notifs are perpetually screwed.

It's not less inclusive, it's more so. I think it could even go a distance toward lessening the illusion that all friendships in the RPC are "cliques." Instead of the same five muns, none of whom are you, being tagged every time because they occur more quickly to the mun who interacts with them often, there is an open invitation for you to do it. It allows muns to be more visible to those they haven't established friendships with yet and allows others to put themselves out there as approachable and interested.

Alright, back on topic!

Send others these sorts of interactions when you see them. Unless someone has it in the tags or their rules that memes are only for established writing partners, send them an applicable meme.

Applicable, in this case, would be those OOC-answered memes. With most muns, it would be poor form to send in memes that are too personal. Such as sending someone you've never really spoken to, plotted with, etc. a particularly raunchy headcanon ask. I was going to give an example, but for the sake of keeping this SFW lol...we all know the sort of ask I speak of.

With some muns, this isn't an issue. Any excuse to talk about their muse is a good excuse, and they'd not have reblogged the meme if they did not intend for people to send it in. I know that I'm such a mun, and unless someone only ever sends me sexually explicit questions like this, I don't mind at all. It's just an aspect of my muse to detail in a HC.

Just exercise reasonable awareness - "read the room." If a mun seems to answer those questions from anyone, then it is alright to send them in. If they have established openness on these discussions, have nothing in their rules that would imply they'd be perturbed, etc. Conversely, if they've established such opposing behavior that you have to wonder why they posted this meme at all? Don't send anything from that one. They may be trying to establish greater comfort with these topics, but whether they realize it or not yet, they may not be ready for this to sent by anyone who isn't a very established writing partner/friend.

You want to be attracting good attention, demonstrating that you're not someone intimidating, not giving muns any reason to be disturbed by you. Even if they openly asked for it!

This brings us back to: no, really, a lot of things are out of your control.

How people view us isn't as up to us as we'd like, on or offline. Everyone has preconceived notions, biases, and developed preferences. And everyone has had experiences that lead them to react differently to all of these things where they do and do not exist.

Unfortunately, the RPC fosters a serious environment of paranoia, hostility, and the inherent defensiveness of both. Even when that is coming across more peaceably, it can lead to things like...the multiple muns I've known in the last two years alone that seem to almost panic and block potential partners for extremely negligible things they're perceiving as a red flag portending of inevitable bad behavior.

I really do mean irrational actions that are often contrary from one move to another. One potential partner is too exuberant in response to plotting, they are designated a red flag for being too inclined to pester OOC. Another is lacking exuberance and does not easily come up with plots, they are designated as being too passive a partner who will drop. One is too nice, they won't possibly be able to tell that mun of problems in the thread, another is too aggressive, they'll do nothing but stress the mun and fight with their friends. And on and on.

It's not an unreasonable situation, as we all continue to be reminded, the RPC is far more hostile than it should be for what it is. We all (that's not entirely true, but let us pretend it is) want to avoid problems and enjoy the hobby, but in the attempt to avoid those problems, we often see them where they are not.

So, you really cannot control whether someone designates you as being too much this, too little that, an inevitable problem. Your presentation is in the eye of the beholder, just as what "intimidating" is, is in the eye of the intimidated.

You can only try to identify the things that might be putting off the most people you want to write with, work on them when and where they will not ruin your time here, and hope for the best.

It's wonderful that you care, but it's also wonderful that you seem willing to accept that there are things you just have to let go of as already being out of your hands. That's honestly the best way to approach RP, period. The only things you are fully in control of are your own creativity and your behavior. That's it, in the end.

Present yourself with honesty as to who you are as a mun, be as approachable as you truly are, and know what you're looking for in writing partners.

Personally, from what little I have seen of you, Anon, there isn't anything that glaringly needs changing. You're not possessed of a shitty attitude or unrealistic expectations. You seem like a pretty reasonable mun to me who is struggling with something any of us who concentrate on the writing do; being vaguely told we're "intimidating," and seeking other partners who are interested in the same variety of RP we are.

That's my final point to touch on, and the one most likely to piss people off: there are different varieties of RP, and the people telling you this might be in the wrong corner for you.

That doesn't make them bad RPers or anything, variety is good, it's an open hobby! We're not all compatible, though, and so many problems arise from muns not accepting this reality, but rather, taking extreme offense over it.

No one I have ever established the sort of RP I enjoy most with has told me that I am "intimidating."

The people who have said this to me have been those who would not have worked out anyway. That's not said in some bizarre bitterness lol I have the best writing partners, I could not ask for anything more! It's just said in honesty of continuing to see them on my dash and/or interacting with friends. They blog and muse hop often, prefer the genres and fandoms I do not, and so on.

Changing to be less intimidating to those RPers would put me back where I started when joining the RPC here years ago, and while it's great that a lot of people enjoy RP the way they do, I don't. I worked rather hard to get away from it.

So, you do have to consider what you want. Do you want any partners, or do you want the right ones for you?

I'm genuinely glad that people are enjoying themselves, especially when they do not have hateful things to say about those who enjoy RP differently than themselves, but it'd be nice if some of the niches in the RPC were a bit wider! It shouldn't be this difficult to find people in a writing hobby who are invested in the writing, but it is. And it is something you should keep in mind when figuring out this whole "intimidating" thing.

So, my ultimate recommendation would be to assess whether there are things you can be doing to make you, as the mun, more approachable so that your writing is less “intimidating" to people within the RP corner you’re trying to attract, but consider whether the people who have said this to you might just be looking for different things and not as viable as partners as you might have liked. There are definitely more RPers on tumblr who do not enjoy RP in this way than there that do, and while the only thing you have control over is yourself, you don’t have control over how you and what you are putting out there is perceived.

I really do think that most of the “intimidation” problem comes from different varieties of RP and what muns have been led to believe about them. You check off a lot of boxes for the false perception of “elitism,” as a literate, long-term, novella RPer. People are going to see many things that you do in a threatening or off-putting light through no fault of your own because of that. Even other, lengthier writers can fall into that because they feel overwhelmed at the volume of content you have, for example. A thing that should be promising of how well-developed your muse is and how committed you are to your interest in them can come off as overwhelming to people who are less well established or interested in being around for the long game. I certainly don’t think it’s a good idea for you to remove that material or stop writing it! I cannot encourage people enough to do what you have!

Maybe, since you expressed concern of this specifically as well, you could consider how it is presented?

Do you have approachable formatting on those posts? Do they appear to be a lot of very plain text, or do you practice adding some graphics like a header and dividers, formatting that also breaks up the text like segmenting it into clear topics with bold, bigger text, and so on? Is it the opposite and potentially difficult to read, like using font that is smaller than the default small size available, or incredibly busy with colors? It’s a difficult balance, and one that will never be 100% appealing or accessible to 100% of the RPC, to make things visually appealing, easy to read, and informative while being engaging. It could be that you have information people would love to know, but the design of how you’re putting it out there is adding to them feeling overwhelmed.

Maybe, consider how it is placed on your blog, as well? Using specific tags for organization and having a detailed navigation might help. Instead of someone pulling up every one of your many HC posts in the HC tag you have, they could choose specific topics to view at their own pace with a little more control over it. Giving people some control in their experience can go a long way to giving them comfort in it!

So, let’s say you have a headcanon that addresses how your muse portrayal diverges from strict canon, and in that HC, it’s important to address their mental health and how it impacts their relationships with others. That’s a great HC, it’s going to be informative, but it has multiple topics within it. You’d want to tag it with the overall HC tag, a tag for your “player canon” topics, muse metal health discussions, and a general tag for your muse’s relationships/interactions with others.

When you do that, in your navigation, if someone clicked your tag-based link for all information pertaining to the muse’s mental health, they’ll just get that. They’ll see this headcanon post, they’ll see all relevant, tagged posts you’ve made or reblogged, but only that pertain to this topic. They won’t also get twenty extra posts that don’t discuss this, but do discuss your muse’s personal opinion on making bread at home and why sourdough is a labor of love. Unless, of course, your muse is partaking in that labor of love as an exercise that benefits their mental health, of course lmao

Delineating topics for people to engage with at their own pace, need, or interest can prevent them from scrolling through what could be hundreds of HC posts. We all desperately want people to read every one of our posts, especially if our portrayal is different from canon or popular fanon or we have an OC whose entire existence has to be learned this way, but we have to resist the temptation to make people read them all, and all at once. Because that is how it comes across when someone pulls up a ton of HCs - they may be super interested, but it’s a lot that they may put pressure on themselves to learn immediately, back to back to back. It begins to feel like a task quickly. Most people who are genuinely interested in your muse and writing are going to end up reading all of them eventually! If they don’t shut themselves down on doing so prematurely, and this could be a way of helping them avoid doing that.

Hell, if you’re really feeling it, you can even link to closely related posts and your navigation on those HC posts! Just mention at the top of the post that this is related to the one linked here, and to find more informative posts on any topic, please visit the navigation page here. You can even remind at the bottom of the post with just the links.

While like anything, it could make people feel you’re too organized and “serious” about RP, but you probably want other “too serious” RPers to interact with, so it might be a passive way of establishing partners that won’t work out. I think, for the right partners, an organized system they can interact with easily would be appealing, and again, a lot of people in the RPC do have problems that disrupt their ability to engage with a great deal of content at once. This might make them feel less overwhelmed and frustrated by themselves, or negative about themselves that they cannot but aspire to your level of content and organization.

Willing to bet that much of “intimidation” comes from negative feelings about oneself projected outward protectively and unconsciously, honestly. So, when you see ways to combat that, take it on. Make it clear that you’re not expecting anyone to be anything other than themselves, you appreciate your partners’ unique approaches and skills. The more of them you have, the more approachable you are proving yourself, too.

Since you are interested in long-term and have so much material on your muse, I have to assume this is a case of having gone on hiatus or had partners who have left. You could be appearing as less approachable because you’ve few interactions, and that’s a problem that will start correcting itself as you have more of them. If that’s the case, it may be adding serious frustration in the slow process of getting your foot back in the door, but I believe you can do it!

I hope people haven’t made you feel too anxious or bad about yourself by telling you you’re “intimidating,” Anon. Try not to internalize it or make into a more serious matter than it is! I really do think it has less to do with the RPer being told that than it does all these other factors, poor ability to express ourselves very much included. You’re interested in what you can do, willing to accept what you can’t do, overall approaching this from a chill and reasonable place, I think you’re going to find the people you need to with this attitude!

Keep at it, keep doing what you love, and my sincerest best of luck to you! Thank you for giving me the excuse to discuss this topic, it’s an important one that I hope made some difference to others out there as well. I apologize that took me a minute to get it out, and that it is still a bit more disjointed than I’d have liked.

[orphic-osamu]

Hello can I request “You bake when you're stressed and sometimes you give me cookies, but recently you're giving me whole baskets each day, now I'm not complaining but are you okay?" au w/Akutagawa? Congrats on 800 🎉🎉😊!

title > fresh cookies

genre > fluff

wc > 1.3k

song > out like a light ii

a/n > hello i’m so sorry i took so long. few things about this: imo it’s vv sloppy n frankly i think i shouldn’t have posted this but i didn’t wanna keep this sitting in my inbox for longer. akutagawa is ooc here? bc ngl don’t feel like doing a whole mafioso vibe for him rn, so he’s a soft boy here. i will fix the template of this post tomorrow

— AKUTAGAWA RYUUNOSUKE —

when akutagawa first made cookies, they were quite horrible. some pieces were burnt, some tasted like rocks, and some had hardened into a weird, melted shape. he’s never cooked or baked, let alone make a full batch of cookies. however after meeting you, the cute baker across the street, he figured he’d try it out to impress you. the first try made him scowl for days after gin giggled and told him that they were barely edible.

the second time akutagawa made cookies, gin had invited you over without him knowing. you caught him in the midst of trying the treat fresh from the oven. his face twisted in disgust and he rushed to spit out the remnants of the cookie. he didn’t even see you reaching to grab one off the tray. when he realized, it was too late. grimace was written all over your face as an awkward hello slipped out of your mouth. akutagawa flushed red. how was he supposed to impress you now?

“i don’t think you put sugar, akutagawa-san.”

from across the room, gin laughed at your comment. “he’s been trying to bake cookies over and over again, he just can’t get it right.”

akutagawa wished that the ground would open up and swallow him whole right then and there. he was already so embarrassed and gin just loved to make it worse. he expected you to laugh at him, call him stupid for not being able to make such a simple delicacy.

“would you like me to teach you?”

there was visible surprise struck across his face at your suggestion. his fingers pulled on the edge of his sleeve as he fiddled with it back and forth.

“o-okay,” he stammered.

the third time akutagawa tried to bake cookies was the morning after his embarrassing encounter with you. he stood anxiously by the kitchen counter, his fingers dancing around to ease his distress.

“where’s your apron?” you asked, reaching into your bag to wear your own.

“apron..?”

akutagawa couldn’t bring himself to say he didn’t have one. you smiled knowingly at him, pulling out an extra you had. “it’s not like you have to wear one, but it puts you in the spirit, y’know?”

he wasn’t sure if he agreed. especially when the one you gave him was frilly, streaked with red and white flowers. nonetheless, he wore it. perhaps the apron was the secret to making a successful batch of cookies.

“do i look silly?” he asked, seeing your grin turn teasing more than assuring.

“mm, a little, but you still look good.”

his body flared red. admittedly, it was flustering, but if it meant seeing you smile, he supposed it was worth the trouble.

you hovered over his shoulder throughout the entire baking process, helping out here and there (like saving him from switching up the salt and sugar). until finally, all that was left was to leave them in the oven to bake.

“so, why’d you suddenly go on a cookie craze?” you leaned against the counter, trying to rest your body whilst waiting for the timer to go off. the boy fussed around with the straps of the apron, itching to take it off.

“uh, it just seems like a fun thing to do.” it wasn’t entirely true, but it’s not like he could openly say he wanted to make you a batch and pose as an expert baker to possibly strike up a conversation with you. though after you taught him, he decided that baking was enjoyable, and was definitely something he’d do again.

after that, you two settled into comfortable conversation. drowning in laughter and stories to the point where you hardly heard the timer going off. the cookies looked decent and akutagawa could only hope they tasted decent as he watched you take a bite. your eyes lit up in excitement, taking more and more bites off the cookie.

“is it good?”

you nodded, pushing him to try it too.

the next time akutagawa baked, he did it to take his mind off work. his blood was boiling and taking it out with the use of violence didn’t seem to help. his movements were harsh and rushed as he mixed the ingredients. his mind was clouded with red and he barely stopped himself from pouring an entire bowl of salt into the mix. once he caught himself, he sighed and pushed everything aside.

his eyes shut as he took deep breaths to calm himself. he already learned how to make this exact same recipe from you, he didn’t want to mess up again. his mind drifted of into thoughts of you. the way you teased him by making him wear such a girly apron, to the soft tone in your voice as you reminded him to put sugar instead of salt.

feeling the haze clear up, he picked up the spatula and resumed, movements more relaxed and calm.

the fourth, fifth, sixth time akutagawa baked, was for the same reason as the last. with every time going almost exactly the same. rage making his hands tremble until he thinks about the sweetness in your aura when you helped him. and for every time, you and gin were the only people he gave the cookies too. with every batch came a conversation with you. and soon you learned the pattern.

whenever he’d have a rough day, he’d come and give you a freshly baked batch of cookies. pretty soon he begun baking other sweets. cakes, donuts and the list goes on. and you were there to try everything, to provide him with constructive criticism.

you didn’t mind at all. if this was his way of relieving stress, then so be it. not only did you get treats from it, but you also got the baker behind them to come and talk to you. it’d happen at least once a week, usually on a sunday when he’s finished for the week. thus, you’ve learned to keep your sundays free just for when he comes by.

however one day, he baked a cake for you. and it wouldn’t be a problem if the following six days he didn’t come to give all sorts of things. he hardly noticed how drained he looked, and he would’ve gone baking for weeks straight if you didn’t ask him about it.

“are you alright? i know you use baking to cope, but you’ve been giving me so much every single day.”

“i am?”

the frown on your face tugged on his heart. you invited him in to sit down and relax for a bit, to talk about anything that was bothering him. but when he sat down, he couldn’t find the words. having you near him made everything dissipate into thin air, and suddenly nothing was wrong in the world.

“so? what’s wrong?”

he shrugged with a sheepish smile, “don’t quite remember.”

you sighed and shook your head. “but it helps when you bake, right?”

he nodded before averting his gaze from yours. all it once it hit him how close you were, and how he was sitting on your couch, in your cozy little place. his cheeks were painted red in embarrassment, causing him to shuffle away from you.

“and you don’t wanna talk about anything? you just wanna bake?”

he nodded again. another sigh left your lips. you tugged him off the couch and into the kitchen.

“well then, what are you waiting for? let’s bake. hmm, i saw this recipe and i wanted to try it out...” your words trailed off as he looked at you admiringly.

god forbid he say anything now. but maybe one day he’ll tell you. he’ll tell you about how baking isn’t so much of a reliever, and instead it’s the memory of you baking with him that came with it. maybe one day he’ll tell you that it wasn’t about making cookies, but rather seeing you get excited after he gives you a batch. that it wasn’t about learning new things, and more about the time he got to spend with you.