#maybe for another day but it’s kid and industry related

[aquarri]

.

[rin-may-1103]

Biggest Regret. (Part Two)

Previous | Master Post | Next

Bruce had finally found a peaceful moment to sit down and go through his work emails; there were no sibling homicide fights, prank wars, and thankfully no vigilante-related headaches.

Just a peaceful afternoon; normal polluted Gotham skies, the usual city ruckus of honking horns and shouting, and the constant footsteps back and forth past his closed office door.

taking a sip from his old mug, Bruce opened his laptop. Quickly typing in his password for the hour, he made his way to his email. surprisingly, less than 90 emails were waiting for him. Usually, he had hundreds to go through.

hmmm. Another check for this being a suspiciously good day then, it just made him more anxious for when the other shoe would fall.

peaceful for Gotham, for him, never meant anything good. It always happened right before a tragic event or large-scale Arkham breakout. he could hope for it to just be a peaceful day, but he knew wishful thinking was useless.

taking another sip, Bruce started scrolling through his emails, reading the subject lines to sort through which ones were more important. After a few minutes of reading, Bruce stopped and reread the second to last email's title, his eyebrows furrowing:

A Video From Your Son.

Now, Bruce was truly confused; Why would one of his kids email him? let alone through his public work email? They've been told multiple times to email him through the bat-email if it contains anything important or time-sensitive. Heck, they've been told to just text him it if it was important, he always answers a text faster than an email.

His Bruce Wayne email was notoriously ignored for multiple days; mostly for his cover story, but also because he spends most of his time doing Batman stuff. (Reading Wayne Enterprises emails usually wasn't something at the top of his list, the kids know this.)

so, then why would one of them email him?

hmm. maybe? maybe one of the boys set up a long-term prank or something. They know how long it takes for him to read his emails, so maybe they sent it knowing it would take a while, which means they had plenty of time to set something up.

yes, that's it. it makes total sense.

Clicking on the email, he was greeted with a boy (who looked a lot like Damian, but who most certainly wasn't) sitting gravely on a wooden box in some dark warehouse.

sitting up straight, Bruce set his mug down and studied the paused video. the boy looked so much like Damian that Bruce almost wanted to believe he was a clone. but his bright stern blue eyes and and apparent freckles pushed the idea away.

Yes, clones can have imperfections, especially when made in a rush, but never something as drastic as the wrong eye color or a genetic quality the one being cloned didn't have. Unless, the one making the clone had no idea what they were doing, but Bruce doubted Talia would have allowed someone to take Damian's DNA before he was given to Bruce.

and the boy on screen had scars, lots of scars, meaning if he was a clone then he was made before Bruce even knew of Damian.

hmm.

there were no clues provided in the kid's surroundings; the warehouse was surprisingly empty of anything important or telling. the kid had even chosen a spot where Bruce couldn't tell if it was day or night, or if the lights were on. which took away the usual ways of figuring out where the boy was.

No sky meant he couldn't calculate the general area based on season and celestial bodies. And because he couldn't tell if the light was from industrial lighting or daylight, he couldn't cross out warehouses with electricity. The kid was smart. smarter than the average citizen at least.

he was also wearing discreet clothing; which meant Bruce couldn't trace him through that either.

leaning forward so he could rest his elbows on his knees, Bruce pressed play and gave the video his full attention.

The boy on screen sat in silence for a moment, seemingly gathering his thoughts. his hands rested in his lap, his poster rather relaxed as he sat on his wooden crate.

"This is video eight." the boy spoke, his voice rough with sleepless nights and yelling. Did he yell at people often? or had he gotten into a fight previously? there were seven other videos, but this was the first one Bruce saw. he'd have to go back and see if he had somehow missed them.

"don't worry, you didn't miss anything." the boy chuckled humorously, running one of his hands through his hair. Bruce noted that it shook, the kid was probably nervous, or hungry. the kid looked too skinny to be healthy...

"no, this is just the eighth time I've had to record this." the boy continued, dropping his hand back into his lap as he slumped forward, his black hair falling into his face.

"this video," he continued, not glancing up, "is for Bruce Wayne's eyes only."

there were still no visual tells on where the boy was, not even audio cues for Bruce to study. frowning, Bruce rested his head on his hands, taking in everything the boy said.

"Hi Dad," Bruce sucked in a breath, tensing up as the kid finally glanced back at the camera.

"I'm Danny. you likely don't know I exist, and if you're receiving this; I'm already dead." he chuckled like the thought of his death was laughable. "well, more dead than I already was." he snorted, shaking his head in a way that reminded Bruce of Damian when he was exasperated or disappointed.

"Maybe it's cruel of me to send you a message post-mortem," Danny, the kid's name is Danny, looked away. He rubbed his neck awkwardly as he continued, "But you deserve the truth, and telling you earlier would've put you in danger."

Danny let out a breath as he pulled his legs up onto the crate, "this email is set to automatically send if I haven't opened my laptop for three days. I sometimes set it longer if I'm expecting trouble or going to be away for a while, but I've most likely been away from home for a bit over three days if you're receiving this."

Danny looked so tired as he looked back at the camera, the dark bags under his eyes worse than even Tim's after a week-long investigation.

"I don't know who killed me. Obviously, I'm recording this in advance... I have my suspicions though. it was most likely either the GIW or my adoptive parents, the Fentons." Danny reached beside him and held up a two pictures, "This is Maddie and Jack Fenton, and this," another picture, "is some GIW agents."

Danny snorted as he glanced at the GIW agents, their startled faces slightly blurry as Danny stood in front of them and took a selfie. bruce wasn't sure if he was amused or not that the kid took a selfie with his potential murderers but then again, Bruce could see all of his children doing it too. (Bruce could also see himself doing it.)

"i half-died at 14," Danny suddenly added, tossing the pictures to the side. "became the local ghost superhero..."

he stared off to the side for a moment, "but they never realized I was trying to help and kept talking about tearing ghost me apart molecule by molecule." Danny glanced back at the camera before his eyes widened, "my parents! I mean, my parents and the GIW wanted to tear me apart, not the town! though they probably wouldn't have disagreed with it if asked..."

"anyway," Danny shook his head, "my money's on that being what happened..." Danny looked down at his hands like he was seeing them for the first time, "there will be nothing left of me to bury..."

"Sorry about that!" he suddenly added, a bright smile on his face. Bruce could tell it was strained, forced in hopes of not upsetting him.

"you'd probably have to cremate me if there was, it'd be a waste of wood to get me a coffin... though I'd really prefer if I wasn't set on fire," Danny chuckled, trying to hide a full-body shiver.

He sat in silence for a moment before Danny continued, "The rest of the story is this: I was raised in an assassin cult, eventually escaping at the age of nine. they sent me on a mission and I just had to take the opportunity. I successfully faked my death."

Danny sat up now, fully focusing on the camera, "My biggest regret is that I escaped alone. And that's the reason I'm reaching out to you."

Danny let his feet fall off the edge as he grabbed something from next to him, keeping it out of view for now. "you're a civilian," Danny stated like it was a fact he knew to be true.

Bruce clenched his jaw, trying to keep himself still so he could focus on what Danny was telling him. he wished he could reach through the screen and hold the boy, whether he was his son or not, he obviously was talking about the league which meant Talia hadn't told him.

Talia hadn't told him, and if he was anything like Damian, then he would have no reason to believe otherwise.

"If you know too much about the League of Assassins you'll be in danger, but I need you to save my twin Damian." Danny's words were like a final nail in the coffin, the final straw to keeping his heart from breaking again.

it was true, it had to be. How would Danny have this information otherwise?

"he's likely still there after all these years. he never wanted to escape; he took pride in being the heir to the league. he's probably going to be stabby: he's an assassin after all, but it's not his fault. Ra's, our grandfather, indoctrinated him a lot more successfully than he did me. Damian was more susceptible to it... it's not his fault." Danny repeated, clenching the object he had grabbed.

"Please," Danny pleaded, "save him. I'm begging you. My biggest regret is leaving Damian in the league. You have a chance to save him. Please, please take it."

Danny bit his lip and glanced down at his lap, "I w-," he quickly glanced around before shaking his head, "I long for a time when it would have been safe for me to get to know you. You seem like a cool dad, from what I've seen of you on the news with your oldest kids."

he looked up with a water smile, "I bet you're like that with the youngest you hide from the public too. I still don't know how you managed that, it's been six years." Danny chuckled, wiping the tears from his eyes.

"This is my, um, my old league sigil." Danny held up the object he had been holding, revealing a golden disk with thick rope connected to it. it had the demon head's symbol on it.

"A coat of arms. I'll leave it somewhere for you. hopefully, you can use it to get to Damian." Danny gently placed it back on the box. "I'm keeping it in a box in the walls of my room. You should be able to find it."

"I wish you and your family the best," Danny sniffed, looking back at the camera. "thank you for listening. From your long lost almost certainly dead by now son, Danny Fenton."

Bruce stared at the paused video for a minute, just trying to process everything he just saw. he needed confirmation, he knew it was true, it had to be, there's no way Danny could fake this. but Bruce needed to confirm. make sure he isn't seeing things.

absently, Bruce pulled out his phone and dialed his youngest's, was he still the youngest? or was Danny? number.

the tone didn't even ring longer than five seconds before his son's voice echoed into the silent office, "Father."

"Damian, did you have a twin named Danny?" Bruce asked, not cutting around the bush.

dead silence, he couldn't even hear Damian's breath.

then, "...Who told you?"

Damian's voice wasn't angry or fearful, it was sad and confused and wavered like the last leaf on a tree clinking on for dear life in a blizzard. it cemented the break in Bruce's heart as he stared at the tearful face of his son, his son who claimed to be dead already.

hanging up, Bruce quickly sent the video to Damian and waited. he needed a minute to process what just happened. Clicking play, Bruce rewatched the video, hoping to find another clue.

Damian called back a few minutes later, the sound of Danny's voice echoing in the background telling Bruce his son had watched and rewatched the video just like he had.

"Father. I do not care what state he is in, even if there is only a single molecule left. I'm going to bring him home. We must discover exactly what happened to Danny, the truth."

"I couldn't agree more, Damian," Bruce grunted, standing up. Pushing his chair in, he turned his laptop off and made his way to his office door. "I'll be home soon, gather the others. tell them all hands on deck."

"yes, Father," Robin replied, hanging up not even a second later.

Shoving his phone in his pocket and opening his office door, Batman started making his way home.

Next

[writingquestionsanswered]

Do you have tips on writing lullabies? It's for a mom character from my story who often sings lullabies to her kid. I'm not exactly the best at writing song lyrics, so I would appreciate some tips on writing lullabies.

Tips on Writing Lullabies

First, I want to say that most traditional lullabies like Rock-a-Bye Baby, Hush-a-Bye, and Hush Little Baby are in the public domain, meaning that it's okay for you to use them in your story. If your story is set in our world, you may just want to have your character sing a traditional lullaby rather than writing your own. Just double-check that the song isn't anachronistic and that it is, in fact, in the public domain.

If you're writing a story set in an imaginary world, or there's some other reason why you feel an original lullaby would make more sense, it helps to understand a little bit of what lullabies actually are. The earliest known lullaby was recorded on a clay tablet in cuneiform script 4,000 years ago in Babylon, what is now modern-day Iraq. Like many lullabies over the centuries, it is a little dark and comes with a message for the baby: essentially, stop crying or you'll wake up the house demon. Many researchers believe that part of the function of a lullaby is to help the parent vocalize their fears in relation to the baby, whether that fear is related to the baby's mortality, the potential danger of crying (attracting predators or angering others), or even more personal concerns bothering the mother.

So, a good place to start is with your story's setting... where does the parent character live? Where did they grow up? What concerns do they have or might their parents have had (or the parents of that town/village/culture) that would make it into a lullaby?

For example, let's say you're writing a fantasy and the parent character comes from a village at the foot of a mountain range where mining is the primary industry, and heavy rains fall in the winter months which sometimes create dangerous conditions in the mine. From here you can imagine a parent sitting at home, rocking their baby to sleep while they wait for the other parent to return from the mines... but because it's raining, there's now the fear that the other parent won't return because the rains are so dangerous. How might that translate into a song? How might the parent vocalize these fears in some way to the child?

Some other things to keep in mind are the typical sound and structure of a lullaby:

-- 6/8 time signature with no more than 5 notes is common -- slow, melodic tones reminiscent of a heartbeat -- rhythm that works with rocking or gentle swinging -- few words, repeated over and over

You might even look at existing lullabies and use them as a template. Let's say I want to create my miner-related lullaby using Twinkle Twinkle Little Star as a guide:

Twinkle, twinkle, little star, How I wonder what you are! Up above the world so high, Like a diamond in the sky. When the blazing sun is gone, When he nothing shines upon, Then you show your little light, Twinkle, twinkle, all the night.

So, maybe it could be something like...

Rain, rain, the winter rain Mother's in the mines. May she find her way to you her darling Valentine. Rain, rain, the winter rain Father's turn will come. May the sun be shining soon, for now the day is done. It's simple and it tells a little story... these parents take turns working in the mines, and it's dangerous work. The parent left behind is always hoping the other parent will make it home to them, and that the rain will stop so it's not so dangerous.

Another example worth noting is the lullaby from The Hunger Games, Deep in the Meadow. (You can read the lyrics here.) This lullaby is lighthearted on the surface... it paints a beautiful picture of a meadow where the child will be safe and loved. But the darker undertone is that the meadow is the safe place while the rest of the world the child lives in is not safe, and that obviously hearkens to the specific world that Katniss and her family grew up in.

And while we're on the subject, although it's not a lullaby, the ballad The Hanging Tree, also from The Hunger Games, has a similar origin in terms of matching theme to setting. (You can read about it here, CW for dark themes.)

I hope that will help you figure out a lullaby for your story!

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

I’ve been writing seriously for over 30 years and love to share what I’ve learned. Have a writing question? My inbox is always open!

LEARN MORE about WQA

SEE MY ask policies

VISIT MY Master List of Top Posts

COFFEE & FEEDBACK COMMISSIONS ko-fi.com/wqa

[brandogenius]

Could you do more abt boygenius x younger artist? Like about life on tour with them, going to after parties and stuff with them as a 19 yr old (that was such a cute thing to add) , and then sticking up for you in the industry or if security or venues are being unfair or rude celebs or fans, I adore this trope so glad to see you writing it !!

absolutely!! i love these tropes and the requests everyone’s sending in omf!!

a question would people be interested in a fic series in relation to younger!artist and the boys? 👀

‼️RPF‼️

HC - the boys & younger!artist reader!

- i can imagine when you first got to know them on tour it was a little awkward. imagine you’re 18 still in highschool but on tour during the holidays.

- you’re shy and sticking to your bunk all day until one of the boys drags you out to watch a movie

- “we don’t bite kid. cmon out”

- getting life lessons from them at random hours of the day

- “want me to teach you how to do taxes tonight?” “well goodmorning to you too i guess”

- texting in your group chat “what does [insert meme / reference ] mean?” and proceeds to use it all the time

- going back to the after parties bit. you go to one that isn’t over 21. the boys are hyped

- “FIRST AFTER PARTY LETS GOO”

- the vibes change when you meet one of your favourite celebs and they are quite rude.

- i can imagine a scenario where maybe you win an award that they were nominated for.

- something like “i can’t believe i lost to someone like you” and the boys jump up ready to attack

- lucy simply telling them to fuck off while julien and phoebe lead you to another table, not wanting this to ruin the night

- it might’ve ruined it a little bit but phoebe promises you two can go record shopping tomorrow which brightens it up a bit

[canyoufucksoniccharacters]

It's time.

Alright, this is gonna be a long one. Not only am I covering the canon, mainline game Sonic, but his offshoots as well. Specifically, I will be covering Sonic in the mainline games, the Paramount movie version, Sonic Prime, and a tiiiiiiny tiny little itty bit of Archie. IDW is, from what has been implied as of the past about year and a half, canon; and it will be treated as such (with some caution, of course.), so it's not going to be handled separately.

Let's do this.

Alright, let's start as early as absolutely possible. There have been several, several statements regarding Sonic's age; the earliest of which was courtesy of our good old friends over at...

There would be a certain (mildly loud) funny video here, but Tumblr's weird barely present copyright protection probably kicked in. Anyways...

In the Sonic The Hedgehog cartoon, also known as SatAM, we get 2 tidbits of information. In the 2-part special called Blast From The Past, we see that Sonic and Sally are about the same age, both being kids of just about equal maturity. Later, in episode 24, Sally states that her age is 16. So, far as we could tell, Sonic was 16, or around that range. Now, we know that these cartoons aren't canon, but they definitely did have an influence over the canon of the series. Fun fact for you, Sonic's love of chili dogs was made up by the cartoons, and later adopted during the modern era by the games. Ain't that neat?

Chili dog related tangent aside, this was the only source we had for Sonic's age at that point. I've seen some say that he was stated to be 15 in the manual for Sonic 2, but upon trying to verify that claim I came empty-handed. The manual does mention Tails being 8, but no mention of Sonic's age as far as I could tell; and the same goes for every other Classic Series game. Except for...

Sonic Jam, the Sonic game absolutely no one cares about! In part because it's not much more than a game compilation and tech demo that served as the stepping stone for Sonic Adventure 1. Sonic Jam includes profiles for Sonic, Tails, Knuckles and Eggman. This is in both the Japanese and English version, and both contain ages for the characters! Tails is listed as 8, Knuckles as 15, and Eggman as "??" or Unknown, in the case of the English version.

This brings us to Sonic, who I will be using the Japanese profile for.

The part that says "年令" translates to "Age". So, here it says that Sonic ranges between 15 and 16... Whatever that means. In the English version, it just says 15. Either way, all these make sense for these games. Sonic's characterization back in the day was all in on the rebellious teenager angle, an effort to give him an air of edge and coolness that other platforming mascots didn't have, which did admittedly win people over during the heat of the console wars! Sonic was absolutely huge when the series was new, to a degree that other mascots just couldn't match up to. Of course, that dropped off over time, but that's a discussion for another day, and not on this blog. This blog is about gay sex, not the videogame industry.

So, Sonic is either 15 or 16, most likely 15. All is good here, everything lines up, other than maybe the fact that Amy was listed as 8 in the Sonic CD manual, but that's probably fine considering back then her crush on Sonic was treated as a one-sided admirer type thing, rather than an actual romantic interest (That was usually reserved for Sally in media that actually cared about that kinda thing, anyways.)

So, fast forward to the Dreamcast; Sonic gets a redesign! Longer limbs, green eyes, and overall less chibi-like and seemingly more mature appearance. So, you would assume he's older, right? After all, him an everyone else around him got the same treatment, except for Eggman who... Seemingly just became a smidge more realistic. A smidge, anyways. You can only be so realistic being shaped like Gru.

Well... Yeah! It would look like it, since no further statements about his age were made, and in the Archie comics, they actually aged him up a year to justify his change in design. Archie isn't canon, obviously, but it shows the direction that was taken; as the players aged, so did Sonic, no matter how much people got up in arms about the green eyes for some strange reason.

... And then Sonic Heroes came along.

Perfectly fine game, mind you! One of the more polarizing ones, sure, and some of the writing could have been a smidge better (specially on Amy's side of things), but overall not really anything egregious. But for our sake... This hellspawn was born.

Ah, the Sonic Heroes US manual. The root cause of incredibly stupid Sonic shipping discourse; as well as the really, really inaccurate Sonic Channel ages.

All vitriol aside, let's look at what it has to say about our blue blur.

... 15? Really? When our previous estimate was also 15-16? Are you actually telling me Sonic 1 to Heroes all happened within less than a year? Amy got aged up from 8 to 12, which... Either age would be a bit concerning considering they're still pushing the whole romantic interest thing, one-sided as it may still be. That aside, it makes no logistical sense for Sonic to still be 15 after he's literally physically shown to be older.

On top of that, this same manual ages Espio down from 17 (In the Chaotix manual) to 16, and Vector up from 16 to 20. Vector I can believe, but uh. Aging down isn't exactly a thing that most people do.

What's worse, this age was then listed in the official Sonic Channel website... Even after they made a game where the first thing you see is Sonic celebrating his birthday. Meaning he had to have been 14 before that game to stay 15, which is contradictory to say the least. Additionally, there's a potential time gap of 5 months between SA2 and Heroes, only ever referenced in the Playstation 3 PSN release of Sonic Heroes.

This age was never once modified, even after Sonic Forces' 6 month timeskip, meaning Sonic had a birthday party, was locked up for 6 months, and somehow didn't age a year during all that. Nor after the several infrastructure-demolishing incidents such as an entire city being flooded and wrecked, the planet being shattered into pieces, among others.

And you wanna know something funny? In Sonic Generations, Classic Sonic is explicitly stated to be Sonic from the past, which checks out considering how he behaves less maturely and is proportionally much smaller. And then in 2015, the Classic Sonic style guide comes out.

15.

15.

15.

Somehow. Some. Fucking. How. Classic Sonic is listed as 15... While Modern Sonic is listed as 15 too. Oh, Amy is also listed as 12, by the way. Despite that being her (ALLEGED) age in Sonic Heroes.

Unless they're from different universes or something, there's no way-

OH FOR FUCK'S SAKE

Yeah, so, Sonic Forces released 2 years after that guide. And it tried, emphasis on tried, to retcon Classic Sonic into being an entirely separate character. This was, however, later undone by Sonic Origins both re-establishing the Classic games as taking place in the past, on top of a TailsTube episode saying as such; that Classic Sonic is, indeed, from the past. It's even stated that Modern Sonic is who Classic Sonic grew up to be!

IDW doesn't make our job any easier, either. This is information from when the Tangle & Whisper story was ongoing;

However... I'd take it with a grain of salt, as it's from before IDW was considered canon, and back when Sega was much more strict on the mandates and what they did and didn't allow in Sonic media. Plus, this was still the age listed on Sonic Channel, before they removed it.

Oh yeah, that. Why don't we talk about that?

On October of 2022, all the ages on Sonic Channel were removed.

This... Was a good move. SonAmy is still being pushed ever so very slightly, with Amy's crush still being present in a recent short even if she's much more mature about it now, which would make their age difference less than ideal. On top of that, the ages really just didn't line up chronologically speaking.

So, where does that leave us now?

In this interview, Takashi Iizuka is asked about Sonic's age; to which he responds that "He's a teenager."

"Teenager" is a bit of a loose definition, probably on purpose. Generally speaking, the range for teenager ranges from anywhere to 13-19, to 13-21 depending on who you ask. Some people make the cutoff at 18, though that's almost never done when it comes to scientific material.

So, let's recap. Sonic is still considered a teenager, but he's always been considered one, all the way back from the Classic series. So, we can safely assume Classic isn't 15; either that, or he was, and the modern series takes place during anywhere from 2-6 years, which I could believe. Either way, he's at minimum about 13-14, as he's a younger version of Sonic who hasn't hit a growth spurt yet.

Then, we have anywhere from 1 to 2 canon birthdays for Sonic, depending on whether you count Runners as canon or not (which I would admittedly not at all fault you for not considering it canon, considering it's a mobile game; and a discontinued one at that), as well as a 6-month timeskip during Forces, potential 5-month timeskip during Heroes (which isn't the most unbelievable proposition or anything, considering it would be a bit weird if Shadow was presumed dead only to show back up like a week later), and a bunch of events that have caused severe structural damage to key locations in the world, namely during Sonic Unleashed and Sonic Adventure 1 as the 2 biggest examples. Oh, and Sonic Forces throwing absolutely everything into disarray on a seemingly global scale, which would take quite a bit of time to be fixed, specially considering that's still an ongoing process in IDW.

On top of all this, it's outright shown that these things don't just happen every week or whatever, things happen off-screen, characters get time off to do their own stuff, and from the looks of it, Murder Of Sonic The Hedgehog is canon, as nothing there conflicts with canon and it's officially endorsed. Which means WE HAVE YET ANOTHER FUCKING BIRTHDAY PARTY, FOR AMY THIS TIME.

Further proving the point i just stated, let's look at the geographical Prison Island. This is what it looks like in Sonic Adventure 2.

A big, mechanical prison complex made out of nothing but cold hard metal. Filled with robots, not a single trace of nature in sight. Said nature however is not too far from these military bases, though! These forests are also on the island.

So, these are the two main parts of Prison Island. Abundant nature, and military facilities. There's very little difference once the story progresses further, though, as the island...

Fucking explodes. (Clip from Sonic Adventure 2 Real-Time Fandub. Credit to SnapCube.)

So, why is this relevant? Well, we revisit this location in Shadow The Hedgehog! The game, not the guy.

As we can see, there is no longer any difference between nature and construct. The base has been completely abandoned, and overtaken by the nearby forests, with greenery sprouting all over it. Now, it's not impossible that plant life in the Sonic series grows a bit faster than real plants, but methinks that an entire military base doesn't get overtaken by nature this hard within a month. There's entire new trees, grass and plants growing all over what was previously pavement, not even the walls are safe! Every single area is either covered in toxic waste, plant life, or both. Plant life that, again, needs time to grow. So there's likely a pretty big chunk of time between Sonic Adventure 2 and Shadow The Hedgehog, even though they're only separated by 1 game, Sonic Heroes.

Add that to the many many reasons these things can't just happen on a week by week basis! On to my next point...

No, proportions don't really mean anything in terms of age. Sure, Vanilla is quite big, and so are the conductor and his wife, but Rouge is undoubtedly an adult and her proportions are more or less the same as everyone else. So all they help distinguish is between children (Tails, Cream) and non-children. In this exact screenshot we see that Vanilla is much taller than rouge, almost being at eye level with each other despite Rouge sitting on an elevated surface, while Vanilla is standing. This height difference is also present in the games, although we rarely get to see them next to each other.

So, all this taken into account, the fact Sonic has been a teenager since the Classic series, the fact there's been a few timeskips and at least 2 birthdays, several events that would need some time to recover from, specially with a still-ongoing recovery process after Forces, the fact Elise is allegedly 17 in 06 (which would make her whole romantic subplot with Sonic even more uncomfortable than it already is by default if he was any younger than say, idk about 16 years old at the least), among many other reasons that I may have forgotten to mention, the chances of Sonic being 15, hell, even 16 are very, very slim. At the very least, he's got to be about 17, and he could honestly be as old as 19 or 20 (depending on whether Iizuka meant he's of adolescent age or a teenager).

So, if you do still view Sonic as a minor, that's perfectly fine, and honestly believable; but with all these facts stacked up, as time goes on, it will be less and less likely that him being underage will be a real possibility. This isn't the Pokemon anime. There's actual structure, lore, and a proper sense of scale; and something like Sonic's age being frozen at 15-16 just wouldn't make any sense.

All this to say, Sonic is, most likely, no longer a minor. There's some wiggle room where he could be one, but 18-19 is the most likely option, specially considering how Frontiers was comfortable with pitching his voice down. Yes, it was for the sake of the game's tone, but Tails's voice for example didn't have that much of a difference to it, because he's a child and it would be weird for a character to sound so much older than they actually are- and this goes for Sonic too.

So, in conclusion, after extensive analysis and every source I could find for Sonic's age taken into account;

You can, most likely, fuck Sonic The Hedgehog.

...

BUT IT'S NOT OVER YET.

We need to take both his other iterations into consideration, as well as address characters whose fuckability status depends on him. First, the alternative versions.

Movie Sonic

This one's a kid. On top of acting much more immature and inexperienced, outright described as irresponsible- hell, Tom even says "Whether you wanna hear this or not, you're still just a kid. You've got some more growing up to do before you're ready to be the big hero". He acts like a kid, is referred to as a kid, and hell, it makes sense, the movies so far have adapted Sonic 1-3&K, the games where Sonic was still just starting out his adventures.

Prime Sonic

This one's... More uncertain. He's definitely quite immature and inexperienced; though he feels more... Reckless than anything else. More of an attitude problem than an age problem, really, considering how Amy and Shadow act, two characters who should be about the same age as him, but that act much more maturely for the most part.

This one's pretty up in the air, I'd say, considering how Prime seems to be comfortable having their own versions of the cast (going by how different Shadow seems to be and how he has seemingly no attachment to Rouge, who is one of the people he trusts the most in canon).

Oh yeah, I haven't watched season 3 yet, but I doubt it changes much of anything about this judgement.

THE SONIC-DEPENDENT ONES

THE ROBOT SONICS

While they're all likely able to consent (... Okay, Mecha MK. 1 is a bit more dubious on whether it's sapient), it would probably be unethical to fuck something that's made to look like someone who's a minor. While they were made when Sonic was definitely a minor, he isn't one anymore, and the resemblance is still there to pretty much the exact same degree, so there's really no ambiguity here.

You can fuck them. Go ham, robot-fuckers.

SCOURGE

Look, we're not covering the mess that Archie can be. But from what I gather, Sonic is, at most, 17 pre-SGW. And this is just an alternate version of that Sonic, who likely didn't go through all the uber weird shit that makes Archie Sonic's age a nightmare to deal with. So, no, unfortunately for a lot of you, you probably can't fuck Scourge. Fortunately, though...

SURGE

Surge's age is, according to this post by IDW artist and writer Evan Stanley, around Sonic's age. So, what goes for the hedgehog goes for the Tenrec, you can most likely fuck her. Go ham.

... Elise?

She was 17 during 06, and some time has passed since then, and it would be weird if she had any bigger of an age gap with Sonic, plus plenty of time has passed since 06, so... I guess you can? I don't see why you would, but power to you, I suppose. Can't judge.

MIGHTY AND RAY

These two have been here since SegaSonic The Hedgehog in the arcades, which happens even before Sonic 2 does! Ray is never once really implied to be young, no matter how much he may seem like Mighty's Tails equivalent (Which... He's not meant to be. He was made before Tails.), and he's most likely about even with Mighty, who is most likely the same age as Sonic, seeing how they're meant to be parallels (down to Sonic's sprites being rehashed for his sprites in Chaotix), and the Japanese manual for Knuckles' Chaotix listing him as 16.

They're here mostly because Mighty is a partial Sonic counterpart, and Ray tends to be anywhere that Mighty goes these days, so they might as well be treated as a package deal.

So, yes, you can most likely fuck them... Even if we have absolutely no idea what their modern versions look like. Seriously, where the hell have they been? At least we know they're fine, considering it's been stated that they're off on their own adventures these days.

Aaaand... That's it! That's all the Sonic-dependent characters I could think of, at least ones that I think don't really merit their own posts. TL;DR

Metal Sonic, Mecha Sonic, etc: Fuckable Scourge: Unfuckable Surge: Fuckable Elise: Fuckable Mighty: Fuckable Ray: Fuckable

The "Fuckable" marks should go with an asterisk, as Sonic's status is "Most Likely Fuckable", but still.

Phew. Finally done. I've spent pretty much all goddamn day writing this. Hopefully this is useful for someone. Hopefully. God knows it'll make my job easier.

I'll just go write the alt text and go eat something, this took... Way longer than I'd like to admit. See you when the post goes up.

Go ham, you beautiful horny bastards.

Edit: Future OP here! I had to remake this post because the DIC bit earlier somehow triggered some weird copyright stuff on Tumblr, basically hiding the post from anyone who isn't directly looking at the blog. In the meantime, I added that bit about Prison Island to further add to his potential fuckability. So his margin for being a minor is even smaller now! How fun! Anyways, now I'll be seeing myself out for the time being. Thanks, and have fun.

[propepsi]

Hi 🖤 So about your comment on anti-conformist goth Sebastian - you have my full attention. Do you feel like sharing any of your hcs regarding music tastes/subcultures of the Stardew npcs??

Holy. Fucking. Shit. YES I DO FEEL LIKE DOING THAT. First of all: I look up to you so much for your art skill and I am FLOORED by this ask 😭❤️ Thank you for this omfg

I wont cover ALL the bachelors and bachelorettes, just the ones who I have really strong headcannons for :)

(Most of these headcannons are HIGHLY influenced by my own music taste. A lot- if not all- of the artists I have listed are artists that I'm a fan of personally.)

Anyways. First off: I think Sebastian- in regards to goth culture- fits the description. I don't think he ever goes above and beyond with his fashion because of his depression (another hc of mine because I highly relate to him as somebody with depression), but he definitely leans more into that than he does emo fashion, that's for sure. He's highly nihilistic. He doesn't want to support the 'corporate fatcats' or big industries, instead self employed, and he hates every Joja gift. Overall there are MANY instances of Sebastian basically saying 'fuck the industry.' (We love him for that) Also, his thing with coffee and smoking is highly stereotypical goth shit. Though, when it comes to music, I definitely think he'd fuck with SOME goth bands very casually, like maybe a bit of Type O Negative, Christian Death, Birthday Massacre... but I think he tends to lean more towards punk/pop punk. Especially Green Day. (And, shamefully, Blink-182. He won't ever admit it, though.) I also think that Sam's music started accidentally influencing him. Like sometimes (a lot of the time) you'll catch him listening to rock, metal, alternative/art rock, and grunge. He got particularly attached to Rammstein, who Sam surprisingly doesn't actually fuck with very much. Also, hot take: I don't think he's emo. Some of the music he listens to (and some of the artists I've already names) COULD be argued to be emo, but he doesn't listen to like- EMO emo. I definitely think he casually likes The Get Up Kids, which ARE considered to be an emo band by some. It's a bloodbath tryna figure out the genre. Midwest emo, pop punk, regular emo... I dunno. I just think he likes The Get Up Kids.

Sam. Sam's music taste speaks for itself. He, as a character, is highly oriented around music and musical talent. I think he's huge on rock and grunge- like Nirvana, Foo Fighters, The Rolling Stones... all that jazz. He also likes metal bands, such as Judas Priest, Metallica, Black Sabbath (as well as Ozzie Osbourne as a standalone artist), Dio, System of a Down... all that jazz. He likes his music slightly hard but classy as well. I also feel like he would be big on Sublime. Idk. It just feels right. I also think he'd be casually into Midwest Emo, which he accidentally got Sebastian REALLY into for a bit. (Examples include The Front Bottoms, McCafferty, Origami Angel- great band btw, Modern Baseball, etc.) He'll sometimes go for some softer, electronic shit from time to time, like art pop/rock bands (so... Radiohead), but not super often. He ALSO accidentally got Sebastian into Radiohead. Like, Sebastian became a bigger fan than he did. Sam has a few guilty pleasures when it comes to music that he won't be very vocal about it, like some female country artists (Dolly Parton, Shania Twain, Carrie Underwood... stuff like that. He absolutely REFUSES to admit he listens to any of them.) He also probably dabbles in Weezer- which counts as rock but I felt I needed to put this at the end with the other guilty pleasures. (I could be projecting. I mean- hey. Look at my pfp.)

Abigail! (I love Abigail) She's into metal. Some heavy, screamo shit, but also some thrash metal. (She likes Judas Priest a lot. Could also be projecting, though. I fucking love Judas Priest.) I think she goes harder with her music than Sam and Sebastian do. She'd be the parent who picks their kid up from school absolutely BLASTING some metal. (For some reason I imagine it being Enter Sandman by Metallica in that scenario lmfao) She'll go for rock occasionally, something wilder like ACDC, but not as much.

(Ik a lot of the bands for The Trio overlap, but they're all really close and literally in a band. I think they would share a lot of music taste with each other. They are the local alternatives, after all.)

Emily is into stoner music. Like- Reggae, 60s rock and roll, Hip-hop, and indie. Her biggest bands/artists would be Sublime, The Beatles, Elton John, Bob Marley, Pink Floyd... stuff like that. I think she would also be into pop, but really eccentric pop, like Chappell Roan, Abba, Amy Winehouse, Whitney Houston, and Britney Spears. Perhaps Michael Jackson??? 👀👀

Haley is into 2000s pop. Kesha, Britney Spears, EARLY Taylor Swift (and ONLY early), Shakira, Beyonce... artists like that. Some music that she likes overlaps with Emily's, but then Haley is put off by the other music she listens to- or in her words: "hippy shit." There's a lot of Chappell Roan lover Haley talk, and I think it would be slightly true. She would find it weird and off-putting at first, but she would learn to secretly like it. Secretly.

Elliot is into classical music. Not orchestra, but very piano-y classical. He would also quite like folk. He could be persuaded into folky pop, like The Decemberists. He isn't really a music snob, but if you showed him a metal song, he would be quite confused. We love him anyway.

ANYWAY. Here it is! I'll admit- I got quite carried away with this. I just started typing and couldn't stop. 💀 My autism took over my body. (I'm so, SO into music right now) Also I wrote this entire thing exactly how I talk irl, so I apologize for that.

[squarebracket-trickster]

Sorry guys, rant incoming. I considered deleting this but I put too much effort in.

"girlboss" "girl dinner" "girl math" "boy math" "gen z are making fun of us for wearing x" "here's how to dress like gen z:" "girlies" "girl's night" "boy's night" "me and the boys" "90s kid"

"I don't feel like an adult" "I'm 34 and I can tell you, I still don't feel like an adult either." "My parents seemed like real adults when they were my age." "I still feel like a teenager."

Maybe you'd feel more like an adult if you started calling yourself one. Maybe you'd feel more like an adult if you stopped trying to dress like a teenager. Maybe you should move your bed out from the wall and get a wallet. Maybe find a calendar app that works for you.

You are an adult. Even if you live with your parents. Even if you do part-time shift work at minimum wage. Even if you haven't graduated college. Even if you are single. These are adult things to do. Because you are doing them. And you are an adult. Start treating yourself like an adult. Fake it 'till you make it if you have to.

In other, writing-related, news:

That trend on TikTok of 20-40 something women authors (and writers yet to be published) promoting their books like,

"Omg! I can't believe I've sold X number of copies!! I never thought I would!" "Ahhhh imagine publishing your book and all your dreams come true and now you get to meet famous authors and work with big names in the industry!!" "Would you read a book where [proceeds to list a bunch of oversaturated tropes that tell me nothing about the actual plot]?"

It reeks of infantilization. If you didn't believe anyone would want to read your book, why should I? You made it on the NYT bestseller list! Stop acting like a mega-fan who got to meet a celebrity. You are their peer! "Would you read a book--" What if I wouldn't? Why does it matter to you what I think of your book? And for the love of god stop hiding behind tropes you know are already popular. "Here is my book: This is what it is about." Have some goddamn confidence.

It is fine to mention in passing "this idea was really far-fetched so I didn't know if it would appeal" or "I was struggling with self-esteem when I wrote this". It's fine to fan a little bit. It's fine to discuss the tropes in your book. But why are you building your brand as an author off of your inferiority complex? You are using your poor self-esteem as a marketing tactic to seem "humble" and "relatable" but it's coming across as unprofessional and desperate for reassurance. You are an adult. You are competent. The more you act like it the more you will believe it.

And of course, I haven't seen a man promote his book this way...

On another note, do any of the 20-40 something women writers who do "write with me" videos on TikTok actually enjoy writing or are they just doing it for the aesthetic?

They all have gorgeous minimalism writing spaces full of white and pink and a macbook beneath a window. Their makeup is done and they are conventionally pretty to start with. But their entire video is just them talking about how little progress they made, how many pages they deleted, how often they got distracted, how frustrated they are. And like, yeah. We all have those days. But what about the good lines you can't wait to share? The days when the words just flow? The cool stuff you learned while researching? Why don't you ever make videos about that?

Is this some other attempt to seem "relatable" by only talking about the "bad" side of writing? Because again, it's coming across as lacking confidence at best and, at worst, that you don't actually know how to write. And that is not the brand you want as an author.

Again, its always women. Why must women market their self-esteem issues in order to sell their art? Why must we be perpetually awestruck children (girlies, book girls) in over our heads?

[storytowrite]

|My cousin’s fiancé ~ Hwang Hyunjin| 

Paring: Hwang Hyunjin x reader

Genre: smut Warnings: swearings, little angst, sex but with a condom, mention of cheating, mention of alcohol, fingering

Word Count: 3,810

Summary: Who knew that cheating on one person can lead to a very pleasant event between two people?

—----------------- 

‘Shit! Please, again? What is wrong with me today?’ You asked yourself looking at the already red arm. You were focused on your phone and didn’t see the glass window that you bumped into, instead of crossing the door. 

‘Are you okay, miss?’ You’ve heard the butler’s voice who looked at you concerned.

‘Yes, yes… I’m okay… thank you’ you answered and went straight to sit at the couch in the living room. You again focused on your cell phone and the news that you were reading. 

Apparently the Hwang Corporation, a leading company into the research and development industry, had a new CEO. Every single magazine was writing about the big news. You rolled your eyes. They were praising him as if he was at least the duke. 

Hwang Hyunjin, the new big boss, was well known among all the investors and businessmen in the whole city. He was charming, tall, flirty and… painfully handsome. Every single woman in the whole industry was dreaming about him. 

And you? You hated him with your whole heart. For you he was just a douchebag who decided to fuck your cousin and then propose to her. So you were forced to see him every single celebration day or gala that your family had been organising.  

You two couldn’t get along since the beginning of your acquaintance. You didn’t know why though, you just hated him, and he hated you - or at least that was what you thought. In your eyes he was just a spoiled kid, who happened to be rich and nothing more. Maybe it was you, or maybe it was his attitude, you didn’t know. 

You rolled your eyes while reading another magazine title. ‘The new CEO of the Hwang Corporation has a fiancé!’ How thrilling you thought to yourself with the sarcasm. You were sure that your cousin, May, was very excited and enjoyed every mention of her. 

In your eyes May was just as spoiled as Hyunjin. She would always show how rich she was. She didn’t finish school and was unemployed. But yet, your family has always compared you to her. They were telling you how successful she is or how beautiful she was. And you were so sick and tired of it. It felt like you weren’t respected at all. You sighed quietly and were about to go to the kitchen to make some late dinner, when your phone suddenly rang. 

‘Hello?’ You answered it immediately. 

‘Oh, hello sweetheart. How are you?’ You heard your mother’s voice from the other side. ‘Have you seen the news?’ 

‘Yes mom, I have.’ You sighed. ‘Why are you calling? Is everything all right?’ 

‘Yes, yes darling. Everything’s fine. In fact, everything is perfect… your cousin, May, is doing a small garden party, and wanted me to ask you if you would come?’ 

‘Oh, right… what’s the occasion?’ 

‘She wanted to celebrate Hyunjin’s promotion of being a CEO’ Your mother said and you could feel how proud she was of him, even if he wasn’t related to her in any way. 

‘Yeah, nah… I don’t have time for May’s tea party, sorry mom…’ 

‘But you have to come! Y/N don’t act like a spoiled brat.’ There it was, your mother’s typical attitude. You rolled your eyes. ‘I’m sure that you don’t have anything important to do anyway… The party is on Friday. Don’t make me disappointed, again.’

‘Yes, sure mom… I will come.’ You sighed. You weren’t in a mood to hear all the bad things she was going to say if you wouldn’t agree. ‘Sorry mom, I have to go… We’ll see at the party.’ You hung up and threw your phone to the couch.  

You hated your family and they hated you, so the feeling was mutual. Ever since you could remember, your mother was a demanding yet cruel person. At least to you. You were the youngest daughter and had two older brothers, who were twins, and your mother loved them more than anything else. She thought that you would also be a son, as she wished. So when it turned out that instead of the third son, she would have had a daughter she wasn’t pleased. 

Your grandfather’s will added fuel to the fire. Your grandfather was the only person that actually cared about you. So when he died, you were devastated. He left the will, in which he concluded that the heir of his whole legacy, would be you. He left you all of his money and his businesses. He knew that you were the only one who would take the proper care of it. After all, he had prepared you to take over his role as a CEO of the Kwon Group. 

So yes, you were a successful business woman. You knew how to do business and the Kwon Group has grown to be irreplaceable and indestructible under your leadership. You carried out all of your grandfather’s plans and also some of yours as well and you were well-known in the business world. And for a twenty-seven year old that was a great achievement. 

But yet, your family didn’t respect you at all. After hearing the will of your grandfather all of them turned their backs on you. Your brothers were jealous, your mother was dissatisfied and the rest of the family just stopped talking to you. So you had everything, the money, the business, the title. But you felt lonely. 

—----------------- 

Friday night came soon. You didn't expect that the time could pass that quickly. In one second you were talking to your mom on the phone and at the other you were preparing yourself for the garden party. 

You put on a long, floral dress with a subtle corset that emphasised your slender figure. The neckline perfectly exposed your collarbones and showed your breasts sensually and subtly enough. You wore high-heels sandals on your feet. You did light make-up that emphasised your cheekbones and you put red lipstick on your lips. You looked into your reflection in the mirror and smiled to yourself. You were ready. 

You arrived at May's property just in time. A small garden party in her mind was at least for one hundred people. You put a smile number five on your face and went straight to the garden deciding that you will go back home after about two hours. You weren’t in the mood for the parties. 

You looked around. The garden was full of people. Some of them you knew, but some were new. You didn’t want to start a conversation with anyone, so you just stood at the back of the garden, next to the table with alcohol and snacks. You’ve decided to not talk to anyone. You just had to show yourself to your mother and May and you could go back to your penthouse. 

“Oh My God! Y/N you don’t know how happy I am to see you!” Suddenly you heard your cousin’s high, sugary sweet voice. ��I’m really glad that you actually came.” 

“Yeah… Nice to see you May… And, nice party.” You said smiling at her. 

“Ah yeah, you know Hyunjin got promoted, so I decided that we have to celebrate that. Isn’t that great though?” 

“Yup, it is I guess…” You shrugged. 

“And also I wanted to thank you.” She continued. “If it wasn’t for you, Hyunjin wouldn’t get a promotion. His father wanted to promote his cousin…”

“What are you talking about, May?” You looked at her confused. 

“Well… your mom told us that you will sell all your shares to me and him so the Hwang Corporation will take over the Kwon Group? You know, so both companies will merge or something.” She shrugged. “That’s why Hyunjin’s father promoted him.” 

“Wait, what?! But I’m not going to sell you anything, May.” You said being in pure shock. “What the actual fuck is that? I have never said that I will do it.”

“But your mom said…” 

“But my mother is not a CEO nor does she work for me. I’ll repeat myself, just to be clear. I. Am. Not. Selling. Anything. To. You. And. Your. Fiancé.” 

“You don’t have to be rude, Y/N.” You’ve heard your mother’s voice behind you. “Look at poor May, her eyes are in tears now. How could you…?”

“How could I? What the fuck? Mom, you lied to May and Hyunjin and now you expect me to be kind?” You said angrily. “Look, I don’t know what you think you are, but I’m not going to sell my shares. Why did you say I will do it?”

“Because you should share with your family. Don’t be such a brat Y/N. May is your cousin.” 

“Well, I don’t fucking care! You have no right to decide whether I sell my shares or not!” You raised your voice, so a lot of people in the garden now looked at you and the scene. “I’m leaving, but believe me that I will take legal action against you if you try to do it again, do you understand?” You added and went straight to the exit. 

You were furious and didn’t expect that your mother would actually do something like that. She decided for you. She wanted you to lose all of your company and you couldn’t understand why. You called for your butler who was also a driver and sat on the ground. 

You felt tears forming in your eyes. You were angry but also hurt. You knew your mother didn’t love you, but that was too much. You sighed and wiped tears from your cheeks. Many emotions swirled inside you. You took a small pack of cigarettes from your purse and you lit one. 

The smoke from the cigarette filled your lounges. You started to cough. You weren’t a smoker and didn’t smoke at all. The small pack you kept in your purse was just for an emergency. An emergency like that. 

“I didn’t know you smoked.” You’ve suddenly heard the male voice behind you. You didn’t have to turn to know who he was. 

“You don’t know a lot about me and let’s leave it at that.” You rolled your eyes. 

“May I?” He asked and reached out for a cigarette. You gave him one. 

“What do you want Hyunjin?” You asked. “I’m not going to sell…”

“Don’t worry. I’ve heard your argument with your mom. I don’t want to buy your shares… actually I wanted to apologise.” 

“Apologise?” You blinked. 

“Yeah… I guess someone has to? I think that your mother crossed the line. Also, it's not true that I got promoted because she promised your shares to my father.” He said and looked at you with a corner of his eye. 

“Oh… thank you I guess?” You said but didn’t dare to look at him. 

“…And…” He started. “I would like to meet you tomorrow. Or next week if you want to have a free weekend. But I wanted to do some business with your company and…”

“Okay.” You sighed. “We can meet tomorrow… But if you try to make me sell my shares…”

“Don’t worry, I won’t.” He smiled at you. “Tomorrow then. Meet me at noon in Yongbok’s restaurant.” 

“Of course, your friend’s restaurant.” You rolled your eyes. “But okay… Tomorrow then.” You said and your car just arrived. “Say my goodbyes Hyunjin.” You got in your car and went to your penthouse. You started wondering what was the business that Hyunjin wanted to talk about. 

The next day you woke up early and unable to sleep a little longer decided to dress up and go for a walk before the meeting. You were a little bit nervous. You didn’t know what Hyunjin wanted from you. 

The time passed quickly and before you could even blink there was the time to meet Hyunjin at Yongbok’s restaurant. You went to the meeting and stood in front of it. You took a small mirror from your purse and fixed your make-up. Then you entered the restaurant. 

You looked around looking for him. He wasn’t there or you just couldn’t find him. You sighed and were about to leave when you heard a low voice. 

“Hello Y/N.” You’ve heard. “Long time no see, huh?” 

“Hi Yongbok.” You smiled at the man standing in front of you. The last time you’ve seen him was on May's birthday two years ago. You weren’t close friends, but he was always kind to you. Back then you spent almost the whole night together. “How have you been?” 

“I’ve been good, thanks. And please, call me Felix… all my friends call me that.” He smiled. “You came here to meet with Hyunjin, didn't you? Come, he’s waiting.” 

“Huh? Where? I couldn’t see him…” 

“Ah yes, because he’s at the VIP room.” Felix winked. 

You followed Felix to the VIP room where apparently Hyunjin was waiting for you. You entered the room and the door suddenly closed behind you. You jumped slightly at the sudden noise. 

“Hello Y/N. I’m glad that you actually came.”  You heard Hyunjin’s voice. The room was a little dark inside but you could see his silhouette. “Please, take a seat.”

“Why did you want to meet Hyunjin? And why are we sitting here, in the VIP room?” You asked, sitting in front of him. 

“Well… here we will have more privacy… and also, May is probably cheating on me so I wanted to check if that’s true.” He explained. 

“Okay… why is it connected with me?” You asked, lifting your eyebrow. 

“Well, she’s cheating with one of your managers so I thought that you should know.” He looked at you. “Also, you look pretty today.” He winked. You blinked twice and looked confused at him.  

“Look Y/N… in this room nobody in the restaurant can see us, but we can see them all. Come, sit next to me and I’ll show you…” He said and you did as he asked and sat next to him. Then he pulled back the blinds and you saw the whole restaurant below you. You looked at him and then at the restaurant and blinked. You didn’t expect that something like that was even possible. “See? There is May and your Manager.” 

“Yes… I see… But she shouldn’t know him. Seonghwa is the main finance and risk manager. I was actually going to promote him, he has access to all the information and…” Then it hit you. Your mother and May must have been planning to take over your company and with Seonghwa’s help they could easily do it. “I’m going to fire him…”

“Don’t act rashly, Y/N.” Hyunjin said and winced when he saw May kissing Seonghwa. “I’m going to break up with her though.”

“What should we do now?” You asked, looking at him. 

“Well I want revenge… After all, I proposed to her and she is cheating… She hates you, you know?”

“Tell me something I don’t know, Mr Hwang.” You rolled your eyes. 

“Uh, that sounds sexy…” He muttered under his breath. “Anyway, she hates you, so what if we go there together and act like we are a secret couple or something?” 

“I don’t know if I want to do that. I don’t like you…”

“And yet you came to meet me.” He winked. “Come on, please?” He looked at you with puppy eyes. 

“Ok, fine…” You agreed. “Let’s do this and then we’ll go our separate ways.” 

“As you wish.” He smiled. You both stood up and went straight to the main room where the regular guests were. Before you entered the door Hyunjin grabbed you by your waist and pulled closer to him. “Did I tell you that you smell beautiful?” He asked and you felt that your cheeks instantly changed their colour to red. 

“T-thank you… You too…” You said quietly but he could hear you. He smiled at you and you both passed by your cousin and ex manager. May instantly spotted the two of you. 

“Hyunjin? Y/N what are you doing here?” She asked. 

“Oh, May… I haven’t seen you.” Hyunjin looked at her and smiled a little. “Who is your friend?” 

“Just a friend. What are you doing here with Y/N?” She looked confused. 

“Oh, right… Well, that’s a little awkward. I should have told you earlier but…”

“Are you cheating on me with her?!” She busted. 

“Yes.” Hyunjin said without any hesitation. “And you are cheating on me with him, don’t you?” 

“B-but Hyunjin… it’s not… I-I…”

“Please May, don’t, we are over, you know?” Hyunjin said calmly. “You can keep the ring though.” 

“And Seonghwa.” You finally spoke. “You are fired.” That was the only thing you said. 

“Can we?” Hyunjin asked you and the two of you left holding each other's hands. 

You were impressed how calm he was all the time. He didn’t hesitate at all. You looked at him with the corner of your eye. He was really handsome. He deserved the ‘prince’ title. You started wondering how it was possible that such a handsome man existed and was on earth among normal human beings. He definitely had some godly genes. 

You looked down, your hands were still intertwined. You smiled at yourself. It was a nice feeling after all. You focused on his long fingers and started imagining them inside you. Then you quickly shook your head to forget all the unwanted thoughts. 

“What are you thinking about?” He broke the silence which formed between the two of you.  

“N-nothing…” You stuttered. “You can stop holding my hand though…”

“I know, but I don’t want to.” He smiled a little. “Do you want to maybe grab a drink? I’m not sure if I want to go back to my house now…”

“Hm… okay. We can go to a bar or something.” You shrugged. Hyunjin smiled widely and the two of you went to the nearest bar. 

—-----------------

After a few drinks you felt a little tipsy. You spent a pretty good evening with Hyunjin. Apparently he was not a douchebag as you thought before. He was such a nice gentleman. You had fun with him. A lot of fun actually.

“Careful.” Hyunjin said as you tried to stand up from your seat. “Are you alright Y/N?” He asked. He didn’t drink as much as you. 

“Yeah, yeah. I’m fine…” You smiled at him. “I’ll order another drink… Do you want something too?”

“No, thank you, and I think that you had enough.” He said. “Let me drive you home.”

“But I don’t want to.” You whined.

“Come on Y/N.” He walked you out of the bar and took you to his car. His driver drove the two of you to your penthouse. 

The whole way to your home was silent. You didn’t want to say anything, not feeling much sober. Hyunjin also didn’t want to say a word. After all, you two weren’t even close. Little did you know that he wished you would. 

He helped you get out of his car and walked you to the front door of your penthouse. You looked at him in the elevator. His long, black hair was perfectly styled. He looked like he was out of the cover of the most exclusive magazine. 

The two of you stood in front of your door. 

“Are you going to open?” He asked. 

“Are you going to come in?” You answered the question with the question and opened the door. You invited him. He entered your apartment and scanned everything, then his eyes landed on you. He couldn’t take his eyes off you. 

“You want something to drink or…” You weren’t able to finish the sentence as Hyunjin's lips were suddenly on yours. You blinked before you fully gave in to the feeling. His lips were velvety and juicy. You didn't expect the kiss though. It wasn’t just a kiss it was aggressive and sensual at the same time. 

He didn’t give you time to process what actually was happening. You totally gave in. Your hands were all over his body and you started to unbutton his shirt. He smiled at you and pulled you closer to himself, kissing your neck. 

He pushed your hands away and pulled the belt from his pants to tie it around your wrists. Then he lifted you and found the way to your bedroom where he laid you on the bed and stripped himself. Then he leaned over you and smiled slightly. 

“Can I take your dress off, sweetheart?” He asked and when you nod he unbuttoned your dress and took it off of your body. He smiled widely as he found out that you didn’t wear any bra today. 

His hands grabbed your boobs and squished them gently. You let out a soft moan which made Hyunjin smile again. Then his lips attacked your nipples, biting them gently. 

Unable to touch him you started to wiggle under his touch. Your moans become louder and louder. He had all the control and he was in no hurry. 

“Hyunjin please.” You whined, moving your legs as you felt the wetness between them. 

“What do you want, sweetheart?” He asked licking his lips and looking straight in your eyes. 

“I want you.” You cried out. 

“Hm… not yet, sweetheart. Let me taste you first.” He answered and kissed you again. Then he moved from your lips across your whole body and licked his lips once again before he spread your legs wide open and kissed your clit. You let out a soft groan as his tongue started playing with you. He ate you out and led you to the orgasm that hit you instantly and hard. Then he pulled off. “You taste sweet.” He smiled, licking his lips. “Are you ready to feel me?” He asked as you nod and tried to calm your breathing. “Good girl.” 

Suddenly you felt his long fingers inside you. You let out a loud moan. He started moving his hand slowly and added another long finger inside you. His thumb was rubbing your clit. The only thing you could do, was wriggling and moaning. 

“Hyunjin, please!” You cried out. 

“I like when you beg.” He said and pulled off his hand. He put a condom on his member and slipped into you. You both left a loud groan. Hyunjin started to move inside you. He set a fairly fast pace and his movements were strong. You both didn’t last long and the orgasm hit the both of you at the same time. 

Hyunjin laid down next to you panthing and smiled. You looked at him and smiled back. You both didn’t need any words because your eyes said everything that had to be said. He pulled you closer and hugged you tightly. 

Since that night everything had changed. 

—----------------- 

Masterlist

[literaphobe]

hmmm is there any specific analysis of tvl youve been dying to share but havent been asked about yet?

ok. there’s a lot. but some I don’t want to do right now for SPOILERY REASONS. some of them are as follows:

- the fundamental misunderstanding that passively occurred between tvl ladynoir for most of tvl

- the way tvl chat noir ‘tests’ ladybug throughout the story and why he does what he does and why he behaves in seemingly ‘bizarre’ ways

- a lot of the others r um. I can’t even share the topic regarding it bc you guys haven’t gotten to whatever chapter it’s linked to yet (feel free to ask any questions tho! be it now or after future chapters. that’s usually what awakens the intense TED talks I give about tvl to myself in my head)

right now tho? I want to pick apart tvl adrien being an actor and why that is and why that’s sad and how it came to be

-> like with many parts of tvl! adrien being an actor is sort of thrust upon readers. it’s a story that places a Huge gap between canon and the tvl timeline, and some details can be inferred, but loads of stuff aren’t things a reader can know for sure

-> also, due to the set up of the story, most of the tiny teased bits of info regarding tvl Adrien’s life leading up to and At 23, is largely fed to readers by tvl marinette, and not tvl adrichat himself, despite most of the story being his pov. but the scenes he is allotted are largely those where he Interacts with ladybug, and when he is with her, he doesn’t think of much else, unless it’s specifically relevant (like the love marks conundrum)

-> he just doesn’t unpack his past in his thoughts very much. however much it pains him. because it’s not something he’d prefer to unpack is how ladybug is making him feel and how he feels about her bc she’s Right There and she has this Hold on his heart that he can’t help but fixate over

-> but what you can tell is that he doesn’t really want to be doing his job… rather he sees it as a means to an end. and also an inevitability in a sense 😔 very. You Can Take The Man Outta The City Not The City Out The Man core. it’s. the ones who abuse us can leave but the effects of that abuse aren’t as easy to shake. it’s also. sometimes we wind up doing what we ran away from but we pat ourselves on the back saying it’s different bc we chose it, or it’s not the same because we wound up in a hole two steps away from what we were originally doing and that’s a different hole so it’s okay maybe!. its. was this too hard to break away from? or was it just too easy to go back to because its all we were ever taught?

-> because imagine ur tvl adrien in uni and your friends have always had passions for things that are vaguely related to industries that you suffered in as a kid. your best friend wants to be a dj but he also loves directing and talks so passionately about his favorite films and DREAMS of making One Of The Greats one day. his gf who is also one of your best friends is into journalism and your ex gf who is also one of your best friends loves designing and fashion. and you used to be a model but don’t want to be a model anymore. u make some small movies to help your best friend with his projects for film classes. they’re so fun! you love how it brings you and your friends together. your ex who you never really got over helps make costumes, shyly puts makeup on you, your best friend’s gf promotes it on her massively successful blog. the public mostly cares about it because you were in it and you’re the kind of famous that doesn’t ever go away. you WISH it would go away. but then you try to see the bright side of it. your best friend is so happy people like his short film. he gets an A for the class. you accidentally get another friend even MORE heavily considered for the job she’s been talking about non stop all week because you mentioned knowing her. you get pressured into doing a film because they say they’ll give your best friend an important role on the crew. little by little it all builds up and this is just your career now

-> but you find little ways to take control. you realize you get to decide who works with you and for you and you see your Good Best Friend Ex who just started complaining about how little the internship she’s doing pays. you think you could take away her pain so easily. and it makes it all less painful for you. it’s such an even trade. but then your Partner Against Magic Crime starts taking up more of your time and you realize you WANT all the time that you can get, and having Something To Do In The Day becomes an absolute chore again, and maybe you don’t care how happy it could make the public and how Excited your fans will be

-> this manifests in all the little asides you see in tvl where he Suggests quitting his job all the time and Thinks about it a lot

-> At the same time. who doesn’t wanna quit their job. he’s just a little guy. surely he’s worked enough for several lifetimes

[hometownrockstar]

if they had tumblr in Eibel's universe he would not have any followers and would have the default icon and he would just post about whatever snacks he was eating during his lab experiments

🟧 eibel17853 Follow

made a grill cheese

0 notes

🧪 dovedoctor Follow

Finally made a breakthrough on this experiment! Maybe the higher ups will FINALLY take notice and promote me so I won't have to work with a CERTAIN labmate any more...

#not bird related

2 notes

🐈 shandyandpistachio Follow

Kids these days are watching the most interesting things, apparently sci-fi robot action is in... Back in my day I always watched detective shows, I must be getting old Lol!

#shandy chats

15 notes

💲 sponsored

Founded in 1870, we at Proximatic Industries© has been the lead developer of technology for all of your energy production needs! In collaboration with the UnderWales©, Proximatic has done work to...

Learn More

🟧 eibel17853 Follow

oops

1 notes

🚢 captn-at-sea Follow

everyone always leaves me when the going gets tough...

#vent post #i'm gonna go back to my submarine

4 notes

🤵 the-gentleman-who-wants-to-broadcast Follow

In the business world. You learn to take risks...

And news is the modern realm of business. This is a proven fact.

Expect PrimeDial stocks to go up 📈 in the coming days... I have something big planned.

23 notes

🧪 dovedoctor Follow

WHO LEFT MELTED CHEESE ON MY WORKBENCH

#ALL MY WORK IS RUINED

3 notes

🚦 detect1ves Follow

just bought another kit omg cant wait to assemble it after i watch galactic comet cadets season 6 with my godmother

#i'll definitely post pics after #oh also i just got a semi-canon gcc url i'll change to later #brambleby rambles

6 notes

🟧 eibel17853 Follow

made a toaster strudel

0 notes

[louisisalarrie]

hiiii, did you read the articles that harry wants to "get settled" now that he is thirty with his girlfriend, and he even started looking for rings, what is your opinion about it, i mean im kinda scared

I saw the headlines but I didn’t bother reading or clicking that shit, it’s ridiculous. Let me start this by saying the entertainment industry as a whole is ridiculously ageist. Anon, welcome to the show.

So, it’s seen fairly often in tabloids and interviews and articles, women in their late 20’s/early 30’s and onwards, being pressured about settling down and getting married and having kids. Hell, women in their every day lives get pressured and asked about this constantly too. Slowly, the script is flipping as more and more people are choosing not to have kids, but the societal pressure is still there. Because that’s what women are good for, right? Can’t be dating around as a women, can’t be a slag, you have to settle down and give the public your offspring so they have something to coo about and you look even more successful. You are “complete”. You’re “normal”. You’ve done what women are meant to do.

So, we see it all the time with women, and we do occasionally see it with men. Which sucks, and no one should be under that public scrutiny and pressure about their personal lives. But, the term “settle down” in relation to male stars, is used particularly for, you guessed it, men who are “womanisers”. Why isn’t the headline “TR and Harry look to settle down”? Why is the headline “Harry Styles ready to settle down”? Because, not to mention he’s way more famous than her, but he’s also notorious for sleeping with any woman with a pulse (so they say).

So, this narrative being pushed gets way more traction, because if you use the first headline that they are both ready to settle down, it implies TR wasn’t ready to begin with. But she is. Because she’s almost 30 and needs to have some kids before her biological clock runs out. Duh. So she’s finally caught the lothario that is Harry Styles™️. What next?

Of course! Now that they’re speculated to be engaged, and that news dies down, there needs to be another little shock. Perhaps… a baby bump? Well, not one exactly, but maybe a photo of TR after she’s had a big bowl of pasta that they can sell to the tabloids. Because it sells. Harry not only “settling down” but also a potential baby Harry? The fans will go crazy. The public will click on that link. That’s how to sell a narrative. And a new album. And some tickets to a play.

Now, none of this is probably news to you. We’ve seen it all before. It happened with him and OW too. It’s the standard relationship timeline, and hey… didnt TR’s play just start on stage in NY from March 3rd - 31st? Isn’t that great timing for her name to be tied to Harry with a big story in the press! What a coincidence!

So anyway, when we had the whole Louis and E engagement stories, we had way different headlines than Harry. Even though louis was an “off the rails party boy”, we got headlines that didn’t mention settling down at all. And that’s because, apart from a very short stint of blonde girls occasionally piling up in his van after clubbing and an “accidental child with a one night stand”, he’s always been a long term relationship guy. Always going back to E. So, he doesn’t have that narrative like Harry does. But also, everyone wants a piece of harry. He’s in high demand right now, so isn’t TR so very lucky!

Anyway, if there’s rumours two folks are engaged, the breakup articles sell even better. It means it was a super serious shocking split as opposed to TR being another one of Harry’s flings and he wasn’t serious about her at all. Hence the engagement articles. And we saw that with Louis, although louis seems to address rumours a lot more than harry, for image/PR op reasons. Remember his “no, no, no!” In that interview when being asked about his engagement? Ahhh… good times.

So, we can probably expect a BUA soon, when TR’s play finishes, and Harry announces something. So hold on for me, anon!

I also have a theory, that Harry’s narrative is slowly moving towards settling down, because when he comes out with/without Louis, it’ll look more serious when they get together. It’s not going to be “harry experimenting with sexuality”. It’s gonna be “he’s serious, he’s been wanting to settle down for a while, this isn’t a phase”. Well… more along those lines anyway. Maybe not straight away. But yeah, so that’s also why I think there has been a couple of engagement jumpscares, and also his narrative shifting from sexy womaniser to wholesome loving and doting man who wants to settle down.

Anyway, if you got this far, thanks for reading! Always fun to talk about industry stuff. xx

[heartpicks]

                               𝐌𝐔𝐒𝐄   &   𝐍𝐏𝐂 𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐃𝐔𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍:

                               THE   MURAKAMI   TWINS   /   KOJI   AND   KENJI

family.    the  murakami  family  has  a  lot  of  wealth.  they  own  a  record  label  "KAMI  records"  and  manufacture,  distribute,  and  promote  the  recordings  of  affiliated  musicians.  that's  not  all  though,  they  run  a  media  conglomerate,  a  well-known  family  business  which  was  founded  years  ago,  it  basically  means  they  own  numerous  companies  involved  in  mass  media  enterprises,  such  as  music,  television,  radio,  publishing,  motion  pictures,  theme  parks,  or  the  internet  (think  disney,  netflix  or  sony).  they're  more  focused  on  music  though  and  active  in  its  industry,  meaning:  they  create,  perform,  record,  promote,  and  manage  anything  concerning  music.  the  current  ceo  of  the  murakami  corporation  is  murakami  genkei,  his  wife  sakura  manages  KAMI  records.  also,  they  own  the  record  shop  where  rei  works  at & work closely with instrument manufacturers and other related companies.

twins.    koji  (left)  and  kenji  (right)  were  born  on  the  same  day,  just  a  few  minutes  apart.  technically,  this  makes  kenji  the  oldest  of  the  two.  not  only  was  he  the  first  to  be  born  but  he  was  also  the  best  in  anything,  he  was  a  true  golden  child.  koji  on  the  other  hand  always  found  himself  standing  in  his  brother's  shadow.  be  more  like  kenji,  they  said.  why  can't  you  be  smart  like  your  twin?  they  said.  it  was  only  a  matter  of  time  until  koji  began  to  hate  his  twin  brother.  no  matter  how  much  he  tried  to  catch  up  to  the  other,  kenji  was  just  better  than  him,  faster  than  him,  smarter  than  him.  their  parents  treated  the  two  equally  ...  to  some  degree.  nobody  said  it  out  loud  but  koji  knew  that  kenji  was  everyone's  favorite.  he  made  friends  quickly,  didn't  have  to  study  as  much,  and  in  general  luck  seemed  to  be  on  his  side.  maybe  he  truly was  blessed  since  birth.  koji  on  the  other  hand?  he  was  more  or  less  the  black  sheep,  the  trouble  maker.  if  he  couldn't  be  amazing  like  his  twin,  then  he'd  draw  another  kind  of  attention  his  way,  the  negative  kind.  while  the  world  around  him  made  it  seem  like  he  was  less  worth  than  kenji,  his  twin  brother  never  judged  him,  he  never  thought  less  of  him.  this  only  annoyed  koji  more.  kenji  followed  a  path  of  greatness  and  fortune,  while  koji  ended  up  in  juvie  after  committing  arson.  despite  being  twins,  the  two  were  clearly  different.  kenji  couldn't  do  anything  to  support  his  brother,  since  he  kept  pushing  him  away  and  shut  him  out,  thus  he  could  only  watch.  genkei  and  sakura  were  very  disappointed  in  koji's  behavior,  and  even  after  juvie  he  didn't  change.  instead,  he  formed  a  metal  band  where  he  played  the  bass,  started  smoking,  got  piercings,  watched  underground  street  racings  and  even  hung  out  with  the  racers.  out  there  he  felt  free,  like  he  belonged  somewhere. 

black sheep.    koji  kept  his  true  identity  a  secret  for  a  very  long  time  because  he  thought  that  nobody  would  want  to  be  friends  with  him  if  they  knew  he  was  a  rich  kid,  or  if  they  found  out  he'd  be  surrounded  by  fake  people,  he  didn't  want  either  to  happen.  after  graduating  high  school,  koji  started  working  at  the  family's  record  shop  where  his  parents  offered  him  the  position  as  manager  (that's  when  he  meets  rei).  a  second  chance  to  prove  he  was  capable  and  responsible  despite  his  past  mistakes.  surprisingly,  koji  was  doing  amazing.  not  only  was  he  employed  but  he  also  performed  concerts  with  his  band  at  small  venues,  things  really  couldn't  be  any  better.  that  is,  until  his  band  members,  his  friends,  found  out  about  his  identity.  not  only  was  he  the  son  of  one  of  the  wealthiest  families,  he  also  lied  to  their  faces.  they  felt  betrayed  and  they  began  to  question  whether  they  ever  knew  the  real  koji  to  begin  with.  koji  couldn't  justify  himself  even  if  he  tried.  before  he  knew  it,  they  kicked  him  out  of  his  own  band.  this  truly  destroyed  him.  he  couldn't  control  his  anger  and  frustration  and  ended  up  causing  a  ruckus  inside  the  record  shop.  (note: depending  on  the  verse,  rei  already  left  the  country  and  was  not  around  to  help  her  friend. even if she was there, the end result remains the same.)  koji  threw  records  around  and  kicked  over  shelves,  he  caused  damage  to  the  shop  which  showed  his  parents  that,  even  though  he  was  over  twenty,  he  was  not  mature  at  all  and  couldn't  be  trusted.  he  lost  his  job  and  soon  after  his  family  more  or  less  disowned  him.  in  their  eyes  he  was  a  hopeless  case,  ruining  the  family  reputation.  with  nowhere  else  to  go,  koji  ended  up  joining  the  street  race  scene,  which was both  illegal  and  dangerous.  but  at  this  point,  who  cares?  well,  his  twin  kenji  did.  the  only  person  who  still  checks  up  on  him  whether  he  likes  it  or  not.

[yukidragon]

I was curious about whether the bad yogurt combo could possibly shed some more specific light on Joseph’s traumatic past.

Like maybe coffee was constantly used to keep him alert for long hours while being overworked on learning lines, maybe the rum sauce reminded him of using alcohol to cope (potentially even past alcoholism? He had to remind himself he was ‘clean now’ and could be whoever he wanted to be).

Maybe the cashews reminded him of snacking on packets of nuts when he didn’t get enough time for a proper meal break. (Though art shows it was donuts being held in his mouth while busy reading lines.) Nuts are also served at bars alongside alcohol.

Also Ian apparently liked cashews on pizza… I have no idea how Jackseph could possibly even know that but perhaps it briefly crossed Sunshine’s mind while making Jack his yogurt. I can’t imagine he would have liked that.

Ps. I love your in-depth interpretations and discussions on Jack. I like digging into interactions and lore.

Aww, thank you so much! Reading that made me very happy.

I think your thoughts are very insightful. Nuts are a pretty popular pairing to alcohol, which is often used as a drug of choice for coping with stressful situations, much like Joseph's cigarettes. Coffee could be argued as another drug due to the effects of caffeine, though a more benign one. With the bags he had under his eyes and how tired he was in some of the teaser art, it does seem like he would need that pick-me-up to make it through the day.

While I find the reference to Ian with the cashews to be very interesting, especially when they're part of the worst yogurt combination... I don't think that's related to the trauma response. Really, it might just be another deliberate parallel between Ian and Joseph that's being drawn in the story.

When you get down to it, Ian and Joseph have a lot of similarities. They're both actors, they both want love, they both want MC specifically, they're both friends with MC, and they both have been given the role of Sunny Day Jack. I suspect that there's going to be deliberate echoes in Ian's story that relates to Joseph's and how badly that ended. The cashews might be another hint at that.

Interestingly enough, combining caffeine and alcohol is actually really bad for you. As I recall from an episode of Food Theory, caffeine dilates the arteries to increase blood flow and makes the alcohol concentration in the blood increase to dangerous levels. This combination has led to people being hospitalized or even dying. It's not exactly the best combination for one's health, but some people do it anyway despite the risks.

Sadly, sometimes people get addicted to things that are dangerous and unhealthy due to stress or other factors. The entertainment industry is absolutely rife with stories of substance abuse, and I suspect, sadly, Joseph was among those who dabbled in various kinds of drugs.

It's entirely possible that Joseph could've even been pressured to partake in addictive drugs like alcohol, smoking, or even illegal drugs because of social pressure. It's sadly an all too common problem, especially when in a situation where a person feels they must conform to the group or risk being outed from it.

Joseph was homeless and struggling to get by before he joined the SunnyTime Crew Show. He apparently had no love as a kid and rebelled, maybe even falling in with a group that smoked and did awful things just to fit in. It's entirely possible that he is especially susceptible to peer pressure just on the off chance of being loved.

Sadly... this is even reflected in the present. Jack will be whatever MC wants him to be. He makes that clear. He'll give them whatever they want. If they asked him to do something... he'll probably do it, even if reluctantly, if it means they'll love him, need him, and won't forget him...

Jack might be clean now, and he might want to stay that way, but he's desperate enough to get his hands dirty with blood in order to keep his sunshine... so who knows how far he'll go just to be loved?

@channydraws @earthgirlaesthetic @sai-of-the-7-stars @cheriihoney @illary-kore @okamiliqueur

[aro-bird]

The Alienation of being a Filipino Aro

There's a kind of cultural alienation that comes with growing up aromantic and no I'm not just talking about how most aros and arospecs would note experience relationships the same way an allo person would.

I'm talking about an isolation away from community and culture that becomes apparent when you really sit down and think about it. A sort of disconnect from your community not for the fault of your own but just by the mere fact that most of society didn't even know you could possibly exist.

I'm Filipino. In the Philippines, romance is an inseparable part of culture. It's not only liked by many as a concept and theme in their stories and discussions, but it's put on a pedestal. It's a pedestal that I could never achieve.

Most media references romance to some capacity. Children's media would have a lot of focus and emphasis on a romantic subplot even if that shouldn't be the main focus of the story. TV shows for adults, even if it should have little to do with romance like game shows, would make references to romance as a universal thing.

Despite the Philippines being one of the top producers of movies, you'd probably have a hard time finding anything that isn't romance save for the few horror films and the occasional comedies and action movies that constitute maybe about 3 movies a year out of the dozens made by the industry. Even indie films have a huge focus on love, romance, and relationships with the extremely few being dramas that drag or depressed the audience. Don't get me started about how 99% of music is about love and loss.

Outside of media, Filipinos are extremely romantic and not just exclusively with their partners. PDA is everywhere and is even encouraged. It is not uncommon to see students at school holding hands and cuddling on campus being tolerated and even celebrated as long as they don't kiss in front of a teacher. This would be fine if people weren't force to participate in it.

From early on in elementary school, children would exchange gifts during Christmas as they sing out loud "I love my Monito/Monita, yes I do!" as they play secret santa, with gifts exchange between kids of two different genders being met with typical romantic teasing. It's a pretty common question in playground discussions to ask who your crush is and if you didn't had an answer, you would be called a liar if they don't outright call you weird.

Friendships with someone who isn't your own gender (heck even friendships with someone who is of the perceived same gender too) are often met with romantic teasing and ceaseless inquiry. Even people you've only talked to once, without any indication of goodwill, or even positivity, gets you years of teasing and harassment from school boys that think they're being cute. Some of these people even thought it appropriate to drag me into a "chain booth" where they would tie me up with another boy in class just to tease me. The fact that this is seen as something romantic let alone acceptable is beyond disgusting.

Even adults push this narrative of romance and relationships to the point that you probably couldn't last a single day in school without teachers talking about the woes of romance and love to try to seem hip with the kids. Poetry nights arranged by language arts club are filled with desperate cries about their beloved and love that could never be which extends not only to the artistic events of the month, but even just the casual school-wide assembly. Poems that portray the unresponsive as a bad guy, as the heartless who dares not return affection. It was all alienating.

What happens to a person whose entire existence is not seen and not only not seen but dismissed entirely by the community? What happens to a person who can't find themselves in their own local media? To the person who can't relate to their community and peers? To the person being pressured to desire something that doesn't make sense to them? To the person being forced to be something they're not? All by their community and culture?

It's different for everyone, but in my case, I looked to somewhere else.

I found comfort in foreign media that didn't feel like it was talking down at me for not pursuing romance. I found comfort in English communities that didn't harass me and forced me to conform to an idealized romance. I found comfort in a place foreign, outside of the Filipino culture that does not have room for people like me.

This has made me avoid a lot of Filipino media, discussions, and communities even online. Why should I seek out a place that would fundamentally misunderstand me? That would alienate me and make me feel unhuman just as it did while I was growing up? That would pressure me to do things against my will?

It was empowering to find a community outside the community. It was as if I had found a secret club that understood me more than the people I knew for literal years. It was welcoming and warm and nice. Until things felt... off.

I look at this new community, this community away from community and realize something that has been bugging me for a good few months now.

This place also feels alien.

Discussions here may not revolve around a constant stream of love, romance, relationships, and heartbreak, but they are in a language spoken that's foreign to me. Not that the words being typed in English is the problem, no, even the shows back home speak loads of the language. It was something else.

The discourse was alien. The discourse was American.

Most of the discussions and the media around being aro places it squarely in the west. I've noticed that I even try to lessen my Filipino-ness at times when I would discuss my aro experiences despite the two being quite intertwined. I felt a bit of embarrassment just even thinking of bringing it up since it felt out of place. This didn't feel like the appropriate time to discuss this, but if not now, then when?

Discord servers, although international, are mostly filled with American aros and if not Europeans. Major blogs and resources are run by westerners who primarily discuss western issues and discourse. Those that try to cater to a more general discussion about aromanticism feels hollow as culture and community is stripped to its very basics to avoid alienating everyone else.

Now I'm typing this all out to reflect in it further. I'm still at this awkward place in figuring out how to handle these ideas. The reality that I'm not truly a part of my Filipino culture as someone aromantic, and the reality that I'm a foreigner to the aromantic community as a Filipino still messes with my brain.

I want to be clear, this is no one's direct fault. It is definitely more of an issue that a person only encounters when they don't fit the larger culture's idea of the standard, whether it be being an alloromantic Filipino or a western aro. I am not calling for all of the aro community to make space for me specifically just because I feel weird and awkward as a Filipino and I'm not calling on all Filipinos to keep checking on their amatonormativity just because I can't relate with their gushy romance.

Either way, I guess I have to try my best to create spaces for myself and open the discussion on both sides. Maybe I would finally start to feel less alien in my own skin.

[jcbbby]

"Send me a sentence or line of dialogue and I’ll write a little something Jamie/Henry/001/Kit Marlowe-related with it."

'But you said forever.' (Doesn't have to be a break up or cheating thing... Can just be like a friends having to say goodbye thing.)

And/or

'It's so pretty out here.' 'Yeah it is.' 'You're supposed to be looking at the stars not me.' 'But they look so pretty reflected in your eyes' (Maybe like a finally confessing love thing... Could even mix the two together with Jamie telling reader, You're still my forever.')

I put this all together actually! I hope I did your idea justice! :) (again sorry this is hella rushed, laptop dying, rip...)

send me a sentence or line of dialogue and I’ll write a little something Jamie/Henry/001/Kit Marlowe-related with it

You sat atop the Hollywood Hills, having snuck past the fences and over to the infamous Hollywood sign. Your closest and longest friend Jamie next to you.

The two of you had grown up together back home in London, doing theatre and making music with each other. You were apart a lot, as you both had successful careers in the industry pulling you always in different directions. But you always made time if the other called or texted, never going more than two days without talking to one another.

As luck would have it, you both were in LA for the week, and you made plans to squeeze in as much time together as possible. One thing you were looking forward to was trespassing at the Hollywood sign. The young rebellious teenager in you had always wanted to say you did it, and you had finally coerced Jamie in to joining you.

"Shit, I'm stuck." Jamie grunted as he yanked on the jacket caught on a loose fence wire.

You laughed watching him struggle. "That's karma for trespassing." You shrugged.

"I didn't even think we should come up here!" He tripped forward as he finally broke free.

"Shhh, there might be security." You hushed him.

"Oh okay, then read my lips-" You squinted in the darkness as he mouthed "fuck you."

You pretended to be shocked and offended before turning and continuing on up to a spot just below the first "O" of the sign. You did the usual first- taking pictures of yourselves doing illegal activities. Then you both settled down up close to each other on to a blanket you had brought, to look at the stars and out at the city. A breeze whipped around you, hitting you with a bit of surprise.

"Oh, it's a little more chilly than I thought it'd be..." You shivered as you crossed your arms.

"Here." Jamie started pulling his arms from his jacket. "Take it." He smiled.

"Thanks, J." You smiled back, taking the large jacket and wrapping it around yourself. You felt Jamie's eyes boring into you. "...what?"

"No, it's just...my jacket looks good on you." He smiled with a slight snort through his nose.

"Oh...uh, thank you." You felt butterflies flutter around in your stomach, unsure of why.

You leaned back on to your hands, taking in a deep breath. I think this was worth the hike and risk of arrest. It's so pretty out here." You craned your neck up to the dark speckled sky.

"Yeah, it is.." Jamie replied, not looking away from you.

You looked to him, locking eyes. "You're supposed to be looking at the stars, not me." You let out a nervous chuckle.

"But...they look so pretty reflected in your eyes." He held your gaze.

You blushed, looking away. Another nervous chuckle left your lips. You playfully shoved his shoulder, unsure if he was doing a bit or not. He always like to be playfully flirty. You brushed it off and made no acknowledgement of it. He slightly chuckled with you.

"Hey...remember when we were kids and we said it'd be you and me forever?"

You smiled, recalling the four and five year old version of you two declaring this at the park picnic table while having popsicles. "I do, we were inseparable." You giggled.

"Well...you're still my forever." He looked into you deeply, his words landing heavily on your ears.

"I..." You started to say, but you had no words. Your heart pounded in your chest.

"Y/N, I've always loved you. And...I know it shouldn't have taken me this long to say it. You don't have to love me back. But I just...I feel like I needed to tell you." He looked down at a blade of grass he was fiddling with.

"Jamie..." You took his hand from the blade of grass and he met your gaze. "You're still my forever."

You both leaned in, gently coming to meet at the lips with a soft kiss. You both pulled away, not able to stop smiling if you tried.

"Forever." Jamie reached up to cup your cheek.

[stargazer-sims]

Davian, Félix & Belle

They're the best looking family in Willow Creek (according to them)

I gave Davian & Félix a slight aesthetic update. They both got new hair. Honestly, I'm obsessed with changing Félix's and Dav's hair, though. I think they have at least 4-5 hairstyles that I rotate through for each of them.

I'm loving this new hair on Félix. It looks softer and more feminine without looking too feminine (His gender expression may lean towards the feminine, but his sex and gender are still male).

I also changed the skin overlay I was using for Davian. I like this one way better because it doesn't make his lips look weird.

Here's a closeup of them:

Belle got a makeover too:

(why aren’t there more Black hairstyles for kids? Or am I just not looking in the right place?)

Dav may be famous now, but the family still lives in their cozy flat above the flower shop.

Mrs. Picard retired from her career as a florist, and another florist has since taken over the shop. The difference these days is that instead of being tenants, Dav and Félix are the landlords.

When Mrs. Picard was planning her retirement, she asked the guys if they'd be interested in purchasing the building. At that point, they were in a financial position to do so, and they gladly agreed. It was a win-win scenario, as Mrs. Picard didn't have to worry about what to do with the property, and the family wouldn't have to move like they might have if the building had been sold to somebody else.

Belle is excited about her next world adventure! Will she be going back to the rainforest of Selvadorada with Félix to study ancient culture, or will she jet off to some big city with Davian where she'll meet celebrities and stay in a fancy hotel? Or maybe it'll be a family trip to someplace exciting where she'll get to try something new.

Whatever it is, Ms. Belle Fleur St-Jean Blanchet is ready for it!

Meanwhile, the family is off for an afternoon of shopping.

Davian has been nominated for an entertainment industry award, and Belle is going to the awards show too. It's her first time being allowed to attend something like this, and she wants to look her best.

If Belle knows anything, it's that being related to a famous person means she could find herself in the spotlight as well. Her parents have done a good job of protecting her privacy up to this point, but now they think she's old enough to decide whether she's comfortable being seen by the public or not.

She might not always feel like being seen by the world, but this time, she's ready for it.