#so he just rephrased it to be more straightforward

[sixexycrows]

read hell followed with us now. this isn’t a request. (unless you can’t. check the trigger warnings, this one can be kind of a lot.)

seriously tho not only is this book super queer with a good storyline, it has an autistic character who i’ve got to say has got to be the most accurate autistic rep i’ve ever found. he goes nonverbal sometimes and he stims and he has trouble identifying emotions and he takes things too literally but it doesn’t matter! he’s a love interest! the mc doesn’t think any less of him for being autistic or for showing it! he never once makes even a teasing comment about it! the way they interact makes me feel so seen as a queer autistic person i could cry

[3hks]

How to Avoid "Talking to The Reader"

A lot of people will often tell you to avoid talking to the reader, but why? How? And what does it mean? "Talking to the reader" is a technique used by an author when they want to specifically address the reader directly. Depending on your writing level and style, there could be several drawbacks to using this, such as a sense of informality and sudden awkwardness. However, I'm not saying that you shouldn't talk to the reader, because how you write is ultimately up to you!

But if you're genuinely looking for some tips on how to avoid talking to the reader, then I absolutely got you! As both a frequent reader and writer, I have advice based on experience and knowledge! These simple tips can seriously elevate your writing (especially if you're pretty new), or at the very least, make you aware of certain things and offer new ideas!

Replacing the 'you' with...

A VERY common factor in talking to the reader is using the word 'you' to reach out to your reader (dialogue from characters don't count). Although you should avoid this when you're trying not to talk to the reader, there is something behind it. Majority of the time, we include this word in a story when asking a rhetorical question. This creates a certain effect that reaches out to the reader while making them think, which can't be exactly duplicated.

Okay, so how do we fix this? Well, my advice is to simply replace 'you' with the word 'one'! Let's go a bit into depth, shall we? When dealing with a rhetorical question, the first step is to rephrase and reform the inquiry into a statement that answers what you're asking. Remember that this is a rhetorical question, meaning that there IS technically a right answer that you're looking for! Next, remove the 'you' and slap the 'one' on top of it! The replace-you-with-one method also works when you're not including it in a question, but instead a statement! Let's look into some examples, shall we?

Prompt: A lot of people will often tell you to avoid talking to the reader, but why?

Let's examine this example that I took from the top of this post, shall we? While this sentence is indeed in the format of the question, I am not directly asking you to give me an answer and there isn't really just one right answer. So how do we fix this? Replace 'you' with 'one' and boom! Done!

Fixed: A lot of people will often tell one to avoid talking to the reader, but why?

Alright, how about a much more direct question?

Prompt: The king's way of ruling was incredibly biased and unfair, wouldn't you agree?

For this prompt, we can see that 'you' is in "wouldn't you agree?" so it's pretty clear that we are seeking for an answer from the reader. In this type of context, the answer is almost always "yes," so we will have to take the longer route of rewording the sentence.

Fixed: The king's way of ruling was incredibly biased and unfair, one might argue.

As you can see, the phrase "wouldn't you agree" got altered into "one might argue." Why did I choose this? Well for starters, the sentence is now a statement, not a question, and it does indirectly answer our questions of "wouldn't you agree?" because it distinctly demonstrates that they agree with the opinion that the king's rule was unjust. Now, why did I choose "might argue"? Our previous question may have been rhetorical, but not everyone is going to say "yes, the king was unfair," so adding "might" and "argue" helps include the fact that it is indeed, an opinion!

Now that we have gotten the 'you' part out of our system, let's talk about another thing that can really help you improve on your writing (while avoiding talking to the reader)!

Stop Using...

Stop starting the sentences with "he/she is or has" (including past forms) when describing someone. I can safely say with first-hand experience that repetitive use of the sentence starter can feel a bit unnatural and too straightforward. In other words, you can most definitely do better!

When writing one's attributes, instead of starting with "he is" or "she is," try starting out with a possessive form of the pronoun, such as "his" or "her"! After that, it'll work itself out; let's look at an example to clarify!

Prompt: She had long, luscious, brown hair that fell over her shoulders in waves.

Fixed: Her long, luscious, brown hair fell over her shoulder in waves.

Simple, right? There may seem to be hardly any change, but this can seriously improve your writing when used correctly! Of course, continuous use of "his," "her," or "their" will also sound repetitive, but it's a good place to start! As experience follows, you'll get the hang of creating more varied sentence styles! Let's look at an example!

Prompt: He was new to the school. He didn't know how to interact with those his age because he was homeschooled his whole life. He was nervous even when thinking about his classmates and didn't know how he was going to survive.

Does it sound choppy? Too direct? Let's fix that!

Fixed: He was new to the school. Having been homeschooled his whole life, he struggled to interact with those his age, and even thinking about his classmates made him anxious. He had no idea on how he was going to survive.

Look at the second sentence; that's the most major change. As I combined a few different parts of the other sentences and rearranged them, it should seem much smoother now!

Be creative with how to form your sentences--that's all there really is to it! Experience will be your biggest guide and best friend when it comes to this!

Did this help? Keep in mind that my advice won't work with every sentence because a lot of it mainly depends on context! Happy Easter Sunday!

Happy writing~

3hks :)

[wingsoverlagos]

Lewisohn vs. Searle

Forget, for a moment, that I said I wouldn't clog up your dashboards with a million citation comparisons. I have found a quote that is so brazenly manipulated, I had to share it.

This quote is pulled from an interview of John Lennon conducted by Malcolm Searle on June 15, 1964, in Melbourne's Southern Cross Hotel. Lewisohn cites it twice (the other quote is below the cut - it's rephrased slightly, but the meaning is retained), and some kind soul uploaded it to YouTube.

Tune In 20-32 vs. interview by Malcolm Searle

Here's the quote as it appears in Tune In, a simple statement about John's immediate connection with Neil Aspinall:

It's a simple quote. Straightforward. In case the name "Neil" wasn't clear enough, Lewisohn emphasized that John was "talking about the Beatles' first and original full-time assistant."

This is incorrect. You can hear John's words at 7:52. Transcript [emphasis mine]:

Well, Neil – he’s our personal road manager, well he was in from the start. He went to school with Paul and George, and the other fellow, Derek, we’ve known for about a year, but he’s sort of one of those people that clicked soon as you meet him.

There's no room for error here. The person who John refers to as "one of those people that clicked as soon as you meet him" is Derek Taylor. Of his relationship with Neil, John simply says that Neil was around from the early days due to being a schoolmate of Paul and George. This is even more noteworthy when we look at how the rest of this paragraph in Tune In plays out:

There are no other citations for this paragraph - that footnote after "their protector" talks about Neil's relationship with the "road manager" title - so the only source we have here is a quote that's actually about Derek Taylor. For the record, I don't think Lewisohn needs to cite each of Neil Aspinall's personality traits, so long as they're established elsewhere in the book - if we have evidence of him being "sharp, blunt, mentally strong, bright, funny, opinionated, mouthy, loyal, honest" elsewhere in the book, that phrase can stand on its own.

But there are a few specific phrases here that do warrant a citation. First, that bit about Neil "[getting] along very well very quickly" with John, also with George, and "to a lesser extent" with Paul. That explicit differentiation of one of the core three from the others needs supporting evidence. So too does Lewisohn's assertion that "John made sure Neil was man enough to stand up to him." This isn't a nebulous claim, so why doesn't Lewisohn tell us how John "made sure" Neil was "man enough"? Surely he has evidence for that and isn't just spit-balling?

I'm not a Neil Aspinall expert--I know he kept to himself, mostly, and perhaps that led the people around him to be close-lipped about him in return. But surely someone this close to the Beatles, someone in the inner circle - surely the Beatles said something about him that's worth quoting, rather than a manipulated quote about Derek Taylor followed by a bunch of uncited editorialization?

Tune In 17-35 vs. interview by Malcolm Searle

Audio clip at 3:08. Transcript, emphasis added to quoted phrases:

Ringo we met in Hamburg. He was playing with another group, and, y’know, we thought we liked his style but we’d only just got up the other drummer so we couldn’t do anything about it, but when we got the chance, we did.

Unmarked omission, and the word order in the first sentence is re-arranged ("Ringo we met in Hamburg" vs "We met Ringo in Hamburg")

Sources:

Lewisohn M. 2013. The Beatles: All These Years Vol. 1: Tune In. New York (NY): Crown Archetype. [ebook]

Searle M. 1964 Jun 15. Intervista John Lennon in Australia con Malcom Searle. Uploaded 2019 Feb 9, 8:44. Accessed online 2024 May 14. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVpX7Xuz09I

[linskywords]

heyyyy I don't recall if you've ever mentioned using a beta for any of your fics, but can I ask you about your editing process? How you start it, how you do it, what sort of things are you are on high alert for, etc?

I'm 23k into my first hockeyrpf fic, which is kinda *out there* and I'm now grappling with "woah is this even intelligible to other fans" 😅

What a fun question!! First of all, congrats on being 23K in. That's so many Ks! It's such a fun fandom to write in, I'm glad you're joining the fun. 😄

I don't use a beta. I used to, but I'm too impatient for it -- I always want to edit my fics right away and get them out there. So I do my own editing. I don't know how useful this will be for you, since everyone's writing process is so different, but here's how mine works!

First, I write a complete draft. I'll sometimes backtrack if I realize I've taken a wrong turning, but otherwise, I try not to worry too much about quality in the draft. I write from start to finish because otherwise I can't hold onto where I am in the emotional arc. Getting to the end and having the tension resolve is a huge motivator for me.

Once I have a complete draft, I usually do a full editing pass. I save a copy and go back to the beginning and read through the whole thing, editing and rewriting as I go. It's actually impossible for me to read my own draft without editing, which is hugely inconvenient sometimes (e.g. if I step away for a bit and need to refresh myself on the story, it takes forever because I find myself editing as I reread).

A lot of what I edit for is rhythm. I can't quite accurately gauge the rhythm of a scene while I'm writing it, especially if the scene is a conversation; I need to give myself a little distance and then reread for that. I do a lot of adding lines and taking others away to make things flow the way I want them to. I especially watch for if a scene builds too fast and doesn't earn its level of intensity, or if a scene drags and can be trimmed.

Another big one is, am I overstating emotions? Sometimes this means I'm repeating myself, and sometimes it means I'm being too direct about angst etc. when it would be stronger to dial it back and let the reader extrapolate. A lot of times when I'm writing I put in lines that state very directly how the character is feeling, mostly as a way of figuring out what that is, but that's really for me and not the reader, so I take those parts out. Or sometimes I'll put in a line or a feeling and realize I want to use it later on, so it'll be in both places in the draft and I'll take out the earlier one in editing.

I guess the biggest question I'm asking myself when editing is, does this ring true? Anything that feels fake or forced or convoluted or disconnected or illogical gets edited out the best I can.

Other things I look for:

clunky sentences (so many)

using the same word more than once in close succession ("even" and "just" are big ones for me, as are "soft" and "warm" in any sex or romance scene)

using the same sentence structure too many times in a row (she typed a thing, her words wording <- my biggest offender)

having characters smile or grin or laugh too many times in close succession

places where it's not clear which "he" I'm talking about (down with epithets, just repeat the name or rephrase)

places where I use too many dialogue tags (confession, I use them way more often than I need to for intelligibility; I just like the rhythm, and "he says" is neutral enough to my ear that I don't mind the unnecessary usage)

continuity errors, often where I changed something in one place while writing and forgot to change it elsewhere

weird metaphors I thought would work but don't

Usually one pass is not enough, since I'll have rewritten so much that then needs to be edited again. Two editing passes is arguably not enough either, but it's usually the limit of what I'll do. Sometimes if a story is very tricky I'll do more, or if it's very straightforward I might stop at one. It's kind of a vicious cycle: if I reread my edits, I'll want to edit again, and there's no real stopping it without just deciding it's good enough and you can be done. This is one reason I often post in chapters, because it's easier to do this with a smaller chunk of story.

I think that's what I have off the top of my head. Happy to talk more about any aspect if you're curious. Good luck with your writing and editing!!

[gay-dorito-dust]

Also to rephrase what i meant is wednesday x male reader who is like kiryu chan

I live for your energy my friend, I love being reminded of my love for the yakuza series (even the less favoured ones which I think was yakuza 3 I think…my man kiryu didn’t have much to do in that one other then fix peoples shit. Which shouldn’t be his job in the first place.) ichiban is my dumb baby boi, I love him so. He’s the epitome of ‘heart of gold, dumb of ass.’

You don’t have a sense of fashion, no need to worry cuz Wednesday doesn’t have much of one either but she could hold together an outfit for herself but for someone else, not so much. Which made you an eyesore for poor Enid who has to take away that faux gold suit away from you muttering, “no, just-no.”

Other then that, you were what some would consider the strong silent type who no one should fuck with unless they wanna be punched with a bin or even a vending machine. Your freakishly strong for a guy which was an advantage for Wednesday as it meant no one would bother her if her massive guard dog was nearby, staring them down with his resting bitch face. Spoiler: it’s just your face.

Your dream was to run an orphanage, so when parents weekend comes about, you go out of your way to take the younger students who’s parents were unfortunately not alive anymore out to Jericho for the day and buy them whatever they want until the weekend was over. You were the acting older brother figure for a majority of them that even after parents weekend they’d go out of their way to ask you for advice or go with them to Jericho.

Especially when Rave’n comes and they want your opinion but you direct their inquiries to Enid instead from the last time you were left with the responsibility of telling someone how they looked. Wednesday wouldn’t admit it but your tender side for children born from less fortunate beginnings did always warm her coal heart. While you may look like a man with no care, you held the biggest heart in your chest and would bare the weight of the sky if it meant seeing those kids smile.

You also have this random male student in a Leopard print blazer, an eyepatch and a metal baseball bat that is seemingly obsessed with you and would always be raring to fight you whilst hiding in the most estranged places ever…you once found him in your dorm, wearing Wednesday’s clothes and a really shitty wig put into pigtails…what a weird guy…he’s strong and quick you had to hand him that but you felt that you fight better alone.

You’re also quite protective over the people you hold dear; Wednesday, Enid, Thing, Ajax, Bianca,Kent, Divina, Xavier, Eugene, you swore you’d protect them all when the Hyde attacks started picking up. So whenever you found yourself in a situation where the hyped seems himself to be; the sleeves are up to your elbows and your blazer was already on the floor as you prepare to give the son of a bitch an ass beating he wouldn’t be forgetting anytime soon.

You also wondered why it was that Tyler conveniently got bad bruising on the exact places you punched the Hyde or how he’d often flinch whenever you brushed past him in the street. Wednesday knew and she found it funny to see Tyler scared to death of your inhuman strength. It was entertaining and she would often drag you to weathervane just to see Tyler hold his breath and bite his tongue in your presence.

Many also considered you a leader with your cool headedness and straightforward thinking but you never wanted to be one in the first place, it just didn’t feel right for you to take that position, no matter how many times you were offered it. It wasn’t apart of your plan to become a leader and it never will be.

You made yourself a legacy at Nevermore that many would remember even well after you’ve grown old but still able to pack a fucking punch.

Overall Wednesday was glad to have you as you respected her wishes and desires more so then others because you too wish to have days to yourself and you both knew that you’d always go back to each other when company is highly appreciated.

Also nobody tears up karaoke night like you do. It’s just me stating a well known fact.

[larnax]

ok i have. i have more disgaea thoughts. my girl fuka what did they do to you

ok so the thing abt d4 is that overall its story is quite fun, it's peak disgaea because it is wacky in a way where its absurdly exaggerated literal events are used to represent emotional conflicts ie a character's dad shutting himself away in his lab for her entire childhood who reveals it was to fulfill her dream of taking over the world by developing machines that she can command to take over the world as an allegory for a dad doing his best to provide for his kids at the expense of being there for his kids so they grow up without feeling like he loves them, and it legitimately is the only story i think really intertwines serious and batshit to make "WE HAVE TO POWER THE MECH WITH LOVE SO IT CAN STOP THE MOON FROM CRASHING TO EARTH, QUICK, PRAY TO YOUR PARTNER BECAUSE WHILE YOU HAVE NO FAITH IN GOD YOU HAVE FAITH IN HIM!" instead of in d1 having the story be wacky with occasional stops to tell a standard story with normal emotional stakes and etna is there to tell jokes, or from d5 onwards basically just being standard fantasy stories with normal emotional stakes but theres wacky backgrounds.

the actual main story of d4 is all bangers, there are a lot of great heels to keep the story interesting and although they all come around to val in the end they don't all become his bff which avoids the d7 problem of "you made a new guy up just so we would have anyone to fight and nobody we do recruit puts up an interesting struggle and therefore none of us have an interesting reason we're still here beyond inertia". i do wish artina got to do more stuff i think she's way too fun a character who is way too important in the story to be relegated to third wheel as often as she is, but to fix that i would just give her most of axel's stuff. she becomes president and then is absent for the moon episode on intel that she'll meet "someone she doesn't wanna see" and then when she radios in for the roll call you have a little joke about flonne being that person.

usually i really like flonne being a straightforward heel in her adult appearances. shes the whitest woman in existence and shes very nasty when she thinks she's doing the right thing, which is always. i support women's wrongs and her stealing billions from the netherworld(which celestia already exploits in a lot of ways/sometimes just decides to destroy) to fuck around with by forcing an underling who actively does not want to do it to shake down random civilians and public infrastructure, all to fund her stupid ass mech shaped like her who's powered by prayer? thats horrible! shes so nasty! it's really funny and them being forced to deal with That being their only way to keep fenrich from having the most important thing in his life(after val) fucking exploded leads to one of the reasons they should have won that fucking noncanon gayest ships tournament FUCK those community bitches.

HOWEVER. the fuka dlc is so bad. or let me rephrase: the fuka dlc is transcendantly good until the ending at which point it becomes the worst thing that happens in disgaea 4.

bc ok ok ok. so fuka is dead. that's her story, after a childhood of being neglected by her always busy dad she breaks into his lab and finds his evil scientist lair full of mutant constructs, one of whom kills her. she doesn't accept that she's dead because she's only 14 and her life hasn't even started yet and on top of that she's been sent to hell despite being a normal ass 14 year old whos biggest crime is being a teenager. so she deals with it by denying it and deluding herself into believing that this is all a dream and someday she'll wake up in a happy life she's just starting and she won't have to confront the terrible fate she met with. so the solution is obvious, right?

after the main story resolves and fuka has a group of friends and caretakers who love her and she's patched things up with her dad, fuka needs to accept that she's dead. disgaea uses a reincarnation system as a core part of the series mythology and gameplay. reincarnation is good and necessary. fuka, eventually, needs to let go, and stop haunting the world she did get cheated out of a life in.

so in the dlc, her friends and family help her. val puts her through the toughest puzzle course he can because he's her teacher and he wants her to prove that she's strong and resourceful and capable, and she does! she passes all his tests and he gives her his formal blessing. then her secondary father figure, her bio dad, finally delivers on his promise to help her take over the world, they like. rent out a city and give her a bunch of crazy machines to go wild on with the power she's worked so hard for and the allies she's found so much support in, including her little sister who she only recently got to meet and connect with during the main story and her surrogate reluctant little brother, The Grim Reaper, who is the one guiding her through the mechanics of reincarnation in the first place as a sign of his own personal growth that he's now mature enough to handle this difficult case.

and it works! fuka accepts it! she accepts, sadly, that she's dead, and she should move on. she'll lose this life, which is sad! they're all sad about it! but it's okay. and then-- it's an ending, right?

it's going to be an ending, you think. disgaea has a bunch of specific endings. there's one for completing a single optional stage in d1. it would make perfect sense narratively and gameplay wise to have an ending with fuka reincarnating, then just. introduce a bill to resummon fuka from an alternate dimension or time travel shenanigans or literally whatever other funny joake you can think of this is a comedy series and doing it this way doesn't undercut the emotional part While Its Happening. because if that happened itd be Bad.

enter flonne. because it is not an ending. flonne barrels through the fourth wall at the last second and, dead vfucking serious, CONDEMNS FUKA TO ETERNAL HELL WITH NO CHANCE OF REINCARNATION because she "tried to take over the world" by fighting in a stage consisting of like three blocks her dad set up for her where no civilians were even present. also bc shes the ruler of heaven this is the character who condemned her to hell originally when she was FOURTEEN because when she was six she wanted to take over the world.

which is a baller heel move and i would be so so so so into it IF she was a boss fight. if they had to defeat her before she was forced to reluctantly give fuka her very well-deserved reincarnation. but, uh, nope, last minute twist, Moving On Is Bad Actually and fuka is still condemned to eternal hell. fuck you. sure its technically a sentence that lets her spend time with her besties forever but like. at what cost. flonne only works as a heel if the other characters clash with her instead of valvatorez and emizel of all fucking people being like Woof so glad we don't have to say goodbye, i guess our entire characters and the things we find important and the reasons we were doing this do not matter and all that shit about caring about fuka and wanting her to find peace was Bullshit. have fun being 14 for the rest of your life, Dumbass!

← literally what its like to be 14 years old

[granulesofsand]

A La your post on loopholes and healing from programming:

Any ideas for trying to get the gatekeeper of a programmed sidesystem on your side, or even just how to establish communication with them?

Through loopholes, as you mentioned in that post, we've managed to get to the point where our known programmed alter(D) can defy the side system's copy of the irl programmer(J). Big step there, as D used to be forced into a dissociative state to SH at orders from J, having a choice wasn't an option before. Now that he's starting to be able to make decisions (if with great discomfort and justifying it as doing something else) and contact other sidesys members besides me (G), an organic split within that part of the system, we've decided we'd like to get into contact with whoever manages fronting within the sidesystem, and see if some of D's programming cues can be deactivated or scrambled or something so that he doesn't have to react to them anymore. One of them is innocuous enough that it could be done by accident in relatively common circumstances (would have to be in person to do anything) so we see it as a risk.

If relevant, the sidesystem doesn't seem to have direct contact with the main system, but we do have access to the general memory pool that everyone else pulls from with a variety of non/mildly traumatic life events and a synopsis of events known to the rest of the system. But there has been no direct contact between any of us and the main sys members since D started being aware of the present again the last couple weeks. Idk if that changes anything though.

Thanks for all you do in sharing information about this incredibly difficult process of healing from TBMC.

🗝️🏷️ RAMCOA, deprogramming

Building communication with overseers can be very easy or very difficult. The structure of your system might prevent some of the more direct interaction, and knowing where amnesia walls are placed internally is helpful.

The most straightforward method would be calling out into the ether. Hold space for a response and inquire inside about this alter. They might hear and get back to you, or you might reach someone who can move you forward a step (e.g. a guard who disallows passed messages).

If there isn’t a reply, it could be a barrier or a refusal. It’s possible they aren’t able to hear you. You might encounter preset obstacles. Mapping, both amnesia and landscaping, will let you know whether you should add a phase or continue attempting contact.

Hesitance can be overcome with time and trust or sometimes a good explanation. Context and consistency are tools, and rephrasing can help spark interest or get around preconditioned apprehension.

You might be at the receiving end of some programs for this process, especially if you linger at front or receive bleedthrough from trauma-holding alters. Asking to talk about why something is to be left alone or what the purpose of a pain is can lead to the conversation you want, but it’s still hard to live it.

We once had success moving up a chain of command by acting out at each level until the boss of the boss had something to say, but that came with a lot of hurt and frustration for everyone.

I do recommend building somewhat healthy relationships if you’re in a position to, but it’s ultimately up to you. I hope this was at all helpful, and I’m glad to see you pushing for change.

[preciouslittletoonette]

How does “aging” work in Toonverse, especially with regards to the Tiny Toons?

Aging is a complicated concept to a lot of toons. Mainly because its a concept that comes with different forms so it isn't as straightforward as it is for humans. Humans get older as time goes on, easy as that. Not so much for toons. For toons, there's aging and then there's narrative aging.

Narrative aging is basically aging because that is what the story requires. If a cartoon was to let's say: have an episode that takes place in the past or in the future, the toon would age according to what was needed, aging both up and down (becoming older or becoming younger). Or heck a movie from a cartoon that takes place in the future of said cartoon, would have toons or maybe just specific toons age up. The unique thing about narrative aging is that it is rather simple to revert back to your original age with the possibility of being able to swap between the age forms.

An example of a toon who had gone through narrative aging would be Max Goof. Max Goof initially debuted as a child (Goof Troop) and that was his set age up until A Goofy Movie was in production and it was required of him to 'age up' to a teen for the story, which he did. He later then aged to young adult for "An Extremely Goofy Movie". Max can now change through the three different forms at will.

Another example on the opposite spectrum of aging would be the Looney Tunes, who would have to 'de-age' to act in Baby Looney Tunes. They don't swap to their baby forms at all but can do so if desired.

And then there's Aging, which is admittedly a little more complicated than narrative aging, especially in concern to Tiny Toon Adventures.

In the Tiny Toons Adventures' episode 'Fields of Honey', we are introduced to Honey, the very first female Looney Tunes character after Babs went scouting for a mentor in the old films archive. However, Honey has been missing for several decades after she and Bosko were kicked to the curb in favour of a new star like Porky Pig. With the help of a disembodied voice, Babs goes off to try and get people to remember Honey again.

Somewhere during the episode, Babs is stopped by the voice who points out towards Bugs Bunny who was surrounded by students and the voice states something pivotal to toon lore.

"It's Laughter that keeps a toon young. When the Laughter stops, a toon grows old and forgotten"

Laughter is a very powerful thing, especially in the Who framed Roger Rabbit Toonverse (which TTA is a part of). It plays a vital part in the life of a (comedy) toon. I put comedy here in brackets because laughter here would only relate to toons in the comedy genre. So for here:

Laughter=Remembrance

So to just rephrase the quote to be more inclusive of other genres:" It's Remembrance that keeps a toon young. When a toon stops being remembered, they grow old and eventually become forgotten."

Honey, because people stopped laughing at her (and in turn, forgot about her), began to age. And judging by how she looked by the 90s, she aged at the same pace of a human. If she were in her 20s when she was created in the 1930s, then she'd be roughly in her 80s physically by when the episode aired. That's OLD.

But luckily, like Narrative Aging, this sort of Aging can be reversed, albeit it's much more difficult. To quote TTA again (same episode):

" To save Honey, the people must watch and laugh again"

Basically what its saying here is that the public has to basically remember the toon to bring them back to their prime ages. It took at least a theatre full of interested and curious people to bring Honey (and Bosko who I assumed also aged as he was forgotten) back to her former glory.

And that's aging, with regards to Tiny Toon Adventures :). Stay tuned for my future rant as to why the character Sweet Pete from Chip and Dale: Rescue Rangers 2022 frustates and infuriates me from the standpoint of Toon Lore.

[perpetual-fool]

Limbo

Had another exchange with Cat. It seemed like she might've been willing to explain things this time. At least, that she'd provide some clue. She did not. I don't even know what she was saying. And that's really not okay. I was considering, back at the beginning, with the first person I ever trusted. What should have been the turning point and made it very, very clear that things were not going to work, was her refusal to understand anything I was saying. And concretely, her refusal to confirm with me what she thought I meant. Hypothetically, I'd say something like "I don't like chocolate, but I like things with chocolate in them" and she'd say something like "Oh, I know what you mean". Whatever, I'm wasting my time explaining. Effective communication would entail the sending party sharing the abstract pattern as well as a concrete example, and the receiving party confirming by at least rephrasing the abstract in a non-trivial way. Like, just replacing words with synonyms and parroting it back defeats the purpose. And I can't even attempt to confirm with Cat because she hasn't given me enough to work with. She's been keeping me floating in limbo, perpetually unclear on what exactly she's saying. I'm starting to think it's intentional. I'm not willing to keep going along with it.

And hey, that's kind of the whole problem: others constantly poisoning my ability to understand even the most mundane things for some reason.

Further, I think I've been getting strung along with pretty much all my behavior. My internet connection went down for a bit, a little while ago. Maintenance or something probably. It forced me to stop and think about what I was wanting to do. And yeah, it's my lifeline to the only companionship I have and I'm insecure if it's not there even though I'm not going to talk with her again for at least a week. But being desperate for this constant stream of information, I think I'm doing the same thing I do with people. I think I'm feeling like things almost make sense, and that if I get just a little more information on the subject (any subject) then it'll all come together. But in my two decades or so of being online that has never happened. And similarly, that's not how figuring things out would work. Like, say there was a video where a guy was explaining what he thinks is the best way to stack cups. What happens is like "you want to stack left to right, for optimal stackability" but he never defines what 'stackability' means, and intuitively you would assume 'ease of stacking' except that that doesn't reduce down to a single concept and so doesn't really mean anything. (I'm not elaborating on that further, see "stopping power" if curious.) But a genuine explanation would lay out each concept step by step. Like "when you place a cup down this way, the base is wider which makes it more stable more stable, so it's less likely to get knocked over. Next…" et cetera. Or say, when I'm trying to figure out a game, the design intent of each element should be obvious at a glance. Like, I've been comparing New Vegas' skill system to VTM:B. In Bloodlines it's very straightforward: when you complete a quest you get a point, you choose where to put the point, and in so doing indirectly choose which way the story unfolds. But in NV it's very fuzzy, the points required are generally inconsistent so you don't know how much is enough. And I'm tempted to consider what the point of that is, but as I'm saying, that line of reasoning is a trap. (Also I might be misremembering Bloodlines, which I've never played myself.)

But yeah, the basics of how a thing works should be immediately obvious, else they're probably not there.

[nealpreston]

What Does Dating Do.

Finding out who is dating Liz Katz is comparatively easy, but retaining track of her flings, hookups, and breakups is tougher. Keep the critical stuff for when your relationship is more severe -- and for when you possibly can explore each other's opinions thoughtfully and with a basis of respect. Is Tito Rojas involved in a relationship? Lyn Fletcher has worked as a relationship educator for more than 25 years and is the director of operations for Relationships Australia, a non-denominational, not-for-revenue organisation that gives help and advice on a variety of family and relationship points. In keeping with studies, more than one-third of the very gorgeous and placing pictures are a 12 months old or extra, and age of the picture has a tendency to increase together with the age of the uploader. In 141 days, Jack White will turn 47 years previous. The textual content message also has the added good thing about offering the individual being requested the chance to shortly -- and remotely -- flip down the request. If you're single and concerned in social actions that give you the chance to meet folks you're much less doubtless to search out a need for online dating to get a date, but on-line dating does develop the obtainable options so that you can be matched with a possible date so don't rule it out.

Give him the house he requires and keep looking. If you'd like, keep him around as a friend, or simply see דירות דיסקרטיות במרכזhim often, but if you're critical about discovering a everlasting mate, keep dating other individuals. 1) We know what we want, 2) we ask for it (can I get goat cheese and broccoli on half and the other half meat lovers???), 3) we pay for it. It may also help to choose a quiet time and place for the discussion, one the place the two of you can focus on each other. As an older lady you have had loads of time to work on you. In case you both like operating, plan your jog at the same time. If he feels the same method you do, then you could have your pizza just the way you like it and the value is correct. “I use this app for hardly a night and is it a coincidence I get a call from an FBI agent the identical DAY? I wish to create stunning issues that people can use. Research shows that individuals are inclined to fall for individuals just like themselves in relation to things like relationship history, want for kids, pet preferences, and religion.

Making your needs recognized to the man you desire is just that straightforward. Charles Stauffer is just not dating anyone as of 2022. Charles is a 45-yr-old man. Include the small print about your prospected dating partner. Let me rephrase that; it's not luck, it's timing, along with figuring out your self and knowing your accomplice. I think we may make that work. I sense whether the change will lead me to work I truly need to be doing. I try to sense how the change would really make me really feel. We ignore the signs that he can not "ship" and as a substitute determine we can change his thoughts if we just grasp on. I map out what the effects of the change would mean for my profession. In case you are truly able to commit and you assume he is too, among the finest ways to seek out out is to order a pizza. I’m taken off guard and think about it for weeks. I’d prefer to think there’s a grand plan, however I don’t actually assume so. In fact, there’s no accurate system for this sort of prediction, but the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) comes fairly darn shut. Isabel Briggs Myers, along with philosophical guidance from her mother, Katherine Briggs, got here up with the Myers-Briggs personality varieties as a means to grasp what drives the extreme differences in how individuals work together with the world.

All is true with the world. But finding the fitting individual to this point isn't the one problem. Games: At Heart to Heart you will see our members are serious about discovering the best individual. You can swipe new members utilizing our sensible Encounters Feature. Before we are able to require somebody's finest, we have to be our best. But the MBTI just isn't solely helpful for self-awareness and office administration; it will also be a powerful predictor of contentment in relationships. This categorization helps tens of millions of people gain self-understanding and make sense of differences that could cause battle within the office and at dwelling. I have a extra summary sense of spirituality. Ladies, simply swap out low-key daytime accessories for something more glamorous, and contact up your makeup for the nighttime lights. Exit to lunch during a busy work week. Sometimes it just doesn't work out. Find out if they’re really your kind with this quiz! Psychologists have conducted research to determine which personality kind combinations are likely to generate the best satisfaction for couples over the long run. Not all sights result in satisfaction! You wouldn't hesitate to start out flipping by the cellphone guide for another pizza parlor if the primary one advised you your pizza was going to price $50!

[mavrintarou]

[12:44AM] - Sakusa Kiyoomi

Finishing up with the semester... just needed a break... summer is promising with either continuation of current work and new work. I hope everyone has been well.

Warning: fluff; smut (spicy Omi)

Minors please kindly leave . “What got you so drinking so much tonight, Kiyoomi?”

He narrows his eyes at you, but you can see the pout beneath the mask. “Don’t call me that.”

You raised a brow at him, “then what should I call you? Sakusa-san?”

“No,” he growled, “call me what… you always call me…”

Your lips curve in a teasing grin as you rephrase your question, “what got you drinking so much tonight, Yoomi?”

Beneath his mask, one could see his cheeks turning a subtle shade of pink. Who would have known the stoic Outside Hitter of MSBY Black Jackals possessed a tender side, effortlessly melting at the sound of a sweet nickname?

He sat in the middle of your couch, legs spread wide, and leaned back against the cushion. He makes ‘grabby’ movements with both hands, and you sigh before walking over to the stubborn 6’3 professional volleyball player dressed in a rare sight of civilian clothing or something other than his athlete attire.

He grabs both of your hands, tugging you onto his lap. He tugs off his mask and, tossing it aside, “I don’t…” he pauses, eyes on your lips. “I don’t want you to be a secret anymore.”

You knew Kiyoomi was blunt and straightforward forward, but… it must be the liquid courage that has him surprising you tonight. Especially when it was late, well, late for him, when he called you to inform you he was on his way to your apartment.

Staring into his dark orbs, something made you believe his words.

“And why is that?” You challenged him, hiding how fast your heart beat against your chest.

“Because I want to come home to you every day and night. I want you only to be mine. I want you to stay all the time.” His rough fingertips graze your cheek, “I want… a life with you.”

Your relationship with Kiyoomi for the last nine months has been nothing but acquaintances with benefits.

He had his busy athlete career to uphold while you had yours.

“An – and I know…” he stutters, “I know I’ve had alcohol in my system, and you might not believe me but believe me, I mean it!” He grabs your hand, holding it to his cheek, and it shocks you that he is initiating this gesture.

You were a super clean individual, and thought you had high standards. When you met Kiyoomi and his standards, you realized that you didn’t even scratch the surface of what Kiyoomi considered clean.

You couldn’t deny the deeper feelings within you that only go deeper each time you meet him.

These benefit relationships never end well, and you wanted to hold your part of the agreement even if you started feeling more.

It was better than nothing, you told yourself.

Your silence must have tortured him, so he squeezed your hand and whispered, “I’m in love with you.”

“Oh, Yoomi,” you whisper, thumb rubbing his cheekbone.

Something flashes in his eyes, and he groans. “Argh, I fucken fucked it up, huh?” His head drops back against the couch. He starts swearing and muttering to himself that you had to shout his name.

You straddle his thighs and grab his face, holding it still so you can look directly into his eyes. “I want it too.”

“You do?”

You nod and kiss him softly, “I do, and I love you too.”

What was meant to be a soft kiss manifested itself into something else.

You’re flipped onto your back, and Kiyoomi sinks onto his knees. The flimsy pajama shorts and panties you wore are slipped off, and he keeps your legs spread as far as possible. Two of his fingers slip inside your mouth briefly before he pulls them out to slip them inside your wet pussy.

Your moan escapes your throat when his fingers start thrusting inside of you.

“Why are you so wet already?”

“Cause…” you utter, “you… told me you – you love me…”

“I love you,” he tells you again with a smile.

He slips his fingers out and sucks them, unbuckling his belt and pants. He pulled his stiff long cock out and gave it a few pumps. “Can I fuck you raw?”

Unable to find your voice, you nod, watching him glide the slippery, soft tip against your folds before pushing past. Your breath hitched, and you swallowed the lump in your throat against the hot and heavenly feel of skin on skin.

Kiyoomi lets out a low groan after bottoming out completely. He grabs the bottom of his shirt and tugs it off. His broad shoulders and defined torso are all just begging you to touch.

He hunches over you, resting on one elbow, “you feel – so fucken… amazing… no going back…” he smiles, “you’re mine.”

His hips roll in shallow thrust, groaning with the raw friction each time. You feel every inch of him, enough to have you feeling the tingles.

“Faster, Yoomi…”

You almost regret your words when he shifts onto one knee on the touch, bending you in half. His cock pistons inside your pussy hard and fast, stimulating and pushing you closer to the edge of heaven.

Your arms lock around his neck to hold yourself somewhat in place, and your legs curl against his waist.

His thumb snakes between your hot bodies, and he circles your bundle of nerves that has you crying out shortly in a release. Your walls convulse around his cock, and he sits up abruptly to withdraw. He barely made it in time and didn’t need to stroke himself as he cums all over your pussy.

His chest rises and falls as he catches his breath, eyes on his painted mess before looking up at you, “next time, it’s gonna be inside of you.” . . .

>>> @callmeraider @amarinthe @chaotic-fangirl-blog @eadyladlegard

[duckprintspress]

How to Edit an Over-Length Story Down to a Specific Word Count

One of the most wonderful things about writing as a hobby is that you never have to worry about the length of your story. You can be as self-indulgent as you want, make your prose the royalist of purples, include every single side story and extra thought that strikes your fancy. It’s your story, with no limits, and you can proceed with it as you wish.

When transitioning from casual writing to a more professional writing milieu, this changes. If you want to publish, odds are, you’ll need to write to a word count. If a flash fiction serial says, “1,000 words or less,” your story can’t be 1,025 and still qualify. If a website says, “we accept novellas ranging from 20,000 to 40,000 words,” your story will need to fall into that window. Even when you consider novel-length works, stories are expected to be a certain word count to fit neatly into specific genres - romance is usually around 80,000 words, young adult usually 50,000 to 80,000, debut novels usually have to be 100,000 words or less regardless of genre, etc. If you self-publish or work with a small press, you may be able to get away with breaking these “rules,” but it’s still worthwhile to learn to read your own writing critically with length in mind and learn to recognize what you do and do not need to make your story work - and then, if length isn’t an issue in your publishing setting, you can always decide after figuring out what’s non-essential to just keep everything anyway.

If you’re writing for fun? You literally never have to worry about your word count (well, except for sometimes in specific challenges that have minimum and/or maximum word counts), and as such, this post is probably not for you.

But, if you’re used to writing in the “throw in everything and the kitchen sink” way that’s common in fandom fanfiction circles, and you’re trying to transition only to be suddenly confronted with the reality that you’ve written 6,000 words for a short story project with a maximum word count of 5,000...well, we at Duck Prints Press have been there, we are in fact there right now, as we finish our stories for our upcoming anthology Add Magic to Taste and many of us wrote first drafts that were well over the maximum word count.

So, based on our experiences, here are our suggestions on approaches to help your story shorter...without losing the story you wanted to tell!

Cut weasel words (we wrote a whole post to help you learn how to do that!) such as unnecessary adverbs and adjectives, the “was ~ing” sentence structure, redundant time words such as “a moment later,” and many others.

When reviewing dialog, keep an eye out for “uh,” “er,” “I mean,” “well,” and other casual extra words. A small amount of that kind of language usage can make dialog more realistic, but a little goes a long way, and often a fair number of words can be removed by cutting these words, without negatively impacting your story at all.

Active voice almost always uses fewer words than passive voice, so try to use active voice more (but don’t forget that passive voice is important for varying up your sentence structures and keeping your story interesting, so don’t only write in active voice!).

Look for places where you can replace phrases with single words that mean the same thing. You can often save a lot of words by switching out phrases like “come back” for “return” and seeking out other places where one word can do the work of many.

Cut sentences that add atmosphere but don't forward the plot or grow your characters. (Obviously, use your judgement. Don't cut ALL the flavor, but start by going - I’ve got two sentences that are mostly flavor text - which adds more? And then delete the other, or combine them into one shorter sentence.)

Remove superfluous dialog tags. If it’s clear who’s talking, especially if it’s a conversation between only two people, you can cut all the he saids, she saids.

Look for places where you've written repetitively - at the most basic level, “ ‘hahaha,’ he laughed,” is an example, but repetition is often more subtle, like instances where you give information in once sentence, and then rephrase part or all of that sentence in the next one - it’s better to poke at the two sentences until you think of an effective, and more concise, way to make them into only one sentence. This also goes for scenes - if you’ve got two scenes that tend towards accomplishing the same plot-related goal, consider combining them into one scene.

Have a reason for every sentence, and even every sentence clause (as in, every comma insertion, every part of the sentence, every em dashed inclusion, that kind of thing). Ask yourself - what function does this serve? Have I met that function somewhere else? If it serves no function, or if it’s duplicative, consider cutting it. Or, the answer may be “none,” and you may choose to save it anyway - because it adds flavor, or is very in character for your PoV person, or any of a number of reasons. But if you’re saving it, make sure you’ve done so intentionally. It's important to be aware of what you're trying to do with your words, or else how can you recognize what to cut, and what not to cut?

Likewise, have a reason for every scene. They should all move the story along - whatever the story is, it doesn’t have to be “the end of the world,” your story can be simple and straightforward and sequential...but if you’re working to a word count, your scenes should still forward the story toward that end point. If the scene doesn’t contribute...you may not need them, or you may be able to fold it in with another scene, as suggested in item 6.

Review the worldbuilding you’ve included, and consider what you’re trying to accomplish with your story. A bit of worldbuilding outside of the bare essentials makes a story feel fleshed out, but again, a little can go a long way. If you’ve got lots of “fun” worldbuilding bits that don’t actually forward your plot and aren’t relevant to your characters, cut them. You can always put them as extras in your blog later, but they’ll just make your story clunky if you have a lot of them.

Beware of info-dumps. Often finding a more natural way to integrate that information - showing instead of telling in bits throughout the story - can help reduce word count.

Alternatively - if you over-show, and never tell, this will vastly increase your word count, so consider if there are any places in your story where you can gloss over the details in favor of a shorter more “tell-y” description. You don’t need to go into a minute description of every smile and laugh - sometimes it’s fine to just say, “she was happy” or “she frowned” without going into a long description of their reaction that makes the reader infer that they were happy. (Anyone who unconditionally says “show, don’t tell,” is giving you bad writing advice. It’s much more important to learn to recognize when showing is more appropriate, and when telling is more appropriate, because no story will function as a cohesive whole if it’s all one or all the other.)

If you’ve got long paragraphs, they’re often prime places to look for entire sentences to cut. Read them critically and consider what’s actually helping your story instead of just adding word count chonk.

Try reading some or all of the dialog out loud; if it gets boring, repetitive, or unnecessary, end your scene wherever you start to lose interest, and cut the dialog that came after. If necessary, add a sentence or two of description at the end to make sure the transition is abrupt, but honestly, you often won’t even need to do so - scenes that end at the final punchy point in a discussion often work very well.

Create a specific goal for a scene or chapter. Maybe it’s revealing a specific piece of information, or having a character discover a specific thing, or having a specific unexpected event occur, but, whatever it is, make sure you can say, “this scene/chapter is supposed to accomplish this.” Once you know what you’re trying to do, check if the scene met that goal, make any necessary changes to ensure it does, and cut things that don’t help the scene meet that goal.

Building on the previous one, you can do the same thing, but for your entire story. Starting from the beginning, re-outline the story scene-by-scene and/or chapter-by-chapter, picking out what the main “beats” and most important themes are, and then re-read your draft and make sure you’re hitting those clearly. Consider cutting out the pieces of your story that don’t contribute to those, and definitely cut the pieces that distract from those key moments (unless, of course, the distraction is the point.)

Re-read a section you think could be cut and see if any sentences snag your attention. Poke at that bit until you figure out why - often, it’s because the sentence is unnecessary, poorly worded, unclear, or otherwise superfluous. You can often rewrite the sentence to be clearer, or cut the sentence completely without negatively impacting your work.

Be prepared to cut your darlings; even if you love a sentence or dialog exchange or paragraph, if you are working to a strict word count and it doesn't add anything, it may have to go, and that's okay...even though yes, it will hurt, always, no matter how experienced a writer you are. (Tip? Save your original draft, and/or make a new word doc where you safely tuck your darlings in for the future. Second tip? If you really, really love it...find a way to save it, but understand that to do so, you’ll have to cut something else. It’s often wise to pick one or two favorites and sacrifice the rest to save the best ones. We are not saying “always cut your darlings.” That is terrible writing advice. Don’t always cut your darlings. Writing, and reading your own writing, should bring you joy, even when you’re doing it professionally.)

If you’re having trouble recognizing what in your own work CAN be cut, try implementing the above strategies in different places - cut things, and then re-read, and see how it works, and if it works at all. Sometimes, you’ll realize...you didn’t need any of what you cut. Other times, you’ll realize...it no longer feels like the story you were trying to tell. Fiddle with it until you figure out what you need for it to still feel like your story, and practice that kind of cutting until you get better at recognizing what can and can’t go without having to do as much tweaking.

Lastly...along the lines of the previous...understand that sometimes, cutting your story down to a certain word count will just be impossible. Some stories simply can’t be made very short, and others simply can’t be told at length. If you’re really struggling, it’s important to consider that your story just...isn’t going to work at that word count. And that’s okay. Go back to the drawing board, and try again - you’ll also get better at learning what stories you can tell, in your style, using your own writing voice, at different word counts. It’s not something you’ll just know how to do - that kind of estimating is a skill, just like all other writing abilities.

As with all our writing advice - there’s no one way to tackle cutting stories for length, and also, which of these strategies is most appropriate will depend on what kind of story you’re writing, how much over-length it is, what your target market is, your characters, and your personal writing style. Try different ones, and see which work for you - the most important aspect is to learn to read your own writing critically enough that you are able to recognize what you can cut, and then from that standpoint, use your expertise to decide what you should cut, which is definitely not always the same thing. Lots of details can be cut - but a story with all of the flavor and individuality removed should never be your goal.

Contributions to this post were made by @unforth, @jhoomwrites, @alecjmarsh, @shealynn88, @foxymoley, @willablythe, and @owlishintergalactic, and their input has been used with their knowledge and explicit permission. Thanks, everyone, for helping us consider different ways to shorten stories!

[myearts-uwu]

Who do you like more? (Fluff ver.)

Before anyone asks, yes. If there’s a fluff version, then there will definitely be a smut version of this one-shot that will go by the same title.

I wrote like half of this one-shot when I was at the hospital (don’t worry. I’m fine and I’m not sick) so yeah! I got bored waiting and decided to write something random. So...

Here’s a random Anastacius x Myra x Roger one-shot. 

 "Miss Myra, who do you like more? My father or Uncle Roger?"

 Myra almost spat out the coffee she was drinking when she heard Jennette's sudden question. "L-Lady Jennette, why are you suddenly asking me this so early in the morning?" she managed to sputter while carefully placing the coffee mug on the table.

 The dining area of the building they were staying at during the duration of Jennette and the others reacting to 'Who Made me a Princess' was filled with small chatter as most of the cast talked to one another. Claude, Felix, Lily and Diana had formed their own little group to discuss what will happen in the next chapter they'd be reacting to and even Ijekiel and Lucas had a table all to themselves as they tasted the waffles drizzled with their favourite toppings which they had gotten from the buffet table.

 The only people who hadn't arrived yet were Anastacius and Roger.

 Jennette had asked Myra if she could sit with her since she didn't want the older woman to feel alone as she ate her omurice quietly. Usually, either Anastacius or Roger or even both of them would sit at the same table as Myra so it was weird that the men were nowhere to be seen.

 "O-Oh, am I being too straightforward?" Jennette asked with a troubled expression. "I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable with my question, Miss Myra!"

 "There's no need for you to apologise, Lady Jennette. Don't worry." Myra smiled politely at the girl. "You just caught me off guard, that's all. It's not every day for me to get asked something like that. Is there a reason why you were asking me that in the first place?"

 Jennette just hummed before taking a small sip of tea that had been mixed in with three teaspoons of sugar. "Well... I couldn't help but notice that out of all the people in this building, you seem to be closest with my father and Uncle Roger," she began to explain. "I know that father likes you a lot and even Uncle Roger seems to enjoy your company. But I just wanted to know who you like more between the two, that's all."

 Was that really all there was to it?

 "What... You want to know if I like Sir Anastacius or Sir Roger more?" Myra rephrased the girl's question.

 Jennette was acting like a child who wanted to hear more about how her parents met. She leaned forward with her elbows on the table, her jewelled blue eyes sparkling like jewels. "Mm-hm!"

 From the corner of her eye, Myra could see Felix going for a second round of pancakes since he was making a beeline to the buffet table. Her attention returned to Jennette who was waiting for her to answer. "What I... think of Sir Roger and Sir Anastacius..."

 On one hand, Anastacius was the first man Myra felt some kind of attraction to since she broke up with her ex months ago. Of course, Anastacius was incredibly attractive but there were other things that made her fall in love with the guy. It was embarrassing for her to say it out loud, but one of the things she liked most about him was that he was willing and trying to change into a better person for his daughter's sake. And when he's not possessed by his ancestor, Anastacius was a nice and caring gentleman to her. The simple gestures he showed to her, from allowing her to sleep on his shoulder or even letting her wrap her finder around his made her heart flutter.

 Then there was Roger Alpheus. Their first meeting was interesting, to say the least. It's not every day for someone like him to end up catching a stranger who was falling way high up in the air in his own garden of all places. During the time they spent together in Hawaii as she let him react to the princess' life at his own pace, she knew that Roger was a good man, albeit a tad bit too ambitious to the point he was willing to use Jennette as a political tool. She knew that he genuinely cared for the girl just from listening to the way he talked about her and his own son. A man who loved his children but rarely showed it to them. That was how Myra described him. Just like Anastacius, Roger also was a gentleman to her. There were times when he'd shield her from people when he sensed someone was stealing glances at her when they were going out of the resort. She thought it was cute when he told her in a soft voice to be near him at all times at one point because they were taking a walk together.

 In conclusion, Anastacius and Roger were two men Myra genuinely admired. And it still baffled her whenever she remembered that she somehow had both men wrapped around her finger.

 It then hit her that she was silent the whole time and Jennette was still waiting for her to say something.

 "I..."

 Usually, Myra could easily answer anything without hesitation.

 So why was she so hesitant in answering this one?!

 Myra's tongue was almost tied as she tried to answer Jennette's question.

 Jennette could only watch in silent amusement as Myra, someone who was always calm and always has a smile on her face, became flustered over being unable to answer her own question. "Miss Myra?"

 "Sir Anastacius and Sir Roger... who do I like better?" Myra muttered while rubbing the back of her head. Her unfinished omurice was barely touched by her and she wouldn't continue eating it unless she answered Jennette's question. "I mean, they're wonderful people to be around. And I like them both. Oh, if I said I like Sir Anastacius more, then surely Sir Roger wouldn't like that, right? But if I answer Sir Roger, then Sir Anastacius would definitely be jealous. Oh, but Sir Anastacius and I are pretty much in a relationship but at the same time Sir Roger is a wonderful friend and-"

 To be completely honest, Jennette didn't register the rest of what Myra said because of how fast she was speaking. All she could do was sit in her seat, smile and nod at whatever Myra was saying.

 'Miss Myra... Must really like father and Uncle Roger a lot if she's having this much trouble answering my question,' Jennette thought while casually taking a sip of her tea. She quietly stole a quick glance over Myra's shoulder and saw two people approaching them. 'Ooh, this will be interesting.' She decided to not tell the still rambling Myra about the people walking toward their table.

 "Oh, Jennette. Miss Myra. I didn't expect you to be sitting at the same table together for today."

 "Huh?"

 Myra stopped talking and looked up to see Anastacius and Roger standing beside the table. "Ah! Sir Anastacius! Sir Roger!" She frantically stood up from her seat. "Good morning. I didn't notice you coming here. I'm so sorry."

 Anastacius just smiled politely at the woman and placed his tray of orange juice and egg fried rice onto the table. "There's no need for you to apologise, Miss Myra," he said before gently holding her hand. He lifted her hand up and kissed it. "I think it's cute when you're so easily flustered like this."

 "... Aha..." Myra blushed slightly.

 Roger furrowed an eyebrow and placed his mug of hot black coffee on the table. Was that all he's gonna have for breakfast? "Anastacius, if you hold her hand like that for too long she'll be uncomfortable."

 Anastacius simply pouted at the duke but let go of Myra's hand anyway. But as soon as he did that, it was Roger's turn to kiss her hand.

 "You seem to be in a good mood today, Sir Roger," Myra commented while grinning at the silver-haired man, ignoring the glare Anastacius was giving to the man.

 Roger nodded his head. "I suppose seeing you for the first time today after having to drag Anastacius out of bed this morning for almost half an hour puts me in a better mood," he said with a small smile.

 "... Oh." Myra blushed even harder this time.

 Jennette just observed the three adults with wonder. 'Whoa... this is the first time I'm seeing them flirting so openly like this. Should I... Should I be seeing this?"

 "Ah, and good morning to you, my dearest Jennette," Anastacius greeted his daughter and patted her head. "I thought you'd be with the magician and Roger's son like you always do."

 Jennette just giggled and the three finally took their seats. "Oh, I just wanted to keep Miss Myra company because you both weren't here yet, that's all. Besides, I've been meaning to ask her a very important question."

 "Is that so?" Anastacius picked up his fried rice with a spoon and began to eat. He swallowed his food. "May I ask what that question is?"

 Myra stiffened. "Um, Sir Anastacius, I'm not so sure if it's a question you can answer."

 "Really? How come?"

 "Oh! That's because the question I asked Miss Myra was 'Who do you like more? My father or Uncle Roger?'," Jennette exclaimed while smiling widely.

 ...

 ...

 "Eh?" Anastacius and Roger blinked in confusion.

 "Ah! I think Lucas and Ijekiel are calling me! Gotta go!" Of course, Lucas and Ijekiel never called out Jennette's name at this moment. She just wanted to have an excuse to leave the adults alone. Jennette quickly got up from her seat and ran off to where the two boys were with her cup of tea. "See you at the screening room soon!"

 With that, they watched as the girl scurried away with her cup of tea in her hand.

 Myra cleared her throat. "You both should finish your breakfast quickly. We're supposed to start reacting to the next chapter in about fifteen minutes," she mumbled before eating her omurice.

 "So who's your favourite?"

 Myra froze and when she looked up from her food, Anastacius and Roger were looking at her expectantly. "Wha..." Were they being serious? "I... I wasn't able to provide an answer to Lady Jennette's question because I got a bit indecisive."

 "Seriously? Was it really that hard for you to choose between us?" Anastacius asked. "Even though it's obvious I'm the better option?"

 "You have got to be kidding me...," Roger muttered under his breath while staring blankly at Anastacius.

 They were about to have their regular staring competition but stopped when they heard Myra chuckling lightly.

 "It's embarrassing for me to admit it to you both... But is it wrong for me to not be able to answer Lady Jennette's question because I love you both a lot?" Myra smiled coyly for them. "It's impossible for me to decide who I like more when both of you have been treating me so well the entire time."

 "... You're too nice, Miss Myra," Roger stated bluntly. "If you keep being nice to everyone like this, people can take advantage of you, you know?" Since he was the one who was sitting beside her, he moved his seat a bit closer to her. "Anastacius doesn't deserve your love, honestly."

 Anastacius forced a smile and his eyebrow twitched. "Are you serious?"

 Myra just smiled peacefully even though both men continued to argue with each other.

 'Sometimes I can't help but wonder why I like these men so much even though they could barely stand beside each other without arguing,' she thought. '... I swear I can hear Sir Hyun-jin teasing me about my questionable taste in men. Ugh...'

[virghogh]

NCT Dream Birth Charts x Hexaco Results Analysis pt. 1

recently NCT Dream were on a new reality show called Mental Training Camp where they are doing a variety of activities and all of their behavior and interactions are being analyzed by professional psychologists.

ofc my virgo sun mercury ass was thrilled and I had their birth charts pulled up the whole time to cross reference.

I wanted to share some of my personal thoughts on how the 2 might connect!

part 1 // part 2 // part 3

**key: in the hexaco charts the blue represents the Dreamies, the orange is an average result of 300 college students who took the same test**

Mark - “Workaholic Leader”

✨leo sun // aries moon // cancer mercury // virgo venus // scorpio mars✨

they described him as a workaholic leader but quickly added that if he’s not now, he has potential to be in the future, although it seemed they all agreed he has workaholic spirit now 

this immediately made sense to me when you look at his chart i mean he’s being driven by a fire sun and moon and a scorpio mars (used to be ruled by mars) and virgo venus both of which are signs that have strong work ethics

the reason I like that they mentioned he could grow into it is because he’s still young and I agree that his placements could become more serious about work and life as he gets older, I think his leo sun/aries moon combo gives him very youthful energy but they’re still very driven signs

mark agreed that even throughout his trainee years when he was still very young, he was always practicing and was always called a workaholic. I see this in the intense drive, work ethic and perfectionism of virgo and scorpio but shining through with the warmth of his sun and moon

lets talk about this hexaco chart, what sticks out the most is Mark’s level of conscientiousness! (its so high like what even-) Conscientious people are careful, precise, detail oriented and in general care about doing their tasks well. I think this is directly connected to his scorpio mars! I always say that no matter what is in a chart, having a scorpio in big 6 will always have a strong influence and with a virgo venus, even though venus is considered a love planet it is also our value system, how we discern what is worthy and unworthy for us, and having virgo there makes him very practical. (as I mentioned though I think all of his placements together reflect a very driven person) (I also think mark is lucky to have a fire moon because if he had a water or earth I think his obsession and perfectionism of scorpio and virgo would make him d*pressed or too hard on himself) 

his virgo venus could even be why when they did the bag check they saw he’s quite “frugal” or practical and minimalist in the things he carries around. When you think about Venus, I mentioned it’s our values it’s also our aesthetics and it rules Taurus a materialistic sign, having virgo there gives me the impression of someone who is practical with their belongings, as we saw. 

We’ll see later in the post that there are a few Hexaco charts that I felt were a little unexpected but Marks imo was sooo spot on with his placements. With a fire sun and moon he’s very warm and open and has firey emotions. he’s not afraid to show them or be reactive and responsive (emotionality)! I think his honesty-humility reflects this too, he’s not too overly or underly honest, he’s just straightforward what you see is what you get and he answers in such a way too. His emotionality reflects the cancer mercury, the rashness of aries moon, and sensitivity of scorpio mars. 

tdlr; the human embodiment of driven, focused and hard working when it comes to his craft, but he loves to have fun in his outside life, and is practical in his inside life <3 his hexaco and birth chart align nicely

Jeno - “A scholar who gets hurt easily”

✨taurus sun // sagittarius moon // aries mercury // aries venus // taurus mars✨

so right off the bat I’m very curious where the scholar part comes in ?? They didn’t really reference it again in that way but I’m assuming they mean he’s very diplomatic? Defcon rephrased it as “you get miffed but well-mannered” 

a recurring comment was that he gets annoyed easily but doesn’t show it, I thought that was really funny because I feel like it reflects his aries influence well; being a little hot-headed but he has the patience of his taurus sun and mars to filter it :’) 

they talked a lot about how he gets hurt easily and mark even shared a cute lil story that practically had me on the floor because i just think it shows his taurus sooooo much I’d really love to have his house placements one day I’m really curious where his taurus is

if you didn’t see the episode basically mark said one time Jeno was passing some seniors in a building and said hi but they didn’t say hi back ): and just ignored him. Mark said Jeno was really hurt by that and went on about it for a long time saying stuff like “I’m sure they saw me” )): but he never expressed/acted on that hurt. taurus is represented by the bull so they do have a fierce side to them but imo i think taurus can be a really gentle/relaxed sign too; taurus mars is a slow to be angry slow to react placement, and one of the things taurus is well-known for is being fixed, stubborn, holding grudges which explains why that moment hurt and he held on to it. Jeno even agreed he tends to hold in a lot of his feelings and remembers little things that hurt him for a long time!

speaking of his taurus... they had a whole baseball analogy for the group saying that Jeno is a strong catcher, you can have a good pitcher but without a strong catcher the team would fall apart. They also mentioned a lot about Jeno not being in the spotlight, he doesn’t stand out, but he silently strengthens the team. And if that isn’t the most taurus description you’ve ever heard.,,,

I’ve been talking about his taurus a lot but at one point they said Jeno has a strong perfectionist side but he’s also very flexible and it’s difficult to have both. I personally see this a lot in his Sag moon (mutable) in contrast to his taurus placements (fixed). Sag moon to me always seem happy go lucky, if emotions come they go quickly too, mutable gives him that flexibility because they just like when things can change freely. It’s ruled by jupiter and I feel a common theme with sag in big 6 is it’s easy for people to be drawn to their jupiter qualities. They give the same freedom they crave, they can be very easy going and positive. Similar to mark, I also think it helps Jeno to have this moon sign over another! 

as for the hexaco, I’ll be honest the level of introvertness/shyness was a little surprising from an astrology stand point. When we see Jeno in all the NCT content I feel like it’s obvious he is on the shy side but if I was looking at only his chart, I don’t think I was expect it to be to the extent of the hexaco chart! (plss i need his birth time) in the same thread, his emotionality is really low and I can’t say I’m surprised from an astrology view😅 it’s not that he’s not compassionate or anything because he does care a lot about not upsetting people, but as we saw he is not very reactive and receptive emotionally ¯\_(ツ)_/¯  his openness is low too which fits what we’ve talked about above about his lack of reaction/expression of emotions, I feel like sag moons also don’t dwell especially with no water placements. 

The honesty and humility makes a lot of sense to me because i feel like taurus, aries and sag(!) are very righteous signs too! They care about integrity, they certainly might have their own idea of what is truth,.. but whatever it is, they believe in it! 

last note I want to make is on the whole “jeno isn’t funny” bit since they mentioned it. He said it hurt his ego when they first started the joke but it’s been going on for so long that I think he adapted to being able to take it as just that, a joke! It’s also funny to me that it started in the first place because earth signs are often called boring (it’s okay I’m an earth sign too lol) and I also have sag influence and I know people find me quite funny but I never try to be funny and it usually comes after my earth walls are down with close friends. 

tdlr; doesn’t ask or need spot light, gets annoyed easily but it doesn’t last, when something does hurt he remembers, slow or unlikely to be reactive and responsive, positive, comfort creature, loyal🥺

Chenle - “Friendly Guardian”

✨Sagittarius sun // Aquarius moon // scorpio mercury // scorpio venus // aquarius mars✨

there is something about chenle’s personality that I’ve always loved, he comes off as very warm, care-free, curious, friendly, caring. I like the personality title they gave him because I think it sums him up well. The members had all laughed when they saw it and enthusiastically agreed.  I also love his hexaco chart and think it reflects him really well, with most of it being just outside of the average :’) as far as how it reflects his birth chart, let’s get into it

I do want to disclaim that Chenle was born on the sag/scorpio cusp and to be a sag he would have had to be born after 3pm (!) but I think we would all agree he’s definitely a sagittarius sun anyways

Before this show when I watch nct dream content it always fascinated me how easy going chenle was in chaotic situations, he never seems too demanding or controlling, and sometimes i wondered if he was holding back for the cameras and was actually really frustrated but based off the hexaco it seems like he is actually just that agreeable, from looking at just his chart I don’t know if I would have guessed his agreeableness was that far. I know sag suns can be very easy going and aquarius is a more chilled sign but he has 2 aquarius and 2 scorpio placements they’re both fixed signs and quite like to be in control😅 (can we get a birth time pls) 

One argument could be the combination of sag sun with aquarius moon, since we have to look at all of it together. it does give me the impression of someone more easy-going possibly because there is the comfort of confidence! I feel like sag sun/aqua moon + mars would give someone a high opinion of themself (go chenle). this combination could create someone who is easy going because they don’t dwell and aren’t emotionally fueled nor do they fret over people that are. I’d say easy-going or maybe even just cool headed? He’s always laughing things off too, showing he doesn’t take himself too seriously! 

Speaking of taking things seriously, I think we can see this in the conscientious part of the hexaco, it was the lowest and I think it can be explained by what I mentioned above. It’s not that he isn’t driven or doesn’t work hard, he’s a full time idol they all work hard but I think it represents that work isn’t the focus of his life but rather people, connection, community, and just being happy is? 

they talked about how Chenle is the type of person that you meet and already feel like you’re friends. He could be the youngest in the room and talk down to you and you wouldn’t even think twice. This is huuuuge aquarius energy! I remember one of the first things I learned about aquarius was that they make friends everywhere. They talk to a stranger on the street for directions and next thing you know they’re “friends”

I also want to add that they mention he’s friendly but he gives off “big brother vibes” i feel like we’ve all seen that in other nct content too and would agree. This is interesting to me because sag and aquarius is not the same kind of friendliness as we see with marks leo sun aries moon. Leo and aries are “younger” signs, whereas aquas and sagittarius are towards the end of the signs, they’re considered “mature” signs which I feel contributes to chenle’s “big brother” energy. He has that aqua/sag energy where he seems really sure of himself, and wise and people look up to that.

I want to talk about his scorpio placements real quick because even though I just made a case for how open and easy-going he is, I’m still confused about how the scorpio fits into all of this. scorpio isn’t known to be one to be super open, agreeable or extroverted. I personally see his scorpio come out a lot in his realtionships. you can tell he cares deeply for his members and yes his aqua makes him get along with everyone but I feel like with the dream members we see that scorpio possessiveness and jealousy come out more. Lastly, I do want to add a little mystery to this, although his openness is high and it’s clear he is a very authentic person,,.. I definitely would not call him an open book👀

Chenle wasn’t able to be in the recording of this show unfortunately so all we got was a brief description of his hexaco chart and we won’t get any further analyses ): 

although I do agree that his hexaco chart reflects how he comes off in shows, I don’t think it completely reflects his chart so I’m going to say the house placements would help create a better picture! 

tdlr; fun and realtionships are a priority, he’s comfortable and confident in himself and people are drawn to that, v friendly😌but he has secrets👀

feedback, thoughts and clarifying questions are always welcome!

[sleepyowlwrites]

any advice for wriiting? like i have alot of trouble writing these days even simple descriptions and stuff. like it's already tiring to write somethign like "it was blue" and like I want to change it to something better but it feels like alot of effort? idk if this makes any sense. its like I used to do paintings and now I can barely draw stick people without feeling out of the mood? but I do want to do it I'm just not really liking it??

yes! I hope you don't mind me cheating and giving you a link to a post I made about the very subject.

additionally, sometimes writing it out in a simple way first can help, or at least talking it out. do some other task and explain the description to your lunch, maybe. you can find new ways to describe things as you say them, rephrase as you go. you can, of course, just do this in the writing process. sometimes I'll stick something in brackets when I don't know what I actually want to put there or I want to fix it later.

I also advise writing crappy poetry. (or good poetry, if you're already practiced at it.) the way we describe things in poetry can be much more abstract and not all of it translates to a story, but a single poetic line can transform a whole paragraph. for instance, this is rather straightforward:

It was made primarily of limestone, brought down from the quarries not far to the north, and the nicer parts had muddy-hued bricks to change up the greys. Everything was stained with soot, from the factories, and from the ember-lamps that lit most of the streets. Though the smoke ran clear, its residue dried in flakes that stuck to any surface unless cleaned.

literally just a description of the city. but then I can have one like this:

He emerged into the square that wasn’t a square, and approached the pool of murky water at its center. An ancient fountain that hadn’t worked in years and had been painted all over with gang signatures loomed over him and Zan avoided looking at the figure’s eyes. They’d been painted too, a gleaming, silvery white that pierced through the darkness with an eerie glow.

again, straightforward to start, describing the setting around my character, but then I mention something specific, something that changes the atmosphere from city at night to dangerous city at night.

start small, work your way up. and yeah, it is work. but it doesn't have to be all work, or all at once. but like most things, it requires practice. hard to notice at the beginning, but your effort will be reward with ease and efficiency in the future.

I went for describing settings here, but I also did a post in characters as well, so here's that.

hope some of this helps you!

[insomnicpickle]

Mafia!Rengoku x Reader pt 1

Warning: slightly NSFW

~~~~~~~

Rengoku hated this feeling. The feeling where he can feel the atoms in his body buzzing as he watched someone he liked-no, LOVED-talk to other people that weren’t him. The feeling where he can see his own body clench and twitch as he watched other men touch her hips or her hands. The feeling where he wanted to punch and knock their teeth out.

That feeling is jealousy.

Rengoku Kyoujurou was a mafia leader. A big on at that. He knew everything and everyone like the back of his hand. He loved (Y/n) (L/n), someone who he was with in love with. She is an owner of her own little cafe, which is where he met her. He thought she was so beautiful. He remembered when he first met her.

“You are very attractive! Can I take you on a date?!” He asked, a smile on his face as he had a look of confidence. (Y/n), of course, blinked and chuckled at his straightforwardness that she agreed. Of course, just to know him more. They kept going on and on until he asked her to be his.” Be my girlfriend!” He said with a smile. She chuckled.” Sorry Kyo but I’m not looking for a relationship right now.”

He understood of course and he promised to be friends. For now. She knew the stubbornness he had and how much he was going to try and win her. And she let him. She wanted to see how far he would go. She was giving him a shot.

And yet she doesn’t know that he’s a mafia leader. She doesn’t know if he killed anyone or not. Of course, he has in the past. She thinks he’s just a man who works for a rich company. She doesn’t know the pure strength and fire he has. And she doesn’t know when to stop teasing. And by god did she love teasing him.

Testing him is playing with fire. And she knows yet. But she loves it. Playing hard to get is the one thing she loved doing to him. He felt like he was being tortured, watching her hanging out with her friends, talking to other boys there. He knew they were mafia members as well but he wasn’t going to start anything. Kyoujuro had an idea of meeting up at a club and having a night of fun for (Y/n), who’s cafe is about to get expanded around places thanks to a millionaire who really likes her drinks and food. (Y/n) invited her friends and they all met up. Kyoujuro had brought a few of his men but for now, he was alone.

‘Why can’t I get her?’ He thought, upset. One of his right hand men, Tengen, came back with some drinks and stared at him. He followed his gaze and chuckled.” You have it hard for the cafe girl don’t you boss?” He asked. Kyoujuro snapped out of his thoughts and looked over.” Huh? Oh yes. (Y/n) is so amazing and beautiful…but-“ he said.” But?” Tengen asked.” But she’s playing hard to get. She’s being stubborn.” He said with a pout.” Boss, you’ll just have to show her how much she means to you.” He said. He looked up at his right hand man.” And how do I do that?” Tengen sighed.” You’re a mafia boss and yet you can’t think of how to show your love for a girl?” He asked. Kyoujuro pouted.” Yes!” Tengen chuckled.” Sorry boss. But that’s your call.” Kyoujuro looked back at (Y/n), watching her laugh and dance with her friends.’ I guess I should try and relax.’ He thought.

(Y/n)‘s p.o.v.

‘Is Kyoujuro watching?’ I thought as I danced with my friends. I do have a crush on Kyoujuro but I want him to make the first move. For some reason I feel like he’s hiding something. Something important. And I want him to snap and show it to me. And teasing is the only way.

I kept dancing, feeling his eyes on me. I want him to watch me. I want him to take action. I looked up from my (h/c) hair and saw him gone. I sighed and stopped dancing. I looked around.’ Where is he? Maybe he went to get a drink?’ I thought.

Suddenly I felt something grab my ass. I froze and turned my head and saw some creepy dude in shady clothes with his hand on my ass. I felt so uncomfortable and scared.’ What the hell?’ I thought.” Hey girlie~” he said.” I saw you teasing me with your moves~ we can go back to my place and “dance” some more~” he said, his hand moving up and grabbing my waist, pulling me closer, his other hand, sneakily trying to go under my dress. I whimpered and grabbed his wrist.” N-no thanks..” I said nervously.” Oh sweetie. Let me rephrase~” he said. A clicking sound came and I looked down and froze when I saw him holding a gun against my stomach.

“I wasn’t asking.” He said with a shit eating grin.

I gulped and nodded with a whimper.” Good. Now follow me.” He said as he nudged me with his gun. I looked around.’ None of my fiends know at all. They’re too drunk or making out with strangers.’ I thought. I looked around and didn’t see Rengoku. I saw the exit and walked out. I looked around and saw it was an alleyway.’ I’m alone….I’m scared….’ I thought as the man closed the door.’ Rengoku….please help me…!’ I thought.

The man walked toward me with a smirk, beginning to unbuckle his belt. I whimpered and leaned against the wall. He slammed his hand next to my head and I whimpered and closed my eyes tight.” R-Rengoku!” I whined.” Who?” The man asked.

“Me.” I heard a loud crack and opened my eyes. Rengoku had the most furious face I’ve ever seen. The man fell to the ground, his face bloody. Mostly his nose. I gasped and looked at Rengoku. He was glaring at the man.” Rengoku!” I said, relieved fo see him, tears forming in my eyes.” I believe you touched something of mine that doesn’t belong to you.” He said. The man groaned and sat up, holding his nose.” I’m sorry you have to see this.” Rengoku said as he looked at me, his eyes softening. I blinked confused before he came behind me and covered my eyes. I heard Rengoku snap his fingers. I heard the man panic as I heard footsteps head toward the man. I held onto Rengoku’s hand to try and pull it away from my eyes. I stood there for a while before it clicked.” Y-you’re part of the mafia aren’t you?” I muttered, holding onto his arm. I felt him tense up.” I am..” he said.”….Why didn’t you tell me?” I muttered. He uncovered my eyes and I turned to him. His eyes looked down, as if afraid to meet my eyes.” I didn’t want to scare you off.” He said, feeling guilty. I gently touched his cheek, his red and yellow eyes snapping up to meet mine.” While I don’t agree with it, I’m sure you have you’re reasons for joining the mafia.” He gently smiled.” You know im the leader right?” He said. I chucked.” Does that mean Ill have minions around me?” He laughed.” Yes i guess it will.” He said. I smiled gently.” Thank you for coming to my rescue.” He blinked and smiled. I jumped when thunder struck and it suddenly began to rain. I sighed and held myself from the cold. I looked up when I felt the rain stop hitting me. I looked up and saw Rengoku holding an umbrella over us. He had the smallest yet proudest smile.” Does that mean I get to call you mine?” He asked. I chuckled.” Yes. I guess so.” I said before I leaned up and gently kissed him.

“ABOUT TIME BOSS! GET SOME-!”

“TENGEN SHUT UP!”