#sorry this got lonG

[emthimofnight]

Thank you sm for thr shadow as a girl dad agenda. Ur so right and its giving me life

I'M SO GLAD WE CAN ALL AGREE!!!

I just think Shadow would connect so naturally to a little girl, you know?? Stellar would immediately activate some dormant protective instincts in him. She's so much like him from the get-go, being an experiment created by people intending to use her and all. He would feel responsible for her, angry for her, sad for her, and hopeful for her. He'd think of Maria when he looked at her, but he'd also think of himself and his own experiences.

As he raised her, he'd find himself growing to care for her in a way he'd never quite felt before. He loved Maria, yes, but that was a different kind of love. She was a sister, a friend, but also part of his reason for existing in the first place. Part of his duty.

With Stellar, it would be different. She exists BECAUSE of him, in a way. She is a part of him. She looks to him for guidance, protection, love, and encouragement. It'd be a whole new experience for him. He'd find himself caring for her so deeply that it would terrify him.

It'd be this softer side of Shadow that would really intrigue Sonic, actually. It'd be one of the reasons the two of them started to catch feelings for each other. Sonic would really admire Shadow in his new parental role. I mean, he's always known Shadow has a good heart at his core, but seeing him actively love something would make him approachable from a different angle. They'd actually have something to work on together, and something to organically start conversations about. He's always known Shadow pretty well, but only at the level one rival would know another.

Seeing him worry, care for, and love their daughter would make him appreciate Shadow in a new way, and that sentiment would be returned by Shadow. He'd find himself growing fond of Sonic's empathetic nature and responsible side. He'd always known Sonic to be kind of care-free and lackadaisical in his approach to life, so to see him approaching fatherhood seriously (even though he never asked for it) would cause him to recognize Sonic as a legitimate partner.

[butmakeitgayblog]

for the reverse trope writing: divorce of convenience (something new or an au of your choice, both sound fun!)

Her eyes watch as the ink bleeds slowly into the paper. They watch neat, slanted script combine in the fragmented loops and dashes that make up that achingly familiar signature. X marks the spot. On the dotted line. Not a single scribble out of place; right where the lawyer had highlighted it in garish neon yellow.

Forever and ever.

They were eleven, and it's promising to always be best friends. The kind that stick together through thick and thin. Like white on rice, as their teacher  often said. 

Forever and ever.

They were fifteen, and it's smiling with the awkwardness of young love. The kind that sets fire to racing hearts from a first kiss stolen behind their school's abandoned gymnasium. 

Forever and ever.

They were seventeen, and it's shaking hands that still can't believe they get to touch their best friends that way. The kind of way that makes them both let out hungry sounds and pretty moans in the backseat of her dad's station wagon.

Forever and ever.

They were nineteen, and it's stiff-jawed goodbyes through desperate kisses. The kind rotten with promises that this isn't the end. That it's just a ‘see you later’, but never goodbye. Not for them.

Forever and ever.

They were twenty-eight, and it's handwritten vows and white satin gowns with matching bridal bouquets. The kind that they picked out together to remind them that all this was worth it, that it's finally the day they'd been planning for since their junior year in college. The culmination of sleepless nights and teary phone calls from three states away.

Forever and ever.

They were thirty, and it's whispering in the nursery  of their freshly furnished house, standing wrapped in each other's arms at the edge of an adorably small bassinet. The kind decked out in purple frills with sunshine yellow along the trim, because they'd agreed from the first plus sign to not know the sex. It's fingers running through brown curls carefully enough not to wake their baby up, while watching lashes twitch in dreaming that hide those baby blue eyes. The exact shape and shade that'd had them both wrapped around a tiny pinky from the start. 

Forever and ever.

They are fifty-four, and it's an empty nest that's too quiet in the house that sometimes feels too big. The kind they'd joked about missing for years, but now that it's here, they don't entirely know what to do with it. 

It's medical bills, and denied claims for benefits, and meetings with stuffy lawyers who explain the finer points of income brackets. It's physical therapy visits and losing her job at the hospital and endless prescriptions that never seem to be covered by their insurance. It's everything, and all the time, because life refuses to slow down for even one damn second, despite a hip that simply will not work anymore. 

They are fifty-four, and Clarke never thought she'd be here. That they'd make this kind of choice. Never thought she'd feel quite this stuck. Quite this useless. Never thought she'd be in this situation at all.

But it's clean and it's neat, just the way they like it. A mutual agreement for them both. A fresh start after the accident, one that'll let them move on with their lives, instead of trying to hang on to this thing that only leaves them drowning. 

At least that's what they'd agreed. 

She watches her wife— her ex-wife, dot the i's of her name with an overly dramatic flourish. Watches her click the pen with her thumb and toss it aside with a sigh from deep in her bones.

She smiles and feels her chest squeeze with that familiar pang of deep friendship and love.

“Cheers,” Clarke says, holding up her flute of champagne. 

She'd had to hobble through four different specialty liquor stores just to find it, but it'd felt fitting to toast the signing of their divorce papers with the same bubbly they'd shared on their wedding day.

Lexa picks up her glass and clinks it soundly against hers, only managing the barest sip around a smile of her own. “Cheers, single lady.”

“Mm. This is good.”

“Even better than I remember from the first time,” Lexa agrees as her gaze makes a lazy rake over Clarke's body.

It's not lost on Clarke how ridiculous it is to be blushing over the signed stack of her divorce papers, but something about the way Lexa looks at her has always set her on fire. 

“So,” she tries, casually, setting aside her cane and leaning heavier against the kitchen table, “what are you going to do next?”

Lexa takes another sip of her champagne, watching her closely over the rim. She swallows with a flex of that elegant throat and shuffles closer, sets her glass down on Clarke's other side, effectively boxing her in. 

“Go to Disneyland.”

The sound of Clarke's snort rings through the kitchen. “Smartass.”

“What about you?” Lexa asks with a bite to her lips, hands still bracketing the sides of Clarke's waist and eyes twinkling with mischief. “Any big plans for the future, newly divorced Ms. Griffin?”

Clarke scoffs. “Nice try. But it's still ‘Ms. Griffin-Woods’ to you.”

“Oh? Is that right?”

“Uhuh,” Clarke nods and loops her arms around Lexa's shoulders. “Sorry not sorry, but I'm never giving that one back.”

Lexa hums and presses closer. Paints her body to Clarke's curves and breathes her in the same way she has for forty years. 

“Greedy, but I think I can live with that.”

“Such a hardship. I seem to remember you loving that about me.”

“Among so many things.”

Clarke moans when Lexa's lips find the hollow dip of her neck, relaxing into the wet warmth of a plump, suckling kiss. Champagne has always made Lexa brazenly affectionate. She tips head back to grant more room and sucks in a gasp at the nibble of teeth. Tangles her fingers in greying, brunette hair that only serves to make her bombshell of a wife look that much more distinguished. 

Well. Her ex-wife, that is…

Hands trail down Clarke's hips and wrap tight around her thighs and before she can yelp a single word she's lifted onto the table. 

Lexa lets out a half-laughed grunt when she gets Clarke settled in place, looking equally as amused as she does grateful that the little maneuver actually still worked after so many years.

“You good, baby?” Clarke chuckles along with her, mindlessly going to rub the shoulder that had started being a pain around birthday forty-seven. “Didn't pop anything, did you?”

“No, I'm good, I'm good,” Lexa says, smiling and shaking off her ill-coordinated prowess like the champ that she is. “That just used to be easier.”

“Is that a crack about my weight?”

“More like a crack about me being old.”

“Oh. Well then yeah.”

“Rude,” Lexa gasps, taking the hips in her hands and pulling them closer. Pressing Clarke firmly against her stomach. “There's still giddy up in this old girl, I'll have you know.”

“Yeah?”

“Mhm.”

“My, my, Ms. Woods—”

“Griffin-Woods,” Lexa's quick to correct. Suddenly serious in how intensely she stares Clarke in the eyes. “You're not getting that back either.”

They share a look because things like this have never required words. Not for them. But with everything and all of it, with the ink still drying on the paper beside them, Clarke gives in to her last bit of worry. 

“You're still my girl,” she whispers. Swallows. Feels a stinging prickle along her eyes at the sudden need to feel this connection with her favorite person in the world. “Even with me, and having to do all this… You know we're still us, right? You're still my girl?”

Clarke melts into the kiss she knows is coming because she knows this woman better than anybody, and it feels more like a promise that nothing could ever break them than any piece of paper ever could. She wraps her good leg around Lexa's hip and deepens it, kisses back with every ounce of love her heart has to offer. Cherishes each massage of tongue and slide of lips that have met thousands of times before. 

Lexa kisses her once, twice more, and pulls back with a soothing smile.

“Always, love… Forever and ever.”

[wildfloweronwheels]

these thoughts are still developing so be gentle but I think the shock of ttpd paying attention to taylor’s rebound with matty at least partly stems from the fact that most of the discourse failed to recognise the emotional context at the time. Our focus (including mine) was on criticising and critiquing her for being associated with him. That is of course (still) extremely valid and it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that taylor herself is dripping with self loathing over it. BUT if you look beyond that for just a second, what you see is a woman whose future and forever had just been blown up (in part by her to save herself) and then this guy who she already has existing intimacy with swoops in to rescue her from the pain because that’s her primary focus; making it stop.

He says all the right things and makes all these promises she’s desperate to believe in. Remember, for every time Taylor has appeared jaded and wary, she is still almost impossibly at her core a hopeless romantic. Of course she wants to relish in his love bombing because by all accounts for a while she’s been starved of it. But then he leaves because it was never about saving, only about taking.

We were all so busy being mad at taylor at the time while also desperately trying to understand and give her grace for her behaviour that most of us forgot to consider how fucked up matty’s was. He took advantage of a completely broken woman and built her an escape route ringing with identical false promises (heavier to make at 34 so assumed to be meant) and then shattered it. Maybe he really did mean them but she wasn’t in a position to truly, and anyone worth their salt would have seen that. Would have focused on her healing. So of course that’s almost going to hurt more and be darker. She was already smashed and then he broke her just for fun. And then after all of that, she glued herself back together piece by piece and in a fateful moment got someone who met her where she was at finally and meant it

[moodnamars]

2023 aka the year of cas posts

i uhh aha... didnt post much this year OOPS but i was tagged by @castawavy my light my universe. these were my favs from the year anyways! plus a couple extra ones i didnt post.. my little gameplay family that lasted a week and an au test!

anyways i tag @sojutrait @leavemetoplaythesims @verthu @gunthermunch @squea and whoever else wants to do this i tag YOU.

[blueblurseptember]

damn. can't stop thinking about binghe being shen yuan's comfort character in his previous life now. idk, but i am simply convinced that shen yuan has had the childhood of a typical asian middle child, made worse by the fact that he's from a rich family. all his little quirks and oddities would actually make a whole god awful lot of sense too if that were the case. like it would just makes sense.

ofc nobody else would be as good in watering down their feelings, devaluing their positive qualities, and underestimating their ability to make any real impact (on anyone they of value) than a second child who grew up often compared to the first and had been, intentionally or unintentionally, made to feel like they never have or never will measure up or measure enough.

i think it's also why of all the moments, he only genuinely started to understand binghe's true feelings when binghe began going off about feeling unwanted and never being enough to make anyone stay. all those feelings, those exact insecurities too, despite himself, he understood well enough bc he'd lived with them his entire life. even built half of his personality and put up most of the mental and emotional walls he have up to cope with them.

for so long, he'd seen binghe, post-abyss, as someone so unlike him. as far as he's concerned he's just some average guy who needs to learn how to settle with whatever life gives him bc he'll never be good enough to really, really achieve things. binghe, on the other hand, is an OP protagonist destined for greatness, to have everything and everyone he can ever want, to be chosen by anything or anyone he chooses.

they can't be any more different!!! except as it turns out, casting roles aside, binghe doesn't feel any differently about himself as shen yuan feels about his own self. and worse of all, and he's realized this too, that he's the last straw that got binghe feeling so strongly that way about himself.

anywaY, yes. binghe as shen yuan's comfort character—hoo boy, yes. he would soooo love a character like the original flavor binghe, alright. middle child who's constantly made to feel like he'll never be enough would totally love the living hell out of a white lotus who's constantly treated like a lesser being by the people around him only to emerge as a blackened OP protagonist who finally has achieved power not just over his life but the whole fucking world!!!

even before binghe turned real, he's helped shen yuan embrace, even just a little, his own feelings. they really are soul mates, idk, god.

[sculkshrieking]

dude your hoffstrahmdon is changing my life! have you ever thought about including adam in the mix for the au? ship thing or not i'm just curious about if he gets to live :-)

teehee i'm glad you like them :D!! I had to think about this for a little bit. Adam generally stays dead in my head because i love the guilt and haunting and also because i don't think John with his barbed wire grip on all three apprentices would ever allow his freedom. HOWEVER we love to self indulge in this house and throwing Adam into the mix sounds so chaotic.

Maybe Hoffman plays a part in getting Adam out which is what makes Lawrence feel indebted enough to come and warn him not to go after Jill (which just makes me think of Lawrence and Adam in the makeshift jigsaw hospital room getting tended to by Hoffman while John and Amanda are off getting bloodboarded).

Lawrence and Adam are insanely codependent because I wouldn't have their post-bathroom relationship any other way. They will bite, kick and scream like frightened dogs if you try to separate them.

With Hoffman, Adam probably has some mixed feelings in a "You're horrible and I can't stand you, but you saved me" type way. Mostly the first part, really. Meanwhile, I think Hoffman just finds him annoying and grating as hell, he wants that twink obliterated and all that.

The Strahm and Adam roasting matches are insane. It's a constant PvP zone in there and absolutely no one is safe. There are parallels between them that they're both doing their best to ignore. Also they can smoke out on the balcony together as a treat <33

I don't know what kind of situation would force them all to have to spend a bunch of time together but i personally would love to see the resulting carnage. I also would love for them to kiss, i just have a hard time imagining all of them liking each other </3. Hate sex is absolutely still on the table however <33. Adam how come your mom lets you have THREE big hot middle aged men around you etc etc.

In conclusion:

[stewieonthewall]

I can understand people perceiving the hug to just be a hug between besties and that’s totally valid but just like anything to do with pazzi, it’s never really what they do but it’s what the rest of the team does that always gives them away or makes everything 🤨🤨 like with that hug, from the front angle you saw KK legit have the biggest surprised smile on her face when they hugged and the other angle, you can clearly see her put her hands over her mouth and was completely cheesing plus you can see ice looking over at kk? and giving a knowing smile. Then you obvs had azzi giving kk a light shove at the end to get her to stop. Bonus: aubrey’s smile as p goes in for the hug and the way q looks at them in the photo that was posted.

It’s the same with that clip. Like yes, the way they were holding each other in that seemed intimate but you could also chalk it up to them being drunk or something, but it was ice and carol’s reaction afterwards that let you know something’s going on.

So many other examples tbh haha but y’all already know 😜. Like 97% of their interactions in public can definitely be explained as just very close besties behavior, but their teammates’ reactions always say otherwise. But ofc each to their own and like i said, i can definitely understand ppl that totally just see them as besties (and maybe they really are just that or maybe not, i guess we’ll never know until they want us to know!)

yes yes yes i so agree

bc don’t get me wrong like i’ve been getting the “undercutting tension” vibe in everything they do for a while now but that could very much be me going insane, bc most of what they’ve done i would do/have done w my bsf bc we’re like soul tied. but also i feel like it did have different energy like watching them i wasn’t like oh yeah that’s us fr ykwim?

vibes/energy whatever is sm harder to read tho which is why i base so much of it off of their teammates, as you said. when paige and nika hug, no one bats an eye. when paige and azzi hug, everyone (discreetly) throws a party lmao

bc of everything that’s happened, i think the other girlies get just as excited as we do when pazzi does interact in public 😭 we really don’t get to see it a lot anymore it’s like a lil treat

but yeah the way all their teammates tiptoe around talking abt it and hide it on lives and always react like that speaks volumes and i don’t think they’d be able to keep up this bit (if it was) for this long

also food for thought, they could always say sum to shut it down and they never do 🤷‍♀️ like kate was chill w going on live and being like “i’m NOT dating jada” bc you know, she isn’t 😭😭

like the fact that they’re not even willing to lie abt it tells you how in deep they are

[kingofthering]

Read @flyingfabio's thoughts on her weekend in Le Mans and realized it could be nice for me to give mine as well. Also going to go under a read more for the sanity of everyone's dash.

context/overall things

This was my second MotoGP race weekend and my second time in Le Mans. Last year I went alone with a grandstand ticket (Zarco GS) that I bought in January kind of an on a whim. In October I had access to the presales for 2024 and I got two VIP tickets (Club Grand Prix to be exact), one of which I gifted to my dad for Christmas.

These were a hefty price (650 euros) and if I were to do it again, I would go for one of the other VIP ticket packages (probably Sunday lodge/box [can't find the right translation but the things above the garages] for 500 euros). I do realize that it's a lot of money but I'm in a place in my life where I can save money every month and afford to splurge on things like this occasionally, so, yeah. And I think that overall, the experience was worth it.

This was my first time being alone with my dad and traveling with him for 4 days. I love my dad but he's had a lot of health issues in the past years and he's done a lot of work to be better physically but he's still a little diminished now and can't walk as fast as I can and needs to take breaks every now and then. I will admit that this wasn't always easy to manage because of my excitement and my lack of patience at times but we had a good time overall. I was also stressed because I needed things to go well and I didn't sleep much (and didn't eat much because of the stress) so my dad ended up having to take care of me on Saturday night but we both survived in the end.

I will say, even if you have a GS ticket or even a GA one, a weekend in Le Mans has so much to offer that I think people should really attend if they have the chance to. In addition to the usual MotoGP/Moto2/Moto3, you also get MotoE and the Rookies Cup which means that there is always something happening on track (pretty much). The fanzone events with the riders are really nice (I didn't attend this year but I had a really good time in 2023) and the Mechanical Show on Saturday is pretty cool as well.

One thing that I will also always give to Le Mans is the access to the circuit. You have the tramway (that runs through the whole city) arriving 150 meters away from the East gate of the circuit. There are a lot of people riding the trams but it was okay, I even found the organization of Sunday afternoon pretty great (while I was stressed of being too late at the train station and I sure wasn't).

The sound of the bikes at the start might be my new favorite thing in the world. I will say, please if you come to a race weekend, have stuff to protect your ears (earplugs or headphones), you will need them (they do sell them at the track if you forget).

I knew from Thursday already that we were going to break the attendance record. The number of people on track on Thursday and Friday already were insane. Le Mans has always been a popular GP (duh, it was holding the attendance record already) but Wednesday and Thursday being holidays in France (and a lot of people not working on Friday as a consequence) definitely helped.

VIP things

Access to the stands' building : This was my favorite thing in the ticket. I could have done with just that (and the paddock visit). This building is the one right above the garages so you got the pit lane on one side (and a lot of seats you sit in in the 4th floor to overlook the circuit, the pit lane, the podium) and the paddock on the other side. You essentially get to watch things happening in the paddock and people working there and it's so interesting. When you're on the 1st floor, you have gates that riders come up to sometimes to interact with fans. This was quite eye-opening to me on how much riders interact with fans throughout the weekend (and that we don't get to see when we're at home). The one that I saw interacting the most with fans throughout my days there was definitely Marc (he's so loved but he gives so much back honestly). On the 2nd floor you had the media room where they do their rounds of media and if you were there at the right time, you could interact with the riders when they were going up or down from media center. Most of them stopped from autographs and photos all the times I was there (Thursday afternoon for the press conferences, Friday afternoon after PR, Saturday afternoon after the sprint).

Paddock tour/visit : maybe my favorite part that I want to replicate so badly. I had to pick a time among offered slots and I chose the 10:30-13:00 on Friday because I didn't want to be missing any important sessions. You're basically free to roam the paddock as you want during your time slot and I saw so many familiar faces, it was insane, even non-riders like Massimo Rivola or Jack Appleyard (from the MotoGP broadcast). The first rider I talked to was Cele and at first I wasn't sure I had recognized him and I didn't want to run so I walked fast to get him before he went into the VR46 motorhome and god, I was so awkward at first (sorry Cele) and he couldn't hear me well because the MotoGP bikes were doing FP1 at the time but I did ask him about his collarbone (and he said he was fine) and told him I was hoping we could see him back soon. He seemed shy as well but very sweet. I also got to talk to (and take photos with) Fermin, Manuel (Gonzalez) and David Alonso. After my brain remembered how to speak Spanish I congratulated David for his best rookie title last season and told him I was betting on him for this season (and wishing him luck). He was really sweet as well. On the MotoGP side, I waited an hour in front of Yamaha's side to see Fabio (also got to see Rinsy first) and well, I did see Fabio from very up close but things were very chaotic and people behind were pushing and that wasn't exactly fun but, well. In the meantime, my dad got to talk to Bezz and he told me he seemed like a very nice and funny guy (more on that story here) and I will say I got a little jealous of that. Overall a really cool experience.

Pit lane visit : I thought we couldn't do it at the supposed time and in the end, we were able to enter the pit lane around 11:40, after quali. Honestly, seeing the bikes from up close like this is so cool. Like, shit, they're so pretty it's insane. Also, I feel like the garages look much bigger on TV? It was quite cool to see. I saw Mav coming back to his garage and start his debrief with his team. Also saw Bezz in his box and I saw Mig, who I didn't get to talk to but love even more now anyway. After about 10-15 minutes we had to leave so that was quite short but cool anyway. I know they did a pit lane visit open to everyone on Thursday but there were so many people, it seemed a little scary (but probably worth it if you're ready to queue early and throw some elbows around if needed).

Club Grand Prix access : the box was on the main straight. It was quite comfortable and I will say that the access to easy bathroom and free drinks was quite nice. I didn't eat much because of the state of my stomach but people were complimenting the food. Oh and having screens in there was quite practical. As I said earlier, it's not the ticket I would book again. I was a little frustrated by the fact we were not in the open air and it took away from the race experience for me. (Still amazing for a lot of people and my dad really appreciated the comfort but I know I personally would have been better in the stands' building.)

My experience is subjective because of the times I was there but like I said before, I saw a lot of Marc taking time for fans (one time he couldn't go up to a little kid but he sent JL to give him a slider), saw Maverick a bunch of times as well, Rinsy too. I heard people say that Johann was also taking a lot of time for the fans. I saw Jack give his cap (fully unprompted) to a little kid on Saturday on his way down from media. The only time I saw Pedro he didn't have time for the fans and most people I've heard were saying that he never seemed to really be engaging with people (but I talked with a guy who fully understood it as "it can't be easy for him getting all that attention all of a sudden"). He sure got a lot of appreciation from the public in the stands, though. Bezz spent a lot of time to sign everybody's stuff on Saturday. Alex (Marquez) was the last one to go to media and I asked him for a photo right before he got in for a media and he said "two minutes" and came back 10 minutes later and immediately came to me for the photo and was super sweet about it. I already had a good experience with Alex last year and I was really happy to have another one this year as well.

the racing

I will say, I definitely need to watch the sprint and the race calmly because I'm so confused about what happened when. Like obviously I remember the last lap battle between Marc & Pecco and I remember Pecco's retirement in the sprint (even filmed him coming back to the pits) but hm, yeah, things are a big mess in my head. Moto2 was eh (filmed Tony getting to his box and being not so happy when talking to his team) and Moto3 was pretty entertaining.

People were so happy with Fabio got directly to Q2 and I was as well. Quali was fun to watch as well. I'm just sad I didn't get to see practice starts in front of me but the real starts were cool too.

We see them on TV but the sheer amount of people that are on the grid before races is insane. And the way everyone immediately starts running from the pits when the guys leave for the sighting lap? So impressive to watch. I honestly could have spent my weekend watching teams work, it was so interesting to me.

[ominousposting]

✨Disabled Ghouls✨

so real. so true

been thinking a lot of ehlers danlos syndrome havers rain and zephyr. ive also been thinking about maybe phoenix having it as well

zephyr definitely has the most severe case of the bunch, theyre old and have been around the ministry for a While. even as a human, their body did not treat them kindly, so its not surprising that their ghoul body is doing the same thing.

the same can be said for rain. constantly searching for doctors as a human before their death, never really finding the answer of what was wrong with them. zephyr was a big help in that way, they had already experienced everything rain had experienced years ago. they saw the signs in rain and made sure to reach out to them about how to take care of themself, lest they end up hurting themself unknowingly (like zephyr had down for years upon years)

rain and zephyr both are seeing the same thing in phoenix. phoenix, well. lets just say phoenix wasnt too old by the time they died and, in turn, didnt get to experience any intense issues as a human relating to their hypermobility. it was just a fun little party trick to them (“oh watch me put my foot behind my head!” “look at how far my elbows bend back!” “look at how far out i can turn my feet!”). now, since being brought back to earth as a ghoul, their body is starting to experience some issues. joints need to crack more often than the average body should need, joints are locking up, things of that nature. rain and zephyr make sure to keep an eye on them and help when needed.

[rockitmans]

Hello, I really enjoy your writing and you seem confident in writing smut. Do you have any tips on how to go about it? I find is so awkward!

Hey thank you 😊 I am just a guy with a laptop but I can try my best to tell you some stuff that helps me.

First of all! My number one tip that everyone should follow IS that you really don't have to write smut if you don't want to. Probably obvious, but there's very few fics that actually require detailed smut and if it makes you uncomfy it may not be worth it. BUT I'm sure you know that already and are here for some actual advice so here we go.

Gonna get a tiny bit nsfw but not graphically. All this is advice only, nothing is ever a hard and fast rule, especially in writing. Take what you like and chuck out the rest. Other writers feel free to add on 💖

What's the point of the smut?

Personally I think smut is always better if it is conveying something about the characters or the story. If the point of it is just to be pwp that is absolutely fine ofc but if it's within a larger story what are you trying to convey? Desire for each other that's finally bubbled over? Connection and trust? Playfulness and fun?

Whatever the angle, try and keep that motivation in your mind. If the sex is about connection, focus on the internal feelings, lots of affectionate words between them, a lot of eye contact etc. If it's about that "I must have you now" passion, maybe it's quicker, choppier, more desperate and less talking.

Smut doesn't have to be hot to be good and valid in the story. Maybe it's sometimes deliberately bad sex. Maybe sometimes it's soft and sweet rather than steamy. Don't get too stressed trying to make it titillating (if I may use that word).

Character first

Following on from that. Think about your characters, especially in the context of the AU you've put them in if that's the case. Who would instigate? Who would take charge? If someone is very playful and jokey out of the bedroom, they'll probably take that energy into it. If they're serious and passionate, likewise.

I'm sure as a writer you've often thought that the characters sometimes just do their own thing without your input because you're in their head so much. Let that energy guide you through sex scenes as well. (I very accidentally set myself up for wall sex in one of my fics once because the characters would not shut up about it.)

Write about what you like

Especially for your first few attempts, write about stuff you enjoy. Whether that be in real life, fantasy or you just have an academic interest in. I've been called out multiple times for liking subby Blaine 😂 And yes! I do! I find it fun to write so that's why I write it.

Think about what specifically you enjoy about your scenario and express that on page. This should in turn lead to an enjoyable reading experience! If you're not sure what you like, read some smut and think about what parts of it appeal to you. Avoid writing kinks that squick you out.

It's about the fantasy

I wouldn't get too bogged down in mechanics. Especially of anal sex. Fanfiction is sort of fantasy and doesn't need to be incredibly realistic to be fun. By all means make sure you're conveying a sense of how your characters are positioned and how they are interacting but don't get into the weeds of minutiae if you don't need to. It's not a how-to guide and being too mechanical can remove the spice.

Invoke the five senses

General writing advice is to get all senses involved but it's just as important for smut. A few examples.

Sight: how their partner looks, their body, especially if it's your POV character's first time seeing them naked AND how that makes them feel. Lighting is a good visual way of setting the mood. Soft, romantic lighting for their first time? Candles for romance. Just in broad daylight in the middle of the kitchen for spontaneity.

Sound: Gasping, sighing, moaning, their partners voice. Are they talking? Laughing? Why? Are things going wrong or are they just giddy and excited? Is there people nearby that they can hear that adds to the thrill? Do they play music?

Smell: smells on the other person they've never noticed because they've never been that close before. I tend to avoid talking about unpleasant smells because it kind of takes you out of the moment. But washing powder, cologne, shampoo, all that stuff is golden.

Taste: I'm sure you can use your imagination on this one! The taste of their partners mouths when kissing, the taste of salt on their skin, the taste of them intimately

Touch: This one is so key! Are touches deliberate or incidental? Gentle or rough? What emotion does a certain touch invoke? Capturing sensation and mood can be more effective than pure description sometimes. And the touch doesn't just have to come from each other. What about the feel of the sheets? Toys? Are they having sex on a surface that is hard or rough?

Write scared

Posting smut is intimidating and a lil scary, especially the first time but probably several times after that as well. As the well known saying goes: Feel the fear and do it anyway. We all start somewhere and we are all constantly improving. If you are very brave you can ask for con crit but otherwise it's just a skill to hone like any other. I believe in you!

[yazzydream]

I'm still confused about the Megumi/Zen'in payoff thing. Toji sold him (???) to the Zen'in clan, but not right away. Gojo got the sale cancelled (??? they already paid so who's paying them back) by getting the school to intervene? Megumi's on a work study program??? why does Gojo get money?

Also, do members of the clans not work with the school? this is just world building I don't know

(in reference to this post)

The amount of money Toji would get was based on whether Megumi had an Inherited Technique. At the time, Megumi would have been too young yet to display what technique he got yet. (He would still have been 3/4 or younger when Toji made the deal with Naobito. Most sorcerers only display their abilities around 6 years old.) Toji was either bullshitting that Megumi had great potential or it was a gut instinct.

When Megumi was old enough, Gojo interfered before the Zen'in got a hold of him. Ah, and Toji was dead too, so there probably wasn't anyone left for the money to go to. Since, y'know, Toji was dead. That was probably used as part of the argument against the Zen'in taking Megumi, actually. Lol. Though, I'm sure they would've just kidnapped him if Gojo wasn't around.

From what I read of Megumi's internal narration, Jujutsu Tech sponsored Megumi and Tsumiki for living expenses. Kind of like a loan or scholarship? In turn, Megumi would work as a sorcerer in the future.

(But actually, I don't know. Even if Megumi and Tsumiki never lived with Gojo, according to the fanbook, Gojo paid for things like utilities. So, did the college just pay for like, food and (normal) schooling, or was Gojo paying for all of it without having told Megumi different?

Cuz we know Gojo took care of/mentored Megumi because of the latter's potential. He wanted strong allies to change Jujutsu society. So, maybe the deal of "get fed as long as you become sorcerer in the future" was Gojo's one-sided decision. Who knows. Lol.)

Gojo... does not get money from the Zen'in or Megumi. 😂 Not sure where you got that.

The college is used as a base for jujutsu society in general, so I'm sure many of the higher ups are also clan members. They're affiliated, but hm... The school is an institution that also works with the Japanese government, but it's also heavily tied by the influence of the Three Great Clans... Is my take.

For example "Special Grade 1" sorcerers like Naobito and a lot of the Zen'in are graded that way because they didn't attend the school, and thus not graded by the school, but are suspected (decided) of being on the same level as Grade 1. So... they get a sparkly title of their own. Goes to show you how privileged they are, don't it?

Get what I'm saying? I'd say the clans think they're too good to attend the school but they still hold influence inside because of how it's indisputably important to Jujutsu society.

I'm not at all sure if my rambling explanation made any sense. 😂

[penn-dragon]

Do you mind if I ask your top 10 favorite characters (can be male or female) from all of the media that you loved (can be anime/manga, books, movies or tv series)? And why do you love them? Sorry if you've answered this question before.....Thanks...

This is such a sweet question I would love to!

These are in no particular order because my level of passion for them changes depending on my current hyperfixation, and I’m limiting myself to one character per media but giving honorable mentions because I tend to love two or three characters almost equally

1. Monkey D. Luffy!!! (Honorable mention: Zoro and Sanji)

One Piece holds a special place in my heart. I watched it on 4kids when I was growing up and it was the first anime I watched as a teenager. Luffy is so so so important to me as a character. I got myself through the worst parts of teendom by imagining that if he was real Luffy would love me. He’s such a warm, loving, and joyous character. He’s Joyboy!!! He came into the world without a family and so he made his own and that’s so special, the message that no one in this world is born to be alone and somewhere out there someone or ones will love you and fight for you. And on top of all this he’s an aroace king!!!

2. Mogami Kyoko -Skip Beat!

Kyoko was my Girl Crush™️ in high school. I remember telling my best friend “yeah if I was gay I’d date Kyoko” LMAO. Beyond that there’s just something so special to me about reading this manga over and over, watching this girl—who only knew how to live to make her existence as palatable to other people as possible—grow into herself and find her own passions and loves as she heals from the abuses she’s dealt with her whole life. (Just looking up images of her made me want to reread the whole manga)

3. Peter Parker (Honorable mention: Harry Osborn)

Spider-Man is an OG, a forever love. No matter how many years go by I’ll always circle back around to Spider-Man. I love him and his pain and his Anger Issues™️ and his iron-clad morality. The people’s hero, the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. He’s also responsible for coding my brain to always gravitate towards the comic relief characters. I love a jokester who quips through dangerous situations.

4. Yosuke Hanamura - Persona 4

So I always joke that a majority of my favorite characters fall into one of two categories. 1. Hides their insecurities behind jokes/false bravado, and 2. Internalized homophobia/in love with best friend. And the characters I go FERAL for have both. Yosuke Hanamura is one of the both. I love a comic relief character!!! I love a man that’s hopelessly in love with his best friend but won’t admit it because he’s terrified of the implications!!! When I played this game for the first time, like most people, I was SO MAD THAT I COULDN’T DATE YOSUKE. 90% of the time when I play I don’t end up dating anyone because I refuse to deny the protag his one true love lmao. Yosuke and Yu also have the bonus of being my first ever gay ship. Their love is so powerful it pierced through my own internalized homophobia lol!!

5. Din Djarin -The Mandalorian (Honorable mention: Luke Skywalker)

I’m out here projecting so much onto this man!!!! He’s autistic, he’s asexual, he’s Traumatized. My other category of favorite characters is “Stoic Dad who learns to love again through a pseudo child figure” so he’s right up that alley. The man responsible for finally getting me into Star Wars after 27 years of having absolutely no interest.

6. Virgil Hawkins!! - Static Shock (Honorable mention: Richie Foley)

The way I waited with baited breath for every Static Shock episode as a child. It’s still one of my favorite shows, I own all 4 seasons on DvD and cherish them. I love Virgil so much!! He taught me about diversity! He’s such a lovable character and it makes the show an absolute delight to watch no matter how dated some parts of it get. The show does such a wonderful job balancing Virgil’s super heroics as Static with the heroics of every day life and it’s so endearing.

7. Oliver -Space Boy (Honorable mention: Amy)

Oliver is definitely the most niche character on this list (which is a crying shame please PLEASE read Space Boy on Webtoon it will chemically change your brain.) I’m just so attached to him. I feel so much for him and his story. If I could give him the biggest hug I would in an instant. “Take away his humanity and you can ignore his pain. Define him as a tool and you can justify using him.”

9. Rex Salazar - Generator Rex

Oh maaaaaan I love this asshole teenager!! I’m soooo obsessed with characters who get dehumanized for the sake of using their abilities like a tool and not a person. Re: the above Space Boy quote. The aesthetic of this show is so cool! (Also hello character who hides their insecurity behind false bravado.)

8. Aang - Avatar the Last Airbender (Honorable mention: Zuko)

Oh Aang… My sweet boy… my beloved… He imparted so much wisdom to me growing up… and also taught me it’s okay to have fun. I’ll always love him so much. There’s so much to rant about Avatar but it would take three hours.

10. Yugi Mutou - Yu-Gi-Oh! (Honorable mention: Atem)

I related to Yugi SO MUCH as a kid. He’s just a little weirdo who loves games and craves friendship more than anything. Honestly Yugi might have been the character I most strongly related to when I was young. I remember feeling swells of happiness when people would say nice things about Yugi as a character because it felt like they were saying nice things about me too.

[elapsed-spiral]

Thinking about Ed and trauma and the whole pink robe sad lyrics talent show of it all.

I agree that Ed is really trying out new ways of living when he returns to the Revenge but I think there is a strangeness and a falseness to it. That's trauma baby. I think Ed has just started getting comfortable with the idea that maybe he isn't an inherently monstrous, evil person, thanks to Stede and their moment at the beach, but that growing belief has been jeopardised, thanks to Stede and Ed's other moment at the dock. I know Stede, you're also traumatised as all hell, I know buddy. And if Stede is the guy who helped Ed start to think maybe he could be "someone else", then who is he without him?

When I watch the sad song scene, it feels a bit off to me. I think partly it's because the show is still a comedy, but also because Ed is clutching at straws. He wants to keep feeling better, he wants to keep believing that he's not an irredeemable monster, but the guy who helped him start to question that belief is gone. Why is he gone? Did he change his mind? Was he wrong about Ed?

I think the scene feels off, like play acting, because Ed doesn't really believe that he is pink robe wearing, talent show loving Ed or that that's who he can be. It just feels like another part he's playing. Because who is Ed Teach, really? He's had a lot of people tell him who he is, but he's not had a lot of opportunity to figure it out for himself.

So he's in a pretty delicate place when Izzy comes along and threatens him like a little shitbag. Worse still, on some level, I think there's a warped comfort to what Izzy tells him (don't get me wrong, what Izzy says is awful): Ed is a bad person. He is just Blackbeard, and that's all he'll ever be. At least Ed knows where he stands with that, even if it confirms that he's an evil, unlovable person.

But the problem is, once you've started to realise that maybe you aren't to blame for everything and maybe some terrible things happened to you, not you to them, it's hard to put that all back in the box. And that's how you end up crying while you look at your ex's wife's weirdly prophetic art.

[cabin9sblog]

I'm going to step out of my demigod role play for just a sec

I may have mentioned this before, but I have a headcanon I'd like to share:

Hephaestus chooses godly godparents for his children. Either one or two depending on how much extra support he thinks they will need, but always at least one. The godparent(s) would bless the child, sometimes with a skill, or with powers. Basically, the kid would be under the protection of another god who can interact with them more.

Most of the godparents don't actually talk to the kid, but view them in a higher light than most mortals or demigods (not counting their own kids).

Other gods do this too, but only with their favorite kids, meanwhile, Hephaestus' trauma from his shitty parents means he never picks favorites and loves all of his kids.

He will often choose gods like Dionysus (his best friend (this isn't a headcanon, they are actually said to be good friends)), because they have a good history with their own kids. But sometimes he will even choose gods like Ares, who he doesn't get along with.

The only god he has never and will never choose, is Zeus. He did choose Hera once, but will not do that again because it ended in disaster.

[gumy-shark]

q!jaiden and q!roier make me sick btw. i am sososo mentally ill about them. they and bobby are so good and one day i will be so annoying with the paragraphs ill type about them. there’s so much fucking love there. they fit together so well. emotionally i am still in that basement with charlie hunting all the eggs and jaiden is desperately praying for roier to come online so she at least has someone bc they are each other’s someone. and they are each other’s someone they are each other’s person and they’re not in love and they’re more than friends and the closest word to what they have is “family“ bc they are a family but there’s smth different about it. they were two strangers, paired up by chance, and they became something

[nyaagolor]

what do you think of Carmine and Kieran so far? My stance is that even though neither of them are abusive and do care deeply about each other (and seeing people say they are abusive, especially about Carmine, makes me really sad), I do think that their relationship is definitely NOT a "normal sibling relationship" and both of them do have a bunch of Capital I Issues. But them having Capital I Issues that complicate their relationship while still caring (which FURTHER complicates things) and not being bad people at all is what make them so interesting to me and it's a vicious cycle I LOVE VICIOUS CYCLES OF MISCOMMUNICATION AND MESSY RELATIONSHIPS!!! I'm so normal (lying)

absolutely adore them, Pokemon has really filled this game to the absolute brim with characters who 1. Behave like real people 2. Have actual personalities with arcs that don't act like complete archetypes. God fucking Bless.

The general reaction to the DLC tho has surprised me in the worst way possible. The characters in these games are significantly better written than any pokemon characters in the past but ultimately, they are still pokemon characters. Most of their personality traits are made abundantly and explicitly clear to the audience by the story's end. There is not much digging you really have to do here

And yet! I'm sitting here watching Carmine's reception and thinking back to Nemona, because both of them have a pretty clearly defined personality that I really didn't think were possible to misinterpret. Despite the fact that they are laughably easy characters to understand on a fundamental level people STILL have managed to mischaracterize them to the point of consistently putting discourse on my dash about it. "Carmine is abusive" Carmine is like 15. She is a teenage girl with a younger brother. This is how teenagers behave, especially insecure ones like Carmine is implied to be. She overcompensates and is kind of rude like 3 times and lets her caring nature slip constantly because she feels things extremely strongly. She gets really worked up over everything Because She Is A Teenager. I don't understand why this is difficult

I'm not even sure I would go as far as to say Carmine has Capital I Issues (tho that's a lil subjective, ymmv?) because everything just kinda feels like pretty typical teenager stuff? Like yeah she has issues but they're pretty much exactly what happened to like half the people I knew in high school. And honestly I adore that, it resonates with a lot of people and feels like a good representation of actual teenagers and their problems. It's not especially grandiose but it IS real. Her and Kieran's relationship having strain because they are both kids figuring out how to deal with each other and their emotions is a dope conflict to display in a pokemon game and I think fits in with the more grounded arcs and conflicts we've seen in the base game. It's nice

Kieran's fucked in the head tho idk what that bitch's problems are but I wanna watch him lose it. it'll be funny as hell. I hope his relationship with Carmine gets better but I want it to get worse first