#sorry. however!! i feel like it is obvious i held this opinion

[wellnoe]

in a lot of ways telepathy and the way its used in superhero comics is kind of inherently fucked but it is also often kind of hot. imo.

[joes-sha-la-la-la-girl]

'I'm In Love With You' - Jon Bon Jovi x Reader

A/N: Thank you once again to @elliotts-personal-property for helping me overcome the writer's block I had for this fic. To the anon that requested it, I hope you like it. I haven't written for JBJ for ages as my other fic was written months before I posted it, so I hope this is alright 💖💖

Masterlist

The day I met Jon for the first time in the record store started out like any other. I hadn’t anticipated that I would meet the rockstar at all, in fact I was hoping for as little human interaction as possible. Purely because I just wanted to be left in peace whilst I searched through the records.

However, that was not to be. As soon as I walked in the store, I saw that there was only one other person in there. I recognised him straight away. Everyone around here knew who Bon Jovi were. Not that I cared much for them. I didn’t mind their music and had their debut record at home, I just didn’t fall at their feet like most of the people here. 

At first I tried to ignore him, moving my way through the store and looking over the stock of records. However, it became more difficult to ignore the singer as when I next looked up he was standing only a few feet away from me. Trying not to catch his attention, I slowly moved away again. 

However it was too late. Before I knew it Jon was standing right next to me and I could feel his eyes staring at me. 

“Can I help you?” I asked him, barely looking up. 

“Not really, just wanted to talk to a pretty lady s’all.” He responded with a wink and a cheeky grin.

“Well unfortunately for you, I’m not in the mood to be spoken to today, sorry.” I lamely excused myself. Part of me felt bad for being rude, but the other part couldn’t find it in me to care. Jon just carried on standing there with a grin on his face, not deterred by my bluntness in any way.

“Do you really listen to this?” He questioned me as he looked at the records I was flicking through. Admittedly synth-pop wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea but that was part of the reason I listened to it. I liked the way that the music I listened to was created for people who didn’t quite fit into society. It was for the misfits who didn’t fit in with the misfits. Listening to artists create music to stand out made me feel more confident in myself. 

“Yes I do.” I answered his question. Jon didn’t respond to that and instead just carried on looking at the records I was searching through. 

“I’m Jon by the way.” He smiled at me, ignoring the obvious tension between the two of us.

“I’m Y/N.” I half heartedly responded, earning another cheeky grin in return. 

*

Over the next few weeks, this became a regular occurrence. How one manages to bump into a rising rockstar nearly every week I’ll never know but for some reason it kept happening. Our encounters consisted of heated arguments over music, each time we met the disagreements got more intense. At one point I was sure that we would get kicked out of the store but when the owner recognised Jon, he thought against it and just told us to keep it down instead.

I had resigned to the fact that no matter how much I tried to avoid him, every power in the universe was ensuring that I would run into him again. Despite our differences of opinions when it came to music, I found myself almost looking forward to seeing Jon. That should have been my first clue that I was falling in love with him; however, the stubbornness inside of me refused to believe it. 

It wasn’t until he went on tour that I realised how badly in love with him I was. I found that our senseless squabbles and the ridiculous comments that were made purely for the sake of it, was actually just me covering for the apparent love I held for him.

When I came to that dreadful realisation, I decided that the best thing to do was to try and stay away from him as much as possible. I didn’t know the specific date in which Jon got back off of tour but it was soon. 

*

Eventually I saw him walking towards the record store one day. Rather than go in like I had planned, I promptly turned away and made my way to another store. If I saw him on the street then I went the other way. Maybe I was being ridiculous but that sounded more appealing than admitting my obviously unrequited feelings.

It was only two weeks after I first saw Jon when he got back off of tour, my luck of avoiding him ran out. 

“Y/N.” 

Upon hearing my name I turned around, only to see exactly who had called my name. I quickly spun away again and continued walking. The rain was pouring down and all I wanted to do was get home and curl up in my pyjamas. I did not want to face any altercation that may be coming my way.

“Y/N, wait.” Jon called again. Just as I went to speed up, I felt his hand clasp down on my shoulder. “What are you doing? Why are you ignoring me?” Jon asked, inquisitive as always.

“Look Jon, I have to go.” I tried to pull away from him but he was having none of it.

“Why? I haven’t seen you since I got home, where have you been?”

“I’ve been busy Jon.” I tried not to snap at him. Afterall it wasn’t his fault that I had fallen in love with him. 

Jon just looked at me. I couldn’t help but stare at him, the way his usually fluffy hair stuck to his face in the rain. How his brow was furrowed in confusion. Even in the rain he looked like the most ethereal man to walk the earth. His lips pouted slightly as he tried to work out why I had been avoiding him.

When I realised that I was staring, I started to pull away, only for Jon to grab me gently by the wrist and tug me back towards him. Being in close proximity to him made my heart race and I could only hope that he couldn’t hear over the noise of the rain.

“Y/N what’s going on?” Jon asked softly as he stared into my eyes.

“Why do you care?” I asked him, though there was no malice in my tone. “We only talk when we are arguing about music, so why do you care if there is something wrong?”

“Because…” Jon stopped for a moment. 

Whilst Jon looked for the words to say, I wriggled out of his grip and started to walk away again. I wanted so badly to be wrapped up in his arms and pulled into his chest whilst he kissed me senseless, but in the back of my mind, all I could think about was the consequences of being rejected by him. 

I didn’t think my heart could take it if he didn’t feel the same way, which was almost inevitable. 

I didn’t get far again before Jon ran in front of me. Putting his hands on my shoulders, he looked into my eyes.

“Something is obviously going on. Please tell me. I can’t help if you won’t let me.”

“You can’t fix this Jon. Just leave me be.” The look in his eyes was nearly killing me.

“Y/N please.” Jon's voice broke into a whisper, it was at that point that I felt tears running down my face, mixed with raindrops. No wonder the man was concerned about me when I stood in front of him crying. “Just talk to me darlin’.”

As soon as he said that the waterworks became unstoppable. The realisation that I was about to be rejected by the one man that I have ever felt like this for, tore my heart into tiny pieces. The emotional pain transformed into a pain in my chest as if my heart was about to break.

“I’m in love with you.” The words spilled out before I could stop them and the shock on Jon’s face replaced the concern immediately. When Jon didn’t say anything I found myself nervously continuing.

“I know that you probably don’t feel the same way and that's why I didn’t want to say anything but now I have and I am making an-” I was cut off from my rambling by a pair of lips on mine. 

Jon moved away before I had a chance to reciprocate. “Sorry you were just talking and talking, it's the only way I could think of to get you to calm down.” 

I stared up at him, probably resembling a deer in headlights. Before I could even think about what I was doing I stood on my toes to reach him and pressed another kiss to his lips. He immediately reacted and kissed me back with so much passion that I thought I might pass out.

I couldn’t even feel the cold from the rain as I stood in his embrace. My arms wrapped around his neck whilst his hands rested on my hips, pulling me closer to him. When the two of us pulled away again, Jon rested his forehead on mine, not allowing me to move backwards.

“In case you couldn’t tell, I’m in love with you too. I don’t tend to argue with just anyone over and over again.” Jon laughed before pecking me on the nose. Smiling up at him I connected our lips yet again before pulling away and tugging at his hand.

“Where are we going?” He questioned with a small grin on his gorgeous face.

“My place.” I winked, “Gotta get out of these wet clothes.”

[camilasstories]

❝feeling unreciprocated❞ chapter 4 | jungkook x reader

summary: Sleeping with one guy after feeling rejected wasn't a good idea, but sleeping with another one and another seemed to be even worse plan. Especially with your handsome crush behind the wall, who is as confused as you about your ways of coping with a broken heart.

note: I’m sorry for such a short chapter. I just got some messages some of you were waiting for it so here you go!

trailer/masterlist | chapter 3 | next chapter

You got accustomed to your position as a Jungkook's friend. Somehow, it calmed your mind knowing you held any place in, maybe, his heart, which was ridiculous because you barely knew each other. Yet, you found peace in thinking of it like that.

This week passed by pretty fast with you being occupied with your studies and thinking about the project you were soon to present with your partners. It was also sparse in socializing with other people as Gia was preapring for her mock-exams, but especially with Jungkook as he devoted his free time to this new guy - Kim Taehyung whom he met at work. You were used to it, you told yourself and it was true as it was a completely normal state of things between you and him. However, there was this odd felling of uncertainty that manage to weigh you down. Although he mentioned before going out about seeing you later on your traditional movie night, you weren't sure whether his new friendships wouldn't drag him away from you because he was already running late. You couldn't hide the fact it was making you disappointed to the point you got yourself wondering if he even remembered you two were about to meet in your shared living room. Nevertheless, you had too much faith in him to say it out loud.

While you were waiting for him, you checked his instagram. Since you were following Jungkook, you had a full allowance to scroll though his photos and look at his stories he posted from time to time shamelessly without being scared of getting caught in his notifications. Because even if you would have, then it hadn't been seen as something weird or suspicious that you were almost stalking him on his social medias.

When it was half past eight you gave up the idea of waiting for him as thirty minutes already passed and you were one hundred percent sure he wouldn't be anytime soon so you just grabbed your quilt and a pillow to make your way back to your room quite bitter about his actions. He didn't even let you know he wasn't going to come today, which was quite disrespectful, in your opinion, because you were really looking forward to watch a movie with him. To be more precise, just to see him and you didn't ask for too much, right? On the other hand, you could have foresees that such a day would come sooner or later. You should have kicked Jungkook's ass before and met with the guy you slept with in more appropriate circumstances. Maybe you would actually have your love life back and stop daydreaming about this stupid, unreasonable, the most annoying-...

"What? You've finished watching already?"

You gasped agitated hearing the sound of shutting door and male's voice in the foyer. You turned around with bedding cover still in your arms towards the entry of your apartment. It felt like a burden was taken away from your shoulders, a big relief that he didn't ditch you after him having let you know he was actually present and, you hoped, ready to spend the evening with you. You had been so close to the edge in believing he would stood you out and this belief wasn't groundless.

"I haven't even started" you squeezed your quilt even tighter leaning on the wall as you watched him kicking off his shoes.

"Why?" he asked putting away his jacket and leaving his hoodie on with questioning, but cool look visible on his face "Did you pick something, though?"

Taking into consideration that you were busy battling gloomy thoughts in your mind, it was obvious you didn't even touch the remote.

"No, I didn’t" you replied shortly “I thought you wouldn't come, to be honest”.

Jungkook was observing you. There you were standing in a foyer with white material over your chest as you didn’t make it back to your room yet. But he didn’t know why you were not in the living room already watching something on the TV.

"I might have been a little late" he admitted shrugging his shoulders "My phone died, but I grabbed us some things on the way" he showed a see-through bag with colorful packages in it "Am I forgiven?”

"If it's your way to say sorry, then I guess so" you murmured this time with more soft expression on your face.

"Then stop looking so offended" he chuckled reaching his hands to you "Give me this, you're almost drowning" he took the bedding out of your hands and put it back on the couch, while you checked what he had bought.

In general, there were his favourite snacks, but he didn’t think only of himself as you found some crisps and cookies you often ate when you had a bad day. Your heart warmed up at his gesture. But you realized it just wasn’t adding up. Why did he care? Was he just nice? Did he know you overheard him? You sighed and placed the bag on the console in the foyer. The longer you were gazing at it, the more it felt like something was missing in the whole picture. Like everything was on its place, but there was one thing that you couldn't come up with that was lacking. Your forehead wrinkled as your eyebrows raised. You were sure you put them right there. There was no other place in your flat to fit them in.

"Hey, Junkook! Where are the flowers?" you shouted after him still standing in a foyer slightly dumbfounded.

"What flowers?" he stuck his head out after he had stopped searching for his charger.

“The ones that were standing in a foyer” you pointed at the vase with your head after having drawn his attention “Or they used to stand”.

You wondered if he even noticed them in the first place, maybe it was pointless to ask him this, but there were no more people living in this flat, so you presumed might have put them somewhere else. You watched as confusion that was plastered on his face changed into clarity as his expression lit up apparently knowing what you were talking about.

"Ah, right. I've thrown them away" he told casually and made his way to the living room indifferent to his action that managed to baffle you out.

"What? Why?" your squinted your eyes being perplexed "Jungkook, answer me!" you added feeling he didn't listen to you.

"They were dead, I guess" he shrugged his shoulders and took TV remote in his hand looking at the screen “What do you want to watch? Psychological series or comedy?"

"Jungkook!" you watched him in disbelief.

"What? They looked fucking rubbish” he looked at you as you struggled to find words “I’m just telling the truth. They've been withered” he kept convincing you.

You didn't remember them to start to wither, actually. You changed the water in vase almost every day and you even cut their ends one time. It sounded impossible. And rubbish? Okay, maybe it wasn't the prettiest bouquet, but still it was a kind gesture that you appreciated even though it wasn't given by your dream person.

"Did you even think they could have been from somebody?" you folded your arms on your chest while he sat on the couch.

"Were they?" he raised an eyebrow at you waiting for your response.

You sealed your lips immediately muted. You could have spared the information and let these silly flowers go, but obviously you couldn't keep your mouth closed at the right time. Especially when he wasn't supposed to know you were seeing someone. You didn't want to embarrass yourself with the fact it was just one-time thing. It would potentially cross your chances with him. And hooking up was just a way of coping for the time being.

"W-Well..." you stuttered losing the courage feeling the pressure of his gaze "Maybe".

"From whom?" he picked a series since you didn't answer him, but you just shrugged your shoulders not bothering to reply as shame came all over you.

You felt his burning gaze on your back as you sat down on the floor fixing the duvet under your but to make yourself comfortable on the hard ground. Nevertheless, you kept being silent with your blank eyes turned towards TV.

"Not my business, I get it" you heard him fidgeting in his sit and stretching out his legs.

"No, it's just..." you had blurted out before pursing your lips not knowing whether you should speak out "Just a guy, nothing serious".

"You don't have to explain yourself" his immediate answer and him chuckling made you flush even more "Easy there".

"Fine" you sat there for a few minutes not even daring to touch the sweets he had brought with him, somehow losing your appetite as you almost gave yourself away.

"You know you can sit next to me" Jungkook made an offer with his eyes glued to the screen "I don't bite".

In fact, you took Gia's advice to your heart not wanting your feelings to escalate even more, seeing how much it could cost you. Still, you hesitated as you also yearned for his presence, but the damage it could make outweighed the benefits. After your analyzations, you came to one, precious conclusion that it would be healthier for you to leave some free space between you and him. To leave it as it was. To make a safe deal for both of the sides.

"No, no. It's okay" you turned it down knowing what could happen if you let yourself feel more than you allowed to.

Sometimes, saying no to some invitations should be just done. Even to such a dissent one like this. But you had a good head on your shoulders trying not to melt because of his tempting proposition.

"It's not like we've just met, (Y/N)" you almost felt him rolling his eyes at you, but you decided to shrug it off.

Keeping a safe distance between you and Jungkook gave you the sense of control over your absurd feelings and decreased your chances of making embarrassing gaffe in his presence. Although he didn't acknowledge your sympathy towards him, you had to be the one who would be reasonable enough to draw a thick line between both of you, just in case. You had no idea what would happen if any signs of crushing over him came out.

"It's quite comfortable here" you brought your knees closer to your chest which enabled you to rest your chin there "But thanks".

"Yeah, I'm sure of it" he used his sarcasm to deny your silly statement and without giving a hoot he leaned down to slip his hands under your arms.

"What are you doing?" your body became stiff under his firm grip, but instantly it woke up due to the pluck trying to wiggle out from his hold.

"Stop squirming. You're making this difficult" Jungkook groaned silently as he pulled you up from the floor to the cozy couch next to him "And you are not as light as you seem to be".

Actually, when you let yourself feel the intensity of your intimacy after giving up a fight, there came a nice feeling of having him so close to your body. For the first time. Though, you doubted whether he was going through the same thing, you didn't seem to care at the moment completely drowning in a pleasant sensation. He was warm, you felt it only by touching each other with shoulders. And his scent was something else. Fresh, strong and manly. You squeezed yourself deeper into seat back. Fuck, you were melting.

"Comfy, kitten?" he sneered seeing your face expression softening.

Kitten. You gulped down, shaking yourself out. You must have misheard something.

"Not enough" you responded pretending to be serious "You take too much space".

"Better keep your mouth closed or you will get back to that floor" he sighed because of your indication and moved his body to the left side of the sofa "Here, happy?"

As much as you wanted to, you shouldn't, right? Well, avoiding being so close to him to prevent your feelings escalating even more was demanding. In addition, his actions unabled you from doing so. How you were supposed to stay away from him?

“No” you scoffed and started to slide down from the couch to get back to the floor "It was my turn anyway".

"I don't think you're going anywhere farer than this fucking sofa" he grabbed you once again this time placing his hands on your waist as it was easier to lift you up.

"Jungkook, please. Leave-" you couldn't finish your sentence as you felt his hands on your body.

"No way. Get your ass here" he tilted his head amused "You're so irritating sometimes. It must be so tiring, why don't you quit that?"

"Oh, get away" you huffed, but he shrugged it off with a laugh while he put you back next to him "You see me barely once a week, you don't know me" you stated.

"And let's leave it that way" you assumed he made a joke, but you couldn't help feeling a sharp pinning in your chest. He kept mocking "I don't know what's hidden behind this innocent face of yours".

Crush. Random hookup. You name it.

"A lot".

"I imagine" he nodded his head pretending to be serious "How was your week?" the standard question came out of his mouth.

"Uh-Interesting?"

"With your style of living?" he folded his arms not really believing you "What? Were you on some party? Did you went clubbing?" he kept inquiring.

"Yes? I was at..." you stuttered "At..."

"Caleido? Zoid club?" he started to list every place he visited "Because for sure not at Vixen's".

"Well, one of them".

He turned his head towards you while scanning your face as if something was not right with you.

"You are such a bad liar" he said looking straight into your eyes.

"Why do you think I'm lying?" you broke under his intense gaze while gulping down knowing he caught you already. Your heart started to bump strongly in your chest to the point you almost heard it in your ears "Why you don't believe I went clubbing?"

Maybe you were too obvious, too predictable, too… boring to get his attention.

"Because it's just... you".

taglist: @smwhrinthehaze, @betysotelo18

[kiolvrrlv]

i love you, i’ve always had.

reo mikage x gn!reader

angst/fluff

A/N: erm….. this is my first fic pls be gentle on me…….

summary: reo hung out with nagi way more than you, you always wondered why, though you finally learned the truth.

you were walking down the hallways of your school. you kept your head down as tiredness was taking over you. looking around, you spotted reo. you couldn’t help but let out a small smile as you walked towards him. you froze, your smile faded a bit when you saw him with nagi. though, you brushed it off and walked towards the two.

“oh, hey y/n!” reo said, smiling at you. nagi looked at you and gave you a small wave. you waved back at him, “hey reo, nagi.” you smiled at them. “reo, wanna hangout later? i was thinking maybe at a..-” before you could finish your sentence, reo cut you off.

“ah.. i’m sorry y/n, i’m practicing with nagi later. maybe next time?”

you couldn’t help but force a smile, “that’s okay.” no it wasn’t. you were hurt, he barely had time for you anymore. “i have to get going now, class is starting soon.” you said, walking away. you gripped on your backpack as you felt tears stinging your eyes.

you were at the library, ‘studying’, while in reality, you were just sulking to yourself. you rolled your pen back and forth, your head resting on your hand.

“y/n!” you turned towards the familiar voice, it was reo. he held a flower, your favorite flower. he ran up to you, “do these flowers look good?” you smiled at him and nodded. you asked, “who are they for?” reo looked at you, a small tint of pink on his cheeks. “uhm, they’re for.. nagi.” you could feel your smile about to drop, “that’s nice.” you said, packing your stuff. you put your backpack on and stood up. “i have to go back now, see you.” you brushed past reo.

there was a stinging feeling in your chest, you speed-walked towards your dorm with tears falling down your cheeks. you wiped them away with your sleeve and muttered to yourself about how pathetic you were.

“y/n! can you try these chocolates?” you picked out a piece from the box that reo held out. you hummed at the sweet taste in your mouth, “they’re good, reo! i hope nagi likes it.” you said, your own words stabbing yourself like a knife. reo tilted his head in confusion and then stood up straight, “right! uhm, i do too!”

you giggled at him as he started walking away. your smile dropped, this has been going on for days. he would always talk to you for one simple thing, to ask for your opinion on a single thing and say its for nagi. it’s obvious that reo likes nagi.

so why were you so upset? you should be happy that your best friend has found someone to love. tears brimmed the corner of your eyes, you should be happy for him. though, you couldn’t. why?

you loved reo with every fiber of your body, he was kind towards you, he comforted you when things were tough, he was always there for you. you couldn’t help but have a small crush on him, however, as years went by, the small crush turned into love.

you wanted to get over reo so badly, but you couldn't.

you couldn't get over him, you didn't know how to move on.

you were opening your dorm room, about to walk in before you heard your name being called. you saw reo running towards you, “oh, reo, is it something for nagi again?” reo looked away, “erm, yeah, i need advice on how to confess.”

you felt your heart shatter. “oh, yeah. i’ll totally give you advice!” you said, trying your best to not cry. “thank you y/n!” he said, he turned his head to look towards you. he smiled at you.

you couldn’t hold it in anymore, you felt warm tears falling down your eyes. reo’s smile dropped, “hey- hey, what’s wrong?” he asked, grabbing your face, wiping the tears with his thumb.

you swatted his hands away, “its nothing, don’t worry about it.” reo grabbed your hands, “i am worrying about it, why are you crying? did someone hurt you?” he asked. you looked away, tears still falling down. you took a deep breath.

“i like you reo, and not the platonic kind. i’ve had a crush on you ever since we were kids. but you like nagi, i’ve tried getting over you, but i just love you so much.” you said, still avoiding eye contact. you were scared on how he’d react, would he hate you? does he hate you?

you felt a hand grabbing your chin, lifting your head up. once your head faced reo, you felt a pair of lips touch yours. your eyes widened as reo backed away, he smiled at you.

“i love you, i’ve always had.”

reo said softly, you found yourself crying even more. “but, you’ve always asked on my opinion for gifts you were giving nagi.” reo still had a smile on his face, he took of his bag and unzipped it. taking out a bouquet of your favorite flowers, a box of chocolates that you tried before and a stuffed bear, handing it to you. “they were actually all for you.”

you held onto the stuff that reo just handed you, “i’m sorry, i should’ve been more straight forward with my feelings, i didn’t mean to hurt you.” reo said, he grabbed your face and kissed you once again.

“i love you so much, y/n.”

A/N: AUHGJGHDJ I HATE THIS

[sweetestpopcorn]

one of the things i find really interesting about your au is the fact that al****t found a sense of superiority to rhaenyra because she was skinny. like because she was not curvy like rhaenyra, she was more “holy”? besides from their differences in dressing yet she also kind of judged aemma for being a twig yet aemma was still winning over alicent because she had better kinds lol

Hi there 😊 and like almost always, sorry for this delay.

So this idea is not original. In the books, Gyldayn himself as well as Mushroom do make this comparison between Rhaenyra and Alicent, saying that Rhaenyra never fully lost the weight she gained with each pregnancy and that Alicent maintained her elegant figure even after four pregnancies. The author even places doubt on how many men would fight for Rhaenyra now that her body has "thickened" after six pregnancies.

Spoiler: A LOT did.

It made sense to me that the Greens themselves would comment on this, and Alicent too, as it is made obvious in Fire&Blood that her life revolved around Rhaenyra and what she was or was not doing (and insulting her whenever she had a chance). Likewise, the Greens and Alicent would use this like the narrative does - as something to make her look superior to Rhaenyra.

It is a common theme to make a character gain weight to show a sense of "corruption" and decadence, and George has plenty of examples of uses of this theme. Conversely, maintaining one's weight, or even losing, is seen as having other concerns and plenty of times associated with a sense of holiness - George himself is guilty of doing this with a variety of characters too - of being in control. Western society sees being above weight as lacking control, being lazy, amongst other negative attributes, and being thin is associated with mostly just positive attributes. In the Catholic and Christian faiths - ones I can comment on since I was baptised as Christian and raised Catholic - gluttony is considered one of the Seven Deadly, and strongly associated with an inability to overcome temptation and suffer to bring yourself closer to God - which is a common theme in Catholicism, you have to suffer to bring yourself closer to God and the Divine.

This would be the contrast between Alicent and Rhaenyra, someone who is fully in control of herself and thus associated with positive attributes, and someone who is not in control and thus is associated with negative attributes... or this is the message the Greens and Alicent would like to pass, reality is that while, yes, Alicent likes to maintain her weight to feel superior and uses this to add to her beauty, Rhaenyra is someone who enjoys pleasure and life and who has nothing to prove, even because, she continues to be considered the most beautiful woman at court even after she stops being as slender as she was when she was a maid. Her beauty is not dependent on how thin she is, and this is just one more thing amongst a larger theme that Alicent resents her for -> that she is not held to the same standards as Alicent is and does not need to do X to get Y; and in Alicent's eyes it just adds the feeling that everything is just given to Rhaenyra even when she breaks the rules and it results in more and more hatred.

Of course that Alicent is self-serving in almost everything she does, and her opinions will change depending on what the need dictates. When it fits her being too thin is negative - as was the case with Aemma. However, we see this hypocrisy in plenty of other spheres, for instance, she fears Daemon and thinks he is another Maegor, yet her sons are just fierce and young. Even with Rhaenyra's own weight, both Aegon and Helaena are much heavier than her, yet for Alicent this is not a problem and they just have "healthy appetites". Daemon is a creep for liking virgins and cheating on his first wife and seducing Rhaenyra, yet Criston who was obsessed with Rhaenyra's purity and tried to seduce her is fine and a true knight. Obeying men is something women should do, except when she disobeys Viserys to do what she wants to do.

Thank you so much for the ask I really enjoyed answering this one 😁

PS: Please note my fics are based on the asoiaf books only and consider only the asoiaf characters, not any of the events, characters or the like from a certain lizard redacted show.

[dadonbabysworld]

Skz Reactions: You want to play fight

Author's Note: This is my first post ever and writing, so I hope you enjoy it. Please be my skz moot if you like it lol I'm 21 so not a minor. Please point out any mistakes if you find them.

Word Count: 1,453

Chan

You were always play fighting with the other members. As Chan’s partner, they challenged you often. Chan hated it because they never challenged his authority, but you didn’t mind it. Play fighting was fun right? 

No. Not to Chan. Even if you took it too far he wouldn’t play back. You were pushing him as you argued over ice cream. “Don’t push me because your opinion is wrong”, he says. 

“Mint chocolate chip is superior”, you confidently say before pushing him again. He was getting aggravated, but he tried not to show it. 

“Stop pushing me babygirl”, but that just made you pout “I wanna play.” 

“I’m not putting my hands on a woman. We can play something else”, he says putting a hand on your stomach making you have butterflies. 

Lee Know

You were playing with Soonie, Doongie, and Dori with a laser. They were all scurrying quickly after it, fighting each other, and chirping loudly. Minho who was in the kitchen getting out stuff for dinner came to see what the commotion was. 

“You guys are so loud. I thought it was actual trouble”, he says sighing in relief. You just laughed and shook your head. “Am I not good enough for your babies?”

He looks at you and deadpanned, “no.” You gasped in shock. You ran over to him and started hitting him. He had tried to pin you, but you slipped away. Not before he grabbed your wrist a little too tight. 

“Minho!”, you yell. You try to pull away, but he tightens his grip. “Apologize for hitting me.”, he demanded. You were in pain, so you kept trying to fight. Eventually you gave in “I apologize for hitting you. I’m in pain here”, you say nearly crying. He apologizes as well, “I’m sorry too but don’t be starting fights you can’t finish. Fight and win”, he said walking away. He was dead serious about this. 

Changbin

Changbin was a gentle giant not really knowing his strength when it came to gentle and soft things, so he never really used his strength when handling you. You had decided to go on a morning jog with him. It was very nice outside, so it was a good idea.

You had on your matching camo outfits. It was obvious you were a couple and lots of older people lived in your neighborhood who awed at you both running past. They would comment on how they miss those days of their relationship. It was a sweet sentiment ultimately.

However, right now you stopped to get water at the connivence store before going home. You suggested a race home as he caught his breath. 

“Damn Y/N, we already ran here.” You just started running taking yes as the answer anyways. Changbin rushed to catch up, but he wasn’t that fast. Until you teases started to go to his head.

“Hurry up Binnie! At this rate, I’ll beat you by ten minutes!”

He had passed you on the corner of your block. He beat you home because you slowed down, and he knew it. As you arrived slowing down to not him, he hit you on the shoulder.

“Yah! Don’t let me win because you feel sympathy for me”, he lectured sitting on your porch. You hit him back as you begin to shove each other lightly.

“I didn’t want you to feel bad Bin.”

Your voice so soft he almost missed it. Your play fighting stopped for a second as you both smiled. He held you close before you both went inside to shower.

Hyunjin

Hyunjin was dramatic naturally. He could not hide his facial expressions at all which got him into a lot of trouble sometimes. Just like right now.

You were trying on outfits for your date, and he was suddenly a fashion expert. You had on a blue dress, and you liked it very much. You had approached him as he was drawing.

“Hyunjin-ah do you like this dress?”

He side-eyed you meaning probably not. “Umm...”, he mumbled.

You sighed, “Hyunjin this is the fifth dress!” He winced at you yelling. “Sorry but it’s not that pretty...”

You hit his arm before turning to walk away. He hit your butt causing a fight he didn’t want. You both began to throw hits back and forth.

Eventually you pulled his ponytail causing him to gasp, “low blow Y/N…low blow.”

You laughed until he pushed you to the ground stomping on you. You can say confidently you lost that fight. 

Han:

You were doing a math assignment for university in the living room. You were sitting at the table listening to music and singing.

Jisung was watching spyxfamily. You recognized it from TikTok. Yor was your favorite, but Anya was Jisung’s. He was so dead for watching it without you when you finished this.

As a distraction to him, you were singing loudly. You could not sing for anything in the world. Jisung was getting visibly irritated constantly looking at you.

He got up and your heart began to race. He walks directly towards you. He pulled out one of your Air Pods. 

“Y/N do you have to sing so loudly?”

You laughed and nodded. “Why is that?” He genuinely looked confused.

You hit him “you’re watch it without me!” He blushed embarrassed. He hoped you wouldn’t notice. He had gone to hit you back, but you slipped out the chair causing him to lean forward more to hit you hitting his knee on the chair.

“Ahhh-wanna swing from the chandler”, he sung holding his knee. You laughed almost peeing your pants at his scream turned song. He was upset with you and just went to your room.

Felix

You and Felix were having an at home movie night with your friends. Felix never bothered them just watching then going to bed in your room alone at night when sleepovers like this take place.

You didn’t want to make your single friends lonely by sleeping with Felix at night, and he understood that you’re just being kind to them. Right now, a pillow fight was taking place.

Pillows and some light jabs were being thrown all over. You had hit Felix for fun a few times, but he wasn’t interested in fighting back. A true gentleman. He just watched you in anticipation. 

“No play fighting?”, you ask pouting. He chuckled lightly before shaking his head.

“No, I’m not gon hit you. I’ll never lay a hand on you.” You believed him and appreciated him being so kind. 

Seungmin

Seungmin was laying on the bed, and you were cuddling with him. You were getting to be antsy while he was on his phone watching a show. You kept moving your head to be in the way of his phone on purpose.

“Pup move your head”, he says pushing you. This gets your engine going. You pushed him back “Don’t start. I was trying to get comfortable.”

You and he knew that was a lie, so he just pushed you off the bed. You winced as you hit the ground groaning. He laughed at you a little before asking “are you okay?” You just laid there, and he looked over the edge of the bed. “Earth to Y/N... you okay?”

You pulled him off the bed to the ground as well. He grunted hitting the ground next to you. You grinned satisfied with your revenge. “I guess I deserved that.” He said looking over at you. You nodded and kissed his cheek.

Minho walked pass and looked at you both weird. “Fucking weirdos... the floor is not that comfortable”, he mumbled causing you both to laugh.

Jeongin

Jeongin doesn’t typically play around. He is the youngest in skz, but he is very mature.

You were both sitting in the living room watching YouTube as he decided to check Instagram. Being the center of his universe, you deserved all his attention, so you decided to take his phone and leave.

As you were exiting the room, Jeongin called out to you, “If I have to get up, you won’t like it!” 

You began to run in order to hopefully escape him. You ran down the hall, but you heard his foot steps coming louder and quicker than yours.

You were almost able to close his bedroom door, but he grabbed you pinning you against the wall looking at his phone in your hand. 

“Fucking brat. I was just about to post something”, he says. You giggled and stuck out your tongue mocking him. 

He looked down at you, “get on the bed and don’t make this difficult.” You climbed in the bed slowly as he closed and locked the door. I'm in danger.

If you like this post, consider reading my other works listed here. I, also, accept requests here. Thank you!

[claiestve]

THE RECENT AUDIO!!! SCREAMING.

Can I request Isaac who maybe begs you to stay or like asks your opinion on it?? Like “Have you thought about it?” or “Please stay with me,I love you more than anything”

I have feelings for him………..

𝐇𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐍 𝐁𝐚𝐜𝐤 ꨄ Isaac

˜”* ❝Now you're my everything, I was lonely❞

⎯⎯ ୨ ୧ ⎯⎯

ꜱʏɴᴏᴘꜱɪꜱ: ɪꜱᴀᴀᴄ ᴀꜱᴋꜱ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴅᴇᴄɪꜱɪᴏɴ ʙᴜᴛ ʏᴏᴜ ᴄᴀɴ ᴛᴇʟʟ ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ'ꜱ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴛᴏ ɪᴛ…

⎯୨⎯ " " ⎯୧⎯

You were in the library, reading. It wasn’t unusual that you were in there. There was something unusual though. You could barely focus on the book you were reading. It was probably because of how much you were thinking about Isaac. Staying or leaving, that kind of decision was tough. When he asked, you told him you’d think about it. However, you’ve been thinking about it for days and still didn’t even have an answer for yourself. 

Shaking your head, you go back to focusing on the book. You needed a break from thinking about this and so… religiously.

Knock knock…

“Hm? Come in.”

You see Isaac walk into the library. He looked like he wanted to ask something. 

“Hey, Isaac.” You say. Your voice sounded disappointed to see him. You didn’t mean for it to but you couldn’t help it. Just as you were starting to take your mind off of that topic, Isaac walked in.

“I don’t mean to bother you…” He starts. It’s kind of funny. That’s normally how you would start a conversation. It’s like your roles switched. “I do wanna ask you something though.”

You give him a smile and put your book down. It wasn’t that interesting anyway. 

“What is it?”

“The decision… have you made it yet?”

Your smile dropped slowly as you looked down at your feet. 

“I’m not trying to rush you! I’m just asking because I’m curious but if you need more time, take all that you need.”

“No, it’s okay I just…”

He looks at you with this desperate look in his eyes. It was almost pitiful. Not something Isaac was.

“I wish I had an answer. I can’t even come to a conclusion yet. Here, I promise when I make the choice, I’ll let you know as soon as possible.”

He nodded but you could tell it wasn’t enough for him. You knew he wanted you to stay but you knew deep in your heart it wasn’t good for you. You needed to be out and living again. On the other hand, you couldn’t leave him here. You’d worry too much. 

“Isaac?”

His head lifted.

“Be honest, and I promise this won’t affect my decision, do you want me to stay?”

He sighed and held your hand, “Isn’t it obvious? I mean I want you to live the life you choose. But, it’s hard not to beg you to stay. I can’t even bear the thought of being alone in this house again. It’s a selfish mindset so I haven’t said much.”

Your eyes relaxed when they were laid on him. You knew exactly why he was like this. Both of you watched each other grow and open up and now it could be over. You knew you meant a lot to him and he meant a lot to you too.

Before you could say anything he starts rubbing your hands and beginning to speak again. 

“Y/N, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to make it seem like-”

He needed to be in your arms. He needed to be comforted. 

“I know, Isaac.”

-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈

this one was wayy too easy to write... but THANK U FOR REQUESTING!!! i have one more request n then smth else after so !! also happy halloween to anyone that celebrates that

[kainagant]

I've reblogged stuff about like "send more asks!" before and I've decided to be the change I wish to see in the world SO

personally I like sniperhaul as a platonic pairing, not least because i see them both as Gay In The Wrong Direction. like in my mind they're constantly bickering but also refuse to leave each others' sides for more than a day because they both went through the same shit. they don't even dislike each other they're just constantly lowkey fighting for no reason other than habit

Also like. opinions on Bakugo Mitsuki/Tsutsumi Kaina? both in the sense of 'how would these two very different adult women interact' and in the sense of bakugo "i'm gonna be the number 1 hero at all costs" katsuki having tsutsumi "the hero system is fundamentally corrupt and being a hero is shit actually" kaina

(have i sent you an ask before? i think i might have)

hey there! i've never received an ask on this blog before, from you or anyone else, as its only like two weeks old. congrats on being the first 🎉🎉 (if you did send me an ask before, then tunglr ate it)

honestly chisaki kai is one of those characters that i perceive as aroace, which is like fifty percent me projecting and the other fifty is vibes. so whatever pairing i put him in is closer to a queerplatonic relationship than anything else. this is honestly the case for all shipping i do because i'm very aromantic but it's not always on purpose. but i'm also a shameless multishipper and i think that there's no single most correct pairing or even a single correct interpretation of said pairing.

this is all to say i love your take on sniperhaul. i definitely imagine them as the kind of duo who are always being catty with each other. borderline just pure rude if it weren't for the fact that the reason why they can banter freely is because of how well they understand each others' boundaries.

i feel like i have seen kaina/bakugo's mom fics and went. h u h. if you have any recs then i'll definitely read them. i think i was looking for something specific at the time so i scrolled past but now that you bring it up again i'm definitely intrigued. in regards to my first impressions of the pairing though. to be honest there's not a lot of canon information on mitsuki. her personality is assumed to be basically just katsuki but more chill. however i also think that the mothers of feral anime boys deserve to be even more feral because after ren gyokuen from magi something in my brain chemistry was permanently changed. so i'm just going to take liberties here and write mitsuki a personality that's not just "bakugo katsuki's mom".

so its obvious that katsuki takes after her, and she seems to understand that a lot of his mannerisms come from her. so i think she was one hell of a teenager. her quirk basically makes her have flawless skin. mitsuki was the definition of it girl. sorry she can't answer the phone she's at a party. maybe she even hooked up with kaina in college. if you really want to drive the katsuki connection in hard, maybe she was even a bit of a mean girl. though i think she wasn't as problematic as katsuki because she didn't have people feeding her ego constantly in the same way. anyway this is all to say that i think mitsuki mellowed out a lot with age. but she definitely still has something of a youthful spirit leftover from her heyday. her skin can be a metaphor for that.

if mitsuki is a woman who has held onto her youth, kaina is a woman who lost her youth early on. the phrase 'old beyond her years' applies here. she doesn't know how to be a teenager anymore. she forgot. what is it like to not spend every night haunted by the lives she took with her own hands? she doesn't remember.

when they meet then mitsuki takes one look at kaina and tries to ask her out for a drink. it's a small thing, but slowly, kaina is relearning how to be a person and not a weapon. mitsuki is showing her how. and mitsuki can't really understand what makes kaina miserable, what makes kaina wake up in a cold sweat in the middle of the night. but mitsuki can stay awake with her. she can hold her close and say. hey. you're more than whatever you see when you look at your own hands. anyway this got really long. i'm just making stuff up on the fly but yeah they could have that kind of dynamic.

ok ok. cracks knuckles. kaina and katsuki. the thing is that they have surface similarities i think. "so how should i solve this problem i have…" kaina and katsuki both stare at me like im fucking stupid "blow its brains out??" there's a duh here. they're both the kind of person who is smarter than other people assume based off of first impressions. but that's only because they're the straight arrow type. there's no fucking around the point with these two, they're blunt and very goal focused. they tend to hyperfocus on whatever they're currently trying to do, and they don't stop to wonder if it's wrong or just a liiiitle fucked up. cue the rude awakening.

you mentioned bakugo's hero thing vs kaina's hero thing, but i think that they're not as at odds as one might think. bakugo's hero thing was never a "save everyone" shirou emiya style (thats midoriya's patent). he admired all might because all might was always victorious. kaina probably wouldn't have a strong opinion one way or another. he's obviously missing something to make him a "true hero" or whatever. but she's not stain, for goodness sake. the whole idea of there being a perfect hero feels incredibly fake to her. if anything, katsuki's honest "i'm going to win to save people" approach might be more genuine than some fragile idealism that he can't actually back up. actually. to be honest, katsuki would be exactly the kind of hero that kaina wants to see more of. he doesn't mince words or pretend to be more righteous than anyone else. full transparency: he can be kinda a dick. but if society is going to employ heroes than people need to understand that heroes are people too, and yeah. people can be dicks. pardon my french. i'm channeling katsuki.

i don't think kaina would care one way or another that katsuki is striving for number one. the hero rankings were never really a thing to her. kaina's problem with hero society wasn't the same problem as what stain had. i think people assume that it is, because stain kinda had half of a point, except for the culling the fakes thing. but i think kaina would very much disagree with stain. because stain wanted more pure heroes. he wanted to exalt the ideal hero, put them above everyone else. and kaina just wanted heroes to get off their high horse and admit that they aren't perfect. nobody is.

deep breath. so yeah. thanks for the ask. thanks for reading my incoherent rambles too, assuming you got this far. hopefully i actually answered your questions, but if i didn't then sorry, this definitely got away from me. i also followed you back from my mainblog, so cheers to being mutuals. i'll try to send you a bunch of asks too, since 🤝 be the change you want to see in the world.

[m-jelly]

Hi! can I request an Erwin x reader where the reader is black and just there experience’s as an interracial couple and how they deal with close minded peoples opinions on it? sprinkled with a bit of pregnancy and child raising please?

Sure thing. I'm not a POC, so I'll try my best to bring things across my dear friend has gone through when we were at uni together and her now being a police officer.

Opinions

Pairing: Erwin x POC!Reader

Genre and tags: married life, modern AU, struggles, overcoming, supportive Erwin, romance, fluff, pregnant reader, parents.

Concept: Different stages and struggles that you encounter being with Erwin.

Disclaimer: I am not a POC. I am also British. So, the encounters the reader has will be influenced by things I know have been said to my friends in the UK. If I cause offence in this fic, I am sorry and that was not the intention of the fic.

Being a couple.

You sat next to Erwin in the car with a soft smile on your face. You were excited to go to a company party with your husband. He was going to introduce you to the heads of the company, who were very fond of Erwin. You were very nervous because they were rather old men and you didn't know what they were going to think of you.

You jumped when Erwin placed his hand on yours, his touch loving and kind. You realised you'd reached your destination. "Sorry, I was in my head."

"You're worried."

You laughed. "Was it that obvious?"

He kissed the back of your hand. "I love you, okay? They'll love you as well. They've been dying to meet the woman who helped me come up with some great ideas."

You released a long sigh, but it did not ease your worries. "Let's go."

Erwin helped you out of the car and placed his arm around you. "Darling, if you ever want to leave, just say."

You hummed a little. You held his hand and walked with him to the lift. You felt nervous as you went up and hoped you weren't alone up there because standing out was something you did not want. However, your wish was not granted. Your stomach dropped as soon as you stepped out of the lift.

You felt your voice catch in your throat as tears stung your eyes. There was no one else in the room like you. You gripped Erwin's hand tighter before walking with him. You could feel eyes on you both. You could feel their gazes boring into you. You were used to stares, but there were so many here.

You released your husband's hand. "I'm going to get a drink for us both. You go say hi to the chairmen."

Erwin frowned a moment but decided to nod instead of pry. "Sure thing."

You gracefully walked across the room to the drinks. You leaned on the bar and waited. You huffed as you were ignored for a while. You smiled when a woman served you the drinks you wanted. You took them and turned to a group of rich wives and mistresses.

You gave them a strained smile. "Hello."

One frowned at you. "You came here with Mr Smith, right?"

You nodded and knew what was coming. "I did."

"I thought he was going to bring his wife, not his maid or assistant."

"Ah well."

Another interrupted you. "Mr Smith speaks so highly of his wife. He says she's stunning and pretty. I can't wait to meet her."

You started to get annoyed. "Ladies, if I can just."

The first groaned. "He must be hiding her!" She gasped. "Mr Smith! We were just talking about your wife!"

Erwin put his arm around you before kissing you. "Isn't she stunning? She's the love of my life."

You smiled at your tall handsome husband. "You're too kind."

He took his glass. "Not kind enough." He chuckled. "Now, excuse me but I have to take my wife to meet the chairmen."

You trotted along with Erwin. "You heard them, didn't you?"

"I did. I tried my best to protect you."

You smiled. "You did great."

He let out a long sigh as his shoulders dropped. "Thank goodness."

You giggled at his response. "Good boy."

Erwin walked you to the chairmen and smiled with pride. "Here is my wife. She was the brains behind the recent big change I made."

The old men stared at you, but one spoke for the others. "Oh, how exotic. Good for you. You're a good man."

"Sorry?"

"Your wife."

Erwin frowned. "I take offence to that."

The old man looked nervous. "Sorry?"

Erwin sighed. "I've met this kind of talk before. You say she's exotic, that I'm a good man for being with someone outside my race. Can we just appreciate my wife like you would anyone else? She's smart, kind, caring, talented, pretty, funny, sexy and a better person than anyone in this place." He grabbed your hand. "Come on. Let's go somewhere better. I'll look for another job too. I'm sure another company will want me as CEO."

You blushed as you stumbled after your husband. "Erwin...thank you."

Pregnancy

You shuffled around the store as you bought baby things while your husband was picking up baby things on the other side of the store. You hummed a little song to yourself and paused a moment when you saw a woman staring at you. You smiled at her and carried on looking.

Erwin jogged over to you with a basket full. "I got everything!"

You giggled. "Thank you for getting things from the other end of the store."

"I'm having a lot of fun doing this." He gasped when he saw something else. "Oh! I'll be right back!" He walked over to some toys and picked up something to see a woman had followed him. "Um, hello?"

The woman smiled. "We need more good men like you in this world."

He blushed. "You're too kind. I'm just excited to see the baby."

She hummed a laugh. "Bless you! You'll be a wonderful step-father."

Erwin frowned. "I'm sorry?"

"Dating a single mother. You're a good person."

Erwin gritted his teeth. "That's my wife and that baby is mine. How dare you."

She blushed and backed up. "Oh! I am so sorry, I just-"

"You just what?" He sighed. "Sometimes you should just mind your own business." Erwin grabbed what he wanted and stormed over to you. "Come on, let's head home."

You smiled softly at him. "Sure!"

"I'm looking forward to putting this all together."

"Me too."

Being parents

You carried your daughter in your arms as you walked with Erwin to a nursery that you might take your daughter to. You smiled at Erwin and saw he looked a little emotional. You couldn't help but giggle at how sweet he was.

You sighed. "Erwin, she needs to go."

He sniffed. "I know. I'm just going to miss her." He whined. "Working from home will just be me and you for a while." He gasped when a realisation hit him. "Oh...this might be fun."

"There we go, we found a positive."

He opened the door for you. "This could be fun, but I will miss her a lot."

"She'll miss you too."

A man hurried over and grinned. "Mr and Mrs Smith, correct?"

You nodded. "That's us."

He smiled at your daughter. "Oh, she's a cutie! Come to my office and we'll chat about our offers."

Erwin led the way and pulled your seat out for you in the office. "We've read up about this nursery and it seems so good for our daughter."

You put your girl on her feet and watched her go play with the toys set out for her. "We're excited for her to learn in a safe environment and make friends."

The man smiled. "Well, we provide all that here. She'll get on swimmingly with the others and be able to mix with kids like her father. Plus, it's a great learning experience for our other children. We don't have any exotic children here, so she'll be our first."

Erwin cleared his throat. "I'm sorry?"

"Did I say something offensive?"

You called your daughter's name and picked her up. "You did. Our daughter is not some fun thing for kids to look at and marvel at! You're talking as if she's some sort of animal at a zoo."

Erwin stood up. "Exotic? Really? I want our daughter to be treated like every other kid. I don't want her to be treated like some...some...some...museum exhibit. We'll take our daughter somewhere else, thank you." He put his arm around you. "Let's get some ice cream, yeah?"

You both smiled at your daughter getting excited. "Thanks, my love."

Erwin winked at you. "Our daughter deserves the best. I know she won't get prejudiced all the time, not everyone thinks the way he does, but I don't want her to go somewhere to experience it so soon. I want her to be treated like every other kid." He sighed. "When she meets that first issue, or someone saying something we'll sit down and have a chat with her. Let's just let her be a kid before we talk about the stupidity of adults."

You kissed his cheek. "You truly are the best."

"I try as best as I can. I want both you and our daughter to be happy. That's all I ever want."

"I love you."

"I love you always."

[ava-does-dumbassery]

What are your thoughts on the new Renfield x Dracula rendition 2023? I for one was so enthralled that I want to start reading the book. I have Dracula on my shelf, is that all there is to it?

I have not seen Renfield 2023 so I don’t think I’m really qualified to give an opinion on it. From what I have seen/heard of it though, it seems like their Renfield is a lot more based on Renfield from the 1931 movie, where he was played by Dwight Frye than he is on original book Renfield. The most obvious and superficial difference would probably be that 2023 Renfield is a pretty young man, like Dwight Frye Renfield, while OG book Renfield is 59 year old man. Renfield having a lot more of an obvious relationship with Dracula and acting directly as an assistant to him is also something that I think comes more from the 1931 movie. Renfield is the best character in the original book (fight me /light-hearted) but doesn’t show up a lot of in it, so if you’re reading it just for the relationship between him and Dracula you’ll probably get pretty bored. Renfield in the original book is also a character who has a lot of things that are hinted at or implied about him, but most of them are never really explained. That does make him a very fun character to speculate on or make headcanons about, but since the book has several parts where the characters will just take a moment to sit down and straight up explain what all the vampire lore that’s been implied so far is, it does feel like a cop out that none of the things that were hinted about Renfield are ever addressed afterwards.

Also, since Renfield 2023 is a horror comedy about a guy overcoming his abuser, I should probably bring this up about the original book if you want to read it, but it’s kind of a hard thing for me to know how to explain, so sorry if anything I say is unclear: Uh, basically, by writing a mentally ill character who he did not see any need to treat with respect and viewed as subhuman, deeply bigoted author Bram Stoker managed to stumble ass backwards into writing the most realistic and honest portrayal of psychiatric abuse that I’ll probably ever be able to find in any piece of media ever?

In the original book, Renfield basically has psychosis (delusions/hallucinations) and is being held in an asylum and abused by a doctor who is one of the most central main characters characters of the novel. Bram Stoker didn’t feel any obligation to make Renfield appealing or relatable to the contemporary ableist Victorian audience, and in most of his scenes it feels like we’re intended to him find his mental illness either creepy or funny. Sometimes it also feels like we’re supposed to find him pitiable, but it’s mainly either creepy or funny. However, Bram Stoker, seemingly by complete accident, managed to make Renfield behave in ways that are very realistic to how someone going through that abuse would actually act. It’s hard to really explain, it feels like Stoker was envisioning Renfield as this ableist caricature of mental illness, but then didn’t think through the implications of a lot of the stuff he wrote, and unintentionally made him complex and incredibly realistic. Reading about OG book Renfield switching between doing things that are really gross or embarrassing because he’s in a state where he has very little grasp on reality or control over himself, to trying to maintain his dignity in his more lucid states only for his abuser to force him back into humiliating himself, to doing gross, humiliating, or bad things intentionally because it’s the only way to feel like he has any power in or any way to potentially escape a situation where someone who sees him as subhuman has complete control over him, and the way his story ends is… the most raw and painfully honest depiction of what it feels like to be in that situation that I will probably ever be able to find anywhere. And it was made by an author who was definitely not aware that he was doing that, in a story that doesn’t even really acknowledge it.

Also, in my opinion, Renfield has a lot of moments that are actually funny and not just in a “mocking someone for displaying mental illness” way. 95% of the characters in Dracula are restrained, polite Victorians who never complain about anything ever and refuse to communicate properly because of it. But Renfield is just so blunt, and rude, and openly sarcastic whenever he has the chance to be, and the people he is talking to always deserve it, which is amazing.

So, yeah, OG book Renfield is one of my favourite characters of all time, he’s the best character in the original book , he manages to be both very fun and iconic while also being deeply tragic at the same time, which is great, but if what I’ve incoherently rambled about in this post doesn’t sound like your cup of tea, the 1931 movie is probably a better bet for you.

[v4nces]

idrk what to think abt the jack stuff but what i do know is that 1. i dont like the age gap to me its weird but im not gonna say ‘he’s blinded by love’ or whatever 2. his gf is not a good person (that’s obvious) 3. i’m not gonna baby him even if hes one of my faves. even tho he’s still a teenager he knows his rights from wrongs and babying him is just a tad odd. i feel like he should be held accountable, however. i dont think trying to cancel him (i dont think ive seen anyone try to yet but ik theres gonna be a possibility) is the right way to go about this. no one has to listen to me about this or think i’m right, these are just my takes bc i’m tired of being too scared to voice my opinions about anything. (also if u comment and i dont acknowledge it i’m sorry i don’t know how to comment on here yet😭)

[bi-bard]

Please Don’t Ruin This for Me - Higgs Monaghan Imagine (Death Stranding)

Title: Please Don’t Ruin This for Me

Pairing: Higgs Monaghan X Reader

Based On: Memories

Word Count: 893 words

Warning(s): mentions of canonical violence/acts of terrorism

Summary: (Y/n) was trying to move forward with their life after finding out some startling truths about the man they loved. However, this man won’t simply disappear.

Author's Note: I didn't imagine this writing challenge taking me so long.

SUPERACHE - CONAN GRAY WRITING CHALLENGE MASTERLIST

-----------------------------

When I first met Higgs Monaghan, he was scared and in obvious need of help.

Wait, no. That's not right.

He played as scared and obviously in need of help. He didn't even give me his real name. Everything that I had known about him had been false.

He ran to my door, rambling about just needing a place to hide away from the time fall. He had been limping, looking all around him. He was a good actor.

I let him in. I gave him food, a place to rest, patched up his wounds. I took care of him out of the kindness of my heart.

He offered me some story about being out for work, trying to get some deliveries done. After an unfortunate run-in with some group, he lost the deliveries and his gear to survive the time fall. So, he was left with no gear, no work, and no way home.

Of course, I felt guilty.

I was certain that I was just being kind. And at first, maybe that's all there was to it. But as time went on, it was hard to deny that something else had formed between us.

As he got better, he helped me with my work. Mostly cleaning and organizing behind me. I would later learn that he was looking through the notes in my notebooks. But at the time, I had no reason to not trust him.

It wasn't until a few weeks into his stay that anything truly happened between us. There had been small moments. Longing looks, light touches as we brushed by each other. Small things that could be ignored or explained away.

That was until the night he kissed me.

It had been gentle. Not rushed or harsh. It just kind of... happened.

Our relationship was much the same way. And it was perfect. Well, I thought it was perfect and I thought he believed that too.

Until another few weeks later when he disappeared. No word, no warning. Just one morning, he was gone.

My knowledge about him started soon after.

Starting with his real name: Higgs Monaghan.

After that came the stories. Terrorism and powers and attacks. He was a monster. A monster that appeared on my doorstep with this fake kindness and sincerity.

And I completely fell for it.

Every bit of it.

I kept to myself even more than usual after that. In my opinion, no one needed to know what I had experienced. Ever. Unless his work somehow made its way to me.

I had hoped that I would never see him again. That my life could go on in peace.

I didn't get that.

One night, I came home and had to face what had happened to me.

I noticed something was wrong as soon as I got inside.

I very slowly moved my hand to my pack, unloading the weapon that I had invested in when I learned the truth about who was going to

"Holy shit!"

I frantically aimed my weapon at the figure on the floor of my small kitchen area. The figure's head slowly picked up to look me in the eye.

"Oh my-"

"Hey there, doll," he said, forcing a chuckle through gritted teeth.

"Higgs."

"Oh, you know my real name now," he continued. "Great."

"What are you doing here," I asked.

"Where else would I go?"

"Anywhere else."

"But the person that I love is here."

I clenched my jaw, steadying my aim as I glared at him. "You don't love me. You never did. Not really."

"Hey, hey," he held a hand up like he was upset that I would accuse him of something. "You don't get to decide how I feel."

"You don't manipulate the people you love," I said. "Or turn them into unknowing accomplices to your terrorist attacks."

"I'm sorry," he replied. "I didn't think I'd fall in love with you when we met. That wasn't my goal. Do you think I would've ever come back here if I didn't love you?"

"I think you came back expecting me to not know about you. You wanted someone easy to manipulate. I am not that person anymore."

Higgs pushed himself off the floor. I held onto the gun a little tighter. I didn't want to seem scared, but the truth was that I was terrified of him.

"Unless you are leaving, don't come any closer."

He scoffed, "Really? You'd throw me out?"

"After what you did, yes," I said. "I have done so much in the hopes of being better than I was when you so easily took advantage of me. Why would I let you undo that?"

"Baby..."

His tone was condescending as he stepped forward. I couldn't move further back without running into the wall. I just glared at him.

He grabbed the hand that was holding the gun, slowly pushing it down.

"Come on," he continued, leaning in closer. His nose gently nudged mine.

As soon as he did that, I pushed my gun up. The barrel met his chin. He let out a chuckle and slowly held his hands up.

"Leave," I said simply.

He stepped away. I kept the gun trained on him.

"Goodbye, doll," he said as he got to the door.

I didn't speak or drop my gun I was sure that he was gone.

"Goodbye."

-----------------------------

Masterlist (Includes links to All Writing Challenges)

What I Write For

Some Original Characters

[kal-culator]

Subway twins reaction to any elders? Namely the Triumph Twins?

Let's start from the top:

Daleth (Isle): Emmet didn't get the chance to meet Daleth like Ingo did, so this will mostly be Ingo's opinion.

During his first encounter with the Isle Elder, Ingo's first impression of the old looking figure is that he seems rather composed and in pain. Well that part is quite obvious by the fact that he watches Daleth's mask just casually assembling itself.

The two doesn't really have much to comment about Isle of Dawn and the elder. Isle of Dawn is.. Definitely something bad had happened there and something way more horrible have happened to the elder. Nothing but pity, I suppose.

More utc because if you know me you know it gets long lmao

——

Ayin (Praire): Ingo doesn't have much to talk about Ayin but that he's definitely friend shaped! The Praire's elder size sure is a surprise to him, however embarrassed he is, he won't lie, he didn't expect the giant on the ground would actually be a person.

Emmet loves him! In the younger subway boss' eyes, Ayin is like a gentle butterfly magician. The way butterfly just burst from his can (can?? Bucket??) Is just simply beautiful that are nearly comparable to Ingo's Chandelure's light!

The two overall enjoyed both Praire and the elder! Butterfly and manta go bbrrrrrr oh also Oreo! Can't forget about the good boy.

——

Teth (Forest): Oh she looks sad. The first thing they saw as they entered her temple is Teth sitting in what they can only assume to be grieving as she sit on top of her anvil.

But then they're a bit intimidated by her presence. She seems rather rude and strong headed (?? I forgot the English word I'm sorry). They see Teth as someone who are forced to keep up a harsh look to keep her people strong. Overall she seems like a respectable figure, or at least, she used to be one.

——

Sah - Mekh (Valley): Twins!!! Emmet was ready to fist fight Sah and Mekh when both of them jump the subway bosses from the sky!!!

The Valley twins are as competitive as the subway bosses. While most of the time Sah and Mekh are competitive against each other, they won't hesitate to commit a truce to challenge other competitors. They too, like winning more than anything else. They're the Valley Elders for a reason you know.

Ingo is looking at the other pair of twins with competitive respect. Compared to all the previous elders, Sah and Mekh seems like the youngest of all yet they seem to hold a high ground in the Kingdom as the leader of the Valley.

Emmet wants to battle them so bad!! The twins looks like they would be a strong trainer if they were ever to be one! It's verrryyy unfortunate that Emmet couldn't play the sport sky people play and the Valley twins can't do Pokémon battle.

——

Tsadi (Wasteland): Just like Teth, they seem to take pity on the Wasteland elder. He was a warrior, as obvious as it seems. Now stripped away from his power and authority to become a sole, lone guardian of the Vault.

Ingo takes pity more than Emmet does. He was a warden afterall, he used to have the responsibility to protect Lady Sneasler and her Sneasles. He can't imagine the anguish he'd feel if he were to fail his task back then, and he certainly can't imagine the pain Tsadi is yielding on his back after losing so much in war.

——

Lamed (Vault): The twins feels a bit indecisive in meeting Lamed. The scene that played before them showed that the Elders are a sort of protectors of the world where they currently visit in, but hearing tales about the tragic fate the God of the world had given sky kid somewhat chipped away the respect and pity the two held on the elders.

Though Lamed seems just as in pain as everyone else. They seem like they too, don't like the situation they've been put in. To wield such responsibility by your King and your God. The scar on Lamed's face somewhat brought back the pity, the twins refused to elaborate further about their thoughts on the Elders role in the world.

If only they can talk to the elders. Maybe then they'd received some answers.

[sarcasticsciencefictionwriter]

Now that I wrote your prompt and don't feel guilty about it anymore xD. Can you please do a Teslen scene with 25 from the weird AU thing?

Here it is! Sorry this took so long--I've never written Nikola before, weirdly enough. I had to take some time to figure it out. Full disclosure, I have never met a bartender or set foot in a bar. I hope you enjoy it. :)

_____

Neat

_____

Men such as Nikola Tesla did not dream of working in a bar. Men like him, with his high intelligence and obvious genius, were supposed to be doing things.

However, reality was a cruel mistress indeed, for him to be stuck behind the bar now, just like he had been for the past two years. It wasn't a bad job, not really. He made decent tips. But it wasn't what he wanted to be doing. He wanted to be creating inventions that would do wonderful things for the world.

But bartending could be fun. He was good at it, he met plenty of interesting people, and he was allowed to flirt with the customers if he wanted. To a point. It was still fun.

It was a busy, busy night and Nikola was pouring drinks, talking, flirting, and smiling his way through his shift. He had to do that with the rude customers too, which was something that he hated. Nikola hated rude people and sometimes would much prefer to throw the drink in their face than place it politely on the bar in front of them.

One thing he did enjoy was judging people for their drinks. Beer was horrible and oh-so-boring. Wine, Nikola could approve of, though it was rather low on the list of what customers preferred. He could respect scotch and whisky, though his opinion lowered when they wanted it watered down or anything like that. Nikola held respect for certain drinks, after all.

As a vampire, he had watched it evolve and has tasted them all. Wine was the best, as long as it wasn't cheap and acidic.

That being said, he handed a trio of beers to a woman with a smile. She returned it and headed towards a table with her friends.

A woman sat down in the empty stool in front of Nikola. He was immediately captivated.

She was beautiful, with blue eyes framed by smoky makeup, brown hair tumbling in careless curls around her shoulders. Nikola's eye was also drawn to the fact that her shirt showed off a generous swell of cleavage.

The way she looked at him told him she noticed and that she didn't give a damn. He liked that. She was clearly no impressed with him and that made er all the more intriguing to him.

"What will you have?" he asked, hoping that she wouldn't ask for beer. His opinion of her would lower immensely if she did.

"Whisky. Neat. Make it a double."

Not what Nikola had been expecting. He would have been more impressed with her if she had ordered one of the fine wines they had on offer.

"As the lady wishes." he said.

He poured her drink and set it in front of her. She knocked it back immediately. Nikola arched an eyebrow, a little impressed as she put the glass back down.

"Another." she said.

She arched an eyebrow at him expectantly, throwing her hair over her shoulder. Nikola was entranced. He poured her another, making a mental note to keep an eye on her drinking, because too many of those would lead to him either cleaning up a mess or dumping her into a cab. That would be disappointing.

He had to busy himself around the bar after this, but he walked by her a little more often than he really needed to, just to see if she needed something. He breathed in as he passed her, noting her scent. He wasn't a dog or anything like that, but he did have heightened senses as a vampire.

Her smell was....odd, he decided. He had never smelled anything like it before. There was something beneath her perfume that made him frown.

The bar started to empty after a bit, but she stayed in her seat, nursing her drink and generally looking unhappy. In a lull, Nikola leaned on the bar, arching an eyebrow at her.

"So. What did your man do?" he asked her.

Her eyes snapped to him. She glared at him.

"Why must men always assume that if a woman wants to drink alone while she is unhappy, it is because of another man?" she asked, voice biting, her accent gentling the words.

"A bartender assumes it when a woman comes in a foul mood and knocks back her first drink like it's water." Nikola corrected, smirking.

Her lips curved down in a frown and Nikola kept his gaze trained on her face.

"I'm not going to talk about it." she said flatly, running her fingernail around the rim of her glass.

"Fine by me. Are you going to have another or are you just here to look at me?" Nikola asked, smirking at her.

Her glare made him smirk even more. She nudged her glass back towards him in answer. Nikola took it and refilled it, but he didn't make it a double this time. He didn't know how well this woman could hold her alcohol, after all.

She was looking at him with a smoldering gaze and Nikola felt himself swallow. There was something different about this woman and he was finding himself drawn to her. She sipped her drink slowly and watched him the whole time. She knew the effect she was having on him and she was clearly enjoying it.

Nikola decided to ignore her for a bit after this.

He came back to her when she tapped her glass on the bar. She did that just to annoy him, he could tell. But he was the fool that immediately obeyed the summons. And not because it was his job.

The only patrons in the bar now were a few people scattered in booths and tables, one old man at the end of the bar, and Nikola's mystery woman. He leaned on the bar in front of her again as she sipped her drink.

"What are you?" he asked her. Not the smoothness that he had intended, but her scent was invading his nostrils and it was bothering him.

"What?"

"What are you?" he repeated.

"A woman who wants to forget tonight." she said, with just enough of a smirk that told Nikola she knew that wasn't what he was asking.

He growled a little in the back of his throat at her. That elicited a broad, smirking grin from her. She stood on the rungs of her stool, elbows on the bar, leaning forward. She put her mouth right next to his ear.

Nikola shuddered at the warmth of her breath.

"Why don't you figure it out, Mr. Tesla?" she whispered.

Nikola stiffened at this. How did she know his name?

He pulled back from her. Her smirk had faded and a small, satisfied smile had replaced it, her expression expectant. He could smell the whisky on her breath, but he realized she wasn't drunk at all. Just like he was never effected by alcohol when he drank.

She sat back down on the stool, clearly waiting.

He glanced around to make certain that no one was close enough to hear him.

"Are you a vampire?"

She laughed. Nikola found that he liked the sound, but he scowled at her.

"Hardly. Care to guess?"

He studied her. She rested her chin in her hand. There was an air to her that was familiar, that suggested she was old. Like he was. They stared each other down. A few moments later, the blue of her eyes slid into red.

Nikola gaped.

His eyes went black when he fully transformed into his vampire state, but he had never seen this before. The red of her eyes sent a thrill through him and he found himself even more attracted to her.

Her smile grew enough to display teeth that had sharpened just a touch.

The pure power of that smile made Nikola convinced of what she was. Only one creature besides vampires could have pulled that off.

"Demon." he whispered, smiling.

Her eyes returned to blue and she looked pleased.

"Very good." She placed her empty glass on the bar in front of her and folded her hands on the polished wood, straightening her spine.

"You didn't come here for a drink, did you?" he asked her, starting to wipe the bar to look busy as they talked.

Her eyes glimmered a little red behind the blue as she stared him down. Nikola stared right back. If she thought for a moment that a vampire was going to be phased by a demon walking into the bar where he worked, she was sadly mistaken.

"What do you think, Mr. Tesla?" she asked.

Nikola smiled a little at her, pausing in what he was doing.

"I think you need to tell me your name if we're going to keep talking, milady."

"Fair enough." she said, not extending her hand to him. "Magnus. Helen Magnus."

"Helen Magnus." Nikola let the name roll off his tongue.

It seemed familiar. But he couldn't remember why.

"All right. Helen. What brings you in here to find little old me?"

Nikola couldn't fathom what a demon might want with him, even though it was very intriguing that she sought him out in the first place. He had never imagined a demon to look the way she did. He certainly appreciated how she looked. But he hadn't gotten to be a vampire that had survived the Victorian era by blindly diving into things.

"I wanted to meet someone who has lived as long as I have." she said simply.

That was not what he had been expecting either. He ran the cloth over the bar one more time, though it really was just for show at this point.

Nikola tilted his head at her thoughtfully, really taking in this woman. A beautiful demon that practically exuded power and claimed to have lived at least as long as he had. She had come in here specifically to find him. He doubted that she would tell him how she had found out about him, but he found himself okay with that. He certainly had his own secrets. He could be generous enough to allow her to keep hers.

"What are you going to do now that you've me, Ms. Magnus?" he asked me. "Kill me? Buy me a drink? Ravish me?"

The last one didn't sound too bad, but Nikola wasn't going to let her in on that.

"I could offer you a deal."

That was disappointing.

"Sorry to break it you, but I don't think my soul is available to be making deals with. Vampire, remember?"

She rolled her eyes and that made Nikola grin.

"Not that sort of deal, Mr. Tesla. And I do not believe I would want your soul. Too much hassle."

She returned his grin.

Nikola got down to business.

"What sort of deal?"

"You're an inventor, are you not?"

"Of course I am."

"I need someone to construct a rather....unusual item for me." Helen said, tapping her fingernails against the polished surface of the bar.

Now that was quite intriguing to Nikola. He moved closer to her again, searching her face. She was acting very nonchalant, but there was something in her eyes that told him that this was something that was very important. Her second and perhaps main reason for seeking him out. He was curious and the not-so-good part of him thought maybe he could use it against her if he wanted.

"What sort of 'item'?" he asked.

"An EM shield."

"For what reason?" Nikola asked, intrigued.

Helen frowned at him, her eyebrows lowering severely over her eyes, accentuating their color.

"I'll only tell you if you take the job, Mr. Tesla."

"What would I get out of it?"

"An unlimited budget for the project, for starters. The rest....may be negotiated."

Nikola liked the sound of that. He looked her up and down. Considered his current circumstances.

"I believe I would be.....willing to negotiate" he said slyly.

Her smile oozed more slyness than his voice ever could. Nikola found himself ridiculously attracted to this for some reason.

"I thought you would be. May I buy you a drink, Mr. Tesla."

"You may. We have a lot to discuss."

Nikola gave her a somewhat feral smile, letting his teeth change while no one else could see.

Her eyes turned red in response.

This, Nikola decided, was going to be very interesting.

[ciaossu-imagines]

prompt 8 and/or 9 for shouhei, please!-shoheiakagi

After reading your recent post, I’m a dollar short and a day late, but I hope these will still do the trick!! Since I’d already dealt with a request for prompt eight, I hope you don’t mind that I settled on prompt nine instead! It seemed really fun, and I enjoyed writing these, so I hope you’ll enjoy them as well!

How do you view people who are similar to you?

I really do think Shouhei can get along with almost everyone, and having similarities with someone does make it easier for him to find common ground and things to talk about, so he can normally strike up at least a friendly acquaintanceship with those similar to him, unless there’s major differences that keep that from happening (for example, while I do see Hidaka and Shouhei as very similar and like people who should get along, the distinct difference in their clans and the way they approach the concept of justice means that they really could never form that friendship). That being said, I do feel like people who are similar to Shouhei don’t really interest him, or challenge him mentally and emotionally enough, to really catch his interest as much as those who are quite opposite to him do.

Is copying the sincerest form of flattery?

Not really, not in Shouhei’s opinion. Sure, he’ll probably have a little bit of an ego-boost if someone copies some of the things he does, but it’s pretty short-lived. Once that initial little ego-boost is done, I do think he would kind of wonder why the person was copying him – were they not confident enough in themselves, did they lack their own identity, did they not feel like they were strong enough on their own? It would really kind of bother him, as he definitely does feel that people are best when they’re living their authentic selves, and he’d first probably subtly try to get the person to express more of who they actually are or would kind of sever ties to them slowly if they kept relying on copying him.

Do you believe people are either good or bad?

Honestly, Shouhei falls somewhere in the middle. I do see him as the sort of person who can easily see the good in a wide variety of people and who will focus mainly on the good in a person. He can shrug off annoying traits or faults in people pretty easily that way. However, he’s not a stupid boy and he’s seen quite a bit in his life, and he has no delusions that every single person is good. He knows there’s immoral people out there, selfish people who will do anything as long as they benefit from it, no matter how much it hurts other people or how depraved it is so he is quite fully aware that there do exist people out there who are just plain bad, to the point that not even he can find the good in them.

Do you believe certain people would be better off dead?

Yes. There’s a lot of people who look at HOMRA, and Shouhei because he is a part of that group and assume that they’re all a bunch of hoods with no moral values. But Shouhei actually has a pretty strong moral compass and some pretty strict ideas of what’s okay and what’s not, though they might differ from those held by general society. Those people who destroy those morals he has, those who purposefully seek to gain from other people’s (especially women or children) pain and suffering…Shouhei would happily send them to hell himself, and if he can’t do it, he sure as hell would not be sorry if someone else did.

Would you trust anyone to protect you?

I think the answer here is really obvious. Though they might not always get along, and they do fight among themselves sometimes, he trusts every other member of HOMRA to have his back when he needs them to and he knows that any of them would protect him if needed, even if they got hurt doing so. (That being said, Mikoto and Bandou are definitely the two he put the most absolutely trust in.)

Do you need to have a leader role? Would you fight someone if they competed or just let it go?

Now, Shouhei has absolutely no problem with being the center of attention. He’s not a shrinking violet or someone who minds having all eyes on him. But, even with that super-extroverted nature of his, he doesn’t really have a lot of ambition, I don’t think, and he doesn’t really gravitate towards leadership roles or being in charge. He doesn’t want someone dictating all of his moves or what he should be doing, so it’s not that he wants to be subservient or that he needs someone to give him direction for his life, but more that he’s just a very ‘live and let live’ kind of guy when it comes down to it, with some exceptions of course. He’ll happily relinquish leadership over to others, as long as they don’t expect him to blindly follow their orders and they don’t micromanage or behave too authoritarian for his liking.

Do you believe your parents know best? If not, then who?

No. No, he definitely does not. Don’t get me wrong. It’s not that Shouhei doesn’t like his parents or that he doesn’t get along with them (though there were some rough patches during his early to mid-teenage years). He loves his parents and they’ve gotten to a point where they’ve accepted his lifestyle enough to not nag him about it. But Shouhei doesn’t think that his parents know everything – they’re just people, doing their best, same as him and everyone else. He knows his parents aren’t infallible, that they make mistakes. Hell, while he deeply respects Mikoto as his King, and the upper members of HOMRA like Tatara and Kusanagi, he knows that even they don’t know everything and that they can make mistakes. In the end, Shouhei follows Mikoto as his King and respects him, but Shouhei feels like only he, himself, knows what’s best for Shouhei and that each other person knows what’s best for themselves.

Is it best to have friends who are convenient to you or friends who are genuine?

While Shouhei will have a lot of friendly acquaintances and lots of surface level friendships, people he sees or interacts with here and there and gets along with, because he is such a friendly, open guy, he really does treasure his genuine friendships, because he does know how rare those can be. A true friend is worth more than all the money in the world, in his opinion.

Is marriage for love or for business?

Now, while he’s not averse to fun and casual flings, Shouhei is a bit of a romantic at heart, and he will definitely be the kind of person who does want to find ‘the right one’. Marriage is serious to him, and he definitely feels marriage should be with someone you truly love and can’t imagine living your life without.

Should people be judged on how they look? Would you judge others in such a way?

Shouhei actually isn’t super into how people look. He’s not blind, and he will find certain people more attractive than others. Looks will determine who he might be interested in dating, though they won’t be the only thing that determines that. But overall, in terms of just how he treats people in general and how he determines who he enjoys as a person and who he dislikes as a person, looks never factor into that sort of thing.

Do you believe being disliked makes you stronger or more of a threat?

Neither. Shouhei’s, again, not a dumb guy and he’s pretty socially smart. He knows it’s impossible to make it through life without someone disliking you because not everyone likes everyone else. Hell, there’s plenty of people he doesn’t really like. Him not liking them, or someone else not liking him, doesn’t make him stronger or weaker to them or them to him. It doesn’t make them a threat to him or vice versa. It just means they’re two people who don’t get along.

Are problems best shared or should people keep them to themselves?

This is a complicated one for Shouhei. He really, really struggles to share the problems he��s facing with others. He is always really quick to offer help to others, to take other people’s problems on himself but he finds it difficult to let other people into problems he’s facing. Half of him simply believes that he can do it all on his own, while the other, smaller half doesn’t think it’s right to put his burdens on someone else, even though he never views other people’s problems as burdens.

Do you believe people who force you out of your comfort zone are helpful? Annoying? Do you want to deal with them at all?

The thing is, Shouhei has a really wide comfort zone. He’s pretty game for anything that seems fun or interesting and he’s definitely not risk averse.

Even if you know nothing about a subject, do you feel the need to take part?

Yes and no. I don’t see Shouhei as this big mansplainer or anything. He’s not a know-it-all or anything like that. It’s more that, if the subject being discussed seems at all interesting to him, he’s going to join in on the conversation, ask questions, try to learn something new and cool.

How do you view people who are your opposites?

Now, as mentioned in the very first question, I do see Shouhei being more interested in or intrigued by people who are very much his opposite. They’ll still need to share some common things, as in he won’t be interested in someone who is super rigid in their beliefs or someone who is very authoritarian, but overall, he very much has a curiosity about people who are quite opposite. I really do think he’s that extrovert friend who kind of collects more introverted friends, just because he finds them really fascinating or finds it interesting to see how they think and view things and approach things. He finds he learns a lot more and it helps him develop as a person to have those friends who help him see different points of view or different ways of thinking about things.

Do you interact with others in a special or different persona or attitude?

Okay, this one is a little complicated because I do see Shouhei as being someone who is very chameleon like. He doesn’t entirely change who he is with people. He’s still the same guy, with the same core values and attributes, but he does kind of adapt his behaviour to the person he’s hanging out with. Some people only get Shouhei at, like, 25% fully himself because he tones down some of his personality traits to make them feel more at ease. Others get full 100% Shouhei, mostly the other alphabet boys in HOMRA.

Do you prefer to be around extroverts or introverts? Or does it not matter to you either way?

Now, I do think that Shouhei can really be comfortable hanging out with both introverts and extroverts, but I do, as previously said, think that he prefers introverts. But hey, if someone is cool and extroverted, he’ll hang out with them, he’ll be friendly. I just think he chooses to hang out with his more introverted friends more often than not.

If you need help, are you more likely to accept it from anyone or only close friends? Do you ever accept help in general?

Shouhei has a hard time really accepting help in general and, when he does, it’s only from those he really, truly trusts to have his back. And it’s normally because those people know him well enough to have figured out that there’s something going on with him, because he does have his tells and some of them have figured them out and can read him pretty easily now.

How do you feel about party games like truth or dare? Do you wish people would leave you out of them?

He can take them or leave them himself. He has no problem participating in them, keeping them all in good fun. That being said, if the people he’s around or hanging out with are people who would be uncomfortable playing the game when someone else suggests it, he’ll probably shoot it down because he doesn’t want his friend to feel forced into an uncomfortable situation.

Do you wish people paid you more attention?

Quite simply put…Shouhei’s a handsome, charismatic, friendly guy. He really isn’t hurting for attention and he’s quite okay with the amount of attention he gets.

Do you wish no one ever paid you any attention?

There are times, mostly when he has to be sneaky or fly under the radar, that he does wish that he didn’t draw quite so much attention, especially since he finds it hard not to engage with people who come up and start talking to him because he’s caught their eye.

Do you think authority figures are looking out for your best interests and should be trusted?

No. Very much no. I do think that a large part of the reason that being in HOMRA works so well for Shouhei is because Mikoto, while he’s their King, doesn’t expect or try to be an authority figure. He’s fine, and actually pretty proud of being under Mikoto, but that’s because Mikoto feels more like someone that Shouhei looks up to and respects; Mikoto has that charisma and draw to him that people like Shouhei, who have issues with authority and being told constantly what to do and what not to do, really do respond well to.

Do you believe people would be upset if you disappeared one day or more relieved?

Shouhei has a pretty healthy amount of self-esteem. He knows that his parents do love him. He knows he has friends who would notice if he just up and disappeared. He knows HOMRA would definitely notice if he went AWOL, and he knows that all those people would be upset and would do everything they could to find out what happened to him, if he ever ran away or disappeared.

Do you get along better with people older than you or younger than you? Perhaps the same age?

Okay, weird stance here, but I do think Shouhei can get along with kids, but he’s sort of uncomfortable around them. Like, he tries to be nice, but my god, some people’s kids, you know…He’s friendly enough to older folks and his charming nature does mean that most of them forgive the fact that he looks a little bit like a hood. That being said, he’s not going out of his way to hang out with most older folks, and he really does prefer the company of those more around his age, as he finds more in common with them.

What does it take for you to consider someone an enemy?

Shouhei won’t stand for two things. Don’t hurt one of his friends or loved ones. Just don’t do it; don’t put them in danger in any way. And for fuck sakes, just let him live his life the way he wants to. He hates it when people try to control him or force him into this tiny, societally acceptable box.

What does it take for you to consider someone a friend?

Honestly, it’s not too hard to make a friend out of Shouhei. He makes friends easily. Be kind to him, don’t cause unnecessary drama, have a sense of humour and fun, and he’ll be more than happy to be your friend, even if it does just begin as a surface level friendship.

What are your thoughts on public displays of affection or skinship?

I’ve said it before, but I do see Shouhei as an incredibly affectionate guy. It doesn’t matter if it’s his bros or his parents or his friends who are girls, or a lover. He’s big on hugs, on high-fives, on playful shoves or rough housing with the other guys, with arms slung across shoulders…he’s just very physical as a person, with physical touch definitely being the love language he shows to other people.

It’s a dog-eat-dog world and everyone’s got an agenda. Do you believe that?

For the most part, Shouhei wouldn’t really buy into that. He does know that there are people out there who do have hidden agendas, who are only out for themselves, but he doesn’t believe that that is the majority of people and he’s met enough kind, generous people (and been raised by them), that he’s pretty sure there’s more good people in the world than bad people.

Do you consider it creepy or undesirable if someone knows too much about you?

It depends on the degree. If it’s just something that he knows they might have overheard someone else say about him, or heard him say in a conversation, then it doesn’t bother him too much. He’ll chalk it up to curiosity. However, if it’s stuff that he knows he’s never mentioned or talked about before and they’re bringing it up, he’s definitely creeped out and probably has some ‘oops, have another crazy stalker again’ vibes.

Would you do something horrible in order to save your friends even though they’d loathe you for it?

In a heartbeat. Shouhei really does care deeply for his friends and he’s the kind of guy who wants to fix things for others, to help them out. If his friends were really in danger, even if what he had to do meant that there’s a chance he might end up in a bad way or that his friends would be disgusted or pissed at him, he’s doing what needs to be done to keep them safe.

Do you remember anyone you used to get along with? Why did you stop getting along?

Shouhei actually used to be in a gang with some guys he knew before HOMRA. He was really good friends with this other guy in the gang, Minato. At least he was until it came out that Minato liked to knock around his girlfriends…that’s not exactly something Shouhei can overlook or be okay with, and Minato definitely wasn’t too friendly after Shouhei broke his arm and fractured his jaw.

Is family more important than any other relationship?

No. While he definitely does try to be good to his parents, especially now that they’ve gotten past all the rough patches of his teenage years, and he does want to keep a loving relationship with them, he also believes that that is only one of the many important, caring relationships that should be part of an adult’s life.

Do you think friendship is better and more powerful than love?

That’s impossible to really answer with a yes or a no for Shouhei. Friendship to him, true and genuine friendship, is just another form of love. Love to him doesn’t necessarily always equate to romantic or sexual feelings, though he does want and enjoy that kind of love too.

Would you rather hurt people or let people hurt you?

It depends. Emotionally and mentally, Shouhei doesn’t like to hurt people. He tries his very best to kind of go with the flow and is maybe a little too accommodating (ie: kissing Saya because she wanted him too and he didn’t want to hurt her feelings). That being said, physically…Shouhei has zero issues with hurting people if they try to hurt him or if he feels like they deserve it. HOMRA’s members have the reputations they have for good reason, and it’s because every single one of their members, including Shouhei, do love a good old-fashioned fight.

Do you believe peace is best and, as such, avert your eyes to misdeeds?

Shouhei, as mentioned, overlooks the little things. The things that don’t really make a huge difference. If the misdeeds are bigger than that, he’s definitely calling the person the fuck out or taking steps to stop what they’re doing.

Do you believe it’s fine to be alone so long as you’re true to yourself?

That’s actually, in a way, his worst nightmare. Shouhei thrives off human contact; he needs it to be happy and mentally healthy. He hates the thought of being completely alone, truly, one hundred percent alone, and he’d only put himself in that situation if it was absolutely necessary.

Do you think honest people are foolish people?

He doesn’t think they’re foolish. Bandou, probably Shouhei’s best friend, is way too honest sometimes, and it’s something Shouhei finds amusing and charming about him, actually.

Do lies bother you even if they’re for a good cause?

No. I will say this plain out, I do think Shouhei is one of those guys who will feel completely comfortable telling white lies. He won’t lie about anything serious, but small lies to protect the other person’s feelings – those are okay to him.

Do you believe there are some relationships that can’t be broken by anything?

I do think that he would feel that, though he wouldn’t know how exactly to put how he feels on that. He knows there are people who are always going to be important people to him, always going to have been huge influences on his life, people who he could go years without speaking to and then bump into and talk to as if only a day had passed.

[skyloftsword]

Tears of the Kingdom Re-review

Alright, I just finished my third playthrough of Tears of the Kingdom and probably have well over 600 hours in this game at this point, plus its been a while since I last posted on here so I'm coming back with a re-review of this game. Though admittedly, most of my opinions stayed the same. Spoilers of course. (Basically its still a 10/10 in my opinion and is the only game I actively go back into my 100% file to just screw around in, just some stuff I found in my recent playthroughs that got me to start to appreciate some stuff more and some flaws are definitely noticeable to me now)

Alright, starting with the gameplay. I was admittedly not a fan of Ultrahand at first, but its grown on me a lot the past few months. I really do enjoy toying around and making dumb machines with it. Fuse is still fun to mess with and discovering new things I can fuse to stuff is always a fun time. Ascend is the best thing ever and has completely ruined me. Recall is extremely broken but I absolutely love using it on ruin rubble rocks that fall from the sky and ride them back up.

The Shrines are a definite improvement over Breath of the Wild's even if they are easier. The overall vibe of the Blessing Shrines also makes the increased amount of them far more excusable. The Training ones aren't fun however because they're a slog to get through. The Combat Training/mini Eventide Shrines are extremely fun and are a good test of how much you know about the combat of the game.

The dungeons may be divisive but I genuinely really thought they were great. The unique visuals returning, the dungeon themes calling back to BotW's Champion and Divine Beast themes, etc. just really make me enjoy them so much more. Yeah they're glorified Divine Beasts, but what makes these more enjoyable is the fact that the puzzles have SO, SO many ways to solve them. Traditional dungeons also had this, but they weren't really too different from the intended solution. Also the return of non-copypaste bosses really helped make these dungeons stand out more. Colgera is fun and intense especially because of the music, Queen Gohma was challenging but still was fun (though I am not a fan of the reinforcements), Armored Gohma was a creative take on the recurring boss, Mucktorok... yeah no I can't defend this boss (it was only fun with low gravity), the Seized Construct fights were genuinely really fun and if you don't like Mineru's mech you can just spin attack.

Now onto the combat, weapons still break. HOWEVER, Rock Octoroks now repair weapons and give them new modifiers. Fighting enemies feels more rewarding as well thanks to the fuse ability. A weak weapon can become a strong one thanks to the horns enemies drop. Hyrule itself is definitely more full and honestly I really appreciate it while also loving the emptiness of BotW's version. They're both two sides of the same coin. What keeps me from going back to BotW though is the gameplay, Tears of the Kingdom absolutely blows BotW out of the water in EVERY way... well except for some small things like the tutorial.

Now onto the story... I'm sorry but I still absolutely LOVE this game's story. It has its faults and they're obvious, but the important and bigger parts of the story really are just immaculate. The start of the game is incredible. Link and Zelda go down to investigate the origin of the gloom that started to appear from beneath Hyrule Castle. The gloom is revealed to be coming from Ganondorf being held by Rauru's hand. Rauru's hand, weakened by the hundreds of thousands of years holding Ganondorf lets go after Link and Zelda arrive. This kickstarts the events of Tears of the Kingdom. The Regional Phenomena quest felt more impactful because people's lives are actively being harmed and are in desperate need of saving. The Rito are suffering a deadly blizzard and are relying on other areas for food and water, the Gerudo are suffering a terrible sandstorm and a zombie invasion, the Gorons are being mind controlled by Ganondorf and the Zora's home is contaminated by polluted water, severely injuring the Zora that live there. It feels more impactful than BotW's where they were all being impacted by the same thing. Yeah, yeah, the post-dungeon cutscene is the same for all 4 main Temples, but I will take that over BotW's "Free the Divine Beast x4" which was still honestly fine. The callbacks to BotW are sparse but they DO EXIST. Sidon is still depressed over Mipha's death (all of Zora's Domain is, which is why they gave her a special park, Mipha Court), Riju prays to Lady Urbosa in her journal, etc. Also Purah Pad descriptions summarize BotW or call back to it with the profiles of each returning character. The Dragon's Tears quest is genuinely incredible... but it REALLY should have been linear. Everything that happens in the memories this time around IS important and adds to the lore of the game. Yes, the ending of this quest is predictable and spoiled everywhere, but it somehow STILL lands the way it intended on landing. In all three of my playthroughs, it still managed to get a tear out of me. Rauru, Sonia and Mineru also are really good characters, with Rauru and Mineru being my favorite characters in the franchise. The growth Rauru goes through in the memories really is great. He starts off thinking he's thinking he's perfect and unbeatable, but then Sonia is murdered by Ganondorf despite Rauru saying he'd keep a close eye on him. This makes Rauru wake up and realize he isn't an invincible super god and asks for assistance from the other leaders in Hyrule. Mineru's quest was also genuinely really incredible and helped me love her as a character even more. From finding the keys to unveiling the Thunderhead Islands to building her a construct body, it was a genuine blast. What helps these story beats become even better is the soundtrack of this game.

The team behind the music of this game did an absolutely incredible job with it. The songs used in the story are utilized perfectly, especially the erhu version of Zelda's Lullaby. Gloom's Lair also really sets the tone for the end of the game. My personal favorite song has to be Demon Dragon though, it really does feel like the final battle to save Hyrule and to destroy the Demon King, no the Demon Dragon, once and for all. The fight themes in general are just absolutely incredible and make fights feel more impactful. The ambient songs are no exception as well, I could listen to Dragonhead Island or the Light Dragon themes for hours. Also the Zonai chants really add a unique charm to the music and make it more unsettling at times, I LOVE IT.

The music also really amplifies the best endgame I have ever experienced in a game. It starts with the descent to the Forgotten Foundation and Imprisoning Chamber, which is an absolutely incredible callback to the beginning of the game. Then you descend into Gloom's Lair and fight the Demon King's Army with your friends, the current day Sages. After this the bosses of the Temples appear and the Sages hold them back so you can go and beat Ganondorf. The fight with Ganondorf is INSANE. He can flurry rush your attacks during part 1 of the fight. Part 2 of the fight, he says screw having a centered health bar and has the best intro to a phase in any game ever, topping it off with "I'll be taking more than just your arm this time". He also summons Phantom Ganons, but the Sages come and assist you with them. Once his health bar reaches the normal amount, he absorbs the Phantoms and blasts the Sages away. Once you defeat him, he absorbs the Secret Stone he has and turns into a flawed dragon, the Demon Dragon. The Light Dragon (Zelda) and Link slay the Demon Dragon with a MUCH better executed fight than Dark Beast Ganon because you control the pace of the fight, not Zelda. Then, Rauru and Sonia appear and hold out their hands, amplifying Link's Recall so Zelda can be restored back to being a Hylian, Link's arm goes back to pre-Gloom Blast and Rauru gets his arm back. This is followed by a (thankfully) playable segment where Link dives to catch Zelda, ending with you catching her hand.

Okay, time for my one issue with the game: the storytelling. It REALLY hurts that the storytelling isn't good in this game. The plot beats are absolutely incredible for a Zelda game, but they don't feel as connected as they should be. It feels like they only planned one possible route for players to take but didn't force that route onto everyone. This just made it easier for players to spoil themselves.

Overall, I still absolutely ADORE this game to death, still my favorite game of all time after over 600 hours. I really liked Breath of the Wild but this game is what I was hoping for and I'm glad its finally here. Thanks for reading my rambles.