#the thing is I'm worried it won't be good enough to appeal to me but also won't be bad enough to loop back around to still being fun

[blujayonthewing]

all right. I am going to watch the mario movie.

[r--kt]

Where actually was this betrayal line for Obito that Kakashi had crossed?

about the whole "anyone got Kakashi, but not Obito" thing that @komihoyinsblog said. I remembered where the culmination of this theme was. no, like, this whole topic is real!

let's talk about the scene after when Jubito was defeated. here I will analyse kkobkk relationships and Obito's arc specifically.

contents | context · meaning of the scene · where's a mistake and where's a betrayal

CH. 655

Context

during the battle with the shinobi alliance, Obito came face to face with a deeply repressed desire for another life, which he did not realize due to his position as the only one who can fulfill the tsukuyomi plan. the battle itself as well as the conversation with Naruto reminds Obito of the aspirations and values dear to him that he had to sacrifice. all this has noticeably hit Obito and now he is disarmed and stripped of his armor, which is metaphorically reflected in his half-naked body (and cuz fans love men's boobs).

CH. 652. god, look how happy he is, I'm sobbing. love the way he never regrets about his scars, they're with him even in his imagination, that's a reminder of his core values.

structurally, in Obito's arc, this scene is the Collapse point and the end of the second act. here, the previous methods (the tsukuyomi plan) have shown their inconsistency, and the goal (peace for everyone and for him, too) has not been achieved, and he must find a new way to achieve this goal. at the beginning of the scene, he is confused, defeated and not ready to face the consequences.

why isn't he ready? he's lying there, seemingly resigned. yeah, not exactly. here, he accepted the impending death, and it's even not bad to die by Kakashi's hand to some extent. another question is, is he ready to talk to him, is he ready to accept the defeat and find the strength to continue the journey?

Meaning of the scene

once again, it is important that the battle with the alliance and the conversation with Naruto influenced Obito, but did not convince him. it was Kakashi who did it.

in fact, this conversation with Kakashi is a crucial reason for Obito to return to his ideals. before that, he was in doubt (the second act is a reflection of the character, as if hesitating from one side to the other), and after that he takes the side of the alliance. what did Kakashi say that made Obito come back?

three questions Obito is asking.

how can you be sure that Naruto won't fail on his way, unlike me? [pic 2, above]

why are you so attached to Naruto, what's the difference between him and me? [pic below]

why are you willing to help him (and not me)? [pic below]

they don't talk about different paths here. Kakashi emphasizes that Obito's path is not exactly wrong, so that's not the deal. it's about Obito and Naruto as people, and, more, about Kakashi's opinion on Obito.

finding out why he is not the one whose path Kakashi is ready to defend is essential for Obito. he wants to understand why Naruto (aka Obito's previous self, too) is closer to him, why Kakashi does not support the actual one for whom he grieved so much. why, even recognizing the possible correctness of tsukuyomi, Kakashi refuses to support Obito in this, prefers to go the same way. and also look at how damn emotional he is at this moment, his feelings go from anger to anxiety in a couple of frames. that's what happened when the central conflict "I'm never good enough to be loved" is raised.

Obito's questions are a subconscious appeal to Kakashi — "why don't you choose me? I could make you happy. what's wrong with me again?!" he thinks that the reason Kakashi doesn't take his side is not because of the correctness of his path, but because of Obito himself. subconsciously, he thinks that it's because of Kakashi's personal dislike of this "new" Obito, and he is very afraid of this might be true. just look at his face at the bottom of the page, he's really worried about hearing Kakashi's answer. oh, and it's actually the same meaning as "I thought, maybe you could love me like you used to, even though I'm different" [ Jinx's quote from Arcane, yes, I like to compare these two sometimes ].

what Kakashi says in this situation means "let me help you." Kakashi said he would be ready to help Obito if he let him in, if he allowed him. this is literally the only condition (which is important to mention here) under which Obito did not pass, because of his desire to reject Kakashi's help, believing that he must put his life on tsukuyomi plan and cut off all ties. but this does not mean that he wanted Kakashi to cut off this tie in return.

Obito was an individualist, and he only scoffed or got angry at Kakashi's offer to help/sympathize. now they're in a situation when Obito finally hear that Kakashi said "you've made mistakes, but that's okay. I can be with you, if you need me to, and I'm okay with you continuing your life and reaching peace. I accept you and I believe in you." and I want you to appreciate that this is the tipping point of Obito's arc.

so, that's why Obito changes his way of acting. Kakashi shows that he accepts Obito the way he is, and thus significantly reduces Obito's need to prove his worth through his own hardships and overcoming difficulties. yes, Kakashi had already said similar things before, and it didn't work, but here this line is resolved precisely because of this deep conversation they had.

Where's a mistake and where's a betrayal

oh, maybe Rin's death was a thing Obito considered a betrayal from Kakashi's part? everything's much less trivial. would he offer to help Kakashi if he thought he was a traitor? and well, he offered.

CH. 630

no, look at his face on the bottom right, why would you say that with such a gentle face to someone you consider a traitor? what is it, a genuine smile? so something happened besides that.

the betrayal was that Kakashi preferred his other ties to the connection with Obito. here, betrayal is not about killing Rin, and not about breaking a promise — all these are mistakes that Obito is able to forgive.

all the moments when Obito says something like "you had the opportunity to kill me, but you didn't do it", "you can't deal with me because of guilt?", "still blaming yourself for the broken promises?" - all this is an attempt to increase his own value, to show the importance of Obito for Kakashi. and it's also a projection. Obito says, "you had so many opportunities to kill me, but you..." although he does the same. like, why would he leave Kakashi alive after the kamui battle? intentionally inflict a non-fatal wound on him and leave him in a dimension that only he and Obito have access to? "I don't care if he's alive or dead," but at every opportunity he chose the option "alive", even if it's less profitable for him. my baby loves to deceive himself so much.

all this time, Obito believed that he was striving for their common dream, and therefore the condemnation from Kakashi (there should be a couple more frames from the manga) feels like the most painful blow for him, especially when Kakashi says that Rin would not want it either. before that, Obito had compared himself and Kakashi a couple of times, put them on an equal footing, and after being rejected by him, that's where Obito feels really lonely.

the point of no return was precisely the fact that Kakashi shows with his own words that he does not accept the current Obito and everything he's been striving for years. all this, taken together, he considered a betrayal, as if he's not enough, as if he fucked everything up again.

therefore, their conflict is resolved by the acceptance of one person by another, this is in fact exactly what Obito's heart wanted — to hear that he could be accepted after all that had happened. the same thing happened after his death, when he finally met Rin, by the way.

hope the text is not that messy. oh, and! that kkob video I've made with mitski's song. this fits the topic so well. love these guys

[inuhalfdemon]

Sex Ed 101 for No One Can Know...

RadioApple SMUT

Rating = Explicit

Word Count = 2,846 Words

“Are you sure!?”

“Luci...if you ask me that question one more time, I'm saying ‘no’ completely out of spite.”

“I'm sorry...I just...you know-“

“Yes, I know...but, my answer still remains a ‘yes’...your grace.”

“Hm...'Kay.”  Lucifer’s devil’s tail was lashing about excitedly.

Both he and Alastor were tangled together – naked – and had just been lazily exploring each other’s mouths, as well as…some other places. Lucifer had been hellbent on them christening his new room at the hotel this time, so they were currently finding pleasure in each other within his oversized bed.

“Why are you so worked up about this anyway?” Alastor asked him, curious. Alastor was reclined comfortably on his back; Lucifer knelt over him. “From what you've told me, we won't be doing anything incredibly enjoyable to you for quite some time yet.”  

“What I told you was: this is something we would be building up to...which will require at least a few sessions...I never said I wouldn't enjoy it.” Lucifer explained; laying a lick across a series of scars that ran across Alastor’s chest, Lucifer’s devil’s tail only lashing out more. 

“You're actually very excited about this then, aren't you?” Alastor noted; his hand pressed to Lucifer’s thigh, absent-mindedly rubbing circles into it with his thumb.

“Very.” Lucifer’s eyes burned gold, flaring brighter momentarily.

“And now, I'm worried…”

Lucifer laughed. “It will be enjoyable...for both of us. I get to explore something new with you and I...I get to be your first. I think that gives me a right to some excitement.”

“Ugh... I'm not a virgin.”  

“No...” Lucifer allowed, only he made a face when he thought: …but, that tight hole of yours is.

“Luci...I can read your face and I don't care for what it just said.” Alastor’s eyes narrowed.  

“Look... I'm just excited to get to do this with you, alright.” Lucifer smiled a toothy-wide grin and laid himself down so that he was hugging Alastor’s bare chest, his head resting on his sternum and looking back up at the Sinner demon. “I want to make you feel good, Al. And, I think if we approach it in the right way... you'll really enjoy it.”

“Honestly, Luci...this whole approach you've got planned...it just sounds...demeaning.” Alastor winced, his ears lying back; remembering how Luci explained to him what he should be expecting in these sessions. “I mean…This, is what you did!? All this…preparation?”

“Hm...nope...” Lucifer had hoped to avoid this question. “But, I also have the advantage of…shape-shifting.”

“Oh, you little fuck- Can't you just...’break me in rough’ or something?” Alastor asked him in exasperation. “We've gotten overzealous in things before...bloodied each other up. Whatever injuries I sustain – if any –“

“Though I understand that idea might sound more appealing to your ego,” Lucifer interrupted him, sitting himself up now, flicking Alastor on the nose and eliciting a snarl. “I won’t humor it. I won’t be hurting you when we do this.”  

Alastor gave him a withering look of disgust.

“Seriously, Al... I'm not doing this to outright embarrass you.” Lucifer told him, being absolutely serious now. “But, if we're doing it at all... we're doing it right. I don't want...” He sighed. “I don't want there to be any more bad experiences associated with sex for you. Am I excited to get to try this with you? Yes. Do I think once we get really going with it in later sessions that you will love it? Yes. But...if it makes you uncomfortable or you dislike any part of it...even if it’s just the prep - I want you to let me know.”

“...fine.” 

“Good enough.” Lucifer nodded, pleased. Shifting forward; he leant himself down – his mouth finding Alastor’s again. The kiss started as something soft but then slowly built into something more…demanding. Alastor slid clawed fingers through Lucifer’s hair; clutching at the angel’s neck and pulling him harder to him. Lucifer nipped at his lip sharply and Alastor drove his tongue between their parted lips.

After some time with this, Lucifer pulled himself away – panting now.  “Now...” He swallowed, steadying himself and shifting down. “I normally only like to introduce one new thing at a time when it comes to these types of sessions, however...”

Lucifer slid his hand between them; skimming downward – his fingers finding Alastor’s semi-hard length.  

“Some...distraction may prove helpful.” He breathed, doing something with his hand.

Alastor jerked; his ears standing straight and stiff as rods. His eyes widened and he shifted, suddenly apprehensive. “What the-“ He squirmed. Gripping Lucifer’s shoulders he tried moving him enough to the side so that he could see. “What did you just-“

He managed to make an opening between their bodies by just enough to look down and see.

“Did you just put a cock ring on me!?” He snarled out his astonishment.

“Yes, yes...I did.” Lucifer smirked, rather proudly. “They’re normally meant to restrict blood flow…gives you a longer erection but, this one is stretchy and…stimulating.”

“It-!” Alastor swallowed; shifting more. It feels...interesting.” His long ears were rotating; flicking and turning as he seemed to be fully processing this new and unexpected physical development.

“Haha!” Lucifer grinned widely back at him, showing all of his teeth. “Yeah, they do! Now, turn over... 

“Oh, good God, Lucifer…this is humiliating!”  Alastor groaned into the sheets.

“Humiliation is the spice to arousal, my friend.” Lucifer sang back at him.

Alastor was pressed facedown into the bedcovers; his ass lifted up above bent knees and tail standing straight. Lucifer was presently pressed to his backside, stroking and massaging the taut muscles surrounding Alastor’s entrance with his fingers and his claws; his own body leant forward in such a way that he also was able to reach around and stroke at Alastor’s rising cock.  

“You are an appreciator of the culinary arts…” Lucifer hummed.

“Oh, please...dear Satan…Luci! Do not talk about food or cooking...not now!” He groaned again; pressing his face harder into the bed – ears flattened in his immense embarrassment.

How did I let myself end up here!?

Alastor’s antlers were steadily branching out from his head; his tail had a delicate raised and frizzed ridge running up the middle of it and Lucifer was enjoying winding him up, more and more.

Lucifer snickered. “Musical arts, then!” He pressed himself closer into Alastor. “Your ass is a symphony...and I'm going to play it.”

“That's...” Alastor gasped; feeling Lucifer’s hand retreat from his quivering erection. “That's not...oh, sweet Lord!” Alastor’s claws tore into the sheets; his hands clenching beside him.

Lucifer’s hands had slid between Alastor’s cheeks, spreading them as he pressed in with his face now…forked tongue flicking and tracing all along his rim.

“Mmphg...” Alastor moaned into the covers.   

Lucifer was no longer stimulating his cock but the ring he had placed there made it feel like Alastor was still being gripped…and as his arousal climbed, the sensation to his length only tightened. Alastor shifted; spreading his legs out wider, when Lucifer’s tongue entered him.

Alastor’s back bowed, his pelvis tilting sharply.

Gasping, Alastor whined at the warm and wet feeling of Lucifer probing him.

Lucifer’s tongue wiggled and wagged; pressing and teasing at Alastor’s tight muscles that were just inside. Dragging his forked tip in a circular motion against Alastor’s walls, Lucifer felt the puckering of the tight hole against his ministrations, and it elicited an obscene moan from the devil’s mouth.

Alastor’s tail flicked at the sound of it…his body melting into the pleasurable vibrations it was sending careening up from his tailbone and upward into his spine.  

Feeling this change in him; Lucifer retreated his tongue, pulling himself back.

“I should toss your salad more often.” He was smirking, the forks of his tongue curving and sliding across the corner of his upper lip.

“Lucifer…” Alastor growled a warning, the sound of it rumbling out from the covers.

“Hehe…apologies.”

With a flick of the hand, Lucifer had his fingers coated in a slick and warm lube.  

Gently, Lucifer grasped Alastor’s tail in his un-lubricated hand. His thumb stroked soothing circles into the soft smokey skin that ran up the underside of it and his slick fingers pressed against Alastor’s opening, massaging him against the entrance there.

Alastor felt the warm lube sliding across his twitching hole and he wasn’t sure just how much more of this he could take… The things Lucifer were doing to him there were stimulating enough but he still had the cock ring to contend with. All of it had him breaking out into a sweat now; his legs and his knees where quivering from the slow building of an absolute tension that he never knew his body was capable of withstanding.

"You're doing so good, Al... are you ready for more?" Lucifer was pressing himself back into him; the pads of his fingers teasingly brushing and pushing…threatening to press inside.

Alastor’s tail, still in Lucifer’s hand, began wagging. 

"Mmm...good boy." Lucifer breathed, Alastor’s tail was giving him all the affirmation that he needed.

Alastor felt a heat touching his face that quickly climbed into a flaring scorch when Lucifer pressed one finger into him, the first joint of it sliding inside. Reflexively, Alastor tensed, and his tail went stiffly erect in Lucifer’s curled fingers.

"Easy...try to relax. It's going to feel different...I promise I'll go slow." Lucifer was telling him, coaching him.

Lucifer carefully wagged his finger, pushing more inside. 

“Ahhh....” Alastor was groaning, body trembling as he shifted himself. He was biting his lip now; the heat in him only growing hotter, his face only turning redder.

"You're doing great, Al.” Lucifer told him. “But, fuck...you’re so tight." He growled, a heat quickly building in him now.

Obscene imaginings…the very thought of Lucifer getting to slide himself into this tight and radiating heat...feeling the walls pucker and tighten against his own cock.

It was much too enticing.

“You're still too tense.” Lucifer suddenly noted, feeling and seeing that Alastor’s entire body was still strung tighter than a bowstring. “C'mon, Al... you can do this...relax for me, baby.”

Alastor’s tail wagged again, and Lucifer squeezed it, thumb and fingers stroking through the still-standing strands of hair. A great breath of air rushed from Alastor’s lungs and little by little, his muscles started relaxing. 

"That's it...good." Lucifer groaned, his finger sliding more inward now and Alastor’s tail flicked in his hand. 

Lucifer twisted and rotated his wrist…teasing and pushing again before he slowly and carefully began pumping his hand.

A loud groan came from Alastor and he was bending his back; pressing himself into Lucifer and rocking against himself against him now.

Hm…yes, Al…that’s the way.

Lucifer’s tail slithered and slid between Alastor’s outspread knees. Curling the tip of it upward; Lucifer found the head of Alastor’s incredibly engorged length and Lucifer began to tease him there with his tail.

“Ah, fuck…” Alastor gasped out. “Luci…” His claws were digging into the mattress now.

Lucifer, himself, was incredibly hard now and he fought the incessant urge to rub and grind himself against Alastor’s thigh…to rut and hump himself against him like some miserably randy dog. He was still pumping his finger…curling the tip of it and sliding it…forward and back…just like his dick would be. He wasn’t just imagining it now, but feeling it. Feeling the exact way it would be like to be inside of Alastor; how there would be that resistance at first…how Lucifer would take his time and slowly – but surely – he would bury all of himself…right up to the very hilt -

“Luci! I...” Alastor was trembling; desperately trying to convey something now.

Lucifer pulled away from his own filthy thoughts and immediately knew what it was.

“Already!?” Lucifer asked him, leaning over…happily surprised.

I knew he would like it, but damn…

Alastor nodded; waves of pleasure urgently rushing through him now.  

“That’s great, Al.” Lucifer told him; pressing himself closer. “Let it take you.” Lucifer curled his finger into him more; never changing tempo.

Alastor shuddered; nearly breathless now. “The-the ring!?”

Oh….ha! Lucifer realized.

“You can come, Al...it won’t stop you.” Lucifer explained, suppressing a low chuckle as he continued pumping his hand against him. “It might feel like you can’t, but you can.”

Alastor whined and whimpered; claws raking beside him – hips thrusting sharply forward now.

“Or, I can remove it –“ Lucifer meant to offer.

“No, I think- I’m-” Alastor jerked and then he was crying out. “ I – I’m...!”  

When he came, the explosion that was Alastor’s orgasm was like a shotgun going off. Everything rushed to him so hard and fast; the violence of it...the sheer, brilliant ecstasy that rammed into him from some deeper, tighter coil that he never realized his body possessed…it sent him reeling…it was overwhelming….it was, incredible.

The tension letting go in Alastor was suddenly too much; he wobbled and everything gave out as he fell into the bed underneath Lucifer.

Dragging his tail out; Lucifer carefully – slowly – removed his finger from Alastor. Lucifer was deeply appreciating the fluttering of muscles his finger was retreating from…the needfully way Alastor was whimpering and wiggling when his digit left him – leaving him empty.

Lucifer sighed with a deep and domineering pride. Letting go of Alastor’s tail; he let it fall limply from his hand; moving both now to run possessively – greedily – over Alastor’s sweating cheeks and upper thighs.

Oh, but how much I crave to claim you…Alastor.  Lucifer’s member was absolutely twitching at the idea, pre-cum beading at his tip and so ready now to be put to the task.

Lucifer bit his tongue; arching his back… the temptation of impaling Alastor now…to drive his sword in and to drive it deep…it was…intoxicating.

I never would…of course…not now…not…yet. Oh…but to feel you writhing against me.

He was drooling at the very thought.

His hand twitched; fingers flexing as Lucifer went to reach for himself but then, Alastor was moving, shifting and turning himself over.

Alastor’s eyes were lost in a haze; but seeing Lucifer…seeing the absolute hunger…the lust…the need that the very devil had for him then...Alastor never knew that Hell could burn so hot.

Lucifer’s own eyes were glassy – his pupils blown-out – staring back at Alastor from heavy, hooded lids.

“You did enjoy it then?” Lucifer asked him, his voice like gravel against the back of his throat.

“Of course. Are you surprised?” Alastor asked him lowly, sitting himself up and leaning forward now.  

“Not really...” Lucifer was searching for something else to say, but the fog in his mind that he was shifting through was becoming too heavy and Alastor was crawling over him now; his long body angling itself around him, pressing close…Long and firm fingers wrapped around Lucifer’s shaft; gripping him fully. Lucifer’s head bent back at the feel of it and Alastor’s face followed his. Heated and panting breath was puffing against Lucifer’s already too-hot skin, Alastor’s mouth pressed in close to the side of Lucifer’s face.

“Were you...imagining it?” Alastor asked him in a low growl.

Lucifer’s face flared red and he nearly bucked himself into Alastor’s hand.  

“Imagining what it might look like...imagining what it might...feel like?” Alastor was groaning growls against him and Lucifer couldn’t fucking take it.

Lucifer bucked into his hand then, hissing at the pleasure of feeling Alastor wrapped so firmly to his swollen cock; and Alastor’s grip tightened.

Oh...fuck…Lucifer was dizzy with want.

“Hmmm...” Pleased with Lucifer’s response, Alastor hummed against him. “How warm was I, Luci?” He growled.  

Alastor hand tightened again; and Lucifer thrust himself forward – teeth clenching as he grunted out a salacious pant.

“How...tight was I?” Alastor crooned and it was Lucifer’s undoing.

Lucifer was thrusting into Alastor’s hand in earnest now; the pleasure building in him was rolling over him in great and powerful – overwhelming - waves.

“Ah. Ah. Ah.”  Lucifer’s panting was slowly developing into some wanton chant as his pelvis ground and bucked into Alastor’s caged fingers.  

“I can tell you that I was imagining it, Luci…” Alastor purred back at him; drooling seeping from between his teeth; strands of it slipping from his lips and sliding down Lucifer’s neck now. “To feel your cock...this cock...entering and sliding inside of me...” Alastor released a shaking breath out. “I cannot wait.”  

And, over the edge Lucifer went – nearly howling out his immense pleasure, Lucifer’s hands flew up; his claws digging into Alastor’s sides as his release violently took him. Alastor growled in an approving surprise at the sharpened edges dragging against his skin – cutting bleeding scratches all along his ribs.

Lucifer’s cum came through Alastor’s fingers in spurts; Lucifer pumping himself all out into Alastor’s tight hand; and when he was done – Alastor released him – letting him fall limply against his own belly.

With a purring growl; Alastor slumped himself forward – collapsing with Lucifer back onto the bed.   

Alastor’s ears were flicking – reflecting his satisfaction as Lucifer was still working to steady himself; panting heavily underneath him.

“That was…okay, then?” Lucifer gasped out.

Alastor’s growling slowly turned into a building rumbling. “More okay than I'm ready to admit to you yet…so, please…shut the fuck up, Lucifer.”  

Taglist: @nyx91 : @reath-solia

[seat-safety-switch]

By this time of year, pretty much every public park is overrun by nesting geese. They honk, they make adorable goslings, they bite, and they poop everywhere. You dickheads abandoned us in the coldest part of our winters, and now you come back and are occupying our precious municipal spaces? I'd had enough.

Thing is, in my country, it's illegal to disturb the birds once they've got a nest up. You can't bother them, and you especially can't make loud noises at them and kick them out of the planters in front of your apartment. They're nesting migratory birds, and "we" (my representatives, not me, I'm banned for life from any Marriott with a conference centre) signed some kind of agreement a long time ago that we wouldn't mess with them.

Not only is it illegal, but it feels kind of bad to be disrupting some new parents grappling with the beautiful miracle of tender, new life. It's not great karma, really, so we deal with the fact that our kids occasionally get bitten by angry geese. Resist the urge to strike back as our primitive forebears would have done. Just bury it down inside, where the repressed anger surely won't be released spectacularly in an unpredictable new kind of violence. Feeling good!

There is a loophole, however. You're not allowed to disturb them, but you can make them a better deal. Remember that secret NASA office in the old strip mall, where the eggheads got caught spying on the Mayor? Yeah, they got out of there in a hurry, and all the G-men who cleaned up the place afterward just chucked all their cool space stuff in the dumpster out back. I'm proud to announce that the first moon colony staffed entirely by Canada geese is now in operation.

Don't worry, they're fine up there. They've got enough water, air, and food to live a thousand generations. And without any wind, the dumps they leave on our closest satellite will last forever. It's that call to immortality that really appeals to these birds, I think, even if the commute back to Florida around fall is going to be a little longer than usual.

[notmorbid]

i was a teenage slasher, pt. 1.

dialogue prompts from i was a teenage slasher by stephen graham jones.

don't look at me like that. please.

that's not who i am. it's just what i ended up doing.

boys can't wear earrings?

you think big thoughts when you're seventeen. big, stupid thoughts.

no need to pull you down with me more than i already have.

everywhere's a big city when you're from here.

all kids want to get away, don't they?

i feel weird enough for both of us.

they're watching you. not in a good way.

please don't feel bad that you didn't know what was happening.

seriously. go look it up.

you're going to slip up, no matter how vigilant you are.

you're good about keeping me alive.

i prefer a world with you in it.

some people are just good, aren't they?

you can't watch all the darkness at once.

____ is the only class i ever passed.

you aren't a bad person.

you didn't deserve this.

you don't need to pay for a mistake with your life.

i'll never be a parent, i don't think.

i really did have good intentions. the best of intentions.

it's less about survival, and more about who you're holding.

i don't do that anymore. i won't do that anymore.

i don't even know what i'm saying anymore.

when it's all made up, i guess i can see the appeal.

all the good slashers have a sequel.

who do you think told?

i was worried about my own neck.

you're bad luck.

it was good knowing you.

tell them about me, won't you? tell them i burned bright, at least for a little while.

a legend in your own time.

i should have taken every word you said as gospel truth.

is the ambulance still coming?

it only looked bad.

i can only imagine how people looked at you.

they always blame the parents, don't they?

you always want your mom when you're hurt.

my mom is gonna kill me.

i don't mean to be flip. sorry.

it's finally happening, isn't it?

it's liberating, not having to be yourself.

i'm the only one here, so i'm the one who has to deal with stuff.

i can't just stay around here forever.

can we run away? far, far away?

i'm supposed to feel bad, aren't i?

the things i've done, i can't come back from them.

i'm on a strict honesty policy.

do you feel like you could eat?

i believe that you believe it.

i'm supposed to be watching you.

go ahead. i'm not a narc.

it makes sense that you'd fantasize about getting revenge.

[shinesurge]

ALSO while we're on the topic of audiences and editing: i made some irl comic friends and they're both extremely Colorado Art School Kids, and my own storytelling education is "angry weird child trapped in appalachia making art out of necessity" so we run into a lot of fundamental differences in our approaches (WHICH is good and fine actually! i'm Learnin stuff). One of the biggest ones is oh my god, holy shit, creators have GOT to interact with audiences more.

One thing my Very Seriously Educated Comic Friend keeps wanting to help me with is that kc tends to be harder to parse because I don't hold the audience's hand, which y'all know is a thing I angst about a lot for various disorderly reasons. He's right! There are a lot of places I could improve in that regard. Mechanically. There's nothing for it as far as actual content goes; Kidd Commander deals with a lot of nuance and abstract concepts and there's not much to be done about that without compromising the story, which I personally won't do, so I've accepted it's better to lean into it rather than worry about appealing to a bad faith audience.

When I tell him this, that there's little sense in trying to dumb things down because there IS no point where that will work any better than it does now, we usually argue (like, the way that you argue about art over coffee). He thinks the goal here is much closer than it is, he's proposing a quick detour to the gas station instead of trying to land on the fucking moon lmao. It is. So SO clear that he (and most storytellers I talk to tbh) has only ever discussed storytelling with other educated artists and not the majority of actual comic readers/media consumers, who have never engaged with media analysis in their lives. Even when he's trying to discuss the theoretical Common Denominator Reader it sounds like this

When I quit interacting directly with The Webcomic Ecosystem for my own health I made the conscious decision to immerse myself into the reader side of things, specifically BECAUSE there are always going to be more Readers reading me than other writers, and I feel like that feedback is very valuable. I also want to understand another perspective that is different from mine! It's certainly got its pitfalls but there are a lot of positives that come from this and I do recommend it if you've got the stomach for it. I genuinely think one of the things that has improved my work and my relationship with it the most is spending a decade reading feedback from people who will never, ever, ever understand comics more complex than instagram pop psychology strips. Or relatives who don't understand how sequential pages work, or people who watch youtube Ending Explained videos, or readers who don't know what to do when a protagonist makes a bad decision. I ALSO went to school for storytelling, I was primed to have this exact problem and I did for a while. But being brought up isolated in a creative wasteland irl AND jumping directly from academic media analysis to the fucking webcomics reddit did a great job burning away a lot of that lmao. WE'RE the weird ones for writing papers about books, or caring to learn enough to create functional stories; this is a WEIRD WEIRD THING we are doing and it's important to know that so you can make informed decisions about your creative actions. Read the comments, be horrified, adjust expectations accordingly.

[13eyond13]

a friend of mine who isn't into Death Note asked me why people ship Lawlight. I gave her a pretty good answer but I feel that couldn't encapsulate it fully and you are the most articulate/analyzer person I can think of here, can you help me?

omg, I'm flattered you think that, but a bit worried I won't be able to speak for everybody about this! I'll probably just have to mostly say why I like to ship it and hopefully that will suffice...

1) the constant tension and the mind games between them is the heart and soul of the series to me. Light's a complicated character that is both very entertaining to follow and also sort of an infuriating bastard to watch as well, so when L waltzes in being like "HOLD ON A MINUTE HERE I KNOW IT'S YOU AND I'M DEFINITELY GONNA PROVE IT" and Light both seems to get extremely excited about how clever he is and also horrified and determined not to lose, that makes for a very charged dynamic that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Light's curiously positive reactions to L opposing him, as well as the way L intuitively understands him and pushes his buttons so effectively, is definitely one of the funniest and most intriguing things to watch in the entire show.

2) there's a lot going on in the narrative to continuously draw parallels between them and to sort of suggest that they're the true equal and peer that the other one has never actually had their entire lives, the solution to the boredom and loneliness and aloof superiority they've both been feeling due to their above-average intelligence and privileged positions and ambitious competitive stubborn streaks and so on. People love that and also find it super tragic/angsty or fascinatingly ironic and darkly funny that they end up only meeting in an enemies, "you're the closest thing to a real friend I've ever had but one or the other of us will have to die" sort of way

3) This part of their relationship also gets me as well - they probably would not have easily met if Light HADN'T been Kira, because L never has to meet any of the people he works alongside nor any of the criminals he catches in person - Light was just good enough at being a criminal to force L to meet him in person, basically. And there's also no guarantee that if they DID meet in other circumstances that they would have clicked so weirdly well as they do, because their cat and mouse game was probably the best way they could both impress each other the most and prove their own intelligence and entertainingness to each other as well. The immense difficulty of setting up this ship so that it actually works is part of the enduring appeal to me.

4) I think there's just a lot of intrigue to how much is left unsaid between them the entire time. They literally never get to have an actual straightforward heart-to-heart even once in the story, but they're seen obsessively thinking about each other the entire time (and Light continues to do so for years after L's death, even to the point of comparing everyone else who opposes him to L unfavorably after his death and admitting he feels bored again now that L is gone). I think a lot of fans were kind of dying to see them interact in a more straight-forward way

5) the handcuffs are certainly fairly suggestive and kinky hahaha... and the memory loss arc definitely brings up a lot of interesting "what if" type scenarios in every shipper's mind. Not everybody is convinced that they really hate each other, and seeing them work together on the case like that causes a lot of people to think about how they might get along if Light had never picked up the notebook in the first place. The fandom has a lot of people who really like the idea of them together whenever Light isn't Kira, and also a lot of people who think their dynamic is superior and works better when Light IS Kira - and having both of these different dynamics between them presented to us in canon makes for even more interesting possibilities to explore

[dailyhelldorm]

[TL][Eichi Feature Scout 2] An Intangible Treasure/Chapter 2

Scenario Writer: Yuumasu Character: Eichi, Tori, Keito, Nazuna, Leo Season: Winter

Summary: Eichi decided to take a picture of himself that hadn't been seen on normal live or TV yet. Since Tori has requested of wanting to see him spending time with his friends...

[♪]

Location: ES (Exterior)

Few days later

Eichi: Yah, Producer-chan. At last, our work is finished.

...Hmm? Why are you making such a strange face?

Ah. You are surprised because there is no one else in the car?

Fufu. I have to do it like this, or we can’t be together alone you know.

Seisoukan is in the small distance range, but let's share some stories while we are on a ride, shall we?

Now, please come on. If you wouldn't mind taking my hand, My Lady ♪

Location: Seisoukan Apartment (Exterior)

Ten minutes later

Leo: Ah! Is that the car?

Oi~ over here! We are here~ ♪

Keito: We are at our meeting spot. You don't need to wave your hands like that, they are going to come here anyway.

Leo: Keito is way too meticulous~ At a time like this, it's the emotion that is mattered ☆

Nazuna: What kind of emotion is that...?

Eichi: I have made you wait. Keito, Tsukinaga-kun.

Hmm, oh my? Nito-kun is here too?

Keito: I asked him to be my helper in a rush.

Eichi: A helper.

Keito: Producer is going to be the photographer, so in reality I am the only babysitter here. I can't watch over both Eichi and Tsukinaga with just myself.

Nazuna: If I'm being real, I actually don't want to come along. Though when I heard about his problems, I got the feeling things would get out of hand if Keito-chin was the only one there.

But you can rest assured. I take up his call so I will surely help you guys out.

Leo: If there are two nannies, then I can do whatever I like without restraint! Please look after me, Keito-mama, Nazu-mama ♪

Keito: Look after yourself, you incorrigible.

Nazuna: Ahaha. He's like a big kid~

Still? I heard you are going to take candid photos for the Feature Live's pamphlet, but specifically what are you taking?

Eichi: Actually, we have no particular plan. I can't think of anything for the theme of spending time with friends of the same age.

Tsukasa-kun's pamphlet photos were already taken in the game center... Uh~m.

For the time being, how about we take the helicopter for a sightseeing flight?

Keito: Reject. What on earth do you mean 'for the time being'? If you do that, won't the thing miss the whole concept?

Eichi: Is that so? I don't think it will deviate too much from my mental image?

Leo: That's 'cause Angel is a born bourgeois~ You have the face of the kind who normally would hop on a helicopter ♪

Eichi: A face who would normally hop on a helicopter? Fufu, this is the first time I was told like that.

...What's wrong, Producer-chan? Sightseeing flight sounds very appealing but it would make the pamphlets following mine become a harder work, you say?

Nazuna: She is right~ If we are going to do a sightseeing flight, it would make other activities shabby in comparison.

Keito: Hmhm... Eichi, how about we go to the shopping mall?

Not like last year, you won't have to worry about exhausting yourself with your physical condition right now.

Eichi: Shopping mall? Sounds good, they sell a lot of things there, just looking at them is fun enough. Let's go to there then, Keito-mama ♪

Keito: Don't you call me 'mama'.

Location: Shopping Mall 1F Hallway

One hour later. At the shopping mall

Leo: ーHey, have Angel even come to the shopping mall?

You probably own some customized goods... right? For you, the store will likely bring any goods to your house, yeah?

Eichi: That's right. Or the goods are taken to the salon gathering, and the person in charge will bring them in for us to view them.

Last year, I came to watch Hajime-kun’s and everyone's live at the shopping mall, you see[1]. From then on, I avail for several times.

Nazuna: Hajime-chin's live? Producer, did they have that live?

...Heh. You carried out a live that was extended exclusively to the first years of all units?

Thank you for letting them experience a lot of things, Producer ♪

Eichi: A lot of people here come to pass their time as they like. Every time I come here, this atmosphere always feels nice ... ♪

Hey, what kind of store do Producer-chan want? I will buy whatever you like.

Keito: Don't you go and buy a store.

Eichi: Fufu. It's just a joke, a silly joke ♪

Nazuna: Tenshouin's words don't sound like a joke though. You might really gotta buy one.

Eichi: Anyway... Producer-chan, what's wrong?

You're right. Tsukinaga-kun is gone.

Keito: I was paying my attention but... What a blunder!

What's with you, Eichi? Why are you looking so happy?

Eichi: Did you know, Keito, that they can do a missing children announcement in the shopping mall ♪

Keito: We don't need to use that yet. We will cause trouble for the shopping mall staff, so making an announcement would be the final resort.

He mustn't have gone too far. He was just here until now... Hmm?

Nazuna: I hear some applause. Let's see... From the instruments department over there.

Eichi: Aah... Fufu. It seems Tsukinaga-kun is conducting some performance. Shall we go and look at him?

…I hear the camera’s shutter sound. Producer-chan, did you take a good picture?

Will you let me see it? Let's see...

Fufu. Whatever self I am showing, they all look natural and positively relaxed here.

...Memories are intangible, but pictures like these can be preserved.

Please take a lot of pictures today, because I want you to record days like this.

Someday when we look back, I hope we can all laugh together while saying 'what a good time it was' ... ♪

[☆]

The live they are talking about is Mall Live.

Directory: Chapter 1 | Chapter 2

[darlingkirstein]

jeanpiku — whump headcannon!

Jean refuses to admit he's as sick as he is; Pieck has to deal with the consequences when he faints. comfort / light whump / request for @zuzusexytiems

Jean's got a fever; he's just too damn stubborn to accept the severity.

There's a glass of water beside his bed, but he insists to Pieck (multiple times) that fluids aren't necessary. Even water lacks any appetizing appeal — Jean decides he's just going to laze around and let his immune system endure the worst of it.

"You really should drink, Jean." Fingers in his sweaty hair, Pieck cuddles close — not seeming to fear the whole horrifically contagious thing. "C'mon. For me?"

As much as pleasing Pieck pleases him, Jean shakes his head — eyes still fixated on the television playing the latest episode of Jeopardy.

“Don't need it, baby. I'm fine, okay? Just fine, don't you worry."

She sighs. He's been hearing that sigh all day. "I can't force you. Just don't complain when you're miserable later, goofy."

Jean won't allow Pieck to realize that he is rather miserable. No position grants him any comfort, Pieck's cuddling only bringing minimal benefits — as if the raging headache isn't enough; usually, one tiny touch from Pieck is plenty to bring him a smile. Still, being fussed over is not on his agenda for today — it's just a little cold, he convinces himself, nothing I can't handle.

She holds him against her chest. Jean clings to her, cheek pressed against her clothes. Being underneath their sweltering mattress feels a little suffocating, but Pieck's cold-blooded, and Jean understands that she needs it to be comfortable — despite his discomfort.

Keeping his eyes open is a struggle; whichever disease ravages his insides, it's making his limbs heavy, and his chest as well. He tries to concentrate on anything else, anything — Pieck's gentle fingers, the aroma of her body's natural fragrance, the Jeopardy contestant making an unfortunate blunder that costs him the lead. As embarrassing as that mistake is, Jean wonders if it's any bit as embarrassing as sweating all over his girlfriend's t-shirt.

As Pieck kisses his temple ceaselessly, Jean's hands feel her skin, her soft, beautiful, welcoming skin that's a perfectly normal temperature. All sorts of weird tingling sensations run through his head, his extremities, his everything. Still, Jean pushes past convincingly.

Or, he thinks he's convincing.

"Jean," Pieck whispers, lips lingering against his forehead. It's obvious she's trying hard to stifle laughter. "You're shivering like crazy. You need to sleep, sweetheart. It'll help you feel better. Please?"

He just clings closer — enjoying the benefits of Pieck's warmth and enduring the drawbacks of too much warmth, the most unpleasant experience Jean can say he's found himself in.

"No, no. Told you, babe. I'm totally fine."

Pieck scoffs, scratching his scalp. "Fine. Uhuh. You're helpless."

For a little while, Jean thinks he's right — as one contestant is crowned Jeopardy champion, he smiles, gloating at the fact that he knew the answer while one poor soul missed out. Finally, there's a distraction big enough to make him forget about his illness.

Until he can forget no longer. The dizziness consumes him.

"Baby?" His speech slurs. "Don't feel good."

Lightheaded as all hell, Jean's eyes fall shut — Pieck's been so adamant about him sleeping, but as he loses consciousness, Jean doubts that this was part of his girlfriend's intentions.

He wakes up to Pieck hovering over him, shaking his shoulders. Barely a few blinks pass before he's on the recieving end of a lecture.

"Jesus, Jean. You scared the hell out of me."

Dazed, he reaches out for her — unable to decide if passing out improved or worsened his condition. All he knows is that there’s a pretty girl that’s worried about him, so worried that she’s glowering down at him with some potency.

“What happened?” He murmurs, throat dry.

“You fainted, babe. I thought you were asleep, but I know you’re not that heavy of a sleeper.”

Jean blushes; she’s right. Suddenly, he can’t stop the scarlet from spreading across his sweat-drenched cheeks, a colorful display of his supreme humiliation — trying to act like a real tough guy backfired far too easily for his liking.

“Fainted?” Jean asks, coy nature glazed over his half-lidded eyes. “I actually fainted? Really?”

“Yes, you gorgeous idiot. I tried warning you.”

He’s so embarrassed he wants to crawl into his own skin and hide forever, hide away from Pieck’s (admittedly very attractive) cocked-eyebrow, eyes-glaring expression, hide from the shame. The hardest part is his inability to discern whether his girlfriend’s frustration is genuine — he’s far too dazed from the whole passing out endeavor to make a reasonable judgement call.

Pieck sighs. “I started panicking and Googled what to do when someone faints. It says to drink fruit juice — so you don’t have a choice this time.”

Before he can register what’s happening, Jean is assisted into a propped up position, a glass of orange juice not-so-gently thrust into his hand.

Quietly, Jean sips, careful not to speak. He feels like he’s back in class again, under the scornful eye of an exasperated school teacher disappointed in their students. Not wanting to incur any more of Pieck’s annoyance, he forces the liquid down his throat — and to his delight, the juice helps to stabilize his condition, the dizziness fading into nothing, a threat no more.

She sits by his side, palm resting on his leg, thumb swiping back and forth over skin. Not annoyed? Jean can’t possibly tell. His eyes find Pieck’s, and her stern expression softens into a soft, almost undetectable smile.

Though the lightheadedness passes, a twisty-turn sensation replaces it in his stomach. Like a dog with its tail stuck between its legs, Jean grapples with the shame of a forthcoming I-told-you-so no doubt mere seconds from leaving Pieck’s mouth. She’s right, she’s always right.

So, he dons his most apologetic face imaginable, puppy dog eyes brandished with an unmistakable pout dragging the corners of his lips down. Just for dramatic effect, Jean doesn’t bother attempting to stop the chills ransacking his body — maybe they can work to garner forgiveness?

“You’re not mad at me, are you?” Voice so gentle, his eyes do most of the pleading. “Baby, I’m sorry — I didn’t mean to scare you, I just—”

Unable to stay upset for long, Pieck crumbles. She scoots closer, close enough to cup his face and press her lips to his too-warm skin in every capacity. Her mouth forgives his cheekbones, his forehead, his nose, his still-pouting lips.

“It’s okay,” she smiles, sighing. “I forgive you this time. Just don’t do that again, alright?”

He’s tempted to ask, Do what? However, Jean is far smart enough to realize that Pieck isn’t commanding him to never pass out again; she’s covertly requesting that he heed her thoughtful advice just a little bit closer next time.

Jean blushes. “Promise. Was stupid.”

She grins, snuggling close. “Not sure who you’re trying to impress, baby. I didn’t fall in love with you because you’re some macho tough guy.”

“I like impressing you,” he admits, the flush in his cheeks nearly as hot as his forehead’s temperature. “Don’t get to do it very often.”

The laughter from Pieck’s lips reassures Jean that, even when he’s driving her up the wall or infuriating her with another silly decision, his girlfriend can’t shake her soft spot for him.

“Well, you can impress me by drinking water and getting some rest. You need it, okay? Sleep.”

“I can try,” he relents, smiling. “For you.”

“I’ll help, I promise.” Beside her, Pieck gestures to a cold compress waiting to deliver some much-needed comfort to his aching head. “Just tell me what you need to feel good, baby. That’s all.”

With the secret now utterly uncontained, Jean loses all will to play a game of pretend. He’s free to whine about all tender physical woes, to make small requests — small enough to avoid feeling like a selfish asshole ordering Pieck around.

There’s a laundry list of things to ask for: a lighter blanket, the fan turned on, less clothing (and not for any fun reason), maybe even medication for the throbbing in his head refusing to retreat.

Nothing fun, that’s for sure. He opts for a recovery tactic he’s sure to be far more effective.

“You,” Jean confesses, looking right into Pieck’s eyes, heart quickening its tempo. “Just need you.”

[luxaeternamvn]

𖥔 ݁ ˖๋ ࣭ ⭑ Hello everyone!!

I know I haven't updated on the game in the last month, and for that reason, I wanted to both talk a bit about what the demo will be about and how I want to proceed with this project, I guess you could consider this a dev log of some sort.

First thing first, the demo will be a "prequel" of the events that will occur in the game, which is going to be divided into chapters. another thing I'd like to add is that the game, as a first project of mine, is going to be entirely free!

Another important thing to say is that, although the themes of the game will be quite harsh and violent, there won't be any kind of NSFW content in it. for me, the horror experience comes before the romantic and/or sexual content.

As of now, I'm currently remaking all of the CG's, for the old ones just didn't appeal to me anymore. but while I'm working on the art for the game, I'll still drop some bit of fun facts about the two main characters under the cut, Chloé and Nyx, as a form of apology for my absence. Enjoy! ( ᴗ͈ˬᴗ͈)ഒ

Fun facts about Nyx!

• she hates hurting women in general, so on the occasion that she is forced to, she'll make sure they'll meet their death as swiftly as possible.

• on the other hand, she appears to be quite harsh in the way she fights the opposite gender, resulting in gruesome fights and grotesque outcomes.

• she entertains the kids in the churches' orphanage with various fairytales, but the most famous one amongst them is that of two maidens falling in love with eachother and battling the evil forces that want to separate them, using the help of the gods.

• she wanted Chloé to join the church because she reminded her of a certain someone.

• she treats every person in the church with respect and compassion, albeit her methods may seem harsh; she always means well.

• avoids hurting innocent people.

• on the other hand, she doesn't mind sacrificing those she considers to be "sinners," as long as it's for the sake of the church.

• has a grave dedicated to someone she cared about and lost a long time ago; on top of it, there's a statue of a weeping angel.

• always leaves flowers in the graveyard for those whom she knew and tragically passed away.

• has a really complicated relationship with Eamonn.

♡

♡

♡

Now some fun facts about Chloé!

• she lived on a farm in the outskirts of the little town she was born in. Because of this, she had no friends and was pretty much isolated.

• because her father was a butcher, the sreams of animals in pain make her really uncomfortable, in extreme cases even causing panic attacks.

• other than this, she's hardly touched by any type of violence towards human beings.

• homegirl is a chainsmoker and has tried some drugs before (not the heavy type)

• she also likes to casually drink her worries away. That's where her vast knowledge of bars comes from.

• she loves listening to music and spends most of her time in her house, either reading or browsing the internet (mostly the second one).

• diy's most of her clothes!

• obviously dyed her hair multiple times. She actually bleached her hair quite recently in the demo (she's still unsure of the color).

• has quite a good humor and is an extrovert, but at the same time, it looks like she can't really hold stable friendships for long.

• isn't really at the top of her class, but she still manages to be on track.

• actually really smart and self-aware, but she's afraid of the consequences of speaking up about her issues.

• has had relationships in the past, but they never ended well, or on good terms for that matter; strangely enough, the life of her exes would soon start to fall apart after their breakups.

• is, unfortunately, not really strong emotionally and can be easily manipulated if aware of her weak points.

𐙚

A big thank you to all of those who read this post and the fun facts about the girls! take care, everyone!!

[tmumy]

"I can't."

"Yes you can, don't worry. Here, I'll help you."

"No, I-"

"Here, here, don't be fussy..."

"I can't, I really can't-"

"But I got it for you!"

Ko made a face somewhere between guilty and something else he couldn't quite understand.

"Come on, just a bite at least. If you don't like it you can leave it here and I'll eat it for you, alright? But please try it."

"... Fine. A bite."

"There you go! Here, here..."

He bit into the honey-coated bread - his teeth sunk into a squishy thing with the consistency of a dried plum, probably a desert fruit of some kind, and it left the slightest sour note in his mouth. He chewed slowly, struggling a little, until he finally managed to swallow.

"So? How is it?"

"It's... Good. It's good."

"Do you like it?"

"Hm... Hm, yes, I do like it."

Po grinned excitedly: "I knew it," he gloated, and pushed another piece of it closer to the other's mouth. "Here, here - open up."

"I- No, I can't."

"Of course you can! You like it!"

"You said you would-"

"Only if you didn't!"

"I, please - I can't... I can't do this."

"Yes you can! What, are you worried I'll starve? I can get anytime I want, I got this one just for you! It's yours! You can eat it, I won't be mad! I'm not even hungry!"

"I... I... Listen, please..."

"Do you really like it?"

"What?"

"If you only said that to make me happy you didn't need to, you know. It's not the end of the world if you don't like it."

"No, no, I do like it, I..."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, of - of course, of course!"

"I told you, I won't get mad. It's just food. I'd rather not give you something you don't like than-"

Ko seized his hand in a shaky grip: "I do like it," he repeated as he held back a few struggling breaths. "I do. Really. It's... It's really good. It tastes really good. I'm... We don't... Have things like it, over here. Thank you for thinking of me. Thank you. I'll - listen, I'll... I'll have another bite, alright?"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, just..."

"You sound like the idea isn't exactly that appealing to you."

"It is, I promise. Just... I'll eat it, I'll eat all of it, alright?"

"You don't have to-"

"I want to! I... I want to, I do. But, can - can you help me finish it? As in, share it? With me?"

"Of course?"

A heavy sigh left him: "Thank you."

Like that, they fell into a slow rhythm, one agonizing bite each, until all that was left on the loaf were the crumbs on the floor and blanket.

Po made a motion to reach into his bag again, but Ko intercepted it. The sudden lurch he had to do to gently grab onto his friend's arm had him moaning in discomfort, eyes squeezing shut for a moment; he felt worried hands hurry to his shoulders to keep him upright.

"What's wrong? Are you alright?"

"No more..."

"What?"

"Please - don't, don't give me more. I'm... I'm pretty sure I was full... Twenty minutes ago."

The other blinked. A loud groan caused his friend to squirm in his gentle grip, and only then did he think to look down at the rest of him.

Ko's stomach was tight and swollen, looking like a somewhat deflated ball sitting gracelessly on his lap. Every now and then it rumbled like a sad beast of some kind, lamenting its sorry state with a grave growl, and the poor guy could do nothing but whine together with it and bite his lip to fight off the nausea.

Realization made Po act quickly: in a second he had helped his friend settle in a more comfortable position on the bed, making sure to distend him enough so that his gut wouldn't be too compressed in order to relieve it a little.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, sheepishly, as he rubbed his already cold hands together to warm them up a little, "I'm sorry, I didn't even notice - heavens, I messed you up, didn't I? Was it so much?"

In truth, the amount of food wasn't too far off from a regular four-course dinner for two, so between the both of them it shouldn't have been that much; the problems were, however, that firstly Ko didn't eat much in general, so it was more than he was used to, and secondly that Po had not taken a bite for himself until only a couple minutes before.

The poor thing whimpered as he felt his friend's lukewarm hand press kindly onto his straining stomach. They moved across it with careful gentle rubs, searching for particularly tight spots to ease the pressure beneath them as he struggled to breathe through the stuffed feeling and the overwhelming embarrassment. Being reduced like this only because he couldn't say no to a sweet smile and his own gluttony, ending up groaning on the verge of tears because of an indigestion, needing help to get through it like a little kid who ate too much candy... He felt himself heat up as though he had a fever, so ashamed that if he had been alone he might have started sobbing. What a great warrior he must have seemed at that moment, he thought to himself sarcastically.

But as his self-loathing began to ramp up his discomfort started waning, and Po's earnest apologies wormed their way into his ears as his friend's hands continued to work on his pained stomach to console its woes, attentive and warm and sweet and sheepish.

Slowly Ko relaxed into the offered comfort much like he'd relaxed into the offered food, feeling more and more at ease until his stomach ache had all but faded away and all that was left in its wake was a nice fullness. Maybe, he allowed himself to ponder as his friend continued soothing him, it wasn't so bad, relying on others...

[meredoubt]

I'm extremely far left in just about all respects, and won't budge, but I gotta admit: having multiple people in my life who work in the declining medical/firefighting/EMT fields (in terms of support, and aging workers) does give me pause. Maybe it's because I'm rural, and can already see what a declining town looks like in terms of infrastructure. Idk man.

Public works and services (at least in my area) are not showing that "people will still want to work," on stuff that actually matters, like healthcare, education, emergency services, roads. Rural hospitals are being gutted, particularly maternity care. A vicious cycle, because declining birthrates means the hospitals don't cross the 50 kids per year threshold that justifies their existence, which shutters the programs, which means the healthcare gets worse in the area, which makes it less appealing to move there, which means lower birthrate, etc etc ad nauseum. Like, sure, some of that will be mitigated when capitalism falls or everyone is covered by UBI or whatever. Right. Like passionate doctors will live there or make the trek out to the boonies or whatever. But it still wouldn't be enough.

And I do care. I care because cities are not what I necessarily want the future to look like. We need to be realistic that "green cities" are utopian, and will barely qualify as cities. Most of the changes to make them green will gut a lot of the benefits of moving to higher population centers, and then it's just...less benefits, but with the addition of being crowded. There are pros-"it takes a village" i think these days makes more sense as "it takes a city," given the isolation in rural areas. Like that idea only really can take root in close quarters, and thats not rural or suburbs anymore.

To be clear, i don't want suburbs, either, with HOAs or whatever. But cities are not great, environmentally, either, even if letting many rural areas RETVRN TO NATVRE or whatever is I think good. But it's like...idk. Studying mortuary really has me thinking about how even the "greener" options of all our alternatives for everything aren't enough. Cities aren't enough, they've got pros sure, but massive cons. Anticiv shit isn't enough, but in societal ways, in the ways that encourage human adaptation/evolution. And that does matter. Not our numbers, but that we continue to evolve, in subtle ways. We've settled at a solid blueprint. But I'm always looking ahead towards climate change, and past that human extinction, and past that Sol's collapse, and I'm just. It's far ahead. But the way immortalists talk, they want to mitigate our bodies. That concerns me. Life, death, human consciousness. These things are all so fragile, so tied to our physicality, in such a delicate ecosystem.

I just worry. Foolish, long term worry, but I do.

None of it is enough.

I'm not one of those freaks who's like, concerned about demographics or overpopulation or whatever. But I do have some concerns about a worldwide aging population that requires care and support as a majority, regardless of whatever system we build. Capitalism obviously exacerbates the problem because it created it, with it's cancerous need for growth. But.

I don't know. It's collapsing empire, I'm aware, but some part of me looks at the talked about replacements or alternatives and finds all of it-all we've built, and our lofty ambitious pipedream blueprints-to be woefully wanting.

And you know. I don't like humanity, often. But I do love it, whatever it looks like, in 100 years or back 1000 or forward to whatever our descendents could look like, whatever could be after homo sapiens. Our potential.

Repair the world is on my mind, more than usual.

I just don't think any of what we're doing will be big enough.

Demand it be.

[ratstuckinamarble]

I think the narrative problem with Clawd is he's mostly just.... there. Background characters get more wants and quirks than he has so far. That won't be a problem if you really like his design or the way he's acted, but for the people who aren't innately sold on the aesthetics and acting, it really doesn't give much to grab on to. We've had shots of Ghoulia playing viddy games with Frankie and Lagoona, Manny's been around whenever there's academics or book learning involved, heck even Heath and Spectra get enough one off lines to hint at interesting things about them and their families. Clawd though... he had that bout of being over-bro-tective... he... has been separated from his mom but isn't given a plot about pushing harder to get her back, or even standing in the way of the plan, out of fear for Clawdeen... he's new to school but Frankie's new to being ALIVE so it's hard to really make that a new interesting plot point... I've never MINDED him, still, I can't say I was ever excited to see him. Goobert being on screen got me cheering. You'd think it'd be hard not to make Clawdeen's second born but technically older long lost monster pest hunting brother an unexciting thing. So when he and Draculaura are given a pair of crushes on each other, outside of the meta appeal, it's just... meh?

(Especially compared to Clankie and how Deuce was handled- the slow hint dropping, the many hang outs and scenes together, shared personality traits they bond over, clear acts of caring and interest on both sides, Frankie and Deuce being good buddies completely separate of Cleo, the three of them getting an ep together just to SHOW how Cleo and Deuce are happily broken up and Frankie's blushing like crazy over Cleo...)

But who knows. Maybe Clawd and Draculaura will get a enough good moments going forward to smooth things over. It's not like the Monster High Generation 3 writers aren't GOOD at writing, obviously. Maybe they just focused on other stuff and this is the casualty of that. It could get better. Right?

You've made some really interesting points. Now that you say it, it really doesn't feel like he has much of a goal. While Clawdeen is constantly doing her all to get their mom back, he's mostly busy adjusting to the world, but like you said, that's already Frankie's thing.

And I've always found it strange that he isn't more upset to be separated from everyone he knew in Beheme. He's in a stressful situation! So why don't we really see him struggle? His cheery demeanor is sweet, but it's hard to buy that he'd never have his moody moments with how harsh we're supposed to believe Beheme was, and him getting separated from his mother and presumably other people. Wouldn't he worry about them not knowing what happened to him? Why do we never see that?

Something that also strikes me as odd is very much him "just being there". Because it always feels that way, despite him being someone from another dimension! But that's kinda it...? Why doesn't he get to have traits that truly make him stand out? It's a shame really, I remember being rather intrigued when he was first introduced, but that excitement fizzled away. When I think about it, I can list some traits and whatnot, but he fades into the background compared to how other characters grab your attention.

And comparing Clawd/Draculaura to other ships, they did get some level of build up, not in terms of crushing on each other (I'm hoping the show will let us know why they like each other), but we have seen them interact before this several times. But we don't know why they're friends aside from "he's Clawdeen's brother so they're in each other's vicinity". (This is actually an issue I have in general though, us not getting to see how a lot of friendships we know to be fairly recent started.) I wish a lot of the scenes they had together didn't feel so awkward. Please just make them caring about each other believable.

I am hoping to grow more fond of Clawd and less annoyed with this ship, maybe it is just a consequence of other aspects being prioritised until now. I do know the writers are capable of better things.

I'd also like to use this opportunity to clarify: I don't hate Clawd. I just think he's boring, which is doing him a disservice because I know he has the potential to be much more.

There's more I could say, but this is getting quite long. Thank you for your input anon, I appreciate how you looked for reasons he feels off to some of us. It certainly helped me collect my thoughts a little better.

[autumnshighlady]

I have a question. I've seen a lot of controversy about people wanting you to write Guys My Age part 2 and you refusing. Could you explain a bit more why you refuse to write it? I'm so curious, It was a really good fic and I don't get why you won't continue it. Sorry if this is offensive

hi anon, no this is not an offensive question don't worry - since you asked politely I have no problem answering this. There are a few reasons:

I am petty and people were incredibly rude and demanding about part 2, which made me not want to write it. I hate being rushed, and the way people treated me over it completely ruined the concept for me

I love Gavriel, but not enough to make that fic into multiple part series. I still like him, but not enough to write for him again for a while until I maybe do a re-read of the series.

While the concept of best friend's dad corrupting the reader is hot, I only like it to an extent. I utilized that trope for a world that is fictional, but at the end of the day when it comes down to it, it's creepy and predatory haha. I enjoy writing it on occasion when I'm in the mood, but I will not write it consistently

a lot of people wanted part 2 to be the reader learning how to give Gavriel a blowjob and tbh blowjobs are not up there in my top 3 list of favourite things - for writing, reading, or doing. It doesn't appeal to me as much as writing other things.

hope this cleared some things up

[leffee]

Vinnil headcannons?👀

OTP OTP OTP STUPID ASS OTP UGGGGH I LOVE THEM and this ask has been here for way too long why didn't I answer it before I'm so sorry, your emoji eyes are so appealing. But tbh I am finally free because I decided that I won't study anymore for now even though I should but I so don't feel like it. Anyway:

it's been made clear that Sunil doesn't want to be a doctor (and you know, canonically he's also a mangoose so), and I don't want to force him, but in a universe where he does on his own decide to be a doctor, Vinnie would do everything to become a nurse. Nobody believed at first that he would be able to even study enough to do that because he's Vinnie, but holy shit he's determined as hell. If studying hard for few years gets him to be close to Sunil for the rest of his live he will clench his ass and do it,

as soon as Vinnie meets someone knew and the basic introductions happens he's like "Okay, but lemme me tell you about my amazing boyfriend Sunil, so..." and he won't stop,

to nobody's surprise their favourite activity together is cuddling, shocker, I know,

also a looot of the time Vinnie can be found in one way or another clinging to Sunil, in the not touching ground way. It's one thing if he sits on his shoulders or back, but sometimes he will just wrap all his limbs around Sunil's torso and that's that, he's not coming off,

fuccc top Sunil and bottom Vinnie but not in a sexual sense, you know what I mean? Oh I'm so not okay, but I guess it's best to make it clear now than later,

look, there's nothing more delightful than their height difference and I usually try to keep those around as they are in the show, but not gonna lie, I'm a sucker for keeping Vinnie the same, but just, making Sunil above 2 meters (or 6'5 for you American folk. I have no idea what I'm talking about actually, is that how you write that?), basically I need at least a foot of height difference between those two.

Vinnie is such a lifeline for Sunil whenever he's worrying or feeling anxious. I personally don't headcanon him with anxiety as in mental illness, just excessive worrying but still within norm really. So when he does feel like it, Vinnie will take care of all he can, especially when it comes to social interactions (even if he's feeling not too good himself, but he won't say it). It's just that Sunil is SO important to him, it doesn't matter how he's feeling or what's going on, if it helps Sunil, he will do it

what I'm really saying is that Vinnie would die for him, he's 100% certain of it

I just want them to live in one dorm room is that so wrong

I'm heavily biased :] and scared

[cherrypikkins]

hey! this is chance & here’s week 3’s prompt. share an excerpt that you’re very proud of from any of your wips.

thanks again! I went ahead and wrote a bit more dialogue for my Fire Emblem Three Houses OC, Kitt. I thought I'd detail how they might interact with Byleth during the exploration phase. :3

Kitt Burgess - Exploration Dialogue

Chapter 1A - Three Houses

Kitt: "Are you lost? No worries. This corridor will take you to the Officer's Academy."

Kitt: "Me? I don't belong to a particular House at the moment. So if you're having trouble deciding which class to teach, I'm afraid I won't be much help."

Kitt: "That's right. I heard everything from Seteth. It's nice to meet you, Professor. You may call me Kitt."

Kitt: "I'll be around, but don't let me distract you. You've got an important choice to make after all."

(More below the cut :3)

Chapter 1B - Three Houses

Kitt: "Did Seteth lecture you again today? Don't take it personally. It's his job get into every new face in the monastery."

Kitt: "If you can look past that, you'll find he has a lot of wisdom to share. Whether you ask for it or not."

Kitt: "Oh. And try to get along with his baby sister, okay? Just don't get too friendly."

Dialogue Choice (Male Byleth only):

Byleth: "What do you mean by that?"

-> Kitt: "Do I have to really spell it out? Never mind. Just remember to tread lightly around those two."

Byleth: "I think I understand."

-> Kitt: "So you get it. I'm sure you'll handle those two just fine."

Chapter 2 - Familiar Scenery

Kitt: "The canyon, huh? Wish I could pay a visit. I can't imagine the Archbishop would approve, though."

Kitt: "…I mean, it's an important place to the Church of Seiros. I'm sure they wouldn't appreciate me coming over just to sight-see."

Kitt: "I know you'll be in the thick of combat, but careful where you step, okay?"

Kitt: "That place is ancient beyond the known history of mankind. Even the smallest pebble lying on the ground could brim with dangerous magic."

Chapter 3 - Mutiny in the Mist

Kitt: "Seteth is on the warpath again. I swear, that man needs to take a step back so he and his sister can both breathe a little."

Kitt: "...Of course, the more he fusses over Flayn, the less likely he'll be in the mood to lecture you. And me, for that matter."

Chapter 4 - Rite of Rebirth

Kitt: "I'm about to head out. We've gotten word of some strange activity coming from the surrounding woods."

Kitt: "It won't look good for us if any pilgrims are harmed on the way here."

Dialogue Choice:

Byleth: "Shouldn't the Knights of Seiros handle that?"

-> Kitt: "If the Knights are out there, who's going to look after things in the monastery while the ritual is under way?"

-> Kitt: "We're stretched thin enough as it is. And since I'm technically affiliated with the Church, it's on me to lend a hand."

Byleth: "Be careful."

-> ( Kitt Support + )

-> Kitt: "Ha. That's my line. And honestly, I'd rather deal with wild beasts than the masses of people showing up for the Rite of Rebirth."

-> Kitt: "If you ever get bored, maybe you should join me. Might be fun is what I'm saying."

Kitt: "Well, off I go. Please make sure the monastery is still standing when I get back."

(Kitt leaves.)

Chapter 5 - Tower of Black Winds

Kitt: "As you heard, I'll be joining the mission to recover the Lance of Ruin. However, Seteth has ordered me not to participate in combat unless the situation demands it."

Dialogue Choice:

Byleth: "What kind of 'situation', exactly?"

-> Kitt: "If it happens, we'll both know. And let's just leave it at that."

Byleth: "Are you disappointed?"

-> ( Kitt Support + )

-> Kitt: "Not really? The prospect of clearing out a hive full of bandits doesn't appeal to me. Though I suppose it depends on their leader…"

Kitt: "By the way, you seem to be adjusting well to the Sword of the Creator. That's a relief!"

Kitt: "Weapons like that don't always mix well with the one who wields them. But the two of you seem to get along just fine."

Chapter 6 - Rumors of a Reaper

Kitt: "Ugh. Not now. I'm looking for Flayn."

Kitt: "I'm sorry. I don't mean to be rude, but I'm having trouble thinking clearly enough as it is knowing Flayn could be in actual danger."

If Seteth spoken to:

-> Kitt: "At least Seteth seems to be calming down. Sometimes he worries to a point where he can't act on a clear mind."

Else:

-> Kitt: "Look, just do me a favor and talk to Seteth, ok? I can't stand seeing him panic like this."

Kitt: "It's possible that she wandered outside, but we can't rule out the likelihood that she's still somewhere inside the monastery."

Kitt: "This place is so ancient, I can't even begin to imagine how many secrets lie beneath the very stone itself."

Chapter 7 - Field of the Eagle and Lion

Kitt: "Ugh. I'm glad she's having fun, but do they really have to crowd the pond like that?"

Kitt: "Thank you again for rescuing Flayn. Whatever Seteth may think, I know she'll be safe in your capable hands."

Kitt: "By the way, do you know I've been a student here for some time now? Though, I've yet to officially decide on a House."

Kitt: "If I were to join your class, I might be able to pay you back in some small way. With your blessing, that is."

Accept:

-> Kitt: "Oh, how wonderful! Let's continue to get along, you and me. I'll even participate in the Battle of the Eagle and Lion if you ask me to."

-> Kitt: "I can't wait to see what fate has in store for us."

Refuse:

-> Kitt: "Fair enough. I can be a bit of a handful sometimes, so I understand why you might hesitate."

-> Kitt: "Do let me know if you change your mind."

Extra dialogue after recruitment:

-> Kitt: "Are you planning on taking the class out to hunt monsters any time soon? I'd be happy to tag along."

-> Kitt: "I'd much prefer that to rounding up a bunch of thieves and bandits."

Related NPC Dialogue:

Chapter 6 - Rumors of a Reaper:

Knight: "If I had to suspect someone in the monastery, it would be that precocious little waif, Kitt."

Knight: "They may seem close to Master Seteth and Mistress Flayn, but I've heard rumor say they've had a falling out recently."

Knight: "Don't be fooled by their unassuming demeanor - they're nothing but trouble!"

Knight: "I wouldn't be surprised if they held a grudge and kidnapped the poor girl to enact revenge!"

Dialogue Choice (only one):

Byleth: "That's impossible."

-> Knight: "And what makes you so certain of their innocence?"

-> Knight: "W-what? They were part of the company sent to clear out the bandits at Conand Tower? Never mind! Forget I said anything!"

Chapter 7 - Field of the Eagle and Lion

Scholar: "Where could it be? I'm certain it was here the last time I visited! They couldn't possibly have removed it from the library, could they?"

Scholar: "You there! By any chance, do you know where I may locate 'The Ghost of Annwen'?"

Dialogue Choice:

Byleth: "The Ghost of Annwen?":

-> Scholar: "It is the script of a nigh-unknown legend, as ancient as Nemesis and the Ten Elites themselves! And with the power to rival them besides!"

-> Scholar: "Whispers say that the Ghost of Annwen sleeps for a hundred years at a time. When it wakes, it shows one of two faces - that of a great hero or a terrible demon."

-> Scholar: "None may know which face it will show when it awakens - only that world will be forever changed."

Byleth: "Sorry, I have no idea.":

-> Scholar: "What a dreadful shame! There are precious few left in this world who know of the tale, and fewer still who can retell its entirety."

-> Scholar: "In light of that awful incident in the Oghma Mountains years ago, I fear it may yet fade from history forever."

Scholar: "It has been a subject of contention within the inner echelons of the Church of Seiros, but surely they would not strike down such a fanciful tale as blasphemy, would they?"