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mimimui · 1 year

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comma after dearest (genshin impact)

wherein (character) reacts a certain way to a grammar mistake you made in your letter (or was it?)

includes: kazuha, ayato, thoma, xiao, zhongli, alhaitham, kaveh, scaramouche

tags: a bit unserious writing, fluff, i am obssessed with "it changed the meaning, did you intend this?" forgive me, not proofread

a/n: not sure if anyone's done this before, but take it as my apology for not having written in a while (╥﹏╥) my fever + colds are killing me & i have a lot of scheduled things to do for school aaaa. maybe i can write this with other fandoms as well ? (and character x character ships hehe) .. enjoy !

kazuha notices it immediately. aside from all the work with the fleet, he spends time reading—or rereading—your letters. written messages aren't uncommon when he's at sea, but this letter was different. had you made a mistake with your punctuation? no, it can't be, you've always opened your letters with "my dearest kazuha".

he blinked at the words, now seeing a comma between the word 'dearest' and his name. as much as he was confused, he was flustered. if this wasn't a mistake, and that you intentionally called him your dearest, then it's a shame you can't see how absolutely smitten he is for you right now.

ayato is busy going through papers and folders when he sees an envelope slide under his door. he chuckles as he reads his name in your writing, carefully picking it up and opening it. you have a habit of writing him letters and sliding it under his door while he works, which ayato finds very endearing.

when he reads "my dearest, ayato", his smile only widens more, finding new motivation to finish his assignments for the day so he can get to you as soon as possible. he knows how much effort you put into writing these short, yet loving, letters when he places this one on his (already full of other letters) pinboard.

thoma takes a while to realize, but when he finally notices it, his heart rate increases by a concerning amount. he loves you so much to the point that when he reads "my dearest, thoma", there's hearts in his eyes. thoma's so much happier after reading your letter, and now he's doing everything smiling.

ayaka told him he looks brighter than usual today, and ayato even asked him if he received good news. of course, he was shy about this, but he told the kamisato siblings it was nothing to worry about. though, he continues to do his work with a little bounce in step.

xiao denies it. he thinks he's read it wrong at first, but when he looks over at it again, it is confirmed that you did write him as your dearest. forgetting about the rest of the contents of the letter, xiao began to contemplate. an error like that was unlikely, especially since you're fond of writing.

the next time you meet, he has a hard time trying to bring up the topic. he knows you meant what you wrote, but he wants you to confirm it. when you tell him, "yes, i mean it." he tries to hold back a smile. keyword: tries.

zhongli adores the salutation. or rather, he adores you. he appreciates the sweet, small detail you added in. zhongli hurriedly, yet carefully, writes you a letter back, addressing you as "my dearest, (y/n)" and replying to the contents you had in yours.

he never really indulged in using endearments, but ever since your letter, he's only even been calling you his 'dearest'. when greeting you, when asking for your attention, when talking about you, whenever. zhongli's never said it outloud, but you know he absolutely loves that nickname now.

alhaitham is amused. he thinks you genuinely made a mistake in your letter, but doesn't address it until he returns to sumeru. when you see him again, he brings it up, expecting to be able to playfully taunt you about it. but he was so wrong.

"but you're my dearest. how is that wrong grammar?" you say, turning the situation around and teasing him instead. alhaitham wanted to tease you so much that he didn't bother to think of other possibilities. he's defeated, and all he can say is, "...i have no reply."

kaveh doesn't know how to react to it. should he be flustered, or correcting you for the mistake? was it even a mistake? he does write you a letter back, but best believe he immediately asks you about it as soon as he comes back home. "did you intend this?" he says, showing you your letter.

when you nod your head, all the shyness and blush that should've came in before came in now. kaveh uses the folded letter to cover his smile, but it's too wide and too bright to even try to. when you tease him about it, he strongly denies having his heart race from it.

scaramouche chooses to ignore it. he knows you wrote that punctuation on purpose, but he doesn't want show that he's thinking about it. this ultimately failed when he doesn't write you back, and you knew something was up with him. once he returns and he acts indifferent, you bring it up.

his eyes widen as he looks away, realizing he forgot to reply to that letter. scaramouche hesitates before quietly apologizing, mumbling something about 'my dearest' and 'running out of paper'.

thanks for reading (˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶)

#genshin x reader #kazuha x reader #ayato x reader #thoma x reader #xiao x reader #zhongli x reader #alhaitham x reader #kaveh x reader #scaramouche x reader

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turtletaubwrites · 3 months

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Bend Until You Break ~ Masterlist

This completed series means a lot to me, so I've made this masterlist to keep it all in one place, as well as to include asks from those who relate the story, and some resources for those who related to the reader's pain a little too much. I've also included a link to a post where I share my intentions with this story, as well as my feelings about how bad our bad doctor really is. THIS FIC CONTAINS DARK CONTENT. 18+ ONLY. MDNI.

Pairings: YANDERE!Trafalgar Law x Fem!Reader

Ao3 Link

Summary: You have struggled with mystery pains and injuries for most of your life, and had resigned yourself to suffer after every doctor told you there was nothing wrong. But when a world renowned doctor/pirate comes to town to offer aid in exchange for supplies, you decide to give hope one more chance. Maybe you'll finally find a doctor you can trust.

Author's Note: PLEASE heed the tags below, and do not read this fic if you aren't comfortable with these topics. Some of these medical issues may or may not have come from personal experience 🙃

*I am not a doctor, and this is not meant to be educational, or to contain any health advice. Please seek a health professional. Hopefully you'll have better luck than the reader 🙄

Thank you so much @anemptypuddingcup for this request. You helped me write one of my favorite stories 🙏🏼🖤

If you relate to the chronic pain symptoms and joint issues that the reader has, you might want to learn about hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and hypermobility spectrum disorders. Here's a couple links to get you started: The Ehlers-Danlos Society The Ehlers-Danlos Support UK hEDS Diagnostic Criteria *Once again, I am not a doctor. Please seek advice from a medical professional. I hope that you find one that supports and listens to you. You deserve to be treated with respect and compassion. I believe your pain. 🖤

Rating/Warnings: Explicit Sexual Content, 18+ ONLY, MDNI, AFAB!Reader, She/Her Pronouns for Reader, Reader-Insert, DARK CONTENT, DUBCON, Dubious Consent, Swearing, Eventual Smut, Yandere, Manipulation, Power Imbalance, Hypermobility, Medical Examination, Medical Trauma, Medical Conditions, Chronic Pain, Injury, Physical Disability, Physical Therapy, Doctor/Patient, Abuse of Authority, Kidnapping, Possessive Behavior, Other Additional Tags to be Added, (Reader is described as having hair "above her shoulders" that she can brush), Needles, Drugs, Arguing, Massage, Praise Kink, Pain, Dissociation, Humiliation, Gaslighting, Non-Consensual Drug Use, (Implied), Birth Control, Menstruation, Discussion of Pregnancy, Brief/Implied Discussion of Sterilization Surgery, Teasing, Dom Trafalgar D. Water Law, Hand & Finger Kink, Blood, Spit, Dacryphilia, Vaginal Fingering, Penis in Vagina Sex, Unprotected Sex, (Be Safe Out There), Multiple Orgasms, Rough Sex, Creampie, Pet Names, Overstimulation, Cunnilingus, Biting, Bruises, Hair-Pulling, Aftercare, Inappropriate Use of Akuma no Mi | Devil Fruit Powers

Asks from People Who Relate to the Story: | Ask 1 | Ask 2 | Ask 3 |

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deathlieteez · 9 months

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to be his, serie's masterlist

woosan + yunho x reader

synopsis: of course you have dreams, ambitions, goals. of course you have friends, you go to college, and you go home to see your family whenever you can. of course you want, feel, and are so many things, but if you could only have one of them, you would choose to be his.

you're sure that wooyoung is the person for you, because he's everything you've ever wanted in a man, and he's also incredibly handsome and has a great future as a lawyer. what more could you ask for? an art student who doesn't even know if she's doing what she really wants to do, and who's neither as pretty nor as funny as he is. you're lucky to have him in your life, aren't you? even though he always seems to be flirting with the whole fucking world. he's like that. even though he's always with his best friend, who's gorgeous and all that wooyoung always lets you know that he likes in a woman. it's just natural.

you love him just the way he is, and he loves you… just the way you are. so you can't look at san, your new and infinitely interesting friend you just met in college, that way. but he looks at you that way, too, right? maybe yunho is right, maybe… are you being paranoid?

genre: angst, fluff, smut, comfort, romance. collegue/lawyer (wooyo) au.

warnings: cheating, cursing, sex, (unprotected) sex, alcohol, 18+ minors dni, wooyoung sometimes is a prick, low self-esteem reader, established relationship with wooyoung. bisexuality. each part will have its own set of warnings.

note: the reader is gonna have low self-esteem and a very strong emotional dependence with her relationship with wooyoung, so everything is told from that highly negative perspective -don't represent reality. i know this is a very sensitive topic, but i promise im gonna treat it in the most respectful way possible. also, remember that you are someone very valuable and important, that there is no one and nothing more important in your life than you. you deserve to be loved and respected.

pairing: wooyoung x reader + wooyoung x (?) + reader x (?)

appears or mentioned: jung wooyoung as ur boyfriend, choi san as ur colleage friend + jeong yunho as san's friend, kang yeosang as ur friend. kim hongjoong, park seonghwa, song mingi, choi jongho,

intentional use of lowercase letters

it is not meant to be representative of any ateez member's personality or another groups' idols who appeared ♡

playlist: soon!

status: on-going

p.s. this story is meant to have more than two or three chapters, so is not short but either so long!

slow updating bcos im so busy with uni :(

links will be underlined ♡

chapter 1. the night we met. as you remember the night you met wooyoung with a drink in your hand and the certainty that he was cheating on you, someone appears in front of you with the intention of making your night a lot more interesting.

⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘ ♡ ⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘

☆ tags list ☆ @stolasisyourparent @yeosangsbbg

it just started, but if u wanna be tagged, please let me know ♡

another works of mine: attention (j.yh)

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happyflux · 4 months

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Saw a really long post today where someone was talking about D&D vampire lore, compiling what different sources say about it (including the Baldur's Gate games) and, y'know, for the most part it was a good post, it's a useful and good quick reference on what the different sources have said about vampires.

(readmore because this turned out long oops)

But then at the end, and in an addition to the post replying to a tag someone had put, the post began talking about applying all this lore to BG3 specifically, and it made me think. Because the takeaway that post had seemed to be that the things about vampire lore which are consistent to the rest of D&D do apply to BG3 as well, and that Astarion is simply an exception due to his extremely strong willpower and sense of self. And that just doesn't seem right to me at all. It feels like missing the point.

BG3 did some very specific, very interesting things with the lore of D&D. In terms of vampires, yes, but also more generally, BG3 pretty consistently gives the message that the things that are said in the rulebooks are not necessarily true, but are oversimplifications and generalizations that are believed to be true in universe.

BG3 got rid of racial ability scores, giving every race the same "choose a +2 and a +1" that variant humans can have in D&D. BG3 not only got rid of racial alignments, but got rid of alignments entirely - there is no detect evil and good, protection against evil and good has been replaced with a spell that mechanically protects against outsiders of various kinds, there is no alignment selection for player characters, no alignment showing up on inspection despite pretty much entire stat blocks being visible, and the companion characters all have complex morality that doesn't fit neatly into any alignment box. BG3 establishes and many times repeats that Volo, the in-universe author of a lot of the texts we have access to about Faerûn, is an incredibly unreliable source. BG3 has Halsin, a large-built and hairy elf (something which the rulebooks claim is impossible as elves are slender and graceful and have no body hair), say that "sometimes I think conventional wisdom is too narrow about what someone can or cannot be".

On the topic of vampirism specifically, BG3 has Jaheira (who is established to be wise and knowledgeable due to being an experienced and well travelled adventurer) say "They say that the only thing a vampire can feel is hunger. Nothing else touches them - not grief, or mercy. Or any sense of what is just. Who knows. There is often more ignorance than insight in what 'they' say", in response to Astarion remaining a spawn. And, on an Astarion origin run, it is established that at least half of his siblings can be convinced to want to oppose Cazador (it's just that non-origin Astarion chooses to antagonize them instead), and they can be persuaded not to feed off of people, and even without Astarion suggesting it Dalyria will take the initiative to help and take care of the other spawn. And, and this I think is crucial, every vampire we see in BG3 aside from possibly Vellioth is established to have been through circumstances which could easily twist someone and turn them horrible, no magical twisting of emotions or inherent existential evil required.

To play Baldur's Gate 3 and take away from it that the things which D&D lore has previously said about vampires apply to this game, and that Astarion is just somehow Special because of his Extremely Strong Willpower and Sense of Self feels like completely missing the point. Vampires in BG3 are evil because they're stuck in a cycle of violence and suffering and aren't able to escape, and when they are given an escape from that cycle they are able to heal and recover and be more than what they were made. Astarion does not have exceptional willpower, Astarion got lucky. He got out, he made some connections, he got a chance to heal and unlearn the things he'd been taught before being thrust back into Cazador's presence, and that's why he's able to break the cycle. Or, alternately, if the people he finds when he gets out don't push him to unlearn the things Cazador taught him and instead reinforce those beliefs, he becomes just like him. Again, no magical twisting of emotions required.

#bg3 #astarion #sorry about the long post lol #also don't take this too seriously. i don't think interpreting a story differently than me is problematic or anything #it just annoys me when people are wrong about my blorbo on the internet (read: when people interpret the story differently from me)#hence why i made my own post instead of commenting on the one that i reference

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llyfrenfys · 8 months

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Some really good notes from my post courtesy of @margridarnauds about that person accidentally using a white nationalist slogan to support the Welsh language:

I know someone who is doing a PhD on the Far Right and the co-option of cultural movements and these tags are bang on. Its the difference between a healthy nationalism and an unhealthy nationalism. A lot of this goes for Irish nationalism as well as it does for Welsh nationalism.

There's nothing wrong with (and arguably a lot right with) minority language preservation. It can be used for great good (strengthens community ties, preserves culture) but if co-option is not guarded against readily, it can also be used for great evil (see: using minority language struggles as an argument against immigration, for example).

The Far Right sees the cultural preservation of anything (white) and it's like a bat signal. These things are magnets for white supremacists and assorted fascists of all kinds. Which is why it is so goddamn important to be vigilant against people like that hijacking your movement.

I see a worrying amount of Welsh nationalists use (accidentally or not) the language of the far right to argue for Welsh language preservation. It can be as innocuous as advocating for a Welsh Academie Francaise to as obvious as insinuating that Wales must be kept "ethnically" Welsh in order to keep out foreign influence on the language. I see this go unchecked all the time in various Facebook groups for Welsh independence (most of which I've left since admins of these pages either don't know or don't care that people use their groups to share these sentiments).

Nationalism ≠ Fascism - but if you don't keep an eye on the company you're keeping, any well-meaning nationalist/independence or language preservation movement can be hijacked to promote hate. I only know a scant amount because I was only vaguely considering joining Yes Cymru a few years before they all went sideways (but I remember Owen Exie Hurcum talking about this on Twitter at the time) but the leadership of Yes Cymru began to squeeze out minorities from the group- nonwhite folks, gay people, trans people etc. Whole thing put me off from joining. I don't remember the full details but from the testimonies of others, the group was hijacked and steered into a reactionary way of being. Considering a large amount of Welsh nationalists also idolise groups like the FWA (Free Wales Army - a Welsh nationalist group formed in 1963 which tried to emulate the IRA in Ireland, with little success- mostly just playing paramilitary dress up) - whose symbol is this flag:

Even if the flag itself is based on Welsh folklore and is supposedly an entirely innocent, non fash design- it still is like a beacon to the Far Right who will take any amount of symbolic validation as a cue to join your movement and derail it for their own ends.

Which is why Celtic scholars, people with casual interest in Celtic languages and/or their respective cultures and civic nationalists alike need to be vigilant against those who would co-opt the field for their own twisted hate campaign.

So, one final thought,

Returning to my original post responding to that American chiming into Welsh politics from overseas. Please PLEASE be careful when wading into politics that isn't yours. Where the Far Right are involved, it doesn't take much to cause a dumpster fire - if you aren't 'on the ground' with these issues so to speak, you aren't in the firing line if your comments go sideways and enable/provoke the Far Right in this country.

If you have an interest in Celtic languages, countries and politics- you have a duty to be responsible with what you do and say. This isn't to say that you cannot engage with these topics- but that you should exercise caution lest you accidentally worsen an already delicate situation.

This has been your regularly scheduled Celtic anti-fascist tedtalk. Please reblog to make sure more people become aware of how delicate things can be and how to prevent fascists from getting a foothold in this field. Thank you.

#cymraeg #Welsh #Gaelige #Irish #Luke's originals #antifascist #pleass reblog

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konigsblog · 4 months

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That mlmxreader blog also keeps claiming that you're sending your followers to go attack them and send death threats. They do a lot of arguing that your dark fic is not real dark fic and that you're purposely trying to trigger and retraumatise them - is what I gathered looking at a couple posts...

I think that for one, there are definitely writers who do romanticise some topics unhealthily with things such as rape/assault/torture, but I don't think you're one of those people? Like you frequently tag and keep stating that what you're writing is fiction, it's fantasy.

On that note, they keep trying to argue that CNC is the more "moral" kink to be writing vs. rape. I honestly think that rape fantasy is something people do fantasize about and can sometimes just not be CNC (bc they keep trying to pin it back to that kink). It's the fact that there's no established relationship and discussion like in most BDSM pairings where they talk about rape play. At the end of the day, you tag your works properly. I don't see much issue with writing what you want when you make sure to tag (which you do!) and are aware the subject you're writing about and its usual connotations (which you're also aware!). People can be mad and uncomfortable, but at the end of the day it's them who chose to keep talking about it. I think people need to get used to being uncomfortable on the internet. This is not a new concept and nobody here is a "hero" for anything.

Sorry I just paraphased some posts and asks with some of my own thoughts on it!

i mean, my content is supposed to be dark, it's dark content for a reason, and i'm not describing these characters to be standard; i'm writing them manipulative, vindictive, depraved, ect. i do appreciate you, anon, as you weren't rude, and instead polite. i appreciate it, my dear! 💗

i don't really care about this whole thing, but something i have never said was to send death threats. now, we don't know if they're lying – they could be – but, if they aren't, stop. i didn't tell anyone to send death threats, because i don't condone that. aside from death threats and mocking someone's trauma, i seriously don't care what you want to do. whether you don't block them, block them, whatever, they've made multiple posts directly insulting me in weird ass ways, so i couldn't really care about their immature opinion.

i'd like to point out something they said though, kinda funny, considering they've mentioned me multiple times outside of their callout post. they said they made ONE post about me with examples, that would be their callout post. but, they're not counting how they're talking about me in response to anons, or how they're mentioning me in their hashtags. it's childish. yes, you 100% have the right to not enjoy a certain kink/coping mechanism (because funnily enough, people use different ways to copes) but it's immature to name people, talk about how what i'm doing is "disgusting" or how i'm a "vile cretin" (like what lmfao 😭)

here's some screenshots of what i'm talking about when i say they've even insulted me, or made comments. this is 4/11 screenshots.

and comparing my supporters to an iof soldier... 😬 wtf is wrong with you? that's disgusting.

now, if anyone sends this to @mlmxreader, go ahead and let them know that they're not the centre of the world, them multiple posts taking about me and insulting me is immature on their end.

#call of duty modern warfare #cod fandom #cod #call of duty

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best-non-english-word-torunament · 1 year

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Welcome to the best non-english word tournament!

What is this?

This is another bracket tournament, in which we will decide the best word. However, this tournament is also dedicated to linguistic diversity and promoting languages that aren't English, since they are less visible on the internet at large. This means that words in English are banned from competing to make room for the other 6500-7500 known languages (depending on how you count). To avoid other large languages taking over the poll (both counting native speakers and languages the average tumblr user is likelier to know) there will be a limit of four words from every language. Join me and learn new cool words in many different languages as well as vote for your favourite!

Who are you?

I'm a linguistics student and language nerd from Sweden who took lots of inspiration from @ultimate-word-tournament but wanted to focus on language diversity in words. I'll also sneak in some posts about the language situation in the world because it's a fascinating topic. My native language isn't English, so please be kind if my posts are worded weirdly sometimes

What makes a word good?

There are many ways that a word can be good, but here are some examples: it sounds good/feels good to say, the script looks nice, it denotes an interesting concept, it denotes a concept you like, it does something interesting grammarwise or soundwise, it's funny, it's an interesting/fun compound, it has an interesting/fun etymology, it just has good vibes... The possibilities are endless and a judgement probably consists of some combinations of these or others

Rules:

There will be 64 words and a maximum of four words per language

No words in English, but loanwords from English are allowed with good motivation

No conlangs (I love them but the focus is on natural language)

Words from signed languages are allowed and encouraged as long as you can provide an explanatory picture or film for the sign

Words from pidgins are allowed

Words from extinct languages are allowed

No made up words (if it isn't/wasn't used in the language it doesn't belong, neither does words only your family/friend group uses, but slang words are allowed)

Every submitter is allowed to submit a maximum of two words from the same language based on the honor system

Submissions:

Submissions were open until the bracket was filled and are now closed

I will need to do some selection if I recieve more than four submissions from a language and this selection will mostly be based on who submitted first, with exceptions for good motivations or difficulty finding information on a word (like IPA transcription). I will try my best to research all words and languages, but since I'm hoping for small languages it might be difficult to find. There might also be some selection based on including more languages and areal diversity if I get some really good ones between the 64th submission and closing the form, but we'll see.

Some guidelines:

If you're able, please provide an IPA transcription for your word (the International Phonetic Alphabet has a sign for each sound used in any language, which makes transcription of exact pronounciation possible)

Please provide a short motivation on what makes your word good

You will need to provide a translation/explanation of the word in English since that is the language this tournament is conducted in for ease of communication and reach. If the exact translation of a word is part of what makes the word good, please provide that too

Have fun! I can't wait to see your words. If you just want to vote, go ahead and follow me in the meantime

I will tag some other tournaments to hopefully make this reach people who know interesting languages and good words in them. Please consider doing the same if you want this tournament to be as good as possible.

@ultimate-word-tournament @ultimate-sentence-tournament @words-for-cat-bracket @ultimate-poll-tournament @titlesbracket @tournamentdirectory @eurovision-song-bracket @the-shape-showdown @fuckingstupidbracket

#best non-english word tournament #tournament poll #info and logistics #i am a fan of words and language and this was just inevitable #help

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revluvzen · 1 year

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[/💦/] Splash! [/💦/]

Top!Hongjoong x Bottom!MaleReader

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credits to the owner of the gif!

Category: Smut, some fluff. MINORS DNI.

Tags: Hongjoong is your boyfriend, gay sex, top hongjoong, bottom male reader, sex in public, exhibitionism, sex in the pool, degradation, some romantic remarks, anal sex, spit on mouth/spit swallowing, dirty talk, hongjoong and you refer to each other as "honey"

WC: 4k

Despite my fics being mainly of NCT, I want to try doing fics for other idols. These idols will mostly have their own storyline in a series format! You can expect another Hongjoong fic in the future, continuing this plot, if this gets enough love! Please upvote, reblog and leave a comment if you liked it! ❤️

"H-Honey, they're gonna notice..."

It's summer! And Hongjoong and you both got some days off from (college/job). You've been so busy these months, what better than some vacations to relax a little?

"Honey~", you call Hongjoong, who's making some iced tea for both of you. "Yes, darling?", he replies, with a kind voice. "Wouldn't you like to go on vacation~?", you ask him, having thought of it since the past week. "That's... actually a good idea, sweetie...", he says, giving you your iced tea.

"Did you think of any destination already?", he asks, before sipping his tea. "I was thinking of going to a resort... a beach resort... I think we deserve it", you tell him, excited. "I like the idea! Let's book a room for us two and the ticket planes", Hongjoong happily says. "Really?! I'm already excited~", you tell him, happy that he agreed.

Hongjoong and you have been dating for two years already. He's the best boyfriend someone could have: he's kind, funny, and hot. And don't get me started on the sex topic. He's always coming with new kinky things to try... and, how could you say no to him? Bondage, whipping, role-play, he always do some new things and you end up loving it. Every time he's horny and approaches you, you know you're going to have a good time. The fact he's (almost) always horny implies you and him fuck on a very regular basis. It's not weird for you suddenly getting into a love hotel with him or passionately making out with him on the park.

Anyways. The day after, both of you arrive to the airport, do the check-in and get on the flight to the beach destination. Fortunately, the flight was nice and comfy, with no turbulences at all or whatsoever. After landing and going through Migrations, you finally could observe the beautiful sight of the town: luxurious hotels, fancy and colorful shops, and the gorgeous, blue sea on the horizon. "Hongjoong-ie~ this is so beautiful~", you tell him, very excited. "I know, honey~", he replies, with a smile on his face. "This is gonna be awesome!"

Hongjoong and you took a taxi to your resort hotel. "Oh, my, god!", you say, amused at how big and luxurious the resort is. "It's even more beautiful than in the pictures~", Hongjoong remarks. You do the check-in, and the bellboy guides you both to your room.

The room is majestic, it has everything you can expect from a 5-Star resort: great views from the window, a fancy and comfy king size bed, a minibar, and a luxurious bathroom. "Wow~ It's so beautiful, I love it!", you say, sitting and bouncing on the bed. "It truly is~", Hongjoong replies. "We're gonna have a really good time here~".

Both of you get everything from you luggages tidied up, and go have brunch at the hotel's restaurant. The buffet has many delicious dishes, made by a top-tier chef. After eating with Hongjoong, having some nice views to the sea, you started planning about the things you could do for the rest of the day.

"I think we should take a tour around the town, and go shopping", you suggested. "I think we should do that tomorrow... We have a lot of time to enjoy, so we don't have any hurry. I'm kinda tired, aren't you too?", Hongjoong asks. "Well, you're right... getting everything tidied up and the flight overall made me kinda tired...", you agree with him. "Why don't we go to the pool? It's midday still, the sky is clear and the water should be warm... I think it's a great idea", he suggestz. "Hmm, yeah, so do I! We can go to the pool, yeah. Although, we should go out for the night. Maybe going to the town's nightlife avenue or something?", you say. "I think that would be great~ Let's go back to our room and get ours swimming shorts, and let's go to the pool!", Hongjoong says, excited.

Both of you go back to your rooms and change your clothes. After taking off your shirts, Hongjoong puts on some swimming shorts with a Hawaiian flowers design. Your shorts also match the flowers design, but it's with different colours. "You look so cute, darling~", Hongjoong tells you, making you blush. "You too, honey~", you reply, smirking.

Hongjoong and you go downstairs and go to the resort's pool sector. Following a short path of natural rocks from the main building, you end up on an intersection with a sign in the middle.

<=== Kids this way || Adults this way ===>

Please, for the safety and wellness of our guests, kids should go to the kids' pools, that's less deep and has funny games for them.

"Let's turn to the left, then", Hongjoong says, joking and actually walking towards the left. "Hongjoong!", you laugh and tell him to come back. He does come back, and both of you follow the right path. Then, you see a very large pool, with many amenities on its side such as jacuzzis, water massages machines and saunas. There are quite some people on the pool sector. Some of them sunbathing, and some on the pool, swimming or playing between each other. The deeper side of the pool is closed, with a sign that reads "Life guard on a break, please stay on the shallow side".

"The last on on jumping in is a loser!", Hongjoong says, excited. He runs towards the pool and jumped in. A big splash was produced as he got submerged. He then looked at you, laughing. "You lost!", he says, mocking you. "You started running when you announced it! That's not fair!", you reply to him. You then jump into the water. It's kinda warm, as the sun rays has been hitting the water since the sunrise. "Wow~ it's nice", you say, getting relaxed. "It truly is, honey~", Hongjoong tells you.

You both did a lot of things in the span of an hour. You swam, played between each other with water guns and a waterpolo ball, got below the hydromassage fountain, etc. As both of you got tired, you swam to a corner to talk between each other while leaning in it. There's still a lot of people in the pool as the sun's still shining (it's ~2:00pm and the sky is clear!), so talking in the middle of the pool might be annoying to the rest of people.

You both chatted about a lot of topics: plans for tonight and tomorrow, comments about the brunch you had, and gossips about the other guests. "I've heard that the lady on the 235... is cheating on her husband... Wanna know how I know?", Hongjoong told you, quietly. "How?", you asked, intrigued. "Her husband... He came to the lobby, searching for her. Apparently he discovered about her affair and came here to check it. It's about to go down", he said. "Oh, my, god!", you said, on disbelief.

You both laughed in shock, but suddenly Hongjoong got a little corny. "You would never cheat on me, would you?", he said, smiling and staring at you. "Of course I wouldn't, honey~ I love you so much~", you say, touching his chest playfully. He replied back by caressing your hips, that are underwater. "I knew it~ I love you too~", Hongjoong said, leaning over you to give you a peck. You leaned too to kiss him. His soft lips touched yours, romantically.

Although, it soon became more than a peck. You both closed your eyes at the same time, and started kissing more passionately. Your lips are softly biting each other, sending a romantic feeling all over your bodies. Hongjoong put his hand on your chin, while you put your hand on his nape.

Things soon went to second base. It's so difficult to pull apart each other once you start kissing... It's just that his lips feel so soft, and you feel so secure while making out with him... and you love him. And he loves you too. It's natural that both of you kept kissing for long minutes, getting rougher as time passes by. You start tongue kissing, your tongues dancing inside of each others mouth. Your grip on Hongjoong's hair gets tighter. Your other hands gets on his chest, sliding down the water to his stomach. His hands get on your submerged waist, sliding to your lower back. His crotch now touches yours, slowly thrusting back and forth and making your bulges get hard.

Hongjoong then grabbed your ass, squeezing it. You replied by softly caressing his hard bulge. Both of you keep kissing, tasting each other's tongues. Hongjoong slowly slide his hand down your shorts, now touching your skin, slowly approaching your hole with his fingers. You also slide your hand down on his shorts, touching his hard veiny cock.

You keep kissing him, with so much passion. Taking advantage of the little lubrication the pool's water could bring, he puts one finger inside of your hole; meanwhile, you started jerking him off. It didn't take long before he finds your prostate and starts stimulating it. You each quietly moan inside each other mouth, him bitting your lips.

You actually think no one could guess what's happening underwater. I mean, from outside, it maybe could look like a plain passionate kiss on the pool by a sweet couple. That, until Hongjoong gets so horny that he has other plans for you. "Honey, turn around", he said, sexily whispering to your ear as he started fingerfucking you, now with two fingers. "W-What...?", you ask him. You know Hongjoong is extremely kinky, and making out with him on public is very common for you, but actual sex? That's new... But, once you get horny, you just don't want to stop. Should you risk being catch and humiliated in public because of being a horny slut that gets fucked while in the pool? "H-Honey, they're gonna notice~", you tell him, kind of worried.

"Come on, turn around babe~. Put your hands on the edge and give me your cute, slutty ass. I will do it slow so no one notice. I need to fuck you, honey~", he says. Fuck, how could you say no? His dirty talking gets you every time. You do turn around, and put your hands over the pool's edge, facing towards one of the plenty sunbathing areas on the pool zone. Luckily, no one's there. Unfortunately, that is because most of the people are on the pool instead of sunbathing. Not only that, but also some people walk across that zone to get on the pool or go back to the hotel. As Hongjoong lowers your swimming shorts, low enough that your rim gets exposed to him, you start wondering... Why is this turning you on? Will someone notice? Of course they will. But, maybe that's what's turning you on.

Giving your back (and ass) to Hongjoong, you feel his hard tip teasing your hole. He gets closer to your ear to whisper to you. "Do you want my big cock here, honey~? Are you this of a slut~? Ugh, I love you~", he saids, still teasing your hole with his cock. "Y-Yes, babe~ P-Please, put it inside... Quick... Before someone notices...~", you tell him, kind of trembling because of all the adrenaline.

"There it goes, fucking whore~ Feel it all inside of you~", Hongjoong says, as he starts putting his cock inside of your hole. The pool's water kind of work as lube, so his dick actually didn't have trouble on getting inside of you. "A-A-Agh~", you softly moan, trying to stay as quiet as possible so no one noticed you. Hard task, obviously. Hongjoong's cock feels so good inside of you, that your natural response is to moan like a slut.

"I'll start thrusting now~ I'll go slow, so we don't make waves or something...~ Be quiet, honey~", Hongjoong tells you on a playful sexy voice. He then sexily whispers to your ear, "Unless, you want people to notice...~". At the moment he said that, he started thrusting into you. Pace might be slow but the mere fact of his big cock fucking you already makes you so horny. "Agh~ H-Hongjoong-ie~ I... I love it~", you quietly tell your boyfriend, giving him validation. "I know you love it, fucking whore~", he says. You can't see him, but you know he's with that pervy, smirking face you love. Hongjoong's cock feels so good fucking you, and the adrenaline of doing it on a public place is a perfect combination that soon gets your cock hard.

Hongjoong keeps fucking you, going faster. He's grabbing your waist in order to do precise thrusts that makes his cock go deep inside of you. "F-Feels so good~", you whisper, feeling your prostate sending soft shockwaves of pleasure all over your body. You put on a lewd face, that Hongjoong notice from behind. "Look at you, fucking slut~ You're liking it so much~", he says. You turn your head to see him, who's smirking and looking at your ass, that's getting fucked by him.

When you go back to rest your head over the pool's edge, you see the legs of three guys, walking past you. You unconsciously raise your head and stare at they... And you see the expression on their faces. They give you disgusted looks, as if they're shocked at how you dare to fuck in a public pool. Being so close to you, they obviously noticed what's going on (unlike the other people in the pool, that's minding their own business and they can't tell what you're doing as they're kind of far away from you). You just look down and ignore them, your face blushing as you realize how shameless and nasty you're.

"H-Honey, I think those guys noticed~ Agh~", you say, still quietly moaning. "Don't worry, babe~ Everything will be okay~ Plus, that's the best part about fucking in public, isn't it~?", he says. "Ugh~ My cock feels so good inside of your tight hole~ I'll go a little more faster~", he says, now fucking you at a normal pace, not slow nor fast.

"F-Fuck~ You fuck me so good, honey~", you quietly moan. You know feel your prostate being hit by Hongjoong's cock harder, making you so fucking slutty and happy. "Such a shameless whore you are~", he sexily whispers to you.

Hongjoong keeps fucking you at a normal pace. Then, you hear a loud noise: a dude jumped into the water, kind of close to both of you, screaming "CANNON BALL!". The water splashes over both of you, which made both of you turn your heads to look at this guy. Hongjoong's glare to him is so intimidating that made the dude get shocked, both because of seeing you two fucking and Hongjoong getting angry. "W-What are y-you guys d-doing", he said, stuttering and shocked. "Get away...", Hongjoong told him with a serious expression, as he kept fucking you. The guy got scared, and swam away as fast as he could.

Hongjoong now sets up a faster pace, enough to make it difficult for you to try to quiet down your moans. You feel his cock so fucking deep inside of you, his balls hitting your ass, and your prostate being abused so fast. The water around you starts creating soft waves as Hongjoong thrusts harder into you. "Fuck, honey, it feels so fucking good~", Hongjoong tells you, quietly moan as he feels his cock so satisfied of fucking you. You turn your head to look at his lewd face. He looks so fucking sexy, so focused on thrusting fast and hard inside of you. As you turn your head, you also notice a group of people on the pool that are discreetly looking at you, with disgusted looks; some of them leaving the pool. "H-Hongjoong-ie~ t-they're noticing it~", you tell him. "And~? Is that something bad for you, baby~?", he replies, with a sexy playful voice. His cock feels so fucking good inside of you, you just want him to keep fucking you all day long and filling you with cum. It's so good to have nasty, kinky sex with your boyfriend. You don't even care about the other people in the pool. You just want to enjoy this moment with Hongjoong.

With your mind going on an euphoric state, as Hongjoong fucks you so good and rough, you replied to what Hongjoong asked. "I-It's actually the o-opposite~, I-I love this, honey~", you tell him, now moaning on speaking voice, loud enough to be noticeable for some more meters around you. "Look at you, fucking whore~ So happy of being fucked in public, you don't even care about the other people here anymore~ You know what~? I'm gonna fuck you so fucking rough that this waves are gonna overflow the pool~", Hongjoong threatens, smirking and thrusting harder into you, actually making the waves that are created because of how he fucks you get bigger.

"F-Fuck me rough, honey~ I want your cock deep inside of you~", you moan, now frenzied. "Yeah? You like my big cock, fucking slut? Huh? Fuck, you're so tight~", Hongjoong moans, fucking you at an extremely fast pace. He puts his hand over the pool's edge just like you, to have more control of the thrusts he's doing underwater. As he does that, he puts his face next to you, and starts kissing your neck, leaving some hickeys.

"Tell me you're my slut, come on", Hongjoong ordered as he railed your ass. "I-I'm your slut, h-honey, AGH~", you moan out loud. "Good boy~", he tells you. He grabs you by your chin and puts two fingers on your mouth, and makes you suck them. "Mmm~". Despite having his fingers on your mouth, your groanings are still kind of loud. "Yeah, keep moaning while you suck my fingers, yeah, fuck~", Hongjoong groaned. He's fucking you like a beast, so fucking focused on drilling your hole. The water around you strikes the pool's edge with so much power, as Hongjoong thrusts faster and rougher inside fo you. It's impossible for the rest of the people there to not notice what's going on.

Hongjoong grabs your chin and makes you face towards his face. "Tell me you're my whore, and that you're only mine~", he commands. "I-I'm your whore, and I'm only yours~", you reply, feeling his cock hitting your prostate with so much precission, it sending big and strong shockwaves of pleasure over your body, feeding your euphoria. "Say it louder", Hongjoong ordered, with a sexy and aggresive voice. "I-I'M YOUR WHORE AND I'M ONLY YOURS~", you yell, moaning after each word. "Good boy~ I love you so fucking much~", he says, grabbing your face and spitting on your mouth. You already know what to do: you swallow his spit, showing him how much you love him and enjoy being fucked. "I fucking love you so much too~", you tell him.

After some minutes, Hongjoong and you feel your orgasms close. He keeps drilling your hole so fucking fast, and you keep moaning loud as you enjoy how you he rearranges your guts so fucking rough. "H-Honey, I'm gonna come~ I'm gonna fucking fill you up so much~", he tells you, his voice breaking with moans. "F-Fuck, I'm gonna come too, it feels so fucking good~ Agh~", you moan out loud too. "L-Let's come at the same time, honey~ I'm gonna breed you so good, fucking slut~ F-FUCK~", he groans. Hongjoong fucks you frenziedly, the pool's water around you splashing out of it with so much power. The pool zone got invaded by the noises of your moans and the striking water splashes. "F-FUCK, AGH~".

Hongjoong finally comes inside of you, with a powerful final thrust that splashes water all over both of you. You feel his cum filling your insides and warming your abused prostate. "F-FUCK, FEEL ALL MY FUCKING CUM INSIDE OF YOU, SLUT~", he moans, with his cock still inside of you, now doing slower thrusts. Right at the moment you felt his cum filling your hole, you also reach your orgasm. Your back arches and your eyes roll up, feeling so much pleasure. You ejaculate underwater, then quickly realizing how you can see your white creamy sperm flaoting to the surface, around you. "F-FUCK, FUCKING FILL ME UP, AGH~", you moan during your climax.

Hongjoong keeps thrusting, now on a slow pace. He bends over to whisper to your ear. "Fuck, honey, you went crazy~", he whispers with a sexy voice. You're trembling right now because of how he fucked you so rough and the fact you're realizing what just happened. "Y-You went crazy too, f-fuck, it's just that it felt so good~", you tell him. "I know~ The moment we started kissing here, I knew we had to take it further", he said, smirking. "You fucked me so good~", you tell him. "I didn't even care if people noticed, I just wanted you~ I love you~", he says, hugging you. "I love you too, honey~", you tell him, smiling. You both kiss for some minutes, romantically tasting each other's lips. He then takes his cock out of you, and both of you raise your swimming shorts back on.

Both of you jump out of the pool and head over the path to go back to the hotel building. The moment you turn your head to see the pool... you see there's no one left. Not surprising, obviously. Apparently they all left at the moment your boyfriend started fucking you extremely fast. "Honey... Oh my God...", you tell him, shocked. "Yeah, I know... But it was worth it, wasn't it?", he tells you, laughing. "Well, it surely was... I hope they didn't call the cops or something...", you say, worried. "Don't worry, darling~ we just had a wonderful time, probably the best sex we ever had~ relax and enjoy the moment", Hongjoong tries to relax you. "You're right... Fuck, I still feel your cum inside of me", you tell him, laughing. Hongjoong relaxed you, and all that's on your head now is the happiness from the sex you just had. "You have too keep it inside during tonight's trip to the town's center, you know~?", he says, quietly laughing. "...I promise!", you laugh.

Both of you walk to your hotel room. On the main lobby, you can see some people staring at you both with disgusted faces. They surely were on the pool when you two fucked. "Don't care about them... haters gonna hate, you know?", Hongjoong said, quietly laughing. "I guess you're right", you tell him, smiling. You arrive to your roomm dry yourselves with a towel and change your clothes.

"I still can't believe what happened... I'll never forget about this, it was incredible~", you tell Hongjoong. "I know~ It was awesome, fuck, definitely worth it~", he replies. You then noticed an envelope being slided across your room's door. "Uhm, we got a letter", you say. "Oh... check it... fuck", Hongjoong says, already guessing what could it be. You open the envelope, and, indeed, there's a letter inside.

"=Paradise Resort=

==NOTICE==

=Fine for Indecent Exposure=

Hello. We send you this letter because of the recent event that took place on the hotel's pool, wjere both of you engaged on immoral sexual acts right in front of our dear guests. We attach a link to the camera's recording of the situation as proof.

We would like to reach out for you in order to settle this case, ordering you to pay the amount of 150$ to the hotel, with a plus of 50$ more on the basis of moral damage to our guests. Otherwise, we'll call the cops and sue you. Thanks for your understanding."

"Uhm...", you say, worried about the amount of money you both have to pay because of what you did. "W-Well, as we said before, it was worth it!", Hongjoong said, optimistic. "Well, you're right on that...", you tell him. "Plus, you say the CCTV recorded it? We now get to see it on VIDEO?! We have porn of ourselves?! This is the best day of my life!", he continues. You look at him, trying to hold back your laughter. "HONEY!".

#kpop smut #ateez smut #male reader smut #hongjoong smut #hongjoong #ateez #ateez hongjoong #ateez hongjoong smut #hongjoong x male reader #male reader kpop #male reader #mxm kpop smut #kpop #smut #bottom male reader #top hongjoong

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imakemywings · 9 months

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How to Kink Meme 101

I think that for fans who never used Dreamwidth and didn't grow up on LiveJournal, kink memes can be a little intimidating (I know I was intimidated initially). But I've also never seen a format that works better for hosting one that Dreamwidth. So here is a quick guide to get you reading and posting on kink memes (and YES, there ARE still active kink memes on DW--and if your fandom's isn't, make a new one!)

And just to cover upfront: Despite the name, requests and fills generally do not have to be sexual in nature (a kink meme will state in the rules if requests are required to be sexual). You can usually request anything on the kink meme, from the smuttiest smut to the fluffiest fluff and everything in between.

The first step is always to review that kink meme's rules. Most of them will be common sense--don't bash, don't out another poster, stay on topic, etc. But it's always good to check in case there's something you didn't expect (ex: some kink memes require you to put certain trigger warnings in the title of a request).

TO REQUEST:

Find the active prompt post. Many kink memes for larger fandoms will have multiple prompt posts. When one gets too long, mods will close it to new requests and start a new one. They will usually try to make it very clear which is the active one. Here's an example from the Dragon Age kink meme:

Part 8 is where you go to prompt. Other parts may still be open for fills, but are closed for new prompts. Here's another example from the Mass Effect kink meme:

Here, the current post is stickied to the top of the page, and is tagged "current part" to let you know it's the active prompt post.

2. Once you select the right prompt post, make sure you're replying to the prompt post itself, not to someone else's comment. DW pages vary in style, but that reply button can reliably be found at the bottom of the page. Here's another example from the DAO page:

The "reply" option WITHIN that bottom request will respond directly to that comment. The "reply" option in the bar at the bottom will reply to the entire thread. That's the one you want to hit.

Here's another example from The Silmarillion kink meme:

And one more from Middle-earth kink:

3. Okay so you've hit reply and you're ready to type out your idea. The one most important requirement of all kink memes is anonymity. Anonymity in requests, and in posting. Even if you feel comfortable posting with your username attached, you need to post anonymously. You can de-anon somewhere else and even link to that, but the post on the kink meme should be anonymous. That's where this button comes in:

"More options." You hit that, and you'll get the option to make an anonymous post:

And now you're really ready to go. Put something short and descriptive in the title (Ex: "Kirk/Spock Coffee Shop AU" or "Iron Bull get pegged") and give a longer description (as needed) in the body. Requests can be as short as a sentence or as long as several paragraphs--whatever you feel like is necessary.

Make sure to include any "do not wants" here! If you aren't sure what that means, check below.

NB: Generally, it's considered polite to keep a reasonable ratio of requests::fills. That is, if you're making a lot of requests, you should be trying to fill some from others. It doesn't have to be only fic either--if you're better at drawing than writing, a fanart fill most often works too!

TO FILL:

Okay, so there's requests...but say you find an idea you really like and you want to give OP a fill. It's going to be the same deal as before, except in the body of your post you'll put the fic rather than a request. DW has a character limit per comment, so it's not unusual to break even a relatively short fill into multiple posts. Nor do you have to post the whole fill at once--updating as you do with a fic elsewhere is totally fine. Here's what it will look like when multiple fill posts nest:

And that's really all there is to the basics! DW is an older, more barebones site, so if you're accustomed to the newer web, it may seem clunky and hard to navigate, but once you've posted a time or two it will seem very simple and the kink meme community is a lot of fun!

ADDITIONAL NOTES:

"Do not derail" - Generally it's common courtesy on the kink meme not to derail a request. That is, if someone wants "A/B outdoor temple sex" it's considered rude to comment "Would love to see this with A/C!" If you like the idea but want something changed, it's better to just post your own request, even if it's very similar.

Asking for clarification - It's totally fine if you want to ask OP for clarification on a point before making a fill. Keeping it anonymous, you can just respond to the original prompt to see if they meant X or Y, or if they would be okay with Z thing in the fic.

"Bonus" requests - It's pretty common to see "bonus" requests in a prompt. That is, things OP would like to see, but are fine not receiving. You can put as many of these as you like in your requests, and as a filler, can choose to include or not include as many of them as you want. Here's what that might look like:

5. DNW - "Do not wants." This is where you put anything that would be a deal-breaker for you: something that would cause you to not read the fic at all, or not to enjoy it. Again, you can put as many as you want, or none. Here are some examples of that:

6. Commenting!! - If someone fills your prompt, you should make sure to thank them! Even if the fill wasn't exactly what you wanted, it's nice to find something kind to say about it, since someone spent the time to write something for you. And of course, feel free to comment even if the prompt wasn't yours!

7. Multiple fills - There is absolutely no problem with doing multiple fills on a prompt! If the prompt inspires you, go for it! I've definitely written fills for prompts that already had two or three fills. Usually, OP is delighted to have more than one fill ^.^ I think it's really interesting to see where different authors take the same prompt, and some prompts are open to a variety of characters.

8. Fill posts - Some kink memes also have a separate "fill post," somewhere you drop links to fills. This is just a neat way of collecting them, so if you fill a prompt, try to drop a link there, just to get more eyes on it!

9. De-anoning - So you've written a fill anonymously, but you want to share on your AO3/tumblr/Twitter/wtv. Feel free! You can out yourself as the author of a fill wherever else you want, and "de-anon from the kink meme" was a pretty common author's note to see back in the day. You can even comment on the original kink meme fill with a link to other places you've posted it. Personally, I usually come back and drop an AO3 link to any fills I crosspost.

10. Timing - Some kink memes are quite old, with requests going back 10+ years. The OP of that prompt may no longer be checking it, but that shouldn't stop you from filling the prompt if you like it--you're almost sure to find another audience owo

11. Alerts - DW is pretty limited in the "notifications" you can receive from it, but if you have or make a DW account and want to get notified of updates on a kink meme, you'll want to first subscribe to that page.

(I'm already subscribed here, but that little journal will show a green checkmark if you aren't yet subscribed, and you just hit that so that any new posts on the meme will go into your DW feed.)

However, because kink memes operate more on comments than posts, you'll also want to get alerts for any new comments from the active prompt post. Find the active prompt post, and hit this bell button:

You'll get this pop-up:

And you can go ahead with the email notif, or if you're like me and want DW notifications to stay on DW and out of my email, hit "More Options" and uncheck the email notif. This way, any new comments will only show up in your DW inbox as an unread message.

And that's everything! Or at least everything I can think of. If you have another question please feel free to comment. I think kink memes are a lot of fun and I hate to think of anyone unable to participate because they're not familiar with the format.

Enjoy!

Kink memes in this post (+ some others):

Dragon Age main page (Origins, II, Inquisition)

Middle-earth kink

Silm kink meme

Arcane kink meme

Mass Effect kink

Skyrim kink meme

#mine #idk if anyone was looking for this lol #but I was fretting about people being left out so

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chuplayswithfire · 8 months

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Nuance is something that can be soooo hard for online spaces to hold onto. Hell, offline spaces too, for that matter. Today I'm thinking about kink and the concept of kinkshaming, when I think about nuance: that people should be allowed to enjoy and engage with kink, especially in fictional and fandom spaces where even bad kink etiquette can't actually harm anyone should be a given. Personally, as long as someone is tagging correctly and creating with self awareness, anything goes in a fictional space, you do you, your content deserves to exist online. I have personally created a variety of kinky works, both publicly available and not, and would really not have a leg to stand on trying to declare otherwise. In a time where people are cracking down heavily on kink and trying to decry it as deviance that shouldn't exist, being kink positive can be a very important, good thing.

At the same time though, the people have squicks, and when it comes to kink and a good culture towards sex in general, people have to be allowed to have squicks. If anyone's hearing the term for the first time, a squick is essentially a concept that just grosses you right out, you do not want to see it, you do not want to learn more, maybe it even distresses you to see it, but not to the extent that you would consider ot triggering content. A couple of common tend to bodily excrement: piss and shit, alongside guro (extensive bodily mutilation combined with sexual imagery). A squick doesn't have to be extreme, it doesn't have to be unusual, it's just something that grosses an individual out, and they don't want to see it. (And because this is tumblr and it must be said: no, racism is not a squick.)

Sometimes, we lean so heavily into the negative that we refuse to allow positivity. Sometimes, we get so into positivity, that we refuse to acknowledge negatives. People are allowed to talk about their squicks. If people see something that grosses them out, they don't have to shut up about it just because it's someone else's kink. Kinkshaming, the idea that someone would go up to someone else and tell them they're gross for their kink, is something people shouldn't do in general. But expressing disgust and distaste for a kink in general isn't kinkshaming - that's just talking about your squick.

Your Kink Is Not My Kink And That's Okay is about not hating on other people or demanding their works not exist because you hate the kink, not pretending that you find every kink, fetish, or sexual concept totally wonderful and would never react with disgust towards one. This idea in fandom that if you don't like something you should never say anything publicly because what if someone does like that thing, and is upset that you publicly don't like that thing, is ridiculous, and it has been for a while. Negative emotions have a place in fandom, especially in regard to sexual content. You shouldn't harass people who share a kink (especially when their content is tagged this is why everyone should read the tags) - but you also shouldn't go around saying people aren't allowed to use their own online space to process their disgust.

I've been seeing a lot of people lately saying anyone discussing how much they dislike a kink concept is just a kinkshamer, an anti, the purity police, and it's getting beyond ridiculous. We have the right to engage in kink, to write about kink, to make kinky art, create audio for it, and to in general delight in all kinds of kinky works. We also have the responsibility to make sure we're tagging correctly. Others have the right to dislike kink, including our own kinks, and to talk about how much they dislike those kinks. They have the responsibility to make sure they're curating correctly, that they're reading the tags and warnings on a work, and that they work out their negative responses in their own space.

Multiple things can be true: kink is a great way to explore sexuality and desire and a wide range of topics. people deserve to share their interest in kink without harassment or being belittled. one person's joy can be another person's squick. people deserve to share their squick without harassment or being belittled.

#been seeing some annoying kink discourse for a WHILE #the fact that purity police are always trying to go after kink has made some people have this #calcified response of if you don't react to every kink with interest or neutral respect then you're kinkshaming and an anti #if we want to bring back the useage of terms like squick you have to accept that people will also openly talk about their squicks #and in much less than positive terms #and that's fine!#fandom dicosurse #Even if actually this goes beyond fandom because I definitely see some people being annoying like this in real life too #the number of people I have known who are snide and dismissive towards anyone who's having what they see as vanilla sex #the number of people I have known react with visceral disgust if someone's having anything but so called vanilla sex #We have to move away from this idea that you can only talk about things in neutral or positive tones #being negative about something is perfectly fine as long as you are respectful towards others

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fandomwave · 4 months

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"No Guys I Swear You Have To Go Out Of Your Way To Find It!" And why I don't love this take

This is about the Ha Ha funny Coffin Game which includes but isn't limited to topics of: Cannibalism, Murder, and the core topic of this little rant, Incest.

feel totally free to skip this if that's a hard pass from you! No shame in knowing what you're about including things you'd rather not engage with.

"I know what I'm about"

Good! So this entire little rant? Vent? Observation? Comes from the recent uptick I've seen of posts in the Tcoaal tag where people come in to defend the game with more or less this argument:

"No no guys the incest is really easy to avoid. You have to go out of your way to find it. The game even WARNS you that this is a bad route. Its nowhere in any part of the game beyond this. Honestly it's just not there actually"

And I get the want to defend the game as being more than 'The funny Incest Game'. I agree that The Coffin Of Andy and Leyley is WAY MORE than just the funny incest game. To reduce the game down to that would be a disservice to the writing that went into this game. Andrew and Ashley deserve way more and Numlie themselves deserves better credit than that.

h o w e v e r

However, I think it's also doing more harm than good to try and sweep their dynamic under the rug as something that is 'easily avoidable' and 'totally optional' I hate to break the news but Andrew's romantic inclinations towards Ashley are pretty obvious in Chapter 1. They certainly aren't as obvious as they are in Chapter 2, I'll give everyone that. But they are there, and to act like they aren't... Not to mention the defense EVERYONE gives so readily is that 'The Game Warns You This Is A Bad Thing To Do' is a lot more complicated than it might appear on first blush. First and foremost the 'narrator' is the one to say: "Somehow it seems like a highly questionable idea to take this route"

which imho is a far cry from "This is the bad end" "This has incest" "you are probably a bad person for taking this ending" that some seem to argue is the 'warning' you get. Secondly we should remember it isn't 'you' the narrator is talking to here. Effectively it's still Ashley first and foremost. When Ashley responds 'I know what I'm about' that is also the game showing us that Ashley knows what this means and still wants it.

Enthusiastic consent if you will

So what's the point to this little post eh?

Well I think it's doing a little more harm than good to both the story but also anyone interested in checking the game out who might actually be genuinely triggered by such topics. Tcoaal has the siblings romantic inclinations laced into the story from point A to B. It's impossible to avoid actually. You can go the entire game ignoring any acts of kindness towards Andrew as Ashley or Ashley as Andrew, and you'll always get the scenes of Andrew playing with Ashley's hair. You will always get the text informing the player that Andrew fakes panic attacks to share a bed with Ashley. You will always get the CG of Andrew's hand in Ashley's belt loops. You will always hear the voicemail 'You think you're better than me because you can fuck him and I can't' from Ashley concerning Andrew. You will always get the hints from Mrs Graves that she knows they are too close but did nothing to curb that behavior.

It is wholly unavoidable no matter what route you take. Burial, Decay, Questionable or not.

I think to argue that it's just a silly little ending you can get does a disservice to people who might genuinely be upset by that, and I think more than anything a game that is at the very least talking about incest rather brazenly deserves the warnings it earns!

I love this game to bits, anyone who's been within ear shot of me has had to deal with me talking their fucking ear off about the Sibling Abuse Simulator. I've gone on in excruciating detail how I think Tcoaal's writing has been done dirty by saying that Andrew and Ashley's romance is just a 'ha ha shock ending', comparing it to the siblings ending in something like Corpse Party (a game where the incest ending is 100% totally avoidable, and the story has exactly nothing to do with incest as a topic, and is only brought up if you trigger that ending. One where I agree with the argument that it's just there for shock value)

Anyways I see where people are coming from, I can understand the want to defend the game as more than the sum of it's parts and I agree that it does suck that this seems to be the thing everyone is hyper-focusing on in terms of it's breach of containment. I get it man, I really do. It deserves so much better than being reduced down the way it has by the greater internet.

But to say it's avoidable.. I dunno it's like taking the dragons out of Game of Thrones. The story as a whole about so much more than the dragons.. However you'd have a fundamentally different story if they weren't there, wouldn't you?

#the coffin of andy and leyley #Tcoaal #Sorry to all my followers: I see horror game with fucked up topics. I play horror game with fucked up topics.

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hush-house-yard-sale · 9 months

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The Hush House Card Catalogue

@baja-blasted @terephin (please ignore the crabs)

//So the software I'm using to keep track of my books, lore bits, etc. is called Seatable! It wasn't my first choice for this project, I'm more familiar with Airtable (I've used it professionally), but Airtable's free plan doesn't let you color-code :c

//Seatable is a website that looks a lot like google sheets, but instead of building a spreadsheet, you're building a database. I knew I wanted a database rather than a spreadsheet for my card catalogue because it became pretty apparent early on that a spreadsheet would mean a lot of duplicate entries and be a lot more work to maintain, as well as monumentally more work if I wanted to use it for reference.

//My database isn't finished, and so I'm not really comfortable making it public, but I'm happy to walk through some of the things that I like most about it, that made me choose to make a database rather than a spreadsheet.

//The main things that were really important to me was being able to have (and filter by) multiple items in the same column, having lots of cross-linking between the different sheets in the base, and having different views depending on what I was looking to reference.

//These are my different tables right now, and the way they work is that each table has the most detailed information on each item, e.g. Books has the most detail on books, and Skills has the most detail on skills. But I have columns in each table that allow me to crosslink between them.

//So for each book, I have listed the skill and memory they give, but instead of writing each out individually it links to the corresponding entry in skills/memories

//And then over in the memories tab it has all the detail on the aspects, which wisdoms it can be committed to...

//...and every book this skill can be found in and every item it can be used to craft. And those boxes can be expanded so they're easier to read as well!

//I can also group and sort things in different views. My default view for books, for example, splits them into two categories—whether I've read the book or not—and then sorts the books in each category alphabetically. But I also have one that groups them all by mystery and then sorts them from low to high, and I have another that groups them by topic. Each of these views also omits columns that aren't relevant to that particular view, for example, if I'm searching for books by mystery to give to a visitor, it's important to know the author because it's fun to give people books they themselves have written, but I don't really care about what memories that book gives, or when I'm trying to connect lore dots, it doesn't matter whether or not the book is cursed and I don't need to include books I haven't read yet (and thus don't have topic tags for). The rows on the topic one are also bigger so I can better read the blurbs.

//Well, the topic one actually groups by location, because when I group it by topic, it splits it into every combination of my topic tags, rather that giving me "here are all your books about the mansus" "here are all your books about Longs and Names" so I've stored them all in different places in the house depending on what books I think are relevant to one another.

//It's still in progress, I don't have everything written down yet, and I want more data for workbenches, and I want to try and see if there's a way for it to, say, auto-match skills/souls to workbenches for committing to the tree or crafting certain recipes. Also my color-coding is in shambles bc I'm waiting for a friend to recover from covid so that they can make me a greasemonkey script to make it a little less... corporate...

//But yeah! I like it a lot, and it works really well for my purposes. I highly recommend trying it out, and I'm happy to answer questions!

#Weather Factory #Book of Hours #Book of Hours Game #Cultist Simulator #Databases #ooc

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missgryffin · 24 days

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Thanks for the tag @jamesunderwater! Loved reading your answers!

🍓 how did you get into writing fanfiction?

My first (very bad, very cringe) foray was between releases of OotP, HBP, and DH. Back then I was writing Marauders as well as 7th Year for the Golden Trio and a post-Hogwarts fic called "Friends" in which Harry, Ron, and Hermione lived together in Grimmauld Place 🥲

🍇How many fandoms have you written in?

Just HP!

🍈 How many years have you been writing fanfiction?

I mean, I went through the early childhood fanfic phase that lasted 1-2 years, but then I didn't write again until picking it up in 2020 as an adult. So really, only about 4 years now of writing consistently, and maybe 6 years total in my life.

🍎 Do you read or write more fanfiction?

I also definitely write way more than I read. Mostly this is a product of limited time—writing is a creative outlet for me, and when I have the time for it, that's usually what I reach for.

🍌 What is one way you've improved as a writer?

I think I've improved a lot with descriptions and vocabulary. Like for example, with revising LFTS and ES, there's been so many moments where I find myself just intuitively taking a sentence or small exchange or small paragraph, and expanding it into something that is just a better portrayal of that moment? It's hard to explain, but when I do the side-by-side comparison, it feels more elevated, and I think that's going back to improving on writing descriptions of what's happening that feel more fluid.

🍑 Do you have any bad habits as a writer?

Oof okay not sticking to a solid writing routine resonated with me too, that's definitely something I'm trying to be better at but it's hard!! Also a major bad habit for me is focusing too much on word count and setting unrealistic expectations for what I can accomplish in certain amounts of time. I've had to do a lot of mindset work to adjust to the fact that some of my old methods were unhealthy and unsustainable, and simply aren't realistic with making writing fit into my current, healthier lifestyle. But it's hard! Old habits and mindsets are ingrained and so tempting to default to. Like I've tried using daily word count goals several times, and it's always a trap. One would think I've learned my lesson, ha!

🍍 What's the weirdest topic you researched for a writing project?

Hmm nothing's really coming to mind as being particularly "weird." I do ping @redrobyn285 and @welsh-green about Britishisms from time to time, and that often sparks funny conversations about cultural differences. Like for example, we recently had a very in-depth conversation about terminology for dorm rooms and different sizes of beds 🤣 But in all seriousness, I learn a lot from them and owe so much of the Evans family lore to their input!

🍉What's your favourite type of comment to receive on your work?

The play-by-play reactions are my absolute fave! It's so gratifying and fun, especially when there's suspense and tension involved in the story and you feel like you're bonding with the commenter through the shared experience of all the emotions happening.

🍐What's the most fringe trope/topic you write about?

Hmm Castling was pretty fringe, I don't want to spoil it for anyone who hasn't read, but I'm not aware of any other Jily fics dealing with ~that~. But besides that, I don't think anything on my current slate is that fringe tbh. I've mostly been writing Hogwarts Jily lately, and that's pretty vanilla as far as tropes go. But I do have some adult!Jily in my back pocket that have some more fringe tropes for me 👀

🥭What is the hardest type of story for you to write?

Angst. Hands down. I think because I'm an empath, dwelling in dark emotions for a story can be really difficult for me. Probably the angstiest scene I've ever written is the opening scene of Vindicated, and there's a reason that's only like 800 words 😂

🍏What is the easiest type?

Rom-com style fluff and smut! I'm such a sucker for all the classic sexual-tension builders: bantering, jealousy, flirting, a little sprinkle of comedy, pining, awkwardness. It makes me giggle and kick my feet while writing, and it puts me in a happy mood every time I'm writing it, which is probably why I'm addicted to it 😇

🍑Where do you do your writing? What platform? When?

Scrivener! I'm at a point now where I've learned enough of its functionality that I truly can't imagine ever going back. It's my fave. I also use Notion religiously for my whole life, and that includes fanfic, but I don't actually write in Notion unless I'm jotting down ideas on my phone or brain-dumping an idea that doesn't have a Scrivener doc yet.

🍋What is something you've been too nervous/ intimidated to write, but would love to write one day?

Domestic/Pregnant/Parent Jily. For the simple reason that I haven't experienced being pregnant/having kids yet and I feel like a fish out of water trying to write it because I don't know what I'm talking about 😂

🍇What made you choose your username?

I don't really remember the whole thought process anymore, but I love the musician/DJ Gryffin and was listening to some of his first album a lot in formulating ES, I am very much a Gryffindor, and also wanted something short, sweet, catchy that would be easy for people to remember and spell. And honestly I think missgryffin just popped into my head at some point after that!

I might be late to the game on this one, but tagging @petals2fish @apalapucian @blitheringmcgonagall if you're interested! 🫶

#missgryffin was tagged #this was fun!#on writing

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aspoonofsugar · 3 months

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hey! Good day :) here to ask a question!! I was wondering about your process for analysis, character analysis, theme analysis- do you just write or are there specific things you look for? I suppose I’m curious if you have an idea/general gist of what you’re doing or steps you take to do your breakdowns. I’m trying to do something similar out of interest and your works are simply fascinating to read. I look up to your writing a lot!

hello!! Can I ask how you started analysing shows, how you went about it? I’m learning literary analysis and trying to do the same for hunter x hunter but I find it infinitely harder to analyse shows. Especially since I most notably consider diction in literary analysis lol

Hi!

Thank you for your nice words anon(s) and yay! I love meta-asks <3<3<3

So, it depends on the meta. In general, I try to focus on a specific topic, which can be:

a character (arc + foiling between characters)

a theme

the use of a specific motif, when it comes to a character or a theme

These are my three favourite kinds of analyses, but there are other types, as well. For example, some people are really into plot theories/predictions. Others prefer to focus on characters from a psychological viewpoint. Some other writers like to use philosophical lens or to compare different works. It really depends on your preference.

My preference is mostly for thematic analyses. This means that my character metas too tend to use a thematic lens. So...

WHAT IS THE THEME?

In short, the theme of a story is both:

the topic the story is exploring

the moral of the story, aka a phrase which summarizes its message

Stories explores topics through characters and plot, while the way the conflict is solved tells us the moral.

Some examples:

RWBY's main topic is humanity in both its weakness and strength and its moral is that victory is in a simple soul

Madoka's main topic is wishes and its moral is that it is worth to want things and to fight for them, even if it is painful

HXH is strange structurally, but its main topic is self-search, with its moral being that a person should not focus on the goal, but enjoy the journey

All of these messages and ideas aren't just things stated in dialogues (even if someone saying the theme helps). They emerge from the story itself.

RWBY's main conflict is about a destroyed world (remnant) surviving the anger of an evil witch (Salem). If humans let hate divide them, they lose. If they unite, they win. The main thematic question is then... can humans make the right choice? And the answer is that they can, as long as they remain simple souls (Ruby, but also Pyrrha at Beacon, Blake in Managerie, Yang in Mistral, Weiss with her family, JNR when they tag along and Penny in Atlas). The main message is that several people making the right choice leads to change. And that is humanity. This is why the characters keep being asked to give up their idealism and to embrace a more utilitarian way of doing things. And this is why every time they refuse and stick to their idealism. The conflict itself keeps testing their resolution.

Madoka's power system works through wishes, so the girls' powers and their backstories are all defined by their wishes and by how they relate to them. Madoka doesn't know what she wants. Homura's wish turns into an obsession. Mami makes a wish too early and thinks only about herself. Kyouko and Sayaka make a wish for someone else and have opposite reactions to their wishes ending poorly. Finally, it is revealed the girls' wishes are literally the force that keeps the world at balance. So, the plot, character arcs, conflict and worldbuilding are all about wishes.

HXH is made up of several arcs and each arc has its own theme. That said, the overall structure conveys the main theme. Gon's objective is to find Ging, but he keeps taking detours and getting engulfed in unrelated conflicts. However, the moment he meets Ging he realizes it is not his father who defines him, but rather it is all the people he met in his journey and his own experiences. Basically, HXH's strange structure conveys the main theme.

So, the theme (both topic and moral) should emerge by the characters, the worldbuilding, the conflict and sometimes even by the structure itself. In order to find it, one should start with the topic and ask themselves "What does the story really talk about?". The answer to this question will let you understand the theme as topic. The second step is to see how the story explores it.

DIFFERENT POINTS OF VIEW ON THE TOPIC

There are different ways a story can explore a topic. Still, the best stories have different perspectives clash with each other. Very often these different points of view are embodied by different characters.

Here are some examples, with some linked metas that explore the respective stories more in depth.

Madoka (topic= wishes):

Homura is determined to fulfill her wish no matter what

Kyubey is her opposite, as they are unable to wish since they lack feelings. This is why they need to recruit girls into creating energy through wishes

Madoka is in the middle, as she wants to wish for something, but doesn't know what

Mami, Kyouko and Sayaka all explore negative effects linked to wishes, which are connected to other secondary themes. Specifically, Mami explores the consequences of an immature wish, while Sayaka and Kyouko explore the selfishness/selflessness inherent in wishes

The conflict is solved through Madoka learning about the price of wishes, but still choosing to make a wish and to sacrifice her whole self for it. This ending conveys a specific moral: despite the pain and sacrifice that comes with them, wishes are still beautiful and worth it all. If Madoka had chosen to give up being a magical girl and had ended up the series without making a wish, the moral would have been the opposite: that a normal life is better than grandiose and dangerous dreams.

Monster (topic = the value of life)

Tenma believes that all lives are equal, which is why he chooses to save Johan as a child, despite being ordered to operate a far more influential patient.

Eva and Nina believe that not all lives are equal. In particular, Eva thinks that social status and importance in society influence the value of one's life. Nina instead believes that people who commit crime should be punished and lose their lives.

Johan believes no-life has value, including his own. In his words, the only thing all humans are equal in is death.

Here, the moral is conveyed through the Tenma/Nina vs Johan's conflict. Tenma is tested in his beliefs, but ultimately does not abandon them and ends the story by saving Johan. Nina instead is asked to change her mind, as she ends the story embracing Tenma's point of view.

RWBY - The Atlas Arc (topic = trust)

Ozpin lacks trust, as he is unable to trust others, no matter how loyal or dedicated to his cause they are

Ruby wants to "trust safely". She wants others, like Ironwood, to prove themselves to her before disclosing the truth to them

Ironwood is initially on Ruby's same page, but he spirals and comes to embody the "enemy of trust" aka control. He doesn't trust others, but wants to control them.

Oscar embodies trust, as he wants to trust Ironwood since the beginning. Even later on, he keeps on trusting people like Hazel and Emerald who are his enemies.

Cinder embodies another "enemy of trust", aka manipulation. She doesn't need to trust others to work with them, as she can use their feelings and wishes against them.

Penny embodies faith, which is a more extreme form of trust. She sacrifices herself and leaves the maiden power to Winter. She has no proof Winter will be able to save Weiss, Jaune or the relic, but she entrusts the future to her.

All these characters struggle with trust and its dangers. Some, like Ozpin, Ironwood and Cinder decide that trusting is too dangerous. Others, like Ruby, Penny and Oscar realize that to trust is the only way to move forward. Moreover, they learn there is not way to trust safely. As a matter of fact the moral of the arc is that "trust is a risk" and risks mean that things can end up badly. Still, not to take risk means to give up hope.

Hazbin Hotel - You didn't know song (topic= knowledge)

This song explores the idea of knowlege. The characters are after all in the middle of a questioning, which leads to several secrets coming out. Moreover, throughout it all the characters either admit or realize how ignorant they all are. The way they deal with this lack of knowledge establishes different thematic stances.

Charlie and Emily are both naive and ignore the darkest sides of their loved ones. Charlie doesn't know Vaggie used to be an exorcist and Emily has no idea Sera ordered the exterminations. Still, their answer to ignorance is to keep on questioning. They have no idea why only certain souls are admitted in heaven. Still, they think it is important to investigate the phenomenon and use it as evidence that there might be hope for the spirits in hell.

Lute and Adam don't know why some spirits end up in hell and others in heaven. Still, they do not bother to question it. So, Adam is caught by surprise by Charlie's question and has to improvise an answer. Not only that, but even later on the duo insist that Angel not being in Heaven proves he is unholy. And that's it.

Sera does know about the extermination, as she knows the system is unfair. Still, she refuses to question it and forbids others to do the same. She is the only one whose sin isn't ignornace, but knowledge.

There is no a clear thematic resolution to the question posed by the song. This is because the series is not over yet. However, the scene sets up the theme and the way characters will deal with it in later seasons will give us the moral.

As you can see, not only whole stories (like Madoka, or Monster) have themes, but also arcs (RWBY) and even episodes or scenes (Hazbin Hotel). That said, the way to go at it is always the same. Pintpoint the main topic and start investigate how the characters or the worldbuilding deal with it. You are gonna get several stances. The one which emeges victorious is the moral.

Let's highlight that the moral is not always embodied by the protagonist. For example, in the Madoka and RWBY's examples, Madoka and Ruby are initially at a loss and come to learn the moral by the end of the story (for Madoka) and arc (for Ruby). Similarly, Tenma initially does believe the moral, but doubts it throughout the story, only to be reminded and helped by other characters (like Nina).

In any case, the way the protagonist and characters in general relate to the main theme and to secondary themes is key for their arcs.

CHARACTERS AND THEME

When it comes to theme a character can either:

Believe the moral since the beginning

Not believe the moral since the beginning

In the first case, the character either stops believing the moral by the end (negative arc) or keeps believing the moral until the end (positive arc). In the second case, the character either learns the moral (positive arc) or doesn't learn the moral (negative arc).

In short, the story keeps challenging the character on their beliefs and they must either stick to their point of view or change it, depending if they believe in the moral since the beginning or not.

Exhibit A:

Charlie's belief that sinners can be redeemed is right. Still, in the beginning nobody else agrees with her, so she is challenged by the world around her. Her objective is not to lose faith in the Hazbin Hotel and to inspire others to change their mind too. Throughout her journey, she is bound to grow too. She starts as sheltered and naive with a simplistic idea of what redemption is. By the end, she will gain a deeper understanding of redempion and will grow as a result.

Exhibit B:

Eren's journey is about realizing what freedom (the main topic) is about. The problem is that he fixates himself on the idea that freedom means no boundaries, either natural nor humans. This leads him to embrace destruction and nihilism and to lose himself. In the end, the character who realizes what freedom truly is is Mikasa. She doesn't discard her bond with Eren, but is still able to make independent choices and to live as herself. In short, Eren doesn't learn the moral, hence why he spirals instead of growing.

Charlie is a protagonist who knows the moral and will grow with it in a positive arc. Eren is a protagonist who doesn't know the moral and never learns it. This is why he has a tragic negative arc.

These are just two examples, but there can be different combinations. By interrogating yourself on how characters relate to a theme, you get better a better understanding of their role in the story and of their overall arcs.

Still, how to find themes in a story? Luckily, each text is full of hints that are there for us to interpret them.

MOTIFS

Motifs are repetitive details within a story, which are used to communicate themes.

Anything can be a motif: a line, a musical tune, a specific imagery, an object. By repeating them in key moments throughout a narrative, they become symbols, which means they can lead to bigger metaphors and convey specific meanings.

In the song More Than Anything, dream is one of the main topics. We realize it because the characters keep mentioning it. At the same time, light keeps popping up. Lucifer summons light and throws it away, Charlie rememebrs a light show Lucifer imrpovised for her. Lucifer and Charlie start the song in the shadow and they end it in the light. This means that "light" is a motif throughout the song and by seeing how it is used we better understand the theme and the relationship between the two characters. We understand that light is a metaphor for dreams. Lucifer gives up on it, Charlie is inspired by it and eventually Lucifer summons it back as he has decided to believe in Charlie's dream. By looking at the way light is used, we can see that Charlie teaches Lucifer the moral that it is worth it to fight for dreams and not to give up on them.

In the CAA of HXH, gungi is a motif that comments both the topic of humanity and Meruem and Komugi's relationship. Their matches become a metaphor of monstrosity vs humanity, as humanity slowly conquers Meruem to the point he himself chooses to live and die as a human, rather than the King of the Ants. Similarly, Kokoriko symbolically becomes Komugi and Meruem's child, in the sense they give birth to this move and evolve the game.

Sometimes, their meaning is unique to the story. For example, gungi is a motif that makes sense within HxH and can't be brought outside of the series, as it is not a real world game. It only exists in that universe. Some other times, a motif can tie to bigger sets of symbols. For example, light and shadow are universal symbols that bring with them several additional meanings:

Good and Evil

The Jungian persona shadow

In the Hazbin Hotel song the first dychotomy doesn't fit, while the second one does. Initially both Lucifer and Charlie hide things from each other (shadow), whereas by the end they show who they are (light).

In short, to analyze a story, you should find its key motifs. They are hints to better understand the theme and the characters. Different stories will use different motifs and tie them to different wider sets of symbols. To find the right ones can help a lot in better understanding a story, as a whole.

Some examples:

RWBY uses fairy tales and alchemy as its main motif, so these two sets of symbols are the most useful to analyze the series

HxH is a shonen and uses its powers and fights to convey character arcs and themes, so to analyze one's nen abilities helps a lot

Hazbin Hotel is a musical series that takes inspiration from religion and mythology. So, it is probable that the best understanding of it will come from analyzing its songs and from looking into its religion inspiration

Of course this doesn't mean you should only use one motif to analyze a story. For example, you can use RWBY's semblances to look into the characters, as well. And there are some fairy tale allusions in Hazbin too. In the end, it is about using what best helps you understand a story as a whole.

What is more, there are general sets of symbols that can be useful in most stories, such as jungian archetypes. Finally, you might want to start from other aspects of the story itself, rather than theme or characters or plot. For example, you might be drawn to the world-building and realize it is used in a special way to explore the theme. Or you might be curious about character designs and see that they have their own symbolism (for example, I believe RWBY ones do and probably Hazbin Hotel ones, as well).

SOME PRACTICAL ADVICE

I have linked in the title of each paragraph, but this last one an article by @septembercfawkes. Her posts are great to better understand narrative structure and I found them enlightening.

I think the best thing you can do is to start with focused metas. Choose a scene, a character, a motif that intrigues you and start exploring it. It is better to start small and to narrow your focus, it would be easier to organize your article.

I usually outline the contents of the meta before starting to write it. Still, it sometimes changes as I keep writing.

It can be useful to write at the beginning of your analysis what you are gonna do. It will help you remember what the point of the meta is. For example, in my RWBY allusion meta or HxH nen meta, I always start with the motif I am analyzing. I summarize the fairy tale (even if many people know it already) and I explain what the character's ability is about. It helps organizing the flow and the contents.

The more you analyze the better you become at it, so it is just a matter of starting :)

Thank you for the asks, I hope this was helpful and not too much confusing!

Have a nice day!

#writing #meta-asks #asksfullofsugar #anonymous #sweet anon

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