#these are the topics of this writing session

[koolades-world]

Can you do headcanons with all the characters of an MC that has scars on their body from maybe a car crash years ago and how they would react to seeing them? Can you also do an MC who’s really insecure about them and tries to hide them?

Please and thank you 🙏🙏🙏🙏

hello! sure thing :)

idk why this one got so long? slight angst warning for belphie's (lesson 16 reference) actually might write belphie's as a drabble! if y'all are interested in seeing the others as drabbles too, let me know!

enjoy <3

Mc who's insecure about scars from a car crash

Lucifer

he didn't think much of it, since he too prefers clothing that covers basically everything, even down to gloves however, the attention to detail came down to how you behaved and the way in which you vehemently avoided any situation in which you'd have to change into something you hadn't selected or needed to wear something more revealing

one late night, you ran into each other in the kitchen, and while he expected it to be beel, raiding the fridge again but he found you crying on the floor

of course, he asked what was wrong, and while at first you didn't say anything, he stayed by your side. when the tears had slowed down and you could speak again, you told him it was the anniversary of the devastating car crash and you confessed how much it took from you

that was the first time lucifer had ever hugged you, and for once, you felt at home in the devildom. for the years to come, he makes sure to spend that entire day with you to make you feel loved

Mammon

he's the first to see them and learn of their existence because of how quickly the two of you grow close. you had many movies nights together where you ended up asleep on his shoulder and he caught glances of the scars

he never asked, but he was forever curious. he wanted to wait for you to tell the story rather than intrude on your privacy, even if that meant he never learnt

eventually after you deliberated with yourself, during one of those movie nights, you turned to him and told him everything after mentally debating

you could tell you'd help satiate his curiosity, but of course he was very sweet about it. he starts coming home with things he knows will make you feel gorgeous and expects nothing in return

Levi

the two of you spend a lot of time gaming, reading, and watching anime together. your favorite characters are said to be a reflection of you, and he noticed that pattern after enough time

now, he wasn't quite sure what to do with that information, how he would even start to go about addressing that, or if it was just him and he was looking into it too much. maybe you just had a certain type you enjoyed, although part of him hoped it wasn't that, because that would mean your type wasn't him

nevertheless, he kept this information to himself and dwelled on it until one night, you brought that very topic up yourself. at first you hesitated, but once he told you to think of it as your "lore" you became more comfortable with the situation and told him

he wasn't quite sure what to say, but offered you comfort. you spent the rest of the night watching your favorite anime and from then on, you got to see this more gentle, loving side of him more often. maybe one day, he'd tell you about his "lore" in depth too

Satan

he felt like the entire situation was something right out of a romance novel, where the two main characters slowly grow closer like the two of you were, and the exchanging of backstory that inevitable happens at some point

but, he didn't expect yours to include something so devastating in nature and how it affected your life in the aftermath. he's amazed at the way you have been healing yourself over the followings years. he admires your strength, and he knows that the scars and accident don't define you

you spent most of your evenings together, either at an outing or just at home together. it was one of these evening sessions by the fireplace together in the living room where the two of you were cuddling, and he noticed them on your shoulders. of course he didn't mention it, but you noticed him looking

since there was nobody else around, you decided to tell him since you would've at some point eventually. he doesn't make a big deal out of it because you didn't, but he lets you know if you ever need someone to talk to, he would be there

Asmo

he noticed that your entire wardrobe, including sleepwear and formalwear was all long sleeve and basically covered you head to toe

to try and get closer to you, he took you shopping and still saw you only picked out things that fit into your current wardrobe despite seriously eyeing several other pieces of clothing that were short sleeved. you didn't get them, but he could tell you wanted them, so as a surprise, he bought all of the items for you and presented it as a gift

through your tears, you thanked him and decided to tell him why you didn't get them. he apologizes profusely, but you tell him it was alright and that one day, you'd wear them

once you're finally closer, you wear one of the short sleeved pajama sets to a sleepover with just him, and he can feel his heart swell with the amount of trust you'd put in his hands. expect to be pampered <333

Beel

while he's not the first to see them, he was the first to catch on to their existence. he's very good with reading your emotions and could easily tell when you were uncomfortable. every time, he saved you from the situation but he was afraid of how you might feel when he wasn't around

the two of you had just gotten done with a jog that ended in a park, where the two of you sat in the grass to relax before headed home. while there, your conversation got rather deep and you ended up discussing thing you never thought might slip out

the manner in which you told him was detached and while you mentioned it in passing, beel was insistent you go back to that topic. he held you close, despite the fact that you were both sweaty and gross, because the thing that mattered most to him was how you felt

of course he wouldn't pry, and he didn't, but he will guard your secret with his life now. anytime you need him or just want to talk, or need a hug, he's there unconditionally

Belphie

when you initially met, when he was imprisoned in the attic and you thought he was human like he claimed he was, whenever you'd chat he could tell there was something you were holding back

he asked upfront what the matter was, not realizing he'd strike such a nerve. you took it not how he expected you to and you stormed off, upset. he was concerned he'd jeopardized his plan but there wasn't anything he could do about it now

later that night you returned, you had cooled off and apologized, and told him why you had been so disturbed by his comment. you showed him the few on your upper back and neck, and told your story. he almost felt bad about what he'd done

when he held you aloft by your neck, that same part of him that felt guilty chimed in again and made him remembered the scars you'd shown him and the kinship you thought you shared together, when you thought he was a human. it was a shame not all of him felt sorry for you

[mymarifae]

sunday was such a good character...

i don't want to call him a villain i feel like that oversimplifies everything he did. he was all compassion and love, just born from a deep-set pessimism. he wanted to make the world a better place but just didn't believe it to be kind enough for any other path

the philosophy tackled here was interesting... he's not wrong. the astral express crew + firefly weren't wrong either. how do you, in good conscience, set people free when you know they'll just march into an early grave or lose themselves in otherwise miserable situations? like. the problem with the baby bird. what are you supposed to do in that case? when you have the power to preserve and nurture at the cost of certain autonomy (but under your preservation and nurturing would the bird even know what it was missing?), or do you relinquish all that to let it go just to Die? truly. honestly. which of these options is the inhumane one?

...idk.

i don't have an answer here either.

you could always argue that sunday was wrong because the lives of Humans require more nuance but, ? do they? why does one life have more value than the other? sunday's perspective was literally that all lives have the same value, and that's why he was willing to do what he did. because he believed All should be comfortable and happy. safe. preserved.

idk it was just really interesting. it's a good thinkpiece. there's no right or wrong answer. it's just something you have to chew on while you examine your own perspective of the world

[andr0nap-wf]

Yknow whats, imo, worse than being turned into a random monster and losing your sanity? Being turned into a weapon of war and being FORCED to kill for the same people you either worshipped or rejected. Like, no shade to the infestation ask, but i feel like a lot of the horror comes from the frames. And the fact that EVEN ALBRECHT cared so little about human life that he designed a frame specifically to protect an Operator is just...cruel. Did he learn nothing from the Cavia?

oh definitely. the tragedy of becoming a warframe could be a 200 page essay, esp with the likes of umbra (and chroma too actually)

i think what other ask meant more is the body horror aspect of it? where yeah the infested look more gruesome. at least the frames still maintain their humanoid form and look nice (which is horrifying in its own right)

listen as much as i love albrecht, hes an asshole. he does show some level of regret but that sure as hell doesnt stop him or his martyr complex (regarding himself and throwing other ppl under the bus for the "greater good")

youd think for a guy who apparently has the uncanny ability to predict events hed have the foresight to stop before things got worse

instead he poked god with a stick and when that didnt give him the desired results he switched to hitting it with a hammer.

the source of all our problems, truly...

[crescentfool]

recently, i’ve been thinking about what a 100% social link/confidant run is like from the perspective of the persona protagonists, rather than the player. i’ve always been a sucker for thinking about the type of narrative created by a person’s gameplay choices (it can be so fun and deep) so!! i wrote this analysis / musing.

some notes before we start: this was written with the lens of persona 3 being the most recent game i played- but the concepts are applicable to the p4/p5 protagonists as well! no spoilers for any of the games are mentioned; this is moreso a general discussion of ludonarrative dissonance with the game mechanics and narrative and how it makes for fun angst (ft. personal interpretation).

(more under the cut!)

the framework: game mechanics

in all of the games, the social link system’s existence coincides with the social stats mechanic. certain social links require a specific set of stats in order to initiate it, or surpass a certain rank. each game has around 20 of these- each of which represent the major arcana (+ some bonuses, e.g. aeon / jester / faith / councilor).

for any players going for a 100% social link run, this basically requires each social stat to be maxed out. anyone who’s followed a guide for a 100% run would know that the beginning of the game tends to be very “strict” with how time can be used, most of which involves getting the stats raised  as soon as possible.

outside of characterization and worldbuilding, completing social links are incentivized for a variety of gameplay reasons. so how could this completionist play style affect the protagonists?

prioritizing social stats over everything else: a general view

regardless of which protagonist you want to put under a petri dish, with a 100% run, you’re essentially asking the protagonist to form amicable bonds with 20 or so people, give or take. granted, not everyone becomes adjoined to the hip to the protagonist.

personally, i feel that forming 20 different bonds over the course of a year would be rather strenuous. during these 100% runs, the protagonists may feel that they’re spreading themselves thin trying to dedicate their resources to multiple different people as well as raising their “social stats.” i find the implications that this has on said bonds is so, utterly fascinating.

while this isn’t reflected in the game and would be better represented within a fic, i find it difficult to believe that this type of behavior doesn’t have any ramifications on the quality of the protagonist’s closer relationships (or their self-image, for that matter).

just… imagine calling one of your close friends but then they consistently give responses along the lines of “lmao sorry i’m busy doing other things,” and they rarely make the time of day for you. how would you feel? gameplay-wise, this deterioration of the relationship is best represented in persona 3 with social links reversing if you haven’t spent time with them in awhile.

part of my fascination with this concept is influenced by my own experiences. trying to maintain so many relationships can be difficult to keep up with and it quickly gets overwhelming (see dunbar’s number for more information). jumping between so many people also makes it difficult to focus on a few relationships meaningfully- meaning that relationships may be limited to being simple pleasantries. even then, ‘successfully’ keeping every relationship satisfying comes at the cost of being unable to pursue your own development and interests.

overall, i think that trying to do so many things ends up lowering the quality of the relationship(s) involved, especially when you also consider the fatigue from going to school as well as fighting shadows.

playing the therapist friend / listening role: a general view

another aspect of the 100% run that i think about is how the protagonists rarely open up to other people. a good chunk of SLs follow a storyline of the protagonist acting as a therapist friend/helping the other person through one central issue. some SLs are an exception to this and have a more casual “we’re just hanging out vibe.”

basically, SLs tend to be weighted toward the other character’s growth, moreso than the protagonist’s (which is handled by the main story). that said, the idea of mostly playing a listening role across most of your relationships and not having many that you feel comfortable to speak freely about your own stuff… feels really unbalanced and unhealthy?

i do think that part of the lack of “input” can be attributed to the silent-protagonist approach taken in the games (which is a whole ‘nother topic). but!! i find that each protagonist’s options, while limited, are fun to think about! some of the traits and interpretations i’ve seen for the differing protags, to name a few, include:

being afraid to open up / get attached and keeping people at arm’s distance as a result

needing to be around other people, even if it’s just listening them, to distract from their own struggles / pretend nothing’s wrong with them

enjoying helping others, being a good and careful listener who can provide an appropriate and helpful response

the willingness to prioritize others over themselves; a lack of self-preservation

compulsive people pleasing

at its worst, the lack of “protagonist talking” or equal reciprocation in response could be misinterpreted by the other person as disinterest (like they’re talking to a wall). alternatively- the lack of “personal tidbits” could be taken as, “you don’t trust me enough to be able to open up, huh.” and i just think that seeing this in a fic would be the biggest shitshow ever (and i would read that).

concluding thoughts:

overall, i feel that the protagonists taking a predominantly listening approach to several relationships at once can lead to compassion fatigue and general burnout. the protagonists are rarely at the receiving end of being listened to and/or having their issues worked through… and that’s kind of sad?

while the 100% social link run can provide great power to any persona fusions (and other cool battle abilities + hijinks)... i ultimately think that there’d be a lot of mental strain that would make achieving this much more difficult when you take a narrative-emphasized approach.

i do realize that it is possible to see the general vibe of this post as “100% social link is bad,” but like… there’s something i find really appealing about the messiness of attempting to manage so many relations at once- only to fall short in several of them and attempting to salvage the last bits of their sanity. when you think about the complications of the 100% SL run from the shoes of the protagonist… yeah!! that’s the good shit!

anyways! if anyone knows of any fics with this kinda vibe for the p3/4/5 protags… feel free to drop it in my askbox… i like them all VERY much :3c… and if this raised any food for thought- i’d be equally honored! let the protags go through shit i wanna see their emotions and coping mechanisms damn it! 👏

[hystixia]

We miss your fics doll💞💞💞

i miss them too </3 ill try to get something done soon but i fear this is another long hiatus that og followers have already gone through once

[thelaststarfalling]

get work done while at home on break (impossible challenge)

[inkovert]

SPILLED INK SATURDAY 》 Writeblr Discourse Series

Session 3: "Queerbaiting"

For more information on what Spilled Ink is go check out our first session post.

As always, to participate in the discussion, you can do so one of two ways:

➸ Return to the OG post (which will always be linked in the title of the post) and reblog with your take on the topic, either in text or in the tags

➸ If you see someone’s take on your feed and you want to chime in on something they said, feel free to reblog their response

If you choose to participate, please be respectful when providing your opinion or when responding to someone else’s. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, no matter how strong it is, but there’s a difference between being opinionated and being borderline rude and antagonizing. Racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia or hateful speech of any kind will not be condoned or tolerated.

What are your thoughts on authors "queerbaiting" their readers? Is it a valid criticism? 

Some guiding questions below the cut if you aren't quite sure where to start with this one. Topic and questions inspired by/drawn from this video.

How much of their private lives do creators owe if they profit off of queer content?

Who has the authority to tell queer stories?

How do we differentiate between protecting a marginalized community versus gatekeeping people from freely exploring their identities?

[airenyah]

i really do talk so much about a joongdunk vampire bl that even my phone knows:

[incandescent-creativity]

How is 15 pages a “general” guide to what you want essays to be. what the fuck.

[tardis--dreams]

The worst part is not that i procrastinated my term paper to the last minute. I always do that. The worst part is having to send my lecturer the topic proposal a week before the deadline which will undoubtedly be met with some extreme judgment of my time management and i am not in the mood for that

[boomingsmile]

who gave sharp the audacity to be so kind, loving, sweetest person. D:< no amount of words i can put up will ever be able to contain the vibe he has; i desperately need a drink with him and i dont even drink and he doesn't even exist!

[orcelito]

Wrowwwww

I actually managed to finish writing scene 2. It's not a massively long scene, but captures what I wanted to with it + sets up for scene 5 perfectly well

12k written for chapter 41. I'm nearing completion.

[thatone-churro]

i haven’t written in forever, it feels

because i can’t write like i want to.

my favorite poets - i could list names or blogs - weave such intricate creations.

their poetry feels like something special, but they use the same words available to me.

their poetry just… feels. i can’t describe how. and that proves my point.

it's one of my greater faults: i can only seem to write about what i experience. (though that’s never stopped my fiction.)

so how could i go on to write about sitting on the edge of the world, feeling time flow ever onward, watching everything move on and away from you, but sitting still nonetheless, because that spot and that stillness is all you know, and make it all sound like something more than my sleepless rambling?

but there is something i've been writing about, something that hasn’t happened, something i don’t want to happen. i blame good music and my overactive imagination.

but my stomach lurches whenever i write about it, and so i subconsciously hate her for what she hasn’t done, subconsciously hold her to a line she never crossed.

but every time i write about something that hasn’t happened yet, or something i'm scared of happening, it comes to fruition one way or another, so now i fear that my poetry is a vessel of Apollo’s amusement, to my own terror.

and i’ve let slip a “secret” of mine to her,

confessed that i can’t, that i won’t, do it,

but that makes it all more terrifying to imagine happening.

but it would be just my luck to have that happen to me.

so i don’t dare to pick up my pen most days. i'm too scared to ruin something that hasn’t even started yet. lest recounting and writing about a false event becomes more true than the countless dreams i've had about the two of us smiling and holding each other and writing poems together.

but all i can seem to write about lately is that false event, how my poetry isn’t enough, and sad things from the back of my mind that no one wants to read about.

people might enjoy my writing about it – might even praise me for it – if i had a pretty face and a cute voice.

but i have neither. and i have no idea how music actually works. and my voice is only good for shout-singing my favorite punk or rock songs (well, and even then…), not softly singing the sweet melodies of just about anything else, for that matter.

but i write them anyway, in incomplete verses. there's a whole folder in my notes app dedicated to them, just in case i ever get the chance to share them in that medium.

but i don’t share them now. no one follows a poet to hear them tell about the dark parts of their mind; they follow and read their writing to see what whimsical words they use to describe love or how they detail and cast a spotlight on the little, beautiful, bright parts of life.

and yet, here i am, writing over a page worth’s of words that still don’t feel like anything, just spitting out words no one followed me to hear, but once a poet, always a poet, and i know only how to express these feelings in words and shout them over the cliff to whoever might pass below and turn their head to listen, but mostly to the deaf ears who turn to their partners and whisper “ah, there she goes again, rambling and ranting and crying and shouting” because to scream to an empty audience feels different than to write sensations for a following that expects to feel something from my work.

- and behold, i write about i write about things no one wants to hear anyway

[bat-revival]

sigh.

[rogue-of-light]

oooo!! i love that name :0!!

Dawnshade/Dawnstar is so pretty sounding <333

for RC, i was thinkin' the leader's name is Minnowstar! (previously Minnowsplash!) ((the now dead deputy was named Puddlestep <3) -KPA

:D !!! Thank you !!!

I think she earned the name because she was the only surviving kit of her moms littler </3 and it was during the dawn so!

And ooo!!!! Very epic (:<<< rip puddlestep </3

[a-sleepy-ginger]

22/2/24

❆❅❆❅❆

Curry :)

Made a start on sociology assessment

Got lots of cuddles from cat