Tumgik
#this is like. only a fraction of my feelings i have so so many random thoughts on this but this is the big picture i guess
bogleech · 1 year
Note
Ok but I have seen you talk about this so many times, even referencing it in your old cartoons, so I gotta ask - when and how did you fall in love with neopets, like that?
Wait, is it that obscure now? I didn't know a single person from its inception to roughly 2010 who didn't have a neopets account. It was the single biggest gaming-esque name on the internet for years. Celebrities casually mentioned playing it, it got mainstream marketing tie-ins, it had plush toys people waited in line to buy up and a TCG made by the same company as Magic the Gathering. It's not that I especially "fell in love with neopets" like it's a niche thing but that there was a time it was almost outselling Pokemon, so it's just another huge cultural phenomenon that was a big part of everyone's lives during my teens to twenties, and hits my special interest in creature design since it has THOUSANDS (beyond the pets alone) ranging in quality from extremely creative to just plain heinous. I personally only got invested in it when they introduced the mutant pets, though, because it started out having almost like a "rule" against making any pets that were "ugly." They'd joke about it as a prank for instance, and originally only featured the mutants as part of a storyline they never intended players to actually adopt. They even had a fake alternate version of the site with fake "adoptions coming soon" and somehow didn't anticipate the userbase genuinely wanting the slime creatures.
Tumblr media
The Chia and Aisha were my favorites but mainly the chia because that kind of "scuzzy" creature was already my own design aesthetic, polar opposite of the site's established style and reminded me of if Jeff Goldblum got fused with a tardigrade instead of a fly:
Tumblr media
Is that just me? I feel like the tardigrade similarity jumps right out but I think it was an accident and they were possibly actually thinking of the rotting giant from Nausicaa:
Tumblr media
The fact that they intended its design to be unlovably ugly and were surprised anyone wanted it only made it more sympathetic. Eventually they made mutants available and I got fully invested into playing, at the time having to spend hours a day on their little flash games until I could afford a mutant after months of labor. But then a couple of years later they just abruptly decided they really didn't feel like having its design around anymore and "updated" it, which back then was automatic for all pets owned by all players with no going back:
Tumblr media
It had unfortunately been fairly common that they'd just completely, totally redo a pet like this with no warning and no user poll to make sure it's what anyone wanted. You just had to pray they never did it to your favorites.
All the other mutants in that earlier image would also get completely changed or never released at all. They still kept some of the other "gross" mutants and would make even grosser, so that wasn't even part of the reasoning. Just the random whims of mad gods I guess. I think what killed the game for a lot of people was actually when they did this to basically everyone at once, standardizing almost all the pet artwork so they could wear clothes in their new dressup system. It wasn't as drastic as replacing a sludge guy with some kind of hairy leaf guy but it did eliminate hundreds of technically unique designs from the site, and I found someone else's examples they put together so I thankfully don't have to do it myself:
Tumblr media
If anyone's not familiar enough with neopets or didn't figure that out from the last paragraph, the ones on the right are just recolors of the same exact art as all members of their species with added accessories (now wearable items) Players used to work hard to get pets they wanted based on their unique poses and personality, but you could only keep the original art for a small number of these. The customization feature kind of attracted a different new fandom, from what people say, but it never approached a fraction the site's peak, which is probably how the brand wound up getting sold to some NFT bros who aren't even involved in the site itself and supposedly never even spoken to its remaining staff outside some business emails? This is unrelated to the brief period it was bought by scientologists and the siterunners had to fight back against their propaganda leaking into it. I really didn't expect to turn this response into a mini article, I should really just make a thing on bogleech.com about it sometime. Some of my tumblr mutuals to this day are people I met through the neopets fandom and probably have equally lengthy memories/complaints.
535 notes · View notes
blackdollette · 1 year
Note
so i was wondering, what if reader is obsessed with charlie as he is with her, and she does all the weird things he did, like recording him without him knowing, then one day she'll see what he's doing in his room and he's seeing what she's doing in her room, and they're both like "what?!"
love this idea, thanks for requesting! <3
"think about you almost all the time." | charlie walker
meet me in the pale moonlight - lana del rey (my personal fave)
Tumblr media
gn!reader x charlie
contents: stalking, a little fluff
Tumblr media
you had only talked to charlie once in your whole life, and it was just a simple interaction at the beginning of freshman year but he always seemed so different from every other guy at woodsboro high school so you took it into your own hands to learn everything about him he was the president of cinema club, so you made sure to show up everytime you snuck pictures of him whenever he wasn't looking pictures of him smiling, laughing, and doing innocent little things that made your mind run wild it had become your cute little hobby you were obsessed with him. completely head over heels. so when he invited to over to his house for a movie marathon, you couldn't contain your excitement you picked out your nicest outfit before making your way to his house charlie greeted you at the door with a warm smile, and you wished that you could take of picture of him at that moment he ushered you inside, handing you a drink. your fingers touched for a fraction of a second, but that was all it took for a dumb little smile to spread across your face you notice him eyeing you throughout the movie. he was finally noticing you, and you didn't know how to feel about it you asked to go to the restroom, and he pointed the way one wrong turn led you into his bedroom. you wanted to turn around and pretend you didn't just trespass, but you were finally inside of charlies bedroom. this opened a new realm of opportunities. you look around his room, fascinated by everything in sight. something sticking out from under his pillow catches your eye you pull it out and discover that its a photo album with your name on the front you flip through it, discovering many pictures of you at random moments you reach into charlies pillow case, finding a pair of your underwear that you'd been looking for for month you hear a gasp at the door, causing you to jump. it was charlie, and he was red with embarassment
you just stared at eachother in silence before walking over to him and giving him a kiss on the cheek
you finally tell him how you feel and show him all the photos you have of him. he gets rlly flustered
you dont try to hide the surprise you feel when you find out that he has wanted you just as badly the whole time.
Tumblr media
author's note: thank you for the first request! this is a little messy, but i hope you enjoyed it. requests are open!
173 notes · View notes
obislittleone · 11 months
Text
Tw: suicidal thoughts (don't be alarmed I'm just venting)
I am so tired. I am so worn out. It doesn't matter what I say. It doesn't matter what I do. I have been financially and physically giving to Palestinians and Israelis who have been injured and were innocent victims through this war. The organization my family and I are working with has done so much to try and save lives. I have done all I can possibly do, but it's not enough. Those of you who drop in my dms or my asks to call me a 'genocidal colonizer' are so truly lost. I hope you all get help, because the amount of hate I've seen against not only myself but against literally every Jew I know is absolutely abominable. Don't say 'from the river from the sea' unless you know what it means, and if you say it, don't say it to a jew. You may hate Israel, and you may even think that all the people there deserve to die, but have you ever taken into consideration that the innocent Jews of either Israel or the rest of the world have nothing to do with their government or the mistreatment of Palestinians? Did you ever once think before you commented on a Jews post to 'wipe Israel off the face of the earth'? Chances are you did not. Chances are also that if you did, you probably just hate jews. Don't comment any bullshit on this post, I'll just remove it. I'm not here to fight anymore, I'm just here to say a few words, and give a perspective to those who think I'm some devil worshipping satanist just because I'm jewish.
These are the asks in my inbox on the daily:
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
Do you have any idea how this mentally affects a person? Do you even know how horrifying it is to know that so many people want you dead? I've had run ins with depression and suicidal attempts and thoughts my entire life, but never have I been this influenced by outer forces into thinking that I should be dead. Never once has anyone encouraged me to pull a trigger or off myself. Not until this has happened.
The comments and reblogs on posts about my best friend who lived in Israel, and her mother (who is arab, btw) that was killed in the October 7th attack are beyond wild. I can't even imagine how crazy it must be to live in the middle east as a jew. This is only a fraction of the hate that I experience in my day to day life, now.
The middle fingers I get from pissed off passersby at Walmart because I wear a star of david, or the slurs I get called because I told someone I had to leave an event early for Shabbat. It's all hatred, and it all sucks.
The violence, and the aggression that innocent jews are getting from random people who hate them. The little old man who stood on a street corner and held a sign in protest of Jewish hate that was killed today by a pro-hamas protestor. Its all too overwhelming. Why? Because even if you choose not to see it, or even if you condone it and think its 'not that bad', Jewish hate is getting dangerously close to what it was during the time of the holocaust. What's worse? It's being praised. Not just accepted, but encouraged. I posted on my instagram asking for prayers over my friend who's having to hide in a bomb shelter because of the war. The amount of comments saying 'just let her die' were astounding.
I have to ask you, where is your humanity? When jews can not only feel compassion but openly support Palestinians and try and give their services to save their innocent women and children from dying in the war, where is your compassion for innocent jews? Where is your willingness to feel an ounce of sadness for the loss of a life? Are you so hateful that you will condemn a teenage girl to die because of the violence her government commits? And if it happens, will you be so heartless that you will praise the notion that she is dead?
A common phrase used when I ask pro-hamas bloggers what their stance is on the beheading of children or the raping of women is, it usually comes out as: "well what do you think declonization looked like?"
I am always shocked. Every. Single. Time... why? Because I hope with every shred of naivete i have in me that people who have lost so much will understand the pain of those who are also losing so much. When you condemn one government for killing your children, and bringing a genocide upon Palestinians, why do you not also condemn the murdering of children and innocent Jews? Is it because 'that's not your team?' Is it because you want to win so badly that you don't care what the cost is? Do you think that turning into the thing that killed your people will make you a hero? The only thing I can possibly think of that would make a person respond that way is bloodlust. When you condemn an entire nation (including the innocent people) of killing your own, then turn around and do the same thing to their innocents, do you think you've proved something?
Whenever I address these things I'm usually met with the same stuff about how I'm a Jew so I'm biased and I don't get to have an opinion... but I don't think it's fair to say that to someone who's literally living with the repercussions that your hate is causing. Don't tell me to be quiet if you're spreading nazi rhetoric about jews and telling people to kill us.
Again, don't bring any bullshit on here. It will be deleted, and you will be blocked. I've spoken my piece. If anyone is interested in learning more about the organization I work with and donating to help Palestinian and Israeli families getting caught in the crossfire, please drop me a message, I'd be glad to give you more information.
105 notes · View notes
honey-milk-depresso · 2 years
Note
Alright so I really like your writing and I was wondering if I could request smt ?? Can I request some fluff With Malleus , Floyd and Azul from Twisted Wonderland with a (S/O) who is more on the chubby side and gets easily flustered about it .
Hey, so I've been really busy with schoolwork recently and so I'm not around on Tumblr so often anymore. Sorry for any troubles!
**TW: Mentions of the chest- cuz- titty soft and warm let's be real (not explicit), A bit of insecurity (but trust me your loved, by me also <3)
TWST Chubby s/o who gets easily flustered about it
Azul Ashengrotto
He has the same experience when he was younger: he was a chubby octopus when he was much younger, Azul was a lot shyer about it. Maybe because he was insecure? He can't remember, but he does feel some sympathy towards you.
Azul adores you, and he thinks you're just, well, cute. Body type doesn't really matter to him, so long as he knows you're taking care of your health is already the best.
Your darling octopus loves to just bury his face into your stomach or chest, and just sigh in satisfaction. You just provide him a warm and soft comfort after a long day, and the security and love he needs.
He hides his amusement whenever he does this, you're blushing and stuttering never cease to be endearing to him.
If you're ever insecure about being chubby, he's always there for you, and he feels disheartened to hear you feel such about your body when he feels you're beautiful, adorable and just... perfect.
"My dear pearl... I love you for who you are, and you're perfect the way you are." <3
Floyd Leech
For Floyd, he feels like he's hit jackpot. Aren't you the most adorable shrimpy there is~
Floyd loves your body; it's soft to lay his head on and you're his personal warm cuddly shrimp he wants to affectionately hug all the time when he's tired, in a bad mood or just out of randomness because he loves that feeling.
Personally for Floyd, he loves that you're chubby. It makes you adorable to him and he loves that you're very easy to fluster whenever he lies on your chest.
He loves squishing and pinching your cheeks lightly since they're just so soft. Sometimes he lightly pinches your stomach from behind to surprise you and no matter how many times you whine about it, he'll do it anyways (unless you really don't like it).
Floyd doesn't get it whenever you feel insecure about your body. Not that he's indifferent, but to him, he thought that your chubbiness should be something you're proud of. He loves it, so why don't you?
"Shrimpy, I think you're alright, so don't be so sulky about it. You're the cutest shrimpy no matter what hehe~" <3 and he cuddles you more-
Malleus Draconia
He finds you rather charming, a loveable child of man. Like Azul, Malleus doesn't care what type of body you have. So long as you're taking care of yourself, he's happy.
Besides, he finds your chubbiness adorable. Malleus, like the two other Octavinelle boys mentioned, likes to lay his head on your chest. All for the same reason: titty warm and soft because he feels secure and peaceful this way.
The dragon fae smiles fondly whenever he surprises you by randomly lying on your chest, his horns in a way encages your neck closer to him. He finds it endearing when you blush. It makes you even more cute than you already are~
He doesn't understand when you feel insecure about your body. He frowns with a pout after hearing about how you feel that people judge you for it, or that you wish you were thinner. Malleus already loves you for who you are, and he doesn't care what you look like. You're his source of happiness and he could never imagine life without you.
Besides, he thinks your chubbiness is the highlight about you. He loves it. Seriously.
"Child of man, your appearance is only a mere fraction of what truly makes you beautiful. Lilia told me before that true beauty lies in the heart, and I've come to understand it when I met you. Your "chubbiness" is something I love about you, don't you know? Regardless, you're the most beautiful person in the land, Child of man." <3
Reblogs help! ^^
641 notes · View notes
chenfordspiral · 22 days
Text
First Sentence Game
Rules: share the first lines of ten of your most recent fanfics and tag ten people. If you have written less than ten, don’t be shy and share anyway.
Thank you for the tag, @yourenotdonefighting & @queseraone!!
1.treacherous For twelve years, Tim Bradford had now proudly worn the navy blue uniform of the LAPD and served his city. Eight of those he had spent training new rookies so they could become the best cops they could be before they hit the streets on their own after the 13 months of field training. Some of them had excelled and become superb officers, others had failed within the first week. He never knew how a rookie year would go, and that was part of the fun for him because there was never a dull moment. It’s why he loved his job so much. 
2. it's brighter now (i only see daylight) The first time they had slept together, Lucy had a stronger than anticipated emotional reaction to it. Even with the initial awkwardness of figuring out how to actually have sex, she’d had to fight tears of relief of finally having him that way. Months, years worth of fantasies and hopes and longings had led them there, and it was so worth it but equally as overwhelming to finally feel him inside of her.
So, she’s no stranger to strong reactions during sex. But she still hadn’t expected she’d react similarly when they had their second first time.
3. in sweetness It all starts on a random Wednesday night in October when Lucy is 24 weeks pregnant.
He’s used to her… let’s say interesting snack requests by now, but he’s not prepared for the insanity that starts that night. And that’s saying something because so far, her cravings have included peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with potato chips mixed in, and chocolate cake with pickles and ketchup, among other things. She’s had in-the-middle-of-the-night snacks before, but they have only happened sporadically here and there. So when she requests mushrooms again one night, he doesn’t think much of it at first.
4. I move through the world with the heartbroken (my longings stay unspoken) The first time Tim spoke to Lucy again after the parking lot was six days later. Somehow, they had managed to avoid each other until today, and he wasn’t sure if he should love or hate it. But he couldn’t dwell on that too much right now, not when he knew she’d just come back from an intense standoff with a suspect that left said suspect dead and her with a bullet in the vest. Again. 
And even though he wanted, hell, needed to keep his distance from her because he didn’t deserve to be in her presence anymore, he couldn’t stop himself from checking in with her anyway. Because he would always care and worry about her and love her with everything he had. It’s why he walked away in the first place.
5. cause I know that it's delicate “You know you’re the biggest idiot I’ve ever met, right?”
Tim turned his head when he heard Angela’s voice beside him as she slid into the booth next to him.
“What?”
“You’re an idiot!”
“Thanks.”
“She was happiest with you, you know?”
6. two hearts that beat as one (our lives have just begun) It wasn’t Tim and Lucy’s first New Years together, but it was the first since their wedding in July, and to celebrate the special occasion they had decided to invite their friends over to their place to ring in the new year together. They’d celebrated with Tamara, and Genny and her boys the year before, but this year seemed like the perfect time to summon all their friends over to Casa Bradford.
They’d been hustling and bustling around all day in preparation for the party. They’d cleaned and tidied up, which, to be fair, only took like a fraction of a second because this was Tim’s house after all, and then spent countless hours in the kitchen, working side by side and in perfect tandem to get dinner ready.
7 'tis the first of many seasons It’s a few days after Thanksgiving and Lucy has fully embraced the holiday spirit. It’s her first real Christmas with Tim, and since they’d agreed to go away over the holidays two weeks ago, she’d been downright giddy with excitement. Because it is not only their first holiday season they’ll actually be spending together, but it will also be the first time they’ll be going away together.
But while Lucy’s a ball of excitement as she flies into Tim’s house, armed with boxes full of Christmas decor, he’s not as happy. Not yet at least.
8. warm with you, safe with you, in love with you He notices something is off the second he wakes up next to her.
She takes longer than usual to properly wake up and turn toward him to snuggle, something that’s become somewhat of a tradition when they can spare a few minutes before getting ready for work. She’s always been a bit grumpy in the morning, so that’s not necessarily concerning. What he doesn’t expect, however, is the clammy feel of her skin when he presses his lips to her temple, or the way her voice sounds hoarse and rough when she whispers a good morning greeting into his chest.
9. Little bit of Love (ch. 41) Before they know it, Evie is a week old. Thanks to sleep deprivation and just sheer and utter exhaustion, the week has flown by and simultaneously felt like two months had passed — time has already lost all meaning. They had their one week checkup at the doctor the day before, who had declared Evie to be a perfectly healthy little newborn.
10. Little bit of Lust (ch. 4) She feels the tug on her hair about halfway through the third episode of the night, and it takes Tim apologizing for her to realize what he’s doing. And if that wasn’t enough to make her heart burst, his reasoning behind it takes her breath away. Because as much as she knows that it’s a when and not an if, hearing him so easily talk about their future children with such certainty, knowing that it was still on his mind even hours later… she’s never loved him more. 
tagging: @sisterofficerlucychen, @thisnightissparkling089, @roguetwelve, @makeitastrength, @imperiumwife, @cfr749, @girlintotv, @mamadoc, @thesassywitchofthenortheast, @romantashas
20 notes · View notes
nerdylilpeebee · 1 month
Text
Not gonna lie, a little disappointed in @tracingpapier. Turning off reblogs so I couldn't even respond to her is a bit of a petty move. This is a long ass response, so I'm gonna use bullets to respond to each point.
Tumblr media
If you have me blocked, tracinpapier must be a side-blog or something cuz I can see your blog just fine, reblog your posts, and mention you.
I actually am worried about someone being scammed. GoFundMe's on Tumblr have nearly all been scams since they first started appearing. GoFundMe's based around Gaza are all phrased the same way, often have the same images and are usually vetted by one single person. But all of them completely lack evidence they're legit in any capacity. I don't want scammers taking advantage of people's compassion to get a little richer. If this wasn't my motivation, I'd just leave y'all to keep donating. XD
(The next screenshot requires reading the one above and the below as it involves that screenshotted post)
Tumblr media
How is that deligitimizing what they experienced? If it's not a genocide, it's not a fucking genocide. Correctly labeling something is only "deligimizing" if you think it needs to be wrongly labeled as a worse thing to be legitimate. A very Oppression Olympics way of thinking.
The UN has Iran on it's human rights council, has uncritically backed Hamas' lies to the point they've had to roll back their estimations on how many have died in the conflict due to Hamas doing so themselves, the ICJ, a UN court, fell asleep listening to Israel's defense in the South Africa case, and an UN judge stated he was going to go to Israel to gather evidence and instead didn't go to Israel and called for arrest warrants against israeli leaders. This is all to say, I really don't give a fuck if a random UN Reporter (or "Rapporteur") said something. This is an appeal to authority fallacy using a very biased authority. And for that matter, it was was so cut an dry, and the UN had evidence of genocide, why didn't the ICJ convict Israel of genocide? Sounds to me like this is more an opinion piece than an actual piece of evidence.
The next screenshot and half of the following is the rest of the excerpt she provided. Feel free to read if you want.
Tumblr media Tumblr media
If you can't verify the GoFundMe's are legitimate, and I know for a fact you've 100% been on Tumblr long enough to know that most GoFundMe's on here are scams, sharing them uncritically is irresponsible.
Your best option is 100% to ignore it. GoFundMe themselves say that they cannot send money to Gaza, as it is not listed among their supported countries. And quite frankly, it is far FAR more likely to be a scam than a legit cry for help from a group you think is facing genocide and, given you hold pro-pal beliefs, famine. This means you also likely buy into the idea they have no electricity, water or shelter. Tell me, how does that equal "is capable of live-blogging to social media"? Hell, if this is legit, why would they ask for tens of thousands of dollars instead of the actual amount they'd need to evacuate (which is a LOT smaller than that)?
Tumblr media
Hey, you can post what you want. I wasn't telling you to delete it. If you want to spread a likely scam because there's tiniest fraction of a chance a Gazan is actually asking for help, and being greedy as fuck while they do so, them by all means, spread it. As you say, it's your blog. I was just giving the info that GoFundMe does not operate in the middle east, so that way anyone who uses their brain and looks through the notes of your post can realize they're most likely looking at a scam. Just as you have the right to post whatever you want, I have the right to give information proving something you posted is unlikely to be legit.
My tag isn't a general discourse tag, it's a general filter tag. One I've used for years and see no reason to stop using for potentially triggering content simply because it's a bit more serious than the usual stuff I use it for. And I disagree about this being a genocide. That should already be obvious since you called me a "Zionist" and you people think basically means "Nazi who gets off to the idea of dead kids."
Yes you are, and I never said you were the person to argue with about this. I wasn't trying to argue, I was giving information to anyone who sees the post. Unlike you, apparently, I care about avoiding giving money to monsters who take advantage of people's compassion.
As I said before, I can see your blog, mention you and reblog from you. I had no way of knowing I had been blocked by you, especially since I've followed you for years and you've not once even TRIED telling me you weren't comfortable with that despite all the times I've faced and reblogged your art. So don't pretend I'm doing something wrong here. I had no way of knowing you did not want me interacting with your blog.
Let me make this last part clear so you can't complain about it later:
I will only respond to you. I will not seek your blog to send you asks or to stalk any posts you might be making behind my back. This conversation ends when you stop responding.
If you don't want to have this conversation, then go ahead and ignore this post. :P
I love your art, and your choice of ship. I have nothing against you personally, even if you might have something against me for not agreeing with your point of view. Have a good day/night, or whatever time it is for you if you choose to ignore this.
Tumblr media
28 notes · View notes
slugdragoon · 3 months
Text
RPG Role Analysis Series #15 - Mother 2/Earthbound
Mother 1 analysis here
Tumblr media
Ness - Ness' stats are a little bit different than Ninten, opting instead of perfectly balanced stat growth to give him the stats of a secondary damage-dealer role as the character with the best Offense next to Poo, but also the best ability to get critical (SMAAASH!!) hits. That's actually the same as Ninten, but Ninten got it by default by having a base stat total so much higher than Ana and Lloyd that "balanced" was really strong. Ness also has a higher base stat total, but the gap is closer here and Ness's stats actually have an emphasis on critical physical hits, and if anything, is a bit slow compared to Ana and Poo, so it feels like more of a choice here.
However, when looking at Ness's PSI ability list, he's also a flavour of support PSI user, much like Ninten. Ness has HP-healing moves, both more of them and faster than Poo, but gets status-healing abilities later and can't guarantee revival of party members to full health (but has a 75% change to do it to half-health). Ness can also do single target shields. His signature offensive ability is a multi-target, no-element wave of PSI that might decrease enemies' resistance to PSI attacks. Ness is the only character to be able to put enemies to sleep or paralyze them, or use PK Flash which does a random detrimental effect (status and instant death among them). This is a major change from Ninten who gets no offensive PSI at all (but who could still hit really hard). I think Ness, even more than Ninten is an all-rounder. He really can do everything just a bit worse than the best. Maybe a little more luck-based, too, given his gamble on revival, gamble on PK Flash, gamble on criticals instead of consistent high damage like Poo. Effects like PK Flash, Hocus Pocus (Dragon Quest), and Metronome (Pokemon) always make me think of a wild mage, but Ness is deep into healing too. A wild cleric maybe?
Paula - So I realized my memory was faulty, because although Ness, Paula and Jeff are very clearly modeled after Ninten, Ana, and Lloyd, Paula isn't much like Ana mechanically at all. Paula has the same emphasis on being the party's PSI whiz kid with the highest IQ, like Ana, but notably uses it entirely for combat. She's fast too, but isn't using her Speed to go first as a healer and stabilize the party. Paula uses Fire, Freeze, and Thunder to attack her enemies, and she's kind of a glass canon with miserable defensive stats. She can also drain PSI from enemies, buff your Offense and Decrease enemies' Defense, all of which are pretty aggressive abilities. The support skill she does get is a PSI nullifying or reflecting shield, depending on the rank, like any good dueling wizard. No status effects though, which always makes me think more battlemage than black mage. The exception to her lack of healing and her inability to deal status effects are the random results of her Pray ability, which really can't be described in any other way than a wild magic effect that covers many scenarios, a small fraction of the time, randomly.
Jeff - Jeff get the exclusive ability to Spy, which give you information on the enemies' Offense and Defense, a PSI weakness, and any items they might drop, which allows you to take them after battle. I wouldn't say the looting ability suggests thief at all for Jeff, as you can't take the item and run, and I think that distinction makes the difference, but the other side of Spy is much like Goombario or Goombella from the Paper Mario series. In terms of using items to attack, Jeff is a lot like Lloyd from the first game, but with a larger set of items. Unlike Lloid, some of them have no chance to break after use, so become his defacto attacks, and he's less about inventory management, despite still using Bottle rockets. Jeff's tools also can drain HP and debuff and remove shield from everyone, including the party. That last one, plus the inherent HP-splitting effect of draining moved makes Jeff a character than levels the playing field, in theory. Reset buffs when they get out of hand, and in terms of HP, take from the rich to give to the poor. OK, so maybe he is a thief of a different kind, but I would overall call Jeff a tactical scholar/scout type who can read enemy weaknesses and choose the best moment to strike with, often limited use items, but in the meantime keeps the party from getting in a bad tactical position.
Poo - You would think Poo, a martial artist, would be a lot like the remaining character from Mother 1, Teddy who was a huge physical damage dealer, and Poo can hit the hardest of anyone in Earthbound, but he can also use PSI this time. Poo is the best at fixing status effects and reviving party members, though a bit slower at learning HP-healing abilities than Ness, and he gets multi-target PSI Shield while Ness can only apply it one party member at a time. The difference between the usefulness of this is even greater in a game with 4 party members instead of 3. Poo can also confuse enemies, guarantee fleeing from battle, and drain PP, and attack with PSI, but his damage output won't be as good as Paula's until he gets PK Starstorm. Poo has the Mirror ability to copy a move from an enemy for one turn. Honestly I don't think that one is very notable, but it's like a magical counter ability, fitting for a martial artist. I feel like it's common to see monks get status-healing in JRPGs, like Chakra in Final Fantasy, and everything else about Poo's design says monk, plus they sometimes get confusion as a physical ability like dazzling them with your fast strikes, and Poo is the fastest. However, mass-party shielding and full revival is so strong that he has strong protection cleric energy as well.
17 notes · View notes
huntingrays · 3 months
Note
For the Spotify ask thing:
27
If you have done it already sorry 😭🫶
27 - illicit affairs by Taylor Swift
so i think like originally it was going to like an actual affair but like neither of them would ever be cheaters so i just made this like a forbidden romance instead! the ending is a little rushed but eh. also ignore my random fantasy world building, i can’t stop rambling whenever i start. this took a lot longer than i expected bc writing for vg week but i finished those so we’re so back bby 😎
next fic may take a while to bc my thoughts went crazy with it…. but yeah this is just sad
Original Post
“Don't call me "kid," don't call me "baby"
Look at this idiotic fool that you made me
You taught me a secret language I can't speak with anyone else”
“You’re going out into the woods again? Seriously? If I didn’t know any better, I would say you’re secretly dating a nymph.”
Leo winked at Piper. “Please. You know I only have love in my heart for my inventions and Festus.”
A look of mock hurt appeared on Piper’s face. “And not even for me? You’re so cruel, Valdez.”
Piper was Leo’s best friend at The Academy. Though he had other friends, like Percy, Calypso, and Annabeth, Piper was his best friend. She and Festus, his dragon, were the only things keeping him sane at the school. The Academy was grueling but it was the best school for fae. Though Leo was intelligent, he doubted he would’ve gotten in if he hadn’t been an elemental. A long time ago, there were a bunch of fae who were blessed by the gods, giving them the power to summon one of the elements. They were called the elementals. The gift could be passed down to their descendants, but it was rare. The Academy sought out any elemental fae to teach since it was a valuable gift. Leo could summon fire. He only knew of one other elemental fae, which was Percy, who could summon water. Fae were powerful magic users, but elementals were even more powerful.
Leo had no desire to be a fighter like many of the others in his class. Instead, he just wanted to be an inventor and dragon rider. Leo had already bonded with a dragon - Festus - so he was already solid on that goal. With how much time he spent on his studies and his forest escapades, he didn’t have much time to spend inventing. Most of his inventions were made out of spite whenever he was slightly inconvenienced. He would feel upset over something minor, like how long it took to preen his wings and would make a whole invention just to make his life easier (and the lives of his friends, as long as they paid him in food or favors to use his inventions - though Piper got a best friend free pass).
Leo had been at The Academy for years, ever since his fire powers developed when he was eight years old. Most other fae joined when they reached their teen years when the board could properly evaluate the power of the ones who applied and would choose the best of their applicants. Only elementals, like Leo and Percy, got in early, so The Academy could hone their powers better. Percy was very talented and strong; he was one of the top in their classes (only beaten by Annabeth). Leo wasn’t as gifted in the strengths or power department but made up for it in intelligence. With all his years at The Academy, he should have thought of it as a second home. Despite his years there, the place wasn’t even close to home. The professors were too strict, the environment too stifling, and the halls too cold. To Leo, his home was his mother and his friends. Most kids were able to visit home during the weekends, but Leo could only return home when their classes wrapped up for the year since he lived far away. It took a day's travel on his dragon to reach home. So, Leo could only see his mother for a fraction of the year. He sent as many letters as he could, but he still missed her dearly.
Around the end of Leo’s first year were when his forest escapades began. At first, it was just something pure and innocent, just Leo wanting a friend. As time went on, however, it became something more, something intimate. Now that he reached eighteen, he was certain he met his soulmate, met the love of his life.
Normally, fae would be able to tell when they met their soulmate - he remembered witnessing what happened with Percy and Annabeth, then their years of ignoring their bond - but it didn’t work if their other half wasn’t fae. Leo was sure there were other ways to check if his secret lover was his soulmate, but he didn’t care to check. He simply knew that he was the one for him, that he was the only one he’d love.
None of his friends knew about his lover. He knew they likely wouldn’t care, but they would worry about him. He knew how this would end but he refused to accept it. He knew his heart would be broken in the end, yet he still held out hope. He didn’t want their pity.
Different species had different opinions on relationships. With fae, they tended to accept queer relationships. With their magic and soulmate bonds, they tended to have no objections, especially with physical proof of love. Also, they couldn’t even object to them not being able to have kids. Thanks to fae magic, things like the same reproductive organs, infertility, or risky childbirth could be worked around. Leo couldn’t exactly explain how it worked since it differed due to many different solutions.
However, the fae weren’t entirely accepting. Though they may accept or merely tolerate queer relationships (it differs from person to person), interspecies relationships tend to be frowned upon. A lot of it was due to not being able to have kids (unless the partner was human) and no obvious proof of a soulmate bond. Interspecies relationships weren’t illegal, but those in them were often frowned upon and shunned.
Since Leo was in a relationship with a man who wasn’t fae, he was sure his peers would be scandalized if they found out, especially since he was an elemental. It wasn’t law, but elementals were encouraged to have kids so they could pass the gift on. They were strongly encouraged to have kids with other elementals since it would almost guarantee having a kid with the elemental gift. Leo was sure that if Percy and Annabeth weren’t soulmates then he’d be encouraged to get into a relationship with him. Leo felt lucky that none of the other elementals at The Academy were around his age. He didn’t want to deal with that.
Though Leo knew his friends weren’t bigots, he just couldn’t gather the courage to tell them. None of them knew, not even Piper.
He kept his secret and he intended to do so until he miraculously got the courage to fess up.
“Why should I have love in my heart for you? You stole my stash of sweets and ate half of them,” Leo responded to Piper.
“But I apologized for it!” Piper insisted with a whine. “And I even replaced the ones I ate.”
“Nothing could ever be as good as my mom’s sweets.”
“Also I convinced her to send you more!”
“She would have done it anyway because she loves me.”
“Ugh, you’re impossible. I hate you.”
Leo laughed. He strolled over to Piper and kissed her cheek. “Love you too, Pipes!” With that, he rushed over to the door and left the dormitory to the sound of Piper’s protests and complaints. He grinned as he pulled the hood over his cloak over his head.
The walk to their meeting spot was long. The path was confusing but Leo was sure he could do it with his eyes closed due to how many times he walked the path.
He discovered the secret spot when he went out walking after exams, drained and wanting a quiet escape. He’d been exploring a cave behind a waterfall when he slipped in the dark and tumbled down a path that had been nearly impossible to see in the dark. From there, he wandered until he was in a hidden grove. Leo wasn’t much of a nature enthusiast, but even he couldn’t deny the beauty of it.
Leo only had a few minutes to look around, admiring the flowers that grew so beautifully, unlike anything he’d ever seen, the glittering pond that was as clear as the sky, the trees that contained species he’d never seen before, and so much more. Leo concluded that it was enchanted, so someone could only enter through the path, invisible to everyone except those who knew about it and those like Leo, who stumbled into it unknowingly. It must’ve been hidden for years judging by how pristine and magical it seemed, with types of fauna that even Leo, a fae, couldn’t identify (though that wasn’t saying too much since Leo’s knowledge of plants wasn’t the best).
Leo would have loved to sit there all day, but his admiration for the place was cut off by a low growl. He spun around, his thoughts screeching to a halt when he saw the wolf behind him. He’d been expecting a wolf the moment he heard the growl, but he hadn’t been expecting a pup. The wolf had a beautiful mix of white and silver fur with clear, blue eyes. Leo didn’t know how to translate wolf years to human years, but he didn’t think the pup was much older than he was.
Leo should’ve been scared. He stumbled into a place that was unknown to him and now was faced with a wolf growling at him.
Leo wasn’t scared. However, he was a reckless idiot. Leo couldn’t help but find the wolf… cute. It was cute and highly amusing to Leo’s worn-out brain. He started laughing.
The wolf abruptly stopped growling, caught off guard by the fae laughing at him. Leo couldn’t stop giggling now that he started. “Aww, is the puppy mad at me?”
The wolf, angered by his taunt, started barking at him. Leo kept laughing and mentally concluded that the wolf must’ve been a werewolf, judging by how he seemed to understand Leo. “You aren’t intimidating at all, puppy. Your barks are too cute.”
The wolf growled in warning before lunging at Leo. Leo easily dodged the attack. Leo must’ve had a death wish because he kept taunting the wolf. “Is your bark worse than your bite? With a bark like that, I’m dying to see how pitiful your bite is.”
They kept up their little squabble for a few minutes, with the wolf trying to attack Leo and with Leo dodging seamlessly and taunting the poor guy. Eventually, the wolf got tired and fed with Leo. He waited until the right moment to strike, when Leo took a step back and stumbled over a tree root. Before he could right himself, the wolf lunged at him but transformed back into his human form mid-attack. In a matter of seconds, Leo was lying on his back in a strange grove, pinned to the ground by a very pissed-off boy who had a firm grip on his wrists.
Leo was right with his age estimate. The boy looked to be the same age as him, with short, blond hair, sky-blue eyes, and a small scar on his lip. He looked pissed enough to kill Leo, but Leo wasn’t scared. He hummed as he evaluated the boy. “You were cuter as a puppy.”
The boy’s grip on his wrists tightened. “Shut up! I could kill you if I wanted,” he growled out. Leo was being threatened but he couldn’t help but find the boy cute. He was trying so hard to be scary, but it wasn’t working on Leo in the slightest.
“Uh-huh, sure you could, puppy,” he shot back.
The boy glowered at him. Leo continued to grin at him.
“What are you doing here?” The boy asked. “You don’t belong. You shouldn’t be here.”
“Would you believe me if I said I wanted to see your cute face?” Leo asked. The boy was silent, continuing to glare at Leo. “I just stumbled upon it, okay? I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to enter any private, magic, wolf property.”
The boy suddenly halted, confusion dawning on his features. He tilted his head as he puzzled out his words, which made him look even cuter than he already had. “What? But that’s impossible. Unless…”
Suddenly, the boy leaned down, sniffing at his neck. Leo couldn’t even make a snarky comment about it because the boy suddenly jerked back, his eyes wide. He suddenly moved off of Leo, stumbling a few feet away in his haste to get away from him. Leo sat up, frowning in confusion. He didn’t get the whole scent thing with werewolves, but he felt a little hurt that the boy disliked his scent so much.
The boy looked furious. He looked even angrier than he had earlier. He was so angry that his body was shaking with it, face red.
“Go. Now.”
Leo quickly rose to his feet, confused and finally a little scared. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to intrude on your space. I promise I won’t-”
“Go!”
The boy looked away from Leo. He walked away to a tree stump and sat on it, sitting with his anger as he ignored Leo. Leo wasn’t sure what he did. Did he smell that bad? He made sure he bathed regularly. Did he just naturally smell awful but only to werewolves? He wasn’t sure but he didn’t want to upset the boy anymore. Teasing him had been fun but this was something else, something different. He seemed genuinely pissed off.
Leo paused before taking off one of the thread bracelets he was wearing. One of Leo’s friends, Annabeth, had taught him how to make magical bracelets to help him destress before finals. Finals in general were stressful, but it was even more so for Leo since he was so much younger and behind his classmates. The bracelet-making had helped him destress a bit. Of the bracelets he made, only two were decent. One was a red one that he was still wearing and the other was a light blue one that he’d taken off.
Leo gently placed the bracelet on the ground, near the boy. “I’m sorry, really. Here, you can take this gift if you want.”
The boy’s shoulders tensed. Leo didn’t want to get into a genuine fight, so he fled, leaving as quickly as he could.
Later that week, he heard rumors around The Academy about a werewolf pup that had been spotted lurking around the grounds. The students didn’t seem to think it was a threat, it was just a pup that ran off whenever anyone got too close, but it was strange. Werewolves lived nearby - there was even a huge wolf pack located within their town - but they tended to stay away from the school.
Leo would bet money that the pup was the one he met earlier that week.
Leo waited until the evening, when the grounds were nearly empty, to sneak out of the dorm and wander off into the woods right off the grounds. He wandered around, hoping to find the werewolf pup and not wind up torn apart.
Leo found the werewolf within a minute of wandering around the woods. He paused, staring at the wolf pup, who stared back at him. The wolf walked over to Leo and grabbed the hem of his cloak, tugging on it.
Leo quirked an eyebrow up at the wolf. “Do you want me to follow you? Or do you just want to eat my cloak?”
The wolf growled and continued to pull on his cloak.
“Okay, okay, I’ll follow you! You know, you could shift back and talk to me.”
The wolf ignored him and let go of his cloak. He walked off and looked over, waiting for Leo to follow him. Leo sighed and followed the wolf.
The wolf led him to the secret grove. Once they were there, the werewolf finally shifted back into his human form.
The boy fixed him with a firm stare.
“You smell weird,” the boy told him.
“Is that why you suddenly got upset with me?” Leo asked.
The boy blushed and looked away, fiddling with something on his wrist. Leo realized it was the bracelet he’d given him. He felt happiness fill his chest.
“More or less.”
“And… why did you drag me back here?”
The boy shifted on his feet. Leo could tell he was nervous and unsure of himself, that he was wondering if he wanted to do what he was about to do.
“I was thinking… we should become friends.”
That hadn’t been what Leo had been expecting.
“Really? You want to be friends with me, puppy?”
The boy scowled but quickly cleared up his face, appearing calm.
“Yes, even if you are annoying. This place… it thinks you’re worthy, so you must be an alright person.”
Leo looked around the place. “It’s very beautiful. What is this place?”
The boy seemed to calm down. He looked around the place, a small smile on his face. Leo thought he looked the best when he was smiling. “It belongs to my family. It’s been in our pack for generations. The future pack alpha is decided based on whoever this place grants access to. My family have been the pack leaders for three generations.”
“So does that mean I can become pack alpha?” Leo asked with a teasing grin.
The boy rolled his eyes. “Obviously not. You’re a fae, not a werewolf.”
“Then why am I allowed in here?”
The boy suddenly looked nervous. His cheeks flushed as he looked away. “It’s… complicated. Let’s just say it thinks you could be… a trusted companion of mine.”
“Does my new puppy companion have a name?”
The boy didn’t look upset or done with his teasing for the first time. Instead, a glint came to his eyes and he smiled at Leo.
“Jason Grace. And does the little fairy have a name?”
Leo barked out a laugh. He thought they would become good friends. “Leo Valdez. You better not forget it, puppy.”
And he didn’t. Their friendship slowly grew after that day. They would meet once a week every week Leo attended school until they were fourteen, which caused them to meet up much more often, practically every other day. Their friendship had been innocent at first, though Jason had a habit of giving Leo gifts. After they became friends on that fateful day, Jason had given him a crescent moon necklace, his face bright red as he put it on Leo. Leo wore it constantly. He rarely ever took it off, it was his prized possession. There came a point where the bracelet Leo had given Jason had worn down and would also no longer fit on his wrist. Leo offered to make him a new one, but Jason refused. Instead, he just attached it to his belt. Leo felt touched that he still kept the silly, little thing.
That wasn’t the only thing. Jason not only kept giving him random gifts, mainly food but also kept scenting him. Leo didn’t get the whole scent thing with werewolves but he let Jason do it anyway since it made him happy. He wondered why Jason would do something so risky. He thought it might cause complications if one of his pack smelled the scent of the future pack alpha on some fae student. However, Jason had assured him it would be okay, so he never brought it up. Besides, he didn’t know anything about werewolf customs and traditions anyway. Scenting could be a thing friends do.
Their friendship went from when they were eight to fourteen. At that point, Leo had feelings for Jason and couldn’t keep being just friends with the boy. So, he gathered up his courage and confessed to his friend.
After his confession, Jason just looked puzzled, tilting his head to the side. “I would hope you have feelings for me. It would be awkward to be courting someone who didn’t even like me.”
That was when they realized there had been some misunderstandings due to differing customs. Apparently, when Leo had given him the gift of the bracelet, without specifying what kind of gift it was, it was a signal that it was a courting gift, that it was a message that he was open to courting. Then, Jason gave Leo the necklace, which he not only accepted but wore every day. So, Jason had been courting him from that point forward. Leo asked why he wasn’t courting Jason if he gave Jason a gift, to which Jason rolled his eyes and told him that it was because fae don’t court others, courting was a werewolf thing.
Jason figured Leo must’ve known he was courting him since fae were supposed to be smart and Jason was doing everything you’d find in a basic courting guidebook. He made it as obvious as possible.
That confused Leo, though. “But why would you want to court me? I was such a little shit to you back then.”
That was when Jason got flustered and explained what true mates were. Apparently, according to the laws of their secret meeting place, the only people who could access the place were the pack alpha, the future pack alpha, and the true mates of the pack alpha and future pack alpha. He said that werewolves could tell who their true mate was because of their scent. Leo didn’t understand the whole scent thing, but Jason just said that the scent of their true mate ‘smelled right.’ He said that it was a scent that was most pleasant to them, that it somehow conveyed that they were the one.
When they first met, Jason was so upset because he found out the mean fae who bullied him was his true mate and thought the world was out to get him. He was determined to ignore it but, after being around his pack witnessing Hazel, a new addition to their pack, and Frank realizing they were true mates, he decided to give it a second shot. He figured he could court Leo and see if they would work well together. They had, and the two had been courting ever since.
“So, how do we get together after courting?” Leo asked.
Jason grinned and moved closer to Leo. He moved a hand to Leo’s neck, touching it gently. “Well, full werewolves have a mating ritual but we can’t do that since you’re not a werewolf. But… you can kiss me. You kiss me and I bite you, making you my mate.”
The two of them should have thought of the ramifications of a fae smelling like a werewolf and sporting a mating bite, but they didn’t. Instead, they were two dumb teenagers who were in love. Leo had kissed him and Jason had given him the bite.
Ever since that day, Leo wore shirts with a high enough collar to hide the bite, which wasn’t hard considering it was on the junction between his neck and shoulder. The two had been happily together since then.
Leo was brought out of the memories and into the present as he walked into the hidden grove. Jason was already waiting there and he beamed as he saw him. “Hey, puppy!” He bound toward Jason but frowned when he saw the expression on the other boy. He looked stressed and in mourning. “Hey, what’s wrong?”
Jason looked up at Leo, his expression faltering. He stood up, pulling Leo into his arms. Leo paused, his hands slowly coming up to rub his back. “Puppy?” Even after all the years, his teasing nickname for Jason stayed and became affectionate.
Jason nuzzled Leo's neck before pulling away. He looked pained like he was about to do something he didn’t want to. Leo felt his stomach doing nervous flips. “Jace?”
“We need to talk,” Jason murmured, sounding more serious than Leo had ever heard before.
“What’s going on?” Leo wanted to make a joke but his brain wouldn’t work. He couldn’t think beyond his racing thoughts, wondering what happened to Jason. Was he okay? Was he hurt? Did something happen to his pack?
“One of the members of my pack found out about us,” Jason explained.
Leo felt his stomach drop. He knew they weren’t subtle, but he never thought this day would come. “Seriously?”
Jason nodded, expression growing grimmer. “Yes. He brought it up in a meeting. It caused a huge argument in our pack. I told them you were my true mate but they didn’t care. They… decided what to do going forward. They said… that we aren’t allowed to be together. I’m supposed to lead the pack and create future generations. They wouldn’t accept an outsider as my right hand. They wouldn’t accept… half-breed children. They’re going to set me up with a werewolf girl from another pack. One of the members of my pack is going to meet you next week to magically snap our mating bond. The bite will end up healing, but not fully.”
None of this made sense. Going into their relationship, they both knew this was a possible ending, that it was the most likely ending, but he never thought it would come. He felt like he was dreaming and this was a nightmare. He wanted to wake up to a reality where this wasn’t happening.
“Are you serious?” Leo asked, his voice trembling. It was useless to ask such a stupid question. He knew the answer. Jason would never lie to him.
Jason nodded. “I’m serious. I tried everything I could but with no luck. My dad was having none of it. He’s still the pack alpha, so I have to listen to him.”
Tears burned in Leo’s eyes. He furiously blinked them away, not wanting to show Jason how much this hurt him, but some tears managed to slip out and roll down his cheeks. Jason noticed and carefully wiped the tears away.
“Why do we have to listen to those stupid, stuck in their ways werewolves? Why can’t they accept us?” Leo asked, his voice cracking.
Jason pulled him into another hug, holding him close. Leo let himself cry into Jason’s shoulder.
“I don’t know. If I knew how to change their minds, I would. I'm sorry. I didn’t want us to end like this.”
“Do we have to?” Leo asked, his voice small.
He heard Jason inhale sharply. “I think so. The pack will be watching me closely until my new mate arrives. After she comes and the ceremony is done… well, it won’t be pleasant to… be with anyone else, romantically or sexually. Also, she’ll be able to know my emotions and some of my thoughts from our bond. I know my pack. They will choose someone who will be loyal to them. I don’t think we’ll be able to slip one past them.”
“Well, can’t we just… run away? Can’t we leave all this behind us? We’re adults now. We could leave and go live on our own,” Leo suggested.
He heard a heavy sigh. Jason pulled away from the hug, looking sadly at Leo. “As much as I love you, I can’t do that. My pack… I love them so much. They’re not just my family, they’re so much more. Even if their views are backwards, they’re still my pack. I can’t leave them.”
“You can’t or you won’t?” Leo asked, getting angry. “You would do it if you truly loved me.”
Jason’s expression turned stern and Leo realized he might have crossed a line. “I can’t. You want me to leave behind everything I know and everyone I love. Would you leave behind all your friends and family if I asked you to? Leave your friends without any way to contact them since you’re now a traitor? Leave your mom abandoned and alone?”
Leo hadn’t considered it like that. He hadn’t thought about Jason, about all his friends and family he would be leaving behind. If he left a traitor, he wouldn’t be able to contact any of them. Leo wouldn’t be able to do that. He thought he might be able to do it if it was just his friends he left behind, but not his mom. Leo could never abandon his mom, never leave her behind. He loved her more than anything. He shook his head. “No. I’m sorry.” His hands clutched Jason’s shirt. “I don’t want to say goodbye. I… can’t lose you.”
Jason gave Leo a sad smile. “I know. I feel the same way. I wish we could be together. I wish it didn’t have to be like this. You’re… one of the best things that ever happened to me. I’ll never, ever forget you. Not even the gods could make me forget my love for you. I… don’t know how I’ll get over the loss of losing my other half, of losing my better half. I love you, Leo Valdez. I always have and I always will.”
Leo felt completely hopeless. This was it. Their relationship was ending. This wasn’t a nightmare he could wake up from or an illusion he could snap out of. He would never be able to see Jason after this. He would be losing not only his soulmate but his best friend as well. It felt wrong that the world wasn’t ending when it felt like Leo’s world was crashing around him. He didn’t know how to go back to his normal life after this. Leo signed up for this life and this inevitable pain, but it was so much worse now that he was finally feeling it. He cursed the gods and every being he could think of. He cursed their lives. He cursed their forbidden love. He cursed Jason for making Leo love him. He cursed himself for making Jason go through this pain.
Leo leaned in, kissing Jason even as tears streamed down his face. It was a sorrowful kiss, filled with their sadness and mixed with the salty taste of tears. Despite never wanting it to end, Leo slowly pulled away. Jason was crying now. Leo hadn’t ever seen Jason cry before.
“I love you. I love you so much. I wish we could be together. Maybe… someday in the future. I don’t think I’ll be able to love anyone else. Maybe… we’ll be able to be together, whether it’s in the future, our next life, or another universe. I’ll wait. I’ll wait as long as I have to. There is no world in which I wouldn’t love you. I love you, Jason Grace. I always will.”
Leo took a few moments to admire Jason. This would be the last time he would ever see him. He took in all of him, all the features he grew to love. He was still so handsome, even when crying. It wasn’t only his looks but all of him, all of Jason. Whatever werewolf they chose for Jason would be lucky to have him.
With what little strength he had left, he kissed Jason’s cheek before turning and leaving. He didn’t let himself look back. He knew if he did, he wouldn’t ever be able to leave. He hesitated for a moment at the entrance of the grove before leaving. Jason didn’t call after him. Leo didn’t stop or look back.
As Leo walked back to The Academy, tears streamed down his face. He didn’t know how he’d explain away his red eyes to his friends. He figured he’d finally tell them the truth.
The only comfort he had was that they would have a chance to be together in another life, in another universe.
What he didn’t know was that the two of them were doomed in every life, in every universe.
15 notes · View notes
buckera · 9 months
Text
Wip Word Search 🔍
rules: use this generator to generate three random words (or however many you'd like to do) and share the lines where they show up in your WIPs
my words: affect, great, opposed
1. affect from the mudslide fic ☔️
He watched as Eddie got up from the couch, carefully depositing Christopher’s legs from his lap before turning back to him and planting a soft kiss onto the top of his soft curls. He was getting too old for these kinds of affections when awake and — as much as he couldn’t wait to see Christopher become his own, independent person — Buck desperately wanted to halt time. It wasn’t a fair thing to think; Chris wasn’t exactly his kid to begin with and regardless of what Eddie’s will said would happen after his death, Buck's place in their lives wasn’t set in stone, so he savored every tiny moment he could. Somewhere along the last handful of years, Eddie and Christopher became Family, with a capital F. Buck loved Chris like he was his own and his feelings for Eddie were clear as day — only if not for the man himself. It was better that way, Buck reasoned. He probably wouldn’t let Buck hang around all the time, if he’d have known. Eddie probably didn’t think of them that way anyway. Buck ran his fingers through the curly hair tickling his cheek and pulled the kid’s small frame just a fraction closer, relishing in the moment of stillness.
2. great from the jealous eddie fic 🧇
“So uh t-tell me about yourself, you know, hobbies, pets, family, whatever.” “That’s pretty broad.” Jason chuckled and Buck felt his cheeks heat up immediately. Wow, he really hasn’t been on a proper date in such a long time that apparently he lost the ability to make conversation. Great. “Sorry I—” “Relax, Buck. It’s alright.” His shoulders sagged a little at that. “I guess cycling is a hobby, right? I’m not allowed pets at my place and uh… Two sisters, parents live in Nevada.” “Uh great, that- that’s great! I have a sister too, my parents live in Pennsylvania though.” Jason assessed his face for a long moment before he leaned back in his chair with a small sigh. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but you seem much more nervous than before. Is everything alright?” “Uh yeah— yeah, I’m fine, just…” Buck sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. “Eddie, my uh my partner at the 118, he’s been acting kinda weird about us going out. I just… I don’t know, I guess I got a little into my head about it.” A disapproving frown tugged at the patch of skin between Jason’s eyebrows for a moment, before it disappeared with a sigh. “So he’s one of those guys then.” Buck knew what he meant instantly; the type of guys who were just too macho not to feel threatened by even the mere mention of two men dating. Of course, it couldn’t have been further from the truth —  and Buck was quick to make that clear. “N-no, not at all! He’s a good guy, great actually. He’s my best friend.”
3. opposed from the breeding kink fic 🛏️
“You might be right,” he breathed, leaning over Buck and slipping his hands under his thighs for more leverage, “maybe we should just stay here like this forever.” Eddie’s eyes fluttered shut for a moment when he bottomed out again. It wasn’t a plausible or in any way realistic idea, really, but Eddie found that he still wasn’t opposed to the fantasy of it. Especially not when Buck’s warmth enveloped him so perfectly, while he got to watch his chest rise and fall quicker and quicker, listen to his quiet whines and grunts as Eddie sped up his movements until he hit a steady rhythm and smell as fresh sweat broke through the lingering scent of their shared body wash; tea tree and mint. His hair was still damp from their shower and that was one thing they didn’t share; the shampoo — and god, Eddie was grateful that it never became something that he’d lose on the account of getting used to smelling it on himself, so now he could let the fruity and fresh scent of green apple, and something that uniquely belonged to Buck wash over his senses.
tags under the cut 💛
I was tagged by @hippolotamus @theotherbuckley @daffi-990 @jamespearce9-1-1 @fortheloveofbuddie and @wikiangela thank youuu 💛
✨no pressure tagging: @malewifediaz @spagheddiediaz @jeeyuns @eddiebabygirldiaz @nmcggg @thewolvesof1998 @ladydorian05
36 notes · View notes
imminent-danger-came · 6 months
Note
tbh you are so real for talking about the misogyny targeted to mei & other women in the lmk fandom. in general its like people only value mei as: a: the wingman to some basic mlm ship or b: macaque 2.0. its honestly crazy how so many male side characters overshadow her in the fanbase despite not even having a FRACTION of her screen time. idk chat i feel like the reason people dont care about mei but care about some random male side/background character is less because they're inherently more likeable but because some of you view women as inherently less likable. and everyone is always like "mei is so girlboss pussy cunt slay shes the only reason theyre still alive because she keeps them safe from their silly boy shennanigans shes their ultimate wingman shes so badass shes their lesbian best friend i totally paid attention to her when i watched this show LOL" and even ignoring the obvious misogyny here (ie. how people reduce her to being the male characters babysitter) its like... okay... i know mei is cool & badass already... could you name literally ANY other character trait she has. like people just value her as being "the braincell" who can get red son and mk together or something stupid and its like are we having fun still is this still fun. literally every day i go into the mei tag its like "look at mei shes red sons wifey and shes vaguely in the background of this drawing of red son and mk staring into each others eyes #trafficlighttrio am i right oh look shes macaques niece now this post is about ao lie why is it in the mei tag"
and thats literally JUST talking about mei and it doesnt even begin to cover the other female characters. chang'e constantly gets reduced to being red sons aunt/mom/big sister despite them like. not having any actual interactions in the show. lady bone demon constantly gets overshadowed by her minion who has like 2 seconds of screen time, or she gets made into a cartoonishly abusive madwoman who people call lady bitch demon. just in general people act like shes a horrible person for like. being a villain. liks yeah the trying to destroy everything was bad but also she was an antagonist and thats what antagonists do LOL. spider queen gets completely ignored. princess iron fan gets made into a cartoonishly abusive mother so that way red son can have a poor angsty backstory and some male character (usually nezha, macaque, swk) can take care of him.
(also theres just a great deal of ethnocentrism in the lmk fanbase? like im white so take what İ say here with a grain of salt but so many people will misconstrue aspects of chinese culture for their own personal hcs. people will say male characters are transfem or nonbinary while completely ignoring the time period/culture their from where thats the norm. like yippee youve implied that an east asian man is feminine/emasculine because he has long hair. how do you not see the negative connotations with this. people also turn pif (& lbd to an extent) into a dragon lady which obviously has negative racial connotations lol.)
anyway this is where my unhinged rambling ends have a good day have a good night İ had more to say here but İ reached the text limit. İ dont see a lot of people talk about the misogyny thats prevalent in the lmk fanbase so İm glad youre pointing it out lol.
Yeah, I totally hear you. The lmk fandom has plenty of issues with misogyny and, like you said, ethnocentrism. It's definitely something worth having a discussion about, along with these issues in fandom as a whole.
16 notes · View notes
ladyzirkonia · 1 year
Note
hi !! I hope you're well 💚
sorry if this is random but I need to scream this somewhere and i'm curious to hear what others have to say abt this aa
I gave myself the hope that the reason why Bo-Katan didn't seem to give too much of a reaction while she watched Din get captured was because she was holding herself back so Moff wouldn't know that she cares deeply abt Din and use that against her by hurt Din 😭
idk if I'm just delusional (I'm a sw fan so yes) or something waaah what are your thoughts abt this?
Su cuy'gar* my friend.
That's totally not a random question! In fact I was a little bit disappointed when I saw Bo-Katan's reaction as Din got captured. I found her reaction to Paz to be much stronger, but she also knew that he was certain to die. You could see her struggle because she probably vowed never to leave a Mandalorian behind again.
So I rewatched the whole scene for you, paying special attention to Bo-Katan's reaction. Unfortunately, she wears a helmet, which is why the analysis is of course a little more difficult like in the scenes where she's talking with Din without her helmet.
Din gets caught from Gideon's man, he tries to defend himself with the flame thrower and get's tied up. Right after you see first Paz and then Bo-Katan fire against the barrier.
Then she takes a step closer to the barrier, seems to pause for a fraction of a second. At that moment she is still lit by the light from Din's flamethrower. She hits the glass with the gun in her hand. A split second later, the screen wents dark. The perspective changes and we see Din fighting his opponents from her point of view. Then she hits the barrier again with her hand.
Tumblr media Tumblr media
One must always remember that Bo-Katan is an incredibly experienced and skilled warrior. She has seen many people get hurt or die. It wouldn't suit her to panic or scream. But despite the helmet, you can tell that she is shocked for a split second. Viewers are only shown her and Grogu's reaction to Din's capture because those are the ones that count. She hits the barrier twice and later several times again when she is no longer in focus of camera, but you can see it when you look very closely. This reaction that is irrational and in due of desperation because she can't do anything about it. I think it's dramaturgically wonderful done that Bo is first lit up and shortly afterwards her ''face'' gets dark. Maybe also an indication how she's feeling in the inside.
After Gideon appeared, she initially stands there relatively rigidly, but during the course of Gideon's speech you notice that her posture is super tense, which culminates in her slightly desperate exclamation ''No!'' after Gideon sends off the Tie Fighters and Bombers. Din is taken away and Bo says in an almost slightly trembling and angry voice:
Tumblr media
She responds to her likely rising panic with a threat. A relatively clear coping mechanism. She then threatens Gideon in a calmer and firmer voice to destroy him once and for all. And I'm pretty sure she will do.
Tumblr media
I have to admit, I was a bit disappointed with her reaction when I first saw it. But I had to remind myself that she's not a silly schoolgirl. And after looking this scenes again I'm sure that she cares pretty much! You just have to look carefully. I love how subtle the whole season is over and over again and what an incredible talent Katee Sackhoff shows in bringing us closer to Bo's feelings.
And finally, I wanna show you of how Bo-Katan reacted in the second episode when she realized that Din Djarin was in danger:
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
And now just imagine what her face must have looked like when Din was captured after what they went through together.
Screenshots are mine. GIF's from @itberice, thank you!
This is the way!
*Su cuy'gar (Mando'a) = Hello (lit. you are still alive)
109 notes · View notes
osaemu · 8 months
Note
share the dm ?!
lmao ok
heyy [NAME], just wanted to let u know about something that's been going around for the past couple months. idk if anyone's told you directly and/or seriously yet, but this korean/asian fetish of yours is actually getting out of hand—honestly, its making the rest of us pretty uncomfortable.
liking kpop/kdramas/whatever isn't a problem, but when it becomes your whole personality and when you start to objectify an entire race/culture/language as a result (intentional or not, that's still what's happening), that's when people start to get the ick. i've had an insane amount of ppl come to me personally and talk about how your obvious fixation on asians makes them uncomfortable, and it's getting to a point where it's just rubbing everyone the wrong way.
i could list off any number of events, but one of the many instances of this was when, in ur english period, five different people told me that u apparently said something about "involuntarily speaking korean when you get upset". first of all, your korean is objectively incorrect a pretty big fraction of the time (as i've heard from three of my korean-speaking friends) and second of all, it's just so weird for u to "talk" or write in korean on your stories, in real life, etc. and finally, i know damn well you do not "involuntarily speak in korean", girl. and if you do, that's embarrassing. obviously, i'm not gatekeeping a whole language, but the fact of the matter is that it's just disrespectful. 
and also, your latest insta posts were apparently tagged with tags like #asian #bts etc., and believe me when i tell you that a lot of people whose spam accounts i follow posted about how weird it was. you're not asian, [NAME]—stop trying to be. you're already the laughingstock of many asian friend groups, and i would heavily advise you to tone it down before you embarrass yourself any more. 
there's a reason asians are wary of koreaboos and ppl who want to act like asians—because it's just so weird. imagine if some random korean girl started posting in armenian, making her whole personality armenian music, thirsting over armenian guys, etc. that'd probably make you pretty uncomfortable, in the same way the rest of us feel. 
anyways, i'm sure this wasn't an easy read, but obviously i'm the only one who's willing to let you know about this instead of complaining about it behind your back. you have a right to know, and hopefully you take this seriously and don't make excuses.
thanks,
the entire asian population of [SCHOOL NAME] 🤍
20 notes · View notes
tauforged · 2 years
Text
let's talk about the way we talk about sigma
and i’m not just saying this because i’m a hater or because i find the woobification of characters annoying (although i am, and i do, but that’s neither here nor there) but i AM saying it cuz it’s no longer mildly annoying so much as it is just hurtful and exhausting due to the casual ableism it perpetuates. whether it’s consciously or not, it’s there and i’m pointing it out cuz a lot of people probably don’t even realize what they’re saying (i hope) so i wanna spell it out crystal clear.
*granted, these are sentiments i’ve seen far more often on twitter or tiktok than on here (and i know complaining about stupid takes on either site is like going to the beach and getting mad about all the sand, but bear with me) but it’s ABSOLUTELY something that i see a lot on here too and i'm starting to get incredibly fed up with it all. someone's gotta fuckin say it.
im going to put the majority of this under a readmore because i've got a lot to say on the topic but here's the long and short of it:
you guys have GOT to stop acting like sigma is a poor little helpless confused manipulated innocent little uwu baby. like, for real. stop saying that shit. stop lamenting about “waahhh poor science granpa doesn’t know where he is or what’s happening around himmm 🥺🥺🥺”. stop acting like he’s being held captive or abused by talon despite evidence to the contrary so you can make your little “uwu i can’t wait for overwatch to save him and Fix Him uwuwuw” posts. and for the love of all that’s holy, if i see one more person say or imply that he was better off when he was being forcibly institutionalized than he is now working for talon, i’m going to start fucking attacking people with my teeth like a chimpanzee.
it's incredibly fucking weird and alienating for literally anyone who experiences even a fraction of the things yall are pointing out as proof of his incompetence. and before any of you hit me with the "oh it's not that deep 🙄" im gonna tell you right now that i dont care and im going to be mad about it anyway cuz its my party and i can post whatever i want.
ANYWAY!!
to continue my point, not only is it weird and infantilizing and demeaning and belittling to those of us who deal with literally any of the myriad of things going on with him that i’ve seen people point to as proof that he ‘needs to be fixed’ — memory lapses, time loss, dissociation, auditory hallucinations, disordered thought, just straight up being autistic, hyperfocus and/or complete lack of focus, panic attacks or meltdowns, i cannot overstate how many of the ‘weird’ things he does are just autistic traits so i’m gonna say it a second time for good measure — and those are all just things that i personally have in common with him (which is part of the reason i’m as mad about this as i am to make this post, but i digress).
to single out these things, all of which are completely reasonable for someone who is autistic, who is traumatized, who suffered through a prolonged period of forced confinement, and/or who has literal brain damage, and NONE of which are nearly as tragic and doomed as people are making them out to be, that’s all bad enough on its own!
but to point out these traits and then turn around and use them to color every single interaction he has with another character, every single thing he says, and tie it back to his traaaagic broken mind and how he’s clearly losing his grip on reality just feels… insanely othering in a way that’s really exhausting.
like, for fucks sake, a solid 80% of his character interactions could be lifted near verbatim from conversations i’ve had in real life with my friends, family, coworkers, you name it, all of which were friendly and usually in jest — hell, 9/10 times when i let out a random non sequitur or lose my train of thought or forget what i’m doing, nobody even bats a fucking eye! they sure as hell don't accuse whoever i’m talking to of abusing me because they expressed mild annoyance at my bad joke.
i’ve genuinely seen someone get all worked up and construe his one interaction with sombra where he comments on her tendency to disappear and reappear in odd places as evidence that he’s got dementia and is slipping away from reality altogether… and not, yknow, a nod to her fucking cloaking ability and translocator and the fact that she uses both very frequently just for the hell of it. that one still fucking baffles me i'm sorry. if i hadn't seen it with my own eyes i'd honestly think it was a joke. like. cmon now
another thing that makes it even worse is that most of this is also just…. not even grounded in canon. if this was the way blizz was writing him, it’d be one thing. it would still be shitty and ableist, but blizzard handling their oooh spooky scary mentally ill character badly is about as surprising as the sun rising every morning. i can't say i wouldn't still be upset to see people continuing to perpetuate it, but i wouldn't be AS mad, i guess.
but SO. MANY. of the popular takes on his character are either never concretely stated or outright contradicted by his ingame dialogue and interactions and it drives me insane!!! idk WHERE y’all are getting this shit but so many people are reaching so hard to make him a tragic sad uwuwuw glass bones and paper skin pathetic little meow meow that they’re going out of their way to misinterpret source material so they can shout from the rooftops about how sad and pathetic and unaware they think people like me must be.
i keep seeing people talk about how he probably has no idea that talon is a terrorist group, that he doesn’t know what talon IS, or that he doesn’t even know that he WORKS for talon, and it’s starting to go from mildly annoying to infuriating. this shit has literally no basis in canon aside from conjecture based on the fact that he’s Known to be mentally ill!! i don't see even half as many people getting this all up in arms about widow, who we KNOW FOR A FACT was literally kidnapped and experimented on and brainwashed by talon. like. that's her WHOLE THING. meanwhile sig literally just works there and people are clamoring for ovw to come """""rescue"""""" him as if hes like, a lab animal or something instead of a grown man who happens to not be particularly bothered by the fact that he works for talon.
this is something that's addressed in game MULTIPLE TIMES - he’d far prefer to watch an ant crawl on the ceiling than listen to s76 trying to ‘talk sense into him’, not because he can’t hear him or anything either, it’s pretty clear from his tone and cadence that he’s actively choosing to ignore him. when baptiste points out the fact that he’s fully capable of leaving talon if he wanted to, he doesn’t deny it or act confused or like that’s a strange thing to say, he just seems a little bemused that someone would think he WANTS to leave. yeah, he sure could— but why would he bother?
he's not "totally unaware of what he's doing" in the fucking slightest - hell, i'd argue that his new map-exclusive lines and interactions prove that he's MORE grounded now than he was in ovw1. yes, he gets a little confused on occasion when he can't quite remember the last time he's been somewhere. (memory lapses are just kind of like that. i had several while writing this post, in fact! it just fucking happens sometimes. it's really not the end of the world. frustrating, yeah, but i promise you we can manage just fine).
i guess the question i'm asking is: is it really all that difficult for to fathom that he might just... WANT to be there? that he might just straight up not care what talon is up to, so long as he's able to keep doing his research as he sees fit??
and for the record, before anyone takes this and runs with it and we lose the plot of this post, i am NOT SAYING that the very idea of wanting him to leave talon is #problematic or anything. i dont care, really. do whatever you want. what i do care about is just like.... being mindful about what we're saying and WHY we're saying it. it's reaching a point where people are somehow managing to look at the ass backwards already ableist as hell decisions blizz has already made with him and decided "hey, i bet i can find a way to make that even worse!"
127 notes · View notes
terapsina · 1 year
Text
glimpse of a lifetime - abimel fic
-
ao3
-
“She's kicking,” Mel let out a stunned smile and grabbed Maggie's hand. “Do you want to feel it?”
“I thought you hated people touching your stomach?"
“Random people who treat my stomach like it's a dog they want to pet," Mel said, voice filling with the irritation of one too many strangers on the street baby-talking over her baby-bump, oblivious to their brush with a near-death experience "you're my sister and I'm giving you permission."
Maggie let Mel guide her hand to her pregnant stomach, her curiosity momentarily overcoming the lingering weirdness of her sister’s temporally-displaced pregnancy. For a fraction of a second she felt nothing except the fullness of Mel’s belly, but then -- even as there was the tiny, precious movement of something beneath her touch -- the world whited out, replaced by the familiar sensation of an oncoming vision.
Maggie had time only to gulp in a deep breath of air before she was pulled under its wave.
Mel, dressed in black, dirt and sweat covering her from head to toe as she and someone else hid in an alley. Their face was concealed from sight by a side-sweep of straight, light brown hair and the shadows cast by the wall of the dank alley wall sheltering them. They were throwing a careful look around the corner.
“They’re coming,” the person whispered at a volume so low it wasn't identifiable, despite something familiar raising up a flashing light.
“We can make it,” Mel pleaded.
The other person’s shoulders tightened as they- as she whirled around and pulled Mel toward her into a short, desperate kiss.
Mel let out a torn sob against the lips kissing her own.
“I love you,” the woman said pulling back, finally revealing her face and its uncharacteristically vulnerable expression while keeping one hand on Mel’s cheek and the other over the swell of her stomach “I love you both. You know what you need to do, I’ll lead the Infected away.”
"Abi-"
Maggie‘s eyes snapped open and she was left staring at Mel, feeling her jaw drop as the sensation of the vision drained into the present and she realized exactly what she’d just seen.
“What? Is something wrong? Did you see something?” Mel's brows furrowed in worry, her arms already protectively encircling her middle.
“No!” Maggie threw out with a pitched laugh, swallowing down the hysteria before Mel could notice it “I- I was just startled by the kick. I didn’t see anything.”
Right. Except for the person who was maybe- probably -- it was hard to misinterpret that agony she'd seen on future Mel's face -- the other mother to Mel’s future baby; and who looked suspiciously like the dethroned Demon Overlord whose future version had apparently lied to Maggie and Macy's faces -- just a part of Mel's Resistance her ass -- and had, not that long ago confessed her feelings for Maggie’s sister under the influence of a truth serum.
Oh god, Maggie was going to have to hear herself get called the Prancing Princess for the rest of her life.
---
"Macy?" she asked, feeling near ready to bite her nails -- which would be a crime against the perfect manicure she'd gotten done last week.
"Yeah? What's up?" Macy threw over her shoulder, busy going through pages of graphs containing science Maggie didn't even attempt to identify.
"What would you do if you knew something? Something that someone would probably really want to know, but you're not sure if it would be better to let them find out on their own. Or to not find out about it at all. Except they'd probably find out anyway because if it happened once it will probably happen anyway, even though you kinda find it a little insane. Though maybe not as insane as you would have once. And anyway, it's not like you want them not to know, because they definitely deserve to-"
"Maggie!" Macy interrupted her, her full attention on the conversation now. "Take a breath and tell me what's going on."
"IhadavisionandIthinkAbbyistheotherfuturebabymama." The information exploded from Maggie in one babbled breath of probably incoherent information.
"Sorry, run that by me one more time?"
"I had a vision, Mace. I'm pretty sure Abigael's the one who future Mel was going to have that baby with," she repeated herself, paraphrasing to sound a bit less like a crazy person.
"Oh," Macy blinked. "Well, she definitely left some stuff out when we asked her about Mel."
"Right?! That's what I was thinking. You'd think 'I'm your future sister-in-law' would be relevant information."
"I mean... she probably didn't want to accidentally erase that part of the future," Macy allowed with a slight shrug.
"But Mace, Abby's in London. And I think Mel's still sort of dating Ruby. What am I supposed to do with this information?"
"You had the vision for a reason."
"I know, it's just... it feels like I'd be putting my nose into Mel's personal, romantic business. I haven't really done that since I was like thirteen." Maggie threw herself dramatically into the armchair cushions, groaning into the hands now pressing against her closed eyelids. "And it's Abigael."
"You know she's changed, Mags." There was something nearly defensive in Macy's voice, something that Maggie had noticed had been revived after Abby returned Macy's fire magic. "And anyway, even from London she's been sending Mel whole mountain-loads of stuffed animals, and baby clothes for the past two months."
Neither one of them chose to mention the one time the gifts included a box of lingerie, that had promptly gotten slammed back shut and had made Mel's face turn into a very deep sort of red. Maggie knew they were both thinking about it though.
They shared a slight smirk.
"And she's been calling her like once a week," Maggie finally sighed instead, she'd also seen Mel's face light up whenever Abby's name lit up the screen of her cell. The telling look then always replaced with put-upon exasperation, and compressed amusement during the few times Maggie'd been around to listen to her sister’s half of those phone conversations. But Maggie knew what it looked like when her sister was fighting off feelings.
But this brought them back to how Mel was only sort of dating Ruby by now, and how even that was rapidly shrinking into an oncoming split that Maggie would be surprised to see last past the birth of the baby.
Even more so now.
She and Macy shared a look.
"We could probably have guessed where that's been heading," Macy admitted.
"I mean yeah, but I thought she'd at some point put the Demonic Drama Queen out of her misery and sleep with her, not magic up a daughter with her." Some of the initial hysteria reared up again.
Macy's face filled up with scientific curiosity. "Do you think that's what happened- will happen?"
"What?"
"You think they used magic?"
"Well, not on purpose?" Maggie scrunched up her nose in thought. "Honestly, I've been thinking Mel probably came across some totem from one kind of fertility goddess or another and activated it on accident. Mel's too level-headed to try to get pregnant during a post-apocalyptic hellscape. Also, I don't think there were any convenient clinics open for artificial insemination."
"That's... a good point," Macy said and then looked at Maggie more pointedly. "You know you need to tell Mels what you saw."
Maggie groaned. "I know."
---
"So what did you want to talk to me about, Maggie?" Mel asked her.
"I know who the other mother to your baby is gonna be," Maggie said.
"I knew it," Mel exclaimed, eyes narrowing. "You did have a vision. Why didn't you say anything?"
Maggie opened her mouth. She closed it.
Macy poked her sharply on her side and thus left Maggie no choice except to poke Macy in retaliation, ignoring the judgemental stare from Mel, who had clearly been born to give out unimpressed Mom Stares. Mel was going to be a wonderful mother to their niece.
"It's Abigael," she said, finally.
"Excuse me?"
"Abigael."
"Oh," Mel blinked, clearly trying to process, her face flushing and filling up with something Maggie found uncomfortably soft. The expression stayed for a lingering moment to be eclipsed by pained horror. "Oh, no."
"What?" Maggie worried suddenly about the likelihood of Abby having turned evil again somewhere within the past two days, since the last time Mel had needed her sisters' help to drag into the house and up the steps to the nursery one of the mailed gifts sent by the former Demon Overlord, this time the giant stuffed unicorn.
"She's going to be insufferable."
There was a whine in Mel's voice but Maggie didn’t miss the way her sister’s eyes seemed to gain a spark of something that was suspiciously very sappy and joyful.
Yeah, Maggie was going to have to resign herself to a lifetime of Perky Peanuts and Pushy Pistachios as her nicknames.
33 notes · View notes
froizetta · 9 months
Text
20 Questions for fic writers!
Tagged by @ginbenci! Thank you! :)
How many works do you have on AO3?
12! All since last August
What’s your total A03 word count? 134,798
What fandoms do you write for?
So far just DCU, but I like a lot of things! I will branch out one day, when the brainrot loosens its grip.
What are your top five fics by kudos?
Padam Padam - superbat, E (7.5k)
Batman's heartbeat keeps speeding up whenever Clark is around. For instance: when Clark greets him, half-naked, on a Gotham rooftop. Or when he uses his superstrength to save a busload of schoolchildren. Or sometimes even just when he smiles. Clearly the poor man is terrified of him.
By far my most popular fic! Probably because it found it's way to tiktok (this still feels wild to me). Despite the fact that borderline crack and I wrote it in about 3 days, it has twice the number of kudos as the fic below in this list. Or perhaps it's because I took the idea from a tumblr post rather than coming up with it myself? Hmmmmm.
2. An Honest Conversation - superbat, E (60k)
“So Bruce’s longtime best friend had suddenly decided to start eye-fucking him at random. So what? Bruce was used to being the object of this kind of attention. It didn’t bother him. It was—should have been fine. The issue was that it was Clark, and Bruce had enough trouble remaining rational about him at the best of times.” or Bruce and Clark go from friends to lovers the long, long, long way round. Featuring a number of revelations, a well-meaning but nosy son (Dick) and, most prominently, two adult men being completely and utterly useless.
My first fic, and the closest one I have right now to a magnum opus! It started off as a silly oneshot and then got surprisingly angsty towards the end (although no less silly tbh, that's apparently just my whole vibe as a writer).
3. Hiding In Plain Sight - superbat, T (3.5k)
Clark Kent, reporter for the Daily Planet, is clearly just Superman wearing glasses. For some reason, no-one but Bruce can see that. There is a distinct possibility that Bruce has lost his mind.
Written for Bruce Wayne Week 2023, as are the rest on this list! Written because...well. He totally is just wearing glasses. I'll happily suspend my disbelief, but I'm still not letting it go, damn it.
4. Holding Onto A Hero - superbat, T (2.5k)
Clark squinted sleep-tired eyes and frowned. “B? Everything okay?” And then Bruce shivered. In a fraction of a second he was beside the bed, and in another he was settling a knee onto the mattress and wrapping his arms around Clark’s waist, cowled face pressed into Clark’s chest. “So,” Clark said conversationally. “I’m gonna go ahead and take that as a no.”
The prompt was cuddle pollen, and it really is just a short-n-sweet, soft, cuddly, getting together fic. Also, I got to insert a little vague allusion to neuroscience, which is always nice (although oxytocin doesn't actually work like that, the effect is sex-specific and increasing it can actually promote aggression in some- okay, okay, I'll shut up).
5. More Fun Than Counting Sheep - superbat, E (5.5k)
When Bruce can't sleep, Clark proposes an unconventional solution. (The solution is sex.)
The prompt I took was sleep-deprived Bruce. Nothing about that suggested it should be smut, and yet here we are. I wrote this because I thought it would be funny to have Clark try to seduce Bruce into sleeping (and for it to work), and honestly? I stand by that.
What’s the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?
Hmm none of them really. Maybe A Stitch In Spacetime (Gen, 4.5k - in which Batman meets a version of himself whose parents never died so he became a surgeon like his dad). But only because the ending is more hopeful than actively happy. Batman has still lost Jason, but he's finally trying to heal; Doctor Bruce still wants kids he doesn't have, but maybe after this that will change. (Also, unrelated but I'm really proud of the title for this one lol. I love a pun, what can I say.)
What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?
Again, they're most all happy, but probably An Honest Conversation? Just because the finale was INCREDIBLY sappy, and there was a lot bullshit preceding it that they had to get through, which certainly made the ending cathartic to write!
Do you get hate on your fic?
Not yet! Apart from a couple of slightly iffy comments, everyone has been lovely. But then, I'm not writing anything particularly controversial lol. Hopefully the trend continues outside of genfic and superbat.
Do you write smut?
Yes, a lot lol, nearly half of my fics are E-rated. Look, if I write a romance in which the pairing solves some kind of relationship issue and grow closer as a result, some part of my brain is always gonna be thinking, "Hm. What if they banged about it?" Also, I love a sex comedy, so there's that too.
Do you write crossovers?
No. I don't think I'm into any fandoms right now that I would WANT to cross over tbh. I've read my fair share, though!
Have you ever had a fic stolen?
Not that I know of?
Have you ever had a fic translated?
Not that I know of!
Have you ever co-written a fic?
No, but I'd theoretically be open to it! I think it would be tricky in practise though, unless you an your co-writer are really on the same wavelength. Even writers I really like don't necessarily write in the same style as me, so that could create difficulties.
What‘s your all-time favourite ship?
I mean. Superbat right now for sure. I'm usually a multishipper, but for whatever reason they have a death grip on me. I'm still basically an omnivore though!
What’s the WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?
Hmm, this feels like a very defeatist question since I do plan to finish everything I start. Probably the fic I started writing for a friend's birthday based on a premise we discussed nearly a decade ago. It's a wholesome romance between two of the sidest side characters in Haikyuu!! (Tanaka Saeko and Tsukiyama Akiteru, for the curious; they do interact, but barely), because my friend was there with her Charlie Kelly conspiracy board saying, "They're both in uni! They're in the same prefecture! They knew each other in high school! They're both older siblings of main characters on the same team, so they can go watch the matches together! There's so much to work with!!!" This has apparently been her lowkey white whale ever since, but she's never managed to write it, so I offered to have a go. Tragically, them being SUCH side characters means I have to all but invent a personality for one of them, which makes figuring out their dynamic a lot harder lol. But I still want to finish it one day, for her sake!
What’s your writing strengths?
Comedy I think, specifically deriving humour from awkward situations (that I have made up) - and often it's the quiet chuckle kind rather than the knee-slapping kind. But YMMV on whether anything I write is actually funny! I can only hope :')
What’s your writing weakness?
Well, I have lots of things I don't feel good enough to write (e.g. long, dramatic epics that I can't fill with jokes), but I mostly haven't wanted to try so I wouldn't say that's a weakness per se. And I have plenty of little things I feel like I need to work on, but none are an easy-to-identify kryptonite-style Weakness. Probably flow and pacing, as it's something I'm very particular about (especially for comedy, where imo it needs to be correct for it to work) but it doesn't always come naturally to me. I do a lot of rounds of editing trying to tweak things so they flow right. Hopefully that will come easier with experience! I'd be fascinated to know what other people thought my weakness was, though; it's often hard to judge yourself, since you're the audience you're writing for.
Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?
In what sense? As in, for example, writing a French-speaking character in French in an otherwise English-language fic? I think that's appropriate when the POV character doesn't speak French, but perhaps can be avoided if they do, as then the average reader is understanding as much as the POV character is.
As to whether I personally would do it, I only really speak one non-English language at a decent level, and even then it's hard to convey nuance in any language you're not fully fluent in. So only sparsely, only if necessary, probably only if I could get a native speaker to check it.
First fandom you wrote for?
I think it was Free!, the anime about the swimmer boys. Back when I was a teenager in school, probably ~16, I anonymously posted a gen crackfic on the LJ kink meme based on an experience I had with some schoolfriends, where a few of us tried to give a less birds-and-the-bees version of The Talk to a sadly uneducated member of the group during a camping trip. (Our school did actually give proper sex education, with the putting expired condoms on dildos and everything, but didn't go into the specifics of, say, doggy style). ANYWAY, that was the only thing I'd ever posted until this year, but apparently my proclivity for writing sex-related comedy has remained unchanged lol.
Favourite fic you’ve ever written?
Man I don't know. I just did a similar tag thingy that asked this, and I wasn't sure then, and it feels boring to put the same answer twice? So I'll pick another that's my favourite for a different reason: Master of All Trades (Bruce & Hal, T, 4.5k). I think of all my fics, it has the highest ratio of good to not-that-deep, if that makes sense? Writing Hal's POV was incredibly fun, and I think it turned out really well! And it's definitely one of the few I can reread without cringing lol (reading your own writing after posting it is just embarrassing somehow).
Tagging: I nominate @burins and @unbreakabledawn, but literally 0 pressure at all!
14 notes · View notes
0junemeatcleaver0 · 1 year
Text
Anonsense: A Deconstruction of a Bad Faith Argument
I honestly don't know why I'm even posting this. Will it be helpful for people who don't know how to immediately clock a bad faith argument? The people pleasers who might feel compelled to answer every anon no matter what? I hope so.
Do I have a bit of a bee in my bonnet after being woken up at 4am because I forgot to silence my phone only to see this bullshit after living through the most stressful week of my fucking life?? Also yes.
Whatever. At best this is a learning moment, at worst it's an opportunity to point and laugh at someone who thinks they deserve a Nobel Peace Prize for failing at being real pussy cunt-cunt in a stranger's inbox.
Tumblr media
I am confused. You haven't watched the show but you hate the show...? Correct! You can, in fact, hate a thing you've only gotten a taste of. I saw the trailer (you know, the thing networks release to get you interested in a show?) and didn't care for what they were doing. That opinion was only cemented when I saw the ridiculous clip of Louis chasing a fucking goat around.
Something fans of colour especially black fans talk of so enthusiastically and fondly? You're right, VC fans of color are all a monolith and all enjoy the show. And the fact that I--a rando white person--hate the show is mortally wounding to them all. This is in no way infantalizing to fans of color, to imply that I somehow have enough power as some random person to ruin their good time by making posts about how silly I think this show is--posts I don't tag so that fans of the show don't have to see them.
And these fans aren't always show onlies. I know. I've talked to a few of them. They seem nice.
Idk if this ask is going to come off as bait Yes you do. You absolutely know that. And if you didn't know that, that was your clue to go back to the drawing board re: how to phrase what you meant in a good faith way.
-think of it as you will How kind of you. Thanks for the permission.
but this...you realize this comes off as some type of way, don't you? Only to the people who are actively looking to be upset, yes. And I don't care about those people. They are not of my concern.
You have had an ask that you published where the anon says they don't care that "certain demographics" of people are loving AMC. That's very very sus. 'Very very sus'. Am I suddenly on Twitter? Anyway. You do realize that book-only fans are constantly accused of belittling all show fans no matter what we say, right? That it's much more likely that anon said "certain demographics" meaning "the fraction loud, obnoxious fans who will accuse you of being immoral for not liking the show" and "people who never read the books and have nothing to compare it to" and not as some dogwhistle to mean "fans of the global majority", right? Also, my memory is shit. I may have used that phrase and if so, see the above reasoning for why I used it but also if I didn't: Why am I being held accountable for a random person's choice of wording?? I'm not anon's mom.
I don't particularly care if you answer or not. I'm sure. That's why you wrote an essay in my inbox. To not get a response.
If you block. I did. Fuck outta here.
I just had to put it there. Did you? What was the goal in this? Do you even know?
Maybe this is rude as per tumblr etiquettes. It's pretty rude regardless, but hey what do I know. I'm no Emily Post.
But this was just so odd as I am new to both the book and show fandom and while going through blogs I found yours So what I'm hearing is you're missing a lot of context for what's been going on around here and you've not realized that, is what I'm hearing. And you're either purposefully ignoring of didn't wait to find the many, many posts I've made detailing why I personally think the show is bad, why I think the white cishet frat bro turned wanna be auteur showrunner is doing a bad job of including characters of color in the text, the reblogs of fans of color who have brought up similar points, etc?
Stretch before you reach this hard, anon.
14 notes · View notes