#who’ve interacted with me maybe once???

[theverycoolestdude]

group of mutuals. so silly. love you guys

[speakergame]

Progress Update - 3/4/24

Hello and happy March!

It’s been a while, hasn’t it? 😅 Well, I finally have some good news for you this time: I have some actual news!

I'm happy to be able to announce at last that an update is on its way! I’ve still got some assets to make and code cleanup and testing to finish, but I should finally have something to show you soon.

I’ll put a cut at the end of this and go into more detail about the what and why of what I’ve been working on during this long and unintended hiatus, but the tl;dr is that I hope to have an update out by the end of the month, and that said update will break any saves made in Chapter 4. Unfortunate, but unavoidable, since Chapter 4 had to be recoded from the beginning 😞

I just want to thank all of you once again for sticking with me through my extended silence! Especially to my patrons who’ve put up with me putting everything on pause month after month while I dealt with my real life shit, and to everyone who’s sent me kind and supportive messages to let me know Speaker hasn’t been forgotten. It really means a lot to me.

Okay, enough of that sappy shit! I’m gonna get back to work finishing this up 😁 I’ll put out another update later this month once I have a more definite release date.

Thank you all for reading! I hope you’re having a fantastic 2024 so far, and that the rest of the week treats you kindly. See y’all soon! 💙💙💙

(For those who want a more detailed breakdown on what’s been happening and what to expect, hit the readmore)

I won’t go into the personal life stuff I’ve been dealing with this past year that has slowed down my work, but as far as the actual game goes: 

To put it simply, I just wasn’t happy with it. Some of it could be because of how many times I had to reread the same section while I was coding the scenes that would’ve taken place after the last update, but no matter how much I edited or rearranged it, I didn’t like how that scene turned out. There was something… formulaic that had been happening with the way I always laid out scenes, and a bit of stagnation in the story, character, and relationship development that bothered me.

So I rewrote it. And when I still didn’t like it, I rewrote it again. And I still didn’t like it. I thought about scrapping the whole thing on more than one occasion as I struggled to get out of the corner I’d written myself into.

Inspiration finally struck at the beginning of this year, thanks in part to another interactive novel I follow, and I really like the direction I’ve taken it now. 

Instead of the RO split scenes happening where the last one left off, Speaker, Seer, and Gavin are gonna have a chat about Things™ to move the next story arc forward. Then Speaker will get some downtime, by themself at first and then in an extended scene split with the RO of their choosing. 

All the Big Plot Things that were going to happen in Chapter 4 will be moved to Chapter 5 instead, and 4 will be a bit more of a filler episode. A deep breath before the plunge, as it were.

This split won’t just be a quick conversation/reaction from the RO, but a full on different direction for the rest of the chapter based on who you choose. Most of them will involve leaving the house; all of them will involve actual one-on-one time (or one-on-two time, as the case may be) away from the others. And though romance isn’t required, all of them will have the potential to really move the romance forward if you so choose. One or two might even have a lock-in choice (maybe. I’m not 100 percent on that, so don’t hold me to it) 

These scenes won’t be in the next update, because they’re all very complex, but the update will definitely have the Seer chat and at least some of the by-yourself stuff. The update after will have the rest of the alone time stuff (including the clothes/body CC you’ve all been waiting for), and then the one after will start the RO scenes. I think.

I may actually split the RO scenes into separate updates, and let my darlings over at Patreon vote for the order they’re released. That way I can focus on one at a time instead of trying to split my attention six ways at once.

Okay, that’s enough rambling for me today. Time to get back to work! Still got a lot to get done before this is ready, but it’s so close now.

[ravenromanova]

Too close

Pairings: Ghostface Bucky x Female reader (I got this idea from a tiktok i saw of someone that made a scream poster of bucky as ghostface and i died and i also read a natasha ghostface fic and it was so good and i thought why not make one of bucky!) This is the fic that inspired this, by @abbyromanoff you can run but you cant hide

Warnings: Mentions of killing, blood, SMUT 18+!!!!! Mask kink, knife play, Blood kink, Daddy kink, Breeding kink, unprotected sex (Bucky and the reader have sex in another room from an unalived person) (My darkest fantasies are coming out to play here sue me) DO NOT READ IF YOU ARE UNDER 18+!!!!!!!!

Summary- Bucky doesn’t like it when people get too close to his girl. What happens when you figure out why everyone you talk to suddenly dies. Will you run?

Kinktober masterlist - Main masterlist - Send me requests!!

~

“This just in another the mysterious serial killer known as ghostface has claimed another victim. 22 year old Jordan Rodriguez was found in her new york apartment with 50 stab wounds. She was found by her roommate Janice after she came home from work. Officers haven’t given many details as to if they are any leads into who this killer could be. But they have advised everyone within the brooklyn area to be inside by 8pm to limit any risks.” The nightly news reporters vice echos through your apartment as you watch through hooded eyes.

This was the fifth person this week to die a brutal death and not to mention you seem to have had an interaction with everyone that has died. Fear floods your veins as your head runs a thousand miles and hour and what this could mean. Is someone out to hurt you? Do you have a stalker who is killing everyone you know to get you alone? Are you next? That’s all you can think about before your thoughts are cut off by the front door opening.

You shriek and jump off the couch and run to the kitchen to grab whatever knife you can. You decide to duck behind your island with the knife as you hear footsteps walk in. The footsteps are heavy yet soft as the approach you. It’s not until the figure comes closer to you that you jump in front of them and attempt to stab them but they catch your hand.

“Woah they’re tiger” The voice says and you drop the knife once you realize who it is. You flick on the kitchen light before walking over to him and throwing your arms around his shoulders and hugging him.

“I’m sorry jamie” You apologize to your boyfriend and he just chuckles in response.

“It’s okay babydoll, but what has you so freaked out?” He asks looking at your with eyes of concern.

You sigh as you look at him before you decide to tell him what’s wrong. “The news- They said another person has been killed…A-And i knew the person who was killed, Ive known all the people who’ve died this week! What-what if someone is out to hurt me? What i-if i- die?” Your voice breaks as you speak your fears. He looks at you and brings you in for another hug.

“Oh babydoll it’s going to be okay im sure it’s nothing” He said calmly as she stroked your back and kissing the top of your head.

You sighed as you looked at him while you nodded your head. Maybe you were just being paranoid you thought, maybe this is just one big coincidence and you’ll be fine. Yea… you’ll be fine.

“Yea maybe you’re right” You didn’t sound too convinced with your own words but you try to shake off the feeling that something bad is happening.

“Come on babydoll lets get you into bed so you stop overthinking in that pretty little head of yours” His voice is so soft and sweet as he takes your hand in his and walks you two to the bedroom. When the both of you enter the room he tells you to lay down and then goes to get something. Thirty seconds later he comes back with your favorite blanket and stuffed animal and slides in bed next to you.

That night the two of you cuddle and have cute little conversations that help ease your overthinking. You fell asleep with him whispering sweet nothings in your ear.

What you didn’t know was that Bucky was panicking since he stepped foot into the apartment. He thought he had been caught when you attempted to stab him but luckily for him you were as clueless as ever.

~one week later~

You sighed as you watched the news and they reported the 8th murder in two weeks. And very unfortunately for you, you had known the persons who died…just like the rest of them. That really didn’t help with the overthinking that’s for sure.

It was around 4am when you decided to turn off the tv and head to bed. Your brows furrowed when you realized Bucky wasnt home yet. You thought maybe he had gotten an overnight shift at the garage but normally he tells you that. You decided to check ‘find my friends’ since it kinda worried you that he wasnt home.

When his location showed that he was at an apartment complex your heart sank. A thousand possibilities were running through your head as you threw some sweats on, grabbed your keys and headed out the door to find your boyfriend.

The whole car ride you were full of anxiety and your brain wouldn’t shut up. Once you pulled up to the complex you quickly ran to the car not in the mood to play around if he was fucking someone else. You followed the gps and walked right up to the front door but you noticed it was open slightly. So what did you do? You walked right into the dark apartment despite not knowing who or what you’d find.

But what you did find sent bile to your throat. There was a figure dressed in all black standing over who you thought was your boyfriend with a knife in their hand.

“BUCKY!” You screamed as you ran over to the body on the floor. It wasnt until you got up close that you realized that the person wasnt Bucky…It was the barista that served you your coffee this morning. Your thoughts ran wild as you mumbled incoherent words under your breath.

But those were quickly cut off once your heard the masked figured laughing. You whipped your head around and stared at the figure in horror.

“Oh Kotenok you’re so precious” The masked figured said as he slowly removed his mask. Your eyes widened as you saw who was under the mask… It was Bucky. You quickly stood up and backed away from him as you started to hyperventilate.

“W-What the hell?” You finally said after you finally slowed your breathing down. Bucky chuckled as he came closer to you and wiped some sweat off his forehead.

“I guess it’s finally time to tell you-“ He said as she took off the costume and dropped the knife. You stared at him as his hand come up to caress your cheek. “You see kotenok i never meant for any of this to happen- But these people-t-they flirt with you and get too close to you. And i cant have that, i cant have people wanting to take what’s mine. And see i wouldn’t mind so much that people mindlessly flirt with you… if you didn’t flirt back” He seethed as he grabbed your face.

You were speechless at his confession never in a million years did you think he’d do this. But the idea that you’re his motive, that he just wants to keep you to his self is intoxicating. You look up at him with doe eyes before you finally find the words to say.

“You do all of this to make sure that i stay yours” Your voice heightens in excitement as you wait for his response.

His grip tightens on your face as he speaks. “Yes kotenok i do- i cant stand the thought of someone else having you the way i do” He confess as his eyes darken at the way you smirk.

“That’s- the hottest thing i think you’ve ever said to me” Bucky smiles devilishly at your words and suddenly picks you up and pushes you against the wall. His lips are on yours within a seconds time and the kiss is the dirtiest thing you’ve ever done.

“Put the mask back on” The words come out breathless as your chest rises due to the lack of air. He smirks as he walks you over to the couch and lays you down before grabbing the mask and knife again. He put the mask back on and then slowly stalks towards you and he twirls the knife in his hand.

“Oh fuck” You whisper under your breath when he climbs on top of you. Even though you cant see his face you know for a fact he’s smirking. He wastes no time in ripping off your shirt along with your sweats leaving you in just your panties.

“So pretty” His voice comes out a little muffled as he speaks due to the mask but it made it so much hotter. He then takes the knife that he wiped off and drags it across your bare chest. Your breath hitches in your throat as the cool metal hits your skin. Bucky then drags the knife down your torso and slices your panties off and drags it across your bare pussy.

“Please” You beg as you grab the hand with the knife and place it on your stomach. He places the blade on your skin and digs it in just a little, “Mark me” Bucky wastes no time in carving his initials into your skin he leaves a little ‘J.B.B’ on your stomach, before wiping the blood away with his thumb. Your grab his thumb and slowly bring it to your mouth before you clean his thumb off.

“Fucking hell kotenok” He groans at your actions. Bucky grows impatient as he throws the knife across the room making note to pick it back up later. He then spreads your pussy and starts to play with your clit and your back arches in reaction.

“Please daddy” You beg and then he adds two fingers into you in a swift motion and chooses a relentless pace. This is the filthiest thing you’ve ever done but right now, in this moment you dont give a flying fuck.

The pleasure you feel is beyond intense as Bucky curls his fingers and hits your g-spot just right. You let out a screaming moan as your first orgasm bursts through you. “Oh fuck” You breathe out the best you can as you slowly takes off his pants and boxers exposing his hard cock standing at attention for you.

“I want you so bad please daddy” He doesn’t need much motivation after you give him the go ahead. Bucky slams his cock into you hard and fast and you scream in response to his movement.

“Yes yes yes” You chant as you sit up and wrap your arms around him as Bucky slams into you. The room is filled with the filthy noises of your pussy and his balls slapping your skin.

“Gonna fucking breed you kotenok” He grunts and picks up his speed chasing his high. You can feel your second orgasm build up as he talks about breeding you.

“Oh please breed me daddy- fuck- wanna be full of your babies” You plead as you grind your hips down on his cock earning a guttural moan from him.

“Yea? You want that your little slut? You wanna have my kids?” He asks even though he already knows the answer. You dont find the words to respond and just opt for nodding your head. And in turn Bucky changes the position so he’s back on top and he thrusts into you like never before. Your moans become louder and his pace gets rougher. The both of you end up finishing within a matter of minutes and once you do you take the mask off him and just stare at him.

You take a moment and rub your thumb over his bottom lip before you bring him into a passionate kiss. Bucky grunts into the kiss and wraps his arms around your waist lovingly. After you break the kiss you look into his blue eyes and smile softly.

“I love you” You whisper and put your forehead against his. In this moment you love him more than you ever thought possible. Did he murder someone? Yes. Did he kill almost a dozen people just for you? Yes. But he also did it because he loves you and that just makes your heart swell. You get an idea after a minute of just looking at him.

“Let’s clean this place up and then run away, Lets go some where else where it can be just us” You say with a pleading looking in your eyes. Bucky agrees and nods before getting you both dressed again.

The two of you clean up the mess and decide of what to do with the body before heading back home to pack your things. That night while in a way tragic was also the start of the rest of your lives together and you couldn’t be happier.

~the end~

i do not give permission for my work to me translated or copied on other websites

[matan4il]

Buddie 613 meta

We now know that the man who risked himself to get Buck out of the line of fire during the shooting arc is Jeshan, which means ‘clear’ (if you’re interested, you can find more name meanings for 911 characters here). So let me just giggle for a second about the fact that 911 had once again reunited Buddie with a character who can be referred to as Captain Clear Me(h)ta. Coincidence? IDK. But I have to admit, it kinda made me reflect back and feel nostalgic. When I first started watching the show, I had no intention of writing meta for 911, but after going ballistic when 309 aired, I knew I would HAVE to use the s3 hiatus to write down all my thoughts about everything Buddie related so far. That’s what I did, I wrote and shared my baby, my first round of Buddie meta. That’s where it was supposed to end, but then people asked and encouraged me to write meta for the eps in 3b as they would air, too. I figured I could try, and that’s how my Buddie weekly meta posts were born. At the time, there was no one else writing proper weekly meta (I don’t mean a summary/review of the ep, or meta posts that stand on their own, but proper analysis on Buck, Eddie and those who matter to them, organized and serialized for each ep as it aired). And now, I’ve been writing them for almost 3.5 seasons. And I feel like they’ve inspired others to do the same. TBH, I can’t actually remember seeing weekly meta posts in other fandoms (maybe they exist and I just haven’t come across them, IDK). So I got all emotional, thinking about how these posts may be love notes to Buddie and the show, but most of all they’re a love letter to the wonderful people who have been supportive and encouraging, who’ve been reblogging the posts, who’ve been commenting on them and telling me that what I do makes a difference for them. Thank you so much, these posts wouldn’t exist without you. You have a much bigger impact on the fandom than you might have realized! So if Captain Mehta is indeed a nod to the meta, it’s a loving, appreciative nod that belongs to all of you. ~~

When Chim shows up to escort Hen to work, he ends up sitting down for a talk with Denny instead, and I really enjoyed this scene, it was lovely, but it also once again emphasized the difference between the firefam kids’ relationship with their parents’ colleagues and the r/s Buck and Chris have. Chim talks to Hen’s son when he happens to come across the kid, but he only sits down for a proper conversation because Denny implies Hen and Karen are up to something intimate, and Chim shouldn’t interrupt them just yet. Consider how different that is to how Buck intentionally looks to spend time with and dedicated to Chris! And then Chim is impressed by how smart Denny is. It’s cute, but it also reveals just how little they interact that this comes as a surprise to Chim. It’s so different to the intimate familiarity of a parent, which is what we know Buck has with Chris (and that Chris has with Buck, which can even be seen in the kid’s teasing, for example regarding the snoring in 414). ~~

You might have seen that, when the promo came out, I momentarily lost my sanity and posted this. I just couldn’t get over the fact that they actually had Eddie correct the chief on the duration of Buck’s death. It was such a spouse thing to do. It was a declaration about the anguish that each single second represented, when Eddie couldn’t breathe because Buck wasn’t. It was a confession of sorts, on how Eddie felt as he desperately NEEDED his husband to live (I’m not even joking when I ascribe him this title, Eddie said with his whole chest, “THAT IS MY IDIOT HUSBAND THAT I HAD TO WATCH DIE FOR THREE MINUTES AND SEVENTEEN SECONDS AND I WILL NEVER FORGET ANY OF THOSE SECONDS, NOR LET ANYONE ELSE DO THAT”). It was a glimpse into how time must have moved differently for him as each second etched itself forever into Eddie’s mind. And yes, it’s a clear parallel to 413, when we witness time slowing down for Eddie. And I mentioned in my post that in both scenarios, Buck is just out of his reach, so close, but simply not close enough. In one case, this forced Eddie to believe he must now accept his own death. In the other, he couldn’t accept the possibility that Buck would die, so he just fought harder, and if he couldn’t save Buck with one course of action, he tried another, Eddie just had to keep going, 'coz the idea of those three minutes and seventeen seconds turning into an eternity? Unacceptable. ~~

But notice in my unhinged post from that day, I used the word ‘counting.’ Eddie counted the seconds, and this is revealed to us at a poker game where Buck is counting the cards. I already noticed that when we saw the promo, but this connection was reinforced in the ep itself when Chief Williams vocalized what Buck was doing. The thing about counting is that it’s reserved for what matters, what’s crucial. Buck is counting the cards in order to win, and he wants to win because it matters to Eddie. Buck wasn’t the one who initiated the search for a poker game where he could use his newfound skills, Eddie was the one to take that initiative. And he could bring Buck along without telling him where they’re going (I would normally scream for a whole separate paragraph just about Eddie telling Buck to dress nice and there being no need for any further explanation or prompting, but we were so well fed, I’ll have to scream about it into my fist for just one sentence) 'coz Eddie was so sure his husband would go along with whatever crazy scheme he’d come up with. And he was right, even though Buck didn’t think it would end well, he still went along with what his husband wanted. Please let me reiterate: Buck’s counting cards because Eddie is so important to him, and Eddie was counting the seconds because Buck’s his vital sign. ~~

Another thing to keep in mind about the poker game is that the only other time we’ve seen Buck playing poker was in 312. In that ep, Eddie was off to meet Christopher’s school teachers (leading to his eventual lackluster r/s with Ana), so having a free evening, Buck spends it with Maddie, Chim and Josh (and is told he unequivocally sucks at Poker). Jokes were made about setting Josh and Buck up, and it was implied whatever Buck’s sexuality was, that was not the reason why Maddie abstained from making the match. What I find interesting is seeing how far our boys have come! In that ep, they were operating separately, and it led them down the wrong paths.

In this ep, Buck and Eddie were inseparable both as a couple (even sharing the winnings from Buck’s new talent, because what don’t these two share? And I was particularly chewing glass when Chief Williams asks Buck how he wanted HIS winnings, but instead of answering her, he looks at his husband. THEY ARE SO FREAKING MARRIED), and as a family unit with Chris (which is maybe a good moment to point out that all of the romantic couples were paired off in 613, and so were Buddie! Now, one could argue that Buck and Eddie were paired off because, well... who else is left for them to hang out with? But 312 is a reminder that when the show wants to, it can push the main cast and minor characters into the same orbit, so it still didn’t HAVE to pair Buck and Eddie off here. It chose to. On top of that, by showing them with Chris as well, 911 reminded us they’re far more bonded than just two best bros hanging out together ‘coz none of their other friends are single). In short, during 312, Buck lost and Eddie was about to be lost on a detour in his romantic journey. In 613, they ARE a family, they work as one throughout the ep, not just in parts of it, and they’re both winning. ~~

Something that gets to me is that when I first shared the BTS pic of Buddie at the poker game, it was clear that Eddie was just bursting with self confidence. He looked like he would be the star of that game. But when we got the promo, we discovered that it was actually going to be Buck who would shine that night. So what makes me slightly froth at the mouth is that all of that sexy confidence we picked up on in the photo? It was real. We weren’t wrong. It just wasn’t confidence that Eddie had in himself, it’s confidence he has in Buck. All of his swagger? Is a reflection of how much he believes and enjoys seeing his husband be a star. I am gonna need 3-6 working weeks at least to recover from knowing this. ~~

Speaking of things that destroyed me forever, everything about the Buckley-Diaz family in this ep falls into that category. I mean, not only did we once again have incredibly domestic scenes, we had one that was very reminiscent of the lasagna one in 601 (Eddie with Chris at the table, Buck fussing around them only to join in once he brings along something to be consumed), reinforcing that this is THEIR NORM, we also had Eddie and Chris being so cute and supportive when it comes to Buck’s new ability (Chris calls him a superhero, Eddie goes along with it, and when Buck’s upset he didn’t get a better superpower, naming some he would have liked to have, Eddie comforts him by saying those other options sound horrible). 

And then to top it all off, we had Buck and Chris cooking together. Bobby’s been explicitly acknowledged as basically being Buck’s dad by both of them, and we know Bobby’s been teaching Buck how to cook. Now we get Buck doing the same with Chris, clearly marking them as father and son, especially since this is done with just the two of them, this special time that’s allocated just to their bond together. Eddie is not needed as a middleman. I know that this isn’t news, but every single time the show reinforces this truth, that Buck is Christopher’s other dad, that their bond is that deep, I gain 10 years, so I have to mention it. ~~

For 613, I made my weekly gifset about Buck and answers, but I’d actually like to elaborate on what you see there. In 602, at the happiness center call, we see Buck looking to Lev in search for his own answers on what his happiness looks like. When he still can’t find any, he turns to Hen, because she always has them. Along this season, that’s been his theme. He’s trying to figure out what he wants in order to be happy, which is connected to the couch theme we’ve all been screaming about since 601 (and especially after he fell asleep on Eddie’s in 612). In 613, Buck suddenly finds that he’s the guy with the answers and he likes it. But has he really got them? Buck says these words to Eddie and Chris, and in addition to that, while he utters them, he’s literally captured in the same frame together with Eddie. But it’s also essential that we heard why Chris can’t just be given the answers. It’s in order to learn, Eddie tells him. That’s exactly what Buck has to do, he has to find his answers in order to learn from the search process. He’s not just there yet, but the framing of the whole scene coupled with the ongoing couch theme is very loud. ~~

What gets me maybe most of all in a whole ep of REALLY GOOD BUDDIE CONTENT, is the way the whole thing wraps up. The storyline on Buck’s new abilities doesn’t end with any commentary on those or on his recovery process. His last scene in this ep is the one with Chris. It follows directly the one with Hen and Karen, a scene which reminds us that we’re never surprised at either woman spending solo time with and caring about Denny, even though neither is biologically related to him, because they ARE BOTH his parents. In the same way, it’s only natural that we see Buck spending alone time with Chris, without Eddie around. It is so meaningful that the last shot of Buck in this ep is not about his story line at all, and neither his abilities, nor having died for several minutes is the point. Instead, the last, and therefore most significant shot of Buck in this very Buddie domestic ep, is him smiling at their son. I feel like that says everything about his trajectory.

~~ (my weekly meta posts) (my Buddie gifs) (all of my content)

~~ My tag list will follow in the reblog, please let me know  if you wanna be added/removed here.

~~ Thank you so much for reading and for any reblog, like, comment or supportive tag! Also, HUGE thank you to @whosoldherout​. On top of real life stuff, she makes her own amazing gifs AND helps make these posts so much better. She’s the one with the real superpowers!

[wakeupthemembersofbylernation]

why do you think byler is less popular than mlvn on instagram?

on tiktok, tumblr, twitter and pretty much all other platforms byler is the more popular ship, but for some reason mlvns is more popular on instagram.

This is a good question! I’m not sure there’s a definitive answer, but if I were to take a stab at it, maybe it has something to do with the age demographic/type of fan on each platform?

Tumblr is very gay platform, and it’s also a platform for theorizing, so it makes sense that Byler is more popular here. Mlvn just kinda exists right now. There’s not much to theorize about. Like if you really believe that the monologue fixed everything and Mike and El will live happily ever after, then okay. It makes sense why a lot of them believe Mlvn will get married young and have children, cause where else is for them to go? All the other ships have unfinished business, even Jopper, the ship that’s probably in the best place after S4. They still have to figure out how to work together as a couple with a blended family.

Byler is inherently exciting to Tumblr cause it’s all about theorizing and anticipation. And it’s queer. Age demographic-wise, it seems like Byler Tumblr is all over the map too: from millennials who’ve been through this before with other ships that turned out to be queerbait to Gen Z adults my age to younger Zoomers who are truly excited about a ship becoming canon for the first time. There’s probably some of Gen Alpha here too, as well as people from Gen X. This shows that Byler is exciting and appeals to a wide range of folks.

With TikTok, it’s a younger skewing platform, and fandom-wise, there’s an emphasis on edits as well as Byler theorizing. And honestly, Season 4 genuinely didn’t give Mlvns that much to work with when it comes to edits. I mean, Will is in most of the shots. And Mlvn theories don’t seem that exciting. The GA already sees Mlvn endgame as the foregone conclusion, and he monologued to her. What else is there to theorize about? Since TikTok is a newer platform, it seems like there’s just less Mlvn-loyalists making content there, and Byler shippers have just taken it over. This is in large part due to Stranger Things as a whole exploding in popularity during summer 2022 and a lot of people switching sides to Byler during that time. There was a lot of content to create. I also think to some extent angsty edits perform better. And Byler obviously has a lot of angst.

Twitter honestly seems like the biggest war zone to me, which is why I stay away from ST Twitter for the most part. There’s just a lot of petty fights and arguments. Clearly we have a strong presence there, as evidenced by us causing the whole Byler script fiasco in august 2022. Mlvns there seem to be the most toxic, and I’ve noticed they always have Regina George tendencies (a lot of them have PFPs of Millie, Regina George, Barbie, or Olivia Rodrigo for some reason). I don’t know if it’s true that there are more Bylers than Mlvns on Twitter, but if that is true, that’s once again because Byler is just more exciting lol.

I think Instagram is a weird creature overall. It’s older than TikTok, so the fandom presence was likely established in 2016 when Mlvn mania began. It’s not really algorithmically based in the same way (with clear trending topics), so I think it’s easier for people to just follow and interact with accounts they support. I’ve noticed that a lot of the Mlvn accounts are Fillie accounts or Fillie-adjacent accounts often run by young girls (but not always- there are older fans too).

They tend to overly romanticize Mlvn and genuinely see it as the height of romance, even denying that they have any problems whatsoever. And they tend to bombard ST comment sections with extremely overzealous pro-Mlvn stuff, sometimes bordering on bizarre. Maybe part of this is due to IG basically being Facebook for younger millennials/older Zoomers? I think it’s a substantially more normie and less queer space than Tumblr. It’s also picture-based, so Mlvns often post screenshots from the show and pictures of Finn and Millie.

And obviously reddit is pro-Mlvn to an extreme too, with Bylers basically been exiled to the Byler subreddit. But there it’s largely middle-aged men who can’t fathom their favorite nerdy 80s nostalgia show becoming “woke” and gay.

[fluffyllamas-23]

So, from that holiday prompt list if you're feeling like writing... how about something SO soft with 🦠 and 🍵 for Chase and Mason? Your choice on everything else, I'm not picky - I just love those two being sweet with each other so much!

omg thank you so much for this!! I hope you like it, it ended up being longer than I thought it would be, but here you go!

Mason loves his job. He really does. He loves his boss, he loves his coworkers, and he loves getting to interact with such a diverse number of customers on a daily basis. It fills his extroverted need for socialization, and he rarely has any complaints. 

And this isn’t a complaint per say, just that he’s tired of (and from, let’s be real) all the overtime he’s pulled the last month. He feels like he’s worked every day these last few weeks (he hasn’t, but that’s how it feels). As is typical for this time of year, a bunch of his coworkers have been out sick, and he’s been helping cover for them. It’s to be expected - they work in a hotel and are almost always interacting with tons of people who’ve just come off planes and have been traveling. 

Finally, though, after weeks, they’re back up and running at pretty much full capacity. Kaitlin, his boss, told him when he got to work that almost everyone was back, to which he promptly breathed a sigh of relief and then asked if he could have the next couple of days off. He’s so exhausted he can feel it in his bones, and all he wants to do is crawl into bed and sleep. 

She agrees and offers to send him home early, but he declines. He’s exhausted, and going home does sound nice, but he’s already here. Might as well just stick it out. 

The thought of having an actual couple of days off where he doesn’t have to do anything fills him with an excitement he hasn’t felt in ages. Maybe he and Chase can finally have a date night.  

He sends a text to Chase, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. ‘So almost everyone is back, and Kaitlin gave me a couple of days off. Date night soon? 🥺🥺’

Chase responds instantly. ‘YES! 😄😄😄 I’ll grab reservations. Any preference for when and where?’

‘Maybe Tableau tomorrow night if we can get in??? We haven’t been there in a hot minute, I MISS it’

‘I am ON it. The kids are back from music, but i’ll make reservations when we all go to lunch! 🕺🕺🕺🕺’

Mason grins in amusement before he shoves his phone back in his pocket. He’s really looking forward to an official date night. They usually try to get out once every week or two, but with how busy Mason has been, he’s been too exhausted by the time he’s gotten home to want to go out anywhere. It wasn’t even just because of Mason - Chase has been busier with work than usual, too, and they were both in need of some quality time together. 

*

Mason wakes up the next morning feeling way more fatigued and sluggish than he’s felt in a long time. He figures it’s just from work, and he’ll just nap a bit today and be fine. 

He had woken up when Chase was getting ready for work, so he decided to go out into the kitchen and make them both some coffee and breakfast. He’s so tempted to go back to sleep, but he loves their mornings together. He loves having coffee and breakfast with Chase before the business of their days begin. He loves just getting to sit with him and talk before either of them have any obligations to fulfill. 

“You okay, sweetheart?” Chase asks softly when Mason yawns into his coffee again. He’s yawned so much in the ten minutes they’ve been sitting down that his eyes are watering. 

“Yeah,” Mason mumbles, rubbing his eyes. “Just sleepy.”

Chase furrows his eyebrows, concern welling in his chest. Mason seems off, and Chase really isn’t sure why. Sure, it could be that he’s worked so much overtime that he’s just exhausted, but he’s also worked more in the past and hasn’t seemed anywhere near this fatigued.

Chase tries to shake off his concern. Mason will tell him if something is wrong. 

He reaches forward to cup Mason’s cheek briefly before dropping his hand to grab Mason’s. “Honey, you should have stayed in bed and gone back to sleep. You didn’t need to get up and make me coffee and breakfast.”

“But I missed you,” Mason whines playfully, kissing the top of Chase’s hand. “And I'm fully planning on going back to bed once you leave.”

“Good,” Chase smiles. “On that note, I should probably head out.”

“Or you could call out and stay home and cuddle me all day. That would work, too.”

Chase walks around to Mason’s side of the table and leans down to kiss the top of his head, and then his forehead, cheek, and finally lips. “Look, I won’t argue that doing that sounds way more fun than spending the day wrangling fifteen nine year olds, but I should probably show up today.”

“I guess,” Mason sighs dramatically, peeking up at Chase with a grin.

Chase chuckles before kissing Mason’s cheek one last time. “I’m leaving. Get some sleep, I love you.”

“Love you too, have a good day at work.”

Almost as soon as Chase is out the door, Mason goes back up to bed, trying to shake off how weird he feels. There’s nothing specifically wrong, but his body feels so heavy. Sleep will probably help, he thinks to himself. 

He ends up sleeping the majority of the day. The only time he wakes up is to use the bathroom, or because he’s hungry or thirsty, and then he goes right back to sleep. 

By the time it’s time for date night, he’s so invigorated by the thought of spending intentional time with Chase that it overrides any exhaustion he’s felt all day.  

He can’t wait. 

*

Mason had been starving since Chase got home and all the way up until they actually got their food. All of a sudden, though, his appetite disappears completely, and he finds himself picking at the dish. 

He’s gone quiet, too, a really jarring switch from how chatty and vibrant he’d been a few minutes prior.  

Chase purses his lips and leans back in his chair, squinting at Mason, “you okay?”

“Yeah…just…not hungry, I guess,” Mason shrugs with a sigh, avoiding looking at Chase. It’s a shame, because it looks so good, but now the sight of it is just making him kind of nauseous. 

“Sweetheart, you’ve been talking about how hungry you are since i got hom. What happened?”

“Not sure…” Mason trails off, blinking heavily. 

At that moment, Mason’s face pales. Chase sits up straighter in his chair, leaning forward. 

“Mase…what’s going on?” He asks urgently. 

Mason feels awful all of a sudden. Once the excitement of the date had worn off, the fatigue had returned, but it really was the only thing that was wrong. 

Now, though, his head is throbbing and pulsating behind his eyes and in his temples. His throat feels really weird, too. Like he’s swallowing shards of glass, and it’s making him vaguely nauseous. He feels kind of woozy, too, in the most distressing way possible. 

“I don’t feel so good,” he whimpers, eyes dropping to his lap. “Can we go home? I’m sorry....”

“Of course,” Chase says gently, looking around to see if he can flag down their waitress. 

“I’m ruining the entire night,” he moans quietly, eyes pricking with tears. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. We can just stay if you want. It’s fine.”

“Mason,” Chase says gently, reaching across the table to cup his cheek. “You’re not ruining anything. You look like you feel awful, and you’re warm. We’re going home. I just need to pay the bill, and then we’ll go, yeah? Think you can hang on until then?”

Mason shrugs, slumping back in his chair as he rubs at his forehead.  Keeping up with the conversation suddenly feels like too much, and all he wants to do is to curl up in bed and have Chase stroke his hair. 

He can feel Chase’s eyes on him, staring at him so concerned, and if he were feeling better, he’d be feeling kind of uncomfortable right now. 

All he can focus on is how bad he feels. 

“Okay,” Chase says softly, standing up and reaching out for Mason to take his hand. “Let’s get you home.”

When they step outside, they’re hit with a gust of wind. Mason shivers and presses himself closer to Chase. Chase takes his jacket off and drapes it over Mason’s shoulders without a word before he wraps an arm around his waist. He hugs him close, kissing the top of his head. 

They walk to the car, Chase can feel Mason shivering despite the jacket. “Did you feel this bad all day or did it come out of nowhere?”

“I was just tired,” Mason mumbles. “Promise.”

“Okay,” Chase says, gnawing on his bottom lip anxiously.  

The drive home is really quiet, the silence is only punctuated by Mason clearing his throat with a wince. Chase keeps glancing at Mason out of the corner of his eye, trying to both keep an eye on him and the road as he drives. 

“I’m really sorry,” Mason says again when they pull into the driveway. He sounds so tired and sad that it tugs at Chase’s chest.

“Why are you apologizing?”

“I ruined everything. I shouldn’t have said anything, I’m sorry.”

“Mason,” Chase says firmly. “Look at me.”

“I’m sorry,” Mason whimpers, bringing his eyes to Chase’s.

Chase takes his face in his hands gently and kisses his forehead.  “You did not ruin anything. Please stop apologizing. You’re sick. You don’t feel well. This is not in your control, and I’m not mad at you. I just want you to feel better…our night was going to end watching movies and cuddling anyways, this is just quicker than we thought it would be. It’s fine, sweetheart. Now let’s go inside, you can change, I’ll get everything settled for you on the couch.”  

*

In the time it takes for Mason to get changed, Chase has thrown a couple of blankets into the dryer and then set up a blanket fort when they were done, started some hot chocolate, queued up Mason’s favorite comfort movie, and found him some meds. 

“Chase,” Mason says, looking at everything Chase had ready, tears welling in his eyes. “This is so nice.”

“I thought you might like it,” Chase says, walking up behind him.  He tugs Mason closer to him, wrapping him up in a hug. “You sound stuffy, sweetheart.”

“Ugh,” Mason sniffles, burying his face in Chase’s chest. “Yeah, it just kinda hit when I was getting changed.”

Chase rubs Mason’s back, “go lie down, I’ll go grab you a box of tissues.”

“You’re the best,” Mason mumbles, pulling away from Chase. 

With a sharp gasp, he angles his body away from Chase, stifling a stuffy-sounding trio of sneezes against his hoodie sleeve. He sniffles, which just sets off a couple of rough sounding coughs. 

“Bless you, honey.”

Mason sits down on the couch, sniffling as he gets comfortable on the couch and waits for Chase to come back 

He feels awful, but with Chase being so sweet to him, there’s not much he can complain about. He still feels bad for messing up their date night, but they can at least have a nice rest of the night in, watching movies and snuggling until it’s time for bed. 

Things aren’t so bad, Mason thinks as Chase returns in a hoodie and a pair of joggers. Chase flops down next to him, handing him the tissues he’d grabbed, some meds, and hot chocolate.  

“Thank you,” Mason croaks, shifting so he’s nestled against Chase. 

He can feel the exhaustion pulling him back, but he manages to stay up for a little while longer. 

This night is not exactly how he wanted it to go, but he wouldn’t trade spending time with Chase for anything. 

Not for anything.

[ladynightlark]

Ask game!! Any demon slayer character, 20, 21 & 22!

Hi! Thank you for asking!

In honor of it being her birthday today, I’ll do Nezuko!

20. Which other character is the ideal best friend for this character, the amount of screentime they share doesn't matter?

Okay, I know this is going to sound SUPER obvious for those who’ve read my fic, but I 100% stand by the fact that Nezuko and Senjuro would totally be best friends if given the chance in canon. And if I’m being honest, Genya too.

I just love the potential of their interactions and friendship, especially given the many similarities they share (all three of them being the second oldest of their families, having protective older brothers, having “non-traditional” roles in the story/Corps, etc.). I feel like maybe after getting to know them a bit and being in a relaxing environment, all three of them would get along well (or at least have a lot to talk about).

Plus, I feel like the dynamics between them would feed into supporting each other. I don’t know, I just love the idea of them having fun and then it eventually escalating into chaos (because something about them makes me feel like they’ll either be in a quiet, productive study group/chilling in one of their bedrooms doing homework and listening to music kind of vibe or ready to rain absolute chaos and pandemonium once Nezuko and Kenya convince Senjuro to join their anarchy lol).

21. If you're a fic writer and have written for this character, what's your favorite thing to do when you're writing for this character? What's something you don't like?

I think if I had to pick one thing, it would be writing Nezuko trying to figure out the right way to interact with people. It’s fun getting to write through such a different character’s POV from canon Tanjiro, and the one thing that always seems to come up when I write her is her tendency to linger on the little details of the people she meets. I just see her as a very introspective person who, once she decides to get close to the person, wants to understand them better to be as supportive of them as she could be.

As for what I don’t like, I suppose as obvious as it may be, I would have to go with making sure I’m not writing Nezuko as another perfect copy of Tanjiro. I know that, given there are some similarities in how they were raised and their shared values in being kind/good, there are bound to be moments when they would ultimately react in a very similar fashion. However, it’s not all the time, and as easy as it would be to lean into giving Nezuko the same actions/decisions canon Tanjiro would, it wouldn’t do her character justice. So sometimes I have to go back and play around with a scene or two until it feels right and like the moment is a distinctively “Nezuko” moment.

22. If you're a fic reader, what's something you like in fics when it comes to this character? Something you don't like?

I LOVE when writers show Nezuko and Tanjiro having cute sibling moments. Even if it’s small, like them having an inside joke only they would know about or them being attuned to a change in their mood and acting in a way they typically would have when they were younger, that never fails to put a smile on my face.

Something I don’t like is when fics don’t really give Nezuko a lot of personality. I understand that, given Nezuko’s condition as a demon, she lost some of her old self and may have some trouble remembering the past or the people she’s met. However, I think sometimes fic writers forget that she does have her moments where her personality comes out, and she chooses to act on the instincts she had when she was human. I just like seeing her be more involved with fights and being connected with Tanjiro and the rest of the group (even if it’s not to the level it normally would have been).

Thank you, and have an awesome day!

[that-writing-kangaroo-fish]

HAPPY HALLOWEEN WHO WANTS A POKEMON AU FIC (pokemon au of course belonging to @im-feelin-sick) ABOUT HOW NNY GOT A GHOST DOG (and if you'd prefer an ao3 link here it is)

part 4/???

prev

It was a slow day at Nny’s gym. Nobody cluelessly wandering their way in, none of the ghosts causing a ruckus. Just a good day to relax and--

“NNY! I think there’s a new ghost out in the alley!” Sableye called from another room.

--So much for that.  

“And why is that MY problem?!” Nny yelled back, already heaving himself off the couch.

“One of us is the resident ghost-type magnet, and it’s not me!”

...He had no counterargument to that, so Nny kept his mouth shut as he made his way to Sableye. 

The gym, such as it was, was occasionally nightmarish to navigate; he wasn’t sure whether or not any of the Ghost-types could fuck with architecture like that, but he wasn’t particularly inclined to bother looking it up.

It’s not like finding out the reason would make it stop, since a decent chunk of the Pokemon lurking around had... less than positive opinions of him. Most didn’t listen to him.

He found Sableye in what was probably a breakroom at some point in the past, rummaging around in the cabinets. “I figure that maybe this time you can get off to a good start with a new Pokemon, instead of it immediately trying to bite your arm off or something, yeah?” Sableye explained, pulling away from the cabinets and holding up a can of Pokemon food.

“Good point,” Nny admitted, taking the offered can before asking, “Did you get a look at the thing outside?”

Sableye shook its head, exiting the breakroom to lead Nny to the alleyway. “I saw a candle flame, that’s about it. Could’ve been a Litwick, maybe, but it didn’t seem interested in talking. Ran off before I could ask what it was doing.”

Nny hummed, an affirmation that he was listening, while his focus was more on getting the can open with one of his knives. He’d done it enough times that the risk of an accident was low, but not impossible.

Fortunately for him, he was successful, popping the lid off and tossing it aside. “At least it didn’t jump straight to fighting. Might actually be friendly for once,” he said.

Sableye huffed in amusement. “Bringing the tally of Pokemon that tolerate you up to, oh, about 2% of the gym’s population, sure.”

Nny sputtered in indignation, about to go on a slightly-joking tirade in his defense, when he stopped. “--Ah, door’s here.”

Sableye stepped to the side, giving Nny room to open the door and take a look outside.

The alleyway behind the gym tended to be empty - any squatters were either scared off or killed after trying to settle down. That usual emptiness was present, except for a burning candle set right outside the door.

“...Sableye, you’re sure that’s it? It’s just a fucking candle--” Nny started, before getting interrupted by a faint rumble and an unsettling cry as something burst from the ground.

Both Nny and Sableye reacted the way one might expect from a Pokemon and trainer who’ve spent the last few years living in a gym full of vindictive ghosts: Poorly. 

Both were poised to attack, but when the dust settled, what stood before them was a small, gray dog with a candle on its head.

“Huh. Never seen a Ghost-type like this before,” Nny observed as he stowed his knife away, rummaging through his jacket pockets for his Pokedex. It was an old model, the paint chipped away in places, but functional enough.

Finding it, Nny crouched down and set the can of food before the Pokemon, holding up the Pokedex to scan as it ate.

“Greavard, the Ghost Dog Pokemon,” chimed the Pokedex after a moment. “Some say that a dog Pokemon that died without ever interacting with a human was reborn as this Pokemon. Its bite force is strong enough to shatter bones. Th--”  The Pokedex abruptly stopped, its screen going black.

“Fuck’s sake-- I need to get this damn thing fixed,” Nny muttered, glaring at it before glancing back at the Greavard. It looked up at him, its tail wagging as it took a few steps closer. “...Y’know, despite the bear trap situation with its mouth, ‘s a cute dog,” he admitted, scratching it behind the ears.

“And it hasn’t tried to bite your arm off,” Sableye added. Nny rolled his eyes and headed back inside, gesturing for the two to follow. 

---

Around a week or so later, Nny sat cross-legged on his couch, idly channel surfing. As had been the case for the last week, Greavard sat dutifully in front of the couch, chin rested on Nny’s leg.

“Fuckin’ clingy, huh?” He asked, tearing his eyes away from whatever inane garbage was on the screen. “You aren’t very talkative, either, so I don’t expect an answer,” he added, brow furrowed as he thought back to their first encounter.

That Pokedex entry had gotten cut off by its abrupt shutdown. Maybe it had more to say?

With that thought, Nny got out the Pokedex, skipping through the list to Greavard’s entry and reading ahead, instead of relying on the readout. 

“This friendly Pokemon doesn't like being alone. Pay it even the slightest bit of attention, and it will follow you forever.”

...

Shutting down the Pokedex and putting it away once more, Johnny reached down to pet Greavard.

[bluedalahorse]

I was reading through this thread on statistics and mlm slash reblogged by @darktwistedgenderplural, and reflecting on it a bit, as one does. I’ve been active in fandom spaces since the turn of the millennium, and I’ve seen similar versions of this argument on tumblr and livejournal and in other sites for over two decades now. I do think it brings up some reasonable statistical points. At the same time I think that sometimes we think of fandom as a space immune to the influences of patriarchy, when in fact it still at times influences us and nudges us toward which characters we prioritize. I find that I have to do a lot of questioning of my own biases as I explore my various fandoms. Other people’s experiences may vary—maybe your experience is different than mine—and I can really only speak to my own. Maybe what I have to say here resonates with a few of you, though.

Anyway, let me shift to talking with a more positive lens. The more I considered the ideas in that original series of posts, and the more I thought about people agonizing that fic about female characters is harder to achieve than fic about male characters, the more it made me grateful for Young Royals and how well-written its female characters are. Two out of its five main characters are teenage girls, and Sara can even be called the show’s B Plot Protagonist. (Thank you again @heliza24 for sharing your meta about that with us! I think about it at least once every three days.) And Sara and Felice are both what I would call authentic and textured characters, who’ve got really interesting backstories and desires and flaws at play, the same way you get that for dynamic male characters. There’s so much for fanfic writers to work when it comes to the two of them! And I’ve enjoyed writing them both in my time in this fandom, and I’m proud of what I’ve managed to achieve so far in my writing.

Since the post addresses shipping as something fandom loves to do, I also think there’s lots of potential ways to ship the girls on Young Royals—whether that’s shipping Sara and Felice with one another or with other people, or whether that’s shipping the other girls in with other people various femmeslash ships and het ships. I admit I haven’t written Felice/Sara yet, but I’ve written Felice/Maddie and Felice/Rosh and Sara/August. And of course, in the moments when Heart and Homeland allows, I’ve explored the Manor House Girls friendship pentagon, and all the complex interpersonal interactions therein. I’ve seen other great ideas thrown around by other people, too, like the folks who’ve come up with Linda/Kristina backstory in the 1980s and so on.

I hope that as YR develops as a fandom and as we collectively write more fics, we’ll see the number of fics about female characters continue to grow alongside the number of fics about male characters. And also, once again, I think it’s so awesome that Lisa Ambjörn invests so heavily in the female characters on her show. She’s just about my age and my fandom generation, and I know there’s interview notes about her writing m/m slashfic for that wizard fandom back in the early 2000s. Her writing takes what’s awesome about fanfic but also mixes it with what’s great about professionally published fiction, and she did not neglect her female characters in the process. It’d be easy enough for her to just focus on cute boys and ignore the girls, but she doesn’t. And I just thought it was fair to give myself space to gush about that a bit, when a few of the comments in the post I was talking about alluded to writers who aren’t doing the best with the women in their stories.

…

Outside of Young Royals side note: even if I’m not writing fic for these other shows yet, I’m additionally grateful that TV right now has a whole crowd of female characters I can get excited about. There’s the girls of Heartstopper including my beloved Elle Argent, there’s Claudia in Interview with the Vampire, there’s Rose and Essie in When the Angels Left the Old Country (ok that’s a book not TV but I still love it), there’s Helen and Noelene on The Newsreader, there’s Kleo and Lidia Poët in the shows named after them, there’s Maribel and Fanny and Clara and Nines in 45 RPM (although god, nowhere near enough people have seen 45 RPM, and I wish there were more people out there who’d seen it!) That’s just off the top of my head. As more women have been included in writers rooms and have gotten to be showrunners for things—still not nearly enough, but an increasing number—I do think representation for female characters has gotten much, much better overall.

I also realize that… well. Over time, with hindsight, I’ve been able to appreciate female characters from old fandoms that I didn’t before. Like Relena in Gundam Wing, who I in my teen years used to bash relentlessly. Or Éponine in Les Misérables, who I used to roll my eyes at for being in tragic unrequited love, or something. But now I can see the roles they play in their larger narratives, and the nuances of who they are. So I think there’s also a lot of good representation that’s always been there, even if I haven’t always seen it.

I’m hoping that the trend of more and better female characters continues, and I’m hoping that the fandom statistics shift to reflect that with time. Are there any female characters on anyone else’s mind, while we’re chatting about this? Who are your favorites right now?

[2manyflannels]

2, 6, 9, and 10 for therion!!! (I hope I did this right)

OTP: Alfyn/Therion

I know. I know basic. They just hit !! Every travel banter they have together I’m giggling, kicking my feet, twirling my hair.

Also, it’s been said before and will be said again as trust issues vs trust too much, and how they balance

Chefs kiss

The way they care AHHHASVBHf;uiabegfdvhucj aferuwdjpsVCbh8pg9urjsdnuxj

(It also doesn’t help that they’re the most popular on AO3 so they have the most content) 

BROTP: Therion and Primrose

Another pick that is a pretty lukewarm take. They’re besties

They are the most sassiest sardonic pessimistic bitches

They need each other in this group. Or they’ll be overwhelmed by all these sunshiney bitches

They’re the type of besties to check their nails while verbally destroying a bitch.

MLM/WLW s

Favorite Dynamic (s) (Not Necessarily the same as OTP or BROTP)

Besides the alfion and primrose dynamics I do like the general dynamic of the “PATH” travelers. They’re the disastrous double-date to the chaotic family road trip of the “OCTO” travelers.

Tressa and Therion are really funny to think about. They bicker, a lot. The natural rivalry of merchant/thief. 

*to Heathcoat* “You can’t tell me what to do your not Olberic….AND OLBERIC’S NOT MY DAD”

My LGBTQ+ HCS:

uh that boy is 

1) gay

2) trans (he/they)

(but we already knew that)

Random HC

Not to be a Debby-downer, but I do believe that he (like Phili) is a war orphan. I think that his parents died, and that's why he had to learn how to fend for himself so quickly.

General Opinion (I love all the main 8 dearly, but I will answer asks about side characters if prompted)

I love you bebee! 

I love his arc. 

Even though I knew it was coming I did gasp when Darius pushed him off the cliff. 

I feel like he is one of the characters who would benefit from the concept of the travelers interacting with one another and discussing that outside of travel banter, as much as I like the Cordelia-Heathcoat trust, I don’t think that was enough for him to suddenly have faith in people again. I think the unwavering found family he hypothetically gained.

I get why he’s the most popular character in the fandom. He is a tragic edgy boy. The rough exterior soft interior somehow never gets old

–

Number asks!!!:

2: 

More people than he’d ever fucking expect y’know.

 He is the type to care from a distance, but how he shows he cares is really meaningful.

Of course Cordelia and Heathcoat depended on him, and I think even after he returned the dragon stones, they stayed in contact and asked each other for aid time and again. 

I think in a group of a lot of yes-men (Alfyn, Ophilia, Tressa, Cyrus) it’s really helpful (while not always appreciated) to have a loud and stubborn “No man”. (Trust issues suck but they do come in hand) 

Also in The Travelers, I think everyone depends on everyone. No one is not doing their part in the group project y’know. 

6:

He had his purple scarf before Darius, which means it’s something he’s had for a long time. Possibly a remnant of their parents, or maybe the first thing besides food that they stole for himself. 

9:

They don’t. Therion is the type to feel emotions and then immediately repress them. He is a trainwreck of trauma repression, and I think it takes him a long time to feel comfortable expressing himself again, even after traveling with the octogang for a long time. He’s the type to have a bad day and punch a tree. I think once he gets some healthier coping mechanisms in him they’ll open up little by little, especially to Alfyn and Primrose.

10: 

With one eye open. He is on guard. You know how people say that for some animals sleeping openly is a sign of trust. It’s the same for him. He stays on watch until he’s certain no one is up to stab him and run. When he does sleep, it’s rough. A single noise can wake him, and he has constant flashes of Darius, the cliff incident, and other people who’ve probably treated him horribly. It’s not a fun time until let’s say it together now “he gets healthier coping mechanisms”.  

When he does gain a healthier sleep schedule, he sleeps more peacefully but is still a light sleeper and an early riser. 

He also goes to bed later because anyone can tell you it’s easier to steal in the dark.

[riwooga]

Hi!! Sorry for disappearing on everyone

I really appreciate all the people who've stayed interactive and also the people who've sent me asks and messages to check upon me!! That was seriously so unexpected thank you 🥺

But I figured making a quick general post was probably a good idea to clear stuff up

So long story short... I am not dead, I am okay, and no I haven't abandoned DOL as an interest nor decided to never draw it again! I promise! I'll try to return eventually just some health issues!

And under the cut I'll go further into details about my health, so if you don't wanna hear about that, that's totally fair! <333

Be rest assured I’m okay! 💕

But.. For the ones who are curious.

I have in general been on sick-leave with stress for 2 years, mostly dealing with mental health struggles, and mild physical symptoms.

However, my physical symptoms in particular worsened slowly due to a lot of stuff that's just too complicated to get into lol,,,, but it basically all culminated here in February where my physical symptoms have stayed bad™ since, and kinda just… keep getting worse because of my own stubbornness.

Much to my own dismay, I ended up having to actually go to the doctor, which I've put off for a long time,,,, I've already been there numerous times and am also waiting on being sent to 4 different special-clinics that can hopefully also help figure it out, on top of waiting to get into therapy again

But yeah uh there's been a lot of testing, with little results.. For now we're looking at it being most likely that I'm some sort of chronically ill. Right now the suspected ones are POTS and ME/CFS.. Maybe fibromyalgia but I don't personally see the connection on that one-- but we don't know yet. (And it'll likely take a good while to figure out sadly)

My symptoms have, as I said, stayed pretty bad, and in turn my energy is hard to put onto drawing as a priority, when even just as much as standing up takes energy.

But I do still really wanna draw and I do intend to come back to it once I hopefully get a bit more stable again!

So I just wanna say please don't worry about me, it's definitely far from deadly, it's just,,, a major inconvenience and it's been a lot of strain on my mental health in turn. While I am still desperately hoping for a cure or a fix... My doctor said quite firmly not to expect either-- but that there's small chances of eventually lessening the symptoms. So that's what we're hoping! 🥲

Once again thank you to the people who’ve been checking up on me, I really do appreciate that so much 🤧💕💕💕💕

[maxverstepponme]

Was kinda just thinking / playing around with the fact that this blog goes so in depth about how awful of a person, mom, and “girlfriend” Kelly Piquet is I’m really surprised no one here has made its way to a blind item / a bigger gossip forum because YALL ARE DOING THE LORDS WORK ON FINDING THE STEAMIEST ☕️☕️☕️

but then i seriously think about it and Max is a C(+) list celebrity with the raising interest in F1, while Kelly is Miles and miles behind him. Which is very funny because considering how she talks to photographers and other ppl who’ve had interactions with her she definitely thinks she’s up there with max. Modeling is a super hard industry to get into and many many ppl get hired for agency & contractors but not all of them are ppl like Kendall Jenner, the Hadid sisters ect. Her biggest shoot was the Dutch Vogue which from my understanding did not reach the performance it was intended because the contents only really focused on her being a trophy gf and very obviously didn’t point out anything she’s actually done in terms of motherhood, trying to make a name in the modeling world while trying to set herself apart ect, it was about max this and max that and my dads a world champion. She can attend all the fancy Fashion Weeks she wants but just showing up doesn’t actually do anything.

It’s very hard to be come relevant when you don’t have any substance and leeching off a boyfriend is probably the worst way to be come relevant. I 100% believe she tried to baby trap Daniil K and will probably do it to Max. When she had P she had a wonderful working mom in the paddock vibe (bc at time if I’m not mistaken she was in charge of running some f3/ lower junior series’ instagrams / socials) but got rid of it after they split and TRIED to be back into mommy blogging with Max but she cares way to much about furthering her modeling career and using her kid as an accessory to keep up with the stay at home stichk.

There’s soooo many ways Kelly could market herself but relies heavily on F1 fans from max to further her career which in all reality, as someone who just got in the sport a year 1/2 ago and is a female, I’ve had other female friends in the sport WAYYY longer than me and no one really cares about the girlfriends and wife’s. It’s fun too see them in the paddock yes but Most f1 fans are watching for the sport and to cheer on their favorite driver than to be investing in a struggling modeling career.

I also think it’s very psycho to try and alter the reality of a relationship to the point Kelly does. Maybe it’s just me being the type of person who doesn’t feel the need to flaunt / post a relationship (me and my partner have been together 3 yrs and I personally don’t see the point of posting about the relationship/ giving up dates 24/7 because I believe that those moments are better spent between the two of us and not the entire internet). When it gets to the point of faking posting about something as simple as flowers or posting old photos to make it seem like she’s in his apartment/ with him when the detectives on here clearly point out she’s ran off somewhere else is very concerning. She’s 30+ and displays the same type of relationship insecurity as a 16 yr old. Normal people shouldn’t feel the need to constantly verify their relationship with complete strangers online. Its also not that hard to respect the privacy of your S/O but not showing key features of their house, because the fact fans have seen photos of Monaco and now are able to point out max’s apartment is very concerning but it wouldn’t have started If miss K hadn’t obsessively showed off the place.

I definitely don’t think Kelly is stupid, and I know that she knows that once her and max break up a lot of the opportunities she had like meeting maya musk ect will be gone. ANYWAYS BACK TO THE OG POINT I think some of the work ppl do on this blog about the Kelly time lines should definitely try submitting something to a blind items blog because IG seems to be her main platform of outreach and it would be interesting to see how she would respond. This blog holds valid criticism of her /(with other wags but K seems to be the most problematic) and accurate descriptions and timelines of her sketchiness. Keep doing the lords work ladies and gents 💛💛

Skilled nonnies

[imthepunchlord]

Different nonnie, but I totally wouldn’t mind a poly ship of Happiness x Marinette x Self-Confidence if you decide on it, especially in a fic where two big forces in her life are actively trying to keep her down, consistently for years with Chloe in the form of bullying and now a False Friend in First Friend’s clothing trying to groom her into her own Sabrina. With canon at the point that it is as well, I really just don’t have any problems with fics that have Marinette not ending up in any romantic relationship AT ALL, even with authors like yourself who’ve shown that they know how to do it right in previous work. You’re right in that Felix comes in way later and it may be contrived by the point in the story to include him at all, but if you do decide to include him I’m throwing my hat in for canon!Felix, relation and genetic twinning to Adrien included, because it would be really interesting to see how he would bounce off of DaB!Marinette with her not giving a hoot about his cousin’s—and therefore HIS—looks or status and actually personally disliking their whole monochrome, same-clothes-different-pattern fashion deal. Plus, though this might be me projecting and please feel free to correct me if I am, I get real aesthete and/or demi Marinette vibes from how Marinette describes Adrien’s appearance, so it would be interesting to see what Felix thinks of a girl who, on both beats, just isn’t super interested in him given what he’s probably used to. Plus, with the story not really focusing on Adrien outside of his interactions with Lila, Marinette, and maybe Nino, it would interesting seeing Felix figure out the whole Evil Butterfly deal going on with Gabriel and helping out given how hyper competent he is (or only how hyper competent the writers want you to think he is in his later episodes unfortunately) in-show.

Oh that'll be the first and for most for Marinette. It is going to be an angsty start for her, but it will get better for her.

And man I get that, especially with what I know of canon at this point and where she's at emotionally. She needs therapy far more than she needs a romantic partner. And you know, not all writings, fics, books, and even shows, need romance. I still stand that the best romances in a series that's an adventure story are the ones that are hinted at, but aren't the focus. And at this point in ML, I would rather that love and support of friends and family than her ONLY getting love and support from of her love interest. Especially with how they have been handling it >_>

On Felix preferences, noted. Luckily, this being fanfic, it can be easily arranged for him to come to Paris earlier; though I will put off him learning of the Agreste plot as I will need HM for a while as characters grow and relationships change and akumas can play a part in that. It's still the main reason I haven't had Felix figure it out yet in Copycat cause once he does, that fic should be close to coming to a close.

And to answer what you picked up on, yes, Marinette is on the ace spectrum for DaB (and for most of my fics), which is more me projecting cause I am ace myself. Felix is another I've always headcanoned to be more on the ace spectrum too. So if/when he shows up, expect him to also be ace coded.

[doberbutts]

Yesterday an article popped up about how Kingdom Hearts 3 sold more copies than any individual game within the series combined and how that was actually bad for future of the Kingdom Hearts series and it just seemed like a lot of pessimistic nonsense and it made me realize that’s what bothers me about so much journalistic interaction with entertainment media nowadays.

It was saying how Kingdom Hearts 3 was overburdened with tying all the loose ends together rather than it being its own plot (agreed) and as a result was completely inaccessible to new fans due to the overly convoluted nature of the plot. Which like. Did we play the same game? I’m not saying the KH series isn’t bloated with enough tangential plotlines to make me wonder if the creators have some serious commitment issues, but KH3 introduced the cutscene theater and continuously referenced past games and story beats over and over and over again starting with the intro and continuing throughout the game to the point I thought it was a little masturbatory. Maybe it’s because I played every game in the series that I could easily identify each callout to something from a different game they were tying in but there were so many “oh you wouldn’t remember, let me remind you” and “don’t you remember?” and “ah yeah that was a while ago well let me explain” points that I felt the game was more “interactive cutscene” than “actual videogame” by the ending.

It then followed up by saying that KH3 outsold all of its predecessors so much that the success was actually a failure to draw new fans to the older games of the series and thus they wouldn’t understand the plot. But, KH3 wasn’t resold or returned at high rates to match the high sales costs, which implies that most people did play and enjoy and engage with it even if they hadn’t bought the previous games. That... kind of implies they either did understand the plot, or they watched any of the “Kingdom Hearts Movie” cutscene compilations on YouTube to catch up on things they weren’t getting, or they accessed the earlier games in ways that gaming stores’ reporting sales don’t track (piracy, private resellers, streamers, etc).

And thus, due to KH3 absolutely killing it with the sales, the future of the KH series is bleak because it’ll be bloated with new fans who have no idea what’s going on. Even though KH3 finished the currently overcomplicated story and we’re supposed to be getting a brand new story arc with the new set of games.

And it finished with saying that Kingdom Hearts is overall a weak sell (despite it being stupidly popular and having fantastic sales for many of its games) because the complicated plot doesn’t re-explain itself for new fans jumping in halfway through. Which at that point I’m just a little curious if the author of this article understands what a series is and how series work.

Like. I’m not saying I disagree with the heart of the statement “each entry in a series should stand on its own and not need outside explanation”- but I think if you are relying on established events that happened in a prior entry to the series, you’ll slow the plot down by rehashing what people who’ve experienced the series in the correct order already know. I started my KH journey with Chain of Memories, you know, the gameboy advance game. Did I understand every story beat? Nope. But it was enjoyable enough on its own that I knew I liked Kingdom Hearts as a concept and I’d be looking for other entries to the series. I played 2, and then backtracked to the first one while waiting for everything that came after. Then I played in what was more or less the correct order. I started as a new fan midway- admittedly, at the second entry to the franchise rather than all the way at the end- and realized that I really liked this series.

The article also complained quite a lot about the inaccessible nature of the rest of the KH series and how it’s a bajillion games spread across a bajillion consoles and I also had the same complaint once upon a time, but in a world post-KH3 where you can get literally the entire series to-date on two discs (I guess 4 technically- with 2.8 and also 3 itself) all for the same console, that’s a weak argument to be making. As long as you have a PS4 and roughly 300 hours of time spread between multiple games, the entirety of the series is readily accessible for under $100. Less, if you know how to emulate.

It just seemed very odd to me. This game sold so well and that’s bad because it means its inaccessible to new fans and dooms the series to fail in the future. How does that even work?

[tuulikannel]

just some nightly ramblings about Nagito

I was just thinking about a post I made recently about how much I love the interactions of Nagito and Hajime in the Ultimate Talent Development Plan, and… it’s all so funny, except honestly, it’s actually quite sad. And then I started thinking about Nagito in general, his past and family and, well, you know, everything. And… well. This is the point where I tell certain mutuals who’ve not played DR2 yet to stop reading, in the case you are. ^~ In fact, let’s put here a cut…

So. Here are those scenes from UTDP:

Hajime: Do you say this kinda stuff to everyone you meet? Nagito: *surprised Pikachu face* Yes, I do. Why?

Hajime: Nagito, let go of my hand. Nagito: What? Why? Hajime: Why…? This is a handshake. Normally you let go when the handshake’s done.

I mean, it’s funny, it’s dorky, it’s cute, and it’s a clear sign that someone here has very low social skills and ability to read social situations. And most likely this is something caused by his condition; apparently difficulty interacting socially with others is a key symptom of frontotemporal dementia. So, yeah, first of all, Nagito… I’m sorry I’m laughing at you for being “funny” like this. Of course, I’m no expert in the matter, and I don’t know how well Nagito’s behavior really fits this condition, and who am I to guess authorial intent and all that, but I’m at least assuming this is what his weirdness is supposed to be about. So, yeah… is it really that funny?

And I wonder if there aren’t other sources for his social awkwardness, too. Like, for example, the lack of social relationships during his whole(!?) life. I wonder if he has ever really had friends. In Ultimate Summer Camp, there is an event where he goes to movies with Hajime and Ryoma, and he’s all excited about it, saying that it’s his first time going to movies with friends. Just think about that. First time. Going to movies with friends. In high school. Also, in the island mode of DR2, he mentions that he has only been to an amusement park once before with his parents. Never with friends, in other words. He has never even sat at a park talking with someone.

Is it any wonder, then, that just trying to talk normally with someone (albeit someone important to him), makes him feel like this:

I was also wondering about his relationship with his parents. I think it’s safe to assume that Nagito has always had his crazy luck. What did his parents think about it? They must have noticed early on something was off. Did they worry over their son? Did they fear him? Did they love him despite everything? They took him to an amusement park – once. I wonder what happened that they never did that again…

One line Nagito said in the first class trial remained with me long after, even before I knew anything else about his past: “Nobody's ever complimented me on my appearance before! Not even my own mother!” I mean… there are all kinds of personalities, and I bet not all mothers are always gushing about how handsome their little boys are, wearing a suit for the first time or whatever, but still. Never? His parents never gave him any compliments, at least not when he was old enough to remember it? That’s… sad.

There's also Nagito's firm believe that he is ultimately worthless. Where does that come from? He is clearly quite intelligent, yet he calls himself stupid and insignificant. For a 15-year-old kid to be so sure of his worthlessness... that doesn't happen without outside influence. I doubt mere lack of support (what his parents never complimenting him hint at) is quite enough for this. Okay, maybe I'm overthinking things... but the bits and pieces we have about Nagito's relationship with his parents do seem quite worrying to me. I’m kind of wondering… did all the bad stuff their son brought to their life make them resent him?

When Nagito talks about his parents' death, he doesn’t really show any sorrow at all. OK, it might be partly due to his condition, and partly because just to remain sane on any level, he has convinced himself that all the bad stuff will lead to good stuff in the end… so even his parents’ death is just a sacrifice for the greater good. But what is that greater good, in this case? His parents died in front of his eyes, and he’s telling about it like, “oh, but then I inherited a lot of money, so all’s good!” Now, I’m not saying he wouldn’t have felt sad (and guilty) about it, and perhaps he just blocked it all away, but I honestly wonder about his relationship with his parents and how close they really were. It’s also good to keep in mind that this happened when he was in elementary school. That means he was under 13 years old. This was years before his sickness kicked in, so in this regard, apart from his weird luck, he should have been a pretty normal kid. I wonder how he really felt about their death back then. If it was even half as devastating to him as it should have been, would he really be able to talk about it so lightly now?

Btw, do we know anything about what happened to him after their death? Who took care of him? He was way too young to be on his own, anyway. I’m also now wondering about why they were traveling with him in the first place. They must have known it’s risky business to get on an airplane with someone like him. (A weird new head canon that was just born: they were traveling in order to find healer/exorcist/something in those lines to fix their son’s strange luck!) Or… maybe I really am reading too much into the few lines we have about his parents. Maybe they were a happy family on a vacation, and that’s all. (I wish.)

Yeah… it’s past 2 am, so sorry if all of this isn't making any sense. I should head to bed. What was the point of all this anyway? Just… Nagito’s somehow so funny and so sad at the same time, and I’m eternally torn between “don’t ever change, my darling fluffhead <3” and “imma take this boy to therapy right about now” …that's all, I guess. If anyone has any opinions about any of this, please share, but for me, it’s bedtime now.

[thetaekookcloset]

I just wanted to drop in to say that I really enjoy your blog, and I loved reading through all the links in your pinned post. Thank you for providing such a great space for Taekook discussion here on tumblr.

I’m curious - you mentioned how you were about 85% convinced of TK being together romantically. I wonder if that figure has changed at all in recent times?

I ask because most times I hover at the 60-70% mark 😂 If I really think about it most days, my logical side comes out and I’m like, Really? Would two members who’ve worked and even once lived with each other everyday of their lives these past ten or so years fall in love? Come on now.

But then seeing JK with Wooga at Hobi’s party really brought back the shipper in me 😂😂 Wooshik following ONLY JK and liking all his posts fairly consistently has already been a constant thorn in that part of my brain that tries to resist shipping, but actually seeing him WITH them, without Tae around, was a huge green flag.

I know you’ve briefly discussed this encounter already but I wonder what you make of TK’s recent activity and what YOUR bigger picture is of their relationship right now. At the very least, I think they’re very very close friends? And on the other hand, that small, hopeful part of me thinks they’re something more.

Sorry if this is rambling, and thanks in advance for your patience in answering this 💜💜💜

Hello and welcome!!  Thank you so much for your kind words, they are so appreciated, and I’m really glad you’ve been enjoying the blog!  💜

I truly feel you in terms of trying to resist the shipping.  Obviously I’ve pretty much embraced it now, but when I first started getting into BTS, I had that same logical voice in my head telling me that the odds of any of the members getting involved with each other were so slim that it just didn’t make sense.  Sometimes I still hear that voice honestly.

When I first really fell in love with Taekook -- as in, Taehyung and Jungkook as a unit within BTS -- I didn’t think there was anything going on between them, but I did already think there was something very Romantic about them.  At first, that was what I loved, the fact that they acted so boyfriendy even though, I was sure, there couldn’t possibly be anything going on there.  The moment I really fell for them was when Taehyung dragged Jungkook across the room to get his basketball down from on top of the machine even though they’re basically the same height.  It didn’t make me think they were dating, but it did seem like Boyfriend Behavior, and I loved the idea of these two friends being that close.

As I saw more and more of them, that boyfriend behavior just really racked up.  Eventually it was like, okay -- maybe they act like boyfriends because they just are lol.

I chose my 85% figure in that post because I’m pretty much always moving between 75% to 95% convinced that they’re romantically involved.  At this moment right now, I would say that I’m at about 90%.  They seem to spend too much time together, know each other too well, and be physically too close to each other to be anything less than extremely close friends, in my opinion.

For me, though, most of the time “close friends” just doesn’t seem to explain all the little weird details, all the discrepancies -- things like Wooshik only following Taehyung and Jungkook, or Jungkook hanging out with Wooga Squad members at Hobi’s party, or Taehyung constantly talking about Jungkook and posting him on Insta.  Those are details that for me definitely seem to point more in the direction of “dating” rather than “friends.”

I have to try to maintain that healthy skepticism, and there is always that chance that they’re just extremely soft friends who adore each other and have no physical boundaries and also snip at and scold each other sometimes -- all of those things could be true between two friends who are very familiar with each other.  That’s why I’m not 100% convinced.  But truly, the more time passes, the more interactions I see, the more they look like a couple to me.

If anything, they’re like a couple that’s been together so long that they’re just part of each other, flowing in and out of periods where they’re more demonstrative and others where it’s more about the comfort they find in each other, like vines that have interwoven over years growing together, helping to hold each other up.

And while that logical part of my brain does still wonder what are the odds?, there’s another part that wonders, why not?  Two people living together under high pressure, growing up together, sharing dreams and passions and goals, needing support, discovering themselves alongside each other -- two very different people who nevertheless complement each other so naturally?  Stranger things have happened.