#( a possible extended hiatus actually! )

[genericpuff]

I dont think snailords is literally going to end the series in 20 episodes. I think he is plotting the rest of the season and has the option to extend it 10 or 20 episodes.

That's not what he implies in his post, though, at all. The wording is very clear:

He's not saying "I have the ending for Death : Rescheduled planned out but I have this one mini arc I want to do before it", he's literally saying "the comic is ending whether you like it or not, but if you give me $1k I'll make sure it's 20 weeks from now instead of 10." He doesn't say he's plotting out the end which is however far from now, he just goes straight into "I'm gonna end the comic in either 10 episodes or 20". And then of course even goes to say "decide whether you want 20 more weeks with Kissae and Kreyul, or 10 more weeks to say goodbye". If he didn't want to give his readers the impression that that meant it was ending within that time range... then why phrase it like that? It doesn't help either that his phrasing is supported by his updates, where he says shit like:

(Also I couldn't find them but there are other screenshots out there of him saying shit like "thanks for showing you love the series" in a way that's frankly rude af because it's basically like he's asking for money for his readers to 'prove' they love him and his work, and that wouldn't be the first time he's done that either.)

If he is saying what you're suggesting, then he's not being clear about it at all because the language is very seriously implying that it's going to be ending when it returns. Which I'd hope it isn't considering what other readers are pointing out that the story has basically just gotten going and I'd hate for this to turn into another Freaking Romance situation, but I don't know how else we're supposed to read "

And, as I mentioned in my post about it, why on earth even contemplate putting in this mini arc that he's asking for $1k as a deciding factor over if he doesn't even have it written? He says he's way more confident just writing the finale arc as is, so why drag it out with an arc he's not completely confident in?

And of course, there's the urgency. If Death : Rescheduled isn't entering its ending arc after it returns from midseason hiatus - if it still has potentially years of storytelling left - then why now? Why suddenly ask your readers to buy $1k worth of merch in 24 hours or less to help you make a decision... if the actual consequences of that decision won't be made apparent for ages?

And at the end of the day, even if it's a possibility he meant what you're suggesting, that doesn't make it any less scammy to hold the comic's potential ending for ransom? Speaking as a comic writer myself of the last 10+ years, getting money from the audience in this kind of way has never ever been a deciding factor in how I write my work. Sure, things like stretch goals and Patreon milestone rewards are a thing, offering bonus chapters or NSFW art or just additional goodies if you hit a financial goal or if people sign into a certain tier, all that makes sense, but if what you're offering is worded specifically to make your audience panic - not saying "hey , you guys get an extra bonus 10 episodes if I hit this goal by this date" but rather "hey, you guys won't get AS MANY episodes if you don't pay me $1k in 24 hours or less" - and ultimately gets your readers an extra 10-15 episodes of an arc you're not even confident in writing ... the fuck is that, even? Just write the story you want to write, why do you gotta make your audience freak over not getting as much comic as they might want only to twist it into "surprise, it was for charity!" in the end?

The whole thing is silly and yeah, I'm calling it for what it is - a scam - because it's not the first time Snailords has taken advantage of his audience and played on their emotions and need for short-term gratification all for his own financial benefit. It's not even the first time he's tanked his own comic from rushing the ending simply because he was done playing with it. So at this point I wouldn't be surprised if the comic does come back and proceeds to spend 10-15 episodes waffling on a directionless mini arc before rushing into a 10 episode finale.

That said, that's all my two cents on it, you don't have to agree with me. I really don't feel like I'm misinterpreting his words but maybe someone else could enlighten me if there's something I'm missing here; that said, considering even his own readers were calling him out on this and that he never actually made efforts to clarify what could be poor language, I don't think I'm an outlier and I don't think there's even any misinterpretation happening. Maybe he'll prove me wrong, but I've yet to see this guy do anything to prove that he's capable of doing the right thing. And frankly, even if what you suggested turns out to be true and the comic goes on for a long while before actually hitting that $1k-funded mini arc (and again, I kinda hope it does just so we don't end up with a repeat of what happened with Freaking Romance) it doesn't make any of this feel less gross IMO.

#snailords #webtoon critical

[theroyalsims]

BREAKING: NOT YOUR ORDINARY BUILDER - GUS IS A SELF-MADE MAN AND ANYA’S ELUSIVE FIRST LOVE

There’s more to him than meets the eye! More details of Anya’s latest love have emerged and it looks like he’s not just a regular builder, contrary to what was earlier reported.

“Gus” is actually Baris Gustavo Aslan, a licensed Engineer and owner of Aslan Builders, a construction company operating in Rennaux, Tartosa, and Champs les Sims. He graduated from the Université Royale de Rennaux with a degree in Civil Engineering. He also holds a Masters in Engineering from the same university. If that university sounds familiar, it’s because it happens to be the very same school that The Crown Princess attended. While they were, indeed, schoolmates, the pair reportedly first met as children. Gus also served in the Rennaux Army (Rennaux has mandatory military service), and prior to moving permanently to Tartosa, was a volunteer firefighter in his neighbourhood's fire brigade.

(Above: Anya's new -old- beau is her first love and childhood sweetheart, engineer Gus Aslan.)

Gus is the eldest child of Lucia, a native of Tartosa, and Emir Aslan, who emigrated from Ekhkare, a country located north of Al-Simhara. He has two younger sisters, Dilara and Gül. His dad was a train conductor, while his mum worked at the Rennaux Palace gift shop as the store manager. It is there that Gus reportedly first met Crown Princess Anya. Anya, along with her siblings Eleanore and Alistair, used to "work" at the gift shop during their summer vacations in Rennaux. A source reveals:

"They first met as children. The Queen's oldest kids, Anya, Eleanore, and Alistair, used to 'work' at the gift shop where they would be paid in cakes and cookies. It was something they looked forward to during their summer trips to Rennaux. That's when Gus and Anya first met. They were maybe, seven, eight years old? At that time, the Aslans were living in Rennaux. Gus' mum was the shop manager.

Gus and Anya became quick friends, and their friendship lasted throughout their teens. They secretly started 'officially' dating right before they both entered uni. I think Gus was a major factor why Anya chose to study in Rennaux. However, they broke up shortly before graduating from uni."

(Above: Gus and Anya were spotted having a lunch date in Rennaux over the weekend. Rennaux has become their "middle ground" as of late, meeting halfway to make time for each other despite their very busy schedules.)

Although it was common knowledge that Anya was seeing someone when she was studying in Rennaux, not much was known about the Crown Princess' elusive "first love." The radio silence was attributed to rumours of an NDA and threats from both the Rennaux and Brindleton royal families. Further, Anya's godfather, the Duke of Fjord, owns television and radio networks, as well as major publications in Rennaux - making it completely possible to bury any news about young Anya's relationship.

Why Anya's past with Gus was kept hidden is unsure. However, what's certain is the fact that they're giving their relationship another go. The two reportedly rekindled their romance last year when Anya traveled to Tartosa to purchase a villa. The source further reveals:

"Anya had her eyes set on this beautiful villa, so Anya made a few early trips to Tartosa to see the place. She loved it, but it needed a bit of work. When she returned during her hiatus, she was introduced to a 'contractor' who specialised in restoring historic houses. Of course, that contractor turned out to be Gus.

These two were inevitable. They were like two magnets drawn to each other. I'm convinced Anya tried to fight it because I genuinely think that Gus was her biggest heartbreak - him being her literal first love and all. Gus, too, was a bit apprehensive because he's had his heart broken before. But things just clicked into place. They started talking and hanging out again. Anya extended her stay and they spent more time with each other. When they were apart, they stayed in constant touch via video calls and text. Gus flew in a few days before Winterfest. Anya made stealthy trips to Tartosa during the holidays. By then, they both knew that they wanted to be with each other."

(Above: These two only have eyes for each other! Anya loves being in Rennaux because unlike in Brindleton, she can go around town -with bodyguard in tow, of course- without making too much of a fuss.)

As for Gus being a "measly" builder, the source further spills:

"To begin with, there's nothing 'measly' about the job. Being a builder is honest and decent work, and Gus knows that - that's why he's not at all afraid to be hands-on with his projects. He could very well just sit in a comfy chair, wear a tie, and boss his people around, but having come from very humble beginnings, he knows the value of hard work. He's well-loved by his people and he treats everyone as his equals. He's not Mr. Aslan. With his team, he's simply 'Gus.' But don't let the tattered hat and muddy boots fool you. He's very well-off. He's a self-made millionaire who lives very comfortably - he just doesn't like to show-off."

The case of Anya's Mystery Man is officially solved! A second chance love - who'd have thought? You know what they say - love is sweeter the second time around. Hopefully that saying rings true to Anya and Gus! And can we just say, these two make a very beautiful couple! Here's hoping we see more of our new favourite lovebirds soon!

#ts4 #theroyalsims #ts4 simblr #simblr #ts4 royals #ts4 royal #ts4 royal family #ts4 royalty #ts4 royal story #ts4 royal legacy #mystory #anya #gus

[lucycola]

TOS!Spock x Fem!Reader; The Visitor Part 2

ON HIATUS FOR THE TIME BEING

Modern!AU where Spock is an alien who lands in the reader’s backyard and seeks shelter while repairing his ship. Eventual romance and smut.

In The Original Series it is said Spock is a vegetarian, not vegan, so I’m basing this part off of that information. 

WARNINGS: Mentions of blood and bodily harm. Awkwardness. Spock is tall and the Reader is not. Foot kink if you squint. Not proof read at all. PART ONE 

Part 2:  And the zipping white light beams disregarding bombs and satellites. That was the turning point- that was one lonely night

Sparse sun rays of a dreary morning ghosted through the curtains of your bedroom. The night was enveloped in sweaty tossing and turning. You remembered anxious nights before the first day of school where it took you hours to fall asleep and when you finally did you dreamt of still trying to fall asleep. You could never tell if you actually slept that way.

This night was no different.

It was easier to help your visitor into the house, as he wasn’t unconscious this time. He had leaned onto your shoulder and excused himself to the bathroom to change.

You hadn’t been sure what to do at that point, but directed him exhaustedly to a spare room. You had sealed most of the rooms to reserve heat to save money. You felt guilty for how cold it had been and thankfully the old heater in the corner worked.

You shut yourself up with your dog and lay with the fire poker for good measure. You were still equally spooked as you were tranced. Was it a dream? The green blood felt real, but it was so outlandish it couldn’t possibly be.

At some point Spaghetti was scratching the door so hard you let her out of the room. If she wanted her liver eaten, fine so be it.

When you were sure it was finally morning you roused from bed feeling your whole body ache.

You slowly pushed open the door wincing at the creak. His room was only a little down the hall. You ridiculously crawled on all fours until you came next to his doorframe. You swore you had left it closed but now it was just wide enough for your dog to push her way through.

You peeked in and saw he was lying under the two quilts you had placed atop him. Spaghetti was nestled into his side and you inwardly screeched. His head faced away from you as you slowly crept in. 

His chest rose and fell calmly. The pit of anxiety in your stomach unfurled into a sigh of relief. Spaghetti’s tail began to thump and you slowly crept back out. 

You dawdled to the den slowly and fumbled the fire poker back into its stand. 

You felt a chill slither down your back and absentmindedly you fiddled around for some kindling to make another fire. Despite not having cleaned out the ashes from the night before it caught easily. You would have to chop more before the weekend was over and fortunately for you the logs outside were protected with a tarp. Otherwise they would be soaking wet. 

You didn’t know why such a thing preoccupied your mind. There was a damn alien in your house and firewood was at the top of your list? 

You fell back into the couch. How long would he be here? Would his own kind come looking for him? Would your kind look for him? You desperately did not want the FBI knocking at your door. 

What the hell were you going to feed him? Could he eat Earth food? He did say he was half human-albeit he also said he was a vegetarian. What were you supposed to feed a vegetarian.

“Woof.”

“Dog,” you huffed in response, accustomed to your pet’s voice. 

“Human.”

You looked up to see your guest had risen, still in your grandfather’s clothes. He was a bit pale, but seemed alright for the most part. Spaghetti was at his side, tail still wagging. Damn dog. 

You stood immediately, “Did I wake you?”

“Yes, but it is of no consequence,” he replied, “I extend my gratitude for your assistance last night.”

You nodded, mouth feeling dry. You ran your fingers through your hair, finding a large knot. Your neck flushed. You must have looked awful. 

He himself endured the awkward silence. Spaghetti was the first to break it. 

“Breakfast,” you chirped, “I need to feed her. Are you hungry?”

You went into the kitchen, trying to smooth down your hair and retrieved her food bag from the pantry. If you didn’t keep it locked up she’d devour all of it in one day and probably die of an intestinal blockage. You almost learned that the hard way shortly after inheriting her and the house. 

Spaghetti trudged to you once her bowl was filled and began chomping away. 

Spock still stood at the corner of the rug, the left side of his frame bathed in little fire light. You avoided his gaze by ducking into the fridge.

“You said-eh-Vulcans don’t eat meat, right? Can Vulcans eat eggs and toast?” you asked, still feeling the heat at your neck and ears. 

“I suppose that will be acceptable.” 

His voice was much closer, causing you to jump and hit your head inside the refrigerator. You turned and found that indeed he was much closer than before. You hadn’t even heard his footsteps.

You had forgotten how tall he was. 

“Right!” you blurted, “I’ll get started on that. Do you drink coffee?”

He shook his head, “Although my mother has an affinity for it, Vulcans prefer tea.”

You nodded again, “I’ll see what I can do.” You began to rummage through the cupboard. 

“Could I be of assistance?” he asked, having taken a step back. Did he sense it-how you felt?

“No-no, please. You’re still hurt. Just sit down.”

He didn’t move to argue with you and did as instructed. He laid his hands atop the kitchen table, brushing off some crumbs from the placemat. 

Why were you so flustered by him? You didn’t feel that way helping him change or into bed. If anything you were wholly consumed by anxiety. 

What if you hadn’t stitched him properly? you remembered thinking, What if he bled to death in your house? 

He had developed a shiver about him that night so you layered him heavy with quilts, even pulling one off your bed for good measure. You had whispered fiercely into the old heater in the corner, threatening it with the dumpster if it didn’t turn on. Thankfully the old crystals rattled to life and filled the room with its orange glow. 

Now he was at your kitchen table politely and patiently waiting to be fed. Spaghetti was done with her own breakfast and settled at his feet. 

You scowled inwardly. That dog had never been that nice to you. You wondered if it was because of the scent of his clothes-reminding her of her old master. 

You managed to find some ancient tea your grandmother had in the cabinet and set the kettle to boil. You hoped to every and any holy entity it didn’t taste like shit. You fetched eggs from the fridge and procured a pan. 

“How do you like your eggs?” you asked. 

“I was not aware there were multiple ways to like them.”

“Well, there’s more than one way to skin a cat.”

“Am I to understand your kind consumes them?” he quipped.

You stifled a sigh, settling on whipping the eggs in a bowl, “No-we don’t eat cats. Well, some people might. I’ve never met one. It’s just an expression really.”

Neither had you seriously met someone seriously considering eating a feline either. You had only heard racists jokes, which was not something you wanted to unpack right now. 

While you were scrambling the eggs Spaghetti had managed to flip over her food bowl and began to whine. She sat sternly by it, despite the fact that it had long been empty and she knew how to flip it back. 

She whined loudly, wanting more kibble. 

“No,” you replied, “That’s all you get for now. Don’t indulge her-she’s just an asshole.”

Despite your order Spock was already crouching with the ghost of a wince on his features. He flipped the bowl back over. 

You were seriously considering eating dog. 

“Do your people have expressions?” you asked after depositing toast and eggs on a plate for the both of you. 

He settled back down at the table, his reply deterred by the sudden whistle of the kettle. You rushed to it, setting it off the eye. You poured the water in his cup, hoping the tea wasn’t awful. It almost looked like it dated nearly twenty years. When you had first moved in and were cleaning out the freezer you found frozen vegetable and meats dating even farther back. 

“Yes, but they are not as colorful as Terran ones I have found. I know a few from my mother, but none of the likes of which you shared today.”

You blushed again, “I’m sorry-it’s my raising I guess.” You set his plate and tea before him gingerly, avoid eye contact. You felt silly. 

You had a million questions. How far was Vulcan from Earth-what was it like? What was their language like? Did they all wear robes as he did or was that exclusively for travel? Were their more planets beyond Earth like Vulcan? Did all Vulcans have pointy ears?

“Do you have shame?” he asked. 

You were snapped out of your inner wondering. 

“What?” you sat across from him. 

“Your tone indicates your ‘raising’, as you put it, as an excuse rather than an explanation. It would seem you are shameful.”

You sighed for a moment and decided to be truthful, “Sometimes. Not for my grandparents or this house. I mean we weren’t the richest or the most sophisticated.”

He looked at his plate for a moment and picked up the fork, twisting it in his right hand. 

“I understand,” was all he offered. 

You normally ate a quick pace. Spaghetti had trained you that way. You had to be fast so she wouldn’t purposely drool all over your feet or lap. 

The visitor ate slowly, without an hint of whether he liked his breakfast or not. You flushed again at the sight of your empty plate and his still half full. 

He probably thought you were a pig. 

“Do you?” you blurted. 

“Pardon?” He glanced up from his ministrations. 

“Feel ashamed of your upbringing?” 

“Vulcans do not feel shame,” he stated plainly, resuming his meal. Spaghetti trudged over to him and began to slobber at his socks. He gently prodded her head to the side, not paying her much attention other than so.

“Why?” you asked incredulously. 

“Shame is a human emotion.”

“What-do Vulcans have their own set or something?” you snarked, allowing yourself to giggle. 

“Vulcans adhere to a practice in which we do not partake in such expression. Such is the philosophy of Surak.”

You stared at him. Like you were supposed to know what that meant.

“Who’s Surak?”

His right brow twitched ever so slightly. 

“A Vulcan philosopher.” He drank his tea, once again with no hint to whether it tasted good or bad. “One who taught that emotions makes one illogical and hindered the improvement and growth of a successful and peaceful society.”

You tapped your foot, beginning to feel the red swell on aggravation behind your lips.

“You have no shame, yet you understand it? How is that possible?”

“I was taught the history of my civilization. We were once like the humans-living rashly at the expense of survival-at the expense of our evolution to a greater society.” 

“So, what, you’re saying Vulcans are better than humans for that?”

He placed the utensil back down cleanly on the plate and moved his elbows to prop on the table. He steepled his long fingers and locked his eyes with yours.

“Once again you keep inferring from declarations I have not given.”

You crossed your arms, “Indirectly. You were once like humans and now that you’re not you’re better for it?”

“Once again-”

The shrill bell of the kitchen phone interrupted the tension, slicing through it with each ring.

You went to it quickly, leaving your breakfast alone. Please, God, don’t let it be the FBI. 

“Hello?” 

“Good mornin’!”

“Doctor Beltik!” you strained through clenched teeth. You instantly recognized the cheery voice, slowly deteriorating in sharpness from its age. 

The town veterinarian was as old nearly as the town itself-as old as your grandparents would be if they were still here. He was a good friend to them and Spaghetti’s mortal enemy. 

“Little lamb, how are ya?”

“I’m well.” 

You glanced back at Spock and mouthed an apology. He only nodded ever so slightly and continued his breakfast while coolly keeping your dog at bay with the heel of his foot. 

A fucking pro already. You chuckled at that. 

“And the ole girl?” 

You stifled a huff. You did not have time for old chit chat, as much as you loved the old vet. 

“She’s the same-Doctor Beltik I really-” you started but were cut off.

“I won’t keep ya long, lamb, I wanted to ask if your power went out last night. It was quite a storm-largest lightening strike we’ve seen since your ma was a wee thing! Darned thing lasted a long time, nearly blinded me! Not that I’m not already halfway there anyway.”

You paled a bit feeling the eggs churn in your belly. What if someone saw the crash or the ship? How foolish could you be to think anyone could really believe that that was lightening. The vet was a fossil and maybe a little silly, but anyone in their right mind-”

“Y/N?” the vet asked, “Ya still there?”

“Yes!” you sputtered, “It woke me up, but I didn’t have too much trouble going back to sleep. Bad weather is like white noise, y’know.”

“Did your power go out? All of downtown went black.”

Shit. 

“Wow, really? Uh-it did for a short time. Listen, doc-I’ve got biscuits in the oven-”

“That’s alright. Enjoy your Sunday, lamb!”

“Thankyou, Doctor Beltik.”

You hung up the phone and grumbled. You smoothed out your robe and turned around.

The table was empty. No spaceman. Spaghetti was sniffing at the back door after leaving a trail of drool from where Spock had sat to the doorframe. 

Great, just great. 

---

You were already half way out the door, tugging your rainboots when you spotted him at the tree line. 

“Spock!” you called, “What’re you doing?”

It had already began to sprinkle. You darted towards the tree line, the ache in your calves reminding you of the night before-both dragging and half carrying him. 

You nearly ran into him as he stopped so suddenly you had no time to slow down. He steadied you with a strong hand, fingers brushing the bare skin of your collar bone. Droplets of morning drizzled flecked his dark hair and you found yourself crooning your neck back to meet his gaze. 

“I must repair the ship,” he stated plainly, unmoved by your close proximity to him. 

You couldn’t speak. The pads of his fingers were warm at the base of your throat. You felt a chill run up the entirety of your body. 

“Breathe,” he commanded. 

You took in the damp morning air and felt your face go hot immediately. You hadn’t even realized you were holding your breath.

He let you go and you instinctively took a step back. Your brain was fuzzy. It kept shouting the same things over and over, as if arguing with itself. 

Friend. Predator. Stranger. Liver.  

You hated how tall he was. 

He turned curtly and began into the woods. You bumbled after him. 

“I hope no one saw the crash,” you informed him, shivering. “The vet over the phone saw the light from your ship and it knocked out the town’s power, not just my house last night!” 

“There was suitable cloud cover and I was able to move quietly under the detection of Earth’s authorities,” he replied, “Until the storm worsened. I was temporarily blinded and almost struck a metal structure- I believe it’s purpose is to provide the facilities to operate mobile communications.”

“You mean a cell tower?”

You stumbled over a root, sliding in the mud. You grabbed onto his sleeve without thinking. He locked his grip under your elbow and helped you along. You felt pathetic, but steadier. 

“Affirmative. Fortunately, I avoided it,” he explained, “But I was not so quick to avoid the trees up there.” 

He motioned with his hand and you saw the tops of the evergreens were indeed quite taken out. 

The ship loomed into view, sleek and colorless in design. It seemed smaller in the daytime. 

He stopped short of where the ramp used to be and pressed his fingers to the cool metal. The maw of the ship opened quietly and out streamed the light again. 

“The right side of the landing gear is damaged along with a small piece of the hull. Some of the infrastructure of the cargo bay has been warped,” he continued, still leading you carefully up the slick ramp. It’s almost like he knew how you had to crawl that night in order to keep from falling.

He was right. In the dark you had never seen it. Beams fashioned of the same white metal that crafted the cargo hold were indeed bent and some broken. One had been completely severed and was like a sharp pike. It sported a coat of dried green. 

You glanced at his right flank and back up at him. He did not acknowledge your expression of horror.

“What is unknown to me is how the sensors did not detect the cell tower.”

You realized he was still holding on to your elbow. 

“Maybe something was already broken?” you offered in a soft voice. 

He looked down at you and removed his hold. 

“I will investigate as I was not able to last evening,” he replied already starting up the ladder. “Then I must repair the ship and return to Vulcan.”

You followed after him carefully, not wanting to fall. “And how are you gonna do that? There’s not exactly many alien spaceship workshops around here.”

You poked your head through. The cockpit seemed to have the Tardis effect. Unlike the outside it seemed much bigger on the inside. Lines of soft light lined the elongated wind screen and the runway between seats. Spock was kneeling at the console. 

“Aboard each private Vulcan vessel are tools and minor parts for replacement. Although it will take me some time I should be able to repair it sufficiently to return me home.”

You ran your fingers gently along the railing along the bottom of the glass outlooking the forest. 

You finally registered what he had said and whipped around. 

“You can’t do that in the middle of the woods out here! Someone already noticed the ship’s light last night. Who knows that someone won’t come poking around here. You-” you sighed and rubbed your temples, “-you need somewhere to work.”

He stood, once again towering over you at too close distance. “I suppose you already have a space in mind?”

“Actually,” you tapped your finger against your lips, “I might. If it will fit. God willing.”

He eyes did not meet yours, but below. You didn’t realize it at first but his gaze was following your finger, right at your lips. You didn’t know if he knew it, but he had began to chew on his bottom lip. 

You felt heat blooming at your neck. 

“But-!” you interrupted your line of thinking, “I don’t think I can tow this thing with my truck. Can it fly anymore?”

He nodded, “That is something I can tend to now. Although it is still cloudy it might be preferrable if we perform this operation at night.”

“This thing already stands out like a sore thumb from the sky-I mean it’s straight chrome almost.”

Almost. Not nearly as silver. More delicate and duller. 

“Then I shall try now,” he said and rapidly moved back to the console, flipping switches and the like.

“Wait-wait-” you scrambled back to the ladder, “I don’t want to be on this thing when it moves.” 

You were already half way down when he murmured, 

“Humans. So peculiar.”

--

How it fit into your garage was nothing short of a miracle. You never kept the truck under there anyway. Most of your grandfather’s tools had been stuffed to the side. There’s used to be more vehicles,  but in your grandparents will you had been instructed to sell the car and boat to help you with your finances. You could sell the house if you wanted, but you didn’t. 

Not yet anyway. 

There was a large concrete pad in front of the double garage doors and you stood there in the raining morning, motioning with your hands for him to land there. From there on you guided him to slowly back in into place. It funnily reminded you of helping friends’ parents park at graduation. 

Instead of activating the ramp which if extended would destroy the stairs up into the rest of the house, he appeared from a sort of port hole near the back of the vessel. 

“This will do quite well, Y/N, thankyou,” he said.

You squeezed your arm and nodded. You looked up at the sound of Spaghetti scratching the basement door. 

“I-I need a shower,” you said, “Are you all set?”

“Affirmative.” 

He had already began to examine landing gear, having a sort of tool belt of sorts that resembled the ships lack of color and sleek design about his waist.

“I’ll be up stairs if you need anything. Just holler.”

“I will, pi’veh.”

You slipped out of your boots and left them at the base of the staircase. He glanced back at you as the creaking of your bare footsteps filled the room.

He turned back to his work, noting subconsciously that your nails were painted.

Peculiar indeed.

#spock x reader #spock xfem!reader #spock #tos!spock x reader #star trek #startrek #tos #the original series #lucycola #the visitor #Spaceman by The Killers

[gralunaisland]

Genuine question - do you dislike the gruvia ship to the point where say hypothetically if she were to get major development in the future you’d still hate it ? Would you be neutral to it ? Or do you think her character is irredeemable to the point of no return ?

Is gr///via Truly Irredeemable?

First of all, sorry for the extended hiatus!

Second of all, that's a fantastic question!

I actually have a similar post where I talk about something like this, where the question essentially was "how would you write juvia's character in a way that you would actually like?"

It's a pretty short post so I recommend checking that out too, but as for your question:

Hypothetically, and I mean very hypothetically, juvia could redeem herself as a character (but that require loads and loads of true apologies and repentance and trying to make things right by people, which we all know juvia is too selfish to do), but even still, it would not be good enough to the point where gr///via would be healthy.

You can think about it this way.

Let's say a guy sexually harasses this girl, stalks her, creates merch of this girl to get himself off to, inflicts damaging emotional manipulation on her mind, ignores her consent and discomfort, makes something as deep as her father's death all about himself instead of her grief, and cusses out any guy who gets close to her, essentially trying to isolate her from any of her close guy friends.

Now switch out guy with juvia and girl with Gray. (Switching genders tends to help put the immense toxicity of this ship into perspective for people, which is unfortunate, but it's how our society operates right now.)

Even if this "guy" would be able to apologize and mend his ways, the damage has been done. The trust has been broken. Trauma has been inflicted.

That bell cannot be unrung.

So, while I'm all for forgiveness, I do not believe that forgiveness means a second chance at having a relationship with someone who has literally abused you. They had their chance, and they blew it and you up.

Just think of a different scenario of a toxic relationship. What if the guy had cheated on this girl before? Even if he genuinely feels bad and apologizes, how can you trust him to not cheat again? Why did he ever think it was okay to cheat in the first place?

You could ask those same questions of juvia.

So, to answer your question, I would still hate it even if juvia repented. she doesn't get to abuse and hurt and manipulate and come out on top with Gray remaining in her clutches. Any good their relationship could have been is merely fruit from a poisonous tree- poisoned by juvia's past abuse.

See, even if Gray were to stay with her after she admitted to her wrongdoings, who's to say that he isn't too far gone, too deceived, too Stockholm Syndromed, to know what's best for him, aka running from that "relationship" as fast as he possible could? He might not even believe her that she'd done anything wrong.

So, if juvia really and truly regretted what she did to Gray, then she would let Gray go and not try to keep her claws in his heart. Therefore, there would be no gr///via in the world where juvia is redeemed as a character.

Anyway, thank you so much for your ask and your patience! It was a really fun question to answer!

#anti gruvia #anti juvia #anti juvia lockser #askgraluna #anti juvia loxar #fairy tail #ask #defend gray fullbuster #anti gray x juvia #gray fullbuster #anti gray fullbuster x juvia lockser

[haphazardcorvid]

I don't usually post anything about qsmp (or post at all because I have difficulties with communicating myself online, so if the tone or wording is weird or off-putting, I apologise) but I kinda wanted to share some thoughts on how the Meta unintentionally affects the rp, especially in the case of members going missing.

(Also this will be Long. I'm sorry. Concise writing is a gift I do not possess.)

This isn't like, the fault of the members or storyline, but I think it what inevitably happens on a server where RP and planned character lore blur with complete casual play where it's just... Real people interacting. This isn't even really criticism, just observation, because there's really no blame or fixable issue. Nobody is at fault, it's simply A Thing That Can Happen, especially when the server prides itself on spontaneity and leaving the characters AND creators in the dark (which is a thing that overall makes the qsmp really exciting) about the larger lore and other characters lore.

The Meta of real life can really influence the rp reactions, however unintentionally, and I'm mostly noting it in the case of characters going missing. For what I think is the best example, when q!Baghera was missing for AGES, I genuinely think there should have been a much bigger in-character server reaction than the one we saw? Especially considering how active she is and her wide array of friends and family. (Correct me if you saw otherwise, it just seemed more minimal from my non-french speaking pov, maybe I'm wrong).

The issue seems to stem from the creators themselves knowing that the other creator is simply on hiatus because of real life things, and that bleeds into the rp unintentionally, especially when their character didn't see the missing one actually go missing. It felt similar with Jaiden, but also less so, because she wasn't as active as Baghera and wouldn't be interactive for long periods after Bobby's death. She's still a good example though.

So the characters don't know where their friend is or even if they're not around for a bad reason, but the players know the fellow player is doing Stuff and can't come online, and it seems to muddle the rp reaction. Probably because it's not heavy scripted RP - they react blindly to events and often their characters are just extensions of themselves. (Tbh it didn't help with q!Baghera that they just got new people, and then the eggs disappeared, so all other thoughts just flew out the window). I just wish she'd gotten a stronger reaction, and genuinely think real life meta affected that. Like with some perspectives (q!Phil, for example) it was hard to know she was actually Missing missing (nobody mentioned it).

I think this is inevitable when the approach to rp is more heavily Reacting rather than Acting (there's acting too, but qsmp scripting seems to act more like guidelines than dictated interactions). It pops up a lot - when Etoiles was in America (tbf his character is more Lone Wolf, Mr 200k), Jaiden, etc. Then, because that person physically can't come online in real life, and there's often zero clues or puzzles about their whereabouts, it flatlines or peters out until their return because nobody can do anything and their characters don't know anything (often the creators too, it seems, because everyone is very averse to metagaming for good reasons). The casual side of gameplay means it becomes just people waiting for their friend to be available again.

On a funny note, you can get around some of this the Pac Mike way, by simply being kidnapped/vamoosed directly in front of your loved ones/friends. Instant Oh Shit reactions, the possibility for extending angst (q!Pac you sad angsty legend) the whole shebang - although you can still get the side effect of characters seeming to care less too fast, because it blurs with the players just comfortably waiting for their friend to come back from hiatus. In fact, it seems the best way to get a reaction from a Missing storyline is to vanish in front of someone, or leave breadcrumbs before or after the event. The Brazilians do that super well.

This meta bleed could also go the opposite way, which is why I'm so curious about q!Fit and q!Tubbo noticing q!Phil's disappearance. In that case it might mean they notice he's gone (in rp) unnaturally quickly, because they know his schedule of streaming and the fact that he's not going away in real life this week, and that he was most likely going to stream on monday, which could tip them off, but isn't necessarily an in character reason. There are other in rp explanations - he tells them whenever he's going away, they've antagonised the feds, he said he'd be around, etc - but I'm curious about the Meta, because realising today would be very fast. It's why I think it would be good if there were more breadcrumbs left so it isn't so affected by real life (because they could also lean the other way and ignore it too much because of metagaming). Hints or something of that ilk.

There's also the matter of scripting. Like I know Phil and Forever have been messaging about lore to ensure rp etiquette isn't broken and they get to do all the ideas they have planned. It does turn reacting into acting, but eh, I think a good balance of both is necessary, as much as we the audience love genuine shock and discovery. The creators absolutely plan things behind the scenes, and maybe Baghera didn't put so much weight on the rp reactions to her being gone? I don't know their minds, so I can't speculate. Doesn't change what I think about the Meta affecting it though.

I dunno. This is just one long ramble, because I was disappointed in the more lacking reactions to long absences, especially in the case of Baghera, and wanted to dissect one of the things I think is influencing it. I could just be chatting rubbish. It's not a blame game of 'oh they're doing this wrong' but genuinely something I find interesting. I love the server and the way we react to discoveries WITH the creators themselves, not just the characters, it's just an interesting thought. I just wish there had been more storyline connected to other ccs about Baghera being missing, because her lore is SO good. I wanted the Angst, goddamit.

#Anyways I don't know what I'm talking about #And I don't know what I'm doing #How the fuck do people talk online all the time #Just didn't see anyone mentioning this so I finally posted something #That could just mean nobody said it because it's bullshit please tell me if it's bullshit I don't know how to read the room #qsmp #qsmp baghera #qsmp philza #qsmp Jaiden #qsmp forever #qsmp etoiles #qsmp pac #qsmp mike #qsmp rp #Please keep in mind I'm coming from a chronically English monolingual pov

[redinbluee]

The development of Chainsaw Man and Tatsuki Fujimoto's writing (part 1)

Tatsuki Fujimoto is an talented mangaka who has written some of the most amazing works I have ever seen. A lot of people seem to undermine the complexity and seriousness of part one, most likely due to the fact that the story itself contains a lot of straightfoward humour and questionable sexual content that is difficult to be taken seriously... and also how a large portion of his audience are horny emotional trainwrecks who only read his manga to see Makima's ass.

Fujimoto is unafraid to be true and completely honest in his works, creating complex characters and a plot that defies typical shonen stereotypes. The general idea of Chainsaw Man is undoubtedly very shonen, but he has managed to warp his story into something that resembles more of a character drama which I think is refreshing and influential. I sometimes like to think that Fujimoto forced himself to insert the action into Chainsaw Man just to please the majority of the younger manga community while also labelling it as Shonen so it could be published onto a magazine as influential as Jump to recieve worldwide attention. But personally, I feel like Fujimoto does not excel at creating a plot that revolves mostly around fighting, action and adventure which are some of the typical shonen elements that are highly appreciated. In fact, I feel like the pacing and panelling in some early Chainsaw Man chapters weren't executed well. I especially have minor issues with the overly rapid pacing of, for instance- the beginning of Bomb devil arc (where I personally believe that Reze could have become a more fleshed out character despite the fact that she was putting on a facade for most of the arc- extending the period before her reveal by increasing the amount of interactions between Denji and her would heighten the tension even further, allowing her character reveal to be more dramatic and shocking. Not only this, although I love the idea behind the International Assasins arc - it wasn't executed as well as it could have been. It was just too chaotic and fast paced in my opinion, it leaves the reader very confused on their first read due to the lack of explanation and the constantly shifting of perspective in the panelling. Some of the earlier fight scenes in csm were also drawn messily, making it difficult for the reader to visually understand the ongoing action. Finally, I also think that some of the characters were just killed way too early, so early to the point where possible character development was unable to be executed.)

Despite these minor setbacks, Chainsaw Man part one remains to be one of my favourite mangas, not because it is flawless, perfect or anything like that. It was because of the characters. Makima and Aki were remarkable characters that are three dimensional and complex, and was- in my opinion, the characters that were the most interesting and fleshed out. Denji is a character who was meant to be laughed at, but underneath this lies a boy who has lived such a tragic life, you can't help but sympathise with him. I love Chainsaw Man because I have formed a deep emotional connection with it, a feeling completely separate from liking a story due to it's masterful writing and art. Writing characters is an area that Fujimoto excels at, he creates addicting, relatable, beautifully written characters that you simply fall in love with. This is an area that is in desperate need for improvement in works that fall under the shonen demographic. Fujimoto writes great female characters, he surely loves writing women haha. A lot of Shonen works have terribly written female characters who were only made to please the male gaze and add "diversity' to the cast- while female characters in Chainsaw Man are portrayed in a realistic manner, actually driving the story forwards and making impact. After Chainsaw Man part one, the popularity of this manga just continued to skyrocket. Fujimoto went on hiatus, producing Look Back and Sayonara Eri in the process. Below is a section of what Fujimoto wrote in his author's notes in "before csm" addressing his feelings while writing Look Back along with noting down some details explaining his struggles in pursuing art during his early years after the 2011 Tohoku earthquake.

"I went back to volunteer one more time after that. Then I stopped. This was because I was doing oil painting, which gets expensive, and I had to draw manga in order to pay for it. From age 17, that sense of powerlessness has always been following me around. Every time there was another tragedy, my sense that my pursuits serve no purpose at all grew bigger"

"Recently, I drew a manga called Look Back to try and finally vent those feelings. Oddly enough, once I drew it, I think I was able to process them a bit. Looking at this collection of one-shots now, In that state of mind, I remembered a lot of things. Not just that I would draw while feeling powerless, but also that I would draw while really hungry, and how I was always practicing art with my friends. It brought back memories so fun that I have to wonder why I'd only been remembering the dark things. Now I feel glad that I got to have not just Look Back collected in a book, but these one-shots too."

I assume that Look back and Sayonara Eri are works that Fujimoto have always wanted to write- stories that he wrote for himself, not to please his audience anymore (after his immense success in csm, there was no need for him to gain further attention) I'm so proud of him lmao. Part 1 of Chainsaw Man is influential, iconic and an amazing piece of work- but did Fujimoto really like his story? Did he force himself to write Chainsaw man? Part 1 felt rushed, a lot of the story was improvised and messy at times as a result of his crazy work schedule. I sometimes like to think whether the end result of Chainsaw Man was really something Fujimoto wanted to create? What would have happened if he didn't have to please his audience and work under this terrible schedule that influenced his ability to fully express his best work? Fire Punch was a less successful piece that is quite different from Chainsaw Man (which actually appears to be more conventional when comparing it to the obscurity of Fire Punch). Did he try to create a piece of work that appeared to be shonen just so it could be attractive?

"All mangaka wanted to do this job because they love sharing stories and drawing, but when you actually become a mangaka, you realize you need to handle everything alone. When working for weekly magazine, you just don't have enough time. The schedule is too intense, and you need to work as fast as possible. I always end up improvising some things during the inking phase to save time. I'd like to do both the characters and backgrounds myself, but this is so difficult I need to ask my assistants to handle the backgrounds".

This was what Fujimoto said when someone asked whether the suffering of Chainsaw Man's characters actually reflect his feelings:

"I never thought about it, but it's all definitely inspired by my own feelings. It might be the reflection of my daily routine. I work alone for a weekly magazine. It's incredibly difficult, and I don't want my series to get canceled, so I work non-stop".

After Chainsaw Man part 1, we had the opportunity to see two oneshots that were not created under the pressures of time and success. Works that once again, had such lovable, remarkable and raw characters that reflected Fujimoto's talent in character writing along with art that was noticeably more refined, clean and beautiful. In my opinion, these two oneshots exceeded the quality of the entire first part of Chainsaw Man, you don't have to agree- but Fujimoto's development as a mangaka surely is prominent.

This is all for now, follow me for more content like this, I'll upload a part 2 to this where I begin talking about Chainsaw Man part 2!

#csm #chainsaw man #denji #asaden #Chainsaw man #Asa #csm analysis #tatsuki fujimoto #goodbye eri #manga #asa mikata #manga analysis

[morgana-ren]

Hey guys! In case you haven't noticed, I've been on extended and unannounced hiatus for a little bit. I haven't been answering questions or writing even little snippets, which is extraordinarily uncommon for me. I've basically gone dark, and I want to give a little explanation as to why that is and the future of this blog.

I have no intention of shutting it down or closing down shop. I just need a little bit of time, and here's where I'll explain why, in case some of you care. Content warning for medical issues, dour situations, and just some pessimistic outlook:

When I said I'd been going through a little bit of a medical gauntlet, I was being honest. However, I didn't realize at the time just how serious everything that was transpiring was. I thought it was just a bit of an inconvenience that I could put in the rearview mirror with a little bit of recovery time. Needless to say, that was not the case.

It turns out it's actually quite serious and has essentially upended my life and changed it forever.

I don't say this to alarm everyone, because as it stands, I have every intention of getting the medical help that I need (or can get, as this is extremely expensive and I have been poverty-poor for some time) and fighting this as much as is possible.

It has, however, been extremely anxiety inducing, painful, and just overall wretched, and has left my head in a place where it's very difficult to seek safety. My one outlet, which has always been my writing, has been invaded by the bleak outlook as well, which explains why I haven't put out anything at all in quite some time.

I will soon find out my options for a course of action, and all I can do is go from there. My hope is that everything will be back to normal as soon as possible around here, and I'll also be back to.. some semblance of normal soon.

Anyways, that's enough of that. The Lads send their love. They're as exhausting as ever. With any luck, we will be back to regularly scheduled nonsense soon.

#Morgana Whinings #Not an april fools joke #Just realized it's april 1st #and this isn't that #I promise

[cryptidghostgirl]

ANNOUNCEMENT

hey guys, i am so sorry i haven’t been posting this week. i did not intend to take a hiatus from writing. i had midterms this week and they actually killed me, i just didn’t end up having any free time at all when initially i thought id have enough time to work on at least one request a day. i am about to go visit family for a week which means i will be extending my hiatus until march 18th ish but i promise as soon as i am back i will be cranking out those requests of yours as quick as i possibly can!! i am really sorry about this.

#announcement #bunny speaks #hiatus #x reader fics #fic writer #break

[yanderes-of-inkwell]

Hiya! Happy Cuphead DLC release day 😫👌 Could I ask for some headcanons with dear Esther (because she's the bae) with an S/O who gets picked on quite a bit and goes to Esther for help? (Leading to one angry cowgirl 😳) Thank you so much!!!

Esther Winchester - Darling Who Gets Harassed Frequently and Goes to Her for Help

Note: This ended up being far darker than I intended, but I hope you enjoy your request nonetheless! Also, apologies for the extended hiatus. Hopefully I can get back to writing regularly soon. Word Count: 1.3k Warnings: Abuse of power, crying, mentions of attempted assault, mentions of harassment.

♤ Despite what her playful nature may suggest, Esther is actually far more observant than most people give her credit for. She is, after all, the sheriff of the Western Plains, a job where having a keen eye for trouble is essentially a requirement. Because of this, it’s likely that she senses something is troubling her darling long before they confide in her about it. Their slightly dampened mood, how they frequently glance around nervously in public, the way they flinch when someone calls their name - none of these things go unnoticed by her, and the more prevalent they become, the more her worry grows.

♡ Once she picks up on these changes in their behaviour, it doesn’t take long for her to confront them about it. She tries to keep her approach as casual and relaxed as possible, though a twinge of concern does seep into her voice as she asks if anything has been bothering them recently. Her darling, much to her annoyance, denies this and is quick to change the subject, leaving her unsure of what to do.

♧ Her first instinct after being brushed off is to switch gears and become more forceful, as she’s accustomed to doing when dealing with uncooperative people, but she knows better than to resort to such methods. Going the interrogation route would only result in them pushing her away further, and that is the last thing she needs while trying to figure out what they’re hiding from her.

◇ So she decides to drop the subject, although she does mention that if they are dealing with any sort of trouble, they can always go to her for help. She hopes that her words will be enough to convince them that there’s no harm in telling her about whatever’s bothering them, but she’s not particularly optimistic about it. Because of this, it’s not long after her confrontation with them that she decides to take action.

♤ A part of her knows they wouldn’t be happy to learn that she’d gone behind their back to figure out what’s been troubling them, but she doesn’t care. As much as she wants them to come to her on their own terms, she simply doesn’t have the patience for it. She won’t stand for them keeping secrets from her, and if she has to take a less-than-honourable approach to uncover what those secrets are, so be it.

♡ With her mind made up, it’s not long before she decides that the best way to go about it is by hiring a private investigator. With her vast connections, she's able to find someone she considers to be the best of the best pretty quickly, and wastes no time in getting them to help her. Whether they actually want to accept the task or not is irrelevant because Esther doesn't give them a choice; they both know this, and she doesn't even have to say it. Her strict orders to report every little thing they notice is enough for the detective to know that this is very important to Esther, and that they won't come out on the other end unscathed should they choose to defy her or make a mistake.

♧ With that settled, Esther returns to her work, unable to get her mind off the situation she's found herself in. She desperately wishes that she had more control in this scenario, and the fact that she doesn't infuriates her; however, moping about it won't change anything, so she decides the best she can do is simply continue to live her life as normal and silently hope that the detective is able to find something useful.

◇ But to her surprise, that ends up not being necessary, as soon after she returns to her office, her darling comes in. Her door is and always has been open for them, so she's not surprised by the sudden visit, but what she is surprised by is the state they come to her in: shaking and crying, a look of pure desperation and fear etched on their face as they look at her pleadingly.

♤ She responds immediately. After closing the door and locking it, Esther gently urges them to sit down as she snatches a handkerchief from her desk drawer and hands it to them. She's uncharacteristically quiet in that moment, the heartbreak evident in her expression as she comforts her darling, feeling as though her soul is being torn to shreds as she listens to them cry.

♡ Once they calm down, her tone is nothing but soft and reassuring as she asks them to tell her what's wrong. After a brief moment of silence, her darling finally speaks, confirming the suspicions she's had from the beginning: they've been dealing with harassment for a while and have finally reached their breaking point.

♧ Esther grimaces as they reveal what she's subconsciously known all along, but her expression doesn't even begin to show the sheer fury she feels as she listens to them. And it only grows, burning hotter and hotter with every word they speak, and she wants nothing more than to strike down anyone and everyone who's contributed to driving them to this state. But she manages to compose herself; there would be a time for that later. Right now, her darling needs her by their side.

◇ They explain that the harassment they'd been facing had only been verbal up until that point, but that one of the people who'd been targeting them had grown tired of their lack of reaction and took things a step further by daring to put their hands on them. The rage Esther feels is nearly murderous as she examines their terrified expression while they recount this, but she manages to get a hold of herself as they explain that they'd managed to get away before their harassers could actually harm them.

♤ Once they finish speaking, a deafening silence settles in the air. She doesn't dare show it, but Esther has already begun planning her revenge on the monsters that dared to hurt her darling. It doesn't matter who they are, where they live, or how powerful they are. Esther is going to make sure they pay dearly for their misdeeds, no matter what.

♡ With her mind made up, she asks for the names of the people who harassed her darling and they, unknowing of just how dark her intentions truly are, give them to her without a second thought. After spending a bit more time reassuring them, Esther offers to escort them home, which they gladly accept. On the way there, she keeps an eye out for any of her soon-to-be victims, and is slightly disappointed when they don't turn up. But that's alright. She'll get them soon enough.

♧ When the two finally arrive at her darling's home, Esther is sure to give them a long, almost too tight hug as she promises to take care of the situation. She leaves them with the assurance that once she's through with them, their harassers will never bother them again. Much to her delight, her darling remains blissfully unaware of the true meaning behind her words as they bid her goodnight and head inside.

◇ After all, they needn't worry themself with such a trivial thing. Esther will gladly take care of those who dared to bother her darling. But that doesn't mean she plans to kill them. No, that would be far too merciful for her taste. Instead, she's going to ruin them. No matter how many strings she has to pull or palms she has to grease, Esther will make sure those vile people will live the rest of their lives in misery for what they've done. No one is allowed to hurt her darling, and she'll make that abundantly clear as she sets out to destroy those who have.

#cw yandere #cuphead #yandere cuphead #esther winchester #yandere esther winchester #esther winchester x reader #headcanons

[santtanic]

[5:03pm] • bang chan

warnings: college friend, fluff, smut (a little rough), bangchan × female!reader, unprotected sex, little bit of edging

2.2k words

autor notes: i know i've been on this huge hiatus and i'm starting to enjoy writing again. i know this isn't ateez related, but when i wrote this it only made sense with chan. maybe i'll start writing for more idols, who knows?

~~

as you walk to the park with your earphones on, you realize how shiny and beautiful the day was, and think about if you really felt that way. you loved the feeling of the breeze hitting your face and took a deep breath, trying to hold your emotions in. 

the thing is, you were in a long term relationship but felt like it was decaying as the time went by, then you started college and suddenly, you're two semesters in, having the biggest crush on your colleague. it felt like a hurricane in your brain, and it was overwhelming to think too much about it. 

but he was perfect from your point of view. the mix of butterflies and fear when your eyes met each others, the way he's used to look at your lips, his whole body language when he's with you. obviously you overthink it and start to wonder if you're not making this shit up to feel better. but why would you? he's caring, he's cute, he always flirts with you somehow, he listens to everything you say, he pushes you to be better everyday, even if it's hard. but you would make this shit up, right?... right? 

and there you are, trying to find a spot where you could lay your towel and relax, even though relaxing was the last thing you could do at the moment, your interiors were burning from anxiety and your heart wouldn't keep its pace, no matter how hard you tried. 

after a few minutes, chan stands in front of you, making you look up and filling your cheeks with a bright red color. you get up, not exactly knowing how to greet him, you extend your hand for a shake but he hugs you in a weird way, making this whole situation even more chaotic. "nice perfume", he points out. you don't know whether to thank him or just feel embarrassed. 

you both sit down on the towel, a little reluctant to start a conversation. he takes one of your earphones that were in your hand and puts it in his ear, listening to whatever song you had put on shuffle. you both just stayed like that for a few minutes, and it felt like you didn’t have to say a thing for him to understand, even though he never saw you like that before. he finally breaks the silence and says "so... what's up?", to which you don't even know where to start, and can barely even think about an answer. 

"i'm feeling down, i guess", you say. 

"no shit, seriously? it’s like you didn't even text me about that!" he laughs, making you giggle too, "but seriously, what's up? you never stop talking… now you’re so quiet it hurts". 

“i… i don’t know”, seriously? was that the only thing you could come up with? “i’ve been through a lot this week, i don’t know how to explain it.”

“you don’t actually want to talk about it, right?” he asks. “i get it, you don’t have to, actually we could go on a walk for you to spare your thoughts, how does that sound?”

“that’s fine” you get up and start to fold the towel you were sitting on and put it in your backpack. 

he knows something’s up with you, he’s been on your side mostly everyday for more than six months, he knew that if you were quiet for way too long it meant you were not okay. don’t get him wrong, he enjoyed every single minute by your side, when you’d talk about really random things out of the blue, when you didn’t understand what the professor was talking about and get pissed. to his eyes you were simply the sweetest, he always appreciated when you’d compliment his new haircut, his projects, his way of teaching you stuff since you were a freshman. you couldn’t even imagine that, and you were too far ahead in your own thoughts you couldn’t even think that was totally possible.

but there you are, on a walk with the guy of your dreams at the park, currently so annoyed by your relationship that you couldn’t even feel happy. that’s when you see, from not too far away, a really familiar figure sitting on a bench with a girl he’d told you not to worry about. your whole body was fueled by an abnormal rage, making you clench your fists and go straight to your now ex-boyfriend’s face. you give him a slap on his left cheek and call him ungodly things, making the girl feel really embarrassed.

“why didn’t you tell me?” you scream. “was this your fucking ‘work’?”

“it seems you didn’t tell me this shit either” he points at chan. “listen, i can explain.”

“you don’t have to, and neither do i. i told you i was going out with my friend, i'm always transparent about this kinda stuff and now you do this. amazing. seriously! how could i ever imagine?” you try to hold your tears in, but they found their way out. “we’re fucking done!”

“you didn’t tell me you had a girlfriend!” the girl stands up and slaps his other cheek, even harder than you did. “we’re done, too” she goes away, leaving him behind.

“you always have to fuck things up, don’t you?” he screams and stands in front of you, trying to look imposing and ready to beat the shit out of you, you had an urge to kick his balls, but chan puts himself in between you two. 

“look, if you touch your stupid fingers on her, i’m gonna be the reason you disappear from earth today, do you copy?” he said calmly, slowly pointing his finger at your ex’s face. “you’re going to vanish before i make you, ok?”

he was taller and a bit bigger than your ex, with large shoulders and big arms, which made him immediately turn his back and start to walk home. you were so pissed, crying and sobbing uncontrollably on chan's arms. that was in fact the first time you were decently hugging him, and for such a sad reason.

"you're going to be okay" he said, rubbing the back of your head, "this guy was a douche".

"i can't believe i've dated him for so long" you try to say, "i can't believe i'm that dumb". he can't help but laugh at that phrase.

"bro why do you always say that" he giggles, "you're not dumb, in fact you're the most intelligent person i know, but he played you, and sometimes we don't even realize it".

"i didn't want it to be like this" you whine. feeling some really heavy water drops on your head, you look up and that beautiful day was gone, being replaced by dark clouds and of course, rain. how original. could the day get even worse?

"hey, come with me" he said pushing your arm with him. you both ran to under a tree so you don't get drenched. "my house is like 6 minutes away..."

having no better options, you ran with him to his place, in the attempt to not get so wet, you just put your backpack over your head. panting, you get into his house, having all your clothes and especially your shoes drenched. you just stand, no thoughts, head empty, until he gives you a command.

"go to the bathroom, i'm bringing some clothes for you" he said running to his bedroom, you go straight to the bathroom, taking all of those wet and cold clothes you had on and taking a really warm but fast shower. "here they are" he said, knocking on the door.

"is there a towel?" you ask.

"you can use the one on the hanger, it's clean" you pick up the towel and put around your body, unlocking the door and getting the clothes he was holding. he blushed at the sight of you.

"thank you" you smile, going back to the bathroom and putting his clothes. he gave you a boxer, some sweatpants, a shirt and a hoodie, which actually still had a bit of his smell, and you were obsessed by it. you get out and notice he already had changed his clothes and was doing something in the kitchen.

"i made some tea" he said with a soft tone, "you always have it in class so i assumed it would make you feel better". goddamn it, he's so fucking perfect. why does he always pays attention to you like that?

"oh, thank you! i guess you were right" you said smiling and then having a sip of the tea. it was simple, yet so amazing.

you guys talk for a while until you finish your drink, you get up and go to the sink to wash the mug, but he stops you mid way and just hugs you. you don't know what to do, your cheeks get red and you correspond the hug.

"listen, i didn't mean to do this while you're fragilized, but i've been waiting this hug for so long i can't contain myself" he whispers in your ear, making your entire body shiver. "you may not feel the same and i get it".

his hands were on your lower back, under the shirt, drawing circles on your skin with his nails. your heart goes off, bouncing so hard on your chest you swear he could feel it. he finally let go of you, looking deeply in your eyes, trying to find any sign of response. you'd already fell for his touch, your mind was at ease, your eyes observed every single detail on his face, until you were drawn to his lips, you look to his eyes again, unable to let any sound come out of your mouth. you suddenly feel his lips on yours, kissing you like you've never been kissed before.

after this really passionate kiss, you look at him with doe eyes, completely lost for him. you were desperate. you needed this like it was your last day. you kissed him again, but now on a really heated way. he grabs you and puts you sitting on the balcony, kissing your neck and pulling you even closer.

it starts to get really hot, and to make you even more desperate for him, you can feel his dick rubbing on you over the clothes. his kisses started to go down, until you had no shirt anymore. he sucked and played with your tits, making you groan quietly. he took off your pants and boxers and immediately licked your clitoris, you moaned his name, which made him even more turned on.

he licked and sucked your pussy, inserting his fingers in you in a medium pace, "such a good girl" he said, taking a loud moan from you. "you like that? you like being my good girl?" he goes faster, driving you to the edge of your orgasm and suddenly stopping. you look at him with a confused and desperate face.

"why?" you ask, panting. "i was about to cum" you whine.

"you didn't answer my question" he picks you up and goes to his bedroom, throwing you on his bed. he takes off his shirt, and while he's taking his underwear off, you position yourself to give him a blowjob. he puts the tip of his dick on your tongue and rubs its length. "are you going to be my good girl now?" you suck him slowly, not breaking eye contact. he started to realize what you wanted. "you know what you are?" he starts to deeply fuck your mouth, holding firmly in your hair, "you're a fucking brat, that's what you are".

his thrusts became quicker and you were trying really hard to breathe, but his dick went too far on your throat. he stopped, looking at your fucked up face, you had red cheeks, swollen lips and drool all over you, making a mess of your face. he kissed you deeply and turned your back to him, leaving your ass in the air. you feel a stinging pain on your ass cheeks as he slapped you, he teased you with just the tip of his dick on your entrance.

"please" you whine, desperate to be dumb-fucked. "please fuck me, i'm begg-" he didn't even let you finish your sentence. when you saw, he was deep thrusting your pussy and holding you by the hair.

you were both moaning louder as he started to get close, but he turned you again like some fucking doll and started to fuck you from the front. his dick did wonders, specially in this position, you could feel it hitting pretty deep and knew that if he continued with that pace you were going to cum really fast. he choked you with his free hand as he was stimulating your clit.

"please, that's so good" you whimper, "please let me cum, i beg you".

"cum for me, babygirl" he let go of your neck to hold one of your legs open, you started to get even more wet as you approached your orgasm and he went faster, making you finally cum on his dick.

he fucked you through your orgasm and you were getting even more wet from the overstimulation, until he finally pulled it off and came on your stomach.

you were both panting like crazy, he grabbed some wipes to clean his mess and layed with you, hugging you like a giant baby and said:

"well, that was even better than my imagination."

#bang chan #stray kids #smut #skz #skz smut #stray kids chris #kpop smut #skz au #kpop au #skz changbin #skz jisung #skz hyunjin

[dark-roleplay-finder]

{🥀🕊️} tldr about me; 24f she/her, novella multi-page writer, fantasy / zombie apocalypse / historical fiction, mxm & mxf and doubles-friendly, nsfw and dead dove friendly but will discuss limits and triggers, eastern time zone, plotting and worldbuilding heavy, discord pinterest and spotify are my best friends!

tldr looking for; heavily literate 18+ long-term rp partner, a lover of fantasy (fae, demons, dragons, chosen ones and dark lords, etc) or open to supernatural historical fiction or dark zombie-centric apocalyptic threads. replies preferably at minimum once a week, and please no ghosting–i am very understanding of real life and burnout so if we need breaks thats okay! discord + pinterest friendly, and must vibe ooc! romance is required, as well as being okay with lgbtq+ characters, dark themes, and nsfw content.

read below for more details if this sounds like your cup of tea~

hi friends, i’m 24f she/her, looking for someone similar in age (18+ required, absolutely no minors, preferably 20+) who loves fantasy, monsters, romance, and loooong lengthy replies. i’ve been writing for the past 15+ years with dreams of one day being published, and have been roleplaying for the past 10+ years, though i’ve been on an extended hiatus. i’m recently quit my job (living in EST) so my schedule is pretty open to start writing together! Even though i have a lot of new free time, i do have a partner and responsibilities, and am also aware of burnout, real life, and mental health so never be afraid to pull the breaks for a few days, weeks, or months if we need to but please communicate that. i almost exclusively write medieval high fantasy, but also enjoy historical fiction (absolutely nothing modern ie. 1930's onward) and lately have been into zombie apocalypses as i’m rewatching twd. i only work with originals, ocxoc, but am open to playing with a canon universe as long as we make it our own! i’m mainly looking for mxm and mxf romance since that’s what i have the most experience with, but i am lgbtq+ friendly. i prefer a partner who is open to writing a wide range of characters, not just female ocs or “submissive” types, just to ensure we keep the threads fresh for both of us. i’m more than happy to double and work on multiple threads as well. i like a heavy emphasis on troubled characters with real flaws, trauma, and their subsequent development, exploring interesting relationship dynamics both healthy and toxic, and extensive worldbuilding + magic systems. customized discord servers, fanart, headcanons, drawn maps of our worlds, couples playlists, pinterest boards–you name it, i love it and am here for it.

concepts in mind; while i don’t have any set plots, characters, or worlds (i generally enjoy figuring this out organically with my partner) there are some things that i like to write and cliches i love to see. Anything with fae, monsters, demons and witches, interesting takes on vampires + werewolves, i’m here for! i love fairytale retellings and mythology, and playing with religious motifs and inspiration (think paradise lost). themes of rebellion, war-torn kingdoms, corrupt monarchies, prophecies, racing against the clock to defeat eldritch world-ending monsters, dark overlords, magic always has a price, everyone is living on borrowed time just to name a few. when it comes to romance tropes, you can never go wrong with enemies to lovers, soulmates, forbidden romance, arranged/forced marriage, hidden identity, the hero falls for the villain. i foam at the mouth for soft ocs that snap and go feral, not a god’s chosen but a god’s cursed, the found family out of a band of ragtag misfits, complex villains who are actual people, i could literally go on for hours.

other tidbits; i don’t write canon characters or with fandoms, but i do enjoy my fair share of shows, books, and video games! i'm open to taking inspiration from any of them, so i’ll list a few if it helps give a better idea of what i’m into and possible interests we might share–

shows/movies: game of thrones + house of the dragon, outlander, the walking dead, pride and prejudice, stranger things, lotr, twilight

books: a court of thorns and roses + throne of glass, six of crows + shadow and bone, the night circus, and many more

games: animal crossing, legend of zelda, the sims, dragon age, stardew valley, the last of us

contact; if you are interested in any of this, like this post and i'll message you or comment with your discord username and i'll add you

Like this post and the asker will reach out!

#roleplay #roleplay ad #1x1 rp #discord rp #18+ rp #original rp

[findyourrp]

{🥀🕊️} tldr about me; 24f she/her, novella multi-page writer, fantasy / zombie apocalypse / historical fiction, mxm & mxf and doubles-friendly, nsfw and dead dove friendly but will discuss limits and triggers, eastern time zone, plotting and worldbuilding heavy, discord pinterest and spotify are my best friends.

tldr looking for; heavily literate 18+ long-term rp partner, a lover of fantasy (fae, demons, dragons, chosen ones and dark lords, etc) or open to supernatural historical fiction or dark zombie-centric apocalyptic threads. replies preferably at minimum once a week, and please no ghosting–i am very understanding of real life and burnout so if we need breaks thats okay! discord + pinterest friendly, and must vibe ooc! romance is required, as well as being okay with lgbtq+ characters, dark themes, and nsfw content.

read below for more details if this sounds like your cup of tea~

hi friends, i’m 24f she/her, looking for someone similar in age (18+ required, absolutely no minors, preferably 20+) who loves fantasy, monsters, romance, and loooong lengthy replies. i’ve been writing for the past 15+ years with dreams of one day being published, and have been roleplaying for the past 10+ years, though i’ve been on an extended hiatus. i’m recently quit my job (living in EST) so my schedule is pretty open to start writing together! Even though i have a lot of new free time, i do have a partner and responsibilities, and am also aware of burnout, real life, and mental health so never be afraid to pull the breaks for a few days, weeks, or months if we need to but please communicate that. i almost exclusively write medieval high fantasy, but also enjoy historical fiction (absolutely nothing modern ie. 1930's onward) and lately have been into zombie apocalypses as i’m rewatching twd. i only work with originals, ocxoc, but am open to playing with a canon universe as long as we make it our own! i’m mainly looking for mxm and mxf romance since that’s what i have the most experience with, but i am lgbtq+ friendly. i prefer a partner who is open to writing a wide range of characters, not just female ocs or “submissive” types, just to ensure we keep the threads fresh for both of us. i’m more than happy to double and work on multiple threads as well. i like a heavy emphasis on troubled characters with real flaws, trauma, and their subsequent development, exploring interesting relationship dynamics both healthy and toxic, and extensive worldbuilding + magic systems. customized discord servers, fanart, headcanons, drawn maps of our worlds, couples playlists, pinterest boards–you name it, i love it and am here for it.

concepts in mind; while i don’t have any set plots, characters, or worlds (i generally enjoy figuring this out organically with my partner) there are some things that i like to write and cliches i love to see. Anything with fae, monsters, demons and witches, interesting takes on vampires + werewolves, i’m here for! i love fairytale retellings and mythology, and playing with religious motifs and inspiration (think paradise lost). themes of rebellion, war-torn kingdoms, corrupt monarchies, prophecies, racing against the clock to defeat eldritch world-ending monsters, dark overlords, magic always has a price, everyone is living on borrowed time just to name a few. when it comes to romance tropes, you can never go wrong with enemies to lovers, soulmates, forbidden romance, arranged/forced marriage, hidden identity, the hero falls for the villain. i foam at the mouth for soft ocs that snap and go feral, not a god’s chosen but a god’s cursed, the found family out of a band of ragtag misfits, complex villains who are actual people, i could literally go on for hours.

other tidbits; i do not write canon characters or with fandoms, but i do enjoy my fair share of shows, books, and video games! i'm open to taking inspiration from any of them, so i’ll list a few if it helps give a better idea of what i’m into and possible interests we might share–

shows/movies: game of thrones + house of the dragon, outlander, the walking dead, pride and prejudice, stranger things, lotr, twilight

books: a court of thorns and roses + throne of glass, six of crows + shadow and bone, the night circus, and many more

games: animal crossing, legend of zelda, the sims, dragon age, stardew valley, the last of us

contact; if you are interested in any of this, like this post and i'll message you or comment with your discord username and i'll add you

.

#rp finder #18+ rp #fandom rp #fandom roleplay #oc rp #fandomless rp #historical rp #zombie apocalypse rp

[universalcas]

🌻 tagged by @castiel (thanks darling <3) like a decade ago to talk about 8 shows as a way to get to know me better (in no particular order) 🌻

1. Sherlock BBC:

yeah, i know what you are going to say: "that explains a lot about your mental state" and I will answer: "you are absolutely right, my love". I joined tumblr because of this show, right in the middle of the hiatus between season 2 and 3 when I was happy and innocent and the world was beautiful and bright and full of possibilities. I become obsessed with London because of it for a short period of time.

2. Hannibal:

"Achilles wished all Greeks would die, so that he and Patroclus could conquer Troy alone. It took divine intervention to bring them down"

Bryan Fuller owns me, as a human being. This show changed my DNA to the point that I haven't been able to write horror stories without having some scenes from the show in my mind. It's darks, and twisted and incredibly poetic. It has some heavy dose of art (s2 my beloved) and the relationship between Hannibal and Will Graham it's one of the most beautiful and erotic things I've seen portrayed on tv.

3. Good Omens:

I was terrified when Amazon announced that one of my favourite books was going to be adapted to tv. I didn't wanted anyone to touch it because I didn't want anything that had Terry Pratchett's (I miss him everyday) name on it to be tainted by the greedy hands of capitalism but oh boy how incredibly mistaken I was. Good Omens is my happy place, the show I always come back when I'm not feeling my best (and I'm actually excited for a completely made up season 2). It has the story, the funny characters (John Hamm as Gabriel my beloved) Tennant and Sheen are the perfect Crowley and Aziraphale and their chemistry it's just insane in every sense of the word.

4. Black Sails:

"A story is true, a story is untrue. As time extends, it matters less and less. The stories we want to believe, those are the ones that survive"

I don't know what to say about this show without risking a spoiler and I really doesn't want to spoil it to you if you haven't watched the show. If this is the case, go make yourself a favor. It's full of pirates, love, violence and righteous fury. And probably the most iconic characters I've seen in a while.

5. Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell:

A one season show from a +1000 pages book. And it couldn't have been done better in my opinion. Highly recommended if (like me) you love dark fantasy, magic and History.

6. Fleabag:

I laughed so much and I cried so much and I didn't expect any of it but I had to let it happen. It's funny and thoughful at the same time and I really liked the way they depicted complex themes like love, loss and self-esteem.

7. American Gods:

And then it happened. Gaiman-Fuller, the match that was meant to be. The book was in need of an adaptation and the show did an incredibly service to it. It's powerfully visual and beautiful and onirical in all the right places. Watching it I feel like I'm walking on a dream.

8. Supernatural:

oh, god, oh, fuck

🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸

Bonus (these shows make me happy for different reasons, you can ask me more about them if you want):

Ted Lasso

The Office US

Hawaii 5-0

X-files

Law & Order

Tagging: If you see this, consider youself tagged. I'm honestly curious about what shows made you, well, you.

#ask game #personal

[devinevirtue]

Hi. Hate doing this but it's genuinely for my sake or I'm gonna be too stressed so, mini hiatus. It'll last from 21st of July to at least the 31st of July. This may change depending on how I'm doing.. But yeah! I'm super stressed out right now since I will be working 8 days in a row, genuinely workings from 20th-27th of July. I'm stressed with organising lifts and having to figure out how I'm going to finish con prep between all that and while jumping between like 3 houses I have to like... Try and style a wig and sew stuff on a cardigan. And also hope my contact lenses arrive on time and I can actually see out of them as they're prescription. I have to somehow figure out over the next day or two on when to pack my suitcase (and locate it send help) and get it to my dads for the 27th as I finish that day at 9:30pm and have to be at the airport on the 28th for around 5am for a flight at 7am. Everything is on hold right now. All threads from my previous account are drafted and will be responded to when possible, same with anything I get here. My activity on Discord will be very very low. Essentially I will just appearing on my work breaks, travel journeys and appearing here and there when I can. Genuinely starting a brand new job right before con wasn't my best move but I needed out of Mchell. But now I've been informed I will only get one week of pay from it instead of two due to the pay period so August is going to be a super tight month for me as well so I might extend my hiatus until I figure things out! If you want my Discord to stay in contact, even if it will be slow half the time, please DM me here since I will check Tumblr once or twice a day. We just gotta be mutuals!

#╰ *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧ 【☆】 ooc ramblings / asks. #// just an update for the inactivity #// it's con time and starting a new job right before it #// probably wasn't the best idea #// but it be like that sometimes #╰ *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧ 【☆】 updates / psa. #// updates #// thanks gonna work out my work stuff then sleep cause i've #// a silly lil migrane now :)

[sailoropal]

My Pinned Bio / Summary

Hallo // This pinned bio makes it easier to explain myself, this blog, and what content will likely be spammed with it. As well as reaching out to other fans also thriving here, heh.

I must quickly clarify I do interact with 18+ content, so please, minors DNI and everyone else, proceed with caution; however, this post is SFW, hah!

About Me:

I go by Fae or Spec (She/They).

I am 24 years old - ENFP and queer [not a shock considering my sailor moon core]

A recent postgrad burnout woman who has resigned from the stressful 9 - 5 STEM grad job I had to now work as a disability student support worker. There's a lot more flexibility in this role that allows me to have passions and personality outside my Degrees and Academics, haha!

Regarding birth charts and for the sake of astrology I am Taurus Sun, Capricorn Moon, and Sagittarius Rising.

I have ASD - Like many women, I was late diagnosed due to many in my community dismissing my observational signs as "quirks" and "A wee bit away with the fae". I masked a lot in my life, but I realize it is essential for my mental health to unmask where possible.

My first language is Gàidhlig; later in my life, I learned English when I wanted to move from the Scottish isles, where I grew up. So, if you have a DnD/OC character influenced by Celtic Myth/Gaelic culture, I am happy to give advice and commentary.

Anime/Shows:

Attack on Titan, Avatar-The Last Airbender, Aggretsuko, Anohana, Bleach, Berserk, Chainsaw Man, Devilman Crybaby, Digimon, Dororo, Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, Made in Abyss, My Hero Academia, Naruto, One Piece, Pokémon, Sailor Moon, Shiki, Yu-gi-oh!, Yu Yu Hakusho, Lovely Complex, My Love Story!!, Wonder Egg Priority, Romantic Killer, Toradora, RWBY, ROTTMNT, Adventure Time, Bee and Puppycat, and a TON of K-dramas/C-dramas/J-dramas - atm I am watching a K-drama called The Glory and my most absolute fave is Strong Girl Bong-Soon.

I am starting the likes of Jujutsu Kaisen, Demon Slayer, and I am open to more recommendations!

Video Games:

Animal Crossing, Bloodborne, Baldur's Gate 3, Fire Emblem, Bravely Default, Cult of the Lamb, Dark Souls, Diablo, Hades, Stardew Valley, Rune Factory, Monster Hunter, Minecraft, Resident Evil, Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, The Sims, Style Savvy DS series (Dress-up Games are my weakness), Pokémon, Super Princess Peach (also looking forward to the switch release!)

Okay, I am also obsessed with Dating Horror Games:

John Doe, Something's Wrong with Sunny Day Jack, DachaBo!, Frost Bite, My Dear Hatchet Man, House Hunted.

(I know Your Boyfriend is a popular one - the game is fun, but I am not a fan of the creator.)

I intend to play the likes of Touch Starved, Courtin' Cowboys, Snaggemon, Trapped with Jester, and more, heh. :^

Books:

I read a lot of Fanfiction alongside actual works by Elizabeth Lim, Sue Lynn Tan, Sarah J Maas, Judy Lin - Anything that is literally Chinese Mythic Based Plot, and Fae Smut, if I gotta be honest with you PFFT. I am on Booktok a ton, so recommendations are appreciated while I organise my Kindle.

Roleplay/Writing:

I have been roleplaying/writing since about 15/16, so I have a few years of writing experience creating OCs and writing out RP Ideas. I went on an extended hiatus as I finished university and took time off to deal with my mental health as I settled into a new routine. I am currently not outright seeking RP partners as I slowly find the time to write again, but I am open to people reaching out to discuss their OCs and RP ideas!

I am such a recluse who will binge fanart, headcanons, and fanfics - I love listening to people talk about their OCs, Fanfics, AUs, and the works. If you share my hyperfixations, don't hesitate to infodump! I might get distracted and forget to respond- but I WILL respond.

#iyu yu hakusho #one piece #bleach #jjba #jjk #atla #mha #naruto #k drama #booktok #bg3 #anime #swwsdj #john doe #dating sim #visual novel #nintendo #yyh #pinned post #about myself #yyh oc #rp #rp writing #birth chart #fire emblem #stardew valley #self ship

[placegrenette]

"Gap" album thoughts.

[Edit 7 September 23: Welcome, readers of Dave Moore's Substack! I am a little abashed, like I haven't swept the floors correctly before inviting you in, since the below was written with an audience already familiar with Ninety One in mind. Ninety One is a four-member pop group based in Almaty, Kazakhstan, and active since 2015, and I have been following them fervently for several years now, largely because they make excellent-but-also-thought-provoking pop music. If you would like a more detailed introduction (and reviews of their songs), go here, and if you like what you read below, check out the essay series on idol pop I wrote featuring them back in 2020. And if the term "Bloody January" doesn't mean anything to you, see this reblogged post or this series on The Diplomat for context.]

I'm still having them. The work ain't that deep, I can imagine you saying; there's an argument that by spending so much more time thinking about this album than any of the thousands of other albums it's theoretically competing with, I'm going to IKEA-effect my way into arguing that Gap is a better album than it is. But it's just as well that I waited this long, since we now have information we didn't have access to back in early July, namely: the album seems to have tanked enough that Ninety One is presently planning to take a poorly-defined, all-encompassing, possibly-multi-year hiatus after their planned concerts in Astana on 25 August and Almaty on 1 September (which will be the eighth anniversary of their debut and the release of "Aiyptama").

I honestly don't know exactly what's going on; I've been feeding fansite Instagram Stories into machine-translation engines for a couple days now in hopes of getting more information, without much success. Apparently ZaQ was complaining on TikTok that Eaglez weren't streaming or generally appreciating the songs enough. (Keep in mind that, since there's no physical copy of Gap that we know of, the bulk of the album's contribution to Ninety One's revenue will be via streams.) The hiatus threat may simply be a poorly-thought-out, short-term PR strategy to goose Eaglez into action. I hope not; I'd like to think these guys are above blackmailing their fans. There are two other possibilities, to my mind:

Things actually aren't that bad. They pinned a lot of hopes on Gap, and cooked and recooked it; they've said several times that this album means a lot to them personally. @qforqazaq mentioned in a reply here that they've been losing ground to newer artists such as Shiza and Yenlik. They may be taking the lower-than-expected streaming numbers more to heart than they should, and acting in unexpected frustration. If that's the case, then we'll get a walking back from the "hiatus, no activities, no solo albums" stance they apparently took on TikTok fairly soon. (One argument in favor of this: I find it hard to believe that Alem would agree to commit to no solo releases. I find it even harder to believe that Veronika would stand idly by while Alem committed to no solo releases.)

Things are actually worse than they indicated, and "multi-year hiatus" should be understood to mean "we're breaking up but don't want to say so too bluntly." In this scenario, they're burnt the hell out and possibly losing money. Managing a music group post-COVID is proving overwhelming; they're losing that audience that extends them sympathy, and the opposition that has plagued them since "Aiyptama" has not gone away, in fact possibly hardened—that might explain why they haven't booked tour dates anywhere but Almaty and Astana. Disbanding-without-disbanding allows Bala to study in the United States (all I've heard is "Bala is thinking about going to the United States to study," no further indications of when, what, or where), Alem to continue the TV work he seems to enjoy, ZaQ to focus exclusively on rap, and Ace to try out acting again. If that's the case, then no amount of frantic streaming-party arrangements will dissuade them.

So now Gap has some baggage it didn't initially have, as The Album That Might Have Undone Ninety One. And if we're losing the group—I sure as hell hope not, though Scenario #2 above feels more plausible the more I think about it—then what did we get in return?

Gap didn't do what I expected it to do. Go back and look at my predictions: I'm almost 100% wrong. (Bala did cutely speak some Korean in the "Biz" behind-the-scenes video, though.) There's almost no English. There's not even a song called "Gap"! (Or, for that matter, any sign of the song that closed out ZaQ's "Angst" trailer.) One of the things it didn't do, that I was expecting it to do, was disappoint me. Almost nothing misfires. I found "Aperem Ai" fairly bland on first listen, and still am not sure what they were trying to accomplish with "Dunie," but generally the songs range from good to really good. I'll review them all one by one in upcoming weeks, but suffice to say I'd put "Blue," "Ego," and "Zulym" up there among their best works.

It could just be that my taste and the taste of the average Almaty teenager don't match up. But I have an idea about what's going on with Gap that may have made it less of an easy sell. Granted, this is an idea based on much ignorance, and if you know I'm wrong, you should absolutely pop into the notes or my (unreliable) Ask box and say so. Or reblog. Or email me. Or post to /r/stupidamericans. (It exists!) As soon as better-informed people shoot my theory down I'll update. That said, here goes:

One of my wrong predictions was that we wouldn't get English subs for most of the album. As it turned out, every song got official English subs with its YouTube upload. Hooray! So I pulled all nine SRT files and compiled them into a Google Document, because after my first listen or two of "Zulym," especially, I started to wonder if there was a theme poking out.

I shouldn't make too much of this, translation difficulties being what they are, but it hasn't been all that clear what the album is about. In the Esquire podcast ZaQ claimed that the Gap era stretches back before the album and will continue after the album (not for much longer if y'all break up, she mutters bitterly). I think @bbcblackjack said they said it was mostly about things in their personal lives, but a lot of this album reads unhappily, and their lead lyric-writer is, as best we know, happily married. Ace said at one point that it was a transformation of their grief. But grief over what?

Let's go to the English lyrics:

Bad habits are quickly transmitted, and who did you adopt yours from? If you are looking for energy at the bottom of darkness, you must know that it will absorb you The power of today is the brain Only a fool doesn't know it  Because he's just an unloved child in a ruined house He is seeking the debt he gave to love in the crowd and devouring others It's like a cycle of depression, get out of it, love yourself! ("Jur Mapelep")

It's like I'm disappearing, even if you hug me ("Tartty")

The looted soul is in the same state, Looking for own heart at the bottom of the wine In this city there are only zombies There is no sense in them! Just like in you! The soul locked in your body is howling... Don’t look in the mirror at night Don’t look in the mirror at night Otherwise you’ll see who’s inside there  Otherwise you’ll see who’s inside there  There’s sadness there, there’s the night there Your smile won’t return there now ("Blue")

To retreat without fighting Together from the same fate Is pure defeat Such an end Is mutual trauma That does not pity anyone - What kind of weapon is this? ("Ottegi"; that's the chorus)

What happened to this world It is filled with anger and pain Who will heal the heart That hurts so much? What happened to this world When will we change it? Love is the last fortress For humanity I'll run away from the city, I'll run away from home I’m running away from myself, when will I start to believe in myself? I’m running away from everyone, I’m running away from the world I’m running away from you, when will I come to myself? I’m hiding once again, and coming out, I’m suffocating An evil, destroyed world I’m running away from my own guise, I remain alone How many people like me are there? ("Dunie")

They say there are only ashes and burns left after us... Your external point of view on me Is wrong, because the screen is blue, but not because of us but not because of us They say about us we had sold our souls, their lives Are like a sweet biscuit And I just worked tirelessly, Yo, if you move like me, You'll catch fire on the first day ("Ego")

It's definitely the end of the world... Like a villain in love  Leaving nothing of this world I’ll ruthlessly burn everything to ashes... It is necessary to go through various difficulties, work hard, to burn everything!... I can do it for the sake of love, and they can just do it.  Who's the real villain? Huh?  Who's the real villain? ("Zulym")

So there's a great many invocations of "the city," and a desire to get away from a city full of zombies; a lot of references to fire, smoke, ashes, and the destruction of burning everything down; a number of references to the "villain"; a desire to be the villain; an idea that "the villain" actually gets things done, even if the actions are destructive. Otherwise it's just running, hiding, retreating without fighting, and a subsequent self-contempt.

Y'all, if there's an obvious candidate for "the city" in Ninety One's work, it's Almaty. And, for those of us who weren't there, a reminder: this is what Almaty looked like a year and a half ago.

Another reminder: as best we know the guys weren't able to do anything. "Batyr and I were going to go to the rally," Ace told Elle last year, "but when we heard explosions outside the window we changed our minds." (I've since heard that one of those explosions was near enough to Alem and Veronika's home that they had to flee.) Their city was burning around them, and they couldn't stop it, and they couldn't get online, and whatever hopes they had for a better-governed Kazakhstan melted away minute by minute, and a year and a half later they still haven't been able to do anything. In short: I think Gap is Ninety One's reaction to Bloody January.

Now, again, they haven't said this. So it could be that I'm totally off the mark. And I really have no idea what conversations about Bloody January look like in Kazakhstan right now. It could be that there's lots of room to talk about the protests and the destruction and the general awfulness openly, and Ninety One's restraint makes them look weak-kneed. It could be that there's no room to talk about the protests and the destruction et cetera, and Gap is an unwelcome downer. If you're going to make pop songs, the Kazakhstani populace may be saying to Ninety One, then make, you know, pop songs. Entertain us. Leave your grief out of it.

And Ninety One did in fact try to make pop songs. "Aperem Ai" aims to be a sweet little love ditty; I'm not surprised they've marked it as the next single and plastered it all over their TikTok. "Tartty" is a very pretty gift for your lo-fi playlist. "Blue" is Ninety One's equivalent of "Midnight Sky." "Ego" is a relatively straightforward assert-our-virtues-destroy-our-enemies-and-provoke-the-lamentations-of-their-women track. But Gap begins with "Who is real here? Who is real now?" and ends with "Who's the real villain?" As if the guys can't get away from the possibility that they're the villains, even though they didn't burn anything. They sure don't seem to think they're the heroes. Which may be why "Biz," as an introductory volley, sounds less convincing than "Bata" and "Men Emes" did.

I think it's a better album for including the grief, for what it's worth. But then, I would. One of the things I've loved about them all along—emphasis on "long," it'll be seven years come November—is that they always seemed to want to do more than just make pretty pop songs, and do more with their pretty pop songs than is usual. It makes them a richer and more interesting group. You think I could have written essay after essay about just any group? But it's possible their ambition, combined with Kazakhstan's current ambiguously ominous political situation, ended up coming back to bite them.

I really hope not. Obviously. I'd rather have them separate and fulfilled than together and frustrated, but more than either of those I'd rather they be able to accomplish what they want to accomplish as Ninety One, and not walk away feeling battered and impotent. Greedily; I'll miss them, if they go. It'll feel like a meaner, less interesting world without them.

But y'all tell me if I'm way off base. And I will be doing individual song reviews: Spotify has credits available (albeit not separated into music and lyrics). Look for those coming up, though I may not be able to get to them right away; I had to put off some chores to get this written.

#ninety one #gap album #come find me eaglez #(so we can comfort each other)