#... well the other episodes where this particular thing happened to their party

[msviolacea]

So yeah, I watched this week's Critical Role. And wow, I have a lot of thoughts and feelings.

To start with, I've also been watching a series on YouTube by supergeekmike where he's gone through the Vox Machina episodes one at at time and talks about what we can learn about GMing and playing TTRPGs from how the CR cast does it. Which is very interesting overall, but the most recent episode has a surprising amount of synergy with this week's CR. He reached the Umbrasyl fight, and talks about how some of the awkward tension in this fight stems from the fact that the players, at this point, tended to keep Matt in the dark about big battle plans they wanted to implement, presumably because they didn't want him to plan a counter for them. This is partly seeing it at least a little as an us vs them, players vs GM sort of game, which can be a valid way of playing if everyone's on board, but doesn't super work for something like CR. But it's also a way players try to exert what little control they have over the situation, especially in very tense situations in which their characters are in serious danger.

Anyway, that sense of control is something I thought about again while watching this most recent episode. Spoilers ahoy!

99% of the time, I'm on team Marisha does nothing wrong fuck you Reddit, but in this one I think that, in her panic and desire to control the situation, she overstepped a couple of times. First with the scryball thing - yes, she mentioned it earlier in the episode, but if you want to assume you have it up and are staring at it 100% of the time you have to say so. Also, knowing Otohan was that close wasn't going to give them any kind of real advantage - there wasn't time or space to create an ambush or do much of anything that would improve their position when she arrived. Looking at the scryball earlier told them that Otohan was there and getting closer - realistically, that was about as much warning as they needed or were going to get. I think the thing to take away here is that sometimes, you can't make plans for everything as a player. Sometimes, the best you're going to do is "big shit's coming, at least you're aware." If you want more than that, especially in a very high-stress situation, you have be specific. "I have the scryball in my hand and will look at it every minute or so." "I am keeping very, very aware as we run so can we just use my passive perception against anything in the area as we move forward?" "I have specifically taken X weapon out of the bag so I don't have to spend an action when we inevitably get ambushed." The more info you can give your GM, the more control you can have, however little it may be. But at the same time, sometimes you're just going to be surprised or get caught in a suboptimal situation, and sometimes that's what the story needs.

As an aside, it did feel like Otohan was a little overtuned - 4 attacks PLUS two action surges PLUS legendary actions? And that's without her crazy shadow backpack? But there's also the fact that the party had used so many of their spells for the infiltration. But still. I wonder if Otohan was meant to be an even later boss fight, and they were meant to flee again, maybe with the teleport back to Exandria. But that wasn't clear, so maybe this really was just supposed to be a brutal deadly fight. It just didn't feel like fun for the players for a good chunk of time.

(I struggle a lot figuring out how to make a fight hard for a large group of fairly overpowered players myself. I haven't figured out how to make it work. But it's a little comforting to realize that Matt might not even quite know how to do it all the time even after all these years.)

But anyway. The second time I started to get irritated with Marisha was when she started trying to bargain/beg after they all realized what Sam/FCG was doing. Thankfully Travis brought out the dad voice to shut her down - I get it, I understand the impulse to want to find something, anything that will change this inevitable outcome, but at the same time, this show is as much a piece of improv theater as it is a D&D game, and there comes a time when you have to just let your fellow actor have their moment. And while Sam will make ridiculous snap decisions to commit to the bit, when it comes to the serious, important stuff, he's clearly a player who knows exactly what he's doing and why he wants to do it.

Ultimately, I think this is why I continue to appreciate CR's no-editing approach to their episodes, even though finding 5 hours to watch one episode can be a pain sometimes. I like seeing these awkward moments, these missteps, the times when it becomes clear that even veteran players and GMs, even professional improv actors don't get it right all the time. It's validating, as a GM and player who feels like she sucks at both things, even after playing for like 7-ish years.

#jaime rambles #critical role #critical role spoilers #this one was a doozy #that was as hard to watch as ... #... well the other episodes where this particular thing happened to their party #to put it in a mostly non-spoilery way

[blackmosscupcakes]

While I'm on the subject of Bells Hells' reactions to the events of last episode, I'm extremely interested in what's going to happen with Ashton. After all, only DAYS ago in-game, Ashton had their own mishap that resulted in the whole party being furious with them to varying degrees. And C3E78, their apology tour for that event, came with plenty of statements and promises on their part that have an awful lot of relevance to current events.

Ashton has always shown a high degree of awareness that this is a group teetering on the edge of darkness at any given time. His apologies in episode 78 tend to be loaded with assurances that he will forgive the others when it's their turn to make mistakes just as he hopes they will forgive him. Here's what he said to Chetney:

TALIESIN: Well, I'm glad you stopped. And I don't know, I'm processing a lot right now, but if I do stay, if you let me stay, the day something happens and it goes bad for you and you hurt a lot of people because, for any reason somebody gets in your head, something bad happens, something pushes you over the edge, something just fucking stupid. Stay or go, I promise that I will stick around, help clean it up. You will get no shit from me. None.

And here's what they said specifically to Laudna when she confronted them:

TALIESIN: I will, no matter what we do, no matter what mistakes we make, no matter what we have, I will stay and I will be there and I will not-- I will not walk away. I don't know what love is, but I'm going with this.

And they seem to be sticking to that promise! At the end of last episode they were very strongly by her side. He clearly sees (understandably, given his past) the act of sticking with someone no matter what to be one of the highest expressions of love. But sticking by someone doesn't mean signing off on all of their behaviour unchallenged, either. I also think it's relevant to look at what was in his mind when Imogen tried to read it:

TALIESIN: I think I've seen a pattern in my life and I've-- I'm going to just describe it instead of-- Just the realization of hubris and temptation and blame and this sudden realization of this epiphany of violent levels of projecting responsibility. Just this very wide thought of so many moments in life of not being responsible for what happened and suddenly going through that one by one of just, it took one week of vaguely knowing where I came from, and the only thing I really knew about these people was that they fucked up in this very particular way and it took me one week to do the exact fucking same thing. Because I was so desperate to have it and so desperate to have something that I lost so that I could be mad at someone for taking it.

They immediately took a step back and saw their responsibility for the way in which they hurt their friends, and so they expressed regret and apologies for that. He also saw how his actions were a way of reflecting his hurt back out into the world in the same way he was hurt. His father failed him, and his pain and trauma led him down the path of making a very similar mistake. I suspect all of this was on his mind in that moment where he took Laudna by the shoulder and whispered to her that she should start with an apology. They were hoping she would respond to it with that same introspection, but unfortunately a few things--not the least of which being Delilah--are in the way of that.

The question is what does he do next? He made a promise to walk beside, but (as I said above) that isn't necessarily a promise to unilaterally co-sign all of someone's actions, and I'd like to see a step forward in which Ashton uses their experience with the shard and what happened after to perhaps try and further encourage Laudna to make amends and communicate and come into the fold of the group instead of isolating herself. But I wonder if perhaps they do not feel that they have the right to say anything negative to her at all only days after the shard incident. But how does one reconcile that with a group member who risks becoming genuinely dangerous to your other loved ones if she continues down the path she's on?

#critical role #cr spoilers #ashton greymoore

[gentlebeardsbarngrill]

03/11/2024 Daily OFMD Recap

TLDR; Cast & Crew; Wee John Wondays; Rhys Darby; Con O'Neil; Taika Waititi; Wendy Anderson;Damien Gerard; London Billboards; London Billboard Survey; Watch Party Reminders; Queerties; Trends; Max Surveys; Fan Spotlight; Fundraisers; Articles ; LoveNotes; DailyDarby/TonightsTaika

Hey Lovelies. I'm not sure where the recaps are going to be going from here. I may calm thinks down a bit and just keep you updated on watch parties and fun sightings. With the news on s3 not being picked up, I'm feeling not quite sure of myself on where to go from here. Still thinking on it. Is there a particular thing about the recaps you like? Maybe I'll focus more on what people want to see most. Anyway, I'd love some feedback. Thanks Crew.

== Cast & Crew Sightings ==

= Wee John Wonday =

This one featured Con O'Neill and Gypsy Taylor.

Src: Kristian Nairn's Instagram

== Rhys Darby ==

Rhys has a new Cameo! This time from our lovely dear @/Baladria on twitter.

Check out the video on Cameo

In addition, Rhys posted a pic by @andyhollingworth1 on his instagram story.

= Con O Neill =

Warning, video may cause tears of joy and sadness. Con O'Neill is a gem of a human being. "You were all the home we ever needed"

I also missed his post from the other day, which was a dedication to his lovely mom.

== Taika Waititi ==

Rita was kind enough to give us some more Taika shots amongst her pile of Auckland pics! SRC: Rita Ora's Instagram

== Wendy Andersen ==

Our RedFlagCrew @wendywings on Twitter brought us some much needed Peanut action from the Oscars.

== Damien Gerard ==

Our lovely Father Teach has been making videos for us on Twitter! He's been sending a lot of love notes and keeping us up to date with his works. If you're interested please visit:

https://x.com/damientgerard/status/1766667952252977602?s=20

https://x.com/damientgerard/status/1766981901796147662?s=20

== First London Billboard Meet Up==

The first day of the London Billboards had a wonderful meetup of various UK fans! The billboard was visible from Leicaster Square and had a whole lot of foot traffic throughout the day!

Our lovely friend @queerly-autistic / QueerlyAutistic on Twitter made it to the billboard as well!

The UK Crew also got to see some Box Trucks!

Our dear friend @/whimmzee on twitter put these awesome signs together and the visiting crew signed them!

An exhausted OFMD Crew took one last picture after many hours of work! Thank you for getting out there and documenting the billboards: @MoviesWithMarty, @/whimmzee, and @queerly-autistic.

== Save OFMD Crew London Billboard Survey ==

"Although the March 18 & 19 dates for the billboard are locked in, we’re still able to change the design if desired. This is where you come in. Amazing donors, your generosity is responsible for this billboard, so it’s only fair you have a say in this decision. We’ve set up a survey of viable options: let us know which you’d most like to see! It’ll be open through Wednesday, March 13, 11:59 GMT. Thank you again for helping us make this happen! 🐙💜 “Billboard Survey Link” Tumblr Link to Post / Instagram / Reddit

== More London Billboard Meet Ups! ==

Tomorrow's the day folks! First set of Billboards are up tomorrow! SRC: Tumblr / Instagram

== New Save OFMD Crew Calendar ==

The next few days are focused on the LED Trucks outside the various networks locations as well as doing a rewatch party with @OurFlagRTL

= Watch Parties =

== Wrecked ==

There are sources being passed around. If access is an issue, DM @iamadequate1 on Twitter or Tumblr

Season 2 watch from March 11th to March 15th. 

Season 3 watch from March 18th to March 22nd. 

Times will be 10pm GMT / 5pm EST / 4pm CST / 2pm PST. Watch two episodes per day. Episodes are 21-22 minutes each. Use the following Saturday for the tags/watch if interested but not able to make this time.

Hashtags: 

#WreckedPirates

#SaveOFMD

#RhysDarbyFaction

== Deutsche Nachrichten / German News ==

Twitter-Watch-Along von Our Flag Means Death:

Streamt Staffel 2 ab dem 15. März.

Samstag, 9.3. 17:00 Folgen 1 bis 3, 

Dienstag, 12.3. 20:00 Folgen 4 & 5, 

Mittwoch, 13.3. 20:00 Folgen 6 & 7, 

Donnerstag 14.3. 20:00 Folgen 8 & 9, 

Freitag, 15.3. 17:30 Folge 10

Und anschließend bingen wir zusammen Staffel 2! 

Schaut und tweetet mit! 

Hashtag:

 OurFlagRTL

== The Queerties! ==

We finally find out the results of the queerties votes tomorrow!

== Trends ==

== Max Surveys ==

Don't mind if I do! If you emailed max earlier this year after the cancellation, check your email, you may have one too. Feel free to tell them how much you hated that they cancelled OFMD. Remember these folks are not the ones making the actual decisions so be a Polite Menace and not a Complete Asshole :D Although, if you decide to go complete asshole route, just be sure to let them know its David Zaslav you're mad at, not the support folks.

== Fan Spotlight ==

Thank you to @melvisik for continuing to make these fun Cast cards for us!

I would love to get more fun stuff for fan spotlight, so if you'd like your artwork or creations featured please please please hit me up! I'd love to highlight your work!

== Fundraiser Status ==

I had a few folks ask me to keep them updated on the two big fundraisers going on right now so I'm just showing a comparison fo how much they're going up today :). As usual please don't feel obligated to spend money you don't have or can't spare! If you wouldn't mind sharing to help these charities out, it would be appreciated, but yet again, not required.

eSIMS and Sanitary Products for Gaza

03/10/24 - $5689 / 191 Supporters / 71 %

03/11/24 - $5814 / 194 Supporters / 72%

InSoupNow Status

Wow! That jumped up in less than a day! Thank you to everyone donating or sharing! It's working!

03/10/2024 - $925 / 39 supporters / 18%

03/11/2024 - $1183 / 47 supporters / 23%

== Articles ==

Exclusive Interview: stand-up comic Jes Tom on Hannah Gadsby’s Gender Agenda Netflix comedy special – “I am your new queer best frenemy”

== Love Notes ==

Hey lovelies, I'm going to leave the love notes to Con and Rhys tonight. There's nothing I could say that they haven't said better. Rhys Cameo Con's video is up above in the Cast & Crew Section I will say I love you all, and I hope you're hanging in. Be kind to yourself today lovelies <3

== Daily Darby / Tonight's Taika ==

Tonight's theme? SNAAAAAAKES OOOOOHHHH ITS A SNEEEEEKKKK Daily Darby Gif Courtesy of @ofmd-ann Tonight's Taika Gif Courtesy of @tea-and-liminality!

#daily ofmd recap #daily ofmd recaps #ofmd daily recaps #ofmd daily recap #ofmd #our flag means death #rhys darby #save ofmd #taika waititi #con o'neill #gypsy taylor #kristian nairn #damian Gerard #wendy andersen #peanut #outflagrtl #max surveys #be a billboard #long live ofmd #thank you ofmd #finish our stories #Instagram

[xjulixred45x]

SatoSugu x Reader with past and Personalilty like Subaru Sakamaki

Genre: VERY LARGE Headcanons

Reader: female

Warnings: issues related to SEXUAL ABUSE, PSYCHOLOGICAL ABUSE AND ISOLATION (all to Reader's mother), mental problems, bad parenting, Reader's father, thanks to this reader has ANGER PROBLEMS and goes to the PSYCHOLOGIST, hurt with Comfort, Angst, Fluff . LONG POST.

You being born was a Curse itself. Thats what you thoug, thats what EVERYONE in your family thoug...thats what your own mother thoug. The woman that was suppose to love you more than anything, that would have to protect you...she despiste you.

O well, it was not always like that, you remeber growing up and heard the stories, how your mother was in her young, the "White rose" of all the clans, because she was the fairest of them all...she was beautifull. Was.

I mean, she was still frankly beautiful, even if she had to stay away from everyone to avoid killing everyone who crossed her path (or herself...), she still had a delicate and beautiful bearing, but you understood why they said she had "withered" or rather, you knew the cause.

YOU.

For started, your mother had a VERY bad temper even BEFORE all this happened, so when it DID happen, she went into a Big Bad downfall in her mentalhealth.

The moment you were born, your mother's already deplorable mind declined incredibly, becoming bipolar and unstable, violent and erratic, all because of YOUR fault.

You still remember that during your first years of life, it didn't use to be so bad, because you two could spend time together, especially at parties, where she would always keep you in sight.

But there was odd, horrible moments as well, where your mother lose all the control she have over herself and start screaming, crying,and she would say very, very hurtful things.

"You are an abomination."

I am dirty...

"GET AWAY FROM ME!!-"

"YOU--MONSTER!!!"

It took you a while to realize what was causing these erratic episodes in your mother, but once you did, it was very obvious.

YOUR FATHER.

your father had raped your mother to have you. for no particular reason other than to experiment with their ritual techniques.

It made you sick.

You started to justify your mother, because of course, she was obviously mean to you because she was only taking out her anger on someone (which happened to be you), and you ended up doing the same, you took out your anger on whoever made you the least bit angry.

It was the only form of all these emotions that you knew and that you had been "taught" after all.

and in a way you saw it as a kind of "bonding" with your mother.

and you thought that your mother also had disgust for him, hatred. and that's why you could empathize with her, love her even, as you two have the same loating for the same man.

But the realilty hit you like a truck...

When a certain party happens, you were still a little young, but you remember it vividly. You tried to protect your mother when your father came to see her, putting yourself between them.

and she slapped you... and left with him...

It was the last time you saw your mother outside. The next times would be inside a CAGE "tower" inside your clan's residence. You couldn't see her often though.

Her before "sometimes unestable but torerable behavior" went to "total bipolar and psicotic, Sucidal" behavior

You lost the count of all the times she instulted and degrade you just to pass to be a sobbing mess, begging you to leave her alone, then remember she hate being alone and then pleaded that you kill her.

You still got the knife even...

You also grew up in your own personal cage, but of repressed anger. No matter how much you tried to fight with your father or beg him to give you your mother back, he would just walk away with a smile on his face.

so you took out your anger in the only way you knew how, aggression. but eventually you realized that it wouldn't help you much.

You realised when you entered Jujustu Tech.

Thanks to your "family situation" the professor Yaga offer you(much like more that he make you) to go to Therapy. So your cursed energy would't be SO conflicted. And at the beggin, it was kind of funny.

Even though you went to therapy, you maintained a certain reputation as a "bad student" in many ways. You arrived late, your personalized uniform was torn and looked like that of a criminal, you kept your distance from your classmates (who were only 3), etc.

but your attempts to draw attention away from you ended up doing just the opposite.

More when you proved to be so hot-headed.

There they saw an opportunity for "possible connection" TO MEET WITH YOU.

Gojo was the first to make a move. He asked you for your name (since you hadn't even introduced yourself)

You REALLY didn't want to talk to him, but you said your name under your breath (progress?) and turned away from him.

Gojo was a little surprised by your grumpy attitude but didn't think much of it and started asking you questions (ignoring the fact that you barely answered half of them).

It took Geto longer to get closer, but he did when they had to do some work together and he realized that you're actually pretty good at SEVERAL subjects.

and in several of those subjects you were doing horrible academically.

He's not one to meddle in other people's lives, but he didn't want you to get in trouble for something you could CLEARLY do better.

so he took advantage of a break that you had in the classroom (which is strange because normally you just disappear and reappear to continue the class) and asked you if you were having any problem why you were doing so poorly in class (along with your other problems )

You just yelled at him to leave you alone and left the room, muttering something about how it was a bad idea to have made that contribution.

He ended up generating the opposite reaction to what he wanted.

Gojo makes fun of him a little, but as soon as he realized it was you, he had an idea.

From then on, both of them would be constantly behind you.

not in a creppy way, but in a "do your best!" way.

They would be constantly trying to encourage you to socialize, contribute more to assignments, improve your attendance, things like that.

Sure, from time to time they made fun of your angry nature, but as soon as they touched on a sensitive topic they didn't do it again.

Gojo was the one who took advantage of your anger the most, he couldn't help it! It's so funny for him to see you all sulking over something so small.

Geto found it somewhat funny, yes, although more in the sense that he saw you like a kitten, all fluffy, all angry, so cute~

They were also able to see beyond the "delinquent" layer that you had, you turned out to be someone more sensitive and sweet than they expected.

When you finally relaxed and allowed yourself to laugh with them (or at them), Suguru and Satoru could SWEAR that you were glowing with uncharacteristic joy, and one they couldn't get enough of.

although of course, you could have perfectly put out an eye of either of them. They realized very quickly when they touched on sensitive topics.

Like one time you swore a lot during a practice fight with Satoru, and he said "do you kiss your mother with that mouth?" and...GOD, you almost knocked him out and he almost left you because he was so shocked.

Suguru understood faster than Satoru that something about that conversation made you very angry, which pointed to your mother. so for now they decided not to bring it up unless you did.

On another occasion, while in Second Year, a first-year boy wanted to give you a congratulations gift for moving up a grade. What was it? WHITE ROSES.

You practically ripped the bouquet out of his hands, twisted it in every possible way (even if you hurt your hands), you turned them aside and stepped on them, but not before yelling that you HATED ROSES.

The boy was scared more than anything, which made you react and realize that you had made a horrible mistake to someone who was just being nice.

You apologized quickly and went to do what you knew how (get out your anger), but you only broke things, over and over again while you replayed everything in your head.

She was right about you.

She was right.

You're disgusting

you are STAINED

YOU ARE A MONST---

Satoru and Suguru had no problem reaching you, thanks to Gojo's 6 eyes and Geto's curses. What they DID have problems with was calming you down. Were you in some kind of rage episode...or panic? They didn't know how to say, just that you weren't well.

Gojo knew that you were angry and that you were going to therapy for it, but he didn't think it was THAT serious, he tried to keep a certain distance so as not to upset you more and Geto talked to distract you and calm you down slowly.

Little by little you became tired, both because of having broken so many things about the place where you were and the mental fatigue, along with the words of the two of them, helped you to calm down faster.

they didn't say anything or ask anything, it wasn't their place, you appreciated that, aside, even if you said it at the time, it wasn't a justification for acting like a jerk.

Eventually that year ended and summer arrived, it was by far the summer that you were least at home, you were no longer clinging to the idea of your mother or your hatred for your father, now you could...be a normal teenager.

They did more normal teenage things.

you went riding a bike, you went to watch basketball games, you went to the movies together, you practiced your techniques, you did stupid things...

It was the most at peace you had felt in a long time, being able to spend time with someone without any double meaning felt new.

so you decided at the end of the summer to tell them about your family.

You left a private meeting point, making it clear what you wanted to do, so that they understood how serious it was for you. and they did not give up.

They were unusually punctual. and they listened to everything you had to say, confirmed several things they had in mind, and were surprised by others.

although they undoubtedly felt empathy for you. Now MANY THINGS made sense. your attitude, your family, everything.

They really appreciated that you were THAT vulnerable with them specifically. and they kept your secret very well.

(I don't think they interacted with your father, but if they did in the past, if they saw that you didn't like him, they acted in a similar way, now it's the same thing, but ten times worse (:<)

In third year you were better than you had been in years honestly, sure, you were still hot-headed and impulsive, but you had made great progress with therapy and the support of your friends.

Speaking of, if your relationship with them becomes something more intimate, I think they would both be HELLBENT of you went to live or in the school dormitories or even one of their houses, simply the idea of you sleeping in the same house that your father gives them chills now.

They want to know your mother although they are afraid to say it, they have very mixed opinions of her, on the one hand they see her as another victim of your father who must receive psychological treatment....but on the other hand they cannot forgive that she has generated a large part of your self-esteem problems with his horrible words.

Ironically it's Suguru who has the hardest time controlling himself around your mother, for a man whose family is EVERYTHING, the mere idea that your own mother has damaged your mind so much...yeah, it's definitely not something simple.

I mean, Satoru has little filter, but he sees your mother much more like you, so it's not that difficult for him to endure an outburst from her.

If your father dies (bless God) and your mother starts to recover mentally, I can even see Gojo getting along with her, it makes her laugh. even Geto can take it more and see genuine regret for her treatment of you. so he forgives her more easily.

Even when they graduate, things keep getting better! They celebrate with you when you are discharged from therapy by going to eat at your favorite place, also taking the children (Megumi, Tsumiki, Mimiko and Nanako) and generally having a good time together.

If by chance your father is still alive, they are definitely burning all the letters or emails that come from him :)

a lot of👏flattery👏in itself they are flattering with a normal s/o, but knowing how poorly you think of yourself? NO SIR, NOT ON THEIR WATCH.

Gojo further shows his support by giving you some expensive gifts that he knows you'll like (which shows that he's been listening and paying attention to you), apart from him being very clingy, but since you're not that used to that, it honestly breaks his heart, so He tries to fix it little by little.

First small things like holding hands, then holding onto his arm, his arm and your waist, etc.

He still likes to make you angry, but the ones like "awww you look so cute when you're irritated" are better than making you really angry.

Geto is chillier, and his love language is based more on acts of service and words of affirmation, he knows how bad a bad emotional experience can leave you (and in your case it persisted until your adolescence) so he tries to Overcome all those LIES bad ideas in your head and replace them with good things.

He helps you with the housework and is the one you go on missions with the most (Satoru is almost always busy) so he tries to protect you as much as he can, even if he knows you don't need it, he thinks it's good that you know that NOW if you have someone to take care of you.

surprise surprise, their main nickname for you is Kitty. according to them the perfect nickname.

"It's soft, fluffy, it looks like it's going to kill you (and it could) but it's a cutie!" -Gojo, probably.

I can see them being more emotionally vulnerable with you, especially if you have had your episodes of suicidal tendencies, they make sure to let you know that they love you through small gestures, more obvious gestures, establishing limits, everything so that the relationship is healthy and you can tell them what you happens.

(You can be sure that they themselves destroyed the knife that your mother gave you, the mere idea that you had it was terrifying)

both of them have definitely given you anti-stress dolls that 1-or have helped you a lot or 2- have ended up shattered by your first outburst of anger. but you always tried to sew it up so as not to ruin it.

Gojo offered a couple of times to train with you and take out your frustrations with it, but it really didn't feel very good to continue using violence as a source of comfort (more so against either of them). so they started looking for hobbies together.

You sleep a lot, too much, maybe it's a product of all the repeated mental fatigue, but at least thanks to this Geto always makes sure to have extra blankets within reach.

He's a little worried, yes, but at the same time he can't deny that it's relaxing in a way to take a nap with you and see you so calm and at peace.

When Gojo joins, it become's a Cuddle Puddle™

As long as it doesn't harm your health, they tolerate it, they themselves don't sleep much, so they are happy that you have better habits than them)

(Since Geto is not corrupted here, his parents are alive) Geto's parents practically adore you. and when you visited them for the first time and they treated you so familiarly and lovingly, you cried.

You like the Gojo Clan, they spoil you a lot, they aren't as affectionate, but they are definitely MUCH friendlier than your paternal family.

The higher-ups tolerate you, they know they shouldn't mess with you, although I definitely think they would take some action against your mother/father.

Honestly there's not much to do anymore.

There are times when you have to end up just like your mother, that one day you will lose yourself and end up like her... it terrifies you. On those types of days they both wrap you in a blanket (like sushi), make your favorite food and generally let you do whatever you want to do (watch movies, talk, play something, etc.).

It is worth knowing that they are there.

Although of course, if your concern arises more from someone (or more specifically, YOUR FATHER) doing something to you that leaves you in that state, they will do the same, only they will hold your face and tell you directly, looking into your eyes , that they would NEVER, EVER, let something like this happen to you as long as they live, EVER.

which is quite surprising, seeing them this serious and even somewhat...off guard, they never thought about that possibility until you brought it to the table.

but in any case it only validates his points about certain things.

(Is it still too late to annihilate your father?)

In general, they are more understanding of you because of your turbulent background but also more patient and willing to be vulnerable to show that they are serious about you. who love you

and above all, they will help you face demons both from the outside world and from the inside.

Thank you for reading ❤️

#headcanons #fem reader #jjk #jjk x reader #jjk x y/n #jujutsu kaisen #jujustu kaisen #jujutsu no kaisen #satosugu #polyship #gojo satoru x reader #satoru gojo #gojou satoru x reader #geto suguru x reader #getou suguru x reader #jujutsu kaisen geto #jujutsu gojo #jujutsu geto #jujutsu kaisen gojo #diabolik lovers #subaru sakamaki #tw ab*se #tw anger issues #tw mental illness

[ju-vondy]

Jason's social media, a crack headcanon/theory.

So, for those who haven't played EP 04 yet this post might contain SPOILERS.

Girlies, first of all I hope you're all doing well 😊❤️🤌🏻 Second: I think the profile of Jason which Thomas revealed during the episode was the "professional" one.

It's a profile Jason use only to show his "businessman" side. But secretly he has another account where he post his other side.

A smut kinky fuck boy side he wants to show Candy desperately. This profile in particular is closed/private and he only follows (and let to be followed by) those who are close to him or some random hot woman he want to take to his bed.

So, in his personal account he'll post pictures of parties in Yatches... A night in a random club with expensive drinks and money on the table... His friends, his travels... His secret talents, his body, his one-night-stand lovers.

Something like that:

He wants to show what he's capable of offering: the luxury, fun, status, pleasure, power... As if it was the only thing that would keep people close to him.

He doesn't post stories very often because he is ways busy, a stupid workaholic. Jason is not a low profile, though. But he's not a regular poster as well. I think it's kind of mid-term.

But that changes when his interest in Candy starts to increase, I bet.

I mean, once Candy follows him back in his personal account he'll kinda be like: "I have to prove that b**** I am worth it".

He also doesn't answer people's message that much, but that also changes when it comes to Candy. I think it's a reasonable plot since we don't work with him so communicating through social media would be the efficient way to keep in touch.

~*~

I also have this crack theory that Jason has some type of hack or app which shows who visited your profile. Even if Candy erases the like she "missclick" he'll be able to see it.

So when Jason enters his professional profile @Jason-goldreamz and sees that the kitten is peeking around he immediately engraves her user on his mind and opens his personal account @Mr.Mendal to follow her.

And Candy goes like... "Mr.Mendal??! What the..."

I laughed a lot imagining this and did a possible dialogue we could have as a consequence of Candy's actions in the EP 4.

(Please remember that I'll follow my Candy's personality and she rather die than admit she was stalking him LOL)

Hope you enjoy!

My mind of an cliche fanficwriter couldn't help but imagine Candy opening her chat with Thomas right after that so this dialogue happen:

That's all for today 😊❤️🥰🤌🏻

Thank you for reading!

#jason mendal #my candy love new gen #Mcl #mcl new gen

[mightyflamethrower]

25 reasons Trump won’t pay a dime to E. Jean Carroll

That eye-popping $83 million judgment will not survive an appeal. A proper settlement would subtract at least $82,972,000.

In 2019, a strange woman named E. Jean Carroll accused Donald Trump of raping her in a changing room of the Bergdorf Goodman department store in Midtown Manhattan. Trump called her crazy, and a jury found him liable for both sexually abusing her and defaming her with the “crazy” talk. Last week, a New York jury decided Carroll deserves $83 million for defamation.

Here are 25 reasons why that’s nuts.

1) Carroll has said rape is “sexy”

She backs up this insane statement with, “Think of the fantasies” (which my wife and I can’t stop saying to each other). For the record, having someone forcibly violate you against your will is the exact opposite of “sexy.”

2) She’s already bragging about shopping sprees

Remember in “Goodfellas” when that idiot shows up at the party with his wife wearing a $20,000 fur coat and De Niro tells him to “bring it back”? When you run a scam, you need to lay low for a while. Carroll, conversely, is making appearances on national television telling Rachel Maddow she’s going to buy her a “penthouse in Paris” as well as fishing gear and a motorcycle for her counsel (could she pick weirder presents?). Her lawyer awkwardly murmured, “Uh, that’s a joke.”

Yeah, this whole thing is a joke.

3) The scenario she described came from her favorite TV show

She is a self-described “Law & Order” fan, and there is an episode wherein a man muscles his way into a changing room at Bergdorf Goodman and sexually molests a woman. This is likely where she got the idea. She’s also a big fan of “The Apprentice.” Would you like to watch your rapist on TV?

4) She didn’t want to press criminal charges

Being on the cover of New York magazine is one thing, but taking your BS story into an actual courtroom is a whole other level of fraud. When Bill de Blasio said he would change the law to make the case admissible, Carroll kept awkwardly repeating, “The experts told me … the time has passed.”

5) They changed the law

The case had no merit because the statute of limitations on civil action had passed. So what happened? The New York State Legislature changed the law. Is there anything that screams “witch hunt” more than that? What are we, Zimbabwe?

6) The man who backed the lawsuit is a major DNC donor

Leftist activist billionaire Reid Hoffman is the money behind this operation. His motive is obviously to bankrupt Trump so he can’t run again. Carroll denied this at first because she’s a liar, but her lawyer was forced to come clean.

7) The whole thing was George Conway’s idea, apparently

Though she denies it, it’s clear this entire plan was concocted by “conservative lawyer” Conway at a radical leftist cocktail party in Manhattan.

8) Carroll’s lawyer is desperate to fix her reputation as a rape-enabler

Roberta Kaplan was supposed to champion victims of sexual assault with her #TimesUp movement, but she used it instead to run cover for perverts such as Andrew Cuomo. She got caught and she got fired. Her comeback included representing Ashley Biden (A Biden lawyer going after Trump? Is anyone surprised?), but this case could permanently rescue her Google results.

9) Carroll’s dress didn’t exist back then

Carroll said the rape happened in the early 1990s. We just learned the particular dress she said she was allegedly wearing did not exist at the time.

10) She cannot remember when the rape happened

We’re not talking about the exact date. She can’t tell us if it was 1993 or 1995.

11) She won’t let anyone test her coat for DNA

Carroll calls the dress her “bad luck dress” and told CNN she will never make a talisman out of it — as though the idea had occurred to anyone. Why did she keep it around? This could be the left’s Monica Lewinsky dress, but she refuses to let anyone analyze it.

12) She doesn’t know if Trump ejaculated

I don’t know if anyone reading this has engaged in sexual intercourse, but evidence of the male orgasm is almost impossible to hide.

13) She is a serial accuser

Despite being a 3.5, she has claimed men have sexually assaulted her at least a half-dozen times. This isn’t proof of Trump’s innocence in and of itself, but it becomes relevant when surrounded by 24 other points.

14) She said it wasn’t sexual

Carroll has said pretty much everything that you could say about this encounter, from “it was not sexual” to “it was the definition of rape.” She said she would not press charges, however, because it would trivialize the experience of illegal aliens who are being “raped around the clock.”

15) She’s not his type

Trump is into elegant Slavs. This woman is like that hysterical chicken lady from “The Kids in the Hall.”

16) The judge and Carroll’s lawyer are pals

We’re told Judge Lewis Kaplan was Roberta Kaplan’s (no relation) mentor back when they both worked at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison. Roberta Kaplan denies this, but it can’t be denied they worked at the same firm at the same time. That alone is a conflict of interest.

17) Carroll didn’t talk to anyone about the alleged assault, until she did

If a woman is sexually assaulted, she is morally obligated to report it immediately, so the rapist doesn’t do it again. Carroll did not do this. What’s more, she didn’t talk to any of her friends about it. At least not at first. This is peculiar behavior for a blabbermouth.

18) Even if it’s all true, the settlement would be tiny

Carroll alleged that Trump cost her a columnist job at Elle, but the magazine made it clear it ended her contract as an advice columnist based on nothing more than lack of interest. But let’s assume Elle fired her because Trump wrote a mean tweet. A good price for an advice column would be a couple of hundred bucks per piece. That’s $2,000 a year for Elle. Assuming Carroll lives as long as “Dear Abby” columnist Pauline Esther Friedman, who died at 94, that would be a whopping total of $28,000 (Carroll is 80).

So, we’re off by about $82,972,000.

19) She said women “love” being abducted

She told Charlie Rose (remember him?) in 1995 that women love the idea of a caveman knocking them unconscious with a club and then dragging them — by their hair — back to the cave. I’m no feminist, but I’m pretty sure the cerebral contusions from this kind of violence are not a turn-on.

20) She said it wasn’t a big deal

“I’m a mature woman,” she said. “I can handle it.” OK, then why does she need $83 million to recover? That’s four times the amount of money you get when your kid is decapitated.

21) She lives in a Mouse House

Anyone who doubts this lady’s mental state needs to check out her house. She calls it “The Mouse House” because it’s infested with rodents (to whom she has given individual names, such as “Terbrusky”). She has painted the trees blue. She has printed out 27 years of advice column questions and stacked them all over the place. Yes, writers can be weird. But it is impossible to look at her place and not think, “This is nuts.”

22) She is a hoarder

Hoarding is a mental disorder. You can’t sue someone for calling you “crazy” if you have a mental disorder.

23) Her cat is called “Vagina” — seriously

E. Jean Carroll is obsessed with sex and her vagina. She said she lives in the woods because if she lived in the city, she’d have 16 boyfriends. She’s 80, remember?

Her dog “Tits” has blue hair, and her cat is named “Vagina.” The left-wing media thinks this is irrelevant. “Among the stranger complaints made by the former president … was that the jury wasn’t informed about the name of his accuser’s cat: Vagina T. Fireball.” Uh, when the charge is “calling a sane woman crazy,” Vagina T. Fireball matters.

24) She writes notes to herself

Wait, doesn’t everyone do that? Not like this. “The Mouse House” is festooned with bizarre messages. Her microwave says, “Burn Baby Burn.” Her bookshelf says, “Always amused never angry.” And, in a moment of deranged honesty, she taped a note to a lamp that says, “Hold your nerve. Pursue your radical options to the bitter END!”

25) Carroll said she wanted to “rape” Trump

Apparently, she thought having rough sex with him in the changing room would make for a “funny story.” (Wait, I thought she didn’t tell anyone about what happened to her out of fear.) She also suggested she’d do it for $17,000 if he was unable to speak. Sounds awfully rapey, doesn’t it?

Anyone who takes this case seriously and doesn’t see E. Jean Carroll as a complete basket case is a complete basket case.

[fullcoffeemoon-nem]

Second part seasons' Theory

Timeline Theory here

Second update: 06-03-24

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Hi there!

The LVL UP gave us a new trailer full of expectations, as well as a preview of Stolas and Blitz's song from Full Moon.

Here are some considerations which, admittedly, may contain annoying spoilers.

YOU ARE WARNED!

I've scaled this analysis down to share one thing in particular about a X's post.

So now is almost confirm the chronology: Full Moon set on September 29th 2023.

There was a verbal clash between Blitz and Stolas, both are right and both are right.

The way I think:

Stolas has reached the limit and, accustomed to a situation in which other people's feelings have always been clear to him, he demanded an answer. Yes or no. He had already decided how to behave because he always assumed that Blitz didn't have masks.

Blitz, on the other hand, was raised in a context of manipulation, where the only certain thing was that his name was enough. He doesn't believe in the possibility of being loved for two reasons:

1. They keep repeating that wherever he goes, he only hurts

2. He doesn't believe himself enough to be

The two reactions were therefore: Stolas "I am not enough, therefore I am abandoned" and Blitz "I am abandoned because I am not enough".

I think we need to really find out what happened to Blitz's mother to find out more, but Applogy Tour could also start to clarify this story.

The song Is magnificent!

Apology Tour may be scheduled for October 31st, Halloween. There seems to be a party, that both Verosika and Stolas attend. Blitz will have to face both and will take the hit heavily. Did he get into the hole following Stols or did he end up there by chance?

The scene where all of Stolas' memories of Blitz are broken could have two meanings:

Rejection

Remorse

Ghost Fuckers should be specifically about Millie and Blitz and delve deeper into the latter's story.

Surely, you will have seen some boards with drawings of a ghost, Millie and Moxxie hanging from a chandelier and Blitz running to save them with Loona.

Not familiar to you? I hate to admit it, but I think those boards weren't fanmad...

Mistermaind will be a real bomb:

We have already seen the Angels and Agents, but it definitely doesn't end there. Their army of bishops has yet to be mobilized. The situation is so tragic that it sees to forced I.M.P to flee or even abandon someone…

We also see some new memories from Blitz, specifically:

A scene with his mother

Cash Buzko taking him away from the crashed Fizz (Here's the “them” of Oops?)

Here or on Applogy Tour.

Finally Sinsmas, obviously set in December. Here too, an incredible load of characters: The Goetia with Vassago (Parrot Boy on X), Andrealphus, Mammon and Satan.

They are probably also in Lucifer's palace.

There were also sad leaks for this episode: Via's song and the final confrontation with her father, who seems to have taken a holiday… Is it Blitz's fault?

I need to recover and at the same time the new episode...

#helluva boss #blitzø #helluva boss asmodeus #stolas #vivziepop #stolitz #helluva #spindlehorse #stolas goetia #vivienne medrano #helluva fizzarolli #asmodeus x fizzarolli #Asmodeus #helluva boss millie #moxxie helluva boss #loona helluva boss #octavia #Via helluva #helluva boss andrealphus #vassago helluva boss #santan helluva boss

[hadesforpreswrites]

dirty laundry, pt. 1

a/n: i wrote this when i was feeling incredibly low. it's based on something that happened to me. the title is from all time low. might have a part 2.

before you read this, be aware that this particular piece deals with the after effects of trauma (rape). it doesn't deal with it right after the incident but it shows how even after over a decade it can still affect someone.

before we proceed further: this is your warning that description of sexual assault on a minor will happen. this is based on truth as well as being a work of fan fiction.

i fought so hard with myself to even post this but was encouraged by @remedyx. if you don't want to read it, please by all means don't. but if you do, please be kind.

if something similar has happened to you, please reach out to me if you feel like you need to talk. i love you, you are worthy.

pairing: noah sebastian x reader

genre: angst, hurt/comfort

warnings: talk of past sexual assault, trauma talk, depictions of depressive episode

word count: 2,585

summary: after seeing something triggering online, y/n is struggling. noah learns some deep secrets of his friend and tries to help.

part two part three part four

she’s got her secrets/yeah, i’ve got mine too

meeting friends when you’re adults means you have to understand that you will not know everything about them as easily as if you were kids. it was something that rang true for everyone. 

noah understood this and was ready and willing for his friends to have secrets from him. pasts that didn’t want or need to be explained. all that mattered to him was that they were there here and now.

that is until one day when his friend messaged a group chat that consisted of him, andy biersack, and his other friend, scarlett. scarlett messaged them saying that their other friend, one they had planned a birthday party for in this very group chat, was having a very hard time. 

that wasn’t new, she had been having a rough go of it off and on for a couple of months. something to do with her meds and the pharmacy being out-of-stock, something that confused the hell out of noah. but something about this time felt different.

noah abruptly stood up, startling his friends that he was with. in his worry and being glued to his phone for the last however many minutes, he had almost forgotten where he was. 

“you good, man?” nick asked.

“yeah, i just gotta go do something for a friend.”

“is it y/n?” jolly teased. 

“as a matter of fact, yes,” noah said while gathering his things. he waved to his friends, promising to meet up with them again soon, and took off out of the house.

he barely buckled his seatbelt before taking off in his car toward scarlett and y/n’s house. in his relatively short drive, his brain was swirling with possibilities of what was wrong. why had scarlett threatened men specifically? (this time anyway) could he still pick a lock? (probably) what if y/n didn’t want to see them? (she usually did but what if this time was different?) what could he do specifically to make her feel better? (maybe ice cream - she likes ice cream) could he get her to open up and spill this obviously heartbreaking secret to him? (he sure hopes so, but is he prepared for the aftermath?)

he barely registered that he had pulled into the driveway beside andy’s car because it was such an autopilot response to go to their house at this point. he locked his car and walked up to the front door. he didn’t even bother knocking as he entered and was met by the smell of pizza baking in the oven. 

“great! everyone’s here!” scarlett said loud enough to be heard throughout the house - obviously trying to get y/n’s attention. 

“is she still in there?” noah asked, slipping his shoes off at the door. 

“only came out to get water right before we got here,” juliet said, casting a glance down the hall. 

“door may be unlocked now though,” scarlett said thoughtfully. “maybe i’ll go peek my head in.”

“i’ll do it,” noah offered, quickly. too quickly if the smirks on his friends’ faces was any indication. he shook his head as he walked down the hall toward y/n’s room.

he knocked softly and listened closely. “i’m fine,” a quiet voice sounded through the wood, followed by a sniffle. 

“you don’t sound fine, doll,” he said as he leaned his forehead against the door. “can i come in? please?”

“it’s unlocked.”

when he entered her room, his heart shattered. the ever-present blue twinkle lights she had strung around her room had been shut off, along with any mention of light from anywhere else, except her phone screen. she had her comforter pulled up to her ear with her back facing him.

he shut the door softly behind him and padded across to the bed. he climbed under the covers and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her tight to him. he felt her stiffen at the contact but not pull away, instead leaning into him once she calmed.

he knew this had to be crossing some sort of imaginary line he’d set for himself but he couldn’t help himself. his friend, honestly probably his best friend, was hurting and that trumped any romantic feelings he has for her.

“when did you get here?” she asked, sniffling again.

“just now. needed to know you were at least physically okay. what happened? i thought you got your meds worked out?” he asked, softly.

“i did. it’s not that. i wish it were that because then i don’t feel like i’ve failed.”

“babe, whatever it is, you haven’t failed anything.”

“yes, i have. i thought i’d worked through it and then i see one thing online and suddenly my brain throws away over a decade of work,” her hand moves to wipe newly fallen tears.

“do you want to talk about it?” he asks, realizing it may be a feeble attempt.

“no. but i should,” she sighs before turning around to face him. “i just don’t want you to think differently of me.”

he keeps his arms firmly around her and chances a kiss to the top of her head. “y/n, i think the world of you and nothing is gonna change that.”

“promise?” he could feel his t-shirt dampen with tears. 

he pulled away just enough so he could look her in her eyes. eyes that held a pain he never knew was there. he feels a sense of rage bubble up in him at whoever caused this precious human this amount of pain. “promise.”

she took a steadying breath and began to sit up. they sat side-by-side, backs against the headboard, his legs spread in front of him and hers pulled up to her chest, protecting herself. 

“when i was 15, i was in a really bad place. i was undiagnosed, unmedicated, and wanting love. so i took what i could get from whoever i could get it from. i wasn’t promiscuous or anything, in fact i’ve never had sex. i just wanted someone to love me because i couldn’t love myself. 

i dated this guy who was all kinds of wrong but i thought i was in love. he kept breaking my heart so one day when we were broken up, i decided to invite his friend over to hang out. i thought he was cute and we made out and stuff but that was as far as i wanted it to go,” she took a breath and a drink of water as tears filled her eyes again.

he knew where this was going and he felt himself getting even more angry but he let her keep going. 

“i tried to keep him off me, i really did. he was pulling my shorts so hard and i was trying to keep them on, i thought my nails would break. i kept crying and saying no over and over. but it was like it didn’t matter. like he didn’t hear me. but i know he did because when he stopped, he called me a tease and wiped his hand on a stuffed animal that was near the bed.”

he wanted so badly to hold her and tell her he’d never let that happen to her again, but he held himself back not wanting to make things worse. 

she cleared her throat after a moment of pause. “anyway, i was working through it on my own for years and didn’t tell anyone until like a year later. and then when i got in therapy we worked on it for a bit and i thought i had gotten better. but i was scrolling through tumblr and came across this story that was non-con, non-consensual, and it just fucking broke me.

i don’t normally kinkshame or tell people what they shouldn’t do because that’s their business but i’ll never understand non-consensual, rape fantasies. there’s absolutely nothing to fantasize about. it’s humiliating. it’s painful. physically, mentally, and emotionally. it makes you feel like you’ll never be clean again and that you’re not worthy of even the smallest of respect or love.

noah, i worked so hard to make myself believe that i’m not dirty or broken and that i am worthy. i worked so hard and it was just stripped away from me again like it was nothing.”

“i know you did. you always work hard. and let me tell you something,” he moved so he was right in front of her on his knees. he lifted her chin so she looked at him. “you are so worthy. you’re the worthiest person i know. you deserve the world and he doesn’t even deserve a grave. you’re not broken or dirty, you’re strong and beautiful. and i am so lucky to have you in my life, you know that, right? and now you don’t have to work as hard because you won’t be doing it by yourself.”

“promise?” her voice was small.

“i promise,” he confirmed.

she basically launched herself at him with a sob and wrapped her arms around him. he pulled her into his lap and held her. oh how he had imagined this moment, but she was not crying in his imagination.

“will you stay with me?” she asked into his chest.

“always,” he kissed the top of her head. 

after some time, she stopped shaking from crying and relaxed in his arms.

“let’s get you some food,” he said.

“ice cream?”

“absolutely,” he chuckled. “but i think scarlett made pizza if you want some of that first. if there’s any left, andy and juliet are here too.”

“i might could do that, then ice cream,” she decided, pulling away from him.

“deal,” he stood up from the bed, taking her with him. after setting her down on her feet, he grabbed her hand - just to make sure she knew he was staying by her side, and they walked toward the kitchen.

“hey, sunshine,” andy said as they emerged from the darkened hallway.

“hey, sorry,” she said as she wrapped an arm around him and then juliet, still holding noah’s hand. 

“you don’t have to apologize,” juliet said, as she smoothed the other woman’s hair. “you’re allowed to have people worry about you.”

“we’re more than happy to be those people for you,” andy backed her up.

y/n gave them a small smile and eyed the pizza.

“here’s your gross ass pizza, my love,” scarlett said, handing her a plate with a piece of her favorite pizza on it.

“you’re the best roommate a girl could have,” she said, sitting at the bar by andy, noah sitting on her other side. 

“yeah, yeah,” scarlett said, intently watching as y/n took a bite of her pizza. 

conversation buzzed around them as she finished her slice, she only wanted one right now - her main focus on the ice cream in her future. noah participated in the conversation on the outside but on the inside he was replaying her story over and over in his head like a movie on loop. he was angry for her. he had questions. but he wasn’t sure when was the right time to ask - though he knew not right now in front of everyone. 

he must have zoned out because when he came too he was met with the expectant eyes of y/n.

“sorry, what?”

“ice cream?”

“of course,” he replied, rising from his spot at the bar. 

“let me go change real quick,” she said, putting her hand on his arm.

“for why?” 

“i’m in pajamas?” she motioned to her shorts and oversized t-shirt. a shirt that he just realized belonged to him at one point.

“we don’t have to get out of the car,” he said, standing up fully. “you look fine.” he didn’t miss the look that andy, juliet, and scarlett passed between them. 

“you don’t let people eat in your car,” she trailed off. 

he leaned down to look her in the eye, “consider yourself special, then. let’s go.”

before he turned around he caught a glimpse of a blush creep on her face and felt a sense of pride. he didn’t catch the way she looked at scarlett with wide eyes, or the way juliet motioned for her to move. andy was grinning at the whole scene. 

she got up and slipped on a pair of sandals that were near the door and followed noah out the door and toward his car. he opened the passenger door for her. “well, thank you kind sir,” she said before sliding into the seat.

he chuckled as he shut the door and jogged around to the driver’s side. once he was buckled and started toward her favorite ice cream place, he chanced a look at y/n as she looked out the window.

“hey,” he said softly. “you okay?”

“i will be,” she answered. “it’s just a lot to process.”

“i can imagine. can i ask you something?”

“of course.”

“when you were telling me what happened, you said that you’d never had sex before it happened?”

“yeah. so my first and only experience with sex was that. which is why i always get weird when you guys start talking about it,” she explained. 

“i’d always wondered. wait. did you say your only experience?” he was baffled. 

“yeah,” she answered, finally fully looking at him.

“that honestly explains so much. and also i’m so sorry that your experience was that.”

“you don’t have to apologize. it happened. it sucks. it sucks a lot. and sometimes i feel like i’m missing out on a whole world. but most of the time i’m fine.”

“don’t do that,” he scolded.

“do what?”

“minimize your trauma to make you seem more palatable. it’s not helpful. it’s not cute.”

she went quiet and looked away, back out the window.

he kicked himself. that came out a lot harsher than he meant. he pulled into a parking spot at the ice cream place and told her to sit tight while he went to get the ice cream. she didn’t argue.

“y/n,” he said when he slid back into his seat, ice cream in hand.

she was surprised to see he got exactly what she wanted, not that she deviated from what she liked all that often. she just wasn’t aware of how much he paid attention to her. 

“i didn’t-” he started. “i didn’t mean for that to come out that way. i just meant that i don’t want you to minimize with me. you’re allowed to feel however you feel.”

“i know. i just guess i didn’t realize that’s what i was doing.”

“you do it all the time, doll. i just never knew why and i think i get it now.”

she smiled softly. “how did you know which ice cream i wanted?” she knew the change in subject wouldn’t go unnoticed but hoped he would catch on that she didn’t want to talk about it anymore for the time being. 

he pulled out his phone and went to the notes app. “i keep track of your favorites.”

she blushed. “why?”

“haven’t caught on yet?” he smirked at her. 

“caught on to what?”

“i’m practically at your beck and call. i let you and no one else eat in my car. i apparently let you wear my clothes,” he gestured to the t-shirt she was wearing.

“noah, i don’t understand.”

“how can someone be so smart and so blind at the same time? i’m basically in love with you, dummy.”

#noah sebastian x reader #noah sebastian fic #noah sebastian fanfic #noah sebastian #bad omens fanfic #bad omens fic

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

Perhaps it's just me being salty for the whole s4 and s5, Kuro Neko and Ephemeral in particular. But I couldn't see a possibility of Adrienette break up because, say, Adrien know she's hiding a major thing about his life and feeling betrayed by it, without Adrien realizing that Marinette was hurt by his "outburst" and then then say sorry for being so "emotional" that he hurt her, just like what happened in Kuro neko.

This show is really, really bad at letting Adrien express himself in healthy ways. I've mentioned before that I think Chat Noir is in the wrong in Kuro Neko and it's not because he's not allowed to be hurt or quit. He had legitimate feelings and concerns! It's his handling of those feelings and concerns that was deeply unhealthy and unreasonable. He kept those things bottled up inside, never talking to Ladybug about what was wrong even though the writers chose to actively have her ask if he was okay, meaning he was straight up prompted to express himself, but didn't. Since he didn't, Ladybug had no idea until he took drastic measures, which is a good example of unhealthy relationships and a real life issue that many of us have probably experienced or seen.

Someone does something that upsets another person, but the injured party says nothing because they think the offensive is obvious even though it's super not obvious. At least, it's not obvious to the person causing the offense. So they keep doing the offensive thing and the other person keeps feeling hurt until there's a massive blowup where both parties end up feeling hurt.

This is just a thing that humans do. We build up stories in our heads based on our own perceptions of events, personal wants, and personal beliefs, but those stories are often unrealistic or at least warped versions of reality.

"My friends never call me, so they don't love me," said by someone with a large social battery who would happily do things every night of the week. Meanwhile their friend is over here thinking everything is fine because, in their world, it's perfectly normal to go months without talking. The two friends' different perceptions, wants, and beliefs about what a good friendship looks like is leading to a conflict that would be easily solved if the upset person just asked the hard question.

I don't think the above really applies to the secrets Marinette is currently keeping. At least, they don't on Adrien's side. Breakups don't need a logical reason, but if they did, Adrien would more than enough logical reasoning behind dumping the girl who hid massive, life-changing secrets from him. Getting angry and yelling at her would be perfectly valid reactions. But I also agree with your worry about the show turning it into Adrien somehow being in the wrong because the show hasn't handled a single complex conflict well.

A lot of that is due to the asinine "every episode must stand alone" rule, which is a terrible rule for a show with an actual overarching plot. Sitcoms mostly stick to petty drama for a reason. There are very few serious topics that you can introduce and handle in 20 minutes. Add in the rule that every episode has to have some sort of fight, eating up even more of your run time? And it's no wonder the show is such a total disaster.

I would not be surprised if season six ends up being a sort of inverted version of season four's conflict or even a straight rehash, which is straight up obnoxious because what was the point of season four if neither of these characters learned how to communicate? Marinette is still keeping secrets and I have no doubt that Adrien will continue to fail at expressing his very valid needs if he's even allowed to have them. Add in the fact that Lila is the new villain and is it any wonder so many of us have hit a breaking point where we no longer want to watch this painful mess?

Can you tell that poor communication as a plot point is a major pet peeve of mine? About the only time it really works is in literary fiction that's supposed to be a character study. In plot driven narratives it's just obnoxious. The fact that this is a show for little kids makes me even more annoyed because this is not suited to a kids show. I've said it before and I'll say it again: they're writing teen drama complexity in a Y7 show and of course that leads to a terrible final product!

#ml writing critical #ml writing salt #adrien deserves better #marinette deserves better

[natalisdragon]

COOK, LOVE, AND HOME

Someone has already introduced the topic, but I want to delve deeper and give my vision on the matter.

This is the kind of thing that, when you think about it, is so obvious that you can't help but feel a little silly for not noticing it sooner.

When we talk about cooking, the doors are opened for many interpretations, but we will not go to something as complicated as… analyzing the dishes that appear next to the names of the episodes. It's something much simpler.

Cooking is something that we can associate with independence and maturity. I think this is easily represented by Arajin's mother, who, although she can be somewhat eccentric at times, let's not forget that she is also the owner of her own restaurant, in addition to having to take care of her son practically alone (as far as we know) both being responsibilities that are not exactly easy to carry. We even have Arajin himself, who despite demonstrating questionable behavior throughout the story, we know that he helps his mother, again, a responsibility about which he usually doesn't complain, being one of the few things that probably helped him with his trauma and develop a skill necessary for adult life, or in his particular case, a business that he will most likely inherit.

We can talk about the scene in which Arajin and Matakara cook together, these are already my conjectures, but perhaps it is a way to contrast how each one has tried to cope with their lives, and it's even more revealing if we remember that they were making gyozas ( They are stuffed/external part, internal part), showing us that Arajin (despite what one might think) has had more tools at his disposal (which his mother also provided him) to move forward than Matakara, who has managed to do so, as we can see, with great difficulty.

Akutaro is another one we see cooking in episode 7, but since it's something he's doing more out of obligation (and possibly threat) perhaps it's more to emphasize that HE NEEDS INDEPENDENCE (he depends on Ichiya) and learning to manage with his own resources to mature.

Now let's talk about what really matters, cooking and love. Cooking has an important relationship with love, being very commonly represented as one of the most sincere gestures of affection, both for those who cook and those who eat. Let's remember when Marito is hospitalized and Mahoro visits him, the food that she prepares for him is well… we know… peculiar, but we see that despite this, even if it's not in front of his sister, Marito makes the effort to eat what she prepared for him, making us understand that despite seeming distant, he appreciates her.

On the other hand we see it in Arajin's mother and the effort she puts into preparing his lunches for school.

We also notice it with Matakara while he prepares the party to welcome his brother, where he offers to help Arajin to make the food. Let's remember that the only person with whom we have seen Matakara cook apart from Arajin is his brother, therefore, the two people for whom he feels the most affection. That's why he wants Mitsukini to eat something that he prepared with his own hands.

But here there is something else. We talk about cooking as a sign of maturity and affection for those we love, but there is something else, and you should already imagine what I mean. Cooking as a representation of a home and its warmth. We already see it with all of the above, especially Arajin, who if there is something he doesn't lack is his mother's love and support . Personally, this makes Matakara's situation even sadder, because if we are good observers, we have NEVER seen Matakara eating or cooking with his "relatives." Basically yelling at us that he doesn't feel part of them, which is confirmed when he simply leaves after what happens with his brother.

In contrast, Arajin's house is a place where we know that beyond being also a restaurant, it's a place where cooking is done with love, therefore,it's not just a house, it's a home.

And now that we know about his past, it's just heartbreaking. Deep down, Matakara not only wants strength, he wants someone who won't abandon him, he wants a home and feel its warmth, maybe that's why we see him so happy making gyoza with Arajin, because it had been a long time since he could experience it. In the end, for Matakara, any place where he can be with a person he loves is his home.

#bucchigiri?!

[coraniaid]

Very (very) slowly carrying on with my Buffy rewatch.

I really like Fear Itself. I think it's probably the best of the show's three Halloween episodes. Maybe not one of the truly top tier Buffy episodes, but certainly a very fun and solid one.

I'd completely forgotten about the scene Buffy shares with her mom while getting her costume prepared for the party. In my memory Joyce really isn't in this season much at all. It's a really nice shared moment too, of the sort I wish we'd seen a bit more often. (Although it's not clear to me exactly when Joyce is meant to have found out that Ted was a robot. When did Buffy tell her, and why?) And canon confirmation that Joyce has friends other than the late and unlamented Pat!

Anya is a fun addition to the group, even if you have to do some mental gymnastics to reconcile this version of the character with the very different version we saw in a handful of episodes last season. Still, this version is charming enough that I don't really mind doing that ("Xander is in trouble! We've got to do something right now! Aren't you listening? Xander is trapped!" she says to Giles by way of introduction, only to respond to his question "Where are Buffy and the others?" with a wonderfully uninterested "Oh, they're trapped too, but we've got to save Xander!").

It's nice to finally get some real character development for Oz -- seeing his fear of losing control of his werewolf side and of hurting Willow -- though it's made more than a little bittersweet by the knowledge that this is all in service of writing him out of the show forever in just a couple more episodes' time.

Also lots of foreshadowing for Willow's later character development ("I can handle the dark forces as good as anyone else.  It’s not that hard!") and indeed for the wider theme of the season itself (with Buffy and Willow's argument and Xander's fear that he's becoming invisible to his friends). It's easy to get distracted by how goofy and underbaked the Initiative arc is this season, but there actually really is quite a lot of good season-long characterisation going on here.

Who knew that opening a new bus lane in Dublin could cause so much supernatural trouble?

If I could change one thing about this episode, I'd have Buffy confronted by a vision of Angel/Angelus when trapped in the basement, rather than some random frat guy (and we know the show was still doing lots of crossovers at this point, so I feel it could have happened). You'd need to change barely any dialogue, but I think it would add a lot to lines like "They ran away from you; they always will. Open your heart to someone and ..." or "No matter how hard you fight, you just end up in the same place. I don't know why you bother". (I mean, obviously Buffy's angst re:Parker is already meant to not just solely be about Parker, but why not make this even more obvious?)

I feel I've been very dimissive of the show's lighter episodes recently (well, of Something Blue in particular), so it's rather nice to be reminded that the show actually can be pretty funny when it wants to be.

#btvs #buffy rewatch 2023 #(I know it's the wrong year but that's the tag I picked and I'm afraid we're stuck with it)

[alwayslurkinginthebackground]

Meant to Happen - A "Kissing You" Drabble

Pairing: Frankie Morales x f!reader Warnings: Mostly just fluff, brief mention of drug use, Santiago is kind of an asshole (sorry, Santi, I love you), mentions of mental illness, nothing too crazy on this one friends Word Count: 2k Prompt #68: A tender kiss on your lover's chest a/n: My schedule has been nothing short of pure insanity, and my brain is doing that thing tonight where I’m convinced I’m not good for anything, so here’s a Drabble I’ve had in edits for ages about Frankie feeling kind of the same way. Mostly it’s just exposition with a tiny bit of fluff but sometimes the brain writes what it wants to write.

Masterlist | Previous Drabble | Next Drabble

It was never really meant to happen. 

Frankie had been Santi’s best friend since their days in special ops, but you’d been friends with him even longer. As kids, you and Santi had raced around the block on your bikes, and as teenagers he’d taken you to every dance with the very clear stipulation that you were not dating. Not that you thought you were; things had never been like that with him, and up until several months ago, they hadn’t been that way with Frankie either. 

When Santiago returned from service, a whole handful of new friends came along with him, and you fit into their little group with ease. You knew they’d seen some shit, every one of them, but it was Santiago’s behavior upon their return that was the hardest to ignore. It was clear that where Benny found his focus in the ring and Frankie found his in little white lines on the kitchen table, Santiago liked to drown out his demons by focusing all his energy on one particular task. 

Finding you a date. 

It was all in good fun, although you’d punched him more than a few times after he’d texted you about meeting up only to never show, leaving you alone with some sleazeball he’d met at the gym. He’d introduce you to every eligible single at parties like you were on an episode of the Bachelorette, and he’d purposefully make sure that there weren’t enough seats in the living room at game night whenever he brought someone new for you to meet. You always sat in Benny’s lap instead, just to spite him. 

He had your best interests at heart, you knew that, so it didn’t bother you too much when it became an ongoing joke, one that was only encouraged by Will and Benny, who were quick to point out that they were single too. Tom usually took your side, coming to your defense when you reminded them that you weren’t really looking for anything. And Frankie…well, Frankie was usually quiet. He’d watch from the sidelines as Santi went on about how you’d never want to date the likes of them anyway. 

But then they left. All five of them, heading to South America for a mission that they didn’t want to talk about. You knew Santi was behind it, and that the others weren’t keen on going, but it was apparent that everything changed while they were gone. 

You only knew what happened in general terms - hard not to when Tom didn’t come home - but no one would tell you the full story. Santiago ignored your texts, and then he left for months without telling you where he was headed. Will and Benny came around to check on you, kept up with weekly get-togethers, but deflected whenever you asked how they were doing. 

Frankie was the only one to confide in you. You weren’t quite sure how the conversation started, but you do remember the way he let you pull him into your arms and the way he cried against your chest. His nose had been tucked into your neck, tears wetting the collar of the old t-shirt you wore that night as he finally purged the emotion pent up inside him. 

Later, when you settled him in your bed, you held him as he slept the whole night through, for what you suspected was the first time in months. It was like a switch flipped, and while you’d spent years telling yourself that Santiago was right, that Frankie wasn’t your type, you had to admit that it was much harder to deny your feelings once he was laying in your arms. 

What followed was a hurricane of secrets and stolen moments. You suspected that Benny figured it out after a couple of weeks, when you’d chosen Frankie’s lap over his at game night. Santiago hadn’t been there, still off in God knows where, and you’d naturally gravitated toward the man you tiptoed on calling your boyfriend. But if he did notice, Benny said nothing. Neither did Will. 

Frankie had practically moved in within the span of a few weeks, and you relished in the little life you were building together. Mornings filled with blueberry pancakes and quick kisses on the way out the door. Afternoon rendezvous in the cab of his truck that left you both on the brink of quitting your jobs, just so you could stay a bit longer. Evenings spent together, lounging on the couch as you introduce each other to your favorite shows and movies. All leading to late nights that felt too easy, even amongst the horrors you both struggled to cope with.

His struck often, and you had your own too, things from your past that you shared with him in the comfortable darkness of night, blankets wrapped tightly around you both. And as one night turned into another, and then into weeks, followed by months, you wound yourself tighter around each other until you were nearly inseparable. 

And then Santiago returned. 

For all the guilt and shame that weighed on the shoulders of Will, Benny, and Frankie, you were certain that Santiago felt it all and then some, but he acted as though the past eight months hadn’t happened. But you knew him, and you knew that the dark circles under his eyes, overgrown hair, and half-hazardly trimmed beard were all signs that he was still struggling to deal with the loss of one of his best friends. The rest of your boys had each other, had you, but he’d been dealing with it all on his own.

And you just had to go and make everything that much harder.

It took Santi all of five minutes to figure out what was going on. You thought you’d been subtle with your stolen glances, waiting for the right time to tell him, but he’d picked up on the way you easily maneuvered around one another in the kitchen, as though you’d done it hundreds of times. And he’d been right - you had. 

You’d discussed on occasion how you thought Santiago would react, and while Frankie had been hesitant, you’d been steadfast in your opinion that your friend would be happy for you both. Happy that Frankie was showing you exactly what it means to be loved, and happy for him that you were quieting his nightmares - the ones that came in the dead of night and the ones that haunted his waking hours too.

But as it turns out, Frankie was right to be skeptical.

Whatever insecurities Santiago was facing, they came out disguised as warnings about Frankie. Mostly things you knew already, about his drug use and the loss of his pilot’s license, failed relationships and Frankie’s lack of a secure financial situation. For every rebuttal, he had another argument lined up, and at some point, you’d stepped in between him and Frankie, certain that even if he lashed out at his friend, he’d never take a swing at you. 

But that didn’t stop your knuckle from making film contact with his jaw the second he told you that Frankie would never amount to anything. Frankie was pulling you back immediately, arms secure around your waist as Will pulled Santiago outside and forced him into his truck to drive him home. Benny quietly made his way to the kitchen to clean up so you wouldn’t have to, and Frankie followed him after encouraging you to retreat to your bedroom.

You’re wearing a hole in the floor when Frankie joins you a few minutes later. Your hand hurts, but anger is still coursing through your veins, so you barely feel it. In fact, you’re barely paying attention as your boyfriend slips through the door, slowly closing it behind him.

“I can’t believe him,” you shout as you pace away from Frankie, your feet carrying you toward the bed and then back toward the door. “Some best friend he is if he can’t even be happy for us.” You continue your routine. “He’s one to talk, after all, disappearing from the face of the Earth, leaving us all here without a clue as to where he is, or if he’s even alive, only to come back and pretend that he knows what’s best for us.” 

When you turn back toward Frankie again, you realize that he’s still standing at the door, his forehead resting against the wood, and your anger is quickly replaced with concern. 

“Hey, you okay?” you ask, the gentle whisper of your voice a stark contrast to just moments before. He flinches lightly when your hand runs up his back, and you instinctively pull away. “Frankie?” 

When he turns, you know he’s the furthest thing from okay. His eyes, which you now know to be so full of life and love, look cold and distant. He’s frowning, the creases in his skin more apparent than usual, and you itch to smooth them with your fingers. He reaches for you this time, and suddenly you’re in his arms, his body melting into your embrace. 

“I’m worried about him.” 

His voice seems small when he speaks, but you know that the depth of his emotion is anything but. Your brow furrows and you sigh, running a hand down his arm to tangle your fingers with his, pulling him toward the bed. Frankie follows without protest, allowing you to settle him between your legs so his body rests on top of yours, head tucked into your neck the same way it had been that first night. 

“He’s going to be okay,” you reassure him, although there’s a significant part of you that doubts your own words. He doesn’t respond, and you press kiss after kiss to his skin, whatever you can reach. When his tears start to dampen your shirt, his quiet sobs shaking his body, you only thank whatever gods might be out there that he trusts you enough to be this open. 

Time ticks by, the evidence of such reading on the clock next to the bed, but you pay it no mind. Your fingers have been locked in his hair for ages now, tangling in his curls and tugging in what you hope is a comforting motion. And it must be, because neither of you move until his breathing has evened out, the only remnants of his tears the occasional sniffle. 

“What if he’s right?” 

You barely hear his whisper, but anger flares in your chest nonetheless. You hate that Santiago did this. “He’s wrong,” you state firmly, hoping that he’ll believe you, even though you know he won’t. Not at first, at least. 

Frankie, predictably, shifts away, rolling off of you and to your side as he runs a hand over his face. “Everything Pope said is true, though.” 

Your body follows his, seeking out his warmth as you ease a leg over his thigh to tangle your limbs back together. 

“Like what? Tell me exactly what he said that’s true, because I don’t believe a word of it.” You accentuate your words by kissing away the remains of his fallen tears. 

It takes a bit for him to respond, but his thoughts are so loud you can nearly hear them. Still, you wait, and when he speaks his voice is quiet. “He said that this was never supposed to happen.” 

You know he’s referring to you, to whatever this between you might already be and what it might still become, and you make a mental note to kill Santiago later for putting doubt into Frankie’s mind. Doubt about himself, mostly, but also about you. 

You reassure him that you love him, because you do, and you’re pretty sure you always have. For every date that Santiago set you up on, for every new suitor he brought home, your happy ending had been there all long. And as you press a soft kiss to your lover’s chest, right above his heart, to prove to him that you’re here, you remind him of the one thing you’re more certain of than anything else. 

“That’s where he’s wrong. I think this was always supposed to happen.”

Masterlist | Previous Drabble | Next Drabble

#frankie morales x you #frankie morales x reader #frankie morales #pedro pascal #pedro pascal fic #pedro pascal fanfiction #kissing you #lurking and writing

[wetcatspellcaster]

Hi! Sorry to bother you again, I'm the one who asked you a while ago if it was okay to ask for some tips on writing dialogue. Thank you so much for your availability and time 🙇‍♀️ I'm mostly curious about how you structure your dialogues and how you manage to build chemistry between the characters through banter. Do you follow a particular set of rules or does it just come natural to you? You write so many ideas and cool dialogues, how do you manage to come up with so many? In general, if you have any tips for a fledgling "writer", they are super welcome. No pressure, of course, I really don't want to intrude/steal your time. P.s. I forgot last time to tell you that I also really loved your AU fic, Party Favours. I was hooked from the first lines and I had so much fun reading it. It was a really comforting and entertaining read, like drinking a hot chocolate in winter. Honestly, thank you so much for gifting us with such a warm and funny story. 🥰☕

Hey! Thank you for being so nice about my writing and the strengths you think I have - I didn't know I had them, so it was interesting to see my work from someone else's perspective.

And also don't worry, it's not a bother to answer this question. Although I'm not sure how helpful I'll be as I have no formal training and that might mean my explanations aren't useful!!

I'll try to answer as best I can :)

I don't really have rules for chemistry, I'll be honest, but my favourite dynamic (as is fucking obvious from many a fic I've written) is overconfident flirt/straight-laced practical killjoy. Luckily for me... there are a lot of these in media (Howl/Sophie, Tamaki/Haruhi, certain flavours of Buffy/Spike, Jude/Cardan from The Cruel Prince, Labyrinth fanfiction, whatever was going on with Emily Wilde's Encyclopedia of Faeries)! So I guess, if I was to give advice on that... I'd say if you really like a certain dynamic, go and look for examples of how they work elsewhere. Work out what it is about the pairing that makes your brain itch, or examine how these characteristic interactions play out, if there's any kind of formula to them - for instance, in Party Favours, the bit where Astarion is actively and overconfidently faking while talking to Threnn while Rose gets more and more flustered, was based partly on a fake relationship episode of Buffy lol. Like I didn't copy it word for word or anything, but it was an idea I saw elsewhere that I knew would be good for the pairing. .

Coming up with ideas... again, idk how idiosyncratic my process is. I maladaptive daydream a lot, and I really like scripting arguments (see above about what dynamics in fiction work for me, lmfao). i just love to hallucinate bickering, apparently. If I have any lines of dialogue that occur to me in any situation, I tend to put them into my notes app on my phone, to revisit later. If I have a scene with a particular purpose, I might look through my dialogue on my phone and try to find a series of quotes that work. Other times the maladaptive daydream for a few days might be the scene, and I'll write down any notes on what I want to happen and let it percolate for a few days before I actually write it. Sometimes pieces of dialogue will come to me before the scene does - Astarion's speech in chapter 7 of pieces happened before any of the rest of the fic, and then I was like "fuck. well. now i've got to get myself there." Mostly, this seems to just be a result of having these people live in my head rent free, but I'm also pretty autistic and so I script conversations a lot in social interactions anyway. .

Dialogue. I think dialogue comes naturally to me (see above comment about autism) and as such, I don't really follow any strict rules, I'm afraid... but these are some things I do formally try to do-

If a person is talking at someone (again, see how much I fucking love writing people bickering), you need to make sure it's not just a wall of text. Adding in paragraph breaks, even if it's a monologue, is kind of essential (speaking as someone who did not do this in the beginning, and it shows, particularly when you're reading my earlier fic on mobile rather than desktop). Often I will break it up with a one sentence interjection, a false start from the other person trying to get a word in edgeways, or a stage direction. I had a problem with one pairing I wrote for where one of the characters just would never speak... I needed to engineer lines for him to say even if it was completely superfluous. Sometimes, now I look at my writing, I feel like these are obviously fake and unnecessary... but they help break up the text and give the reader pauses. So they must be helpful, even if they're kind of just... there. it makes the dialogue a dialogue, with two people involved and reacting to each other. -

Similarly, speeding stuff up can be useful when creating banter, to keep pace and avoid people monologuing at each other. The key ways I tend to speed stuff up is usually a) characters finishing each other's sentences (derogatory or affectionate), b) interrupting each other (you'll notice my repeated 'Astarion-' is often used to get Astarion to just talk quicker and at more length and in more detail until Rose loses her goddamn mind), c) quicker back and forth where you don't need dialogue tags or stage directions bc characteristic voices will make it clear who is speaking. -

I read everything aloud as I post. This is how I proofread. Reading aloud helps me find spelling errors/sentence errors, but it also means that I have to speak all my dialogue aloud to my own wall like a crazy person. If I'm speaking it aloud in a different way, like the phrasing changes subconsciously to what's more natural in my mouth, I will often edit the dialogue to reflect that. I speak it, to see how it is spoken. -

Second to the above point, if you have a character who's voice you struggle with, listen/watch clips of their voice. I do not think I can write Lae'zel (or Gale tbh, and I'm now writing a whole fic from his pov so I clearly hate myself). I watch back clips of them all the time, and then I go to my dialogue, and see if I can hear it in their voice. If I can, I keep it. -

...Be brave enough to tell jokes. I genuinely can't tell you how much I don't think I'm funny. Every joke I write in my fic, I have no idea if anyone else will enjoy it, or if it only makes me laugh. But I put it in there, for me. I'm lucky, bc now some people tell me they found a joke amusing, and I'll know it landed with someone else other than me. But you tell jokes with your friends, presumably, and you're playful with them. So allow your characters to joke with each other, even if you're scared that no one else will 'get it'. If no one else finds it funny, at least the characters are having fun! -

Anyway, those are my main 'tips', I don't know if any of them are helpful!!

My other one main piece of advice is... read. Seriously. Even if the media you want to write for isn't a literary novel, read other people's writing, and I do mean both fic and published books, because published books (if they're good) have an editor. I read a lot of books/webtoons/manga before I ever wrote a fic... like for 12 years or something. I was a big reader, and reading good writing is useful - it's inspiring, it's also just technically helpful. These writing tips might be useless, because lot of what I've done in my own writing I've learned through osmosis - just by reading a fuck tonne of books, good and bad. I'm not saying you have to read 60 books a year or w/e, but read like, a few good books!

(also, just write a bunch. I am only becoming a 'read' fic author on my 11th project??? basically??? so I've had a lot of practice at this point, and grown in confidence. The more things you finish, the more ambitious you get. I couldn't have conceived of Pieces when I was writing my first fanfic, bc I thought plot was my main weakness... now I'm writing an almost entirely original premise and that's bc I've learned a lot since I started writing!)

#asks #i hope this is helpful!!! #lovely words from lovely people #long posts #emma rambles #my writing #personal #honestly... a lot of my advice boils down to 'my brain does things i thought were normal until it took a therapist exactly 18 minutes- #-to diagnose me' #also the way all the formatting got lost is sending me

[akria23]

I wanted to simplify how I posted my Suspect Theories so I’ve taken away the charts which has my questions and thoughts. Instead I’ve put the original sus list and if they’re still active, disproven, or yet to be explored in the series. Some them I’ve shelved & others I’m considering on a small scale.

NUTH ❓ Still active

- Originally the series was building a case against Nuth - he seemed like an obsessive, possibly violent, and possessive individual who was attached to & influencing Nant’s life. I felt he could be a major red herring, however when the narrative shifted to paint Nant as the possible h violent one while victimizing Nuth, I felt there were a few threads left unanswered & a possibility that Nuth might not be a reliable narrator/source.

NOBODY

Theory A: Suicide ❌ Possibly disproven

- Theory built on the idea that Nant may have been struggling with unhappiness & his circumstances to the point of self harming.

- This theory was explored in episode 7 & 8 wherein Nuth claims Nant committed suicide due to pressures of his debtors but Prom & the Baddies feel the suicide video was just a set up video by Nant to fake his death because the clip was sent to Nuth, his laptop was found elsewhere & there was no body found.

Theory B: Split Personality 🔆 Unexplored

- Theory built on the idea that Nont/a ant ks actually one person who struggles with split personality or an identity crisis.

- Theory has yet to be explored within the story.

Theory C: Debt Collector❗️Currently Exploring

- Theory was built on the idea that the debtors Prom mentioned when he first met Nont likely wasn’t Soong cause he would just said his name (and Soong admitted that Nant has paid him back). This idea branched off into 3 mini theories of what could’ve happened to Nant if he was indebted to drug dealers…

- Hiding: Self explanatory. This is the theory that the series is currently exploring but may be disproven if the clip at the end of episode 8 was really Nant’s corpse.

- Coma: Again this one was self explanatory. If Nant owed a large sum of money they may not have minded harming him if he couldn’t pay up. This would’ve explained the lack of a body & communication on Nant’s side of things. Again this may be disproven soon as well if the clip at the end of episode 8 was really Nant’s corpse.

- Drug overdose: This one didn’t really have much to do with the debtors other than it being drug related. The theory is built on the concept that Nant may have had a bad reaction or an accidental overdose on drugs he was either using or unknowingly took & those around him either left him for dead or got rid of his body afterwards. This particular theory is still possible given the state of the possible corpse, which seem no have no visible markings that would lead to is thinking he was stabbed, choked, shot or any such methods).

Shelving: 🛑

- Prom: I’m finally taking Prom of the suspect list and putting him on the self for no, I might regret this the minute the next episode (9) comes on but him just being mysterious & having sis vibes is not enough for him to be on the sus list. His mysterious nature really could just be down to Nont & trying to keep him in his tangled web as he tries to find Nant or replace him.

- Porsche: Like Prom, he was on the list for unfair reasons. A vibe or not liking a character is not enough of a reason. Even tho Porsche stay doing shit he shouldn’t be doing there really no markers or clues that he’s done anything to actually harm Nant.

Possibly adding later: ⁉️

- Keen: Keen should I all already be on the list given he did have the dog mask and he admits to being at this party Nuth had where the clip could’ve been filmed but there’s three reasons I think he’s still not it

1. Nuth did come to him & told him to keep what he’d given him secret which could be the mask or could be something else.

2. Keen seems genuinely confused about why anyone would e asking about mask…granted he could be a phenomenal faker 😅

3. Even if he is the Mask Dog (which he really could be given he has the mask & the physic from the clip is most similar to his & Prom) I don’t think the dog murdered Nant, the Dog had a knife and if we really were allowed to see the corpse stabbing didn’t seem to be the method. As well as getting a bloody body out of a party and a hotel might’ve been more difficult. I think the Mask Dog is another red herring.

- Porsche Daddy: Look Porsche daddy guilty of something - I don’t know what yet but I’m betting something.

Interesting Aspects:

- Reoccurring imagery:

* Wine: I admit to having an obsession with wine since since the episode it was verbalized because really it just seems to keep popping back up when it comes to Nont/Prom/Nant. I’m sure it’s entirely coincidental but it fascinates me…

* When Prom first met Nont he gave him a glass a wine (he himself had brown liquor)

* After Nont found out from the Baddies that Nant supposedly only likes beer Prom poured them both glasses of wine with the excuse that he thought Nont/Nant had changed enough for wine now (despite the fact that this was the 2nd time he’d given Nont wine the first being when they met the first time)

* I believe “wine” was in one of the titles but don’t quote me on that one cause I cannot find a list of the titles now.

* When we get the flash back in ep8 of Nant & Prom having sex it includes wine - Wine is also mentioned in the song that’s playing

* It’s always red wine…which is so trippy to me cause apparently Nant didn’t drink the stuff & Prom seems to favor brown liquor yet he always has red wine (which is actually Nont’s preference) on hand.

* TVs: Damn near every room in the Baddies home has a tv but they’re never actually playing anything. There’s the rare time of Nont own image being shown but majority of the time it’s SMPTE color bars. In Proms room the tv had a picture one time and that was the first night they spent there but after the reveal of Nant being Nont the tv in that room has been static white noise ever since - leaving me to wonder if the static is more in relation to how Prom feels rather than Nont.

* Reflections: When the series first started we were getting several shots of Nont’s reflection / image everywhere def when he was alone. Sometimes those reflections would be used to communicate with his twin but that story in the second half of the stories both of those things seem to have disappeared…Why?

* Flowers: Usually presented with isolated characters and shots.

- Things I still wonder about…

* Does Zouey identify as Demisexual, Placiosexual or something else?

* What is the handprint at Nuth’s house all about if he didn’t murder anyone?!

* Why did they cut the ZoueyTeena scene…Because I don’t know my brain keeps thinking maybe ZT are lying for some reason.

* 2/3 projects I’ve seen from the writer (this being the 3rd) there’s usually atleast 1 pairing that does not make it…will that trend carry into Playboyy? And if so which pairing not making it (I think about this a lot actually).

#thai bl #playboyy #playboyy the series #theories

[naranjapetrificada]

Consider this your opportunity to be an Astrology Bitch and go off about Leo Stede!

(signed, a Virgo sun, Cancer moon, Capricorn rising who simultaneously is and is not an Astrology Bitch, more of a Tarot Bitch tbh)

Okay! You asked for it lol.

I should start by saying that I'm an August Leo sun. Stede is a July Leo, as confirmed by the show:

July Leos are...different somehow? It's not a bad thing and it's not their fault, and if anybody else comes for them we August Leo's will throw down for our siblings, but there's something about the vibes! Maybe it's the Cancer proximity, idk. If anything my anecdata suggests that they're more well adjusted than the rest of us. 🦁❤️🦁

Anyway, I immediately sat up and noticed when they cut to the gravestones because it's second nature for me as an Astrology Gay. Obviously I didn't know Stede at the time and I don't actually know what went down as the character was developed, but I wouldn't be at all surprised if I learned that at least one person in the writers room was a fellow Astrology Gay.

So I completely forgot about his birthdate because a) ADHD and b) swooniest romance I'd ever seen, but I started thinking about it again when I showed up like a year late to the fandom and saw people talk about whether they were Ed coded or Stede coded. I am heavily, heavily Stede coded for neurodivergent reasons, but he also exhibits certain Very Leo traits that I recognized immediately.

Leo stereotypes:

Let's get the stereotypes out of the way because while they do apply sometimes (especially for Stede), there's no need to rehash them in detail.

Leadership, which he struggles with at first but a) takes up the mantle of it anyway and b) improves enough that by the end of the season the crew that wanted to mutiny saves his life.

Good hair. Nuff said.

The man has an auxiliary wardrobe for fucks sake.

His "theatrical instincts are finely honed" and while Izzy says it to encourage the fuckery, it's not a lie.

The Revenge

If an 18th century Leo was going to custom build a pirate ship and money was no object, they would 1000% build the Revenge. I could see arguing that a Taurus might build something similar, but honestly I'm not sure a Taurus would become a pirate by choice. Maybe a Taurus might build like, a pleasure yacht or something. A Libra might build a ship that's as good-looking as the Revenge but sharing expensive tastes isn't enough to convince me either. Stede's money allowed him to build and decorate luxuriously, but plenty of rich people used to comfort didn't have ships like the Revenge. As Nigel says during his tour, it's just so incredibly him.

Now for some feelings stuff:

Leos love it when other people are happy, and when we can be involved in fostering that at all for people we care about we are ON IT. Stede wants to create space for others to get what they need to make that happen. Literally in the first episode he talks about the Revenge as somewhere for his crew to work on their trauma and communicate their feelings.

The above is also an extension of Stede's instinctive generosity. Canon doesn't tell us where Ed got his clothes for the French boat party in episode 5, but given that Stede has an auxiliary wardrobe (which he shared with Ed almost immediately) the most likely scenario seems like he loaned (or maybe even gave!) it to Ed. Another possibility is that it was on the ship where Frenchie found his and Oluwande's outfits, but the purple jacket in particular seems very extra in a way that says "Stede" to me.

Speaking of episode 5, let's talk about the party game. Obviously the main takeaway is that Stede has enough of a handle on passive aggression to make the French assholes tear each other apart, but it's not just the passive aggression, it's in the delivery. With sufficient motivation (Ed's hurt feelings, if not his own) we see Stede command the room with confidence. He chooses his targets well. He knows just what to say to get them to agree to play the game at all. The fire wasn't part of the original plan but it shows just how powerful those hard-won skills are when he wants to apply them. (This doesn't feel like it merits its own bullet point but Leos are protective, ride-or-die friends, something else we see in this episode.)

Stede's love language, imo, is quality time. There are arguments for others (there's also a really good meta about his love language causing miscommunication with our touchy-feely boy Ed, if I can find the link I'll edit) but quality time seems the most appropriate to me. Another part of the whole generosity of spirit thing is that he seems to enjoy what a friend of mine called "engineering experiences" for people i.e. crafting activities and jam sessions for the crew. The most obvious of these is the treasure hunt for Ed, which of course comes out of his fear of Ed leaving, but it's also a way for them to spend time together. I'm not at all surprised that a lonely, bullied kid would grow up to value quality time.

I would also extend this to the clearly routine (but still extravagant) breakfast for two that we see Calico Jack crashing in episode 8. Not to mention the first breakfast he and Ed ever share up on the maintop in episode 4. It's not fancy, but he wakes Ed up to share in that moment because he's enjoying the sunrise and the marmalade, and I can't think of anything more Leo than enjoying something then immediately wanting to share it because someone else might enjoy it too.

Stede's not perfect of course, despite all those seemingly positive things I just said. In the way of some Leos he is frequently thoughtless, up to and including when he didn't make to the dock. I can't speak for every Leo but I have definitely accidentally flirted with/been read as flirting with people before, whether I was attracted to them or not. And yeah his quarters are nice but he could have used some of that space for more crew quarters, right? And how could a Leo possibly misread "what makes Ed happy is you" as badly as he did?

Well I may be an Astrology Binch but I mostly like it (and anything else that puts personalities into discrete groups) as an analysis tool. It's just a fun lens to examine behaviors through, IRL and with fictional characters. Also, the show is clearly trying to examine things like trauma and self-loathing in ways that are gonna inform character behavior way more than a hypothetical astrology enthusiast in the (admittedly pretty queer) writers room. But the vibes? The vibes are so there.

#There's also an entire essay I could write about Leo traits people don't notice or care about but I can do that later #Rhys isn't a Leo though Taika is #Rhys is an Aries and Aries/Leo friendships and relationships can work out extremely well #I appreciate Taika for his Leo vibes #which are not the expected ones #I love seeing a Leo who seems occasionally bored during interviews and stuff #more grumpy Leo representation please #stede bonnet #because this next one came up in the results for Stede's name I'll add it too #stede bonnet has a caretaking kink #which isn't not a Leo thing either lol #ofmd #our flag means death #ofmd meta #our flag means death meta #character meta #astrology is fake but #fictional character astrology #oh also let's not forget all that sunny Leo energy that's part of so much Stede fanon #that feels relevant #afaik we don't have a birthdate for Ed #but it wouldn't surprise me at all to learn he was a Scorpio because the man can BROOD #I can also see him as a couple other signs though so I would need to think about it for a bit longer first #also I couldn't shoehorn it in but something about the difference between confidence and self esteem #Leos can definitely have one but not the other #*points to self*

[utilitycaster]

Some of the resentment I've seen of FCG's coin feels like it stems from viewing FCG as less a character than a vehicle for Sam to do bits. They view the coin as Sam doing a bit that isn't landing and is taking up time and space that could go to the actual characters in the group that have stories instead of what they view as a bunch of disconnected jokes. I saw this with FCG going into the Grand Ring, too. People on Twitter saying that that was Sam trying to get the group killed for a laugh.

Truly I have to believe there is either one server or just like...a bunch of very stupid people who all follow each other and parrot each other's takes because the reaction to the Grand Disk especially is absolutely batshit fucking nuts:

If you give a heroic adventurer a weird noise, they are probably going to investigate it. If they investigate it, they are probably going to check it out. If FCG hadn't run in, someone else would have.

This show has been on for literally 8 years now and there has never been a main campaign TPK. Truly the Otohan fight is the only one where I take serious issue with the balance and signaling, and even then, so what, half the party died, they fixed it. Why is this fight different from all other fights?

On top of that this happened before we knew resurrection was broken, too, so like, the reaction during the episode truly makes no sense; the audience knowledge was that this party has THREE people who have revivify and two with Raise Dead and only one true glass cannon. They are arguably better positioned to take on threats than like, Bells Hells the regular party.

If a character dies the cast member will play another character and just based on the track record of past replacement characters the chances are high that they will be just as good if not better. If you don't want to watch a show in which permanent character death is an option then go do that.

I have, recently, actively tried to push back on the "bro do you even play TTRPGs" attitude people sometimes have regarding really stupid criticism, and to be fair this is narrative criticism too but like...unless a TPK is explicitly the goal or baked into the setting as a possibility (eg: Calamity; Neverafter; games designed for it like the Tomb of Horrors module or Call of Cthulhu or something) the GM absolutely does not want a TPK. Do you know how much fucking PAPERWORK is wasted in a TPK. If they had a TPK Matt would have had to look at an entire encounter and backstory regarding, say, Oltgar and Drixlitch, that he had lovingly designed, and go "well, guess that's fucked."

So anyway if you saw FCG go through the gates and your thought was not "ooh, combat" but rather "this will be a TPK" idk work on your breathing exercises or something because that's a wild leap.

Anyway the funniest thing in all of this is that the most recent episode made it clear that it's not just a bit. Also though it's like. Which "actual" characters? Chetney has been pretty decently served as a character, all things considered; the entire solstice plot revolves around Imogen so it's time for Laura to get a well-deserved break so Imogen can actually process and develop as a person rather than just be under constant nonstop stress; I love Fearne but this arc is just not really about her whole deal; and both FRIDA and Deanna have gotten plenty to do. Honestly while balance between characters is not really a thing in the sense that some people make D&D characters with tons of hooks and things to do and paths to take and some do not, and also the overall narrative of the party is important to consider*, the character balance of this particular arc has been the best of the whole campaign.

*most people get this intuitively UNLESS they are particularly stupid, or have either shipping or My Blorbo Is The Protagonist brainrot, to the point that you can diagnose these conditions when someone's previously decent understanding of story falls off a cliff

#answered #Anonymous #yes there is a passover joke in here #the more people insult the coin the more i will force them to look at religious references bc it's funny #cr tag