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little-diable · 5 months

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Saturn swallowing his son – Professor Aaron Hotchner (Profiling 101 Series, Part 3/?)

Chapter three, here we go! Promise there will be lots of smut (the next chapter is finally full of smut), but please show some love to this chapter which has barely any smut in it. Please like and reblog if you enjoyed reading this, your comments keep us writers motivated. Enjoy my loves. xxx

Summary: The reader enrolls in professor Hotchner's class "Profiling 101", a man she has always looked up to, a man who treats her like an asshole from day one. Will her need for academic validation manage to push the two closer together? Will her bright mind push her into the world of Aaron Hotchner and the BAU team? Will he manage to keep his distance before the world he tries to protect her from can get its grasp on her?

Warnings: none, just some typical CM talk

Pairing: Professor!Aaron Hotchner x fem!reader (3k words)

Profiling 101 Series Masterlist

Part One Part Two Part Four

If one of her friends had asked (y/n) what she was planning on doing this Sunday morning, she’d probably have replied with “Sleeping in”, perhaps she’d have told them she was planning on going for a morning walk, perhaps grabbing coffee at a store she frequented. But none of these things were now happening, instead (y/n) was sitting in a black SUV, right next to Professor Hotchner.

She had been awoken by her phone going off, indicating that a new email had been sent to her, eyes struggling to focus on the bright screen of her phone. Her heart had skipped a few beats as she had read the email professor Hotchner had sent her, asking her if she’d like to join him on a trip to the BAU. He had attached his phone number for her, asking her to call him, and as he had explained to her that they were discussing her idea at the BAU, she had began to hastily dress herself, telling him where to pick her up.

“Here, don’t lose this.” Professor Hotchner pushed a visitor’s card into (y/n)’s direction, watching her clip the card to a belt loop, nodding at him as they walked towards one of the elevators. Barely any words had been shared on the drive, relishing in the calmness this very Sunday morning offered the two, grateful that they wouldn’t have to force themselves through any uncomfortable smalltalk.

“Is there anything I should be careful with, professor?” His dark eyes met hers, pondering over her words for a few seconds before he cleared his throat, having to force himself to stop looking at her.

“You can call me Hotch while we’re here, (y/n).” The way her name rolled off his tongue left her trembling in surprise, swallowing the gasp wanting to rip through her. “For now all I need you to do is to be as observant as you can be, don’t hold back on theories, and put enough trust in yourself. You wouldn’t be here if I didn’t believe in your work.” An unfamiliar sense of pride thumped through (y/n)’s veins, not used to the professor praising her like this. She could only nod, not trusting herself to speak up, pressing her lips tightly together.

Before either one could speak another word, the elevator came to a halt, exposing the parts of the BAU (y/n) had been dreaming of seeing with her own eyes for years. She followed the tall man, eyes taking in everything she could admire from afar, unable to bite down the excitement filling her body with every step she took.

“I’ll introduce you to the team first.” He led her towards what appeared to be a conference room, eyes instantly drawn to the familiar faces of Spencer Reid and David Rossi. “This is (y/n), as I told you, she’ll assist us on this case.”

“It’s good to see you again, (y/n). I’ve been waiting for you to find your way to us.” David Rossi shook her hand with a smile, making heat simmer inside of her, freaking out that the man could still remember her from all these years ago. She shook the hands of the others, not noticing how Aaron Hotchner kept watching her with a slight smile playing on his lips.

“As (y/n) pointed out to me, the scenes have a very dramatic touch to them. (Y/n) said they remind her of Goya’s Saturn painting.”

“The painting depicts Saturn swallowing his son. It was foretold that one of his offspring would ultimately usurp his rule. In order to thwart this prophecy, Saturn devoured his own progeny. He managed to consume five of them, yet Jupiter was destined to escape his father's fate thanks to his mother's clever ruse. She replaced the infant with a stone in swaddling clothes and presented it to her unsuspecting husband, who remained oblivious to the subterfuge. Many years later, Jupiter overthrew his father, thus fulfilling the prophecy. During this momentous event, Saturn regurgitated his children, along with the stone.” Spencer kept rambling on, sharing everything he knew about the painting and its history, instantly drawing (y/n) in as she couldn’t hide her amazement. She tried to remember every word that was shared, very well knowing that this was a chance she’d perhaps never get again.

“So, what? Our unsub is fascinated by Greek mythology?” The guy (y/n) and her friends had seen at the bar days ago, who had just introduced himself as Derek Morgan, cut Spencer’s rambling short, muscular arms crossed in front of his chest. For a few seconds they were engulfed by silence, eyes focusing on the pictures of the crime scenes.

“Maybe he is reliving some childhood trauma? It wouldn’t be surprising if the unsub grew up in an abusive household.” (Y/n) watched Emily Prentiss pick one of the pictures up as she spoke, eyes zoning in on the wounds the victims bodies were littered with.

“A study from the early 2000s shows that most serial killers displayed similar patterns of severe childhood neglect, patterns developed from birth through adolescence. Our unsub definitely knows about Greek mythology, perhaps a professor or a teacher?” A hum left the others at the information Spencer shared, though (y/n) couldn’t focus on the numbers, speaking up before she could stop herself from doing so.

“I doubt it's somebody with an academic background, these scenes wouldn’t be as dramatic otherwise. But what about somebody favouring art? A painter?” Her eyes instantly flickered up to meet Aaron Hotchner's, the man who was already looking at her, giving (y/n) an encouraging nod, allowing her tense muscles to relax.

“Garcia, cross reference people who are known as painters around the area, somebody who also shows up in reports from domestic abuse from the past thirty to forty years.” Aaron turned towards (y/n), speaking a soft “Good job, (y/n)” that left her heart skipping beats in excitement.

……

“Thank you for driving me back.” Her words filled his dark SUV, voice kept quiet to match the calmness they were engulfed by. (Y/n) didn’t dare look away from the handsome man, knowing that she shouldn’t miss a single second fading by, not knowing if or when she’d ever get to share these moments with him again.

“It’s on me to thank you, (y/n). You’ve done well today.” Only now did she begin to realise how close they were sitting, forearms about to touch, resting on the middle console. She couldn’t stop her eyes from flickering down to his lips, allowing herself to imagine him pulling her closer, softly kissing her as the rain kept pitter pattering down on the windshield of the SUV.

For the first few seconds (y/n) wasn’t sure if she was only imagining it, but it seemed like Aaron was caught in the same thoughts as (y/n), slowly moving closer. Her heart roared in her chest, praying to whoever was listening that he’d close the distance between them, kissing her like she had hoped he would for years.

(Y/n) could almost feel his breath on her cold skin, could almost pick up on the shaky breaths leaving him, but before either one could give in the sound of Aaron’s phone going off ripped them apart. His eyes grew cold once again, nodding towards (y/n) as if he was wordlessly saying goodbye, answering the call as he watched her leave the car, clothes instantly soaked through by the heavy rain.

Disappointment flushed through (y/n), finding her way into her apartment with a sigh breaking through her. She couldn’t help but curse whoever had forced them apart, asking him to return back to the cold demeanour she was all too familiar with by now.

Would he treat her the same way he had treated her for the past weeks in their upcoming class? Or would he treat her a bit kinder, just like he had done today? One question after another filled her mind, painting scenarios that’d leave her sleepless for hours on end.

……

“Hi (y/n), it’s Emily Prentiss. Hotch told us you didn’t have any time to keep on working with us on the case, but the girls and I would love to grab some drinks with you if you're up for it?” (Y/n) had been staring at the text message for what felt like hours, rereading every word carefully, hoping that she wasn’t misinterpreting what Emily had texted her.

Hotch told us you didn’t have any time to keep on working with us on the case – the words felt like blades piercing her heart, cutting deeper and deeper, about to rob her of her last breath. (Y/n) had to blink her tears away, not understanding why he’d tell them lies like this, actively keeping her away from him and the team.

Ever since that moment in the car he had been back to his brooding self, cold demeanour keeping his distance from (y/n), not even looking at her once in class. She had gotten the memo, had instantly seen through the game he was playing, and yet she was hurt by it, not understanding how he could pull away this easily. Back then she had promised herself that she’d also keep her distance, not wanting to chase a situation this toxic, but now, two weeks later, (y/n) couldn’t help but give into the anger simmering deep inside of her.

With a deep breath leaving her she tapped on Emily’s contact, calling the agent before (y/n)’s rational self could catch up with her actions. Within a few moments she and Emily had shared information about the whereabouts of the group, promising that she’ll be at the bar in a few, set on distracting herself from her heartbreak.

……

“(Y/n)! It’s so good to see you!” Penelope was the first one to greet her, followed by Emily and JJ, hugging the women who had already ordered (y/n) her drink. And even though (y/n)’s system was still taken up by her anger, by the ever growing annoyance, she couldn’t help but feel grateful for the three women who treated her like she had been their friend for years.

“So tell us, what or who is keeping you this busy?” JJ’s eyes glimmered with mischief, oblivious of the hurt (y/n) had to fight against, expression growing sombre as they watched (y/n) avert her gaze, clearing her throat as if she was feeling awfully uncomfortable. For a second she pondered over her choices, and yet her pettiness spurred her on, parting her lips to reply with her eyes flickering between the three.

“Uhm, I don’t know why he told you that I’m busy, I’m really not, but I guess he simply doesn’t want me around. I just wish he’d told me that himself.” With an almost pitiful expression thrown her way, Penelope wrapped her arm around (y/n)’s shoulder, pulling her closer.

“I’m sure he has his reasons, maybe he simply wants to protect you. He can be very cold at times, but I promise, he means well, and you did help us a lot with the Porcelaine killer situation!”

“He never told me what happened with the case, care to elaborate?” (Y/n)’s eyes kept flickering between the women, waiting for either one of them to tell her who the killer was.

“It was an artist downtown, we found him through the Goya replicas he tried to sell. The victims all bought the pictures from him, it was some deep rooted family trauma he was guided by, since his father had always told him he’d never be as good as Goya.” With a sigh leaving (y/n) she nodded her head, barely listening to the words Penelope spoke to redirect the conversation.

Emily’s words about Aaron kept ringing in (y/n)’s ears, even as the three women started to pour shots down their throats with (y/n) mimicking their movements.

……

“(Y/n)?” Aaron Hotchner’s all too familiar voice rumbled through her, eyes focused on Penelope and Emily, unable to bite down her drunken chuckles. It took her a few moments to reply, struggling with her blurred vision and the way her surroundings kept spinning all too fast.

“You know what, Hotch?” She slurred her words, breaking out in laughter as Penelope almost lost her balance, leaning onto Emily and JJ as they waited for their taxi to arrive. “You’re the biggest asshole ever, I take back my apology.”

“Are you drunk, (y/n)? Where are you? Are you alone?” Concern dripped from his words, an emotion her drunken mind didn’t pick up on, attention torn between his words and her newfound friends. She wrapped her arm around herself, trying to shield herself from the cold as a hum left her, wondering what she should tell him.

“‘M not, Emily, JJ, and Penelope are here, the ones you lied to, in case you forgot.” An angry huff left Aaron, she heard him shuffling around, wondering what he was doing, or where he was going.

“Where are you? Send me your location, I’ll pick you up.” (Y/n) ended the call, barely able to focus on the screen as she sent him her location, unable to ponder on what was about to happen. She could barely concentrate on the words she shared with the three women, telling them that somebody else would pick her up and that she’ll text them in the morning. And within minutes, (y/n) found herself watching an all too familiar frame walk closer to her, wordlessly wrapping his arm around her shivering frame, guiding (y/n) towards his warm SUV.

“Why did you lie? You could have just told them you don’t want me around.” She whispered her words, interrupted by a yawn rumbling through her, sinking further into the comfortable seat. But her eyes didn't leave his frowning features once, wondering what he was thinking about, wondering how he was feeling about being around her once again.

“It’s not that simple, (y/n).” Aaron Hotchner matched the tone of her voice, hands tightening their grip on the steering wheel. Her mind screamed at her to shut up, to let it rest before this conversation would spiral out of control, and yet (y/n)’s racing heart urged her on to keep on talking, to ask the questions that wouldn't let go of her for months on end otherwise.

“I know you don’t like me, but it would have been nice if you’d at least told me that I won’t be able to help any longer, to my face.” A sigh left Aaron, teeth grazing his lower lip as he stared stoically ahead, clearly telling (y/n) that their conversation was over. With her eyes wandering to her window and a huff leaving her, she kept watching houses blur by, no longer recognising the area they were in, wondering where he was taking her to – a question her professor answered without her having to ask.

“You’ll stay at mine for the night, I don’t want to leave you alone in your state.” Angry, drunken words wanted to leave (y/n), words that were silenced by the realisation of what was about to happen. With his hand placed on the small of her back he guided her into the apartment complex, stabilising (y/n)’s frame till they stepped foot into the dark living room. She swayed slightly as she kicked her shoes off, not noticing the amused glance he shot her, watching her struggle. “You can sleep in my bedroom, I’ll take the couch. It’s the last door down the hallway, I’ll bring you some water in a minute.”

“I should take the couch, but you deserve to wake up to some back pain.” A laugh clawed through Aaron Hotchner as he turned from her, missing the sight of (y/n) disappearing down the hallway. With a deep breath being exhaled, he poured her a glass of water before he made his way to the bedroom, freezing in his step as his eyes found her frame, cuddling further into his comfortable pillows.

“Here’s some water, do you want a shirt to sleep in?” She could only tiredly nod her head, hands working on her top, not caring that her professor was in the room with her, shuffling out of her clothes till she was only wearing her underwear. He had turned from her the second his mind had picked up on what she was about to do, wordlessly pushing the shirt of his into her direction without looking at (y/n) once. “I’ll be back in a few.”

She watched him leave the room with hurried steps, unable to stop her drunken chuckles from leaving her as she fell back against the mattress. The soft shirt she was now wearing smelled like him, a scent she’d always recognise, no matter how much she tried to pull herself away from the grasp her crush on him had on her heart. Years ago she had fallen prisoner to Aaron Hotchner, to the mere thought of him, mere images that were further from the truth than she had originally anticipated.

“Do you need something else?” With tired eyes she watched him approach once again, wearing a pair of sweatpants and a black shirt. She silently prayed that she’d never forget this very moment, the almost domestic feeling the sight of him shot through her. No longer could she guide the words rumbling through her, no longer could she stop her body from acting on the actions she’d curse herself for in the upcoming hours.

“Stay?”

#Aaron Hotchner imagine #profiling 101 #Aaron Hotchner x reader #Aaron Hotchner smut #criminal minds imagine

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razorspidey · 17 days

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intro ⋆ READ B4 INTERACTING ⌁

my name is ajax/reo (you can call me either of those names) my pronouns are he/xe i am a minor (i'm 4teen) and i used to be @spinnspidey and @radiospidey and @knifespidey (that was the more known one) but i got t worded (again...). to whoever got me t worded, block dnt report. thanks!! ૮ ˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶ ა yeah so heres my intro. i'm a little bit of a weirdo if i do say so myself and i'm heavily tumblr obsessed so yeah i'll be on here nd i'll probably post a lot ^^ i'll post whatever goes through my mind which might be bad so warning on that. i might show symptoms of mental illnesses and if i do then mb idk not really my problem… but heads up i WILL say shit that shows that im not doing great. please do not try to save me or smth. also im looking for friends so bmf i promise im nice. DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT PROMOTE ANYTHING THAT I POST. I AM POSTING AS A WAY TO VENT.

more info + stats under the cut!!! (tw for talking about sh + ed. don't like, don't read.)

sh﹐tw . . . ⋆ i have been cvtting since 2022 ⋆ i have hit styro ⋆ only styro on my thighs ⋆ i am not allowed to cvt anymore (unfortunately) ⋆ i have cvt my thighs, arms, stomach, and neck ⋆ most scars on thighs + arms ⋆ mostly cat scratches ⋆ all scars have healed (or are almost done in the process of healing) ⋆ my parents found out so i can't do it for now... (⇀‸↼‶)

ed﹐tw . . . ⋆ i have always hated my body ⋆ started trying to lose weight january 2023 ⋆ started around december 2023 (probably before, like over the summer but idk...) ⋆ 160 cm (last time i measured myself at least..) ⋆ sw 57.6 kg (bmi 22.5) ⋆ cw 51.2 kg (bmi 20) [will update every morning] ⋆ gw 1 50 kg (bmi 19.5) ⋆ gw 2 45 kg (bmi 17.6) ⋆ gw 3 40 kg (bmi 15.6) ⋆ ugw 38 kg (bmi 14.8) [or lower tbh...]

dni . . . ⋆ basic dni (idrc ngl, do what you want but don't report me thanks) ⋆ judgmental people ⋆ overly sensitive people ⋆ people who aren't ok w dark topics/get uncomfortable by stuff like that (this is more for you than for me, i dont wanna make anyone upset) ⋆ people who get triggered by talking about sh, ⭐️ving, alcohol, etc… (yes i am aware that it's bad, no don't come to my dms with a savior complex telling me to get help. i'm trying to get help) ⋆ i block freely btw cuz ik a lot of ppl dont respect dni lists + theres people who are unavoidable at times…

byi . . . ⋆ if you interact with me, i might seem excited n stuff ⋆ i might sound like i'm flirting but i'm not (i have a partner and i love them) ⋆ i can make a lot of sex jokes ⋆ i am very immature ⋆ dnt try to "fix" me, i'll probably block you or ignore you ⋆ i'm a little unusual so yeah ⋆ dnt be scared to interact w me i luv talking to peopleヾ(≧∇≦)ゞ ⋆ i am not pro €d or $h i just post about it and my experience…

fandoms . . . ⋆ hypmic (hypnosis mic) ⋆ genshin impact ⋆ paralive (paradox live) ⋆ servamp ⋆ tougen anki ⋆ karneval ⋆ bsd (bungou stray dogs) ⋆ seraph of the end ⋆ litc (lost in the cloud) ⋆ kagerou daze ⋆ the case study of vanitas ⋆ pandora hearts ⋆ enstars (ensemble stars) (i am KIND OF a part of it because my ex filled me up on a lot of lore when we were together…) ⋆ pjsk (project sekai) ⋆ theres probably some others but i forgot…

interests . . . ⋆ vkei ⋆ scene ⋆ anything bloody ⋆ cannibalism (ooh edgy) ⋆ tortures ⋆ psychology ⋆ music (i listen to vkei, scene, metal, etc…) ⋆ vampires ⋆ fanfiction (mostly genshin but other stuff occassionally) ⋆ true crime (im not tcc) ⋆ rarepairs (mostly genshin) ⋆ bats ⋆ writing ⋆ books ⋆ etc… ⋆ btw if youre interested in any of these or are interested becoming friends PLEASEEE message me 🙏🙏😓 im looking for friends pleaseplwaseplease

tags . . . ⋆ i tag all my posts with #razorspidey ⋆ i tag my normal posts with #razorspideys normal posts, meaning they are unrelated to $h and/or €d related things ⋆ i dont have a specific tag for $h/€d/vent related things so beware. i usually put a warning on all my posts like that at the end of the post tho ⋆ i tag my moodboard with #razorspideys moodboards ⋆ i tag stuff about me/my life as #razorspideys diary ⋆ i tag my rants/more serious posts with #razorspidey rants ⋆ block any of those tags or my blog if you do not wish to see it!!!

other links . . . ⋆ fanfic/dead dove: do not eat blog ⋆ poem blog ⋆ carrd

remember!!! block DONT report this blog if you need to ^^ this blog is meant as a way to vent my feelings/talk about my feelings so please don't dm me about how its bad. i am aware.

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siphoklansan · 1 year

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300 Followers Milestone Celebration🎉

Introducing…

꧁𝐀𝐧𝐚𝐧 𝐀𝐭𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐤𝗼𝐫𝐧𝗺𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐚꧂

อนันต์ อัฏฐกรเมธา

“A young man from a fallen kingdom, his name strikes fear into many hearts.”

Height : 186 cm.

Birthday : October 8th

Age: 18

Homeland : East of Scalding Sands

Best Subject : Astrology

Club: Magical Shift club

Talents: Knowledgeable in astrology and fortune telling, Skilled with archery

Hobby: Crochet, Weaving silk

Likes: Animals, chrysanthemum tea, supernaturals

Dislikes: Misunderstandings

Favorite Food: Street Food

Least Favorite food: pomegranates

꧁𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐜 & 𝐀𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬꧂

"𝐄𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐁𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞" The ability to reverse a person’s (or multiple) movements and objects’ movement/form. The length of how far back he can reverse is unknown, but he usually only goes back to 10 seconds. The longer he reverses, the more stamina it takes.

𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐒𝐤𝐢𝐧 : Warriors are adorned with talisman (tattoos) , giving wearers resistance to black magic and blot. And also some resistance to normal physical damage (ex. a normal blade, a bullet)

𝐒𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝 : Anan is from a blood line directly from The King of Yakshas. He has an enormous amount of mana, making him a very powerful mage both in magical and physical terms.

꧁𝐅𝐮𝐧 𝐅𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐬 𝐀𝐛𝗼𝐮𝐭 𝐀𝐧𝐚𝐧꧂

His last name : “Atthakornmetha” means a philosopher with skills as if they posses eight arms. Strange, right?

Anan is inspired by a character from a literature called Ramakien (รามเกียรต์). It is a Thai version of Ramayana (just in case this rings a bell to anyone). The character Anan is inspired by is….*drumroll please!* Thotsakan! Bro is the antagonist of the story and has TWENTY ARMS AND TEN FACES…WHAT-

Thotsakan has the ability to remove his heart. He stores it in a box far away from him, so he’s technically immortal. But if he’s near the box, the heart returns to him so he’s not immortal anymore. I initially planned this to be Anan’s Unique Magic, but man, it’s too op like😭 Bro can rival Malleus and I don’t want to make a very OP character. Weaknesses are good!

Adding on to the previous paragraph, the information about Thotsakan’s ability will have something to do with his backstory…stay tuned >:-)

My best friend helped me design Anan. She’s amazing at art and very creative too!

My sister also helped me with some headcanons for him AND his unique magic!<3

I have a lot to work on with Anan, at first, his personality is similar to Malleus. It was difficult to put my finger on something unique for him.

Screaming crying throwing up on whether or not I should create a new dorm for my OCs or shove them into one of the seven dorms. Thing is I already designed a unique dorm uniform for them </3 so for now, Anan will be wearing an orange vest. I’ll edit this post later if I changed my mind!

꧁𝐀𝐛𝗼𝐮𝐭 𝐀𝐧𝐚𝐧꧂

Anan really likes animals, especially small and cute ones like rabbits and hamsters. But animals occasionally run away from him. They’re scared of my boi :(

Anan is the type of friend to always look out for you. When you bend down near a table, his hand will cover the edge of the table so you don’t get hurt. Bro always saves a seat for you during lunch time. Bro remembers your birthday too.

He…has an RBF. He’s very friendly, but he just looks intimidating/angry all the time.

He’s also the type to carry a small pouch around with essential items inside. Your lips are chapped? Say no more, he got chu. Need some mints? Here you go, m’lord/lady. Your nails are dirty? Here’s a nail clipper-

Anan is not afraid to show affection. He will show you that he cares, public or private. He’s always there if you need something, and not in a suffocating way either. Despite his intimidating aura (and looks) if you manage (somehow) to relax and let your guard down, he doesn’t seem so intimidating anymore. And it’s quite relaxing.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR 300+ FOLLOWERS💗 I’m so happy I get to share my art on tumblr, in a wonderful community and have people enjoying my silly little art! I’d love to interact with everybody so don’t be shy to ask some questions or barge into my askbox! Thank you again~

Lmk if you have any questions or headcanons about Anan, I’d love to hear them🫶

#my dumbass forgot to draw the dorm ribbon thingy on his arm #he’s also supposed to wear rings on his left hand #but due to the angle its a bit hard to draw it so i removed it for now #and yes he has a back tattoo #twisted wonderland #twst #disney twisted wonderland #twst wonderland #disney twst #twisted wonderland oc #twst wonderland oc #twst oc #oc #original character #twisted wonderland orginial character #ilysm guys thank you!💞🫶#☂︎︎siphok-museum☂︎︎#➪siphok-ANNOUNCING➪

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slippery-domjot-balls · 10 months

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DS9 S4 E11 Homefront & E12 Paradise Lost, slippery thoughts

Wow....let me catch my breath. That was a wild and tense ride. Nice scenery too. Obviously these are just my opinions, but I wanted to share them because Star Trek makes me happy and passionate. I want you to be happy and passionate too!

Given the intensity of these two episodes I completely forgot it started off with Jadzia pulling off the most specific pranks on Odo.

Jadzia: I sneak into my coworker's private quarters and move his furniture by 3 cm every couple of days.

Quark: That's weird. They would not even notice that change.

Jadzia: Oh, no no no. He sees it every time and it drives him insane.

Audience: Oh you silly worm!

And I loved that we got to see these two besties playing pretend. We need more Miles and Julian aviation adventures. Super cute pals.

R.I.P. Clive

Playtime is over now because the changelings have basically infiltrated Earth and are ruining everything all the time and it isn't fun anymore....or are they? They are, but are they? Possibly. Probably. Perhaps.

To me this kind of episode is the pinnacle of what Star Trek writing has always been about. We see a complex evaluation of choices in conflict. It is not about an obvious "right" or "wrong", but one decision versus another. This is a battle between perspective and reason. All sides contain some merit. This episode also shows good intentions taken too far and taken beyond the ethical reasoning that initially inspired the action.

If this episode were to have a villain it would be fear and paranoia itself and not any particular character.

Vice Admiral Leyton was an amazing character. It was brilliant to establish that he had a close professional history with Sisko early in the episode because it immediately made me trust him. You sneaky writers!! But that was the whole point. The story that was unfolding to the audience purposefully made us feel betrayed with Sisko. We co-experienced in real time the feeling seeing a close friend commit treason.

Enter the most powerful man on Earth. He can move the most stubborn hearts, calm the most irrational mind, and fill up the most starved stomach. Replicated foods beware of Grandpa Sisko. I see where Jake gets his style too! It was so believable that these three were family. You could see how cadences, mannerism, and behaviors in Granddad Sisko were passed to Ben and then passed down to Jake, but in their own naturally developing ways in each generation.

*Spoiler Alert* Grandpa Sisko also saves the day.

Just when I thought this episode had all the ingredients for perfection Nog the keeper of all things pure and innocent shows up. Look at that smug Ferengi. He knows that he is the best thing at the Academy and so do we.

A great thing about these two episodes is that every character acts as an essential part of the story. Nog will lead Ben on the chase with his talk of the Red Squad. A+ Nog!

This ain't your normal seagull. This one loves Bajoran women.

Around this point we have all the main details of the episode. Admiral Leyton and Captain Sisko are working together to protect Earth from a suspected Dominion infiltration and invasion. The President of the Federation is against the proposed worldwide security changes but reluctantly allows their implementation.

With security personnel, blood tests of all crucial Starfleet staff and family members, and martial law practically in effect everywhere we are ready to repel any Dominion attacks. After all, the wormhole was winking at DS9 a lot so perhaps a cloaked invasion fleet is on Earth's doorstep.

HERE WE GO! Papa Sisko challenges Daddy Sisko's paranoia. Ben is seeing changelings in his sleep and not the Odo kind either.

So we start to see the episode present one of it's many challenges:

How far should we trade individual autonomy for protection?

And THIS is why I love Star Trek. Grandfather Sisko is absolutely correct!! And yet, Ben Sisko is also correct. Both want to protect what they love, life ad they know and perceive it.

We search for the highest good in each situation. Ben wants to secure and save everything he loves on Earth. He wants to protect his family, his home, and everything therein. Grandpa Sisko wants the EXACT same thing. The methods to achieve their shared goal is in conflict.

DS9 writers have a candy bar on me. Well done!!! (engage smooching sounds)

This very moment is crucial for Ben. His paranoia is pushing him toward the type of dictatorial control that Admiral Leyton is calling for, but Ben has found that not only is something odd happening in the background but this entire movement smell stinky.

Nog is such a good cadet. I love him with all my little heart. He provided critical information about Starfleet Academy's unofficial super special secret mean girls club Red Squad. This little snack of information sets Ben Sisko on the trail of breadcrumbs leading to the smorgasbord of treason committed by Leyton.

Smug Shapeshifting O'Brien is a gift. Enjoy every second of this hilarious goop boy. Colm really did a great job. We do see that there is a Dominion changeling on earth (saw it earlier in Homefront as well). We understand how real the threat of their activity can be. We especially see how terrifying a changeling can be when Dominion version O'Brien has a little chat with Ben. It might only take one hostile changeling to completely destabilize an entire world.

I do wish we figured out how the fake changeling blood was created to trap Sisko. Clever girl, Admiral.

I felt bad for Leyton. He is someone caught in a difficult position of authority and personal fears. His own paranoia drove him to the utmost extreme. I imagined that maybe he has a cute little family with a kid back home. I imagined what it might be like in his shoes. It would be hard to live thinking that your lack of effort led to the death of your child or friend or family member or significant other. It would be hard to go to bed knowing that the person you once shared it with prematurely died because of that you thought you failed to do. Even in much of the two episodes his facial expressions show a man full of internal strife and conflict. It is as if he kept questioning his actions as he made them.

What if his fear of failing his community drove him to radical dictatorship? He wanted to keep all that he loved safe, but he betrayed everyone he loved. He demanded that all his loyal friends trust him. Trust is a two way exchange though. He abandoned trusting his friends and confidants. That was the beginning of his downfall.

Leyton wanted to protect society at the cost of society itself. He could not see beyond his fear of losing society to war and enemies abroad to the point of blindness. He became an enemy of all he cherished, and I honestly think that he knew that too. He was just so scared that he desperately dug in to the one aspect of his life that he thought he could control, which is so relatable. We all can act irrationally under stress and pressure. This is not justification or approval. This is accepting that life may not have as many villains in it as we are told to believe. People are just trying to be people, meet their obligations and responsibilities while preserving what little bit of life exists to enjoy.

We are all prone to brash behaviors in order to protect what we love, but sometimes it is healthy to set down the admiralty bars and accept that you can't do it all, especially alone.

Remember that everyone in this episode wanted the same thing. Leyton wanted to protect life. Sisko wanted to protect life. Grandpa Sisko wanted to protect life. Everyone held the same belief and motivation.

I appreciated how solemnly Leyton gave in and how respectfully he surrendered. It actually felt less like defeat and more like he was relieved of a burden that he was too overwhelmed to carry alone. He didn't need to carry it alone but chose to go alone. In a symbolic way by removing the admiral bars he set down his fear and moved on.

The amount of time taken for these shots impressed upon me the symbolic significance of it. Sisko also lets go and moves on with Leyton. By setting the phaser down he too lets go and agrees it is time to move forward from this conflict. He is still betrayed and disappointed, but he is not stuck or trapped in the past. He sets down his weapon and joins Leyton in facing a reality outside the oppression of their own paranoia.

I loved that Paradise Lost ends with the restaurant opening up again. It is the resolution these episodes needed. It was closure showing that being open to others and not letting the world cloud you of the humanity in others is fundamental to life.

Despite the many differences in all these characters, regardless of where they were in the progress of their own lives, no matter the goal or intention, we all essentially desire the same things.

Star Trek is the future I hope for!

If you made it to the end of this post and are reading this then 10,000 sweet kisses to your forehead. If you didn't make it then I am still giving your forehead tender kisses, you are just not aware of it.

#pictures courtesy of trekcore.com #love you @trekcore #star trek deep space 9 #ds9 #DS9 gang #slippery thoughts #benjamin sisko #miles obrien #julian bashir #worf #jadzia dax #kira nerys #odo ital #nog #quark #morn #admiral leyton #i am not going to add any more tags

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wheelsup30 · 23 days

Note

🦋 🦴 🍅 🐚 🪲 ☁️🐝 hehehe

🦋 ⇢ share something that has been on your heart and mind lately

I've been thinking a lot about healing, the past...a lot of years HDJFNF have brought a lot of trauma for me and I've realised that healing sometimes doesn't mean fixing. Sometimes healing is accepting that it happened and moving on, or accepting that something is a part of you and moving on.

🦴 ⇢ is there a piece of media that inspires your writing?

Usually whatever I'm watching, right now it's CM, but in terms of writing style not really? I kinda just do my own thing. Same with scriptwriting 🤷‍♂️

🍅 ⇢ give yourself some constructive criticism on your own writing

I really need to work on integrating dialogue into scenes better, a lot of my fics either barely have any or straight up don't and its kind of an issue

🐚 ⇢ do you like or dislike surprises?

It depends I think, I like them if I know they're coming, like 'I've got a surprise for you' is great, but people just springing things on me (mostly if it's plans) can really really throw me off and upset me (shoutout to autism ‼️🗣🔥🫡)

🪲 ⇢ add 50 words to your current wip and share the paragraph here

(this is more than 50 but idc)

"Unconsciously, he seems to have shifted one of his legs closer to you. Spying an opportunity, your knees shuffle to either side of his foot and you pull him from your mouth- eliciting a choked grunt from Aaron- and start using your hand instead as you roll your hips to grind against the black leather of his lace up boots."

☁️ ⇢ what made you choose your username?

honestly it was a shot in the dark bc I thought it'd already be taken but it wasn't somehow, I wanted something cm related that still felt like a username, so I took out the 'in' in 'wheels up in 30' and boom

🐝 ⇢ tag your biggest supporter(s) and say one nice thing about them

@hotchfiles you were one of the first people to start interacting with me when I was still on my old sideblog, and talking to you behind the scenes too has just been very fun, you're very kind and have been so welcoming :)

@de4dlyniightshade my pookie wookie super dookie...you aren't on here a lot but I'm so excited to play silly horse game with you tomorrow :3

@softhairedhotch honestly getting to dm with you and come up with oc and hotch shit and just talk to someone who's pretty similar to me has been the highlight of my day since we started <:) you're a really cool guy

@mandarinmoons you're always in my notifs and I get so excited seeing your name HEHE

@ssahotchnerr I'm tagging you bc you're honestly the person that inspired me to get back into writing and make the old sideblog in the first place, I wouldn't be here or know these people otherwise so thank you for always killing it in your writing <3

@ficmeoutofthisworld I was always so scared of interacting a lot w ppl but the way you've rbd and replied and dmd me in the few months I've been here has really brought me out of my shell <:) tysm <3

@ralvezfanatic THE REAL MVP OF RALVEZ TY FOR OPENING MY EYES AND BEING IN MY NOTIFS ALWAYS KING 🔥🔥🔥‼️‼️‼️💯💯💯

#leotalks #askgame #asks #LOVE YOU LARI LOVE YOU ALL

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unlikelyaperson · 6 months

Text

Fanfic ideas

Ideas under the cut

link to part 2

(3 ideas total)

Ideas can be used for any Fandom /characters /pairings, but I had CoD MW2 (Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2) and CM (Criminal minds) and certain pairings in mind (x reader, x reader platonic, (AKA, + reader))

all ideas are SFW, I'd prefer if the fics using or inspired by these ideas were kept as safe for work/ non smut, and please tag me (like how you do would if you received an ask) I would love to see any writer's work

thank you for reading

quick note:

'x' means a romantic pairing between 2 (or more) characters,

'+' means a platonic pairing between 2 (or more) characters

• (gender neutral) civilian reader who is a singer/ model/famous person, etc

-friend or S/O of reader brings them (to a party to gathering) to meet the team

-friend or S/O knows that reader is known

-but did not expect the one of team (or maybe even the entire team) to know exactly who reader is

-maybe the the team (member) is a big fan of reader

originally thought of a pairing of Ghost (CoD) x/+ reader, or Spencer Reid (CM) x/+ reader

• (gender neutral) reader with cat-like behaviors, not necessarily a hybrid but just general behavior like:

-they don't like people touching them unexpectedly *especially* if reader does not like/know the person

-has sharp teeth

-they *will* bite

-oddly good hearing

-need to warm up to people AKA the more time you spend the more likely reader with be friends with/like the person

-only will have back turned against a person if they feel safe with/trust the person

-doesnt like people with 'loud' personalities as much (will take more time for reader to like them)

-doesn't like loud sounds in general

-likes stealing S/O or friend's clothes(/ likes their S/O sent(?))

-reader *can* sleep anywhere but chooses not to out of 'safety' (for themselves) (basically they won't sleep if they don't feel safe)

-has "odd" sleeping patterns,

-is not unfamiliar with a good nap

-reader will take a nap in the middle of the day even if they got a full night's rest

-likes to lay down and rest their head against a friend's or S/O's lap

-loves the sun/sitting where the sun shines

some (more(?)) unserious ones

-big flight/fight reactions, AKA they are either biting you or running away immediately

-loves hiding stuff (in a fun way, not in a mean way)

-easily pickupable, they don't mind being carried every once in awhile

-will headbutt a person when they want attention (like against the person's arm,, it doesn't hurt)

-loves head pets/pats(?) but probably will never admit it

-is compared to cats often

originally thought as a reader + task force 141 (AKA platonic)

•(gender neutral or masc) reader who (ALSO) wears a mask

-this idea is every much just my OC, so I'll not give many details

-unless someone want to hear about my OC, then i might write a post or we can talk in DMs/PMs idk

-joins 141 TF

-they basically wear the mask 24/7 (or seems to)

-vaguely threatening all the time

-they don't eat or go to bars with the task force so they don't show their face

-has a general aloof personality

-probably gets compared to Ghost, reader doesn't even have a skull mask, it's just because they wear a mask

originally thought as a Ghost (CoD) x/+ reader or reader or a task force 141 + reader

like I said this is basically just my OC, but if anyone wants to hear about my OC, let me know :3

thank you for reading, likes and especially reblogs appreciated

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velvette3 · 1 month

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WARNING: MENTIONS OF ABUSE, SENSITIVE TOPICS, MENTIONS OF DEATH(ETC) (and a very long post)

Front^

Back (with color, and up close)^

More information^

More up close/informational doodles^

WHAT ALL THE TEXT SAYS:

First page:

Raven (Luna) Information Sheet [Helluva Boss + Hazbin Hotel OC/self insert/]

Desc: wavy/long/black hair (reaches to mid calf when all the way down). Normally in a side braid (braid reaches waist). Bangs normally fall loose. Dark green eyes (scar over left eyebrow to chin. Left eye is lighter in some spots than left. Eyes glow a bright neon green when using powers). 6’8”ft/203.2 cm (very short for the average demon). 7ft wing span (213.36 cm). Wings are black and silver feathered. Pale skin (with many scars). Black claws/talons (black fades up arms).

Personality/occupation: Doctor (formerly). Cold and discloses from others. Very underestimated in both AU’s (I can’t make up my mind on which backstory I like better atm). Self-isolates, doesn’t belong in hell. Poor self-esteem & has depression. Thinks she has hurt people by failing/being unable to save everyone. Thinks she is nothing without her powers. The listener friend (if she even has friends).

Backstory: Father (Zane) was a mafia boss in lifetime. Mother (Anne) was shot in the head and killed by “Raven”s (Luna’s) father. Luna and her sister (Lily) were “sold around” to strangers for anything and everything. She had her sister get married off instead of herself in order to protect her. Father was abusive to all 3 siblings (Luna “Raven”, Lily, and Ethan). Luna smuggled her older brother Ethan out of the country so he wouldn’t have to take over the “family business”. Was brutally beaten for it. Was presumed dead, but survived said beating. (Beating was by her father). Loved her last three years (from 18-21) being a doctor. Was murdered @21 by her father. Stabbed in the gut.

Afflictions: during her time as a doctor she either A.) Sold her soul to Valentino to ensure her siblings went to heaven, or B.) failed to summon him and make a deal, then turned around and kidnapped children from abusive or unsafe homes. Either way, each path ended her up in hell.

Sins: A.) sold soul, B.) “kidnapped” children. Was forced to sell drugs for her father when alive. Tried to kill her father in self defense before she was murdered.

Second page:

By head: multiple piercings. Bird feather markings around eyes. Two silver streaks in hair

To the side: height chart, wing span chart. Powers: teleportation, fire, flight, brief mind control, telekinesis. Claws color fade up arms.

Bottom: “Luna changed her name to Raven to match her new demonic form, but mainly to hide from her abusive father once he arrived in hell.”

PAGE ONE: DONE.

I will make a part two for the second page of information (shown above) and link it in a reblog.

#my art #my ocs <3 #helluva boss oc #hazbin hotel oc #my oc art #information sheet #drawings #artists of tumblr #hazbin hotel #helluva boss #pt 1

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angelselene · 5 months

Note

I just had several Wreckage related thoughts (PTSD tw):

Ed and Roy are casually invited to a neighborhood BBQ, early in their time in the CM world, and they figure it's another phrase for a block party or something.

So, they get there a little early,.and then the dogs and burgers are put on.

Roy pales and his eyes unfocus and he starts to tremble. But he can't move. And he can't see the grill.

And their new neighbors turn to greet them, and *they* freeze, and Ed's like "i'm so sorry we have to go" and Ed drags Roy back to their place.

There are a handful of ways they can go from there, but I'm thinking Ed sticks Roy in the shower, because rain wasn't in Ishval, and even if it was, he's useless in the rain so he couldn't have been... working.

They so not go to bbqs after that.

Relatedly, Roy can't tolerate even the smell of meat for weeks afterwards, and they have to stay indoors for days.

But that's not to mention the fireworks that come that night, after the BBQ.

They... don't do well for quite some time.

(They at least know to expect fireworks on New Year's)

Ooooh, Ed and Roy taking a few days off on either side of July 4th to avoid going outside.

(And then fucking LABOR DAY why are they barbecuing today?!)

(Memorial Day is an issue too, but they miraculously miss it that first year)

Hmmm... I bet Roy can't eat most (maybe any) red meat...

Anywho. Had that thought and needed to share. C:

Okay, I have had this stuck in my inbox for like, almost six months at this point. Not because I didn't like the idea (I love the idea) but because I wanted to write it and surprise people and...

...I have tried. I tried to write it just as a one-off, to celebrate milestones on the series (1,000 public bookmarks, 5,000 kudos, both of which are amazing achievements I'd be happy to celebrate with), tried to write it for 10/3... and it's just... it won't come. I don't know if it's something about this particular emotional beat that I don't feel like I can write (I don't think it's that, because I've written similar to it), or if it's just that I marked the series as Complete and in my brain, the part of it that thought about the Wreckage-verse is just closed, but I've got like... 600 words of them buying their house, and nothing else.

And it is not a good 600 words. It is not a 600 words you'd want to be part of the Wreckage series. Usually, it's a sign I'd take to scrap it and start over, but after a still very recent irl upset, I just don't have the heart to push through and make myself write it. Writing anything right now is hard, and something I just couldn't make work before that upset is, unfortunately, not on the table right now. Sorry, Ryan, I really, really tried.

What I have been considering, if anyone is interested, is posting some of the original runs I did at an FMA/Criminal Minds crossover. I probably mentioned it in comment replies or maybe even in an author's note somewhere, but what became Wreckage is actually my third attempt at a FMA/CM crossover. One of them, I didn't get more than maybe a couple thousand words (I know, I know, only a couple thousand), but one, I got... quite a bit more done, and it's a pretty different angle because it has the BAU ending up in Amestris instead of the other way around.

That version required a lot more plotting, and when I realized that, I scrapped it (you all think I'm kidding when I tell you I hate writing plot), and moved on to a version where Ed and Roy ended up in CM 'verse instead. I have like... 16k of that. It's not all complete scenes, but if people would like, I can post what I have of it.

So... let me know.

#wreckagefic #royed #fma/criminal minds #crossover #angiewrote

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incognit0slut · 1 month

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REQUESTS GUIDELINES

For a limited time, my requests are currently OPEN. Please refer to this post before submitting any requests!

1) Please check my Masterlist for other similar plot before you request. Also, DO NOT repeat the same requests you have submitted to other authors. It’s disrespectful.

2) I will predominantly write as Female Reader although it can also be Gender Neutral for fluff or angst, however, I will not be writing Male Reader (especially smut) because I know I won’t be able to put myself in that point of view.

3) This is a 18+ blog, if you are a minor, I encourage you to block my content. NEVER INTERACT WITH ME. EVER.

4) I accept requests based on songs but please clarify if you want it to either be fluff, angst, or smut.

5) DO NOT ASK for a part 2 for either of my published works. Sometimes I do like writing a second part, but for now, I am strictly writing one-shots or drabbles.

6) WHAT I WILL NOT WRITE:

↳ Cheating, incest, mature content including minors. Age-gap is fine but keep in my mind I will have the youngest age of the couple in their 20s.

↳ His on screen love interest as a side-plot for a story, like Lila, Maeve, Max, even JJ because I adore her as a character but adding her as a potential love interest is a big no (I am looking at you CM writers).

↳ Rape/Non-con. CNC. Dark Kinks. Anal.

↳ I can write a sub/dom dynamic but no mommy or daddy kink. Even as a proclaimed slut you will not be seeing me write reader/him calling out a parental figure in the middle of sex. It’s just not my thing.

↳ I don’t write for real people so no, I won’t be writing for Matthew.

7) If I am uncomfortable with your request on a matter that I haven’t mentioned here, I will answer with a reply and explain why I’m not interested in writing said request.

8) If you’re too shy and want to request anonymously you can name yourself (either with an emoticon or a pseudonym) because I like to interact with everyone and it’s nice to keep track on who is who✨

9) Most importantly, be patient. Everyone active on social media has a personal life, including me, so it might take some time for me to write everything.

Whew! Now that’s all out of the way, you can send me a request here. Thank you!

#request guidelines #spencer reid fanfic #masterlist

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pxmlx · 1 year

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Criminal minds evolution SPOILERS

okay I see so many people shipping Emily and Bailey and I just don’t see it ?? But I never saw anything romantic between Emily and any of the guys so maybe it’s me 😭 but for real to me Bailey was someone she thought she could mentor so she was obviously devastated by his death (and she most likely blames herself as always) but they literally had like 3 nice interactions so where do people see the romance 💀

But as I said I never got the whole hotchniss vibe either to me they look like siblings and I always saw them only platonically, same with Spencer that’s literally her little brother, the only one I could kinda see and accept if they went in that direction was Derek, but I also don’t really like the cliche of work partners becoming romantically involved so I really enjoyed their friendship; and I will never understand people who ship Emily and Rossi that’s her dad 😭✋

But It is not just the men I only ever shipped Jj and Emily at the beginning (but I stopped shipping them when JJ got with Will idk my relationship with Jemily is complicated okay I have very specific opinions) and I ship Emily with Tara wholeheartedly; Oh and I totally read some Elle x Emily fanfics and totally dig the concept

Idk there’s this thing in cm fandom where Emily is shipped with literally everyone she comes into contact with and I get that it’s Paget’s ability to have chemistry with everyone but it’s always so weird for me to see people shipping her with characters that have totally different kind of relationship with Em in my eyes; it’s fascinating to me how people can perceive the same characters in such different ways

#emily prentiss #criminal minds #paget brewster #criminal minds incorrect quotes #david rossi #derek morgan #incorrect criminal minds #aaron hotchner #tara lewis #spencer reid #criminal minds family #jemily #penelope garcia #hotchniss #douglas bailey #temily #penemily #demily

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bp-best-froggo · 1 year

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Soo, uhh, the Arknights anime...

(fyi, this might be obvious, but I’m gonna spoil the first episode now. If you haven’t seen it, go watch it. Then come back. Or don’t. I’m not your mom. I’m going to dump my thoughts here. This isn’t going to be very structured, very sorry if it’s incomprehensible rambling. It’s a long one. I’m not even kidding.)

First of all: What is this show supposed to be?

This might be an obvious one. An adaption of Arknights main story, in particular its first couple of chapters. The show is called “Prelude to Dawn” which does imply, also based on the material they have shown so far, that they will adapt Chapters 0 - 3 (as these chapters are also displayed together in the game’s story hub). Currently the show is listed with 8 episodes, which is shorter than most other shows.

With that out of the way, what kind of adaption is Arknights: Prelude to Dawn? Is it attempting to simply transfer its story to a different medium? Market the game to a new audience? Or is it trying to improve on a story, which was flawed on release, due to a lack of experience?

Or to frame the question differently: Why adapt Arknights into an anime show at all?

There are a couple of reasons for that. First of all: Expectations. If you’re releasing an anime-style game (or a manga or probably also a light novel), and it gains decent popularity, it’s a given that your fanbase will expect to see an anime adaption. Most fans are dreaming of that perfect adaption, that captures everything they love about a piece of media and looks stellar. Which I think is understandable, but also, when it comes to video games, near impossible to do right. Games are interactive art - you can only transfer a fraction of that experience into a visual/auditive medium.

Basically, you can tell me the story, but you can never capture the frustration of trying to clear NL-S-3 CM. Don’t get me wrong, I love the story, but I also love the gameplay. You can’t capture the gameplay, because I’m not the one doing it. In an anime, I watch someone else doing it. This makes it, by default, impossible to deliver on the expectations set by the community.

If you’re making it so hard on yourself to deliver a satisfying product then, why bother? Reason #2: You can make money off of it. If you have a bunch of people, who are by default willing to spend money on your product, because there’s a familiar name on the tin.

I cut this one short: I don’t know how profitable making this show is. You can watch it on Crunchyroll and I don’t know how much HG is making by selling the liscense. But then they’re also sharing it on YouTube which... I mean, it’s nice, don’t get me wrong, but like... for free? I mean they are getting ad revenue too, but... is that enough to make up for the production cost or even turn a profit? I guess you could also sell physical copies, the fans are gonna love those. But is that enough? I have honestly no idea.

Reason #3: You can market your game. A lot of manga and light novels used to do this and probably still do (don’t know for sure, I don’t watch as many animes anymore), where they get adapet for a single 12-ep season, only to push sales on the original work. No Game No Life, Btooom!, Baccano! come to mind for me. Decent shows, but will probably never have another season aired, even though the show is far from concluded.

If you wanted to make an Arknights show, to have more people pick up your game, selling them a story is one way to do it. But frankly, is that going to work? Remember you’re selling a gacha game. Peeps like me are here for the story, sure - but also for the characters. And if you want to haul in new customers, you might want to sell me your characters.

I know this is going to sound cynical, but if you’re not showing me at least 6* waifus only obtainable by gacha in the first 2 minutes, what’s the point? EP1 features exactly one character who is (not even exclusively) obtainable by gacha: Dobermann, a 4*. So honestly, either HG has no idea how to market their game (which looking at some of their ads might be a somewhat valid take) or that’s not what they were going for. Or they have a lot of faith that the story ends on strong enough of a cliffhanger to pull in the players then. (Which I don’t think either? Like, there’s a Limited Banner coming up both on CN and Global. Why wouldn’t you want to pull in players now?)

Which leaves me only with Reason #4: You create it because you can.

You can also call this one wishful thinking. I certainly think it is. Nowadays it’s hard for me not to look at PieceOfMedia(tm) and immediately think about what it’s trying to sell me. Even Arknights to an extend, isn’t only trying to tell me story. Every event comes with a new banner, so I can waste money on the newest 6* Blorbo. But I wouldn’t like Arknights if I didn’t see an earnest attempt between all the gacha banners and marketable characters to create something meaningful.

Earlier this week I got Glaucus’ module. I don’t think she’s a super popular character, so her module text will probably go unnoticed by most players. It made me tear up, because whoever wrote these few sentences wanted to express a kind of joy and happiness that not everyone can or will experience. This is why I play Arknights.

It’s these kind of things that make wonder, if this anime really only does exist, because there are a couple of people who care so much about something they have created, they want even more people to experience it. Even if gacha or tower defense isn’t their cup of tea. Even if it doesn’t turn a profit. Even if it goes largely unnoticed or unappreciated.

The truth is, probably, somewhere in between these four reasons. That’s why this adaption exists.

And it’s actually pretty good. Admittedly, it has been a while since I’ve read Arknights first chapters, but I still remember that at the time I skipped through most of them. They weren’t the reason I stuck with the game. The reason came way later. If anything, Arknights was a welcome distraction from the absolute hellhole that ‘Rona was at the time.

There’s a strange sense of comfort in a story about a world ravaged by an illness, too poorly understood to be cured, and people yet fighting to help those who suffer from it. Because at the time, when I looked at the outside world, all I could see was selfishness and fear. It was probably, curiously, the best possible time when the game had come out. At least for me.

I think what sums up this episode is that it was simply: Solid. Unspectular, but solid. The animation was good. It looked well-made and it was clear to see, that the animators put a lot of care into every scene. The dark scenes hit pretty hard. The voice acting was really good and I especially adore the Doctor’s voice. There was only one fight scene, but it was well done. I liked how they portraied the Doctor’s tactical thinking, using the drones and all that stuff.

But overall, the pacing was pretty slow and the exposition felt a little... clumsy. The Doctor’s amnesia and weak physical state is a good explanation to have all the characters explain a lot of stuff to them. But it slows the story down in a situation where it would otherwise be adviceable to... hurry up and get the fuck out of there? We know from the beginning that Amiya and her companions are in enemy territory, so having them stop every other minute to tell the Doctor all the stuff they have forgotten takes out the urgency from the story. Not completely, most of the time they are still hiding somewhere. But apparently it’s not urgent enough to not save Ursus mom and her daughter from Reunion.

A faster pacing definitely would have helped deliver the story. I’m not sure how much of the exposition was actually necessary, a lot of it felt like it was mentioned twice, but that might also be just me. I’m already familiar with the setting afterall. I’m still curious how good the setting was actually explained though. I will try to convince a friend, who has no idea what Arknights is about, to watch the first episode. Just morbid curiosity.

A lot of this might read like I have mixed feelings about the show, but that’s not exactly true. In fact, I love it and enjoyed the first episode so much, I will probably rewatch it at least once or twice over the next week. Most of my thoughts are just... uncertainty. This is afterall HG’s first attempt at an adaption. So far, it’s really good. It has honestly surpassed all my expectations and I was expecting something less polished than that. But I want to be careful about setting my expectations too high.

On the other hand I can’t help but wonder if this show is what will inevitably make Arknights pop culture - if such a thing can even be called inevitable. Maybe Arknights isn’t meant to appeal to everyone. A part of me would much prefer that over a slow decline into mediocrity that usually comes with increased marketability.

I have long since made peace with the fact that even Arknights might only be a phase for me. Right now, I still love the game and I play it every day and talk to people about it all the time. I know this can’t last forever, and I can’t help but wonder, whether my love for Arknights has already peaked or if it’s still going to last for a long time. Times feel uncertain to me so I find it though to believe in an eternity.

Regardless, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with wanting for this to last just a little longer.

Frankly, I don’t think this show was made to market the game. I feel like it was made for me, and people like me. I’m probably wrong about this, but this is what I choose to believe right now.

To the two people who chose to read all of this: .... thanks for reading, but also, why?

#arknights #prelude to dawn #long post #arknights spoilers #i guess not really i rambled about everything but the show I feel like -#zeta.txt

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johaerys-writes · 1 year

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Get to know me

I was tagged by @baejax-the-great, thank you so much pal!

Share your wallpaper: My phone background for the past six months or so has been the same Patrochilles art that I'm actually not sure if I should post here without permission from the artist lol. But I can confirm that it's the cutest, most loveliest drawing of them, and Achilles looks so baby in it and I love staring at it every time I open up my phone :')

The last song you listened to: Unbound by Asgeir

Currently Reading: Ten Days That Shook The World by John Reed (don't ask why or how, but my autistic Special Interest of choice for the past 2-3 weeks has been the political intrigue surrounding WWI and how it fuelled the October Revolution so I've been reading any book/watching any documentary I can get my hands on about it), and I've also been listening to The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath while doing chores and stuff

Last Movie: Everything Everywhere All at Once with @baejax-the-great

Craving: Travel :|

What are you wearing right now: My fluffiest house robe and my fluffy slippers and super comfy and soft socks, and yes I'm still in pyjamas

How tall are you: 167 cm, no idea how that translates in feet and inches lol don't make me google it

Piercings: I have one piercing in each ear, I've often thought about getting more but needles be scary

Tattoos: 6, and planning to finish my half sleeve by the end of the year

Glasses? Contacts?: Glasses, and I do sometimes wear contacts as well

Last drink: I am currently drinking some lukewarm coffee with oat milk :3

Last show: In the past couple years I've become so bad with starting shows and actually sticking with them lol, but I did do a rewatch of Neon Genesis Evangelion fairly recently..... OH and I watched Interview with the Vampire with @baejax-the-great a little while back which was super fun!! (because apparently I can't watch something unless I can shit talk or go feral over it with Bae LOL)

Last thing you ate: Toast with peanut butter and an apple

Favourite colour: Oooh that's such a hard question to answer!! The first colour that comes to mind is blue -- I always gravitate towards some version of blue, and currently it's deep navy blue, but I also own a lot of powder blue stuff. It's either that or baby pink or cream tbh, but I also own a good amount of gold/mustard things as well. Yellow makes me happy. I find jewel green incredibly pretty though I weirdly don't own anything of that colour (which reminds me I should perhaps make that a priority)

Current obsession: I'm guessing this is a fandom related question, so I'm going to be predictable and say that I'm, as usual, obsessed with Patrochilles and most of the other pairings I am currently writing, even though anxiety over real life stuff hasn't let me engage with them as much as I want lately. I do think about them a lot and have lots of ideas for new stories, and I'm also working my way back into catching up with fics I love, which I haven't been able to do in a while despite the joy it normally gives me. Brains can be very uncooperative at times, but what can you do about it lol.

Unrelated Obsession: As I mentioned earlier I have been obsessed with Russian and generally European politics of the early 20th century for some weird ass reason lmao, but I've also been reading an in-depth analysis of Aeschylus' life and work I found in some corner of my library, which led me to looking up some academic papers about it, which led me to signing up for an online course about Athenian tragedy, so um?? I don't know what it is with me and going down those endless rabbit holes lately ahah.

Any pets: I have a cat, aka a baby and a bastard and a devil spawn all wrapped in one (he is currently sleeping like an angel after attempting to tear down the curtains)

Do you have a crush on anyone: Um. Like, on a real life person? A fictional person? I do have crushes on several of my mutuals so if y'all are reading it I'm kissing you on the forehead MWAH

Favourite fictional character: I can't choose, don't make me choose!!!!!!! I can't choose between my children. But if I had to choose then maybe.... Patroclus? But also, Achilles? But also, my OC Tristan Trevelyan and Dorian Pavus from DA? But also Shiro and Keith from VLD? But also -- SEE, IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO CHOOSE

The last place you traveled: It feels like it's been SO long since I've traveled anywhere. I went to Aegina island last summer but since then I haven't been outside the city for even a DAY and it's been driving me crazy. I just need to see some green and blue and listen to nothing but birds or waves or the wind (at this point I'll even take the rooster that woke me up EVERY DAMN MORNING when I was in Aegina lmao). I'm planning on going on a day trip to Mycenae soon though so I'm very excited about that 😄

Tagging forth to @in-arlathan, @mogwaei, @tessa1972, @aymayzing, @inquisitoracorn, @tevivinter, @elveny, @pikapeppa, @petrowriting @peggy-sue-reads-a-book @juliafied, @vimlos, @gloriesunsung, @figsandphiltatos, @gwensparlour, @glimmerofgold, @sabino-sea, and so many more of my mutuals that I'm actually too shy to tag here. But seriously if you're reading this and it looks fun please do it and tag me, I'm nosy and I want to know everything about you LOL

#get to know me #tag meme #jo rambles

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sunsrefuge · 11 months

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(dating sim ask) listen. you and i both know who im going to ask for. eliana my beloved 💖💖💖 (also [throws dart at board] secretforger. for laffs.)

TWO WILDLY DIFFERENT ROUTES, NGL

Eliana's Route would include a lot of flirting and fun!! (Setting the timing of this in her piracy phase so I don't have to worry about the Deeply Invested like nine other ppl in her polycules lol) She's all about nicknames and sappy stuff, and if you give her a sea-flavored gift then you'll live in her mind rent-free forever <3 She's also very partial to height differences. She's 4'10" (~147 cm) and if you're a bunch taller than her or just capable of carrying her with ease, she'll be very attached very fast because you'll make her feel safe! ♥ - She's going to encourage piracy, snuggles, smooches - all without labels! If you can't be at least a little down with her wanting snuggles pre-getting together officially, then it probably won't work out :( 'No smooches until official' she'll pout about to be silly but won't press you on! (There are no negative points for wanting to be official before smooches!! she just teases you a bit and asks if she can at least give you cheek and forehead kissies akjsdns) - The first "I love you" moment will involve her panicking about it and immediately finding a way to avoid you for a hot minute! (Think like, a few days at most!) It also will not be her saying it. <3 - IF you've been open to her shenanigans and allowing her to dodge some deeper questions: Most likely, she shows up in your bedroom in the middle of the night (via a window. she broke in ♥ hope you don't mind!) and she's very dodgy about the ily thing but does explain that she has had very bad experiences surrounding those words in the past. But! She promises that as long as you give her time and some space about it, she'll figure out exactly how she feels and let you know when she's ready to!

[A readmore because this got very long]

Good Ending: Requires agreeing to wait for her! ;w; She needs time to process such emotions (and them being reciprocated) before she feels okay with acting on them in a serious context. (Also need to be accepting of her being polyamorous! Which she wouldn't know when you get together, but she'd figure it out down the road a little bit lol) But! You'll have a cute new pocket-sized gf who's always down for snuggles and will absolutely shoot people who wrong you, darling. <3

Neutral Ending: If you're not alright with her polyamory or with waiting on her, there's two ways this can go! You part on amicable terms, but there would be an option to be open to flings in the future, lol. but once you Agree to "only flings" then you'll never have another chance because she's going to mentally mark off the possibility of a serious relationship with you entirely KJDNG but you'll still get to see her sometimes! :D Otherwise, just parting ways, you may never see her again at all.

Bad Ending: This could come from several possibilities. Either you haven't been down with her snuggles or smooches or piracy shenanigans at all, and she kinda just drops you because those are all super important to her. :'( Or you get to the point of the nighttime visit and have Big Issues with her about the disappearing act! In which she would likely snap back at you for a moment, scold herself for trusting someone again, and leave to never be seen again. T_T

-- On to Secretforger !! --

Hey, wh- how'd you get in here?? Did you hack the dating sim?? Are you that down bad for demon snuggles?? because mood, actually. me too.

Secretforger's Route (never thought I'd write those words) would definitely be... Interesting! They are aro/ace so there isn't a romantic possibility, but you could be shooting for a QPR anyway so have at it! - I have no idea how this would start. You either know Eliana who's carrying the book, or Liifa who's carrying the book, or Secretforger picked you as their next victim and you pulled an Eliana and decided you were going to make them into your friend now! I'll work based off that one because it's easiest lol. - They're going to... Well, try to do their 'job' which is haunting you, showing you horrible visions, and implanting paranoia-inducing things into your mind! They're also going to try to get you to make a Deal that gives them access to your soul. If you want to live, Don't ♥ - You'll need to have your own Edgy Angst Streak to garner their interest, but they definitely have a preference for the ambitious and ruthless. Often you can actually distract them from their game by doing horrible things to achieve your goal, and they'll want to see more horrible things so they'll help you out sometimes! But they do also want to see you fail sometimes. :)

Good Ending: You end up with a somehow-amicable friendship with them! If you're on good enough terms, you may be able to talk them into snuggling! (Even if you don't ask, they might swap to Domestic Housecat Form and snuggle you anyway, but you can't say anything about it. Say a word and they leave.) I don't know if they'd ever be in an official QPR? so this is about as close as you can get! (unless i figure smth out later lmao)

Neutral Ending: They're still harassing you, trying to corrupt you, etc. You're treating them like Abaddon's most disappointing child who couldn't balance a pencil on their claw if they really really really tried to. Mutual annoyance! :D

Bad Ending: homeboy (gender neutral) it's a demon from a book of demons, this ending is the most likely probably! :') They're going to corrupt and possess you and use you for evil things, like murder and general mayhem - and then they're going to unpossess you, and leave you to deal with the aftermath of their joyride. >:) honestly their route is kinda one of those... "you're lucky if you die before its over" kind of routes because otherwise you have to deal with their cruel curses and aftermath for the rest of your life. gkfjnKJSDFNJ they are Not Kind <3

#c:Eliana of Dusk #c:Secretforger #thank you so much for the ask !! <3 #hehe this was really fun actually kajsnkajsh was debating doodling panels but if i did i'd never answer kjhkfjgd #BUT if i doodle any in the future u might get tagged <<#ALSO. HONESTLY. FELT A LITTLE BAD WRITING SECRETFORGER'S BAD END STUFF NGFKJBKFJDN #dating sim ask game #hella insecure abt posting this?? BUT IVE BEEN STARING AT IT FOR LIKE 30 MINUTES SO. YEETS OUT OF MY INBOX <3 KSDJHKSJDF

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spamtonology · 2 years

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Hi, my mind has been wondering about how deltarune fandom mischaracterise spamton and make him completly another character for some reason

like i seen some people make his og form very tall, or completly get rid of his voice glitch (Which could be caused by not knowing how to write his glitch which is totally understandble tho), which are very small things to change but personally i think that still changing so obvious things about him is quite... Not in place, because there are just some aspects of characters that MAKE them their own characters, and taking it out of them is either "yeah i dont like that im going to change him So hes exacly to my likings now" or just making completly diffrent character

This also implies about how fanbase either treats him as

1. only joke character, that never intended to be anything else by that, which is very weird cause spamton plays quite important role in dr's lore

2. Too sad/scary character, spamton is totally intended to be goofy weirdo making every Player laugh, skipping it just to him being sad and obsessed about neo is Just not it!

3. Child some sort, where he cannot do a single thing himself and needs help, which is incredibly ableist, but i think this topic has been totally talked about already

Sorry for ramble/rant, but its quite common thing i noticed about deltarune fanbase and spamton, and wanted to know others opinion about it

Thank you for this ask! It’s a great one, and gives me a lot of room to talk, so it goes under a readmore. You do not need to apologize for your ask, feel free to ramble away anytime! I greatly appreciate it!

As usual I want to put in a disclaimer that ultimately, the only person that 100% knows Spamton is his creator, Toby Fox himself. All we as fans can do is interpret and speculate based on what evidence is given in the game, and as is fandom tradition, we can put in headcanons, alternate universes, and more to flesh out his character. All of this is perfectly fine and normal for fandom, however there comes a drawback in fandom, especially when we are met with a “tragic villain” type: woobification. The TVTropes link provided explains it well.

Let’s address your ask itself:

Making Spamton in his original form tall (in this case over 6′0″/182.88 cm, the average height for an adult cisgender man) appears to be a purely aesthetic, stylistic choice and is harmless. I do prefer him short (specifically 4′8″/142.24 cm), but there’s nothing problematic or offensive about changing his height. If you don’t like that, it can be safely ignored.

The voice glitch is another one...I think there’s nothing wrong with substituting the in-game text style for an easier-to-read format to make it accessible for screen readers and visually impaired people. As long as you can tell it’s Spamton, it’s fine. Here’s an example from my fic:

Original: “WH4T?” He set the spoon down, “S0METHING 0N MY [Hair Dryer]?”

You can see how that would be difficult for some people to read. If I so desired, I would probably change it this way:

Revised: “What?” He set the spoon down, voice warbling in-between glitches. “Something on my--” He stammered, ad-speech taking over his voice yet again, “H-hair dryer?”

It makes the sentence a little longer since I have to translate this text in a descriptive way so the reader understands which part is the bracketed one. Again, nothing wrong with substituting the text in a way that stays faithful to Spamton’s character.

It would only be an issue if the author actively chose not to use the bracketed text because they dislike it greatly, or they want to “cure” his speech impediment. The latter stems from a rather ableist trope of curing a disabled character’s disability and therefore erasing that representation.

As for being unsure how to write his voice, there are some posts on Tumblr, and there is his Wiki page that you can look through for reference. While you might never get it 100% perfect and neither will I, looking through these references can help a lot.

As you said, these are minor examples compared to some others, but they are just as valid as the more major issues with the fandomization of his character!

Now, on to your list:

Points 1 and 2 work well together, and could easily be combined. People need to understand while he is not purely a joke character (example, The Original Starwalker is a pure joke character. Sorry, fans, but he is), he is also not purely a tragic and scary character that the player must fear. He is meant to be funny, but he is also involved in a big part of the plot even as a “secret boss”. Some of the greatest villains in fiction are, indeed, those who manage to be both hilarious and terrifying.

(Yes, he is, per traditional definition, a villain. noun: villain; plural noun: villains 1. (in a film, novel, or play) a character whose evil actions or motives are important to the plot.)

People should not forget that a large chunk of his character is based around internet meme culture; KEYGEN is the most obvious (for those who do not know, it is a reference to a YouTube Poop, and it involves rapidly flashing lights which were much toned down on Spamton’s sprite), and Weirdmageddon has made the connection to internet personality Dril, whose tweets seem eerily similar to how Spamton speaks. Pipis is essentially kid-friendly Viagra.

However, in point 2 there’s a slight mistake, his obsession with NEO is crucial to his character arc and the overall story. While flanderization can happen, you can’t “skip” to him being simply obsessed with NEO, it’s a core of his character and cannot be avoided. It would actually be problematic if you ignored this point of his character (Exceptions being alternate universes and post-recovery situations).

As is true for many of Toby Fox’s other characters, he is multifaceted. He has nuance, and reducing him to one or two traits does Toby’s work a disservice. It is definitely difficult to balance out his character the way Toby manages to do, but it’s not impossible.

The best way to figure it out is to do research using canon material (fanon is extremely unreliable, even the best fanfiction, and my own humble one, gets a few things wrong), and practice some writing using his character, put him in specific situations and see how he would react according to canon characterization.

The infantilization point has been the most oft-discussed issue with how the fandom treats him, correct, and I’m always happy to discuss it. Not only is it ableist in treating him like a child who is unable to take care of himself (when he displays many symptoms of severe mental illness), it also ignores many other facets about his character, which is so explicitly adult (In the sense that this is a man who was at his peak in 1997 and speaks/behaves distinctly like an older man with severe mental illness, not at all like a child, or even young.)

However, there is a distinction to be made between this ableist infantilization of his character being helpless, and the very real possibility of being unable to take care of yourself due to mental illness. The latter is something that happens in real life, and people whose Activities of Daily Living are impaired deserve just as much respect and understanding as any other person.

Going by my experience in the fandom. I come to the understanding that some people do not address this disability/impaired ADL aspect and rather focus on making him act like a child and force him in situations that would only be appropriate for small children (See, the personally infamous rubber ducky scene from a fanfiction I will not name).

People who are mentally ill may act irrational in the perspective of non-mentally ill people, and from there comes the harmful stigma that they are equivalent to, or must be treated like, children or wild animals. Great care must be taken to avoid these stereotypes which I already see used so often on Spamton.

This does not include symbolic animal traits such as birds; the bird motif is symbolic of his want of freedom, for example. But while I can make an example for the animal side, I cannot make any example for the child side. There is absolutely nothing to his character that implies a childlike persona, not even his short height.

Spamton can be alluded to being like a bird without being treated like an animal, but in my opinion there is no excuse for infantilizing him.

While you apologized for your “ramble”, I started my own! This may be the longest I have written an answer, and I’m willing to discuss with other people over this, whether agreements, disagreements or additions. Let me know if there is anything you’re still confused on.

#spamton

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