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reiderwriter · 2 months

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For some reason my comments don't come through on your posts, but I want to first say I absolutely love your writing and I'm so happy your requests are open!! 🥰😭 So I've had this idea of a fluff mixed with spencer angst where reader is maybe interning at Diana's facility (not a dr yet, studying) and becomes close with Diana by reading, chatting, etc and Spencer over hears it from time to time and the dialogue between spencer and reader gets too close for Spencers comfort, but Diana wants her around more. Thank you again for your hard work okay bye!

A/N: I've never written a fic with Diana in it before, so this was a bit of a challenge for me, bit I enjoyed writing it a lot! Hopefully, this is somewhat like what you wanted!! ❤️

Warnings: Spencer is a bit dense (real) and puts his foot in his mouth (metaphorically, of course).

Diana Reid's son was exactly the way she described him, down to the tiny curls at the base of his neck and the glimmer of intelligence in his eye.

After four weeks interning at the care facility while working on your medical degree, you'd spent a considerable amount of time with your favorite patient, and her stories about her son were legendary.

At first, you weren't sure whether to believe the woman when she said her son was a genius with an IQ of 187, three PhDs, and a job in the FBI. She wouldn't be the first schizophrenic patient to muddle up her facts, but she certainly was the sweetest.

So when you recalled your conversation with the head nurse later that day, she laughed and confirmed every story about Doctor Spencer Reid. Your mouth hung open in shock because surely nobody that incredible could just be out walking the streets.

Another month of conversations about the man, and you were half in love with him. He wrote his mother letters every day - hand wrote them, even - and she's shown you a few. He'd talked about his friends, his team, his jobs, and how he was saving lives. And when one of the latest ones dropped in the news that he'd be free for a visit soon, you found yourself overflowing with anticipation.

Of course, you felt like you already knew the man. You knew what his first words were, what his favorite toy was growing up, and even about the exploits of his first date, as pitiful as it was. What you didn't know was if Diana was passing along similar information about you.

The day Spencer Reid finally showed up, he took your breath away. You were mostly in awe of Diana's ability to describe her son perfectly, though you'd grown fond of her perfectly professional English Lecturer tone of speaking over the last few weeks. She was practically lyrical when talking her son into existence.

“His hair curls beautifully. He's my little adonis. He keeps it too long though, I'm always telling him he needs to cut it because it hides too much of his face,” she'd told you one day before picking her book up and ignoring you for the next half hour.

“My Spencer is delightfully tall. He's a little bit spindly like a spider. He's not the most grateful, that's for sure, we used to call him crash because he was always bumping into things. Poetic, right?”

You knew from the second he walked through the door that this man was him.

Tall, slightly hunched, clutching his satchel strap in his hand, terrifyingly handsome and making your hand jump into your throat. Definitely him, and definitely a problem. You'd have to check the code of conduct about falling hopelessly for a patient's beautiful son.

If you had any doubts, this was Spencer in front of you though, when he bumped into a chair just as he was about to reach his mother, it was confirmed.

“Diana, I believe your Crash is here,” you smiled and giggled, watching her turn quickly to greet her son.

You, too, gave him a warm smile, but he seemed a little hesitant to return it, instead greeting his mother softly and sitting with her while you retreated slightly to give them some privacy.

You hovered in the space, as Diana had been talking about introducing the two of you all week, and you didn't want to distress her if she couldn't find you close by.

But though Spencer was closely attentive and soft with his mother, he took brief pauses to stare almost frustratedly at you. You weren't sure what it was, but something about you was setting Spencer on edge, and that in itself was unsettling you as well.

“Oh, Spencer, you must meet our Y/N. Y/N, come here, this is my son, Spencer.”

Slightly more apprehensive now, you held out your hand to shake his, “I've heard so much about you it's nice to finally be seeing you in person, Doctor Reid.”

He didn't shake your hand, though, but awkwardly waved it off quickly, leaving you to awkwardly replace it by your side.

“Nice to meet you. Are you a new attendant? I asked all updates about my mother's companions to be confirmed and passed on to me, patient and carers included.”

His tone was business-like and clipped, and you could see a gentle annoyance settling on his features.

“I'm sorry, Doctor Reid, I thought Diana would have told you in a letter, or the administration would've passed it on. I'm a medical student on an internship.” You felt like you'd been chastised by an irate parent though he'd at no point raised his voice or indicated in his words any sense of anger at all. His eyes burned across your skin, though, and you felt a flame heat your skin under the weight of his stare.

“You're mother has told me a lot about you though, she reads me your letters sometimes, between our discussions of Marjorie Kempe.”

“My letters? Mom, we've talked about this. Those are private.” You looked at the quiet disappointment on Diana's face and felt protective over the woman all of a sudden.

“Please, I'm sorry for overstepping, but your mother is just very proud of you. She talks about you a lot actually, and your job-”

“With all due respect, Y/N, the last time my mother talked to a new friend about me, he traveled to Virginia and shot one of my friends, so this really is a conversation I'd rather not be having.”

Your heart dropped into your stomach as he turned back to his mother and started talking to her gently again about personal security, effectively dismissing you from the conversation.

You'd had stupid hopes for Spencer Reid, and that's all they would ever be.

Reid talked on, and you left him alone with his mother, though she seemed distracted by your departure.

“Spencer, that wasn't nice. Look at that poor girl. She's close to tears.”

“What? Mom, are you even listening to me?”

“No, and I likely won't until you go and apologize to Y/N. She's a pretty girl, Spencer, and she was very excited to meet you.”

“Pretty…. Mom, please.”

“What, do you disagree? You think I don't know you well enough to know when a girl would suit you well? Or do you think I'm blind to the fact that you were stealing glances at her before she introduced herself.”

Spencer went quiet at having been caught, and he hated to accept that maybe his mother was right.

It was true as well that the care facility had informed him of medical interns coming and going in the next few months, and really, she wasn't to blame for his mother being fond of him.

He was glad, though, that neither of them had noticed the ten minutes he'd spent just outside the large sitting area watching them talk. He'd been obviously taken aback to see someone new so close to his mom and his mom similarly comfortable. He felt even worse for the fact that for a solid minute and a half, he'd stared at the girl with no other thought in his head than the sound of his heart skipping a questioning beat.

He'd pulled himself out of it eventually, but only when another nurse had come along to ask him if he'd actually be visiting his mother today or just dropping in to check on her.

And then he'd bumped into that infernal chair when he was so fixated on getting to them, and she'd opened her mouth and called him crash, and his heart had sank.

He reminded himself it was neither of their faults and inwardly cursed himself for being so unfriendly with someone who'd taken such good care of his mother recently.

He promised himself that he'd talk with his mom and then go and find the woman, and apologising for being such a brute.

“Spencer, are you listening to me, or are you busy daydreaming about my nurse?”

“Mom!”

“You're plain as day, kiddo, you'll never get anything past me. Now please, leave me be, I'm reading. Come back later if you must, but for now, take this to Y/N for me, please. She left it with me to read this morning, but I'm not in the mood for Medieval Romance right now.”

It was a blatant lie, but a dismissal nonetheless, and Spencer quietly took his chance to search for you in the halls.

The head nurse humorously pointed him in the right direction without him asking, much to his annoyance, but he persisted and lightly tapped on your shoulder to greet you.

“Oh, Doctor Reid, hello again.” You smiled a little smaller this time, still polite, but he watched the way it didn't reach your eyes and felt like a jackass all over again.

“My mom told me to come return this book to you.” He held out the book, and you quietly took it, folding it into your arms and hugging it tightly against your chest as you both stood there silently after the exchange.

“I'm sorry, as well. I wasn't exactly very friendly back there, because-”

“It's okay, Doctor Reid, you really don't have to explain. I overstepped, it's my fault and it won't happen again.”

“Are you kidding? My mom hasn't looked that relaxed in years. Please keep overstepping.”

Your smile widened slightly at the compliment, and Spencer's tongue kicked into hyper drive immediately at the sight, even as his brain powered off.

“You're pretty,” he blurted out, stopping only as his brain caught up with his tongue before firing off again. “My mom said you're pretty. I agree as well, though, you have a nice smile, and it's better when you don't force it. Not that I'm telling you how to smile, though. I don't know why I'm telling you this, but my mom made me come over here and talk to you, even though I'm pretty sure that's her book and not one you loaned her.”

He took a moment to catch his breath as you blinked at him in confusion, heart beating rapidly even as you heard the blood rushing through your ears.

“If you're free now, would you want to grab a coffee? Unless you have a boyfriend. Or husband. Or girlfriend or wife, I guess, I don't mean to presume. But if you're free, as in time, and free as in, like, relationship wise, I'd like to buy you a coffee to thank you for listening to my mom.”

He finally stopped, and you stared wondrously at the reddened skin of his cheeks as he held his breath, waiting for your reply.

“You want to take me out for coffee to thank me?”

“Yes.”

“And on a separate note, I'm pretty, and you want to know if I'm in a relationship?”

“I'm sorry, you don't have to tell me, I'll just see myself out. It was a stupid idea anyway-”

“No, wait, Spencer! Let me… let me grab my coat. My lunch break is in half an hour, and I'm sure it'll be okay to take it early.” You held his arm for a second, stepping slightly too close for comfort before realising yourself and taking a tiny step back.

He stood and blinked in your direction, as though wondering seriously for a moment what your lunch break had to do with him.

“Are you going to stand there staring at me, or are we going to go out?”

“You're serious?”

“I guess…. I guess I am.”

“And you're… you're single.”

Your mouth went dry as his skin finally completed its transformation from vampiric to tomato red. You desperately hoped your own embarrassment wasn't equally as readable on your face.

“Quite single. Medical students don't have that much time to date.”

“Neither do FBI agents.”

“Perhaps a subject we could talk more about later?”

“Definitely.”

#spencer reid #criminal minds #spencer reid x reader #spencer reid fanfic #mgg #criminal minds fanfiction #criminal minds fandom #spencer reid fluff #spencer reid criminal minds #spencer reid fanfiction #dr spencer reid #spencer reid x reader fluff #spencer reid x self insert #spencer reid x you #spencer reid x y/n

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honeydazai · 2 years

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Il Dottore -> aphrodisiacs

content: nsfw, drugging, power imbalance, riding, multiple orgasms, overstimulation, degradation, you're his lab rat <3 reblogs & comments appreciated!

~0,7k words | kinktober masterlist

Life as a fairly new Fatui recruit wasn't easy.

Contrary to popular belief, it wasn't the ridiculously difficult training or the harsh Snezhnayan temperatures that gnawed at your resolve most, but the attention of one particular Harbinger that was on you almost constantly.

Dottore, it seemed, had taken a liking to you, and there was absolutely nothing you were able to do about it.

His sheer presence made you feel on edge, his deep voice causing a shiver to shoot up your spine whenever his warm breath grazed your ear — though you would have been a liar had you said you didn't enjoy it to a certain extent.

That, however, was your biggest mistake; you had gotten too used to him and his shenanigans, had let your guard down with the thought that you knew him well by now.

It was why you hadn't even thought to protest when a syringe, filled with some glowing liquid, had been pushed into one of your veins, though you now knew better.

It had been a mistake, a situation in which you had failed to be cautious.

Now you were suffering the consequences of your naivety.

“You're panting quite a bit”, Dottore commented, his tone entirely even as if you weren't currently bouncing up and down on his dick. “How are you feeling? Talk to me, darling.” A chuckle. “There's hardly any need to be shy right now.”

Your shyness was not the issue right now; the aphrodisiac coursing through your body was making it hard to form a coherent thought, yet alone to word an explanation about what you were feeling.

You had no idea, honestly; everything was terribly overwhelming, and even though you had already cum twice, you were still riding Dottore with sheer endless desperation, your need for more pleasure never quelling.

Sweat dripped down your neck, down the swell of your tits and, Archons, had it always been this hot in his lab?

Suddenly, a sharp pain caused you to flinch as Dottore meanly pinched one of your nipples between his fingers; you clenched around his dick on instinct, the action accompanied by a lewd squelching noise.

“When I ask you a question, sweetheart, I expect a response.” Smooth leather dragged over your skin as his thumb circled around your pebbled nipple, making you mewl. “How are you feeling?”

Your mind felt hazy; your thoughts entirely muddled. You were barely able to focus on anything but the way your thighs trembled in exhaustion as you continued to lift yourself up before dropping back down onto his dick, the fat tip nudging against what you swore was your cervix as you did so.

“Hot”, you eventually choked out, your voice shaking just as badly as your body did. “So hot—, wanna cum, sir, please.”

Dottore merely hummed in response. He tilted his head to the side, strands of blue hair spilling over his cheeks while he wrote your, arguably lackluster, description down on a notepad. Then, his lips curled into a smirk. “You want to cum? Again? You're quite selfish, love.”

“Sir, please—” Your sight blurred with tears, though you didn't even dare hope for any pity.

If you had learned one thing in the meantime of working underneath him, then that Dottore enjoyed seeing you cry.

“Seriously, didn't you already cum twice? Why don't you focus on pleasuring me first? You don't want me to think of you as greedy, or do you?” Dottore snickered as he reached down, his gloved finger only so much as feathering over your aching clit, and yet you came almost immediately with a high-pitched keen.

Your back arched as tears spilled over your tears, your cunt clenching down hard around his dick and, Archons, you really weren't sure just how much more of this you were able to take. You already felt like you were close to passing out; you all but collapsed against his chest a moment later, your muscles having turned into jelly.

“Heightened sensitivity”, he observed, a teasing lilt to his voice. “As well as enhanced stamina, or so I'd believe. Perhaps you're just a slut, hm? A whore who likes to fuck herself stupid on my cock. That's adorably pathetic.”

“Sir”, you whined in response, though, before you were able to continue, Dottore clicked his tongue at you.

“Did I say you were allowed to stop? Come on, now. I still haven't finished.” The corners of his mouth twitched into a grin. His next words made pure dread spread through you; “Though, if you're not motivated anymore, I guess I still have some more doses of that aphrodisiac left.”

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nori-writes · 1 year

Text

Welcome Home

Yoru x Reader

W/C: 550+

A/N: UHM, YES YOU CAN. I know I have other requests but this one, it was too cute to not. I don’t know how I feel about the way I wrote this one though. @rinnako

If you told him when you both met that two years later you’d be married he would tell you that you’re insane.

He never saw himself getting into a relationship in the first place, don’t even mention the idea of him getting married.

Even so, he’s very grateful for you.

Being able to come home after a long day to be met by his loving wife is the best thing that he never knew he needed.

He always thinks about how good you are for him, though he might never say it out loud to you or anyone for that matter.

Even though he may put on his tough demeanour around everyone else, he does have a little soft spot for you.

He would never admit to you that his favourite thing out of his day is getting home and walking through the door with you running to greet him. He thinks it's the cutest thing ever!

I would also like to say, he totally has pet names for you in Japanese that he would never tell you what they mean, even on his deathbed.

The house always felt a little bit emptier with only one person. It was something that you were used to though, it felt like Yoru was always out on a mission. You were always one of the first people to be told when they were one the way home thanks to Yoru. You had gotten a text from him a couple hours ago letting you know that they’d be back home before midnight tonight.

You looked at the clock on your phone, the clock reading 9:00 PM. You realised that there were still a couple hours of being alone so you sat on the couch you don't remember much after that, memories muddled with the haze of sleep until you were woken up by the sound of the door unlocking.

Quickly rubbing the sleep out of your eyes you sat up off the couch to greet your husband at the door. By the time you had made it to the door Yoru was just barely closing the door behind himself.

He turned to you with a small tired smile on his face, obviously worn out, ready for a shower then to immediately go to bed. You smiled back at him before placing a kiss onto his lips and dusting off his body in the doorway of any extra dirt that had been left on him from the mission, a smile still on your face“Welcome home Ryo,” A smile took over your face at the sight of him finally being home, “how did it go?”

“You should’ve seen their faces when I kicked their ass,” A chuckle came from the both of you, afterwards you took his jacket off of his body hanging it up to the hook by the door.

“Would’ve loved to have seen it myself,” you smiled at him while he took off his shoes in the doorway, “You made sure to go see Skye or Sage after to get yourself looked at?”

He nodded, “I’m in the same condition that I left in, excluding bruises.”

You let out a hum of approval, “If you’ve done everything you need, you should probably go and shower. I’ll have food done for you by the time you’re out.

The male nodded before playing a kiss onto your lips, “Thank you.”

You returned the kiss with a smile, “Of course, I love you, idiot.”

“I love you too, 私の愛.”

A/N: I don’t know how I feel about it but like, this was an adorable request that I don’t feel like I fulfilled well. 😭

#valorant #valorant fluff #valorant imagines #valorant x reader #valorant x y/n #valorant x you #x reader #ryo kiritani #valorant yoru #yoru valorant

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macverse · 2 months

Text

What you hope you can change

---

Chris wants you back but doesn't know if he deserves you. He sees how much he's ruined everything. He wants you to be happy, but it hurts to let you go.

---

A/N: Well, I've accidentally started a mini-series. This was all supposed to be a one-shot, lol. The series started because @shipheart commented, “I wonder what the reader will do next” and then this happened. I had a wild thought that this Chris/Reader couple could be the couple in Mi Amante and what happens in this series is what led them to start couples therapy. Some of the details are off but I like the idea that this is the back story. This series and Mi Amante are not related, it's just my headcanon within a headcanon, haha. I wrote once on something I was writing “I feel like I'm writing something much bigger than this is". I'm getting that same feeling again with these. It might be. Who knows. Special shout out to Vicky of Chris Evans fan page UK 🇬🇧 @chrisevansfanuk twitter. Since Mr. Evans had taken some time off when I started writing this, I need a secondary resource for content and research. These pages were a big help. Several 11 pm til much, much later writing well past the point of exhaustion sessions were supported by Vicky's pages. There was a very special sleepy moment where I was just blindly scrolling through your tweets cause I knew, I KNEW you had the info I needed but it was from months ago. I found it. Thank you so much.

---

“Chris?”

I didn't mean to be here. I did come here on purpose but I didn't think it would be that easy to find her. I'd thought maybe if I saw Y/N from far away, I could make up my mind. If she seems happy, if she seems like she’s in a good place, I could turn around and walk away. I could try to move on and let her go if she was okay.

That's not how it happened. We literally almost ran right into each other. One second I was deciding to give up, thinking it was providence that I hadn't seen her and the next I was colliding with Y/N.

“What are you doing here?”, Y/N asks after we’ve both recovered. “I’m honestly not following you. I heard from a friend that they'd seen you around here,” shit that sounds like I'm stalking her. She needs to know that I didn't mean for this to happen like this. I know I don't deserve a second of her time but if I can just get a moment then maybe things can be better. I hold my hands up, my palms forward as I continue, “I just wanna talk.” Uh, stress is cruel, fame's a lie

But you're special, on every level

Success is cool, money is fine

But you're special, another level The shock of Y/N leaving LA was like getting thrown into the deep end of a pool in the middle of winter. I realized too late that I was being an idiot. I was the reason she’d been there in the first place and I ignored her. I didn’t do it on purpose. My schedule kept filling up and my free time kept disappearing. I missed her but work was work. It couldn’t be ignored.

My assistant Josh had mentioned that he was getting a feeling that Y/N wasn't having a good time or didn't have much to do. He was the one who made sure I’d get a plus one so she could accompany me to my events. He'd even put together a list of exhibits and classes that I knew that Y/N would love, places we could go, and things we could do on dates but I kept putting it off because I was busy.

I kept thinking later, later but she left before I could get to later.

Listen

I see the men, they wanna touch ya

That's when I tell 'em, uh huh

I guess I am a jealous lover

'Cause I ain't sharin' with another lover

Stress is cruel, fame's a lie

But you're special, on every level

Success is cool, and money is fine

But you're special, another level

I was a mess after she left. I didn't have the time to be a mess but the minute there wasn't a camera in my face I would break down, the facade I kept up would crumble away and all I could feel was heartache. I muddled my way through the rest of the projects I had in LA. I can't even remember if I did work that I was happy with or not. The ache Y/N left in my chest was irrepressible. I could barely breathe sometimes.

The hole Y/N left in my life was tangible. You don't realize how entwined someone is into the fabric of every minute of your life until it hits you in the face.

I didn't realize how the simple touch of her hand stopped my mind from racing. I didn't realize how seeing her and my dog safely at home brought me peace.

I didn't realize how the smell of her perfume on the sheets made me feel like I was home every night.

I didn't realize how much her smile warmed me from the inside and made my heart sing in my chest.

I just didn't realize how much I loved her in my life...

Want more? Read the rest on my AO3.

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gothhabiba · 1 year

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I think as someone who has followed you for a very long time (pre 2016) other anon will forgive me for saying that you have had open and long mutual interactions with trans women on this website the entire time I've followed you. I recently found an old post you wrote about trans women's right to determine how, what, and to whom to label genitals when "penis repulsion" was the special flavor of terf panic over lesbians dating trans women. I know you would never wave around what you've been doing as an answer to these people because it wouldn't change any missteps you actually made.

It's quite a lot to me that anyone actually could have followed you during that era and believe anything but that you were a little too credulous of butchcommunist's excuses when she started to get called out. Early on, she had trans feminine mutuals who also stood by her. You're certainly not being more supportive or writing completely new content about fighting transmisogyny to cover your tracks. You have been this way for as long as I have followed you. Feel free not to publish this if it seems too defensive, but I think some people's memories are shorter or more muddled than mine.

you're right that I'm wary of appearing to be 'doing PR'—people who are upset with me about this are perfectly within their rights to be upset, and if I can set anyone's mind at ease by clarifying that I believe that to be the case and informing my current followers who may not have been around at the time of what happened with this a few years back, then I'm happy to do that.

the post and the time that you're talking about were around the same time that I first started to feel reservations about some of her posts (like referring to "gender nonconformance" when asked specifically about trans women; or saying that no one is ever obligated to have sex with anyone else, and then later saying that she never "said or implied" that she thought it was trans women who were pressuring cis lesbians to have sex with them, when, like, you kind of don't have to, that is obviously what people are going to assume).

I discussed these reservations with people in my personal life (this must have been 2017?) but basically came to the conclusion that I wasn't going to unfollow or block her yet because my stance on counter-recruiting is that, when it seems like things could go either way (like, someone is still vocally denying animus for trans women or support for policies that limit transition, but evidently flirting with terf ideology), it is the opposite of helpful to cut them off.

because for sure the people who are not going to cut them off.... are terfs..... and so now you've closed the possibility (however large or slim it might have been) of them reading what you write and reblog on the subject and changing their mind. and I believe that terfs know this, and play up the whole "genderists ostracise you just for asking innocent little questions" thing, and use this to drive recruitment. but maybe this is credulous of me.

I also believe that if someone is plainly a 'crypto'-terf to the extent that they are knowingly interacting with self-professed terfs (so, barely 'crypto' at that point) then it is too far gone for that, and the only thing you're doing by continuing to allow them to reblog from you is furthering the point of crypto-terfs in the first place (namely, to draw people in by degrees through 'legitimate,' 'respectable' engagement with left-wing people that gradually shades into more and more overtly terf circles—same as any other fascist or far-right ideology). so that's why I unfollowed when I did.

during 2018-2019 I was attending grad school, which required 16-17 hours of work from me every day, and so I wasn't online very much at all—if memory serves, the 'private terf chat' thing came out somewhere in the middle of this time, and I unfollowed when I was 'back' and able to investigate / catch up to what was going on.

people are welcome to disagree with my ideas about terf recruitment and potential strategies for counter-recruitment, which I am not even sure that I'm right about but am merely trying things out as I go. it makes total sense for people to guess that I saw the writing on the wall and to view this kind of thing as affiliation, and I sincerely am sorry to anyone who felt less safe, then or now, because of my actions.

the reason that I haven't talked in depth about this before is that, like, again, it seems like spin! lmao

#also because I maybe thought the criticism was ‘following her at all’#long post /

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alicentsgf · 1 year

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Let’s use my dusty knowledge of the Plantagenet era and talk about the white hart in HotD. I've had some really muddled thoughts and feelings about that scene and the way it framed Rhaenyra’s struggle for the throne to the general audience, but I also think there might be deeper meaning to it than what was initially obvious. If GRRM was as involved as he says, then at least some of this was likely deliberate; he's made no secret of taking inspiration from history, especially British history. The world of ASoIaF often rhymes with it.

The white hart wasn’t mentioned in Fire & Blood, and in my opinion its inclusion in the show seems to be not only foreshadowing Rhaenyra’s journey, but perhaps even commenting on the unreliability of F&B as a supposed “factual” account.

In our world the white hart is not just symbolic of royalty and burgeoning heroism, its much more specifically recognised as the heraldry of an English king; the deposed and disgraced Richard II. Though the only thing historians can agree on with Richard II is that he was considered physically beautiful by his contemporaries, modern historians at least somewhat unanimously write of him as a fair enough ruler, but for his belief in his own divine authority, as well as a lack of willingness or ability to play the political game, all of which facilitated his downfall. Simon Walker wrote of Richard II, "What he sought was, in contemporary terms, neither unjustified nor unattainable; it was the manner of his seeking that betrayed him." ...Sound familiar? Richard later died as the prisoner of his successor, the usurper Henry VI, a man whose expected inheritance Richard II had once subverted.

(There's also something to be said for the fact his rule and subsequent deposition has been argued as the groundwork for the War of the Roses; the real life inspiration for the events of A Song of Ice and Fire... maybe don't quote me on that to any historian though, it's heavily contested.)

So, Richard II was supposedly a good enough man and ruler by contemporary standards, but he is remembered overwhelmingly negatively, most likely because of one very specific depiction; Shakespeare's Richard II. An unflattering depiction, steeped in exaggeration and a somewhat understandable need for drama. It's now the most widely-known representation of him. So is it possible that, through the white hart scene, we're being told Richard II and Rhaenyra run parallel to each other in one more way? How accurate is Fire and Blood truly, when it comes to its depiction of Rhaenyra? Does it meditate on her faults and exagerate her cruelty? Almost certainly. Is it any more accurate than Shakespeare's Richard II? Perhaps not.

My local pub happens to be called ‘the white hart’ (not even a weird coincidence tbh, it's just a very common pub name), and it has a framed copy of Richard II's heraldry (the image above) on the wall. I’ve spent a fair amount of time looking at that thing wondering about the symbolism of the crown sitting around his neck and the golden chain that trails from it. The implication of a crown as the thing that holds captive this noble animal… What better way to describe the claimants of the dance? It's not only Rhaenyra, but Aegon too, who is the stag with the crown at their throat, golden chains dragging them down.

#hotd #rhaenyra targaryen #aegon the second #hotd meta #asoiaf #grrm

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nellie-elizabeth · 5 months

Text

Bob's Burgers: Fraud of the Dead: Zombie-docu-pocalypse (14x09)

Okay... this had to have been an episode planned for closer to the end of October, right? So weird how the episodes have been scheduled!

Cons:

Nothing much to complain about, this was great spooky ridiculous fun! The one thing that was a little odd was that the conceit of this scenario is that Gene and Tina don't know Louise, that they are just a documentary crew, and then there were times later in the episode where they continued to reference that they don't know each other. Like, at the end, Tina calls Bob and Linda "your parents" when talking to Louise, as if she's still being the documentary crew and not herself. That feels like a bit of a muddled premise to me, I would have loved to do a bit more with it.

Pros:

On the other hand, maybe I should eat my words and say that the muddled premise ultimately added to the comedy: I love how high-concept Louise's idea for a movie was, that it starts off as a documentary and then becomes about a zombie apocalypse, so the artifice is that it's a project that gets interrupted by something and that becomes the focus. The end scene with the family reacting was a great capstone, because suddenly when you realize that Louise actually wrote and produced this whole thing, the scope and talent on display is kind of crazy. She got her whole family and so many other people involved, and did it all with nothing other than a couple of cameras being held by her siblings, who also had acting roles in the story.

There are certain things that become more funny when you realize that this whole thing is in fact scripted, like Bob being really reluctant to disassemble the restaurant, but then caving to it because... "this is a zombie apocalypse..." or Linda telling the kids when they go upstairs on their own to keep filming the movie while they hold off the zombies downstairs, "don't go in my room".

I also loved the dedication of Andy, Ollie, Jimmy Jr., Rudy, Mort, and Teddy in their performances, it was so fun to see them all go full-tilt and support Louise in her creative endeavor. There's something honestly heartwarming about this scenario, because it's so ridiculous but we get to see how much of a community these people have built; they'll all show up for each other to help with creativity and fun.

A few stand-out jokes for me:

Rudy saying "it's okay" and "I don't want to be remembered as a complainer" as he's being eaten by zombies was so funny and so in character. It made me wonder if Louise had written that line for him because she knows Rudy so well, or if that was improv on his part.

Same with Tina talking about editing techniques and her "vision" for the project as she realizes she's probably about to be eaten. Is that Tina's artistic integrity, or Louise's writing for how Tina's documentary film crew character would speak? I love the ambiguity of that.

The song was another comedy highlight for me; the meta jokes where Tina asks Louise why she's singing in this documentary, and then the song getting cut off... the fact that this was a joke that Louise wrote into her movie in-universe, as part of her character arc regarding learning how to be an archer... it's all so funny and cute.

I love Louise, so no surprise an episode like this, where she gets to be her zany, creative self, and also go through a bit of a journey of self-discovery, really works for me!

9/10

#review #bob's burgers #bob's burgers review #bobs burgers #bobs burgers review

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demonslayedher · 1 year

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Since you seem to know a lot about Demon Slayer, do you know any production or development history about the manga? Like inspirations, cut storylines/characters, etc?

The most I know is what the first fandom says about the development of Kimetsu no Yaiba based on the world-building framework of "Kisatsu no Nagare," which focused on a character who seemed to have a presence more like Giyuu did in the first chapter, only with fewer limbs. The editor guiding Gotouge found the character not very relatable, and after asking questions about other characters in the world, Tanjiro was introduced as "maybe not being very interesting," but the editor immediately insisted on Tanjiro being the focus. I wrote more about that here, in regard to the importance of the Final Selection arc in establishing KnY as a successful manga for serialization (Gotouge was about to quit if this didn't work).

I later saw comments from Gotouge in advice to other budding mangaka about how you should draw your main character the most; perhaps this is from editorial advice about keeping the story well-centered about a marketable character, I wonder.

In other titles considered, some used the name of the god of the hearth, Kagutsuchi, a Shinto deity with lore in written mythology. For the most past (but not entirely), gods or Buddhas or deities weren't named specifically throughout the manga, even if they were called upon. I feel the story may have started with wanted to stick closer to existing Shinto mythology, but a choice was made to avoid it instead. I find this a good choice, as it leaves the story more freedom in its own world-building and canon while still leaning on the folksy faith, which doesn't concern itself so much with those fussy details and instead dives into the cores themes behind the faiths. I also like how the story doesn't muddle itself with preexisting oni lore, it leans into its own oni canon.

As for cut storylines, I love how long the Taisho Secrets get in the later volumes with all the extra detail Gotouge so badly wanted to give--about the fallout after Muzan & Yoriichi's encounter, about the guy in the dojo next door had a more complicated history before killing Koyuki and Keizo, even about Kanao's past. I want them all!! Gotouge, give me all your Taisho Secrets!!

As for inspiration, I've heard it stated here and there that Gotouge was a big fan of both Bleach and Gintama, which was why the choice to submit to Shonen Jump was made.

Looking back at "Kisatsu no Nagare" and what came before it, like Tamayo and Yushiro already existing very close to what they'd be finalized as later, makes it easy to see how characters like Iguro and Kanao and Muzan and Muichiro and Genya even Swamp Demon came around... but Uzui???? Hmmmm. I wonder when characters like he and Mitsuri were born, and how much of their creation was influenced by editors saying Gotouge needed to liven up the cast more? Or at least their finalized character designs...

And for that matter, Rengoku-san! I wonder when he came about, before or after Tanjiro was cast as the main character and the world started to form around a character him? One thing we do know straight from Gotouge is that Rengoku and the rest of the cast are based on people in real life. Maybe that's part of why this series has been so successful, no matter how outlandish Gotouge's imagination has been (like biting heads??? Whyyyyyy?????), there's realistic elements that we can see ourselves or people we know in. Zenitsu can be insufferable, sure, but aren't we all Zenitsu sometimes? Shinobu can be both kind and vicious, and hasn't anybody who has worked in customer service had to smile like that? Maybe when we're taking something seriously, we wind up seeming aloof, and pushing others away, like Giyuu? And don't we all get carried away sometimes when we are proud of ourselves or our appearance or position of power, and play it off in a somewhat silly looking way, like Uzui? When a situation becomes too much, haven't we all found ourselves emotionally distancing ourselves from it, so as not to be hurt by it? Don't we all second-guess our own intentions, or if we'll ever be good enough, or react with our own understandings of the world and only come to broaden our perspectives later? But don't we all know people who have good traits that come out in bad circumstances too?

Wow, this devolved, heh... sorry, that rambled into more of my personal appreciation side.

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nicoroni · 1 year

Text

Okay so I wrote like. 1/4 of a fic because I had one scene that wouldn't leave my head!!!

The rest of the fic is here in a "I rambled at @isleofair instead of actually writing" kind of way - with the actual fully written piece in the middle where it goes !!!

5 times Bunny said "I love you" and the one time Kotetsu understood what he meant

Time 1 is.

Bunny cleans Kotetsu's apartment.

Kotetsu doesn't ask and Bunny of course huffs and puffs the whole time about how Kotetsu should take better care of his space, and he insists he's not doing it for Kotetsu but he's doing it because he's going to spend time here and he wants it to be a nice place to be.

Kotetsu, for his part, grumbles about Bunny fussing too much and being a nag

But even he understands that Bunny is doing something nice for him, so he helps out

The second time is when Kotetsu "dies"

He, of course, remembers very little of this - he remembers Bunny holding him, Bunny's eyelashes, his wet green eyes - and then he remembers getting up and them saving the day!

Barnaby tries not to think about this time, but he remembers holding Kotetsu's still warm body in his arms.

Remembers Kaede on her knees next to him, crying.

Remembers crying himself, and pressing a kiss to Kotetsu's hair and hiding from everyone but himself when he says, "I love you."

Time #3 is the following -

(Does this happen when Bunny is I'm the hospital in canon?

Or just during another random injury?

I DON'T KNOW

but that's not the point

The point is

Soft dopey Bunny was stuck in my head

So I'm putting him here.

AHEM.)

Kotetsu doesn't want to leave. He's been at Bunny's side since they let him back into the room - and he would have been there sooner if Antonio hadn't literally held him back - and he's loathe to leave now. What if Bunny wakes up when he's gone? He can't stand the idea of his partner waking up in the hospital alone. He's not even wearing his glasses, and Kotetsu knows he's blind without them. He can't imagine how disorienting waking up alone would be.

But the other heroes have all cleared out, and there's an unhappy nurse who keeps sticking her head into the room to tsk at him. He knows it's past visiting hours. He knows he's not Bunny's next of kin - and isn't that a whole barrel of worms. He's Bunny's partner though and that has to count for something, right?

Maybe not, if the series of messages Antonio has sent him are anything to go by. He's threatening to drag Kotetsu out kicking and screaming if he has to - if that's the only way Kotetsu will agree to go home and get some rest.

But Kotetsu can't, is the thing. Even if no one else understands, nothing short of the world ending could convince him to leave before he's sure Bunny is okay, before he sees those green eyes open and glaring at him again.

He slumps further into his seat, hunching forward uncomfortably so he can keep holding Bunny's hand. His back is not going to thank him later.

He closes his eyes, intending to just rest them for a second, and let's his head rest on the edge of the bed. He can hear Bunny's steady breathing, even over the beeping of the heart rate monitor and other machines, and the familiar sound brings him some comfort.

(He decides not to wonder when it became not only familiar, but comforting.)

He's not sure how much time passes, before something startles him awake. The room is dark, the hallways outside quiet. He doesn't remember falling asleep and he doesn't know what woke him up until-

Movement. Bunny's hand in his, twitching slightly.

Kotetsu sits up so quickly he feels a twinge in his neck. He ignores it in favour of leaning in closer, to get a better look at Bunny's face in the dimly lit room. Everything is worth it when Bunny's eyes slowly flutter open - green, green, green - even if they are glassy, not quite able to focus on Kotetsu's face.

"-'tetsu?" Bunny's voice is rough, muddled from sleep and the head injury he's going to spend days recovering from him.

It still makes Kotetsu smile so big his cheeks hurt.

"Yea, Bunny, I'm here." He soothes, keeping his voice low, soft like when Kaede used to come to him, crying, after a nightmare. He squeezes Bunny's hand gently.

Bunny smiles back, his lips curling slowly, like time is running at a different pace for him. His eyes soften, going half lidded and Kotetsu can tell he's out of it - he's not sure if Bunny is even looking at him now. But he's awake and that's what matters.

Kotetsu will get his nurse in a minute.

They spend a long time just staring at each other - Kotetsu waiting for Bunny to say something, and Bunny just looking. Eventually, he turns his hand until he can lace his fingers with Kotetsu's. It seems to take a lot of effort, but the pleased look Bunny gives him when he accomplishes it makes Kotetsu never want to let go.

"Yea?" He prompts, squeezing again.

"Mmhmm." Is his only answer, as Bunny's eyes start to close again.

Kotetsu huffs out a soft laugh and starts to stand, carefully untangling his fingers from Bunny's. "I'll get your nurse-"

But before he can go, Bunny's grip suddenly tightens, holding so tightly that for a split second Kotetsu thinks he must have activated his power.

"Wait-" Bunny's voice is firm now, far from the lilting and slightly slurred way he'd greeted Kotetsu before.

Kotetsu turns and sinks back into the chair, inching closer to Bunny again. It's not until he's leaning over Bunny again, almost far enough that he has to brace himself with his free hand, that he sees the blonde relax. His grip loosens fractionally, but his eyes - still glassy and dazed - narrow into what Kotetsu knows is his Serious Face.

"Bunny?" He prompts, when his partner says nothing.

"S'important." Bunny says, already starting to run his words together again. Kotetsu hopes its just whatever they're giving him for pain, and not because Bunny's injury is worse than they thought. "You listening?"

Kotetsu frowns, his brow furrowing, but nods. "Yea, Bunny, I'm all ears."

Bunny nods jerkily, his dishevelled curls somehow still bouncing along with the motion, despite being crushed between him and the pillow for the better part of the day and evening.

"Good. S'important, Kotetsu- Serious. Okay?"

Kotetsu nods again, hoping Bunny is too out of it to notice how nervous he is, how his heart rate is ratcheting up the longer it takes for Bunny to just blurt out whatever he has to say- Did they miss something in the fight earlier? The others assured him they'd caught the group of Next, but what if Bunny saw something they didn't? What if-

Bunny squeezes his hand again, perfectly manicured nails digging lightly into the back, and Kotetsu refocuses on his partner.

Bunny's obviously fighting to stay awake, and it's a battle he's losing, but he's actually looking at Kotetsu now, really focused on his face. He licks his dry lips, swallows, and then finally says-

"I love you."

Kotetsu resolutely ignores the way his heart skips a beat.

"What?" He asks, the word tumbling out before he really processes what Bunny said.

"I love you." Barnaby repeats, still looking incredibly serious, even as he starts to sink further into his pillows. "S'important, 'Tetsu. Love you. Kay?"

Kotetsu feels- He's not sure what he feels, honestly. The words caught him off guard, that's all, but obviously they don't mean what he initially thought. Bunny is clearly high from whatever medication is pumping through his IV - that's all this is - just mindless rambling. Kotetsu's sure Antonio has plenty of stories of Kotetsu saying more ridiculous things during recovery.

But Bunny is still looking at him. Still clutching his hand like Kotetsu might float away if he let's go for even a second. He looks almost scared, now, and so, so small in the hospital bed.

"Kay?" He repeats, his voice wavering. It's hard to tell in the dark, but Kotetsu thinks his eyes are watering.

He leans in closer, brushes Bunny's hair off his forehead with his free hand, and presses a kiss to the bit of skin not covered with bandages.

"Okay, Bunny." He says gently, moving back just enough to see Bunny's face, to watch the way he lights up with a dopey smile, all his features softening at Kotetsu's agreement. His grip on Kotetsu's hand finally relaxes as well, but neither of them let go.

"S'good." Bunny says, his words becoming less audible by the second, his eyes slowly closing again. "S'good you know now. 'Cause I love you lots."

Smiling to himself, Kotetsu shakes his head. He hopes Bunny doesn't remember this in the morning - an embarrassed Bunny is usually a grumpy Bunny, and he's not sure either of them will have the energy to deal with that.

"Sure, buddy, I love you too. We're partners, right?" He answers, and listens as Barnaby makes a content little noise. Kotetsu holds his hand until he's sure Bunny has drifted off again, and then leaves to find his nurse. With any luck, they'll both be able to go home within the day.

Barnaby's memories of this time are very fuzzy?

He doesn't remember getting hurt enough to even be in the hospital.

But he remembers waking up and not knowing where he is but knowing it's Kotetsu holding his hand and Kotetsu leaning over him

Everything sort of runs together in his mind and has this

Dreamy quality to it

He remembers

Kotetsu's eyes, Kotetsu's skin, his stupid hair, his perfect smile

Their hands clasped tightly

Kotetsu leaning close enough that if Barnaby had just been stronger they could have kissed

He remembers knowing with utmost certainty that he loves his partner and he needs Kotetsu to know

It becomes the most important thing that he tell Kotetsu and that Kotetsu understands

And then Kotetsu is agreeing

He understands

He loves Barnaby too

And then Barnaby gets to fall asleep holding Kotetsu's hand

---

Time #4 is something to do with Kaede?

Like they're spending time together, all three of them, and Kaede shyly tells Barnaby she loves him

And not like the silly crush she had on him before

But she's starting to see him like a father figure and she wants him to know

And Barnaby is like

Completely taken off guard because he could never have expected this

That this wonderful young human

This little piece of Kotetsu

Would love him and let him into her life

And so he tells her he loves her too

While Kotetsu is just

Absolutely melting about two of his favourite and most important people

Sharing this moment?

---

Time number 5 is

After Barnaby hurts his knee?

So one day Kotetsu is helping him with stretches and gentle physical therapy

And massaging his leg and his knee and just

Really gently taking care of him

And they're sharing this

Profound moment of

Non-sexual physical intimacy

And then Barnaby just

Blurts out, in this soft breathless voice

"I love you"

And Kotetsu brushes it off and laughs even though he's blushing

And just says

"Glad to know the massage is good"

Or something

While Barnaby blushes brightly and tries to pretend this isn't like

On the verge of being mortifying

And then the plus 1 is

It's Bunny's birthday

And He has mixed feelings about the day?

But it's been nice this year

He spends time with the team and they do some silly Halloween stuff for the orphanage kids

And now he's going to see Kotetsu

Who he maybe hasn't seen in a couple hours

Because he disappeared with some flimsy excuse about what he needed to be doing

And he comes home (home?) To Kotetsu's apartment

And Kotetsu is in the kitchen

And he's wearing this absurd frilly pink apron

That has Bunny ears

(It's from the BBJ home collection)

That Kaede bought him as a joke but he unironically loves

And he's covered in flour and chocolate and he looks

SO put out that his cake didn't work

And Bunny cake home before he was finished

So he's making this sad kicked puppy face

And Bunny can't help but laugh

And then the words Just

Tumble out of him?

"I love you"

And Kotetsu rubs the back of his neck and laughs and tries to brush it off like

"Yea, yea, you're my buddy I love you too-"

But Barnaby

Steps up real close to him

And takes his face in his hands

So so gently

And wipes a bit of flour off Kotetsu's cheek with his thumb

And holds eye contact and says, "No, Kotetsu. I /love/ you."

And then

Just to make sure Kotetsu can't explain his way out of this one

He kisses him?

And Kotetsu finally like

Puts it all together

Like he was missing a piece of the puzzle but now it's here and everything is clicking into place

Every time Bunny scolded him for not eating or sleeping

Every time he helped him clean up

Caught him during a fight

All the times they stayed late doing paper work together

All the shared meals

The effort Barnaby put into making sure Kaede and the rest of the family liked him

And all the times Barnaby /actually/ said it

They all meant

"I love you"

And Kotetsu just

Never quite understood?

Didn't dare to believe it?

But now he /knows/ and so this time when he said "I love you too, Bunny"

He knows they both mean the same thing

#kotetsu t. kaburagi #barnaby brooks jr #taibani #tiger and bunny #tiger & bunny #y'all I hardly ever write fic but this needed to be OUT OF MY BRAIN #and also it was fun #and also aria liked it and is very encouraging and nice :333 #so I'm putting it here!!!!!#fanfic

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neveralarch · 1 year

Note

You said older fics were open 👀 👀 so 1, 5, 9 for Passé please because I’m obsessed with it

(transformers fencing au, megatron & starscream, wheeljack/starscream)

Thank you for asking about passe!! I've been holding onto this until I had enough time to give it a good answer haha

(under the cut for brief references to abuse in sport)

1: What inspired you to write the fic this way?

The basic story behind fencing au is that I was refereeing at a fencing tournament and the person who'd been put as my roommate spent one evening telling me about everyone in fencing who had Wronged them. I'd already heard a lot of these stories from the other side, versions where this person had been causing the drama instead of receiving it. None of it was very serious and I don't know what the 'correct' version was but it just got me thinking about like... The stories we tell ourselves and the ways we justify things we've done wrong or that've been done to us.

At the same time, fencing (and Olympic sports in general) were going through a lot of discussions about how to confront abuse, and what to do with people who had been punished and returned to the sport, and I kinda just wanted to muddle through this in a fictional space with robots. This is pretty much what I do with all heavy topics nowadays.

(ughh tumblr deleted this next paragraph, WHY)

It was always my intention to finish the main story arc with a Megatron pov fic where you'd finally get that other side of the story that had been hinted at. Where you'd see that Megatron was likeable and trying to genuinely come back to this sport he loved ... But also have to confront that he really did poison it in ways that were maybe worse than you thought. It was super cathartic to write but I was a little worried about how it would be received. It's been so great over the years to see how it's resonated with people.

5: What part was hardest to write?

Fun fact, Passe was written pretty much entirely by voice memo. I drive 45 minutes each way to fencing so I used to write fic on the way back at night and then edit it as I typed it up later. This is actually great for just getting a first draft out of yourself but you also have to remember a Lot. Which is why I accidentally wrote the final bout twice. And then had to edit the versions together haha.

In general, it was really tricky to figure out how to write fencing action in a way that was accurate without being tedious or confusing to the non fencer. I also spent a LOT of time on that final confrontation with starscream, bc I wanted it to be satisfying without descending into stiff therapy roleplay. Lots of tricky parts!

9: Were there any alternate versions of this fic?

Tbh since I had the whole thing planned out early, I never really considered alternate versions. EXCEPT that before I decided it would be distracting to shove in this much detail and a little jarring to the tone, the first team Megatron fenced was supposed to be Kup and his buddies Phork and Spuun.

#fanfic meme

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lunareclipsez · 2 years

Note

for the fic writing asks! 7, 22, 29, and 62 (brown guilty eyes👁👁)

7. Post a snippet from a wip. I had three big WIPs to choose from... I'm going to be evil and pick the opening to the sequel to 'In bloom' (which will be posted when it's fully finished!) :)

Karl feels like a stranger in Kinoko Kingdom. The vibrant colors, from the red roofs to the pink cherry trees, hurt to look at. He’s grown so used to seeing blank white-on-white that the vibrancy of it muddles into a dizzying mess.

He touches the ground for good measure. It’s soil, grainy between his fingertips. It’s real.

He’d forgotten how much the world smelled. The Inbetween was pristine to the point of being sterile, but back in Kinoko Kingdom? There’s perfume, some fresh, some musky, from flowers in various stages of bloom and decay. A hint of something foul coming from the horse stables. Someone bakes in a cottage nearby, ripening the air with the scent of fresh bread.

Karl wants to curl in a ball and shut his eyes until it all goes away.

Better yet, he wants to feel grounded in the arms of his fiancés.

He hides the wince on his face and shakes his head. The new warmth of the sun tells him he’s been away for months. He bites his lip—how is he going to explain himself? He wants to feel happy, share in the revelry that he’d finally conquered his memory problems and bid farewell to the Overseer. But if he knows his fiancés, then he knows the first thing they’ll demand of him is a warm hug. It’s their simple form of love, something unconditional and forgiving.

22. Do you title your fics before, during, or after the writing process? How do you come up with titles? I am the worst at titles omg. The second I have an idea I'll rename my fic document so I don't forget it and it usually sticks (In bloom and Once Upon a Dream were very easy and there since the beginning). But other times it's the last thing I come up with before I post something (my roommate desperately scrolled through song lyrics for me when I was trying to title ''till i come home to you' LOL). I use song lyrics a lot, but not because I'm cool and take specific inspiration from them, but because it's easier. Though there is one title I'm saving in my back pocket for a Karl character study that I'll eventually write, and that's taken from a song that I actually think suits his vibe.

29. What’s something about your writing that you’re proud of? My pacing/plotting! I put so much thought into it. My goal with multi-chapter fics is for each chapter to stand out with a new development/key piece of characterization, with no filler or boring bits. I plant seeds for later twists/narrative payoff as early as I can. Additionally, the whole sequence in Brown Guilty Eyes with the structure of the narrative rewarding Wilbur for choosing not to kill himself (and thus having the totem of undying available to save Karl) was very deliberate, and given the current direction of his arc in canon it's something that I'm very glad I wrote Q_Q.

62. In Brown Guilty Eyes, is there a deleted scene/idea you wish you could have included? Why did it get cut? I spent like twenty minutes writing about little threads that didn't go anywhere for whatever reason, none of which I actually felt bad about cutting until I remembered, I WAS SO PISSED I DIDN'T HAVE ROOM TO KEEP THE SCENE THAT EXPLAINED HOW EXACTLY KARL LOST ALL HIS MEMORIES. It was hinted at throughout the fic, and I'd wanted it to be be revealed in his final confrontation with the In Between, but then the direction of that conversation left me with no choice but to cut it, because losing the chance to get any of his memories back was the price he paid to be able to defeat the thing. But, now it'll be revealed on this blog! It'd been explained in the fic that the In Between fed on knowledge and memories the way that the Egg fed on the life force of people dying around it. Unfortunately Karl wasn't delivering with his Tales, being too distracted by trying to find a way to fix the mess in his home, so he had to make a choice: Give up everything to it, or let someone else take his place. He wasn't given much time to think it over, so he decided quickly that one, he didn't want anyone else to have to suffer in his place + he didn't know who would take his place, and two, he trusted himself more that he trusted a replacement to get to the bottom what was going on and keep his loved ones safe, even as a blank slate (that was also when he hid his wedding rings for his future self to find).

(Btw, this was all written before season 2 of Tales so I was just making up stuff without much basis in canon! I wanted the In Between to have parallels with the Egg for the sake of a fun story, which is why I wrote it the way that I did)

#tysm i love not shutting up about this stuff :D

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liefst · 2 years

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did you end up talking to j about kids by the way? If you don’t mind me asking of course

yes we did! i told him how i saw a possibility of in the future trying make it work again together, and that i wasn't sure if that is what i want, and how it for the most part would depend on if he would be willing and able to change for the better, because i want to have a good and healthy relationship and not one that hangs together with pieces of scotch tape and unhappy compromises (for me & for him & for eventual children). his reaction was surprised and happy and he said he was going to think about it. i said that if we would decide to explore the possibility of giving it another shot (so even before committing to anything) i'd want him to have therapy and work on his issues, and he said that if we decided to explore that possibility he would be willing to do those things.

we ended by agreeing that we'd take more time to think apart from each other so as not to muddle things too much and that we'd talk again once we thought we had something new to say (be it weeks or months). and that we'd try to keep our minds open for other possibilities. all in all it was a very good conversation, i think.

that was about a month ago. i'm still kind of in the same state of mind as i was then, sometimes i think it could work again and sometimes i'm very sceptical (& all of the time i still miss him very much). like i wrote above, for a large part it would depend on if J wants to and is able to change, and for another part i still need lots more time to figure out who i am and what i want. i don't want to do something that i or we both will regret later. i don't know what J is thinking, but he hasn't reached out to talk, so i imagine he's not having any clear thoughts either. so that's that :)

#asks

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worldsover · 3 years

Text

Dal Segno ft. Chuu

length ✦ 3570

genres ✧ music making; oral fixation; facefuck; subby!Chuu

✦✧✦✧✦✧

Composition is only fifty percent of the process, you've heard, but it's closer to ten for you. For the importance of a solid melody and chord progression with the right instruments and singer, a song becomes less than the sum of its parts with bad mixing because all that effort goes to waste when you can’t hear something, or when something is too loud, or when a certain je ne sais quoi is wrong. But you do know. You don't have to be a chef to be a food critic but it certainly helps. Avoid muddling the lows as it waters down the soup. Carve space in the highs to prevent too much salt from killing the taste buds. Have at most five sounds at a time or else the flavors clash. Focus on these basic techniques to guide you as repetition wears down your mind. Funny. Repetition legitimizes especially in music yet here you are fatigued by repetition as though you weren't down four cups of black coffee. Repetition legitimizes. “From the sign,” the translation reads. Notation, simply instructing a musician to return to a certain point in a piece. You recognize it as an intro song you wrote years ago.

Glass and foam separate the undersized room. Cheap ramen and dampness in the hot air contribute to the odor. You would keep the fan on, if it were worth the extra time filtering out faint noise from recordings. The only scent that keeps you sane is a slight strawberry flavor lingering in the room. Jiwoo. Your muse. A large clock holds both of its hands near one with the lack of natural light muddling whether it’s AM or PM. Studios were always underground man-caves whether they were discount rooms or the signature workspace of the biggest producers. Here you are in the former. Look down at the Macbook and all the wires, sliders, and knobs. Deep breath. “Take 63,” you say into the cheap control room microphone.

“Not good enough.”

“Again.”

“One more.”

Look up. Jiwoo sucks on a grape lollipop. You stare. Watching her fixated on getting all flavor out of the purple sweet derails your flow state. See, work had a rhythm. Listen, volume up, hotkey to copy this clip, volume down. The obvious innuendo sends you offbeat. That perky butt bending over to get a notebook filled with lyrics entrenches the folds of your brain. She didn’t have to wear that skirt. You’ve seen that skirt already and you wish she weren’t wearing it. Oh, you really wish she weren’t wearing that skirt. Guilt sets in. You’re a trusted coworker, she, a naive girl. It takes a while to find your groove again. Your stare has yet to cease until she finally returns the eye contact with candy still in mouth. Her pink tongue laps to secure all the sugar and red pillows engulf the ever-shrinking circle. Pop. Anyone else and it would be calculated action.

“Oppa." Her voice resounds in your monitor headphones. "I don’t know if these harmonies really make sense. Why did you write the second voice to cross down below the main line? Plus it goes so low."

“To be fair, you wrote both of those melodies and you said you wanted them in the same song. Tell me anywhere else they’d work.”

“Ugh, let’s figure this out later. Next song.“

Dozens of takes later and Jiwoo’s frustration causes her to make mistakes. Sometimes she even tries to start singing with the sucker in her mouth. For the character she plays, you know she’s a professional and that she can be better. Yet hours later, she still could not get the vocal runs right. Incomplete songs bloat your project folder: "Jiwoo - Mania", "Jiwoo - Look Closer", "Jiwoo - Untitled Idea 21". Just a small side project that the company approved during another ample period of break time between comebacks. That’s why the director didn’t even let you use the company’s facilities, instead opting to rent out this cheap closet of a studio. At least no one would be mad about the amount of time you spent recording together.

You shift seats from the leather office chair to the white lovechair, the only two pieces of furniture that fit comfortably in the room. Jiwoo follows suit and leaves the recording booth, really more of a phone booth in square footage, while she huffs and puffs on her candy.

“I’m tired, oppa,” she says.

“Me too, Jiwoo. May I remind you that I’m not getting paid extra for this. Are you gonna focus or what?” your voice just a few cents down, just a bit harsher.

“I, I’m sorry.” A lick anyway. Her meek tone disappears, “Ya! You know how good your royalties are gonna be. Sole producer and all that. Plus, here you are still doing all this work for me." Why were you working so hard on this? "You know, if you just taught me how to use Ableton-”

“Then I’d be out of a job.”

Jiwoo frowns, “Wow, selfish much? You could’ve joined me as a trainee.”

“Nah, no way. Fish dance better.”

“Shut up, oppa. You would’ve easily made it with your, um, musical talent.” She clamps down on the lollipop with her mouth.

“You good? What was that?”

“Let’s," she stands promptly, "get back to recording.”

Crack. Jiwoo bites down on the lollipop and throws the stick in the trash. In ten minutes, she nails the verse she spent hours trying to get right. It'd be really nice to know what catalyzed that rally. You'd ask but driving Jiwoo back to her dorm is quiet as usual.

✦✧✦✧✦✧

Make a good impression on someone, anyone, on your first day as a mixing engineer. That’s why you returned to the Blockberry Creative building with an extra bar of Melona in hand. A simple bribery. Light beamed down between two skyscrapers on a short girl with long hair and strands of bangs adorning her forehead. She stood outside the lobby, introducing herself to every passerby. You had to pinch her cheeks, the intrusive thought screamed.

She scurried up to you. “Hi! I’m Kim Jiwoo and I’m going to become an idol!”

Ah, a trainee. You already knew she was destined to become one. Well, not literally, you weren’t in charge of that. But her overflowing charm was impossible to ignore. You had to tease her though, “Are you sure?”

“Hey! What would you know about that, mister?” she said.

You bit down on your mango. “Mister? First of all, I’m only a high school senior,” her lips rounded in surprise, “And second, I’m your new audio guy, and I know for a fact they’re debuting you girls in order of talent.”

“Woooow. Well, I’ll have you know, I have a great voice!” She certainly spoke lyrically. “Wait a minute, I didn’t know they hired people that young.” You pointed at her. “Okay, I’m in high school too. But that’s different, idols start this age.”

“I guess. I’ve been making music ever since I was a kid, and they liked what I had,” you said and Jiwoo nodded in understanding.

She fluttered her eyebrows. “Sooo, is that mango ice cream for me? Oppa?” A little surprised she already called you that, but it sounded right.

“No, I have this unopened strawberry-” Jiwoo snatched the half-eaten cold treat from your hand, and started licking it. Trouble she would be.

You spent many recording sessions together, alone after all the other members left. She cozied up to you because her little musical snippets had to become full-fledged tracks and you helped her out every time.

Something changed over the years however. Your interactions became colder. It felt like you were the only one who she would respond to in a deeper voice. Jiwoo wouldn't pepper you with silly acts or mess around. Maybe she took you more seriously which is how you managed to make more songs together regardless. Then, you stood idly by and watched her debut. Who didn't love her? But when she was with you, you missed the playfulness, the ice cream and her riffing over your playful guitar strums. It turned less of a hobby and more of a job though you never regretted any second with Jiwoo regardless.

Under the Earth's largest natural satellite, you shared a simple meal in black bean noodles. She was still in her hippie outfit from the comeback, and you handed her your jacket since it was cold. You realized, there was something else there that you were too inexperienced to notice. Your bodies' radiation replace the chill in the air, a bubble with just the two of you eating on the grass in a park near your dorm. A cliche slurping on one noodle and Jiwoo pulled away. In embarrassment, like a damn anime character, she hiccuped. Good thing you didn't close your eyes when you leaned in.

“Wanna make an album together?” Jiwoo says.

“Sure.”

You threw away the noodles’ package and escorted her home. That was all you expected anyway. Fine.

✦✧✦✧✦✧

“That’s enough!”

Three goddamn weeks. It's been three goddamn weeks and you've barely made any progress.

Barge into the booth, slam the door shut and raise your tone, just below a shout, “I've had it up to here! You know how many of my songs have been mashed together in some unholy quest for your perfection? Just one unknown something is missing and either you start complaining or we move on to the next."

She backs up from the mic to the insulated wall but you continue, paying no heed to her, as you spout your piece to the artificially cold air, "You know how much time I’ve spent outside working on these songs? These are songs I’ve saved up over years. And you trash them like they’re nothing. How do you even manage to record LOONA tracks?”

Regret sinks in. This was your passion project as much as hers. Was it frustration from the recordings? Weeks of the same routine and it took until now for you to give in to your temper.

"It wouldn't even be that bad! If you could just one time, you could be cute or cheerful again with me, or,” Fuck. So stupid. You don’t have to take your friendships for granted like this. You’re lucky enough she treats you as much. “Hold on. Wait, I'm-"

Examine her face. It’s not sour and she hasn’t stormed out or even slapped you.

“No, no. You don’t have to say it. I’m. I’m sorry oppa.” She looks down. “I'm the one messing up after all." Her heartbeat a harsh snare drum. "And you. You're. Different. Looking at you always made me feel some, something funny. Not funny but? Ugh. I wish I could explain it.”

You hold in your confusion.

She blabbers on, “Like, are. Are you mad? I promise you, I,” A nervous breath, ”I like you. Okay?"

Your confusion grows like the length of your silence.

"I’m just acting how I really am with you. Do you want to maybe, I don't know, like," her voice decrescendos, "Um. Punish me?”

Your heart, your brain are deprived of blood as it all rushes down. Did you hear that right? Not an apology, not retribution, but a call to punishment? Misinterpreting her, the consequences would be dire but that damned demure tone for such an erotic request. Was Jiwoo the exact type of slut constructed in your mind? The one that made you feel sinful for even imagining. No, no, there's no way.

Too late. Jiwoo must have noticed the absurd bulge now. It had to be these Adidas pants today. Fuck it. Life can’t be lived fully without risk. Hopefully, the same switch turned in her mind. You remove all ire from your face and say in earnest, “Do you like games?"

She lights up a little. You sigh relieved.

"Let’s try…”, you say, ”Strip recording.” She lights up a little more, so you go on, ”If I mess up anything, the mix, the composition, the arrangement, I’ll take off a piece of clothing. Your choice. And every time you mess up-”

Jiwoo unbuttons her denim shorts and brings them down her tight legs.

“D- did I say now?”

However, with her resolve steeled, she continues pulling them. "So what? I did mess up, right?" she says coquettish. Deliberate the turn she makes when she bows down to remove the shorts from her legs, Jiwoo reveals a hint of her innie pussy on that same little ass that ran through your mind earlier. A small trace of her thighs glistens, the only thing reflecting the single lightbulb’s glow in the microphone’s abode. She turns back to face you. "Please. Punish me."

Step closer until Jiwoo backs up to the soundproofing. She’s an eighth note away from your face, flashing her beady eyes and a coy smile, ”Where's your underwear?" A little drop spills out onto the floor, "And why are you so wet, Jiwoo-ah?”

Red on her cheeks, like she only now realized her dishevelment in front of you. “You just… Something about you snapping at me. I don’t get it either. I knew you'd do it, some day, I wanted you to," she mumbles in her best efforts to answer you.

“Have you ever worn underwear to the recordings?”

Those efforts continue to fail.

"Oh, Kim Jiwoo. What do I do with you?" One of your hands grabs her cheek. The other crawls down her back to grab her cheek.

“Oppa… Do I have to say it?”

“I want to hear every." Smack. "Word." Smack. She slips a moan.

“Can you," she says, "can you use my mouth?”

You disguise your long pause as thought, teasing the bare skin of her ass with your exploratory fingers to bide time, but it's an expression of your shock. The interruption helps you come up with a more suitable punishment however.

“How about this then. Every time you mess up, you have to give me a blowjob. Call?”

“Call!” Once more, unprompted, she kneels down in front of you and claws away your track pants. You roll with the punches.

"Oppaa," with an pronounced pop and in a sing-songy rhythm, "I've always wanted to know, if your dick-" It certainly didn't need Jiwoo's dainty hands pulling on your boxers, as it would've sprang out on its own with how like diamond your cock is getting.

"Fuuuck," the first profanity you ever hear her utter, she lilts. "Please. Oppa. Fuck my face?"

After all she said, she could still surprise you. Bring your hips forward and just as you would've her pussy, tease Jiwoo’s lips with the head of your dick. She parts them open, starved, anxious.

Hold her by the chin. "Wait."

She freezes at the command. Again, like foreplay, rub her lips with that head making them turn redder and more plump. You sweep aside her bangs to see her begging eyes. More importantly, slide your dick up to her nude forehead to slap as a first act of retribution. “A-ah!” Jiwoo stutters as you slap her face with your manhood again and again. Bring your cock back down and she's already a mess without you even having entered her mouth. A little drool from her shut lips gently massages your balls while a bit of precum drools from your slit to meet those lips.

Jiwoo mumbles as best as she can with you holding her jaw shut and your dick on her lips, "Please. Please. Shove your dick in me. I need you in my mouth."

You squint your rough eyes to command her.

Muffled still, "Oppa. Please. I. I need to taste you. You just, you're so thick and you're so long and cock is perfect and please I just-" Loosen the grip on her chin to let her envelop the entire tip with her warm lips. "Mmmmm..." the moan resonates a saw wave and your stern resolve fades away on your first entrance into her face but it returns as her teeth rub against you. She quickly readjusts her jaw but it takes multiple attempts of you pulling out and her sucking you back until only silken lips hold your cock's head. Finally. A focused glint in her eyes. She endeavours to keep your tip in her mouth as long as possible.

You were mad at her earlier, weren't you?

Recall this anger and press yourself into her with all your hips' strength, working against the force of her lip's airtight suction. Saliva leaks to betray the seal. Jiwoo's prying tongue explores the underside of your cock but you reach an impasse while she's not even halfway down the shaft. You shove your dick deeper but to no avail and tears roll down her eyes joining the fluids coating her lips. Thus you exit back out. And back in you go to repeat and repeat and slowly increase your rate, becoming rough sex with her diligent mouth. All the positions you’ve imagined fucking her little pussy, you picture using her throat instead. Even in this compact studio, the couch, chair and desk would provide ample support for you to use her in many ways. The dirty thoughts inspire your speed right now. She slurps and gulps at every quick plunge but you realize her moans and rumbles aren't just incoherent reactions. You decelerate.

“Ah, ahhh, ahhhhhh… Ah’ve ahways- Hmph.” She slurs as she tries her hardest to communicate while her airway is blocked.

She slides up your cock to catch some air, “Thought about it- Mmm.”

“Your dick in my mouth and it’s just so pew, fect- Ahhh.” Jiwoo's lips let go gently then her tongue sticks out to lick up your cock and she shows off a trail of spit leading to your tip. A less patient man would’ve jerked himself off right there to grant her eyes and open mouth's unison request to feed on your cum.

Instead you retort, “You think you’ve earned it? Not even halfway down. Going nowhere, just like our recording sessions, huh?”

“Shut up!”

“Oof.” You’re already weak in the knees so Jiwoo's one handed shove sends your tailbone to the floor. Since you’re still dazed by her confounding strength, she takes initiative and kowtows her head into your lap to crawl down your cock with her tiny lips. Fondling your balls, Jiwoo starts from the furthest point she could muster on your shaft up to your cock head. Her tongue follows back and she starts playing under your tip to swirl that tongue around the most sensitive parts until it explores your slit. You buckle and groan. Jiwoo sucks and spits and sucks while she circles only the most minimal twisting motion of her lips on your head. This is the Jiwoo you know. Relentless. Only now your load is her magnus opus.

Her right hand strays downwards and her face on your dick blocks a full view but you can tell that hand is working as intensely as her mouth. As she strokes herself with more vigor, she starts humming a satisfied melody on your tip. In kind, your subtle grunts turn into full-bodied moans. You're a single measure away from your coda so you reach down and pull her off your cock by grabbing her neck.

You glare into her. “Desperate little girl, aren't you?”

Her breath is stilted and she's nearly shaking. “Please…” she sobs, ”You, you want it as bad as I do right?” Of course. “Won't you just cum for me?” Not now. Not when you have putty in your hands.

“You're making a mess. You can't take me all the way down. And I see that it’s not just your saliva coating the floor.” Point to the spot where she kneels, her drool joins a stain growing ever larger with a strand of juice from her pussy flowing as you continue to berate her. Then you point to her hand. Ha. “Were you playing with yourself using my pencil?”

“No… Wait!”

You back off. “Your top’s a mess too. Anyone can tell I just fucked your face.” You take off your black hoodie and give it to her. “I’ll see you tomorrow for our next session.”

“Wait, we didn’t book tomorrow, did we? Also, you can’t just leave me like this! Oppa!”

"I said, I'll see you tomorrow. I have to go,“ you remind her, ”Ha Rin’s picking you up. And give me back that pencil.”

She hands it to you, unable to meet your eyes despite hers lusting over your cock. You'll definitely use the alluring musk on it for later to save you from your self-induced blue balls. Exit the booth. Of course she barely waits to use your hoodie the same way since she doesn’t notice you lingering in the room. Instead of hiding the grey long sleeve that soaks her neck, your used sweatshirt covers Jiwoo’s face as her fingers make the mess on the floor larger.

✦✧✦✧✦✧

AFF, AO3

Swear to god I’m not just writing the cutest idols to write for. I mean maybe I am but also this answer from @nsfwtwicecatcher and all the subsequent pictures that I found of Chuu pouting inspired me. Also, this was a longer piece but I kept spinning my tires on it and decided to split it up, so look out for more.

✦✧✦✧✦✧

Fermata, the aforementioned sequel

#kpop smut #loona smut #male reader #reader insert #title tracks

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asexual-means-no-attraction · 3 years

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do you know anything about emma trosse? she was a sexologist that wrote about homosexuality in the late 1800s. she apparently identified as 'asensual' while being married to a man, which honestly seems better fitting than asexual in that context because it doesn't frame it as a sexual orientation. people use her as an argument that it's a long recognised orientation though which is questionable i guess.

It's hard to find decent info on her in relation to this ask. A lot of the stuff talks about her life or that she coined the term asensual but beyond that don't have anything else.

From what I gather, asensual is pretty close to the basic idea of asexual now. But framing it as a boundary in a relationship rather than a sexual orientation. It's not about lacking attraction, but rather not desiring or wanting that type of affection.

I think if the split attraction model is going to keep getting used, the idea of asexuality would be more of an add on term to your sexial orientation. Without the SAM tho, its a seperate orientation that means you hold no romantic or sexual attraction to anyone. My FAQ goes into more depth for that.

As for that last point. Asexuality as a concept does actually go back to 1869 with the term monosexual which just meant people who only masterbate and don't date. 1896 you get anesthesia sexual or no sexual desire. The actual term asexuality was used in 1969 in the satanic bible and the asexual manifesto in 1972 (the first defining it as no sexual desire and the later defining it as a political statement wanting to make a point that women don't need relationships to be full filled).

Honestly... The idea of asexuality HAS been around a long time. There have always been people who don't find anyone attractive. The terms used and how it's looked have always been different. If you find men attractive and want to date them, but aren't comfortable with sex, I'd still just say you're into men. Just cuz you have a boundary doesn't make you any different from someone with a different boundary. You both like men.

But that's where things get muddled in the history of the term and concept of asexuality throughout history. Sometimes it's no attraction at all, sometimes it's specifically about the desire for sex itself. And the Split Attraction Model itself is DEFINITELY a newer concept. As is all the gray ace shit like demisexual and what not. The SAM is what is new, not so much the idea of asexuality. And I think that's important in discussing the term.

My exact opinions on all of that can be found in my FAQ, but this post is getting long. So I'm gonna end it here. I hope that is what you were looking for. Thanks!!

#some of my REALLY early posts talk about the history of the term a lot more #but i am not going to go searching for them lol #that's a lotta work #asexual #asexuality #history #asexual history #discourse??#i guess #asexual discourse #information #informative #ask

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thefarrons · 6 years

Text

Everything right with XIII

With opinions so mixed on XIII either going from one extreme to the other, those being either "XIII was the best game ever and has no issues" or "It was the worst game ever and a disgrace to the franchise!" I thought it would be interesting if I (someone who legitimately enjoyed the game and noticed dozens of problems in my over 100hrs of playtime) did a (almost) unbiased look at the game and go over everything wrong and right with XIII as well as give opinions on what could be improved or changed in a future port.

for the sake of time and page space im going to be breaking this up into two separate posts. this first one is going to be on everything right with the game.

\*EVERYTHING GOOD WITH XIII\*

\*STORY AND FLUIDITY\*

with XV coming and showing us just how much we take game narratives for granted XIII presents it's on-screen narrative particularly well. the games narrative flows pretty well as relevant and exciting cutscenes happen every half and hour or so always giving the player something to look forward to while playing. You never go for long stretches of playtime without something happening in the story unlike XV (don't worry im not going to just bash XV) and most chapters end in a cliffhanger like fashion giving incentive to players to keep playing to see what happens next.

The datalog is another debatable feature of the game but one that ultimately does more good then bad. say you missed a term, character's name or location in a cutscene? no problem cause the game essentially gives you an in game glossary to scroll through giving you all the data you need to keep up with or lean about the games plot or world. Now this does come with a downside "yes" but that'll be explained later.

"no need for a wiki search now"

the game also has brief chapter summaries that can be read every time you load up the game. Say you last played a week ago and are a bit rusty on what happened last. No problem as you can now just read a quick paragraph and get all caught up.

the ending to the game is also pretty sound as conflicts brought up earlier are resolved and although there are two sequels afterwards you don't feel obligated to play them as the ending here is ultimately satisfying.

"no need for a sequel here"

\*PLOT AND CHARACTERS\*

Im not going to delve super deep into either of the two as both topics could easily take up an essay each individually.

The plot of XIII is overall messy. While you certainly don't get the "obviously unfinished" vibe like you do with XV you also can't help but feel there was a lot left on the cutting room floor for XIII. The standard plot of XIII is alright more or less. the main conflict of XIII is fairly explained well. a group of (mostly) strangers are branded enemies of their home and have to find a way to complete their "focus" or suffer either eternal sleep or a zombified existence. The main plot of the game is explained as the characters do take the time to explain specific concepts and terms so the player just watching the cutscenes and not reading the datalog can stay up to speed with the story. XIII however looses it's players with it's finer details or abstract details never being explained well or never explained at all but more on this later.

tldr: the OVERALL plot of the story isn't too hard to follow but the finer details of the story are muddled and incoherent

The cast of XIII however is easily one of the two best reasons to play the game. The main party of XIII is a bunch of mostly strangers who have been thrown together and have to cooperate with one another or die. while the main story of the game can be a bit of a head scratch it's characters make up for it with their interactions with one another. The main party has a lot of problems with each other but also problems with themselves and the fun of being with this party is seeing when one confronts another, how they react and what change this causes. it's satisfying when they finally accept one another as they've actually grown with one another so when they finally start throwing some banter in the second half it feels earned as you the player knows first hand knows what these characters have been through together.

"the game has great character arc's"

\*ART DESIGN & MUSIC\*

XIII is a linear game and by this time you and your grandmother knows about it however just because the lvl design itself sucks doesn't automatically equate to "boring". Although linear XIII easily boasts some of the most impressive areas in backdrops in the series in terms of visually alone. every "hallway" you travel is visually polished to the T and always relevant to the main story at hand. aside from two particular areas most usually aren't very long and before you know it your on to the next location. While it's unfortunate you can't "explore" much you can totally get a sense for what type of world the game is trying to convey to you. From the SI-FI bridges and highways on cocoon to the wilderness of pulse below you feel like your in another world especially with the fantastic ost from Masashi Hamauzu.

"I'll take this any day over an empty open world"

all and all while I definitely understand why XIII's linearity can be disappointing especially with what I just wrote above I still don't see why it's art design and music can't make up for that and still take you to another world.

\*THE BATTLE SYSTEM\*

"this is how a paradigm deck should look"

arguably the best the best thing to come out of XIII and the franchise in general. The paradigm system is a great combination of gambits from XII and standard ATB. XII while deep got a lot of flack for its lean towards set ups rather than active play. XIII takes from the system it built while overall streamlining it and merged it with standard turn based combat. XIII requires players to prepare for battle by setting up strategies (paradigms) outside combat and then executing them during. It's a system easily rewards your ability to plan beforehand and your speed and timing once in battle. players are *incentivized* to play ASAP for a star rating. the quicker you are the more stars you get which gets you better loot for upgrading or selling.

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"press x to win huh?

one of the more controversial topics with XIII are it's level caps and while they certainly are a detriment in the long run they actually serve a good purpose during a first time playthrough. In a lot of rpg's in general when a player is faced with a boss or enemy they can't beat they simply grind to overpower the enemy through sheer stats and numbers rather than actually beating them with skills or techniques. XIII mitigates this issue by limiting how much grinding the player can do in one given chapter. This in turn forces the player to lean the battle system and use the tools at their disposal to overcome whatever challenge the player faces.

"It's so pretty tho..."

\*POST GAME CONTENT\*

"The place where I spent 100hrs"

XIII's post game content is a hard thing to sell overall. It's a post game that definitely requires how much the player enjoys the battle system or the characters. XIII has 64 overall missions to complete and each one of them is an interesting battle to overcome. doing these missions eventually unlock you Chocoboes to ride across the map and discover other areas of grand pulse. there's a survival like mode called "titans trials" in which players can compete in multiple lvls of pre set battles in which the player can net goods and rewards. there's also a couple hidden bosses hidden in a few select locations. The biggest downside to all this is that it's all one type of side content so the game is really banking hard that you fully know and love combat at that point and if you do then you easily have an extra 60 or so hrs added to your playtime.

do you agree with what i wrote? please sound off below.

but yeah this is everything I think XIII does right. Thanks for reading all the way and I plan to also make a twin post about everything WRONG with the game. I actually really like this game but it has a lot of problems and I intend to break down all of them.

#ffxiii #lightning farron #lightning returns #lightning claire farron #hope estheim #claire farron #oerba yun fang #ff13 lightning

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