#like you are intimidating to interact with

[yuri-puppies]

Shape-shifters, face-blindness, and "paying attention to others"

The shapeshifter is one of my favourite "monster of the week" episodes because it showcases how differently Laios processes social information than the rest of the party. It reminds me a lot of the strategies I, faceblind name-forgetter and eye-contact avoider, use to recognize people and learn things about them.

We see Laios clearly fail at recognizing the doubles through "standard" social cues that are perceived as "easy to tell", such as their clothes. This makes the team (unfairly, but understandably) weary of his ability to tell the fakes apart and even worried that he'd prefer the monster versions* over them. Nonetheless, he gives it a try!

...And is immediately overwhelmed. His lack of attention to social cues works a bit in his favor, though, as it makes it harder for him to fall for stereotypes that fool the rest of the group.

Instead, he chooses to rely on his strengths and use his investigation and animal handling skills to distract the shapeshifters, lure out the monster, and roll the most insane balls-to-the-wall intimidation check of all time.

If it had ended there it still would have been a great episode that showcases Laios' strategic mind and his strengths as a leader. He doesn't have the social skills necessary for the task, but he is clever and creative enough to use the skills he does have proficiency in to solve the problem*.

However, what makes this episode so dear and near to my faceblind heart is the revelation that Laios was able to recognize the real party members after all.

Laios is fantastic representation of how special interests actually work for a monotropic interest system. Having a special interest is not just about how much you like it and the need to know everything about it, it's a way of processing and filtering information. Laios' special interest is monsters: his skills as a dungeoneer and party leader are acquired for and informed by his desire to interact with monsters, as is his interest in eating them. He actually brings this up himself when comparing his interest in cooking to Senshi's.

And in this episode, we see that this also extends to his friends. Laios hacks one of the most difficult types of information for him to process by routing it through the lens of the special interest. And, because it's not something most people would notice, it works. He knows that Chilchuck wouldn't let his guard down around a potential mimic, that Senshi values a balanced ecosystem, that (my favourite) Marcille just isn't as thoughtful about monsters as he is.

It might not be what was expected, but it did the trick! And what's more, the narrative validates his way of thinking (even if Chilchuck doesn't).

#*i'm keeping this post anime-only friendly so i won't elaborate #but it's interesting on re-read the tensions that are being set up in this episode. idk if i would call it foreshadowing exactly but... #(the information about monotropism is just from wikipedia. i'm not super well-versed but i'm hoping to be able to do some reading on it soo #because laios really is such a fantastic example) #dungeon meshi #dunmeshi #delicious in dungeon #laios touden #laios dungeon meshi #chilchuk tims #marcille donato #senshi of izganda

[jay7543]

How about Ghost w/soldier!m!reader who is also a secret p★?

— 🥩

Ghost finds out you’re a P⭐️

18+

M4m

This is a great idea, I really like it. It is similar to my konig and ghost only fans one but I’ll try to make it different enough just for you!!! Mr…slab of meat? I’m not entirely sure what that means honestly, as of now I’ll take it as a calling card lol.

Might make a part 2 to this

Ever since you were young you realized you’d been blessed by god, you had a really big cock. The handful of girls you dated in high school were way to intimidated by it, and that left you really lonely, so you gravitated more to porn and sex toys. Eventually, you realized you’d be a really good porn star! But…you had other plans, you wanted to join the military, you always wanted to. To be a true American soldier, you loved it, but, you still couldn’t scratch that itch of showing off your cock to people, other than the hand, and mouthful of times you and your buddies in basic got curious. So you had the great idea to start making videos when you were on leave, you lived alone so it wasn’t a problem, you had plenty of toys you could fuck till they tore, and you even bought a few dildos, mainly for sucking, thanks to your buddies you realized you had an affinity for it.

After a few months of making videos when you were on leave, you actually started making money off it! And a lot of views, mainly guys. And as all this success happened, you also got promoted, you got moved to a special international squad, that’s where you met ghost. On your first day, fresh out the truck, you knew something was up.

Reader-“hello sir, I’m your new addition”

You say to ghost as you salute. He eyes you a bit weird, you assume maybe it’s because you’re American, or maybe he just didn’t like you

Ghost-“at ease. Do I…know you from somewhere? I feel like I recognize your voice”

He says with a suspicious look in his eyes, his mask covering the rest of his face.

Reader-“I-no sir, I don’t think so”

You were confused for a moment, then you remembered. You did a lot of dirty talk in those videos even though you never showed the top half of your face, and your voice is pretty distinct. Has he seen your videos…

Ghost-“well, anyway, you’re dismissed, go find your room”

He walks away, mumbling to himself. You shake off the awkwardness of your first interaction with him and head to your assigned room.

Later that day you decide to upload a picture to your account, still in your uniform, on the other side of base, ghost gets a notification on his phone. When he sees it he realizes his suspicions have been confirmed, you’re the amateur gay pornstar he watches…that’s gonna be an awkward conversation. He starts walking to where your room is.

It’s only been a little bit since you’ve arrived, you’ve just now finished unpacking when you hear a knock. You go over and open it

Reader-“oh, sir what-“

He covers your mouth and pushes you back into your room and locks your door

Ghost-“don’t be loud, I knew i recognized you. You just posted a picture didn’t you mate”

Your eyes widen and your face goes red, all while his hand is covering your mouth, you nod

Ghost-“thought so, well…I’m gonna take my hand off now”

He slowly takes his hand off your mouth, you can’t help but pant a bit, and a line of spit comes out of your mouth, sticking to his hand. He already turned you on. You wipe your mouth

Reader-“well uh, this is awkward”

You say nervously

Ghost-“a bit, yeah. But, I think this could be good”

He says with a hint of mischief in his voice.

Reader-“what?”

Ghost-“well, I’ve seen all your videos, hell I was one of your first followers. I know how good you can suck cock, and I kinda wanna see that ass of yours too”

He puts a hand on your shoulder and gently pushes you to your knees with absolutely no resistance from you, you’re already turned on, and now you really wanna suck some cock.

Reader-“I-yeah, I’d be ok with that”

Your face sits only inches away from his bulge, you can smell it through his pants, so manly, so intoxicating.

Ghost-“good”

He grabs the hem of his pants and yanks them down, letting his cock spring out, it was nice, really nice, and it smelled even better outside his pants. It was a bit smaller than yours but still, his balls looked so full, you just had to give it a taste. You lean in and start licking and sucking on his balls. Ghost lets out a deep moan and chuckle.

Ghost-“wow, that easy huh. I expected to have to blackmail you or something”

You pull your mouth off his balls

Reader-“na, me and a few buddies in basic got curious, I’m told I’m really good”

I wrap my lips around his throbbing tip and start gulping down his cock.

Ghost-“fuck mate they were right”

He grunts out as your mouth moves up and down the length of his shaft. You reach down and start rubbing yourself through your pants as your erection grows more and more.

Ghost-“pull your pants down, I wanna see it, I’ve seen it in the videos, I wanna see it in person”

You moan and nod as you keep sucking and pull down your pants enough for your cock to pop out, ghost whistles

Ghost-“bloody hell mate, it’s way bigger in person”

You chuckle a bit as you keep sucking him,youI start to stroke yourself

Ghost-“fuuuuck, this is so hot”

You chuckle and take his cock deeper into your mouth, making him growl as he feels his tip hit the back of your throat, he holds your head in place, making your throat spasm on his cock. As you start to gag and choke he pulls away.

Ghost-“bloody hell, how lucky am I to get a cock slut like you”

He chuckles and pulls you to your feet, you two now standing face to face, cock to cock. You both leak streams of pre cum as he reaches for your cock and starts to stroke it while he stares into your eyes.

Ghost-“I wanna feel this monster cum. You hear that soldier?”

You nod and moan as you feel his firm grip around your throbbing, hot length.

Ghost-“I didn’t hear you soldier”

Reader-“yes sir”

Ghost-“louder!”

Reader-“yes sir!”

You yell as he squeezes your cock, making your balls tighten while you finally spew out your scalding hot cum onto his hand, his arm, and even some on his abs.

Ghost-“wow, that was a huge load”

He says as he pulls his hand up to his face, pulls his mask up, and licks your cum off his hand with a smirk on his face.

Reader-“i-I’ve been pretty pent up lately”

Ghost chuckles

Ghost-“I can see that”

He pushes you back into your bed

Ghost-“now it’s my turn to-“

He gets cut off by his radio

Radio-“ghost? Where the hell are you? These damn recruits need some discipline, get you ass here”

Ghost groans and leans away from you, his cock still out and throbbing

Ghost-“I’m on my way, give me a few”

He looks back down at you with an angry look on his face before leaning down and shoving a finger into your ass.

Ghost-“next time I’m taking this hole, got it?”

Reader-“yes sir”

You say, still out of breath. Ghost chuckles and kisses you before pulling his finger out, pulling his pants up and leaving the room. He’ll be back, you know he will, and you can’t wait.

#cod x reader #smut #18+ only #simon ghost riley #m4m #bisexual #gay #ghost x reader #simon riley x reader #ghost x male reader #cod smut #cod fanfic #fanfic #ghost x you #ghost smut #ghost cod

[504py]

Scalding-Hot Steel - Knight!Leon Kennedy/Reader

He finally lets you try on his armor.

I'M SO SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG TO GET OUT!!! 😭😭😭😭🙏🙏 i got caught in a bit of a slump, but i hope this can make up for it, and that this was worth the wait!! the chapter after this might be the finale, so i may take even longer to get to it. nonetheless, thank you to everyone who's been reading till now, and thank you all for 600 followers!!!

Historical inaccuracies, I suck at old-timey speak, reader referred to as "my lady" but no other gendered terms or descriptors besides that, no use of Y/N, Leon is a total puppy, mutual pining.

1, 2, 3

𓈒⠀𓂃⠀⠀˖⠀𓇬⠀˖⠀⠀𓂃⠀𓈒

You're unsure what it was, but following that interaction at the library, you and Leon have grown closer.

This upgrade in your relationship has made you be able to relax more in his presence, now that you see him as more friend than foe. Well, to call him a foe was a gargantuan exaggeration, but you did find him intimidating. You still do sometimes.

Even if you've backed off and retired your old obsessive habit of being way too observant about every single little detail about Leon, you can't help but still notice how it seems like your roles have been swapped.

Leon has begun to follow you around like a dog, to put it simply.

You swear it's not just you fixating on him, you really have started seeing him around much more often. He's started waiting by your door to greet you a good morning with a small smile, before heading to the courtyard. During lunchtime, he's begun to engage in smalltalk with you, talking about mundane things like the weather, or your schedule for the day. He's especially chatty if he learns he's going to be part of it. At night, when his usual routine would be to simply see you off at your bedroom door and say goodnight, now he sits by your bedside and talks about anything 'till it lulls you to sleep. He'd be mortified if you knew how long he stayed after you've dozed off.

Leon has begun studying you, in return. He likes to think that he's observant, but that usually only applies to combat, or if he's been trained beforehand on the matter. With people, he's never really had much luck reading them, unless it's too obvious for it to even be called "observing."

Leon admires that about you, how keen your eyes always are. He wonders if you're as drawn into his quirks as he is with yours. If you were, he envies your ability to drink in information so tactfully. If the devil were in the details– in your details, Leon would love to become a sinner.

His attempts in learning more about you were painfully amateurish. Even if Leon were a great tutor, a great protector, a great fighter, he tends to be terrible at holding conversation.

"My lady–"

"I told you to stop calling me that." You sigh and roll your eyes playfully.

"Sorry." He huffs your name bashfully, drawing closer towards you. You look up at him, and he drinks in the sight before you're squinting slightly at the rays of sun attacking you from behind his head.

"Please step into the shade, milady." He insists, holding his hand out for you to place yours on, before leading you underneath a large tree.

"There you are again, Sir Leon." You laugh, resting your back against the smooth bark of the tree.

"Hey, I asked you to forgo the titles as well." He muses, noticing you were still straining your eyes slightly, so he steps in front of the sun. It makes your face relax, and once again, he realizes keeping you happy and protecting you brings him fulfillment like no other.

"Just doing the same as you are, Sir Leon, since you won't drop mine." Chuckling, you sit down on the plush grass and wait for him to follow.

He smiles and breathes out a laugh, setting down the picnic basket in front of you. Leon wants to sit beside you, but then his back wouldn't be there to shield you from the sun. He sits where he is.

"Alright, I'm sorry." He says, almost jokingly. Saying your name out loud makes him feel shy, like saying the name of a god. It feels almost forbidden to be molded by his tongue, but you always invite him to say it, and the intimacy makes his heart race every single time he dares to. He mumbles it quietly again, getting a high from it.

You look beautiful. He thought that from the day he first met you, but the closer you two have gotten, the more and more he finds himself thinking that, and even more does it make his heart ache in his chest. In the shade under this tree, windy summer day illuminating the soft curves of your face so enchantingly, Leon can't help but look like a bit of an idiot drinking the sight in.

"Are you feeling hot?"

His eyes look at your lips first, ears registering your voice second. He closes his mouth, realizing it's been hanging slightly agape.

"I, uh, no– no, I'm feeling alright, my–"

You tilt your head down, and send him a playful warning glare. He stops in his tracks and looks down for a second, smiling breathily.

"I'm alright."

"Really? Your head tilts to the right this time, and Leon's heart skips a beat at how adorable he finds the gesture. "That armor you're wearing looks pretty hot. Can't you take it off?"

"It's only chainmail." He reassures, taking off his helmet and combing a hand through his flattened hair, "The helmet is a little troublesome, though."

You chirp, "I can imagine." before you open up the picnic basket in front of you and start rummaging through it.

Leon watches you munch on some biscuits for a bit, before his eyes flit back to the helmet by his side. "...Some time ago, you said you had wanted to try on my armor."

He says this mid-chew, so you hurry to get your food down so you can respond, "Oh, you remembered?" You wipe away a few crumbs from your lip, Leon finds the act charming, and it makes him smile softly. You continue, "Mm, yes, I did. Why bring it up?"

"Well," Leon holds up his helmet, "Would you like to try it on now?"

The way your eyes light up can't help but force a boyish, giddy grin on Leon's face. It feels strange and his cheeks feel weird, he can't really remember the last time he's smiled this hard. It does scare him a little, how foreign it is, but the feeling is so, so welcomed.

"Of course! Are you joking?" You put the snacks in your hands away, and move the basket to the side so you can inch closer to Leon. The feeling of your legs touching make butterflies take flight in his stomach.

"I-I'm not– I–" He's sputtering and he finds his brain struggling to function at being so flustered.

"Calm down, Leon." You laugh heartily. He wonders if you know the effect you have on him, but with how darn observant you are, he's sure that you're well aware what you do to him. It makes his cheeks burn red and glare at you with a kittenish frown. He wishes he could be more suave about his feelings towards you.

"I will once you stop making me so flustered." Leon huffs, hoping that wasn't too bold of a thing to say. His cheeks burn deeper. His eyebrows lower at your surprised look.

"Do I now?"

"W-Well– See, you're doing it again!" Leon groans, letting go of his helmet to hide his flushed face in his broad hands and whine. His ears turn red at the sound of your hearty laugh.

"Well, it's only fair that I do it to you too."

"Too?"

Your face warms, realizing what you've revealed. Leon grins, elated at the mere implication that he makes you feel the same way.

"Y-You've noticed, haven't you? In the library, you asked why I felt so uncomfortable around you."

"You didn't exactly answer... I thought it was because you disliked me."

"...Now you know that I clearly don't. We get along rather well, don't we?"

He's beaming at you, and it's not just the sun shining on him, it looks like he's literally glowing with serenity and love.

"We do, my lady."

"Leon!" You interject him calling you by your formal title.

He can't seem to let the title go, because in his mind, it's more of a pet name than a title. A term of endearment. Leon clings to the "my" part of the title, he liked the tiniest hint that you could be his. My lady, my lover, my sweetheart, mine.

Leon giggles, and he pauses for a moment after, realizing he can't remember the last time he's let out such a noise. He gazes upon you in awe, amazed at how you were able to bring out this side of him.

"What is it?"

Leon blinks, getting drawn out of his haze and shaking his head dismissively. He keeps his soft gaze on you, though.

The pads of his fingers rest on his helmet, feeling the ridges of it. Maybe it was too rough for someone he deemed as delicate as you. His eyes lower and rest on the piece of armor, noting how it's covered in scratches and dents, how it isn't so shiny as he'd like for it to be. It washed over him like a small wave of shame, thinking it not worthy for someone of your standing to don. Not even socially, but the standing that you held within his mind and his heart. Leon never thought he'd be insecure over such a trivial thing.

"So... Can I try it on, my good Sir?"

Leon lets out a little snort at what you call him, freezing and making an embarrassed face at the undignified noise, but then he he sees how happy it makes you– perhaps how happy he himself makes you, and he feels at ease.

"Yes, of course, Your Royal Highness."

You playfully slap his bicep at the absurd title. "I am not royalty!"

"You are to me." He mutters as he adjusts his sitting position, and you can hear the smile in his voice.

He's kneeling in front of you, being mindful of your hair or anything on your clothing the helmet could snag on, gently lowering it before the hard metal rests on the top of your skull.

Leon sits back down, and can't help a cheesy, tight-lipped smile when he sees how awkwardly it fits you. It's crooked, and it simply is too rugged in contrast to your usual attire and demeanor.

"...How is it?"

"Wow, I can barely see. This is amazing!" Your hands rest on the sides of the helmet to try and stabilize it, yet it still tips over off balance after adjusting. Leon lets out a snort, and this time, he's only half-embarrassed.

"How do you fight in this? I can't see anything."

Leon wordlessly pulls the visor up. His heart pounds at the sight of your flushed face and messy hair.

"Ohh. What if an arrow lands in my face, though?"

"I can assure you, you won't be getting into that sort of situation anytime soon."

"You seem very sure of yourself, Leon."

"Of course, it's my duty to protect you."

"...Do you enjoy it?"

"What? Protecting you?"

You nod, "Yes."

"I look forward to it every day."

The two of you share a wide smile, beaming at the intimacy of this interaction, and you two have never felt closer. I want to kiss you, is all Leon can think about.

Right as he was mindlessly leaning in, you let out a small laugh for whatever reason, and Leon is forever grateful that you do, because it snaps him out of his trance, and he feels so stupid for trying to make a move on you.

"That's good. I don't think armor suits me very much anyways." You clumsily take his helmet off of your head, and rest it by your hip.

"I'm glad to have you protecting me, Leon. I'm so happy to have you by my side every day, not even as a knight, but as a companion." You say this so demurely, looking down at your lap with a cherubic expression on your face that has his heart pounding in his strong chest.

Then, you just had to look up at him, and meet his lovestruck stare, and maybe he's gone crazy from how flustered he's been all day, but he swears he can see the same look in your eyes.

Leon throws out whatever he was last thinking straight out the window, encases your wrists in his hands, and kisses you.

𓈒⠀𓂃⠀⠀˖⠀𓇬⠀˖⠀⠀𓂃⠀𓈒

#leon kennedy #leon s kennedy #re2 #re4 #resident evil #resident evil 2 #resident evil 4 #leon x reader #leon kennedy x reader #resident evil au #leon s kennedy x reader #resident evil x reader #resident evil fanart #resident evil 4 fanart #re4 fanart #re4 art #resident evil art #leon kennedy art #leon kennedy fanart #leon kennedy imagines #leon kennedy fluff #leon kennedy fanfic #leon kennedy x you #leon kennedy fic #leon kennedy au #🫧 #🛁

[pokemonshelterstories]

So my Venusaur recently evolved, and for some reason, everyone is scared of him. I don’t know why. He’s friendly, he’s well trained, he’s not aggressive in the slightest. Hell, if you have bigger chance of being attacked by a butterfree than him. Any ideas on how I can show people there’s nothing to be scared of? I don’t want to make anyone uncomfortable, but I don’t want to keep him inside his ball all the time either

there's not much you can do aside from following your local "pokemon in public" ordinances and letting people approach him at their own pace. legally, they can't make you ball him if you're following laws about where he's allowed to be out; however, other people are within their right to not want to interact with him or to feel uneasy around him. venusaur are large, intimidating pokemon that most people don't ever encounter after all!

if people do come up to you with questions about him, you're welcome to introduce him! if you tell them some cool information about venusaur- such as how they prefer to conserve energy and don't tend to attack people unless they're threatened, or how the huge flower on their back gives off a sweet scent as they photosynthesize- they might decide that they think he's pretty cool. but when people are scared of something, they have to learn about when they're ready for it, or you might turn them away forever. you don't need to keep your buddy hidden away or anything, but in turn, you can't make people like him, and if they decide that they don't want to be around you when he's out, then that's up to them.

#charlietalks #pkmn irl #pokemon irl #pokemon education #venusaur

[lemonlyman-dotcom]

Hi, I’m in the LS fandom but I really feel like an outsider- like I wouldn’t say it feels like no one wants me here (it does) but more specifically it feels like no one cares enough to not want me here-

But you do a really good job of making everyone feel included even if it’s just for one post and I appreciate that

I hope you are having a nice night ♥️

Hello Anon, thank you so much for this message!! First I want to say I’m very sorry you feel unwanted or unnoticed in the Lone Star fandom. I understand what you mean, I found it really hard to break in when I first got here almost a year ago. It wasn’t until I started writing fics that I really felt like people started interacting with me. So I try very very hard to be as welcoming as I can when I come across new folks or when I’m thinking up ideas for the rewatch or sending nice asks or tag games etc. Please know that you are welcome and wanted in this fandom!! We are all here because we love this show, we love Tarlos and this found family and we just want to scream at each other about it!!! None of us deserve to be here any more than anyone else, and writing fic doesn’t make someone more important than any other fandom member! There is a seat at the Tarlos table for everyone!

I know it can be intimidating, but, I think you will find most folks around here to be pretty welcoming if you do interact either with reblogging with tags or leaving comments on their posts. We all just wanna talk about our blorbos!

All I ever wanna do is be a bright spot in this fandom, where people feel like they can come and be goofy and excited about the show and anything else, so I’m very happy to hear that I make people feel included even just a little bit!! Thank you for telling me that!! Please always feel welcome to interact with my posts and/or send me messages either via dm or ask. Always happy to chat!! A cheek kiss for you, Anon!!!

#911 lone star #ask #thanks anon!!!

[slytherinboysappreciation]

Hm okay, what abt a guy that just intimidates Tom Riddle (and he got no idea why, prob bc he has a crush on him but Tom just refuses to acknowledge it). Like, Tom would be all flustered and stuttering when he's around, Tom was smitten yall 😋🤭

Flustered - T. R. x male!reader

A/N: Thank you so much for the request! 💛 I did my best to write it and I hope it fits what you were wanting. Fic is completely unedited with no use of Y/N. I think I tagged everything, but let me know if I missed something! 💛

CW: probably ooc Tom; Tom being a flustered boy; talk of humiliation/embarrassment; Reader plays quidditch; Tom is a bit of a stalker in this; obsession; flirting; teasing; Tom does not understand his feelings; awkward fluff

1208 words

Tom Riddle is Head Boy. The best of the best. Top of all his classes. The perfect prince of Slytherin. Unafraid and unfazed by anyone and everyone.

Except…

You.

He cannot stand you.

Not that he hated you, but that he literally can’t stand when you’re around.

His knees go all weak. His breathing catches in his throat. His face gets all hot. And worst of all, he stutters and trips over his words.

It’s horrible. A taint upon his perfect reputation.

Tom Riddle is weak around you.

And he can’t figure out why.

It starts with Herbology class in fifth year.

Tom is working with some particularly stubborn Chinese Chomping Cabbages when one of them gets loose. It lunges at Tom, biting and snapping.

And then…

It stops in midair. Still growling and chomping away.

But now it’s held firmly within your strong grasp. One hand, tightly gripping the back of the cabbage. Like it’s a Quaffle, instead of a deadly chomping plant.

You look at Tom. Offer him a warm smile. “Brutal things, huh? Gotta be a bit more careful, Riddle.”

Tom opens his mouth. Prepares to speak, probably to say something smooth and bitingly witty.

All that comes out it is a squeaky, “Thanks.”

It is mortifying. Humiliating. And Tom can feel his cheeks heating as you hand him back the cabbage. Your fingers brush, and it’s like a spark of electrifying feeling.

Unlike anything Tom has ever felt before.

Tom is a bit obsessed, though he’d never admit it.

Within two weeks of your first interaction, he’d tripped over himself twice, stuttered over his words four times, and messed up his Herbology projects several times.

He couldn’t figure it out. You were just you. An unnoticeable guy with a love for quidditch and a caring attitude. There was nothing impressive or particularly special about you at all.

And yet, he finds himself following you around.

In just small, unobtrusive ways at first. He starts watching you in class more. Starts memorizing your specific routes to and from classes. Even goes so far as to attend one of your quidditch practices.

You, of course, notice him in the stands. After practice is over, you fly over to him, giving him a cheery grin. “Hey, Riddle. Fancy seeing you here.”

Tom’s face immediately gets hot. He hadn’t meant for you to see him, and especially not for you to come talk to him. “Hi…”

He can’t get out more than that. His tongue feels thick in his mouth, his palms suddenly sweaty.

Why were you doing this to him?

“So,” you lean on your broom, giving him a playful look. “What’re you here for? Suddenly feeling the quidditch spirit?”

“N-No…” Tom gazes at you, unable to look away for some reason. There’s a bead of sweat rolling down your forehead. It’s immeasurably fascinating. “I’m here for you.”

And suddenly there’s nothing less interesting than your face. Tom feels hot. Utterly embarrassed. Why would such a thing even dare to leave his mouth?

You seem just as surprised, almost falling over as you lean against your broom. “You—“

You recover quickly, rubbing the back of your neck as you offer him a shy grin. “You came here to watch me?”

“I—“ He feels paralyzed, mind frozen. “Yes.”

A strange warmth blooms in his chest as he watches a faint pink creep into your cheeks. It makes him feel gooey, like the fresh cookies the house elves make.

“I— I have to go,” he stammers, his own face hot.

“Wait—“ you call out, but Tom is already stumbling down out of the stands.

As soon as he gets inside the castle, he’s leaning against a wall, burying his face in his hands. Of all the things to say…

The interaction had been terrible. A mess of embarrassment and weird warm feelings.

He vows to never let it happen again.

It only gets worse after that.

By the start of sixth year, Tom’s curse is well known among even his followers. Most are unimpressed or uncaring. A few dare to comment on it.

It’s Abraxas Malfoy who clues Tom into what’s going on, all with a dumb comment.

They’re in the library, searching through a book on dark magic when you walk up.

“Hey, Riddle.”

Tom’s head immediately snaps up, his palms already starting to sweat. “Hello.”

You smile at him and lean against the study table he’s at. “Busy studying?”

“I— yes. We’re looking for—“ Your smile widens and Tom loses his train of thought. “For…”

Abraxas, watching Tom with narrowed eyes, clears his throat. Tom snaps out of his daze with a burst of heat in his cheeks.

“It doesn’t matter,” he says hastily, the words spilling out of his mouth. “You wouldn’t be interested in it.”

You tilt your head, giving him an unusual look. “Try me. I might be more interested than you think.”

Tom’s face heats even more. Why…? There’s a hint to your voice, a glimpse of a meaning beyond your words. Something that makes his heart beat faster.

“It’s— It’s just magic,” he stammers, gazing up at you. You look back at him for a long moment.

Finally, you nod. “Alright. I get it.” You sound almost… disappointed. “Just magic.”

Abraxas pinches the bridge of his nose. Tom flounders, unsure what to say. What had he done wrong?

“You can join us! If— If you want…!” The words tumble from his lips, a stuttery mess.

You tilt your head. Give him a look. Tom wilts a bit. He’s never felt so helpless before.

But then you offer him a small smile, and his heart leaps in his chest.

“I have quidditch practice in a few minutes,” you say, rubbing the back of your neck. “So maybe next time. But thanks for the offer.”

You give him a little wink, and Tom’s face gets hot all over again. “Y-You’re welcome!”

He watches you leave, unable to look away until you’ve disappeared around a bookshelf.

There’s a long moment of silence. Then Abraxas clears his throat. “I thought the rumors were exaggerated about your little crush, but you really are just as madly in love with him as they claim.”

Tom blinks. He stares at him. “What?”

Abraxas raises an eyebrow. “What? It’s painfully obvious.”

“I’m… I’m not in love,” Tom scoffs. But there’s a sinking feeling in his chest. Was he…?

Of course not. There was no way. And yet…

It would explain the weak knees. The red faces. The stuttered words. His odd fascination with you.

All of it, possibly explained by a simple crush.

“I’m not in love,” Tom repeats firmly. “He’s just… interesting.”

Abraxas gives him a dubious look, but doesn’t say anything. He just shrugs and goes back to looking at the book they’d been reading.

Tom stares down at the pages of the book, but the words don’t make any sense to him. His mind’s a mess, bringing up every instance of weakness around you to try and disprove Abraxas’ words.

He can’t be in love. He’s untouchable. Perfect. Without weakness.

But the more his mind thinks, the more he has to admit. Something is going on with him around you.

And he’d determined to figure out what.

#tom riddle #male reader #divider by cafekitsune #tom riddle x reader #tom riddle x you #tom riddle x male reader

[theworldbrewery]

Funmaxing: How to Create a Character You'll Like Playing

Part Two: Choosing Your Features

'part one: choosing a role that fits' can be found here.

Okay, so you've decided on the roles that sound fun to you and that suit your character. Now for the fun part: actually doing character creation.

Every part of character creation is made up of two basic elements: flavor and mechanics. Each of these affects the other; when people talk about the 'fantasy' of a given class, they're referring to the experience created by the synthesis of the flavor and mechanics. For instance, the 'fantasy' of the Ancestral Guardian barbarian is a character that goes into a mystical warrior state to deliver no-holds-barred beatdowns, powered by the support of their long-dead ancestors. In order for that fantasy to work, you need both the flavor of the 'mystical warrior state' and the 'support of long-dead ancestors,' and the mechanics that let this idea work out in practice -- a character needs to be able to deal sizable damage in one-on-one combat, with meaningful support mechanics from their ancestor spirits.

The trick of choosing character options that work for you is twofold: you must determine which mechanics let you engage in the roles you have selected in part one, while also checking the flavor for compatibility with your character's roleplay concept.

First, let's talk mechanics.

Understanding how to choose mechanics that you will personally enjoy is surprisingly difficult; I think it's because the flavor is doing so much heavy lifting that it's hard to see the game expectations underlying each concept, and because it takes experience to recognize how different mechanics interact. To help provide examples, I'll be using a friend's character from my prior campaign to demonstrate.

Alice is a half-orc with the guild artisan background and the wild magic sorcerer class.

How does D&D expect Alice to behave? What does she do?

As a half-orc, Alice will have a bonus to her Strength and Constitution scores, proficiency in Intimidation, an extra damage die on a melee-weapon critical hit, and an ability that lets her drop to 1 hit point instead of 0 once per day.

On its own, this doesn't tell us much. These abilities could enhance Alice's efficacy as a Tank and a Powerhouse...or they could be used to help compensate in some areas where she is weaker, like keeping a fragile Glass Cannon standing and giving her a bonus to melee attacks if she's low on spell slots.

As a guild artisan, Alice is proficient in Insight and Persuasion plus a set of artisan's tools. According to her backstory, Alice is a stonemason, so she's taking that proficiency in mason's tools. She also gains a feature that connects her to the rest of the guild, who will help her meet patrons and allies and grant her lodging when needed, as long as the guild has a presence in the local community.

Now here's a better look at the picture! Alice has skills and features that help her in social situations, mostly with personal charm and insight, so she might be good at the Cold Reader and Friendly roles. She's also connected to the guild, which could set her up for a role as an Information Broker. Her skill with mason's tools could help her detect traps or other dangers, or give her an edge on finding secret areas in a building -- so Trap-Wise and Mapper are good prospects for her role in Exploration.

As a sorcerer, Alice has access to spellcasting features, including sorcerer cantrips and first-level spells. Looking ahead, she'll gain access to sorcery points, which let her cast more spells, and at third level she'll gain Metamagic options, which let her change elements of the spells she casts. She has proficiency in some simple weapons, but no armor, and her hit die is a d6. Her spellcasting ability will be Charisma.

So here we can see Alice is going to be a spellcaster first and foremost--at least, that's the assumption the class mechanics have created, because everything about this class revolves around spellcasting. If Alice's player wants to play a weapon-based character, this is likely not the class for them. We can also see that with no armor and the smallest hit die available, the game expects that Alice will be avoiding melee combat at all costs. Instead, the class is designed to fire spells at longer distances and deal large amounts of damage, so the sorcerer class is built for a more Glass Cannon-like role.

If we take a closer look at the sorcerer spells, it doesn't seem to have many summoning-type spells, and zero spells capable of healing or ending harmful effects. Instead, the sorcerer's spells largely deal targeted or Area of Effect damage, affect the environment and enemies, and defend the sorcerer and their allies from attacks. Alice is therefore well-suited to a Glass Cannon or Battlefield Manipulation role in combat -- and since she doesn't have many abilities beyond spellcasting, she should prioritize spells that let her act effectively in battle. The metamagic options reinforce this: they let Alice deal extra damage, fire a spell across a greater range, cast an extra spell as a bonus action, and extend the duration of a spell, all of which are assets to a character in long-range combat affecting the battlefield and dealing high amounts of damage.

But what about outside of combat? Some spell options for the sorcerer are more useful outside of the battlefield, and it's wise for Alice's player to choose some of these as well. Spells like Comprehend Languages and Knock can help Alice read unfamiliar writing, eavesdrop on an enemy, and magically unlock manacles, doors, and treasure chests. Depending on if the player prefers a Trap-Wise, Looter, or Puzzle-Solver role, the player can choose spells that fit those preferences. As a sorcerer, Alice is likely to have a high Charisma score, which means she would make a great Friend or Influencer in social encounters.

At first level, Alice also gets to choose her subclass. As a wild magic sorcerer, Alice's first subclass ability is Tides of Chaos, which lets her grant herself advantage on an attack roll, ability check, or saving throw.

Because Alice can use Tides of Chaos, it makes sense for her to take on roles in the game that let her make use of her skills and saving throws, but it also would help if she took combat spells that use attack rolls instead of making the enemy make a saving throw. Why? Because her Tides of Chaos lets her give herself advantage on spell attacks. Spells like Chromatic Orb and Witch Bolt can then be more likely to hit their target. Later on, she'll gain abilities that let her affect other creatures' saving throws, so she might choose more save-based effects then.

As you can see, even though the race, background, and class/subclass features are guiding the player toward certain roles, these roles are by no means a hard and fast rule. And with each layer of customization, you can specialize your character into the roles you most enjoy. If you like the idea of playing a spellcaster, but the Glass Cannon doesn't appeal to you, you might instead choose to play a bard or a warlock, which have higher hit dice and can let you branch out into melee fighting, or choose the Clockwork Soul sorcerer subclass to access more defensive and healing-oriented spells.

The trick is to put all this into practice in reverse: if you know which roles you'd like to play, your task is to look at the classes, subclasses, and other character options that most interest you and evaluate whether or not they will help you fulfill those roles. Not everything must be of use to your favorite roles to play, and you aren't obligated to stick closely within the confines of one role in each pillar of play, either. But in general, you'll enjoy playing your character much more if you know you like using their abilities!

Lastly, you'll need to reconcile the flavor of your chosen character options with anything you already know about your character concept. Some mechanics are simple to re-flavor, like changing the source of magical abilities or changing a damage type. Others, like reflavoring spellcasting as weapon attacks, are extremely difficult verging on the impossible. If you find yourself trying to completely overhaul the flavor of a class or background, you might want to look in a different area for the mechanical features you enjoy.

If you're looking for more specific advice, feel free to send in an ask. Happy character creation!

#d&d #rpgs #ttrpgs #dungeons and dragons #character creation

[rambles-about-minecraft-ocs]

one of my favorite things about zedaph is that on a server full of people that find strange and oft-overlooked minecraft mechanics or rare events and then see just how far they can push them in the name of spectacle or efficiency or world-breaking, zed is over here finding these mechanics in order to do the weirdest things he can think of in as entertaining a manner as possible

like i 100% have faith in zedaph's theoretical ability to be just as efficient or spectacular or world-breaking. if he wanted to do that stuff, i trust that he absolutely could. but thats so far from being his priority. instead, hes going to spend around a week of irl time focused entirely on eventually having the good luck to spawn in something insanely rare so that he can convert it into something even rarer, the result of which being something that 99% of the server reacts with complete and utter shock that it even exists in the first place, just because its zany and funny and he wanted to. and i love that

#zedaph #hermitcraft #genuinely i adore the clucky few project im not even done watching the episode and i had to pause and make this post #i saw impulses video first and went ''that HAS to be some sort of datapack or something-'' #only to immediately go ''no. no it cant be. because this is zed #and its practically a trademark of his to push the limits of the game as far as possible in the direction least expected #not for the purpose of efficiency or spectacle or intimidation or whatever like some players who push limits #but purely for the purpose of making something so funny you cant help but laugh at whats going on #and maybe being a bit impressed that he ever thought of it in the first place'' #at which point i went ''holy shit. since its zed doing this. somehow he ACTUALLY got a villager on a chicken. with no cheats. thats INSANE' #i was relieved when i checked my subscriptions to see what the next video i had to watch was and saw he would be next in line #bc if i had to sit through 19 other hermits videos before i could watch his and find out what the fuck he was doing i would have been so sa #sidenote but i feel like a zed video where he interacts with this many other people all in the same video is so rare #idk i didnt watch season 9 and i know he started collabing a lot more w/ other hermits then #so maybe its not nearly as rare these days #but like the last one that *i* saw where he interacted with this many people at once was towards the end of season 8 #when all the people he experimented on earlier in the season came back to experiment on him #and like i would like zeds videos with or without the collabs. but its a lot of fun to see him interact with people #so its very cool to me when he does it with a lot of people all in the same video

[etoilesbienne]

day 35 of trying to get english fans to like qspreen. he's so sad and wet and alone nobody even remembers he's in exile. spreen was sitting there getting killed repeatedly and nobody even tried to help him. the most he got was charlie acknowledging "oh hey spreen died again" and then bbh giving him a waystone teleporter when he had to respawn from spawn origin. after that he went back to his exile in the woods. one day he'll get out of it. one day

#posts from the aether #evagora sent a fanfic to me about spreen and chayanne interacting and i need that to happen SO BADLY now. AUGH #j am serious he's like scourge warrior cats he's intimidating and then you meet him and he's like. a little guy.

[stressedmonster101]

ok gen question abt tma.

why the archives. like girl archival is such a lame job. no fucking wonder you got a wet cat of an Archivist, someone who works in archival is inherently gonna be a wet cat. ask stupid questions (who wants to work in my archives?) get stupid answers (the most pathetic Special Little Boy to ever work at your institute)

#coming from someone whos gonna have an archival/library job #girl you couldve picked any other department to find your human sacrifice to all dread powers #“oh its cause tye archivist reads all the statements and sees the fear of all the statement givers” ok?? #it could just as easily be the person who takes the statements #AND then theres actually ppl there for the eye to Eat or whatever #you couldve picked the research guys bc they get into the most dangerous shit #they get to interact w the statement givers and see how the fear shaped them #and go get the evidences of the supernatural bss #new headcanon that the only reason the eye picked the archivist to be its Special Little Guy is because it has a cool title #like you cant be intimidating when your title is “the Researcher” or “the Interviewer” or “the Receptionist” #the magnus archives #tma #the archivist #the beholding #the eye

[cowardlycowboys]

cant lie that follower number getting a bit scary

#omg kiera no one cares #like granted only like two handfuls of you guys interact with me in dms comments reblogs and asks #so like REALLY is not a TON but that number getting a bit intimidating

[farmer-boyo]

// blinks at all my new mutuals who i'm too scared to interact with bc theyre all so cool //

#ooc #youre all so intimidating with your cool profiles /silly #NO BUT FR YALL R SO COOL SGUSLHG #i just follow you and hope you follow back #then what #idk #i dont know #SIGH #turns into that one ant gif idfk #i need to go to bed its like midnight #anyways tldr you should interact with me :3

[orokay]

So idk if I can really articulate the way I'm feeling rn to translate it perfectly, but I want you guys to know how much I truly appreciate everyone who's followed me over the years, who has interacted with me in any way no matter how small, and anyone who has shown up recently. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. It's probably cheesy to say but everyone here has made my life so much brighter and I feel so unbelievably blessed to have been invited into your lives in some way, even if it's just as someone who sometimes shows up on your dash.

I decided to scroll through my tag on here and the way people have supported me over the years though everything really, deeply touched my heart this evening. The people who have drawn fanart for me, the people who have commissioned me, the people who have tagged me in things (I cringe every time bc I feel soooo bad for not seeing them until I look in my tag once in a blue moon, but know I appreciate you trying to include me), the people who tag me when asked who their art inspirations or favorite blogs are (!!!!!!!!!??????), the people who post their art saying that my art inspired them in some way, people who express their excitement when they realize I've followed them (this will never stop being wild to me, what an incredible thing!!!! I'm just me!) everyone. It's absolutely mind boggling to me and I can't stress enough how much it means.

I've had such an incredible time on this site so far and met some of my closest friends here and just.. wow. Thank you so much to all of you, from the very bottom of my heart. I cannot thank you enough for all of your support!! Every little bit of interaction is a blessing to me and I've run out of ways to express that so I'll wrap this up here but yeah!! I hope you all have a lovely evening or whatever time of day it is in your time zone. Know that you've impacted me in a way I can't express and try to give yourselves a little grace, you'll never know how much you've improved the lives of the people around you by just spending a little time in their space ♥

#i wanted to tag a bunch of my friends bc i saw a lot of people i don't interact with much anymore bc of my reclusiveness in recent years #but i was terrified of accidentally leaving people out so if you're wondering if i'm thinking about you then you're exactly who i mean #love love love love love I'm so incredibly fortunate and i can't forget that!!!! #the fact that i've been on here since 2014 and have only received one mean ask that i can think of is insane #i know i've been a bit of a downer lately but overall my hope is that i've created a positive space where people can be happy and feel safe #in some way in any way #and i hope i feel like someone people can talk to (or at.. i know im bad at replying but i do like to read sjkdlfsd) #i've been told that i may come off as intimidating but i truly don't want to be i want people to feel comfortable interacting ^^ #ANYWAY gotta go to bed this is embarrassing thanks for listening byeee #dl #not art #i forgot to mention this but also people who use my art for their pfps???????? SPEECHLESS #all of the art in the world and you chose mine it makes my heart so full #also just realized i completely forgot to respond to emails today #if you see this and you're waiting on one I'll reply tomorrow but know I've gotten it!

[icarus-showmethemoon]

Hey! You got a post circulating right now about talk to each other more on this app. That's pretty cool so hi there and thanks

I do not use this social site socially enough as it stands

Boop I suppose :)

thank you!! honestly i think a lot of people are realizing after boop day that this social media site has become pretty antisocial, even for the userbase here, itd just be really nice to see people talking to each other more! im trying to actively make an effort towards it, and even tho i dont usually have much reach (that post has more notes than anything else ive posted, like ever) i hope that my post and all the posts like it will make people a lil less scared to reach out!!

also boop 💚💚

#i know i for one get rlly intimidated by the mutual culture on here? w all the posts specifying interaction w mutuals only?? #it makes it rlly scary to reach out #but like... it seems like most ppl on here are also lonely #and it doesnt have to be that way #anyway im off my soapbox now #thank you for the ask!! #eli chats

[hella1975]

honestly seeing you mention sikh society is so funny bc sikh people LOVE showing their culture! i work with a lot of sikh men and they're always bringing food into work and just love being asked culture. im chinese and they're always asking questions as well- cultural exchange is such a personal thing and imo one of the easiest ways to build a relationship

literally!!!!!! and your last comment is so important bc the reason i made that post is bc i actually found myself guilty of the tiktok mindset WITH one of the chefs at work. he's spanish and has quite a heavy accent and for a long time i really dithered on asking him where he was from (bc all i knew from his accent was that it was european which. doesnt really help) and in my head i was doing it bc i didnt want to 'other' him, but in the end my mum actually said to me that being clearly uncertain around him and NOT addressing the fact we clearly come from different places was actually making things worse, and i was so so pissed off at myself bc she was right. and you know what? i asked him not long ago in the end where he was from, and he lit up. we went back and forth about the spanish and the english and we ribbed each other but it felt like the weird tension existing in all our interactions up until that point had lifted and now he makes a point to come over and chat to me at work. and that tension wasn't there bc i DISLIKED his potential culture or felt actually UNCOMFORTABLE around him, it existed because i demonised my own curiosity and genuine desire to know about him as a person and let myself be a little freak about it instead. like????? it's so fucked up that this is becoming such a normalised thing!!!!

#re ur ask: i have a lot love for the sikh society at my uni bc of what i said on that post like ive only been to a couple of the events #and one really notable time there was one happening for diwali and there was about 200 people in an auditorium for it #and i was the ONLY white person there. and i felt really... intimidated? out of place? just generally like i was overstepping #and that they wouldnt want me there. but the MOMENT it broke off into conversation and socialising and people realised i didnt know much #about the religion i had SO many people eager to tell me all about it and it was just so so genuinely nice and interesting #like you could really feel the love they had for their own culture and being able to witness that and learn about it is not only important #but is just genuinely one of life's little joys. and like you said and i was saying in this response: it made conversation so much easier! #culture is such a fundamental part of a person's identity of COURSE it's going to make interactions open up if you address it #ask

[thefrogdalorian]

Having of those moments where I wish to yeet the like button into the sun or maybe make it so there was setting you could turn on so that people can only reblog posts (even better with the minimum requirement of adding at least one tag)!!

It's kind of absurd that one of my fics is getting close to 500 notes while simultaneously being one I've had the least actual human interactions come from. Like...... come on, that's now how it should be AT ALL!

Don't get me wrong, I'm so thrilled people are clearly finding it and I guess enjoying it(??) but just having endless likes without people letting me know what they enjoyed about it or even if they liked it kind of makes me sad. That's not why I want to share my writing here!

I love having those little human connections with others. I don't ever want my writing to feel transactional. I would love to talk to more people about things I've written. It's truly one of the best feelings and I would hate to lose that, the more I write or the more notes my fics get. Please don't be shy!! I get the social anxiety, but there is no reason to be. I am truly just a Din Djarin obsessed loser.

Anyway, whine over. I don't want to focus on the negatives here and I appreciate every single person who has ever left a positive interaction with something I've written. You are truly a light!

#i don't JUST like posts too often #really the only posts i dont reblog but like are to save for later or if it's too personal/explicit #or i guess i have nothing to add and OP has said it all yknow #but if i see some writing or art i love then hell yeah i always force myself to add at least one tag i like just so the artist/author sees #otherwise it feels like a hollow transaction and i really want people to know i appreciate their art more than just pressing a button yknow #and I KNOW it's intimidating at first to interact with others!! TRUST ME i get it and i'm still awful at it #but just one little comment can make someone feel so good about their writing... why wouldn't someone want to try that at least #especially if you enjoyed it!!! even a key smash or a string of emojis!!! #and the death of the tumblr tag is SO SAD because where else am i meant to talk to you lot? #i mean these tags are longer than my actual post and that's the beauty of tumblr #you don't have to perceive me down here but you can if you wish and i love you for that! #and it's a nice way to organise your blog to make it navigable for others #ANYWAY said i was done whining and continued whining down here so there's that LOL but i always want to interact with more people #please do not be afraid of reaching out to me! scroll through my blog for 5 seconds and you'll see what a nerdy loser i am #akdjgds i mean aren't we all here #spud rants #writing #but thanks again to anyone who leaves nice comments im giving you a (consensual) forehead smooch MWAH