#Please recommend similar artists thank you :)
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I'm new to Death Grips, I didnt know how weird and disrepectful their fanbase can be :||
"Hey this is really good music why are they meme'd a lot" then saw the post about their fanbase history hahaha
#Was also wondering why people keep recommending jpegmafia as similar to DG#When they sound so different#Now I know#Anyway I also got into Clipping and MG Sleepy#Please recommend similar artists thank you :)
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How do you think jjk men would court their crush? Feel free to add anyone you want but I would love to read about Choso.
OMG SO CUTE!!!! Thanks for the request and I hope you like it <3
JJK Men Courting Their Crush
A/n: okay so for this, I chose to depict most situations as their first time doing a certain courting activity with you so they’re a lil nervous and haven’t made their crush on you explicitly clear🫣 I hope that’s alright and makes sense!! And I can do a part 2 of them doing the same courtship things but with a confession, just lmk if that’s something you guys want🫶 please enjoy below!!
JJK men x gn!reader
Warnings: none
Yuji: cooking for you
“So, y/n, what do you think?”
Yuji was standing over you as you took a bite of the dish he made. Nervous energy was radiating off of him. He didn’t have much experience in the romance department but knew that usually the quickest way to someone’s heart is through their stomach. He wanted to treat you to some of his favorite dishes as a way to show you that you mean a great deal to him and hopefully get to know you better over a good meal. He had prepped in the school’s kitchen all day after spending hours trying to decide which entrees you’d like the best. He thought back to the times you all went out to eat in the city and what you ordered, then thought about what recipes he knew that were similar. As he was cooking, he hoped you liked what he made enough to where he could eventually do it for you every night.
As soon as it hit your tongue, you felt the warmth of the lovingly cooked food spread through your body. You could tell he spent lots of time on this for you and you were extremely flattered that he would go out of his way to do something like this for you.
“Yuji, it’s absolutely divine. I haven’t had something this yummy in years.”
Yuji put a hand on the back of his neck, sheepish from your compliments.
“I’m really glad you liked it. I have some more recipes that I’ve been meaning to try out and you would be the perfect taste tester if you’re up for doing this often.”
Your eyes lit up. “That would be amazing! But are you sure you wouldn’t mind cooking for me that much?”
“Of course,” he said earnestly, “it’d be tons of fun. Besides, I really like hanging out with you.”
And I really like being the cause of your adorable smile! he wanted to say, but decided to save those words for another time. Chatting and laughing with you was enough for now—maybe he’d cook up enough confidence one day to tell you how he really feels about you.
Megumi: making you playlists
Megumi couldn’t stop fidgeting as he waited for you to meet up with him before class. You had mentioned that you wanted new songs to listen to so when you asked him for recommendations, he took the collecting of songs very seriously. He was never good with his words so maybe you’d get the hint that he had a crush on you from some of the songs he chose. He heard your steps coming down the hall and it was like he forgot how to stand and breathe like a normal human being. He shoved his hands in his pockets and studied a stray rock lying on the ground to look busy.
“Hey Megumi!” you greeted, making him jump slightly. He mumbled out a “hello” and immediately dug into his backpack, a CD emerging from its inky depths.
“Well, I, uh-I didn’t know if you used Spotify or YouTube or something else but I know you mentioned having a CD player so… yeah. Here.”
He thrusted the CD into your hands without meeting your eyes. The plastic case held a disc that said “Y/n’s Playlist” in sharpie.
“Thank you so much!” you said, inspecting it, “I’ll give this a listen after class. I really do appreciate you taking the time to do this for me.”
“It’s nothing,” replied Megumi, running his fingers through his hair.
“Oh wait, I won’t know the song names or artists when I listen to this. Wanna come over later and help me make a track list?”
Megumi felt his face burn up with a blush. “Y-yeah. That, uh, sounds great.”
He’d definitely have to make you more playlists and keep forgetting to include that pertinent information!
Yuta: complimenting you nonstop
“Y/n! I like your shirt!”
“Y/n! Great fighting form!”
“That joke was hilarious, you’re so funny, y/n!”
These were things you were used to hearing when you were around Yuta. He was always showering you with compliments, not that you were complaining. He had a major crush on you and wanted to start letting you know that he saw, appreciated, and admired you without revealing his full feelings for now. You and your classmates were training on the field and Yuta was your sparring partner.
“Wow, you really pinned me down quick! That was amazing,” Yuta said as you extended a hand to help him up.
“You’re always so sweet, thank you,” you replied. “You were really good, though, too! I’m sure you’ll get me next time. You’re super strong.”
Yuta felt his breath hitch in his throat. He was superb at giving compliments but horrible at receiving them.
“Geez, that, umm… it means a-a lot coming from you because you’re so great. Thank you.”
“Please, I’m not that cool! You’re awesome as well,” you told him.
“Yeah, but not as awesome as you!”
It seemed that you two were stuck in a never ending cycle of compliments. After a few more rounds of back and forth, you agreed that you were both cool and strong and whatever other positives you could think of. Yuta left the field in high spirits, thinking of all the creative ways he could tell you how cute you were the next time he saw you.
Inumaki: giving you flowers
Toge stood, clippers in hand, eyeing the flowers in front of him with an intensity rarely seen from the blonde. He was trying to decide on which flowers to cut to make you a bouquet. Taking flowers for personal purposes would normally be extremely frowned upon but he was the plant caretaker and figured he could get away with snipping a few here and there. He thought back to all of your previous conversations, wracking his brain for any moments you might have mentioned a favorite all those times you walked here together. He remembered you’d said you liked them all so he really couldn’t choose wrong. When he made up his mind and clipped his picks, he smiled under his pulled up collar. He walked over to your dorm, an extra pep in his step.
“Toge! Hi!” you greeted kindly as you opened your door. His collar was now pulled down and you felt your heart swell at seeing his cursed marks curled in a happy expression. You were afraid you were about to get pranked when you saw he had his hands behind his back, but your fears were quelled when he presented you with a small bouquet of flowers.
“These are for me?” you asked, surprised.
He shook his head. “Salmon.”
“You’re the best! Thank you!”
You grabbed him into a hug, careful not to crush the flowers. He’d keep bringing you bouquets until either you got the hint that he liked you as more than a friend or he got the courage to write out his feelings.
Noritoshi: writing you letters
It was hard to make friends at the Kyoto school since your classmates were always so on edge about letting people get close, but you and Noritoshi had somehow bypassed that fear and your acquaintance turned into something deeper over the years. Unfortunately for Noritoshi, his feelings now dove even deeper than that, finding himself in the throes of a crush. Unsure of what to do, he’d tried ignoring the nagging feelings in heart every time you spoke to each other, but it never work. After much introspection and consideration, he determined that it would be wise to see if you felt the same. If you did, great. If you didn’t, he’d be released from the constant “what if’s” running through his mind. As he started putting pen to paper, he felt his confidence falter. Who pours their feelings into a letter instead of speaking face to face? Is that cowardly? He changed gears; this letter wouldn’t be of romantic intent, per se, but just of a way to get to know you better and show you he cares about what you think, how you feel, and whatever else he managed to write before his fingers failed him. When he nervously slipped the sealed paper under your dorm door a few days later, he anxiously awaited to see when you would mention it in your face to face conversation with him—you didn’t.
Imagine his surprise when he was greeted with his own letter hours later! You had expressed your delight in his letter and wanted to keep him as a consistent pen pal for the near future. Noritoshi’s hands grasped your letter, fingers tracing your words. With this new open view of each other’s hearts, your private conversations safe from prying ears, he yearned for the day he could tell you the truth of his heart before it was spilled in ink.
Todo: carrying/lifting things for you
Aoi knew you were more than capable of handling things yourself but he wanted to show you that he’d be your perfect, strong protector so he’d always offer to carry whatever you were holding, no matter how big or small. At school? He’d carry your books. Grocery shopping together? He’d lift all the heavy items in and out of the cart. Need to move your car but you’re too lazy to get up? Consider it done—he just picked it up and moved it. He hoped that by continuing to show up for you like this, you’d see how much he really likes you. Of course, he wouldn’t be afraid of speaking to you about his crush on you, but he would rather go out of his way to impress you first before stating his obvious attraction to you.
“Y/n! Let me get that for you!”
Your dorm room door was propped open and Aoi had shown up, seemingly out of nowhere, when you were struggling to move some furniture around in your room. He lifted the couch with ease and shot you an award winning grin and wink.
“Just tell me where you want it.”
You pointed to a spot near the window and he put the couch down gracefully, barely making a sound.
“Anything else I can help with?” he asked eagerly. He’d rearrange the layout of the entire school if you asked him to—anything to make you happy!
Gojo: buying you gifts
Satoru was not the type to outright tell someone he had a crush on them. You know, the whole “love is the greatest curse of all” thing? He’d much rather ignore those feelings in hopes of them disappearing. So when he found himself fawning over you nonstop, he didn’t know the right way to convey his desire to connect with you on a deeper level. He might’ve been running on empty in regard to romantic skills, but his bank account was severely overflowing. He began to take mental notes on everything you looked at and put back while in Tokyo during your shopping trips and visited those places to buy all of it on his own.
“I got this for you.”
Satoru had several bags by their handles that he gently nudged toward you. Confused, you opened them, greeted by multiple items that you had taken notice of but didn’t have the funds to purchase. You didn’t remember Satoru even being there when you were browsing them in the first place.
“Satoru, how did you-”
“I pay attention more than people think,” he shrugged, glad to have his blindfold covering his eyes so you couldn’t see how they softened when they met yours.
“You didn’t have to do that, you know,” you said, trying not to cry tears of happiness.
He chuckled. “I know. You deserve nice things, though. If you can’t treat yourself, then allow me to.”
He was glad he turned infinity off to feel your arms wrap around his in a tight hug. Even if the words evaded him at the moment, he’d be sure to keep showing how much he cares for you by giving you things to remember him by.
Geto: taking you to the farmer’s market
“Come, y/n, I have a fun morning planned for us.”
Suguru had texted you and invited you to the local farmer’s market. You, of course, accepted readily, and now that he was here to pick you up, he was starting to feel a little nervous. Your friendship was a wonderful thing but Suguru craved to get to know you better and see if you shared the same romantic affections he was feeling toward you. He figured that going somewhere low key like a farmer’s market would be great to cultivate easy conversations. As you two walked together, admiring the handiwork of the local artists, you shivered from a cold breeze that kicked up. Suguru was quick to remove his outer layer and drape it over your shoulders.
“Oh, Suguru, I don’t want you to get cold.”
“I’m alright, I promise. I’d rather be a little chilly than see you freeze on my behalf. May I buy you a warm drink as well?”
After that, you were nice and toasty and he glad he could help in any way he could. When the market was closed and you two walked back home, you decided to make a visit here an every week occurrence. Suguru was sure that in a few weeks’ time, he’d prove to you that he’d be a great partner.
Nanami: cooking with you
Kento wasn’t sure how to approach the topic of his romantic feelings toward you. He valued straightforward communication, but he couldn’t find it within himself to outright express his desires for romance right now. Instead, he opted to show you he cared by inviting you over to cook a meal together. He had asked you to pick a recipe and went shopping for all the ingredients. Now that you were finally over at his place, he felt his palms getting sweaty as saw you chopping vegetables, looking extremely cute while doing so. You gave him a sweet smile when you noticed him staring and he quickly looked away, a blush apparent on his cheeks. You dropped the veggies into the hot pan and he started cooking them. You two worked well together, never in each other’s ways and able to partake in conversation while keeping the task at hand. When dinner was ready, you were ecstatic that everything tasted delicious.
“Is it alright if I ask you to join me again sometime soon?” Kento asked.
“I would love nothing more,” you replied sweetly, his stomach now teeming with butterflies.
Choso: stargazing with you
Choso had zero experience with any type of romantic love. He was the expert in familial loyalty, a prime example of being a great big brother, but being a boyfriend? Not his forte. However, his desire to woo you outweighed his nerves so that’s what led him to call you and tell you to meet him outside one night. He read online that looking at the stars is a good way to induce romance and he was determined to prove to you that he’d be a worthy partner. You were taken aback when you saw he had set up blankets on the ground and put out picnic baskets of snacks. He had even wrapped you up in another blanket so you didn’t get cold! Once you were settled, you both chatted about anything and everything as you gazed at the wonders of the night sky.
“Choso! A shooting star, quick, make a wish!”
It was quiet for some time.
“What’d you wish for?” he asked, breaking the silence.
“I’m not supposed to say or else it won’t come true,” you teased, nudging his arm. “What about you?”
He was studying the sky before he looked back at you. “I wished to keep having the privilege of sitting here with you as many days as I can.”
You felt yourself go shy at his confession but it certainly wasn’t unwelcome. After that, you had plans in place to meet up again in a few days to do it all over. Choso was hoping that his next wish would also come true—that he’d be confident enough to bring the true feelings of his heart to light.
Toji: inviting you to local music shows
There was nothing better to Toji than a cheap activity, an attractive person by his side, and the promise of alcohol. That’s what led him to extend an invitation to you to join him at a small concert being held by a band you both liked. When you met him outside the run down venue, Toji felt his heart rate pick up as he saw how good you looked. His calm and collected demeanor didn’t change a bit, though, as he lazily threw an arm over your shoulder and walked with you inside.
“This place is super cool, Toji,” you said, taking in your surroundings.
He smirked. “I knew you’d like it. Wanna get something to drink?”
Toji wasn’t known for having tons of money but he liked you enough to pay for the first round of your drinks. As the band finished setting up their equipment and started playing their first song, you had a blast dancing along while he kept stealing glances at you between sips of his drink, relieved that you were having fun. You were able to convince him to dance with you after a few more drinks (not that the drinks affected his decision making—he just couldn’t deny a request from someone as hot as you). As the night wound down and he walked you home, he felt an excitement spark in his heart that he hadn’t known in a long time. He hoped that one day he’d stop being a coward and tell you he really liked you, but for now, he’d be content just holding you in his arms—and definitely keeping an eye out for flyers with information for the next show.
#jjk x reader#jjk fanfic#jjk fluff#jujutsu kaisen x reader#jujutsu kaisen x reader fluff#jjk x gender neutral reader#yuji itadori x reader#megumi x reader#yuta x reader#inumaki toge x reader#noritoshi x reader#aoi todo x reader#gojo x reader#geto x reader#choso x reader#nanami x reader#toji x reader
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— STARRY NIGHT BAKERY
PAIRING. baker!dan heng x gn!reader
GENRE. bakery au!!!, modern au, fluff
CW. jealousy (a bit from dh)
WC. 3,901
SUMMARY. in which the cute baker down the street catches your eye and you decide to become a regular to keep seeing him.
NOTE. ahh this is prob my fav thing i’ve written on this blog so far AHSDKFK dan heng…as a baker…wearing apron…and rolled up sleeves showing his nice arms…kneading dough…I’M MELTING :> pls enjoy i hope u love baker dh as much as me mwhahaha
A light breeze blew across your face as you walked down the concrete pavement of the city. Small shops lined the streets as you went for your morning walk to get some fresh air before your busy day started.
You were headed to a chain coffee shop, figuring you couldn’t go wrong with a latte to kickstart your morning. However, as you walked along the humming streets, you smelled a pleasant aroma of sweets and strawberries coming from an opened bakery door.
The bakery had a artistic yet classic look to it. The doors were full glass with golden handles and golden trimmings. The words “Starry Night Bakery” were draped on the top of the building in a bold, cursive font. Elegant, but not overly embellished as to where it was difficult to read.
The inside was brightly lit, but the walls and countertop were where the name of the bakery really showed itself. You were immediately drawn to it, walking in before you could fully comprehend what you were doing.
“Good morning,” you greeted as you spotted someone placing pastries behind the glass display case.
He paused what he was doing to look over at you. “Good morning. Welcome to Starry Night Bakery.”
You watched as he finished placing the freshly baked muffins on the display racks. He had a name tag with the words “Dan Heng” written in the same font as the one used in front of the building.
As he headed over to the cash register, you took note of the way his sleeves were folded over to reveal his forearms. They were slim, yet muscular enough that you noticed some veins showing through. His white button up was covered by a dark blue apron, wind and stars painted on the front canvas.
“You haven’t been here before, correct?” he said, unable to recognize your face.
You shook your head. “That’s right, this is my first time.”
“Let me know if you need any help on deciding what to get,” he offered, the smallest hint of a smile on his lips. “My name’s Dan Heng, by the way.”
“Y/N!” you said cheerily. You looked over at the display case and examined all the pastries. They all seemed so good you didn’t know which to choose. “What do you recommend?”
“The strawberry croissant is our most popular item—and it happens to be my favorite as well.”
“I’ll go with that then!” You looked at the menu to see if they also had a latte similar to the one you were originally going to start your day with. “And can I also have a caramel latte with oat milk, please?”
Dan Heng nodded, pressing some buttons on the cash register. “Coming right up.”
You tapped your card and made sure to include a hefty tip before making your way over to one of the tables to wait for your order. The chairs were soft and cushioned; it seemed like a nice place to sit and enjoy your small meal instead of eating it on the go. Life seemed to favor those who moved fast and hustled non-stop. Sitting and eating at this bakery would be a great way to encourage yourself to be more mindful of that. Plus, it didn’t hurt that the handsome baker was in here to keep you company.
Instead of calling out your order to pick up at the counter like you assumed, Dan Heng placed a steaming mug and a perfectly plated strawberry croissant on the table in front of you.
“I have your caramel, oat milk latte and strawberry croissant here,” he said, placing some napkins next to the plate. “Please let me know if you want any sugar or creamer for your latte.”
“I will, thank you so much!”
You expected him to walk back behind the counter, but he stood there, looking at you expectantly. You looked back at him, eyes wide, but figured he probably wanted to see your reaction to his favorite pastry.
“Mmm,” you said, picking up the cream-filled croissant, “it smells so good.”
You took a generous bite of the pastry and instantly felt a burst of strawberry and cream in your mouth. The croissant itself was warm and flaky, the perfect vessel for the sweetness of the light filling. You instantly wanted another bite as soon as you swallowed the first.
A sigh of happiness escaped your lips as you smiled between bites. “Somehow, it tastes even better than it smells.”
Dan Heng nodded, his eyes lighting up with pride. “I’m glad you enjoyed. I’ll be in the kitchen, but if you need anything, you can ring the bell at the front counter.”
“Will do! Thank you for recommending this to me.”
“No worries.”
He left you alone at your table to enjoy your snack. A latte seemed to be the perfect companion for this strawberry cream croissant, so you took a long-awaited sip. It was strong and sweet, but you still wanted more sweetness. You were going to ask Dan Heng if you could add a bit of creamer to your cup.
Taking another bite of the croissant, you gathered your latte in your hands and stood up to walk to the counter.
The first sight you saw was Dan Heng in the kitchen—it was an open concept with glass windows that let the customers look into the preparation and baking areas. He had a small streak of flour on his cheek as he worked on kneading the dough with his hands. The image of Dan Heng folding and working the dough grew larger as you walked closer to the counter. You noticed the smaller details, such as another flour streak on the tip of his hair, and the tightening of the muscles on his arms as he kneaded the dough.
You especially noticed his strong forearms being put to use and you got lost in your admiration for his craft. So focused on the sight of Dan Heng, you didn’t notice what was right in front of you.
“Oh, no!” you gasped, feeling your full cup tip over as you crashed onto the countertop and lurched forward. You were able to stop yourself from faceplanting, but it was too late to save the latte from being spilt.
At the sound of your cry, Dan Heng looked around in concern, placing his dough in a bowl and hiding it away in a drawer. He spotted you with an ashamed look on your face and headed over immediately.
“Y/N? Is everything okay?” His concerned gaze switched between your embarrassed face and the unmissable spill on the counter.
“I’m so sorry,” you said in a hurry, reaching for some napkins nearby and attempting to clean up your mess. “I stood up to ask for creamer and I wasn’t looking at where I was going and I walked right into the counter…”
He placed his hand over yours to stop your futile attempts at cleaning the big spill up. He pulled out a rag that was strategically hung behind the cash register and wiped the latte up.
“Accidents happen, don’t worry about it,” said Dan Heng, trying to console you. You watched guiltily as he finished wiping the countertop down. “This is surprisingly not the first time this has happened, so don’t look so down.”
That wasn’t susprising. If anyone else were to lay their eyes on such an alluring sight, you reckoned they most likely crashed while staring too.
“Okay,” you said with a nod. “I’m really sorry about the mess, but thank you for being so kind.”
He waved it off.
As the morning went on, more customers came into the bakery to grab breakfast before work. You waved to Dan Heng as you gathered your belongings and got ready to continue on with your day and he waved back with a small smile.
Despite the small mishap, you knew you had fallen in love with this place and would go back again soon.
˖⁺‧₊˚❀˚₊‧⁺˖
Over the weeks, you found yourself frequenting Starry Night Bakery whenever you were free. Before work, after work, sometimes even on the weekend when you found yourself craving their strawberry croissants.
You ended up getting to know the bakers more—mainly Dan Heng but you also met March 7th and Caelus. You learned that Dan Heng was a big reader who enjoyed anything from fiction romance to nonfiction philosophy and everything in between. He loved history but he was open to entertaining conspiracy theories to explore other perspectives. And, he made the best strawberry croissants.
Today, you entered the bakery in the late morning on a weekend.
“Hi, Y/N!” March 7th greeted you as soon as you walked in the doors.
“Good morning!” you chirped, heading over to the counter. March 7th was currently behind the register while Dan Heng was behind the glass walls of the kitchen. He looked up at the noise and when you made eye contact, he waved at you with a smile. You waved back happily.
She noticed the two of your exchanging glances and grinned. “Dan Heng! Switch places with me; I want to make the pastries. You can take Y/N’s order.”
Dan Heng’s cheeks tinged pink as he wiped his hands off on a clean towel. When he walked over to the cash register, March 7th gave him a big wink.
“Oh, no, it’s okay actually!” you said to the both of them before they could finish switching roles. “I’m not ordering yet. I’m waiting for someone to join me first!”
You had been raving about this bakery to your friends since you first had a bite of their pastries, and Gepard wanted to taste it for himself. The two of you happened to both be free this weekend, so you invited him to get some croissants with you.
Dan Heng nodded. “Okay, when you’re ready just let us know.”
“Thank you.” You smiled, but instead of finding a table for you and Gepard, you loitered around Dan Heng. “Have you read anything interesting recently?”
His countenance brightened at your interest. “Yes, I recently picked something up on Nikolas Tesla and his fascination with pyramids and energy. Modern scholars seem to agree those theories are more pseudoscience than anything else, but it’s interesting to understand his train of thought.”
“Oh! I’ve heard a conspiracy theory like that before. Something about how the Pyramids could have been energy generators…”
As Dan Heng was about to reply, the front door chimed opened. You turned and saw a tall, blonde-haired man walk in.
“Gepard!” you exclaimed, signaling him over.
His eyes scanned the interior of the bakery before they landed on you. “Y/N! This place looks really nice.”
“Doesn’t it?”
You bounced over to him, leading him to your favorite booth. It was against a wall covered in an interpretation of the infamous Starry Night painting. You always looked at the decor in awe, wondering how they managed to keep the ambiance so bright despite the night sky theme.
“Stay here, I’ll order us the food! My treat,” you said with a grin.
Gepard immediately shook his head. “I should be the one treating you.”
You gave him a stern look of refusal. “I invited you here, so I’ll pay.”
He laughed, his eyes crinkling at your determination. “Okay. Next time, I’ll invite you somewhere then.”
“That would be acceptable,” you teased. “Now, wait here.”
As you headed over to the cash register where Dan Heng stood—not too far from your booth—you noticed the slight frown on his face.
“Hi again! I’m ready to order now,” you said cheerfully.
“Okay. Ready.”
Your smile faltered. “Um— Right, I’ll have two strawberry croissants, a chocolate chip muffin, and a blueberry muffin, please!”
Gepard loved blueberry muffins, after all. And as much as the bakery’s strawberry croissants were the best on the menu, their muffins were more than delightful as well.
Dan Heng nodded, noticeably averting eye contact the moment your gaze met his. You quirked your head to the side, confused and slightly concerned. “It’ll be ready soon.”
“Alright, thank you,” you said softly. You hesitated, shuffling from side-to-side. “Are you feeling okay?”
His eyes widened slightly, a brief look of guilt crossing his face. “Yes, I just got a little tired there, I’m sorry.”
You nodded in understanding. “Oh! I get that. It must be a difficult job moving around so much.”
Feeling a little awkward, you started to headed back to Gepard, but not before you heard March 7th loudly whisper a, “What are you doing?!” to Dan Heng.
You hoped you weren’t the reason Dan Heng felt upset or tired, but you figured it’d be best to let him process and cool off on his own. Besides, you had Gepard here to catch up with.
The two of you chatted and laughed as you told stories about work and friends. He told you about a blind date his sister set him up on that went miserably, you mentioned some new hobbies you’ve been trying to get into. The strawberry croissants were just as amazing as always and Gepard enjoyed them as well.
But throughout your meal, you couldn’t help but notice Dan Heng’s gaze occasionally on you. And apparently, so did Gepard.
“Are you guys together?” Gepard murmured under his breath. “He keeps looking this way.”
You shook your head. “Together? No, we’re not.”
He grinned, leaning in closer to your ear. “He’s looking pretty jealous for someone who’s not dating you.”
Immediately, you turned to look at the front counter, only to make accidental eye contact with Dan Heng. His eyes widened and heat rose up to your cheeks. You almost gave yourself whiplash as you averted your gaze to the man in front of you.
He stifled a laugh at the crazed expression on your face. “Why did you look right at him?”
“What was I supposed to do after you said that?! I wanted to see for myself,” you said helplessly, hiding behind your hands. “He’s going to think I’m weird now, great.”
“He wouldn’t have even noticed if he weren’t looking at you in the first place,” reasoned Gepard. He took the last bite of his blueberry muffin and offered you some advice. “You can take this with a grain of salt since I haven’t seen the two of you interact regularly, but he definitely seems interested. And if my gut is correct, so are you.”
You didn’t even bother denying it. How could you when the first day you saw Dan Heng you spilled an entire cup of coffee on the counter because you were busy gawking at his arms? Now that, you did not tell Gepard. Even you had some shame.
“Well, if you do decide to do anything, just know I’m rooting for you!”
You laughed through your embarrassment, still grateful for his support. “I’ve been wanting to… But we’ll see.”
Gepard patted your head affectionately and you grinned as you swatted his hands away. You appreciated your friend for giving you a boost of confidence. Maybe this was just the push you needed to express your interest to Dan Heng.
˖⁺‧₊˚❀˚₊‧⁺˖
The sky was blue and bright as you walked the city streets this morning to head over to your usual spot. The weather was warm out despite the day just starting and you basked in the bright sunlight.
Today was a good day. And it was going to get even better. Because you were going to talk to Dan Heng about feelings. Your feelings, his feelings, all the things you were afraid to say.
You realized that sounded a bit too dramatic. It wasn’t as if you were confessing your love or asking him to be your husband— You simply wanted to express that you started liking him and wanted to explore the potential of dating. There was nothing to fear!
At least, that’s what you kept repeating to yourself as you opened the door to Starry Night Bakery. You took a deep breath, trying to act normal. After all, you were here first and foremost to get some breakfast and enjoy the bakers’ company. You should focus on enjoying your morning and talking to your bakery friends, then things with Dan Heng would come naturally to you. You hoped.
When the door chimed open, you spotted both Dan Heng and March 7th at the front counter. March 7th was placing the pastries in the display case while Dan Heng restocked the napkins.
“Hi, Y/N!” March 7th greeted, looking up when she heard you enter. “How’s your morning been?”
You brightened up the moment you saw her. “Great! It’s so nice out? How was your guys’ morning so far?”
“Also good! We tried a new combination of flavors for our cream croissants. You should try one! On the house.”
You beamed, excited at the prospect of being the first to taste one of their new creations. You were certain it’d taste amazing. “I’d love that!” After a pause, you focused your attention on Dan Heng, looking at him expectantly. “And how are you?”
“I’ve been good,” he said with a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.
You weren’t sure why he seemed sad, but you knew you wanted to see him feel better. A moment of silence passed by before you asked a question you knew he normally loved answering. “Did you learn anything interest recently?”
He nodded. “Yes, but I already told March 7th.”
You pursed your lips, your stomach dropping. “Oh. Okay.”
March 7th looked between the two of you, shaking her head as she slowly escaped to the kitchen area, leaving you and Dan Heng alone. You shifted your weight from foot to foot, trying to find ways to fill the awkward silence you were not yet accustomed to with Dan Heng.
“Have you ever wondered what a cloud would feel like?” was the first thing you thought to blurt out. The clouds were big and fluffy during your walk earlier, so it was only natural that was the first place your mind went to.
He cracked a smile—a tiny, but real one this time—at that. “Unfortunately, they wouldn’t feel as soft as they appear. Clouds are vaporized water, after all. I believe it would feel like a steam of sorts. But if you were to touch one high enough, you’d likely feel ice droplets.”
You listened to him eagerly. You were sad the answer wasn’t “as fluffy as cotton candy!” but you were happy Dan Heng was talking to you normally.
“This is one of my favorite things about you,” you stated as if you were talking about the weather. “You never want to stop learning and growing and it shows on even small topics such as clouds. I could listen to you for hours, I think.”
If he was startled by your candor, he didn’t show it, instead examining you thoughtfully. “I enjoy listening to you as well.”
You grinned happily. “Then we always need to keep talking and listening to each other, okay?”
Dan Heng gave a hum of acknowledgement.
Feeling as if your friendship was back to normal, you felt more comfortable talking to him about whatever came to mind.
“By the way, Gepard said he loved the strawberry croissant yesterday! He said we’ll definitely eat here again!”
You expected Dan Heng to feel happy after hearing the compliment about his bakery, but instead, his countenance visibly fell. “Oh.”
You blinked. It seemed he didn’t like hearing about Gepard. Either he didn’t like Gepard—which was impossible, really—or he didn’t like that it was you mentioning him. You decided to carefully test your hypothesis by continuing to talk about him.
“He said he would love to try a mango version, actually!”
“I don’t think mango suits our pastries.”
You eyed the fruit tart with mango cubes on top. “Right…” A moment of silence passed between the two of you as you wondered what exactly was going on. You kept pushing. “Gerard liked the blueberry muffin.”
“We’ve been thinking of discontinuing that.”
You laughed in shock, not fully believing your ears. “Dan Heng! You are not actually considering taking the classic blueberry muffin off the menu.”
He gave a noncommittal shrug.
“Dan Heng,” you called again, voice singsongy. There was a look of mischief on your face. This wasn’t how you anticipated bringing this up, but it seemed like an opportunity had presented itself. “Are you jealous?”
You heard a squeal from the kitchen, but when you looked in the direction of the noise, the only thing you saw was a flash of pink hair ducking away from view. You turned back to Dan Heng. He looked lost in thought, his eyebrows furrowed as lips slightly downturned.
“I don’t know,” he said honestly. He paused. “I don’t know if I’m jealous of Gepard. But my chest feels tight, my body feels tense, and I feel upset at the thought of you and him together. If that is jealousy…then, yes.”
“Definitely sounds like jealousy to me!” cried March 7th, still hiding away in the other room.
Dan Heng’s face tinged pink and you started laughing at her antics.
“Dan Heng,” you said with a bright grin. “You don’t have to be jealous. Gepard is just a friend. And he can’t make the delicious strawberry croissants like you can. Trust me, I think you’re like…ultimate boyfriend material.”
You were only half-teasing, but you still meant every word you said.
He smiled and a look of relief washed over him. “You guys just seemed very happy together. I thought it was a date. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t worry about it! I’m just glad to have this cleared up.”
It felt like your body was buzzing in excitement. Not only did you clear up any potential awkwardness with Dan Heng, but you found out that he was jealous of Gepard. Now, it seemed like the next conclusion to reach was that he was jealous of Gepard because he was interested in you.
“So… Ultimate boyfriend material,” Dan Heng repeated your earlier words. “What exactly does that entail?”
You thought about it for a second. “In general, it’s someone dependable and trustworthy. For me in particular,” you said, eyeing him hopefully, “it’s all that plus a history and philosophy nerd. Plus, someone who can bake the best strawberry croissants. Maybe someone like you?”
He chuckled, taken aback by your straightforward response. You looked up at him, slowly batting your lashes. Crinkles formed on the side of his eyes as his smile widened. The mood was light and happy, and you felt like nothing in the world could bring you down.
“Care to find out if your assessment is correct?” he asked, extending a hand out for you to place yours in.
“I’d love to!” You nodded, feeling the warmth of his fingers on the palm of your hand. His thumb slowly ran across your knuckles and you felt your heart skip a beat. “Do you want to go on a date, Dan Heng?”
You held your breath as you waited for his response. He started off as a nice baker in a shop you ran into one random morning, then he became your friend, and now he was on the cusp of being something more. The story was sweeter than the cream in your strawberry croissant.
“With you?” said Dan Heng, giving your hand a gentle squeeze. “Always.”
#honkai star rail x reader#hsr x reader#dan heng x reader#honkai star rail#hsr#dan heng#hsr fanfiction#hsr imagines#hsr fanfic#dan heng fanfic#dan heng x y/n#dan heng x you#honkai star rail x you#dan heng fluff#hsr fluff
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idk how but you draw in the Oso-san style so good i need to know your secret please
HAHA thank you very much!! im glad you think so :D unfortunately im not very good at explaining how i work, but ill try my best to show what i mean!!
once again this is long as hell. you know the drill at this point
to be honest, half the battle i fight with drawing in the osmt style is just. Looking at it. the ososan art style actually fluctuates pretty wildly depending on what you're looking for, whether that be the mobile games (for instance, tabimatsu and hesowars look nothing alike in terms of style despite both being the same source material), official art and merch, or even the seasons of the show itself!
using ichi as my example here since i draw him the most, but its pretty easy to play spot the difference with the varying styles. even within a specific season you can do this across episodes, especially with season 1!
when i draw, i tend to be a bit sacrilege and use references across different media; usually ill use the show [especially season 2, if only because its a bit more "uniform"] as reference for the actual features and colors/poses/etc, but i like to use hesowars to reference proportions, since they seem to be most consistent there.
SOMETHING IMPORTANT TO NOTE: theres a WEALTH of fanartists that have styles that are INCREDIBLY similar to the show, so be careful to check your sources! these artists deserve credit for their hard work, which they often don't get since their work is reposted under the guise of being official art.
once you've pinned down the exact style you'd like to emulate, and the character you're looking to draw, its really just a matter of finding references, which is pretty easy! you can scrub through different episodes for good angles/shots, or if you're going for one of the game styles the AU wiki has most of the games catalogued to my knowledge. if you're looking to draw an oc, use characters you think they would look similar to in the show. if you really wanna waste your time, though, you can always scrub through crowd scenes in the show to see if any background characters might look like what you're going for; the season 3 episode Mt. Takao comes to mind, there were a lot of cute mob characters there.
using keiko as my example here, you can see that i pulled her features from multiple different characters to get her to look right in the style. with ocs, its important to reference a number of different characters, since the likelihood of a background character being a 1:1 for your little guy is unfortunately pretty low. there WILL, however, be a lot of characters that look KIND of like them. the key is to figure out what parts go where!
to this point, most prominent ososan women have very similar stock anime girl faces with very minor differences, so if youre looking to make a cute girl oc, most of the womens' faces can be used somewhat interchangeably. if you want your cute girl oc to have a more unique face, though, the movie gave us some women with more unique faces in the form of the NEETs' old classmates! theres also no harm in referencing male characters faces in this regard. #butchswag #kiruminikuya
BUT. going back to the assumption that you're drawing a canon character, today I'll be drawing oso for my example
when you're first getting a feel for the style, tracing some of your references can actually be a really great way to acclimate yourself to the characters proportions and features. think of like when you were a kid, and would trace over pictures of pokemon or cartoon characters so you could draw them better. its basically the same principle! this was especially helpful for me when it came to eyes; they vary the most wildly of any other trait that characters have in ososan, so going over the different shapes to get a feel for each of them was very important.
when you trace, though, I recommend doing so a bit more loosely, sort of like if you're doing a photo study for anatomy; block out the basic shapes and do small markers for different features (i.e small lines to denote where the eyes start and and, distance from nose to mouth, things like that), and from there draw the rest on your own.
after long enough you'll get a feel for the basic placement of where everything should go! the eyes and nose are undoubtedly the hardest when it comes to the sextuplets, since they shift around a LOT between games/seasons/etc. so don't feel bad if you have a hard time with that, since there isnt really a "right" answer with how frequently it changes. i still fuck it up all the time myself!
as for some basic tips, heres some stuff i try to keep in mind when drawing them that just helps the finished product look a bit nicer!
when drawing the hair + fringe line, its important to swoop it downwards a little bit; the flat across look Can work, but if you're not careful you risk showing the tops of their eyes, which is um. ew! ick! nast!
when a matsu is facing forward, their hair will usually tend towards one direction to keep the silhouette. in most screenshots i saw, the bowl cut points left! that said, dont be afraid to point rightwards if its better for your specific drawing!
and lastly:
USE THE LIQUIFY TOOL. LIBERALLY. i am not joking when i say this has saved my ass so many times, its hard to get the placement right on the facial features and even harder to get everything to LOOK good, so if its available to you i HIGHLY suggest just squishing everything around with a liquify tool until it looks right. you can always go back and correct the blurry lines. its really a life saver
BUT YEAH! i dont know if this was very helpful but i hope you're at least able to gain something from it :-))
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hii do you perhaps have any dofuwani fics recommendation. I've checked out the the ao3 but I really don't seem to like anything there after scrolling thru the most kudos'd works... I feel like you (and a few other artists) get them and I wanted to read things in a similar tone as your art and so far I'm in the trenches bleeding out. like obviously no offense to any of the writers it's just that all the like modern highschool loving dad croc and etc aus are not for me... OTL I hope I'm not sounding rude and thank you for your time!
oh anon come rest your head upon my bosom.... I got you anon..... as a fellow slave to canon-compliance I, too, know the pain of sifting through pages upon pages of AUs, not that there's anything wrong with them but I just can't imagine these sickos working a 9 to 5 in a suit...... thank you for thinking my vision of dofuwani is trust-worthy, this is vain on my part but it genuinely means a lot <3 OK rant over here are the goods, in no particular order (always mind the tags but I figure if you asked me for dfwn sacred texts you're probably a fellow sicko):
that was now and this is then. by ghostwit (M): one of my favourite ever, perhaps even my favourite. About a long relationship, about twisting each other inside the skin, about being formative to each other in ways so deep and intertwined that they can't seem to tear one apart from the other. And despite it all* (*the murders and the hatred and the irreconciliable flaws and differences of their Ego (philosophical) and the unbearable, unacceptable vulnerability of understanding), they are, somehow, unforgivably and incomprehensibly, in love. *smashes head against pavement, it cracks open like an egg, spilling millions of dofuwani thoughts everywhere
no better irony by ghostwit (E): shichibukai meeting sidequest...... excellent characterisation like everything Haze writes (it's just The Best dofuwani there is..... read everything he wrote please). I'm so fond of them in that fic in a way that's like. watching stick bugs in a terrarium. You don't understand them and they don't understand you but you're just happy they're having fun. You wouldn't join in for anything in the world though.
like i need a gaping headwound by ghostwit (M): loguetown era dfwn, Haze back at it with formative years and the fresh sprouts of insanity in these two. So so so good.
nothing in this world that's quite prescribable by ghostwit (T): the opening of this fic is perhaps one of my favourite scenes ever. Vulnerability and odd transparence that only drunken disinhibition allows. Which is rare for these two. Absolutely adore this one.
honestly you can and should read everything Haze has written for these two they're just so AUGHHHHHH
black & bloody & rotten & perfect by revolvermonkcelot (M): perfect capture of the fine line between (????love, perhaps) and insanity they walk on. Absolutely fucking insane about this one, the reverence and sacrality of their whole thing, the Indulgence:tm: and permission that can be revoked (for Crocodile is mercurial in his vulnerability), but that is somehow maintained in a delicate and incomprehensible equilibrium. + absolutely incredible undertones of wani (trans)identity crisis, the imperceptible yet meaningful and constant change of the Form... Head in hands
Just a taste by marimoes (M): perfect perfect perfect characterisation, little gestures that betray familiarity. Perfect on all accounts
Swallow by revolvermonkcelot (M): my roman empire. Absolutely perfect Wani characterisation, it's The Wani for me. Exploits perfectly the essential dfwn dichotomy of "one entity tumbling down and the other rising up, meeting halfway through in the eye of the storm, in a singular moment". Classy cannibalism that ties to the no-less essential concept of consumption, to be/become whole again. The reason why they somehow stick together is because of this primordial longing for something, for understanding perhaps, for beauty sometimes, for belonging. Fcuking hell I love them so mucj
A Bird and His Cage by doctornemesis (E): read this one a long time ago but it's in my bookmarks so I trust past me's judgment and tell you it's amazing
From Dressrosa with Love by Sibilans (E, on-going): incredible atmosphere, perfectly depicts the post-golden age rotting glamour of Dressrosa. They are particularly unhinged in this one.
i wanna hurt you just to hear you screaming my name by stealth-black-leg (Kiir_Bee) (E): I'm running out of steam for long meaningful comments but this one has top tier characterisation.
That's it!! Don't forget to comment and leave kudos to give writers the love they deserve <3
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hey! i was just curious if i could use your art in an artist study? i looked over your faq and i didn't see any mention of it so i just wanted to ask. it's okay if the answer is now, no pressure :)
( ꈍᴗꈍ) sure, if you credit me! i would be incredibly flattered!!
now that being said, i would also like to share with you some artists whose work i've enjoyed doing studies of! i find it's very useful to "follow the money" with artists you like, and go along the chain of inspiration to see how ideas and styles can change from person to person.
vincent van gogh is my BIGGEST inspiration in terms of color and composition! his unique style of brush work is what he's best known for, but i recommend looking at his works holistically too, and seeing where the eye is led and how he plays with light, color, and mood. if you want to go further, he was very inspired not only by prior impressionists, but also by japanese ukiyo-e artwork— try comparing "starry night" to "great wave off kanagawa" and seeing the similarities in the grand, sweeping movements they convey.
i'm sure i've said this a million times, but genndy tartakovsky has probably my favorite cartoonist style. it's at its peak in samurai jack— opinions are mixed about the narrative quality of season 5, but if nothing else, the art direction is absolutely jawdropping. one of my favorite scenes is the bit in the tomb, where jack is hiding in a sarcophagus, because the music and visuals are paying homage to a scene at the climax of "the good the bad and the ugly"!
in a totally different direction from those two... i'm a huge fan of gil elvgren's pinup girls! i've had a few different pinup calendars over the years, and at the end of the year, i like to cut up the pages individually for mini posters— i've covered pretty much all my available wall space in his illustrations. i love it when artists don't feel the need to sacrifice expressiveness for realism; his girls are SO DARN CUTE and they all look like they're having so much whimsical, cartoonish, flirty fun!
here's a post where i talk about more inspirations!
here's a post listing some other tumblr artists i like!
i'm also just very heavily inspired by 50s-60s print illustration... things like advertisements, "clip art" (which you had to physically clip out of a book and paste onto the page), and of course, tv cartoons. one big trend i love with that "googie" art style is how incredibly limited the palettes were, and how efficient the economy of line was. as much as i love the bold, blocky, dynamic shapes of styles like tartakovsky, who takes insp
also, please remember i'm entirely self taught and am NOT an expert, so just be aware of that if you see any weird stylistic choices in my work... i admire the work of a lot of professionally trained artists, but that doesn't mean i have any training or real right to go around teaching people stuff. i'm just some guy from a big crazy family full of artists, only some of whom went to school for it.
okay, that got way longer than i meant it to, SORRY! here's a pic of my cat Carmen as a thanks for reading this far ^_^
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oh hello there. fancy seeing you here ;) god help me im so bad at this
Okay but for real though, I'm still blinking at this because we've officially reached (and transcended because I'm late) 2,000 FOLLOWERS !!!!! I'm honestly still in shock because I'm still recovering from 1k ..... I can't thank you all enough for the love and support you've given me and my silly writings, I can't believe my silly little blog has gotten this far sniffles
SO. for the event because i am NOT letting you all go empty handed. We are not doing a prompt drabble thing because I learned my lesson from the last event but WHAT WE ARE DOING. is like. this weird Q&A but like not. okay wait i'll explain it's kind of confusing but !!!
TLDR : I want to get to know you guys better (and you guys to know me better !!!), so I'll be doing an ask game! You can ask me about myself, my opinions on characters, and my headcanons on them as well !! It'll be more casual because that's easier for me (so it'll be me talking rather than my writing voice yall know), but I want this to be really fun for all of us :D
duration for asks: 3/19 - 3/26
rules
ABSOLUTELY NO NSFW. I am here to be silly not horny.
Don't ask me anything too personal or invasive, if you do I'll delete the ask altogether.
Don't ask for romantic headcanons for minor characters, arlan, or welt.
Be respectful, please !!! I just want to have fun guys :(
You can ask me things other than what's on the prompt lists, just as long as it isn't inappropriate.
Don't ask me on my opinions of ships, especially ratiorine (I mean this in the nicest way possible I just don't like that ship).
For my opinions on characters, you can ask about characters outside of HSR (as long as I know them), but for character hcs, keep it to HSR.
ask prompts - author !!!
What's set as your phone screen?
Do you have any pets?
What's your typical order at a cafe?
Do you prefer coffee or tea?
If you had to pick one character from ___ as your favorite, who would it be?
What's the last song you listened to?
Who's your favorite song artist?
Who was your first fictional crush?
What was the first fic you've written online?
How long have you been on Tumblr?
What's your favorite food?
What's your favorite color?
Name the WIP that's been rotting in your drafts the longest.
Name the WIP that you want to share the most.
What authors do you recommend?
Who are your mains?
What characters do you think you're the most similar to?
ask prompts - characters !!!
What are your general hcs about them?
What do you think their love language is?
On a scale of 1-10, how healthy are they in a relationship?
What's an unpopular opinion you have? (can be on a character or a fandom!!)
Character Analysis
What do you think ___ is like in love?
What kind of person do you think ___ wants in a relationship?
What's an ick you'd think a character has?
Who do you think would be the best partner, realistically?
How good at cuddling is ___?
What's a really stupid hc you have about a character?
What's a character duo that you really want to see interacting/see more of?
What character do you think is really underrated in the fandom?
What characters do you think would be the best friends or companions to have?
#event 🏵️#honkai star rail#honkai star rail x reader#follower event#qna#author qna#2k follower event
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Your art gives me life! I love how scruffy, scary, yet still cute, you draw Death. Puss, Perrito and Kitty are also absolutely adorable in your style. Your Hollow Knight art is amazing as well. I haven't played that game yet, but it looks really cool. Plus, your Death x Kitty art is so heartwarming! Two lonely and similar people finding comfort in each other... You've made me ship them and the OT3 even harder. I'm really looking forward to your future stuff. Have a good day! 🐺🐈⬛🐈
a thank you so much!!!! :D I feel myself getting better, though I still struggle drawing death and team friendship because animals and anthro related art are out of my comfort zone. but I'm very flattered that you like how i've drawn them so far ^^ I'm working hard to improve!!
and on the topic of hollow knight, the game and the fandom space here has really helped me grow as an artist, so my hk artworks hold a very special place in my heart haha. I recommend playing the game if you ever get the chance (no obligation though ^^)
i'm also pleased to know that my softdeath propaganda is spreading
local thief with trust issues gets attached to eldritch smiledog. supportive husband gets involved, more at 10
thank you for your kind message!! hope you also have a good day! :)
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In the mood for...
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1. Hi! I came across your account again and here to ask if there is a completed LXCxF!OC? (Sorry if I sound like a mean person, it's just English not my first language and Idk how to ask. 😅) @lanxicenswife69
i told you when i came i was a stranger by Caramelized (M, 50k, LXC/OFC, wangxian, canon divergence, isekai, transmigration, amateur cartography, butterfly effect, sunshot campaign, not everyone dies au, no golden core tranfer, dimension travel, politics, self-insert, foreknowledge, angst w happy ending)
quotev mdzs interactive ficverse series by yeeternity (T, 199k, LXC/OC, JGY/OC, JC/OC, canon divergence, self-insert, reader insert, OC sect, fix-it of sorts, angst w happy ending, sworn siblings with WWX) Also, another for 1, the first story set's the fic up, then second one is LXC's story
Taking roots after the misty rain by RoseJuneRivera (Not rated, 63k, LXC/OFC, wangxian, JC/WQ, JYL/JZX, rape/non-con, graphic depictions of violence, major character death, canon divergence, OCs, WWX has a sister, rebirth, pining, burial mounds, good person JGY, good parents JFM & YZY, secret rule breaker LXC, not everyone dies au, suicide attempt, murder, blood & violence, fluff & angst, WIP) I haven't read these two, but they seemed interesting and appear ongoing
Dance with you by Chilibun (T, 116k, wangxian, LXC/OFC, JYL/JZX, canon divergence, OC insert, fix-it of sorts, reincarnation, fluff & angst, hurt/comfort, implied/referenced rape/non-con, WIP) I haven't read these two, but they seemed interesting and appear ongoing
~*~
2. hello, itmf for fics where either lwj or wwx is pregnant but they die of childbirth and we see the other mourning while still taking care of their child.
Gift of Memories by QueenXIV (G, 3k, wangxian, major character death, angst, hurt/comfort , sad, mpreg, bottom LWJ, good uncle LXC)
~*~
3. I’m in the Mood for a Fic where WWX is really oblivious to LWJ courting him and they manage to successfully communicate and get together- I was rereading Gina3's excellent work " Impenetrable Walls " and crave a story with similar vibes and some resolution @okionlywanttoreadforever
~*~
4. Hello, can you please recommend me loads of modern setting wangxian au with loads of fluff. I don't mind some Jiang family bashing mixed. As i am on vacations and i have nothing better to do , I feel like I am running out of wangxian fluff to read . Thank you in advance @sineofu
🧡 Night of the Living History (an edutainment special!) by Aerlalaith (T, 51k, WangXian, Modern with Magic, Workplace Relationship, Fluff and Humor, Museums, living history, Some Plot, Slice of Life, Injury, a minor haunting)
I know what my heart wants by yakuso5u (Not Rated, 28k, WangXian, Modern AU, Single Father LWJ, Fluff, Mutual Pining, Getting Together, Accidental Child Acquisition, Domestic, Slice of Life, Christmas references)
(Planning the Day) To Meet You by Bettydice (E, 61k, wangxian, Modern, college/university au, pining, WWX raises LSZ, LWJ pov, fluff, slow burn, getting together, falling in love, smut, happy ending)
With No Particular Affection by Chrononautical (E, 92k, WangXian, Modern AU, Arranged Marriage, Kid Fic, Miscommunication, Family Drama, JFM and YZY’s A+ Parenting, Good Uncle JC, Wedding Fluff, Genius WWX, Street Kid WWX, Homelessness, Rich LWJ, Oblivious WWX, Cinnamon Roll WN, Implied/Referenced Suicide, WWX Has a Pregnancy Kink, Domestic Fluff, Fluff and Angst)
Hear a song this deeply by so_shhy (T, 87k, wangxian, modern cultivation, music, kid fic, action/adventure, canon typical JGY behavior, slow burn, fluff & angst, happy ending)
paired wings soaring by typefortydeductions (E, 33k, WangXian, Modern, slice of life, domestic bliss, angst, fluff, smut, hurt/Comfort, kissing, bdsm, artist WWX, poetry translator LWJ, slight somnophilia)
Showtime by Scrippio (T, 115k, wangxian, modern, theater au, abandonment issues, fluff, director WWX, stage manager LWJ, reconciliation, pining, slice of life, happily ever after, accidental baby acquisation, light angst, one emergency surgery, but it’s fine)
box your errors by mellowflicker (T, 42k, WangXian, Modern AU, single dad lwj, Domestic Fluff, Family Issues, Slow Burn, Kid Fic, let lwj have friends agenda, Hurt/Comfort, Pining)
🧡 Hello, IT. Have You Tried Turning It Off and On Again? By overmountainandmeadow (T, 65k, WangXian, Modern AU, Office, Modern office AU, IT Director! LWJ, Graphic Designer! WWX, Father!LWJ, Fluff, Mutual Pining, Slow Burn, Juniors as interns, Light Angst, Mistaken Identity, Identity Porn, Rabbits, Cloud Recesses as a company, Happy Ending, Single Parent LWJ)
my little love by mellowflicker (T, 54k, wangxian, modern, single parent WWX, kindergarden teacher LWJ, kid fic, hurt/comfort, domestic fluff, pining)
all the problems we could solve by Stratisphyre (T, 20k, wangxian, modern, getting together, somewhat non-linear, fluff, humor, violence, meet-cute, identity porn, thieves au)
“I will climb to where you are” or: the bunny book by ladyofrosefire, NotAFicWriter (T, 40k, wangxian, LWJ & LSZ & WWX, LXC & LWJ, modern, pining, fatherhood, family, long-distance relationship, semi-epistolary, giref/mourning, past food insecurity, panic attacks, past parent death, fluff)
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5. hello! may i ask for story with a fat character? i'd love everything else to basically stay the same, to not really discuss it or agonize over it or anything.. i just saw a fat jyl art and thought it'd be lovely to read something similar (with anyone, though wwx may be a tad unlikely bc of starvation and such). if it's relevant, i'd love canon dynamics please!
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6. hi!! thanks for all the hard work :DDD
im in the mood for wwx sharing a body with someone!! I just finished 💖 Serrated by InkSplatterM and MrMissMrsRandom (which is fantastic and I very much recommend), and ive also read ❤️The One-Body Problem by Metisket and adore that as well!
shape me something new by perilously (E, 24k, wangxian, canon divergence, sharing a body, non-penetrative sex, masturbation, horror-adjacent imagery)
The Exorcism of Lan Yuan by EHyde (T, 5k, wangxian, LWJ & LSZ & WWX, possession, family, horror, experimental POV, slightly dark LWJ, ghost WWX, suicidal ideation) though they might be wanting something more cheerful
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7. Hi! There's this manga that I was recently reminded of because of an au fic from another fandom called Seven Days to fall in Love and I was wondering if there's an au in this fandom too? Any pairing but I do enjoy wangxian the most. Thanks 🙏
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8. This is pretty general, but I’ve really been wanting to read good case fics. Multi-chaptered or longer one-shots (I.e., minimum 10k words) are preferable. I also usually prefer fics rated M or E, but am open to well-written T and G. I have no other preference in terms of canon, modern, etc. I also don’t care about who tops or bottoms (if that’s an element of the fic). Thank you so much in advance~ ☺️
of buried things series by Sanguis (E, 30k, wangxian, modern w magic, haunted houses, case fic, witches, magical realism, mild gore, pining, getting together, smut, accidental baby acquisation, tentacle sex)
❤️ Seen and not heard by eatmyass (E, 51k, wangxian, case fic, no sunshot, kid fic, dadxian, strangers to lovers, found family, LWJ pov, pining, fake/pretend relationship, first time, falling in love)
爱不释手; never let me go by yiqie (E, 68k, WangXian, All the clan leaders, Literally so many OCs, There are just lots of people, Case Fic, Blood and Injury, Demons, Body Horror, Mystery, The intrinsic horniness of wound tending, Yearning 2: The Electric Boogaloo)
Howling by MimiSpearmint (E, 40k, WangXian, Modern with Magic, Mortal Instruments Fusion, Horror, Eldritch, Domestic Fluff, Single Parent WWX, Witchcraft, Getting Together, shifter!lwj, yllz!wwx, Intercrural Sex, Hand Jobs, Angst with a Happy Ending, Switch WangXian, a bit of a degradation kink, anti-STI sex talismans, Anal Sex, Oral Sex)
all this, and love too by friedkiki (M, 33k, wangxian, post-canon, case fic, possession, pining, body horror, getting together, fluff, angst, hurt/comfort, detailed warnings in notes)
Ribbons and Heartsongs by jeyhawk (E, 36k, wangxian, fantasy au, scifi au, dimension travel, case fic, loss of virginity, marriage proposal, pining, sharing a bed, werewolf WWX)
moonlight caught in mutton fat by Raitelzen (T, 45k, WangXian, Case Fic, Curses, Curse Breaking, Transformation, mild body horror, Hurt LWJ, Ghosts)
build me no shrines by occultings (microcomets) (M, 54k, WangXian, Slow Burn, Mutual Pining, First Time, Getting Together, Confessions, Sharing a Bed, Hair Washing, Sentient Burial Mounds, Case Fic, Post-Canon, CQL Compliant, Hurt/Comfort, Whump, Light Angst, Flashbacks, mild body horror, foot washing, Happy Ending, Non-Sexual Intimacy, …then sexual intimacy, [Podfic] build me no shrines by flamingwell)
Vagabond by xantissa (E, 65k, wangxian, post-canon, case fic, supernatural, slow burn, smut, angst w/ happy ending, fluff, hurt/comfort, BAMF LXC, bottom LWJ, top LWJ)
see you yesterday by glyphic (M, 138k, WIP, WangXian, Modern with Magic, Ghost Hunters, Time Loop, Case Fic, Hurt/Comfort, Memory Loss, Angst with a Happy Ending, Slow Burn)
in your skin by darkredloveknot (enheduane) (E, 10k, WangXian, Post-Canon, Pre-Relationship, Getting Together, Horror, Body Horror, Blood and Gore, Angst with a Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Love Confessions, Non-Consensual Body Modification, kinda??, Reflections over death and self-worth, mentions of canon suicide, Near Death Experiences, [Podfic] in your skin by flamingwell)
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9. im looking for fics having similar vibes/plot/wangxian dynamics as this - To lurk, to lie in wait by trippednfell
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10. For the next itmf i was wondering if there was any fics mentioned wwxs trauma from being homeless in yiling as a kid, specifically food issues or dealing with creeps not just his fear of dogs thanks for the help!
in this place where we don’t have a prayer by Cerusee, Mikkeneko (T, 42k, JC & WWX & JYL, WN & WWX & WQ, wangxian, JYL/JZX, JC & WQ, JC & WN, future JC/WQ, character death (WWX), JC shouting, humor?, JZX is ok for a Jin, necromancy) I remember characters discuss Wei Wuxian being traumatized, but I can’t recall if it was about his childhood on the streets or the abuse in the Jiang Family.
We all have a Hunger by KatAnni (T, 23k, wangxian, nighthunts, cloud recesses study arc, getting to know each other, getting together, implied/referenced child abuse, ghosts, dogs, panic attacks, hurt LWJ, minor injuries, fever, starvation, homelessness, WWX’s childhood, WWX’s canonical cynophobia, whump, angst w happy ending)
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11. Are there any fics which focus on Wei Wuxian rebuilding his core? Fics which focus on him meditating, fighting, cultivating to go from weak back to strong? Likewise fics which show the difficulties and struggles he faces while his core is still weak, such as being cold, weak, or needing to eat. (secondary question: would this kind of fic generally be included in the “golden core fix it” tag?)
Step Into The Stream by julomaiboulomai (G, 7k, LQR & WWX, wangxian, post-canon, outsider pov, 5+1, reconciliation, WWX living in Cloud Recesses, LQR pov, gusu lan rules) touches a bit of that in the background and I find it lovely
Away from Trouble by Ilona22 (M, 15k, WangXian, Not Jiang Family Friendly, WangXian gets a happy ending)
The Core Issue by Hauntcats (T, 21k, WangXian, Angst with a Happy Ending, Not JC Friendly, Canon Divergence)
Truth Will Out (when caught on video) - End_OTW_Racism! by KizuKatana (E, 63k, wangxian, WN & WWX & WQ, graphic depictions of violence, modern cultivation, canon divergence, YZY abuses WWX , caught on camera, partial core removal, WWX kicked out of Jiang sect, livestreamer WWX, meet ugly, dual cultivation, smut, no war, WIP) it’s a really good one WIP though ✨✨
the path to heaven (starts at the bottom of hell) by lightningalwaysreturns (M, 24k, wangxian, post-canon, immortality, family feels, future fic, mild sexual content, married wangxian, fluff & mush, canon compliant) There is a sequel too. It just as amazing.
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12. heeeeeeyy for the next itmf I’d like some mind reading or sharing thoughts or sharing feelings or that kind of thing with wangxian. I was thinking of something maybe funny like lwj and wwx just having a silent conversation while everyone else wonders why they’re staring like that at the other, but something more serious is welcome too!
Thanks a lot!!!!
Hope Dangling by a String by KouriArashi (M, 70k, wangxian, canon divergence, fix-it, everyone lives, angst w happy ending, hurt/comfort, psychic bond, telepathy, communication, emotional/psychological abuse, jiang family feels, lan family feels, canon-typical violence, canon-typical politics, improper use of sacred forehead ribbons, gratuitous hair washing)
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13. itmf for fics where JC and LWJ become (or are already) friends
Jiang Cheng and Lan Wangji being bros series by JiangChengLotus (Mostly T, 99k, JC & LWJ, wangxian, JC/LXC)
Time Kept Flowing by notoneforreality (T, 201k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Grief/Mourning, major character death is wwx, who comes back, Family, Autistic LWJ, Kid Fic, JC and LWJ raise the kids, Co-parenting is hard, Emotional Hurt/Comfort)
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14. Good day! I hope you’re having a great time. So ahmm, can you recommend me fics where one character (like wwx or jwy) reincarnated/isekai in a novel they read and then became the side/main/outsider character in that novel? (Preferly if they tried to change things in the novel but I do not mind if there is a scenario where they tried to avoid being involved in novel’s storyline but still get involve lmao)
Any pairings will do as long as the idea was like that.
thank you so much!
Heart of gold by Yuqiyuqi (M, 4k, wangxian, historical fantasy, modern WWX, transmigrator WWX, arranged marriage, fluff & angst, slow burn, happy ending, WIP)
Reincarnated as the Prince’s Omega and He Wants to Make a Baby With Me!? by raviollialienking (M, 11k, wangxian, isekai, ABO, arranged marriage, alpha LWJ, omega WWX, mpreg, masturbation, frottage, WIP)
Dramaturgy by slex (slexenskee) (T, 62k, wangxian, canon divergence, isekai, modern WWX, bisexual disaster WWX, fix-it, WIP)
Round One GO! by kat8cha (M, 12k, wangxian, video game world au, always different sex au, fighting game, trans character, fem LWJ, fem WWX, hijinks & shenanigans, incense burner, LWJ has YLLZ kink)
Reincarnated as the Novel's Villain by hishirin (Not rated, 28k, JC/LXC, JYL/JZX, wangxian, isekai, reincarnation, medieval au, villainess au, athlete JC, slow burn, knight JC, wizard WWX, crown prince LXC, enemies to friends to lovers, prince LWJ)
transmigration for dummies by magnvseffect (T, 14k, LJY/LSZ, canon divergence, scum villain au, transmigrator LJY, humor, implied/referenced character death, WIP)
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15. Hey, I'm looking for fics about the older siblings being friends and teasing/commiserating over their younger siblings? Like mingjue, xichen, yanli, and wen qing as a friend group. Shanastoryteller's modern school au sort of has the right vibe but isn't entirely there
Thanks! @captainkaithr
Give a Little Love by westiec (T, 12k, JYL/NMJ/LXC/WQ, WangXian, NHS/JC/WN, MM/QS, XuanLi, 3Zun, Modern with Magic, Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Polyamory, Miscommunication, Mentioned JGS, Humor, Slice of Life, Family Drama, WWX's Canon Obliviousness, sword fights, Getting Together, Good Sibling JZX, Apology Dumplings, Nonbinary NHS, the Mortifying Ordeal of Friends and Family, [Podfic] Give a Little Love by RevolutionaryJo)
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16. hi! can you suggest me any juniors (trio/quartet) time travel, where these juniors meet young wangxian?
also, i hope you can recommend me other fics related to junior + wangxian as well! thankyou <3 @oceanfl0wer
unhappy stories with happy endings by Last_for_Hell (M, 30k, wangxian, the junior quartet, watching some memories not the whole series, hurt/comfort, panic attacks, references to torture, PTSD) not time travel, but the juniors see memories of younger wangxian
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17. Any fics of ghost wei ying in ghost city?
Teatime with the Dead by Winxhelina (T, 6k, wangxian, ghost city, ghost WWX, love confessions, kisses, happy ending, fluff & angst)
💖 The Red Ribbon by Xiao_Hua (M, 20k, wangxian, hualian, ghost city, cultivation partners, immortality, fluff, supreme ghost king WWX)
Can we skip to the Good Part? by pink-lotus-pods (Waterlogged_fireflies) (T, 107k, hualian, wangxian, crossover, YLLZ WWX, slow build, canon temporary character death, Fix-It of sorts, panic attacks, suicidal thoughts, genius WWX)
Faithless by RohanBerry (M, 46k, wangxian, hualian, god LWJ, ghost WWX, dark LWJ, protective LWJ, friendship, pining, angst w happy ending, slow burn, WIP)
Waxing Moon Officer by Sal13 (T, 11k, WIP, WangXian, Minor HuaLian, Minor MianQing, Crossover, Ghost WWX, WWX in WWX's Body, Hurt WWX, Suicidal WWX, Amnesia, Deity HX, Lotus Pier worships HX, WWX Is Good With Children, WWX Has a Fear of Dogs, Oblivious WWX, BAMF WWX)
Wei Wuxian and Ghost City Series by Flower0018 (Not Rated, 6k, HC & WWX, YLLZ WWX, Ghost WWX, Canonical Character Death, Ghost City, HC-Centric, Light Angst)
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If you didn’t get an answer to your ask here, don’t forget to make use of @mdzs-kinkmeme and MDZS KINK MEME on Dreamwidth. Authors actually do use them for ideas. You may get what you order!***Your prompt doesn’t have to be kink! Fluff, crack, whatever - it’s all good!***
#wangxian#mdzs#wangxian fic recs#i'm in the mood for a fic#the untamed#wangxian fic search#wangxianficfinder#long post
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JHS- TWISTED FEELINGS (14)
Summary: After working at an award show for 2 years everything had become normal, idols were no longer exciting to see, performances became dull and every day blended together, that was until an unexpected man asked for your help.
Warning: mentions of stalking
A/N: I started university im writing this on the train home after I woke up at 4 am (currently 7:30pm) I have had 2 hours sleep and I’m drained I literally forced this out of my brain sorry if it sucks. I appreciate you.
Ch.13 | MasterList | Ch.15
It took three hours for them to pry the doors open and help lift you out. You weren’t completely at the 5th floor, you’d dropped between the 5th and the 4th so the gap to escape was small, you had caught your hip on the door leaving a nasty cut and you were sure that you had a few bruises but thankfully nothing too serious.
The on-hand medical team rushed to Hoseok and Yoongi first, both of whom escaped unharmed with a scratch or two to their hands. You were about to ask them to check you over when Yoongi was already whispering to Sejin, you had no doubt it was about the stalker when his eyes fell on you, a mix of both surprised and confused.
He called you over and you did your best to walk normally, your hip felt as though it was on fire but you ignored it. Of course, there were bigger issues than your measly injuries, regardless of how much they hurt.
“I think we should go to my office.” Sejin cleared his throat, eyeing both you and Yoongi before tutting and turning around his frame becoming further away as he walks away. Yoongi was closely behind him and you were dragging your feet as you followed the pair.
Even under the circumstances you rather liked Sejin's office, the little Knick knacks, plants, random signed albums and photographed achievements scattered around the room made it feel homely. The office was similar to the members’ personal studious just without the music equipment, there was a desk, a couch, and a table. Every room in the building seemed to be made for comfort, as though the staff were always there and needed a place to relax.
“So, Yoongi-ah has said there is a stalker. Please explain.” He sighs, rubbing his temples.
You wince a little as you shift your weight onto your other leg, a failed attempt at reducing the pain you felt over your side. You recounted the story, of how the stalking started, how it continued all up to this current point.
Sejin looked at you, as though analysing to determine the weight of your explanation before he huffed and pulled his glasses off, dropping them on the desk with a thud. “What am I supposed to do here YN? The second I bring this to the senior board they are going to want you out.”
“I know.” You swallowed the lump in your throat. “I don’t want to be the reason anyone gets put in danger. I understand that this is bigger than me and I’m okay wi-“
“Absolutely not.” Hoseok burst into the room, opening the door with a thud. “She’s just as much a victim here.”
“Yes but she’s currently the target, I can’t guarantee your safety if there’s a stalker walking around,” Sejin argued.
You understood where he was coming from, you truly did, but you were equally as thankful for Hoseok defending you. You hadn’t missed the way yoongis frown deepened when Sejin had mentioned letting you go.
It was comforting if nothing else.
“I can give you a good recommendation for another employer if that helps but I don’t see a way I can guarantee everyone’s safety.”
“Her contract protects her too.” Yoongi mumbled.
“What?” Hoseok asked, leaning over to hear better.
“She signed a contract, I’ve seen the employee contracts. She has just as much right to protection as any artists do, she didn’t exactly ask to be stalked.”
“Yoongi-ssi I understand what you’re saying but we also have clauses that allow us to terminate employment should it become an issue between artists and staff.”
“And it’s not an issue,” Hoseok spoke before you could even open your mouth.
Sejin sighed, leaning back in his seat. “What are you saying?”
“I'm saying that it’s not an issue. All the members will agree.” Hoseok was firm but you very much doubted that they would all agree on risking their privacy for you.
“If we were to all agree, could she keep her job?” Yoongi asked, shooting Hoseok a look you could t decipher.
Sejina frowned smoothed out. “I guess, if you all refuse another staff member I wouldn’t have much choice and neither would the board but I’d have to call a meeting and hear your opinions individually.”
“I don’t want to cause all this trouble.” You look between the three men in the room. “I understand and I’m not mad. I’ll accept the consequences and I want to make an apology to the rest of the members for hiding something that could have severely affected their lives.” You made to stand, too embarrassed to deal with the situation when a knock on the door stops you.
“Come in.” Sejin calls out. You recognise namjoons hair before you see his face. “Namjoon-ssi?”
“Hobi texted me. I thought as the leader I should be here.” He pressed his lips together, clearly unsure what to do.
“Take a seat Namjoon-ssi.” Sejin nods towards the set of empty chairs against the wall, Hoseok sits beside him. “Hoseok would like for you all to agree against us terminating our contract with YN.”
“Hoseok texted me the details, I just don’t agree with the idea of firing someone who has been an innocent party subjected to the very thing you hope to protect us from.” Finally, all the raving on Naver you’d seen about Namjoon being the best leader made sense, he carried himself well.
“So you and the other members are willing to accept the risks that come with keeping YN employed?” Sejin challenged.
“We aren’t accepting risks, we are accepting YN as a member of our staff and we are accepting that the company will deal with the risks without firing anyone.” Namjoon reaffirms.
You kept quiet, staring at a spot on the desk, unsure what to say or do. “Okay, I’ll talk to the board and call a meeting. Namjoon-ssi if you could call the others it would be a great help.”
Sejin leaves the room, hand in clutch, leaving you alone with the three members. You cleared your throat. “Thank you all for defending me but really I don’t want to put you all in danger.”
“You’re not putting us in danger if anything the company should have been protecting you better from the day you started working here.” Hoseok protests.
“I can’t thank you all enough.” You mustered as bright a smile as possible. “I will really be okay if the others don’t agree with it, this is more than enough.”
“Do you want to lose your job?” Yoongi asked, resting his chin on his hand.
“No, of course not Yoongi-ssi.” You shook your head, that was the last thing you wanted.
“Then accept the help, it’s fine. We enjoy working with you, especially Hoba and Jungkook.” Yoongi sighed.
You couldn’t help but look towards Hoseok, the man just giving you a small smile. “Okay, I’m grateful.” You smiled back.
“Why didn’t you tell anyone sooner?” Namjoon asked, pocketing his phone. You guessed he had just finished texting the others seeing as Sejin had asked him to contact them.
“I was scared. I didn’t want to burden anyone with it and I was scared someone would hurt my parents.” The words tasted bitter on your tongue, in all honesty, those worries were only amplified now the secret was out. Not to mention the pain in your hip making everything worse but of course, you couldn’t say anything about that no. Especially since everyone is already going above board to help you. “I’m sorry for hiding something that could have affected you.”
“What made you tell someone today?” Yoongi asked his time.
“I didn’t want to die in that elevator and my friend be hurt and my parents alone, unable to defend themselves, though I doubt whoever it is would continue to pursue my family if I was to die. They seem to want me away from you.”
“It wouldn’t be the craziest thing to happen.” Hoseok shrugged, the lack of surprise on their faces made you wonder just how badly they have been treated by supposed fans.
“Do you think they know where you live?” Hoseok mumbles.
“Yeah, they knew my parents’ address and that would have been harder to find than mine.” You had accepted it the second NaRae had told you about the photos. “It’s okay though.”
“Does your apartment have security?” Namjoon wonders.
You rub the back of your neck, chuckling. “Uh…no?”
“You’ll have to move then.” He sighs. “The company can help with that.”
“Oh no seriously, it's fine.” You reassured themed unable to exactly say you needed to live there due to the discounted rent.
“The company has helped house staff before. They have contracts with apartment buildings that ensure privacy and security. If one of us ever comes to your apartment no one will know. If it makes you feel better think that it’s more for our safety than yours and because you’re a staff member that we will be with continuously, especially since Nicole may be leaving.
You already knew whatever contracts they had were for apartments way out of your affordability range. “That’s a really kind offer but I can’t accept that.”
“Why?” Hoseok frowns. “That’s the only way it’s safe for all of us. Someone could break into your apartment and attack you. What if I dropped you to your apartment and someone followed me? They would know my address.”
You pursed your lips, sighing when you couldn’t think of a response. “I didn’t think about that. I just don’t think it will be possible to…” you trail off, not wanting to explain why.
“Is it about your dad?” Hoseok asks. “I can make sure it’s somewhere close, closer even, and a car can pick you up. It’s no different than the taxis you take every day.”
Although you felt happier at the idea of being closer to your parents, especially since your dad's heart attack, you wouldn’t be able to afford it. You’d rented the place through a friend, it wasn’t the most expensive because you’d been given a discount and in all honesty, it was a nice apartment. “It’s not so much that, the place I have now it’s good, it’s secure. I already have a lease.”
You could break your lease, it was non-conditional but they didn’t know that.
“I’ll pay for it to be broken.” Hoseok offered, earning a glaring look from Yoongi. “It’s not safe there, if money is the issue then I’ll help, the company will cover some.”
“Hoseok-ah maybe you’re overstepping.” Yoongi softened his tone.
“I can’t and won’t accept that.” You had never accepted financial help and you definitely weren’t about to. “I can make it work financially.” You lied.
“The company can help you break your lease, so don’t worry about that,” Namjoon reassured you, taking some weight off of your shoulders.
You’d make it work, even if it meant cutting back and getting a second job. Maybe you could tutor kids? You had a few things you could sell and you had a small portion of savings that you could direct to paying whatever rent you needed to cover. “Okay, I’ll do it.”
Hoseok broke out in a smile, one that almost made you forget how dangerous and stressful things were.
The door opened, and Sejin stepped inside. His hair was a little dishevelled as though he had been running his hands through it. “The board has agreed to have a meeting.” He looked towards Namjoon. “Did you manage to contact the other members?”
“Yes, Jungkook and Taehyung are just finishing up some vocal practice, Jimin is on his way and Seokjin Hyung is just finishing a life.” Namjoon recited.
“We can move this to a bigger room, a few board members want to weigh in. The security team too.” Sejin held the door open, an indication for everyone to leave. “It’s room 382.”
“I know where it is. I remember it from the meeting last week I’ll take us there.” Hoseok takes the lead, you fall behind the others trying not to limp as a dull pain throbs through your leg.
You had already ruled out taking an elevator for the rest of your life so you were both thankful and internally groaning when Hoseok led the way to the staircase, your hip not liking the idea of stairs very much.
Sejin and Hoseok were talking amongst themselves as they took their seats at the table, you lingered in the doorway before Hoseok pointed to the seat beside himself.
You felt awkward as people flocked into the room, firstly the members, someone you were sure was Bang PD and one of the heads of the security team. The members walked in one at a time, taehyung a few minutes behind jimin, Jungkook coming after Seokjin. They all settled down after a few hellos.
“Right, this is a little bit of a situation isn’t it?” The man at the head of the table laughed, you managed a small smile.
That was definitely Bang Si-Hyuk. “Once again I went to apologise for causing all this trouble.” You look between the faces at the table, wanting them to understand your sincerity.
“These things happen, it’s not something we cause ourselves. We have dealt with far worse so let’s not ponder on any more unnecessary apologies.” Bang Si-Hyuk spoke.
“We all agree that we want YN-ssi to keep her job despite the possible security risks,” Jungkook added.
Both Taehyung and Jimin nodded along with him in agreement, Seokjin however did not. “Are we sure about this?”
Everyone turned to him, Yoongi and Hoseok both looking thoroughly confused. “What do you mean Hyung?”
“YN-ssi hasn’t worked here long and although I’m sure some of you have formed friendships I’m sure they could be maintained outside of work but this is our entire career, our lives, our family's lives in danger of being exposed. Taehyung-ah, Namjoon-ah, do you really want your siblings to be exposed? There’s already images floating around of my parents and I don’t know if I can risk any more.”
Once again, you couldn’t find yourself angry or upset. You had a family to protect too.
“It won’t come to that.” The man from the security department intervened. Minhyung was his name, you were sure. “We have a few options for secured housing, we will be installing scanners into the public spaces in the building to detect photography. Whoever takes any pictures without consent from the other party will be called in for a meeting and from now on a designated car will take YN to and from work. We cannot do anything outside of this as we are still limited but anything work-related we can protect. Social media monitoring will be increased in anticipation of any backlash or further threats. Any private information that is leaked will be removed instantly. As the situation is only small scale we are able to prevent it from escalating.” He finishes with a smile to both you and Seokjin.
Thankfully, the singer seems pleased with this and agrees. “Okay, then I agree.”
“Great. We will have to Increase your personal security too for a while.”
There’s a series of groans from a few members.
“I know.” Bang Si-hyuk interrupts. “But it’s better to be safe than sorry so no outside dates, if you want to just inform the security team and they can coordinate something, no wandering alone in populated places, and keep any identifiable marks covered.” He lists.
“So you mean my tattoos?” Jungkook pouts. “I hate covering them.”
“I’m-“ you start but he holds up a hand.
“Don’t finish that, please. One time we had to be herded around in the middle of the night by security to another hotel because of someone.” He gives a pointed look at Jimin. “Leaked our hotel.”
“Hey, that’s not fair.” The other rolls his eyes. “It was a camera slip.”
“Tell that to hyungs dribble pillow.” Jungkook snickered.
Seokjin slapped the younger on the arm. “If you ever want me to make you any form of food ever again don’t ever bring that up.”
“Hey YN-ssi,” Taehyung called your attention. “Do you know about Seokjin Hyung's dribble pillow?”
You shook your head, teeth nibbling into your lip to stifle a laugh at the interaction between the group. “No, I haven’t.”
“Basically after Jiminie here leaked our hotel room security woke us at 1 am to move hotels but Seokjin Hyung hadn’t been sleeping and had a cold so he was breathing with his mouth open, he was so tired in the car he laid on Yoongi Hyung and literally soaked his shoulder in spit.” Taehyung laughed, instantly standing up to dodge the pillow Seokjin had thrown at him.
“That was private!” He huffs, slumping back in his chair. “Sorry, you have to witness this YN-so. They have no home training.”
“But…” Jungkook leaned forward. “…hyung you kind of like raised me when I moved from Busan so does that mean YOU have no home training?”
“Are we done here?” Seokjin asks Bang Si-Hyuk. Completely disregarding a laughing Jungkook.
“As long as you all agree to the security rules. YN-ssi I’ll need you to stay behind to discuss apartments with the security team. The rest of you are free to go.” He dismisses, settling in his seat.
“Are you going to be okay?” Hoseok called over to you.
You gave him a smile nodding, you felt better discussing apartments without the members there. Maybe then you could explain financially you had to be careful. “I’ll be okay, please go and do whatever you need to.”
“Find me after okay? I’d like to talk to you?” He asked.
“I will.” You smiled again, this time a little more real. It always made you feel good when people wanted to spend time with you, loneliness was an easy emotion to experience and it made you feel like less of a burden when someone asked you to spend time with them.
“Okay.” He accepted your promise, flocking out of the room behind the other members. All of them budding you with some sort of goodbye.
“So Yn-ssi. We have made a list of apartments all in different areas and price ranges. They are probably more than what you’re paying now but they are closer to your parents’ address. I hope you don’t mind we pulled it from the emergency contact that you listed on your employee details.” The security lead passed you a small packet of papers, each page containing information and images of different apartments.
You looked through it at bang PDs assurance that there was no rush. The rent on every apartment was over your budget but some were better than the others. It wouldn’t be as difficult as you presumed to cover it, you’d have to get another job but it would be manageable. You’d settled on a two-bedroom apartment, it was a huge upgrade from what you already had. The addition of 24-hour security and a front desk with a 24-hour attendant made you feel drastically better. You could always convince your parents to stay at yours now you had the spare room and if they didn’t want to then you were much closer to them and could see them daily.”
You informed the pair of your decision and Bang PD has explained that he would contact them and arrange for you to sign the papers in person within the week. Thankfully the meeting passed without any issue, wrapping up some minutes later after finalising some smaller details. “Thank you for going to such great lengths to keep me safe. I can’t explain how grateful I am but I promise to be an employee that works hard.” You bid them both goodbye, the meeting feeling far less formal and awkward than you had thought it would be.
Once you were away from the room you pulled out your phone texting Hoseok.
You: I finished the meeting. Where are you?
JHS: my studio, door is open. 😊
You pocketed your phone, thankfully remembering how to get to his studio from this floor of the building with there only being one flight of stairs between them.
The door was propped open by a small figurine, you pushed it open, a little taken aback to see Hoseok and Seokjin sitting on the small couch.
“Yn-ssi.” The eldest stood to greet you, a look of what could only be deciphered as a concern in his eyes.
“Seokjin-ssi.” You bowed back to him before turning to Hoseok. “Hoseok-ssi.”
“It’s still okay for you to be informal with me if you’re comfortable. I promise no one will be upset about it.” Hoseok reassures, clearly noticing the way you had been switching to a more formal conversation whenever others had been present.
In your defence, you did have a job to protect and unprofessionalism is never rewarded.
“Please don’t feel like you have to be uncomfortable because of me,” Seokjin interjects.
“Oh no of course not.” You rush to explain. “I just didn’t want anyone to feel as though I was being unprofessional.”
“Everyone here is pretty informal. The longer you’re here the more comfortable things feel so it feels weird to talk so formally after a while. Usually when cameras are on we maintain it but we have staff that’s been here since we made our debut and they have become like family.” Hoseok shrugs, taking the worry away from you slightly.
“Okay then, I’ll try to be less formal with you Hoseok-ssi.”
“Oppa.” he argued.
You hear seokjin stifle a laugh as he resumes his seat on the couch.
“Okay.” You smile.
“Okay?” Hoseok asks again.
“Yes.” You nod.
“Yes?” He questions, his voice higher towards the end.
“Yes oppa.” You laugh, finally giving in.
“Great.” He claps his hands. “Now.” He turns to Seokjin.
“Please sit.” He motions to the chair placed opposite the couch.
You accept the seat, sitting more so on your side to prevent weight from falling upon your hip. “Is everything okay?”
“I wanted to apologise. I just worry about the protection of those closest to me. I didn’t think about how you too were risking people you cared about by coming to the company and telling them.” Seokjin's voice holds a sincerity that throws you off guard.
“Please don’t apologise.” You start. “I have people to protect yes but you also deserve privacy and to be honest in that elevator I was scared not just for my parents and my friends but for you all. Although I’m sure if I did die it probably would have been forgotten.”
“Don’t say such things.” He scolded. “It was a selfish thought of me to ignore that you were stalked in favour of taking care of those I thought to be worth more. I can admit my mistakes YN-ssi. Please accept my apology.”
You hadn’t expected to be given such an apology when you yourself could completely understand just why he had questioned the idea initially. “It’s all forgiven, please don’t feel bad about this I completely understand.”
“You’re a good person.” Seokjin declares. Hoseok hummed in agreement.
“Thank you Seokjin-ssi.” You don’t truly believe his words but still, it’s nice to hear.
“So…” he leans back. “How are you feeling after the elevator thing this morning?”
You and Hoseok send a grimace to one another, a look of fear and dread that only you can understand, the frown on your face thanks to the new pain in your hip.
The week was only just coming to an end and it was already far too long.
#bts smut#bts x reader#bts#hoseok x reader#hoseok drabble#hoseok smut#bts fanfiction#bts au#bts angst#bts fluff#bts comfort#hoseok angst#hoseok fluff#bts hoseok#jhope x reader#bts jhope#jhope comfort#jungkook x reader#jimin x reader#seokjin x reader#namjoon x reader#yoongi x reader#taehyung x reader#taehyung smut#Jungkook smut#yoongi smut#Namjoon smut#jimin smut#seokjin smut#hoseok comfort
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Happy #MellyMonday
Time for another commission blog. This time it is Hero Melia from @chascobyart . Please enjoy this exclusive Tumblr version of the art.
I've talked about Chascoby before, but I think he really improved on his craft in the past year. And this Melia and background is no different. It is amazing!
It started when he had commissions opened up back in September, which is when I wanted some of the artists I previously commissioned to draw Hero Melia (this is when the floodgates started opening up last year). I asked him for a Hero Melia, and agreed. He was especially excited to do her right away because he just finished Xenoblade 3 not too long before he opened commissions.
I asked Chasco to do a full-body complex color with a dynamic pose. Adding her wings with her floating in the air similar to one of her idle animations in Xenoblade 3. As well as have her at the garden on top of Keves Castle. I originally wanted her on the bedroom balcony, but Chasco said it was a bit too crowded for what he wanted to do. Which I was fine with because I wanted to give him a lot if freedom with the commission.
His sketch and lineart are just fantastic as usual. And when you especially look at the lineart on Melia's face, you can tell how well it was sculpted there.
This Melia is ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS! Her face and body structure is great. I loved how he colored in Melia's boots and the wings gorgously. Whenever I look at this Melia again, I just remember the amazing feeling I felt when I saw her face when she is battle ready.
Chascoby rarely takes commissions these days, but still has made plenty of great art lately. I highly recommend checking out if you can.
Anyways, thanks everyone again for reading this blog all the way to the end. Tune in next week where we show Hero Melia with a cute expression on her face. See you then!
#melly monday#melia xenoblade#melia#melia antiqua#xenoblade#art commissioned by me#fanart#artists on tumblr#commission blog#xenoblade chronicles 3#xc3 spoilers
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Hey!
So I’ve been so busy I haven’t had a chance to post about hitting 1000 followers! Ahh thankyouuu! When I first made this account over 4 years ago now I remember really wanting to hit 1000 followers but feeling like that was so far fetched, so it feels very special to have finally reached this many of you.
I love the follower milestone celebrations that editors do in this fandom where they make little ask games that are usually related to edit requests, and I wanted to do something similar. Unfortunately I do not have the skillset to make edits so this is gonna be way less cool lol, but here’s my little ask game to celebrate 1k:
Send me one of the these as an ask and I will respond as follows:
🍄: I will take a look at your blog and tell you which Taylor Swift song or lyric I feel matches the vibe of your blog
🌸: I will shuffle my liked songs on Spotify and give you a song recommendation based on the first song that plays in the shuffle
✍️ + your favourite taylor swift song: I will tell you my favourite lyric from your favourite taylor song (I’m also open to people sending in their fave songs from other artists that I will likely know - I listen to Phoebe Bridgers, lorde, Olivia Rodrigo, mitski, boygenius, frank ocean etc - just all the sad girl artists you get the gist)
Gonna tag some mutuals below (sorry to any mutuals I forget!) but anyone is welcome to join in and send an ask so please reblog to share the fun! Thanks so much for 1k, this really is a little milestone for me and I’m excited to have finally completed this goal ❤️
@buildingacastlewithswift @barbie2023 @addressingtheletters @self-made-cages @andtosaturn @ts1989fanatic @locketnote @imhereonthekitchenfloor @iwantsweetrevenge @tisthedamnseasns @yourheartbeatonthehighline @loveisbraveandwild @w0nderland @lightpinksky @hozierswift @keeps-you-guessing @sweeterxfiction @camelotsbi @icanseeuslostinthememory @rhaegalsblog @iftye @peakatseven @littleoblivions @fearlesstaylorsversion @tshifty @pharmaswift @fatisapositiveword @loveaffairmaimyou @changinforthebetter @chiara-swiftiedreamer13 @sidewalkschalk @taylorftparamore @wildestdream @soscarlet-itwasmaroon @sadbeautifutragic @lovewithoutresin @sophisticatedswifts @hygtgtaylorsversion @mirroball @egyptianswifty @just-rogi @singlethread
#1k followers!#jemma follower count#jemma milestone#jemma’s favourites#taylor swift#ask game#swifties
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Taku and Madarame: To Heal and To Hurt
Before we get to anything, please know that I am not reading anyone for filth here. Everything I wrote for this meta is based on what the visual novel showed us and what I have observed from the visual novel, but it’s still difficult to talk about anything involving a certain character without it sounding like I’m bashing them.
Now, to start, I want to show you all this fanart (source here), which I find fascinating.
(Note: I highly recommend that you check out the rest of this artist’s work. Plenty of great TakuTowa fanart for all lovers of the pairing.)
I am promoting the fanart above because it effectively shows how Taku and Madarame are effective foils of each other. I already made a similar post before about Taku also serving as a good foil to another character (Sakaki). This post is going to be like that one, but this one is explained in greater detail; though both posts have the same goal: to compare and contrast.
Of course, be warned of the following:
Before you read any further, there will be spoilers, and I mean plenty of them, so I advise you not to read this if you haven’t completed the visual novel and want to complete it whilst blind.
What you will see under the “Read More” will be long, and I mean really long and possibly incomprehensible with all my rambling, so brace yourselves.
Every narration from the game is rephrased so that it reads in third-person, which is how it’s supposed to read in the original version. This is done to help with maintaining objectivity as I explain and point out things.
If you want to read this in a different platform, the meta is also available for reading on Google docs.
How Long They’ve Known Towa
To start with something simple: out of Towa’s four love interests, Taku and Madarame are the only ones who personally knew Towa for a long time. Sure, Rei may technically count as well since he knew Towa since middle school, but he and Towa never interacted until they were already full-fledged adults. Towa didn’t even realize that he and Rei attended the same school until Rei pointed it out in his route.
Taku knew Towa since he was a child, since he was assigned as Towa’s physician. As such, he was the one who would patch up Towa’s wounds or check on him when he falls ill (both of which are thanks to Maya’s “loving” care). After Maya’s death, although Taku is not legally assigned as Towa’s guardian, he still helped look after Towa for the longest time, which they both acknowledge.
Towa and Madarame were also joined at the hip when Towa was in his teenage years and was still an active member of the Takasato-gumi. The two were basically friends with benefits, though the ‘friends’ part in the term is questionable. They often slept together because they gave each other the violence and pleasure the other wanted, and they often hung out (with Kaga) but that’s about it.
In the common route, in what seems like a simple scene where people are having lunch at Yanagawa Café, we are already given an idea of what kind of relationship Towa has with both Taku and Madarame at present.
Relationship with Towa
(as established by the beginning of the common route)
Taku is the very first love interest to show up. How is he introduced? Fussing over Towa and getting exasperated with him, while also subtly showing concern for him. They also occasionally hang out together outside work hours, which establishes that they’re on friendly terms. Even then, there’s the kind of distance between them where while they get along, they’re not so close that they share all their secrets.
Towa would never know the real Taku, nor would Taku ever know the real Towa. Even though they had known each other for years, it didn’t mean they understood everything about each other.
As for Madarame, as far as Towa knows, the man died years ago. If Madarame’s route isn’t taken, Towa will keep thinking that, especially since he no longer has any positive feelings for Madarame and would prefer to forget about him entirely. We don’t know why yet, since until after his route is unlocked, Madarame remains shrouded in mystery. Nevertheless, Towa’s disdain for him is made clear.
As it happened, Towa knew the person they were gossiping about. A lot about him, in fact. […] But Towa would rather not remember him, and thus avoided thinking about his name or his face.
Conflict with Toono
Until Fujieda’s route proved otherwise, the fact that Toono actively plays the role of the villain in both Taku and Madarame’s routes baited us all into thinking that he’s the only one who’s really out to give the cast trouble, and it’s not hard to see why.
Taku owes Toono a great debt because it’s only due to the latter’s financial assistance (even though it was provided to Taku with an ulterior motive) that Taku was able to become a doctor. Even though he despises Toono and hates doing the jobs assigned to him by the Takasato-gumi because it goes against his morals, the fact that Toono aided him is something he cannot deny. Of course, Toono takes advantage of this, and even deliberately adds fuel to the fire by getting Towa involved when he notices that Taku is getting increasingly reluctant to make the drugs that Toono wants to distribute around Shinkoumi. This is what sets up the conflict and the main plot for Taku’s route.
This aside, Toono is also the reason why Kaga died and why Towa lost his right eye, even though in the latter case, the bullet was meant for Madarame. Even then, Madarame still got wounded, yet the entire night was chaotic enough for the Takasato-gumi to give up on looking for his corpse and just claim that Madarame was dead. Madarame may deny that he’s out for revenge, but this is contradicted by him saying that “[Kaga] didn’t have to die.” This means that Madarame is out to settle the score with the syndicate, especially with Toono, and the climax of Madarame’s route even covers his blood debt finally being repaid.
Another obvious point of comparison is how they deal with Toono. Both are given the opportunity to point a gun right at Toono and end him then and there. Both wouldn’t have hesitated to pull the trigger. Except that while Madarame - dead-set in his revenge - aims straight for the heart, Taku changes his aim at the last minute. Not because he hesitated, but because he - in his words - refuses to play by the other’s games and stoop down to man’s level for another second.
This alone shows how Taku and Madarame are fundamentally different people.
Personality (Indetermination vs. Certainty)
How different Taku and Madarame are is reflected in both how they’re introduced and what the player learns about them in full by the end of their respective routes. And in both cases, they’re always like yin and yang.
At the start of the game, Taku is established as someone who looks out for Towa’s well-being. While he’s exasperated with some of Towa’s tendencies (like being late for work and preferring to ingest nicotine and alcohol over actual food and water), he never tries to outright interfere…. unless you play his route, where his protectiveness starts to really rear its head, which puts him and Towa at odds with each other.
As you progress further into Taku’s story, both you and Towa realize that Taku is far more fractured than he appears, and this can be traced to his mother’s death, something Taku has been beating himself up for to this very day. What doesn’t help as of late is his debt to Toono, which starts to actively threaten his day-to-day life; and it even gets Towa endangered due to the latter’s association with Taku.
It’s then that as Towa tries to figure out what’s going on in Taku’s mind, he starts to realize the man’s greatest flaw. What is that? Taku always wavers, no matter the kind of decision and no matter who it involves, be it something about himself or about someone else. Because he always fears the worst-case scenario and is never sure whether he’s truly doing the right thing. More often than not, he’s not even certain of his own intentions. This has something to do with the guilt he harbors towards his mother’s demise. He fears that even if he does everything, it won’t be enough, and that holds him back. Even after he finally makes his resolve about his situation with Toono, he hasn’t completely gotten rid of his flaw in the drama CD, and Towa has to force him to make up his mind once and for all after confronting him about how he’s at it again.
From what is heard of Madarame, almost everyone just talks about how freakishly strong he is or how he’s supposed to be dead. While we can only guess what kind of person he may be (at the time), those conversations alone are enough to tell us that he carries a very imposing presence.
Once we finally see him, you realize that - besides the part where he supposedly died - everything else the others say about him aren’t an exaggeration. The man really is imposing, and his strength may as well be inhuman. He possesses an indomitable will and is the kind of person who will do what he wants to do, wherever and whenever he wants, and however he wants.
And remember the title of his chapter: Immutable. Never yielding, never changing– which is Madarame’s character in a nutshell. How can he be like this? Because Madarame doesn’t have any mental or emotional issues. There’s no deep-seated scar that Towa has to find, and this is reflected in the Interrogation since Madarame is the only one where the opposite approach has to be taken to get the good ending.
Taku and Rei are able to grow and heal if the right choices are made, and while Fujieda never gets subjected to an Interrogation since he’s able to resolve his issues by himself, he undergoes a development nevertheless and still reflects on himself. But as Towa observes, Madarame has never changed since years ago, and even at the end of the route, he’s still the same person that we saw him as from the start. He had not changed, and he never will change; hence why immutability is rooted into his very being.
Violence (Avoidance vs. Gratification)
Taku is a doctor and he pursued such a profession because he wants to save lives, as compensation for the life he wanted to save most yet was ultimately unable to. Naturally, he regards both life and death with grave seriousness and never regards it in a flippant manner, which makes him worry often for Towa, who couldn’t care less what happens to him.
On the other hand, Madarame may as well be violence incarnate—he lives and breathes to fight and carries a lust for blood. If he faces an obstacle, he’ll metaphorically and literally punch his way through said obstacle. And to him, life and death is nothing more than a game, a gamble, and he finds more fun in the challenge than in the outcome.
Now as for how this affects their approach with Towa…
Taku never does much to protest Towa’s stints whenever the latter pursues his artistic hobbies, but it doesn’t mean he likes seeing Towa either hurting himself or getting himself hurt, and he does make his displeasure known every once in a while by commenting on Towa’s wounds. Towa even remembers one time from some years ago, when Taku was absolutely furious after seeing Towa at the brink of death when an encounter with a potential model went awry.
Not to mention, there’s the way Taku treats Towa during sex. No matter what, Taku refuses to give Towa the rough treatment. At most, he will kiss and caress Towa’s scars, but no more than that. He even tells Towa that he knows his masochism is no more than a means to castigate himself. As such, Taku refuses to indulge in that, because he wants Towa to know that he’s worthy of being loved and cherished in a healthy way and that he can still feel pleasure through gentle and affectionate touches.
On the other hand, Madarame wants Towa to embrace the violence inside him and to live for violence, whether Towa inflicts it or receives it. He doesn’t mind Towa’s masochism and even seeks to indulge in it and to even amplify it, if possible. Though one can only wonder if Madarame ever saw the connection between Towa’s penchant for self-harm and the trauma of his childhood, the latter of which he’s hinted to be aware of to some degree, especially since he noticed Towa’s disdain for complete silence.
It also goes without saying that Madarame is the love interest who engages in the roughest and most violent sex with Towa. When Towa was still kept in chains as the other’s captive, Madarame showed his special brand of affection by making Towa bruise and bleed, and even after they properly rekindle their relationship later on, they still enjoy roughing each other up as part of their foreplay.
Unconditional Love vs. Conditional Love
Since he knows enough about what Towa’s childhood was really like, Taku also knows why Towa is the way he is. He knows why Towa indulges in self-destructive habits and why he’s almost completely apathetic to the motions of life. Taku doesn’t like it and the only reason he doesn’t protest too much is because he’s held back by the fear that he may end up accidentally giving away the truth, so he plays it safe by protesting on occasion but never actively trying to interfere (except when he’s certain that Towa may get himself killed).
Even then, in the event that he falls for Towa, all the negatives that he has observed from Towa doesn’t prevent him from having feelings for the other man. In spite of how flawed Towa is, Taku loves him all the same, especially since he understands why Towa is like that. Of course, he wants to help Towa heal (as much as he can at least) and grow out of his love for pain. But this aside, plus the fairly understandable request for Towa to stop sleeping with other men, Taku accepts Towa the way he is now and never asks Towa to conform to an image he has of him. This makes his love qualify more as an unconditional one.
As unorthodox as it is, Madarame’s love for Towa is sincere nonetheless. After all, for the longest time, he thought Towa died the same night Kaga did, and it’s hinted that this did affect Madarame to a degree, especially when he took a close look at Towa’s missing eye. Part of the reason Madarame even came back to Shinkoumi was to reunite with Towa. Madarame may like to make sardonic statements, but it’s obvious when he’s being upfront about his thoughts and feelings without the usual barb. When he tells Towa that he’s all he needs and asks him to not leave again, he meant it.
That being said, he’ll only reach out to Towa if he sees a chance that Towa can return to being the person Madarame last remembered him being. If Madarame thinks that Towa is, in his own words, “too far gone”, he won’t bother anymore and will leave Towa alone. This is why his love still counts as the conditional kind of love. He only loves the Towa that he once knew, but not the Towa that he sees now– which is ironic since Madarame is supposed to be a man who focuses only on the present, not the past.
Towa’s Visage
The only thing that really changes with Towa’s appearance in Rei and Fujieda’s good endings is his attire. On the other hand, in Taku and Madarame's good endings, Towa doesn’t undergo only a wardrobe switch; even the color of his hair changes as well.
Taku’s default appearance has his hair being mostly black in color, though the edges still have traces of the blonde dye that he would put on when he was still a teenager.
In Taku’s Euphoria ending, Towa grows out his hair such that it goes way past his shoulders. The blonde streaks are gone and his hair color is now a full raven black. This represents how his mental state has (even if not completely) gotten better, with his appearance being reminiscent of his younger and more innocent self. He even casts aside his black attire for a white shirt and a blue cardigan, which encapsulates how he’s become more at peace and put-together, and is now able to find contentment with the simple things. While he’s still the same person overall, he no longer seeks out violence nor does he want or need it just to feel something.
Towa also grows out his hair in Madarame’s Euphoria ending, but here, his hair is now blonde once more. Besides that, he also wears a hoodie with a design that makes it obvious to anyone who sees him that he’s feisty and rebellious, there are also the bandages on his lower torso. This reflects how he has become his younger and hotblooded self once more, with his propensity for violence now more active than passive. But since he’s no longer bound to Shinkoumi and his memories in it, he has remodeled both his identity and his love for pain, and he has become someone who always seeks to feel excitement and the rush and thrill of a fight or a beating.
Towa’s Past, and What They Know
Taku knows plenty of sordid details about Towa’s past, but just to be clear, he doesn’t know everything. He has no idea that Sakaki is complicit in Maya’s dastardly plans. Sure, he gets wary whenever Towa gets involved with the Takasato-gumi, but his suspicions are always focused on Toono, in particular. If he even had an inkling about Sakaki, a lot of things would have turned out differently.
If one pays attention to the dialogue in his route, Taku only found out the truth about what Maya was doing to Towa after the “accident” where Maya fell down the stairs. We don’t know how he found out, but it is important to remember that it’s only then that Taku discovered what Towa had actually gone through, and it’s exactly because Taku knows how horrifying Towa’s childhood was, that he does everything he can to keep it hidden from Towa.
If he gets caught in the lie, the most he can do is keep Towa from finding out more. Where Fujieda holds the key that allows Towa to finally unlock the doors where his memories stay hidden and repressed, it’s Taku who tries to keep every other key away from notice and from reach.
While he accuses Taku of being dishonest and secretive, Madarame is the pot calling the kettle black. As revealed in Fujieda’s route, Madarame also knows a lot about Towa’s past, and knows enough that he can even pinpoint to Towa where Euphoria was, so it’s safe to assume that he also knows what happened to Towa during his time in that wretched mansion.
However, what’s interesting with Madarame is that in his own route, he doesn’t tell Towa what he knows; but in Fujieda’s route, he gives Towa a hint.
We already know why Taku opted to not tell Towa anything, On the other hand, we’re left to guess why Madarame changes his gears from saying nothing to dropping some clues. It’s at least obvious that he didn’t do it out of altruism, so that makes it highly likely that he either withdraws or reveals the truth only because he felt he had something to gain from it.
Now, this is just my speculation, but I think he did either with the same goal in mind: to distress Towa in such a way that it will drive a wedge between him and the others. I’ll expound on this later on in another topic.
Taku and Madarame, Mei and Maya
Because I was apprehensive about saying or even analyzing any more about Madarame due to the thought that I might end up coming across as if I’m dragging him, it took until buzzin_buzzard’s tweet for me to fully acknowledge the similarities that could be found between Madarame and Maya, of all people. I summed it up in TV Tropes, but I’ll go into more detail for this meta.
I made a meta from before where I briefly likened Taku to Mei, since they’re both the only figures from Towa’s childhood who showed him kindness and made him feel safe, even if only for a short while. The key difference between Taku and Mei was that Mei knew exactly what Towa was going through (since she was in a similar situation herself) whereas Taku had no idea what was happening at the time. Nevertheless, they were the only two people who were not out to harm Towa, because everyone else hurt him, whether it was intentional or whether it was because they were coerced into the act (i.e. Ikuina and Asakura).
Both also helped throw a wrench in Maya’s plans. Mei told Towa that he had to get away from his mother. Their attempt to escape may have ultimately failed, but that event still left an impact on him because that small taste of freedom allowed him to realize what could be waiting for him beyond the opulent halls of the mansion, and especially because of what he would eventually find out with regards to what Maya did to Mei in retaliation. When Towa learned exactly why Mei died, he summoned the will to defy Maya for the very first (and only) time, and it led to what would eventually be Maya’s demise.
However, just because she died doesn’t mean she’s gone, not with her final order to Sakaki. Unfortunately for both the mastermind and the adjutant, the trauma of the incident stripped Towa of his memories, which waylays their plans. And Taku (unwittingly) makes sure it stays that way by never letting Towa remember his childhood and letting him live in ignorant bliss. Of course, it’s not all good; the damaging trauma of Towa’s childhood had already left his mark, resulting in his hedonistic and masochistic tendencies. Still, without the recollection of his childhood, Maya’s plan is left at an impasse, and it will stay that way in Taku, Rei and Madarame’s routes.
Now, this is the part that I was afraid of talking about the most, but if you take a moment to think about it, Madarame and Maya mirror each other to some degree. Madarame is so physically strong that nothing and no one can beat him, but that’s why he gets bored so easily. Maya was a master manipulator and can control anyone she set her sights on, but deep down, she felt isolated and her psychopathy did nothing to sate her loneliness.
This is where Towa/Haruto steps in.
As Madarame states outright in his route, he feels that only Towa can give him the exhilaration he wants yet can’t find with anything and anyone else, and that only Towa can understand his bloodlust and his love for pain.
You are the only person in the world who I consider my match. You want what I want. You feel what I feel. With you, I'll never be bored. And you feel the same way, don’t you?
With Maya, there is the very fact that she wanted Towa to follow in her footsteps both literally and figuratively. One likely reason is that this is also her way of ensuring that her legacy will go on. Another possible explanation is that Maya believed if there was one other person who acts and thinks the way she did, life won’t be so forlorn anymore.
In her last recorded message: I asked Sakaki to fulfill one last request for me. I asked him to help you find true happiness in my place, and to make sure that you’d become my successor.
Madarame isn’t the most expressive kind of person, but it doesn’t automatically mean he’s as emotionally stunted as Maya was. He just has a very good rein on his emotions, and even if he’s very unconventional about it, his love for Towa (even if it’s only to a certain kind of Towa) is sincere. Maya - even if she could perfectly emulate both affection and tenderness - felt that she could never love, yet believed that she loved Towa as best (worst) as she could. Her brain is undoubtedly wired wrong (and really, really wrong), but her admission is also undoubtedly a genuine one.
And they both express their love in the only way they knew how: violence. Madarame inflicts it directly by making Towa bruise and bleed whether it’s consensual, nonconsensual, or a bit of both, whereas Maya does it indirectly, letting her clients have their way with Towa, regardless of what they would do to her son. They both think that it’s because Towa/Haruto enjoys it and that it makes him look even more beautiful. Of course, we know that Towa finding arousal in the rough treatment that Madarame gives him reflects how he made himself love pain as a subconscious coping mechanism for all the torture he suffered at Maya’s hands. In Fujieda’s words:
By accepting the trauma others would inflict on you, you desperately cling to the last shreds of your personal autonomy. Cutting yourself was a self-destructive impulse— a punishment for being worthless.
With this, there is the main reason why Taku and Madarame are bound to always be at odds with each other whenever Towa is involved. The reasons are, in essence, similar to the reasons which explain how Mei and Maya contrast each other, especially with regards to Towa.
In Towa’s childhood, Mei was the light in Towa’s life, where Maya was the darkness. Mei was a symbol of purity, hope and innocence, and Maya was essentially corruption in human form, luring and poisoning everyone around her. Because of this, Maya saw Mei as a “toxic influence” in Towa’s life and had her killed. This is hugely ironic since it’s obvious who the real toxic influence is, but anyhow…
Similarly, though it never escalates to murder (if only because Madarame is someone who prefers to beat up someone instead of killing them outright), Madarame still kidnapped Taku, held him hostage, and also threatened him. And if you remember, there is a brief moment in Madarame’s route where he questions why Towa feels the need to cover his eye with a patch, and one should keep in mind that it’s Taku who takes care of Towa’s injuries. This scene alone already sums up their opposing viewpoints to both Towa and to violence. In this case, it’s easy to put Taku in Mei’s position, and Madarame in Maya’s.
This consequently shows the difference in how they’d react if - in a route where neither is the chosen love interest - Towa figures out his past with someone else’s assistance, and what kind of person he could become once he learned enough.
Reaction to Towa’s Growth (in Fujieda’s Route)
Madarame’s presence in Fujieda’s route is very brief, but a lot could be drawn from it nonetheless. Just like in his own route, he holds Taku hostage to draw out Towa. However, the circumstances and the venue are different from before.
Instead of the back of the clinic, they now meet at the outskirts of the Deathmatch Area. Instead of being forced to meet with Madarame in private to ensure Taku’s safety, the entire gang has gathered, all wide awake and conscious with varying awareness of what’s going on. And instead of Madarame telling Towa that Taku is lying to him, Madarame points Towa to his mother’s mansion.
This all culminates in Fujieda and Madarame exchanging blows, and right as the latter is about to land a crippling hit, Towa intervenes halfway to take a hit for Fujieda… which immediately ends the fight since Madarame loses interest then and there.
Why? Let’s recall how the entire scene was narrated.
As Fujieda doubled over, Madarame began to launch another attack.
“Madarame!” Towa rushed over and jumped in between them.
Madarame’s fist grazed Towa’s head as the latter hit the ground, landing on his stomach.
Taku dashed over to Towa’s side. Meanwhile, Rei slowly pushed himself up while gritting his teeth in pain. Fujieda frowned at Towa, then turned his head and glared at Madarame.
However, Madarame seemed to have lost all interest. His arms hung limply at his sides. His self-assured grin was gone, replaced by a pair of cold eyes that stared down at Towa.
“I never knew that you were such a drag.” (Note: Based on the context and the tone that was used, the original JP text of the line「･･････つまらないことをするな、お前」 could also translate to “I never thought you would do something so absurd,” since the word ‘tsumaranai’ can be used to describe something that’s either boring, trivial or foolish.)
Enduring the pain, Towa glared back up at Madarame as he continued kneeling on the ground.
Contrast this to Towa’s reaction in Madarame’s route after he gets confirmation that Taku is keeping secrets from him, just like Madarame warned. This lands the final nail in the coffin for Towa’s belief that he can never return to his old life, which leads him to do this:
Rei, “You’re heading towards the Deathmatch Area! You hate Deathmatches, right? So why are you going there? …To see Madarame?”
Towa remained silent, causing Rei’s brow to furrow deeply. Towa glanced at them, then turned and started walking.
Rei, “Don’t do this, Towa! Why?! Why are you going to him? Don’t go!
Taku, “Towa!”
Towa could hear their anguished screams. But as he kept walking, their voices faded into the distance. Their desperation could no longer reach him.
Towa had realized who he truly was, and he was not the kind of person who belonged with them.
He belonged somewhere else.
So back to our original question: why did Madarame suddenly lose interest in the fight? Why did he suddenly decide to not bother with Towa anymore? Because to him, seeing Towa rush in and defend someone else is a sign that Towa had changed too much for his own liking. Sure, Towa showed some spunk in that act, but it was not the kind of spunk he wanted.
Not only that, but the act also indicated that by that point, even the threat of learning more about his past won’t sever any bonds that Towa shares with the other three (Taku, Rei and Fujieda). In other words, Towa will continue to have attachments to his home, or at least some of the people in it. No chance of burning bridges for good and leaving with him. And so, Madarame exits the scene.
Madarame – much like a ghost – completely fades away from Towa’s life. After he’s informed by Kotarou about what the man is up to next after ambushing the Takasato-gumi, Towa doesn’t bother thinking about him for another second.
And now, let’s talk about Taku. For almost the entire first half of Fujieda’s route, Taku was obstructive and unhelpful because he also feared that Towa would change. But in his case, “change” means the possibility that Towa could never recover from learning the truth—which does happen and nearly ends in the worst-case scenario. Taku had nothing to gain from keeping anything, yet he was willing to risk earning Towa’s anger and resentment by staying silent even as Towa attacked him, chewed him out, and pressed him for answers. And Towa has a very good reason to be pissed at Taku, even if you can see things from the older man’s point of view.
However, it should be made clear that while Taku’s actions were questionable, they were never once done out of malice or selfishness, which is saying something compared to say, Sakaki. Towa even comes to understand this, which is shown in two instances. One is in this dialogue from when Taku and Rei got patched up after their scuffle with Madarame.
“....Towa?” Taku mumbled. “Are you mad at me?”
Towa looked at him in silence. “Why would I be mad at you?”
“For hiding [the truth] from you.”
“But you only did it because you thought it was for the best, right?”
The other instance is the update in Taku’s entry (from the codex):
I’m sure Taku had his reasons
When Towa manages to conquer his trauma in the good ending, Taku expresses relief and is even proud of Towa for it, acknowledging that Towa has truly matured and changed for the better with a smile on his face. In turn, Towa expresses his appreciation towards Taku, and it’s clear by then that their relationship has completely mended.
Taku: All this time, I was scared of you getting hurt. So instead, I figured you were better off not knowing anything at all. But you were stronger than that. You remembered your past, overcame it, and then you came back. It's clear to me now... You just aren't the same little kid you used to be.
Towa: Well, obviously. But I couldn't have done it alone... Turns out, there is value in connecting with people. I just could never see it.
Taku: What do you mean?
Towa: What I mean is... I wouldn't be standing here today without every single person in my life.
Taku: … I’m amazed you just said that. Now I can see for myself– you’ve actually overcome it. I can’t describe how relieved I am.
With this, in contrast to Madarame, Taku remains an important figure in Towa’s life. In Volume 4 of the AfterStory drama CD, Towa takes the initiative to thank Fujieda for getting Taku exonerated and released early. In another scene, Taku confides to Fujieda about everything that happened before capping off by saying that he trusts Fujieda to look after Towa. Even when the story takes another path such that their relationship remains platonic, it nevertheless is a deep and important one for them both.
Closing Remarks
Now that I think about it, the only reason the Taku vs. Sakaki meta is a bit shorter than I expected is because I had to make it fit into Twitter’s format. Had it occurred to me back then to just upload it all on Google Docs, I would have gone all out with comparing those two (note to revamp that meta later on, R.I.P. me).
I admit that I’m biased towards Taku because he’s just one fascinating character all around, combined with the fact that he can serve as a foil or a mirror character two at least three other people who are connected to Towa’s past for a multitude of reasons– which fortifies my opinion that Taku would also make for an excellent “true” love interest besides Fujieda.
At the same time, it’s also fun to try and analyze Madarame even if, at the end of the day, many things about him remain an enigma despite the fact that everything about him is supposed to be already on the surface. And without a translation of his AfterStory drama CD, a lot of things about him will remain a myth for me.
Once again, if it sounds like I was insulting Madarame in this meta, I was not. Either way, sorry in advance and please don’t kill me. ^^;
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Hi! I'm looking for Italian songs that are calm, soft-spoken, acoustic (only voice + piano/guitar), without any passionate loudness mid-song, modern (after 2000), preferably by some lesser known artist. Something like „Du bist so schön“ by Alin Coen, but Italian. The closest thing I've found is „Occhi di Ghiaccio“ by Hanami. Do you have any recommendations? Indie Italia on Spotify is no help (popular indie singers like Gazelle and Dente are not my cuppa and older singers like Pausini, Ferro and Mengoni whenever they start soft they get loud as the song goes on). Thanks!
Ciao!
It's a very specific kind of music you're searching for and to think about examples (it not even being my cuppa in Italian and probably not that common either) is not that easy for me tbh. Spotify/Youtube don't suggest you any similar songs right after (or down below) you finish listening to "Occhi di ghiaccio" (or maybe if you try to create a new playlist with it and any other song of your like)? It kind of worked for me, especially when I listen to single songs and let Spotify suggest new ones for me.
Hmm.. Zero assoluto (Sei parte di me, for example) do not get loud mid-song but it's not that they really made acoustic piano-songs (guitar is very present in each of their songs). Perturbazione (Agosto), don't get too loud either, but again it's not acoustic. Matteo Romano (Concedimi)? Nyv (Per favore)?
Anyway, if anyone has better suggestions, please write a comment or send them :)
#music#italian music#musica italiana#it#italian#langblr#italiano#italian language#italian langblr#languages#domande asks
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Free Apps/Assets that help me as an Indie Game Developer [Megapost]
Hi! I’m an indie gamedev who’s also in University, needless to say that I’m on a budget when it comes to my game creation. I’m making this post to organize my favourite free resources that helped me out.
Also, please note that I’m only commenting on the programs themselves, not the companies/individuals that run them.
For Pixel Art, I use/recommend Dotpict.It’s completely free, you can resize canvases and input custom sizes. It has the essential tools for pixel art creation, and is great to use on small screens with the default point-and-click system. It can also be used on larger touch screens with in “Pen mode”. It also supports animation! Alternatives include Pixquare and Resprite, which function similar to Aseprite for computer. (Resprite does have limited exports in the free version.)
I was recommended Notion by a fellow gamedev friend for organizing ideas/stories. It’s essentially a files-within-files organizer where you can make groups, add pages to the groups, and link other pages. I now use it for my concepts, and am really enjoying it so far.
My go-to for fonts is DaFont. The website allows you to sort and filter in order to only show 100% free fonts to use in your projects. I’ve been using this site for years, and from my experience each download was completely safe.
I’m an RPGMaker user, and rpgmakerweb is a great resource for finding free plugins. Yanfly is also one of the most popular picks for plugins as well. Galv and SRDude are amazing creators with some of the best plugins I've personally ever used.
Launchpad is a beat-mixer app with a literal labyrinth of samples. You can get a free trial to have access to all of them, and I’d recommend it for people looking to explore different genres for in—game music. It’s super fun to just mess around in. You can record and export as well.
FireAlpaca is my personal recommendation for a free digital art software for computer. I’ve used it in the past, and it’s truly a great free alternative to expensive art programs. Krita is also a great free option!
Cymatics is a great resource for free-to-use royalty-free samples/loops. I have a huge sound library thanks to them, and I haven’t paid a cent. Joining their email list also gets you more free packs & the occasional free giftcard.
YoutubeDL is a free and open-source program on Github that allows the safe (speaking on personal experience) download of Youtube videos, as well as audio format. I use this to download royalty-free samples/SFX that are posted on Youtube for anyone to use. You can also download a .exe from their website with the YTDL program directly in it (my personal choice).
Online-Convert is a free online file converter. I've personally relied on it to convert my music into OGG format, and I haven't had any problems with it so far. There are many other converters for lots of different needs and formats as well.
BFXR is a free downloadable program that is great for making digital sound effects for your games. I was actually recommend this program by my prof in first year. You can use all FX in any use for free!
Ibis Paint X is a free drawing app for Apple devices/other mobile devices that support pen pressure. You can upgrade to the full version, but the free version has a lot of options.
Fortelling is great for planning out stories and worldbuilding. It’s optimized for writers to keep track of their projects. You can make timelines, add characters with customizable traits & avatars, create locations, specify items/languages/species, and a lot more. There is a premium subscription version, but I’m perfectly content with the features that come with the default.
Design Cuts is a website for lots of artistic resources, including Procreate brushes, graphic design assets, and more. They give out weekly freebies, as well as an extended commercial license included with every purchase. There’s frequent sales too, and you get so support independent artists.
Feel free to reblog/add your own favourite free resources to share with other devs/artists! I’ll update this post as needed.
Website / Discord Server / Patreon
#game development#game developers#gaming#indie dev#game dev#indie games#indie developer#indie game#indie rpg#pixel art#rpgmaker mv#rpgmaker#art#free apps#game dev blog#artists on tumblr#pixel sprite#indie gamedev#pixel game#artist resources#artist help
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Yeah alright let’s talk Tarkir
Getting this out of the way: I do not care about Alesha, so if you were coming here ready to hear anything about the first-ever transgender girl out of Magic*, sorry to disappoint.
Actually, yeah, I’m gonna talk about this for a little bit. I understand Alesha means a lot to some people, and I’m not saying they’re wrong to feel that way. I’m sure there are people who had to fight to make Alesha openly & canonically trans, and I’m not saying that this was meaningless, wasted effort. It’s nice to be able to point to someone and say, see, there’s a place for people like me here. I was excited about it at the time and I wasn’t even into Magic back then.
But like c’mon, y’all, she’s not really a character, right? She gets one story, the thrust of which is, “this character is trans, and that’s basically fine.” Alesha exists to be part of the banner image of the internal WotC LGBT employees’ monthly newsletter. She exists to be the discord avatar for every third trans girl into Magic. She exists so a massive corporation can point to her as evidence that they care in some nebulous way about trans people, and she costs slightly less than paying someone to, say, actually moderate the hate speech comments on their vids of Autumn Burchett’s pro tour games.
All of which is to say, they don’t actually care. You know this. Individual staff, writers, artists - sure, but they’re not the ones who make the final decisions. And you and I deserve better from our stories, and we’re never going to get that from fucking Hasbro, right?
So here’s my pitch: seek out actual queer stories, and I’m not talking about contemporary YA shit with a marketing budget. For readers of this specific blog I’d recommend looking up “Attack Helicopter” by Isabel Fall (you should still be able to find it online). Stories where the texture and structure of thought are queer and trans are revelatory. You don’t need to beg for crumbs from a megacorp’s table.
ANYWAY, COMMA,
welcome to Tarkir! There used to not be dragons here, but now there are. In either timeline, everyone is locked in a brutal, unending struggle of clan-against-clan, so thanks, Sarkhan? Yeah, no, I hear you, it’s definitely different now. Yeah, and better. Yeah, because of the...yeah, because there’s dragons now, right. No, you did great, buddy. You really, uh, made a difference.
JESUS, IS HE CRYING? GET ME OUT OF HERE PLEASE
Monastery Swiftspear (art by Steve Argyle)
I’ve come to think of the current era of MtG art (let’s arbitrarily say from Kaladesh block to the present) as the “Magali Villeneuve era”, and if I’m being totally honest, I kind of hate it. Everything is technically competent, clearly lit, and immaculately detailed. Everyone has amazing cheekbones. It is so, so boring. I’m not at all saying she’s a bad artist! Sometimes, as with Kaldheim, she is very nearly the only person in a set making good art. I’ve featured her work on here many, many times.
What I am saying is that her work always has this, like, objectivity to it that feels detached and even alienating, like we’re looking at these characters through a powerful telescope. There’s no stylization, and dare I say no style.
The reason I bring her up in a set in which I will not be reviewing her work (sorry, Narset fans), is that Steve Argyle makes for an interesting comparison. They are to my untrained eye very similar artists: the sharp linework, the combination of dynamics and detachment. The major difference is that Steve’s art is substantially hornier and substantially male-gazier.
And goddammit, at least that’s something.
I HAVE THIS OPINION BECAUSE I’M A BAD FEMINIST. AND I DESERVE TO BE PUNISHED ABOUT IT
Unyielding Krumar (art by Viktor Titov)
I’m not sure why Viktor made this orc look like a ripped lizard man. None of the other orcs in this block look like this. Maybe he thought “krumar” was a species of lizard folk, when in point of fact a krumar is, checks notes, an orphan of the Mardu raised by the Abzan who killed their parents in a twist of worldbuilding regrettably reminiscent of a strategy used in real-world genocides. Whoops!
Anyway, big arms. Lizard person. Sorry about your family.
WIZARDS STAY CLASSY I GUESS
Ire Shaman (art by Jack Wang)
Yeah, see, extremely not a lizard.
We’re not going to talk about armor practicality because that is very much beside the point, but we were all thinking it, and I want to acknowledge that before moving onto saying nice things about what all the leather bands are doing for her arms, and what this lamellar bustier is doing for her tits.
YEAH I KNOW WHAT LAMELLAR IS. PRETTY HOT, RIGHT
Den Protector (art by Viktor Titov)
I am not immune to mothers, nor women in furs, and I’m especially not immune to women with big two-handed weapons (in either sense, I suppose.) I really like the sense of motion in this picture, and the dynamic thrust of the landscape behind her, and... hm. Is her right-hand grip reversed from what it should be? Dammit, that’s going to bother me.
I LIKE MY WOMEN TO HAVE BETTER GRIP TECHNIQUE IS ALL I’M SAYING
Wandering Champion (art by Willian Murai)
I am trying really, really hard not to date myself by a reference to a shitty 20-year-old flash animation. Anyway! she has flexibility, power, and isn’t afraid of a little viscera now and again. All excellent qualities.
I AM HONESTLY EXERCISING IMMENSE SELF-RESTRAINT HERE
Sultai Flayer (art by Izzy)
Sorry, do you not want a forty-foot androgyne snake person to remove your skin with tender, agonizing slowness? Are you lost?
WHY DON’T YOU MARRY YOUR SKIN IF YOU’RE SO GODDAMN ATTACHED TO IT. PUSSY.
Highspire Mantis (art by Igor Kieryluk)
I did the mantis bit in my Battle for Zendikar post, but I thought I’d actually dig into what the appeal is here: raptorial forelimbs. The inescapable, serrated hold of something that could slice you open as easy as thinking, but hasn’t yet. The smoothness of chitin, hard without being inflexible. The many strange articulations. And then either you make out or it eats your head, and it is not up to you which.
WHEN WILL WIZARDS GIVE US THE MANTIS-FUCKER REPRESENTATION WE DESERVE. ROSEWATER’S SILENCE ON THIS ISSUE IS DEAFENING.
Alright, that’s Tarkir down! Who knows what’s next? Probably a very cranky explanation of what fiction is and why it’s okay to like fictional bad guys (it’s because they’re not real.) At first I thought that was going to be a more interesting topic, but the more I think about it the more it seems like it’s...really not. I can have fun with it, though! Thanks for reading, and I’ll see y’all next time.
---------
*the first-ever transgender girl out of Magic/had to settle on a name/and the top three contenders after weeks of debate/were Alesha/and Shensu/and the Kolaghan Bomber
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