#also i actually don't think i ever posted this cos i was waiting to see if my friend felt up to posting her fic
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my second contribution to the binary stars zine.
sadly the fic, WHICH IS RLY GOOD, never got posted [long story, not mine to tell ;u;] but this was a telepath!keith/blind!shiro AU. basically keith is a captured BoM, and is sent to the arena in chains to be executed by a beast, but then a blind galra is thrown in to the arena was well, with a weapon. keith is able to convince him they can work together and using his telepathic link, shiro is able to defeat the beast.
afterward, they are thrown together more often in the arena and over time keith learns shiro is actually a human who has been experimented on and altered heavily. he also ends up teaching him about galra culture and how to navigate some of the wierd shit galra go thru [since shiro is experiencing a lot of galra instincts lol].
meanwhile the BoM are working on freeing keith, but keith will not leave without shiro :')
so in this scene, we have keith tracing coordinates on shiro's back, in hopes that he will be able to use them to escape. i do hope viper posts this fic one day but if not, just know it was rly good and liek the perfect slowburn.
extras under the cut!
so as i keep saying this was a rly good fic. i had like 5 diff scenes i rly wanted to draw but i realized i was NOT going to be able to fit any of them into only 3 pages lol… that didn't stop me from TRYING more than once tho…
attempt #1, 3 pics:
this scene is them bathing [PLATONICALLY] after a round in the arena. keith is lamenting about shiro geting hurt due to keith's reckless fighitng style leaking into shiro thru the mind meld, and thinks about how shiro still moves like he has his human body too, which shiro picks up on thanks to the mind link [which is something of a habit at this point lol]. shiro is angsting about the fact he actually dosen't know the extent of what has been done to him thanks to the injury that blinded him, and after asking to see how he looked as a human, keith ends up reassuring him that he's still a cutie lol.
the page with the dialogue only is when i realized there was no way i was fitting that scene into 3 pages lol.
attempt #2:
this scene is basically near the start to the fic. keith is brought in to the arena and chained to a pylon. he hears a bunch of rly loud monster noises and pounding at the door across the arena and is like, wow i am actually fucked 8D then shiro is brought in and thrown to the ground, along with a weapon. keith watches him try to feel around for the weapon and realizes he's blind, then calls out to him. shiro immediately goes into attack mode but keith is able to convince him that they can be allies, and briefly explains he's a telepath before melding their minds so that shiro can see through his eyes, and after a bit of clumsiness they are able to beat the beast this way :D
my designs for the boys. i have unclothed versions too that show off all their markings and scars but i feel like that would get the post flagged so these will have to do lol. i did post them on twitter tho, if you wanna bother looking there. also yes, this design is rly similar to the other contribution i did for this zine, which is because i rly like the idea of keith having these specific markings LOL. this is p much my official go to glara!keith design.
just two lil chibi guys
i actually finished this with shading, but for the life of me cannot find it, so old phone pic it is. this is post-fic, after shiro joins the bom. [so uh not so shocking spoiler, they both survive and escape lol]
#myart#art backlog#myart:vld#voltron#sheith#keith#shiro#galra!keith#galra!shiro#kinda lol#telepath!keith#blind!shiro#i still love this story so damn much#i might have to go grab my zine to reread it after this lol;;;#also i actually don't think i ever posted this cos i was waiting to see if my friend felt up to posting her fic#so uhh yay 'new' art
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# JAX & GANGLE (SEPERATELY) x THEIR S/O IN THE REAL WORLD THAT ACCIDENTLY ENDED UP IN THE CIRCUS ☆
Ehmm so this is the req I accidently posted while I was like BARELY finished (awkward).
Anywho we don't care abt allat. Here it is 🙊 Srry for the wait anonsie !!
︶︶︶︶︶︶︶︶︶༉‧₊˚.
🤍 HEADCANONS !!
warnings :: Not proofread, and like. 0.1% angst on both of them
♪ JAX ..
Jax is one of the members that notices something is off
Your body language, the way you speak etc. is something that makes him think "Did I meet this person before entering this digital world or am I tweaking??"
He's curious on why he feels like this, so he hangs around you more
This includes you getting pranked more than the others, getting dragged with him to anywhere, and all that shit.
He usually sits next to you at the feast table aswell
But no matter what he does, he can't seem to figure out why you feel so familiar to him (And why your antics make him feel weird inside in a positive way but he pretends this isn't happening)
So the conclusion he just came up with was you being an old co worker, old friend, or anything like that in the real world
Once you two were walking around, trying to find some sort of item for the current in house adventure
Jax told you in that moment about how he felt like he met you before entering the digital circus, and if you ever knew someone who acted like him to confirm his theory
To his luck, you did!
What he didn't expect though was you saying he kind of acted like your S/O.
You kind of regretted saying that after in fear of things getting awkward between you two but Jax looked like he didn't give a single fuck
Infact, he looked like he was questioning everything right now while also not looking like he was questioning everything right now
Did this mean he had a S/O?? That is you???
Hes abit conflicted with that statement ofcourse, and thinks about it
It would make sense; The reason to why you make him feel weird would be answered too
Though even then I feel like he wouldn't be sure how to go on about this.
Give him some time, I'd say
♪ GANGLE ..
Gangle also notices something weird, like she met you once before
But she thinks it's just her overthinking
Though, she did find it abit odd aswell because both of you got along immediatly
Like something clicked between you two.
You also defended Gangle alot, which was kind of suprising to her
You were interested in what she was interested, and even if you werent, you didn't go out of your way to look at her weirdly or make fun of it
So ofcourse she'll get attached.
But she still tells herself she's probably overthinking about the whole "I met you before entering the digital circus" thing
It would make sense, but it seemed impossible for her
She basically thinks that someone like you (Boss and shit) wouldn't hangout with her (Girlfail and shit) if it was actually both of you in the real world, even though you two regularly hang out in the digital one (Ik she is one of those people that think like that I just KNOW)
I feel like Gangle is also one of the few people that forgot almost everything about the outside world, this includes ofcourse having a S/O
And therefore, like the others, she'll also get upset when you tell her while you two were having a drawing sesh that you got here while helping the police investigate your S/O's missing person case
Gangle planned on confessing to you before you told her this
She didn't feel nervous around you, so she felt like that even if you rejected her, you could still be friends
Ofcourse, now she won't confess anymore, since she knows you already have a partner, and she dosen't want to make you uncomfortable in any way, shape or form (Oh girl)
Let's hope that if you both get out, Gangle gets her faded memories back and you see that your partner was literally in the digital world with you the entire time
︶︶︶︶︶︶︶︶︶༉‧₊˚.
ׂૢ་༘࿐ Thank you for reading! ♡
This took longer than I wanted it to. I think imma quickly finish up some asks and then take a quick break lol
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I had a long argument with someone on whether or not stomping Belos before he dies was better than letting him die pathetically, and I asked myself if that is what fans really believe in... or if they would hail any Belos' death as the perfect one if Dana choose a different one?
They also justify the stomping as being part of horror-comedy genre and that Belos should not have any dignity what so ever because apparently letting him die in despair with no stomping is running the risk of making the audience feel "sorry" for him.
Honestly, these justifications make The Owl House feel more shallow. Like, why shouldn't the audience be allowed to feel sorry for Belos? What is the danger? That people would agree with Belos' views?
Or are we supposed to develop a black and white view of the world akin to a conservative view but inverted? And then hide behind the horror comedy genre to justify less drama? I hate to say it, but Nostalgia Critic is right about Belos being this strange outlier. The show seems to be afraid of actually doing a complex, tragic and yet irredeemable villain.
It doesn't make any sense to argue that Belos' death fits because of toh's genre as a horror comedy because the scene was neither played for horror nor laughs. At best, you have the image of Philip slowly being dissolved by the rain and then Raine's smug "that was satisfying" line. The overall tone of the scene is one of contempt as Philip tries one last plea to Luz only to be snuffed out (and weirdly validated) by the heroes. Its intent is to be cathartic for both audience (though as you know doubt know, YMMV) and the characters.
Frankly, despite its marketing, I don't see toh as either a horror or a comedy because it spends more time on slice of life stuff and high school teen drama and romance. And even when it does go for the horror and comedy, both are rather tepid. You want a real example of a horror-comedy for kids, then go watch Courage the Cowardly Dog or Invader Zim.
The reason why I argue the heroes validated Belos is because in the moment of his death, he clings to the idea that as humans, "we're better than this!" It's a moment of pathetic delusion that is appropriately met with silence but then it's ruined with Eda and Co. barging in with "Well, we ain't!" only to then prove his point by mercilessly stomping an already dying man to death. There's a reason why kid shows usually end with either the villain being imprisoned or not outright being murdered by the heroes. Evil has to die by its own hubris, not get killed by the heroes after the Big Battle when they're no longer a threat. I made a post about the importance of defeating a major antagonist twice.
Belos' death also doesn't work with a "Kill your oppressors" theme because the show isn't about that. The show barely spends any time showing why the EC is bad for the Boiling Isles and Eda is the only named wild witch we see getting harassed by them and even then, it's mostly played for laughs given how inept the coven scouts are (seriously, they're able to quit without fear of repercussions).
I think a reason fans are split on Belos' death is because of differing expectations; the fans who paid attention to Belos and the implication of his backstory and waited for every lie to come crashing down on him since that's what the show seemed to be building up to only to be unceremoniously ignored in the end were no doubt disappointed. Then you have the other fans who hated the character to the point that any gruesome death will do, regardless whether it made narrative or thematic sense or not.
Ultimately, I think the biggest reason his death doesn't work is because Belos fails as a villain.
Belos' status as a colonial puritan only works on a meta-level; it serves a cathartic release for marginialized people to see a representative of real world oppression beaten by queer characters as it fulfills the fantasy of finally overthrowing an oppressive system. The fatal flaw though is that none of this works on a narrative level because the coven system is either treated as a joke or simply a career path one must choose and we never see the disenfranchisement of wild witches. People largely get off scot-free opposing Belos, which undermines his credibility as both a dictator and a villain because no one cares about him until the plot needs them to. Luz doesn't even care about proving he's evil until Hollow Mind, which is halfway through season 2.
Belos as a villain only works if you project your own feelings and desires in wanting to see the Evil Christian/Evil Parent destroyed. While this is extremely satisfying emotionally, it does not make a sound story.
All the reasons why people like his death ("it's great the evil colonizer died so pathetically!" "omg, the white christian colonizer was killed by two queer people and their adopted son!" etc) are all meta reasons. And to be clear, it's totally fine if you thought his death was satisfying. But for many people, it did not work for a variety of reasons, including narrative ones. And that differing opinion should be respected instead of arguing some nonsense like "we have to make our villain as stupid/evil as possible or run the risk of people liking/sympathizing with him."
Belos should have died in a manner that connected back to his original sin: the murder of his brother. All of his lies and delusions and fear of being wrong should have played a part in the finale. He should have not died thinking he was right. He should have died realizing that all he did was for nothing. And that he is to blame. And that there is no one waiting for him back home.
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The 3rd Act
AN: everyone thank that anon 🤪
Requested? By anon
Warnings: breakup news, messy comments, and shady posts 👀
Word Count: n/a
@'pagesix: Kentucky native, Jack Harlow and the daughter of Mateo Dominguez and Isabela Miller, Miriam Dominguez-Miller, split after two years from a source close to the Grammy nominated rapper. Details on why the couple split aren't known, but both remaim friends and still support each other's projects. Click on our bio for more
@'mackstan: I just fell to my knees 😭
@'miriamfan: they were just promoting Jack's cameo in SZA's music video 💔
@'mackshipper: April fools is in April, not rn
@'jackstan: as much as I joke about wishing Jack was single, this is lowkey sad
@'miriamhater: kinda pathetic that her name is always attached to her parents
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@'mdm: just entered my Broadway era 🥺😭 In all seriousness, I feel super honored to be part of the cast for the 30th anniversary of The Nightstmare Before Christmas. Being on Broadway is a dream come true and I want to thank everyone who's been so supportive of this. Can't wait for y'all to see what the cast and I have in store. Opening night on October 6th <3
@'katdominguez: since when did you stop being scared of this movie
-> @'mdm: I'm faking it till I make it 😭
@'saintclauds: proud of you bestirini 🥺
@'zendaya: already booking my ticket. I'll be in the front row
-> @'theestallion: get me a ticket too, I'll venmo you
-> @'Kehlani: me three
@'haileybieber: excited for this!
@'miriamstan: and when she wins a Tony then she'll be the youngest EGOT winner 🤭
-> @'miriamhater: yeah thanks to nepotism
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@'jackharlow: Denver out now
@'nuggets: 🔥
@'urbanwyatt: this was everything
@'shloob: ain't missed on a vid ever
@'nicolescherzinger: everything about this was breathtaking
@'twittergirlie: what if they posted the breakup news to get people talking about them so they could release their projects and get hype
-> @'mdmxjh: they don't need to provide fake news to get people to talk about them. They just have the misfortune of having people not root for their relationship like Justin and his wife
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Jack Harlow via Instagram Stories
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@'justjared: more than co-stars? Euphoria star, Jacob Elordi, and the daughter of Mateo Dominguez and Isabela Miller, Miriam Dominguez, were spotted out in New York. The Australian also shared a picture of himself with 24 year old actress backstage during rehearsals for their Broadway production of The Night Before Christmas. 🔗 in bio for more
@'internetstan: this mf collects nepo babies like infinity stones
@'jackfan: the New Balances, she knows where her loyalties are lol
@'miriamfan: the matching outfits down to brown shoulder bag 😭 Jack could never
@'zendayastan: isn't Miriam friends with Z? The number one rule of girl code is to no go after your friend's ex
-> @'miriamfan: first of all, Miriam and Jacob have explicitly said they are friends and co-stars. This is some bs click bait. Also Z and Miriam were spotted getting lunch a few days ago. I don't think Z cares her friend is working with Jacob. Do you think Z came for Laura Harrier when they did some perfume ad together or at Hunter who had several scenes with Jacob in Euphoria. This is work. People are bound to work with their friend's exes.
@'mackshipper: why only post this angle. There's a video on tiktok where a bee kept following Miriam and Jacob was using a paper to remove it off her
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@'mdm: I adopted Daisy Flor Dominguez-Miller three years ago. Miss when she was a puppy and not the sassy it girl that she has become
@'JosephDominguez: your ass still owes me for helping your sneak her in the house
@'medegutierrez: Panchito's bestie 🦦
-> @'calumhood: Actually Duke is Panchito's bestie, he told me himself
@'40yearoldweirdo: bring back natural makeup like this. None of that caked up shit
-> @'mdm: literally wearing full glam with lashes and a brown smokey eye be so fucking fr you weirdo
@'mackstan: they really broke up huh 😪😔 no more Jack being unserious in her comments 💔
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Jack Harlow via Instagram Stories
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@'jacobelordi via Instagram Stories
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@'jackharlowsource: some behind the scenes of 3D
@'jackxmiriam: he's in his outfit flop era. Miriam would style him DOWN
@'jackfan: he's on to better things like working with literal idols
-> @'miriamfan: Miriam introduced them when she and JK filmed their Calvin Klein ad. She's the reason why he has these connections
@'jackstan: can Miriam stans leave y'all are being annoying 🙄
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@'chismepage: awkward moments at Jay Z and Michael Rubin's Reform Alliance charity casino night when recent exes Jack Harlow and Miriam Dominguez-Miller, walk past each other with out another word. Sources at the party mentioned that Harlow greeted Mateo Dominguez and Isabela Miller, but curved their youngest daughter whom he had been in a two year relationship. It's still unknown why the couple split up. 🔗 for more
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@'zendayac.96: Z at the opening night of The Nightmare Before Christmas supporting long time friend Miriam Dominguez-Miller
@'zstan: two Emmy award winning besties
@'mackshipper: did anyone happen to see Jack 😭 I'm holding out for hope
-> @'tomsdaya: hold out for delusion bestie
@'twitterstan: need them to play lovers in a movie like yesterday
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Clay Harlow via Instagram Stories
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@'jackharlowsource: Jack at the Lousiville and Notre Dame game today on Oct. 6th
@'jackstan: since when does he have a dump truck back there lol
@'mackshipper: 😔 I was hoping he'd go to opening night 🥺 his parents, Clay and Clay's girlfriend went
@'miriamhater: he's living his best life now that the annoying nepo baby is done riding his coattails
@'twittergirlie: the mullet is mulleting
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@'jacobelordi: conquering opening night jitters the Evans siblings way
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@'mdm: no big deal just me at mother Kelly Clarkson's show talking about my directorial debut and Broadway then I closed the show with a teaser for Last Dance. Before y'all do your conspiracy theories, Tenemos Que Hablar was about my character and her first love interest. It has nothing to do with my personal life. Anyways watch me embarrass myself talking about the Justin and Kelly movie
@'mdmxjh: she left THEE Kelly Clarkson GAGGED with how effortlessly she did that note
@'twitterstan: nepotism aside Miriam is so fucking talented. The pop girlies are lucky she's mainly an actress.
@'mackshipper: was she shading Jack in her new song?
-> @'miriamfan: re-reading her fucking caption. It was made for the movie WAY before they broke up 🙄🙄🙄
@'saintclauds: you're a staurrr
@'andreiiosivas: Spotify when
@'Alinahunter: literally obsessed qith you 🥰 can't wait to see you on stage 1937383 more times
@'zendaya: YES!
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@'saintclauds: my bestirini joined me on today's episode of Girl Chat. We talked about ice makers, Libra men with pretty hair and going back to school in the middle of performing a Broadway play
@'mdmfan: I love me some Miriam and Claudia 🤞🏻 they're so funny together
@'miriamstan: as an immigrant kid can she not set a new standard for us academically 😭 my mom is gonna be on my ass bc Miriam is doing her masters and Broadway at the same time
@'saintclaudsxmdm: when they would go 👀 at each other and change the subject 🤭 they have so much chisme lol
@'miriamhater: she couldn't even mention Jack's name when she talked about the movie 🙄 she's so annoying
-> @'mackshipper: can you leave her alone? If she doesn't want to mention Jack she shouldn't. She's not obligated to just because they were in a movie
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@'andreiiosivas: 🎁😎🥰
@'mdm: *Schmidt from New Girl* A libra man?! No!
-> @'andreiiosivas: why your surprised? The second thing you asked me what my Big 3 were 💀 I'm taking the icemaker back
-> @'mdm: no <3
-> @'miriamfan: Ariana what are you doing here
@'NFL: Joe Burrow gave him the best birthday present
@'saintclauds: no I get it
-> @'medegutierrez: 🦦
-> @'Alinahunter: okay I see it 👀
-> @'giahunter: y'all are so inconspicuous 😭 but 👀👀👀
@'twittergirlie: why are Miriam and her friends here 👀
@'twitterstan: he's a Libra man with pretty hair 👁👄👁
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@'jackharlow: Here I come
@Druski: miss you gang
@'claybornharlow: let's fucking GOOOO
@'laufey: hyped
@generationnow: 🔥up
@'miriamhater: a diss album 🤭 drag that bitch
@'messyman: idk if you saw but your ex bitch is in some other dude's comments
@'miriamfan: as long as he doesn't diss Miriam we're good
@'mackshipper: I'm a sucker for breakup albums but not my parents </3
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@'miriam_spottings: Miriam out with Princeton Alum/ Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver, Andrei Iosivas, after her sold out show at Minskoff Theater
@'twitterstan: are football players the new trend 😭
@'mdmxjh: I'm a child of divorce fr 💔
@'miriamfan: everyone was worried she was with her co-star only for her to pop out with an NFL player. It's kinda camp if you think about it 😭
@'mackshipper: no shade but damn that was quick
@'mdmstan: Miriam’s back in her WAG era we love to see it
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@'jackharlowsource: More videos of Jack at @'thehubpm
@'mdmfan: I'd be blasting corny breakup music too if my ex (that was WAY out of my league in the first place) was seen with a fine ass NFL player who went to an Ivy League
@'miriamfan: when you're at football games but her new man is IN them 😭
@'jackstan: Jack don't embarrass me like this be strong not petty 😭
@'jhxmdm: I didn't want it to end like this 😔
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Taglist: @sativachilombo @heavyhitterheaux @cherry4everrr @carma-fanficaddict @youngharleezy @youngharleezyxo @babyharleezy @that-90s-girllll @alinaharlow @harlowcomehome @nattinatalia @webinurcloset @gassyandsassy1 @jackharloww @awhore4moree @noescapricho-essentimiento @neon-lights-and-glitter @purecinnamonextract @whywontyoulovemecami @camificrecs @itsyagirljaz @w1ldthoughts @vanwritesfan-fiction @xxkoolkatxx
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No matter what Jk does some ppl will. never. be satisfied. They will always twist what he says, what he does, especially when it comes to Jimin. It will never be enough. Like, he could literally kiss him on cam they’d still say he wasn’t into it, didn’t French kiss him but just gave him a quick peck or whatever so it means he was just doing the bare minimum blah blah blah. They could even fuck for the whole world to see they’d manage to scrutinize his thrusts and the number of sweat drops falling down his back to say he was just doing it out of curtosy lmao. If Jk and Jikook don't satisfy you why keeping up with him? Seriously, why do ppl are so keen to waste their time like this if they don’t enjoy the content they’re engaging with? 2024 is right around the corner y’all, time to check your priorities… life is short, donˋt waste it. As for me, I'm so relieved these two will have each other for the next 18 months! I can't wait for the Jikook Show, it’s going to be epic, I don’t think we’re ready lmao
Forget them, they just trolling 🤣 🤣🤣🤣🤣
This what they sent in 😹😹😹😹😹😹😹😹
The jealousy and envy disguised as criticism.
They are just like Tuktukkers. They deliberately act blind and dumb and belittle JK's efforts and contributions so it's easier for them to hate on him.
"Jk couldn't attend Face promos" said with a dumb smug face in the same sentence as "just because he sings all JMs songs on his live- to promote his music to his unique fans, boost his reach, generate sales from the free ad and marketing- doesn't mean he supports him."
Naaa he should have sent a coffee truck that makes JM no money, sent food and flowers- that makes JM no money in sales for his Album whatsoever- That would have been so much better if he wanted to support JMs Album than him actually promoting his songs on live
Same people who complain Army doesn't buy Jms songs or stream his music. Same persons.
Jungkook is a sold out King and people will die to have him promote their content on his highly engaging lives- but nooooo that's not an asset to them when it comes to supporting Jm. Nope.
Even though he's shown time and again that's his way of supporting those he loves. His brother starts a business and he jumps right on live wearing his merch. Did he not get in trouble for that?
Jimin does a documentary and who shows up out of the blue to support him? Mic'd and all
Jimin is practicing for his MV and who shows up to watch and support him then too?
They call Jimin daddy but won't get off JKs Dick.
Hobi is adorable and we all want a sunshine like him- but he's so supportive Jimin chose Jungkook to do MS with 🥺
Talk of being there for Jimin🤭
And it's crazy they keep craving what others have when those others also want what Jungkook is and does for Jimin. You think Tuktukkers would be superimposing Taes face on Jikook moments if they were happy with Tuktukks dynamics?
Flowers and food- when we all know who is constantly eating with Jimin, pressuring Jimin to go out and eat with him, the one who BTS themselves call Jimin's chef,
the one doing cooking shows with him is not Hobi
It's almost as if they don't watch any content from BTS other than snippets from Twitter.
Watch Sope, Bon Voyage, Run, Episodes, lives- in full not the edits sir.
We here have a whole Ramen joke running in the Fandom because that's all JK keeps saying he eats with JM. The food buddies. Whenever Jungkook posts food you'd find JM in the comments somewhere reminiscing.
Those flowers and food gave him strength- bitch bye.
When it comes to gift giving, bts have ever complained the one person Jungkook gifts is Jimin prompting them to tease him that Jimin was his favorite out of the group.
Nevermind the snow block he went out to the mountains and brought back for him. We know in this Fandom Jungkook tones things down with Jimin when it comes onto gifts cos he'd kiss and tell and act a fool. It's common Fandom knowledge so I know he is not trying to imply Jungkook does nothing for JM.
That's toxic solo street slang rooted in fiction.
Watch content for yourself and spare us the rubbish.
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That Small Moment
Baek Jiheon
Tags: Co-worker sex, oral, fingering, cowgirl, missionary
Word Count: 3.0k
Well, I'm posting my first Jiheon fic. BTW the pic isn't related to the story. I just like it.
Inspiration: Read something on reddit plus one of my dreams. So it is a combination of those two.
A/N: okay this was set in the future when Fromis disbands so don't take it personally
A/N 2: I dont actually know what Jiheon took in college. I'm just guessing but idk i just went with something that fit the story
~~
The bells rigs. That signals the end of your class. All twenty kids rise from their seats.
“Thank you for the day, seongsaengnim.” The kids say as they bow to you.
“Now! Enjoy your 2025 summer!” You scream.
All of them shout in joy and rush outside of the classroom with their bags and into the hallway. You stay at your teacher’s desk for a while, sighing after the long day and the long school year. It may have been an enjoyable year but now is the much-needed summer break that everyone has been craving.
You exit the classroom and head to the faculty room and into your desk. Everything drops to the table as you sit down on your desk. Now the last thing you have to do is to compute the final grade for your kid’s report cards.
“Hey!” The head teacher comes to you and calls your attention.
“Yes, ma’am?”
“Just want to ask you for a favor.”
“Sure. What’s up?”
“Well, can you train the new teacher? She is coming next week.”
“Me? Training the new teacher?”
“Yeah. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it.”
“Ma’am…me? Can’t you ask Jason to do it?”
“He said he is going to be busy.”
“Ugh! Please, I’m also going to be busy.”
“Okay, do you really want me to order you to do this? Everyone has plans next week.”
“Argh! Fine!”
“Great! By the way, I don’t think you’ll regret this. She is going to be a fun person.”
You sigh and stretch your arms while on the chair.
Another new kid.
As the day ends, you head to the subway with your earphones on and listen to the recently disbanded Fromis_9. On your phone is your favorite comeback “We go” with Jiheon wearing that costume that you have been drooling all over ever since you have seen her in that performance.
~~
Next week
~~
You enter the almost empty faculty room. Most of your colleagues are already out on vacation, enjoying their break. Then there are you still waiting for your trainee to arrive.
The head teacher pops her head out of the door. “She’s here. Come.”
She leads you to her office which is down the hall.
“Okay. She’s a graduate of Seoul Women’s University. Major in Child Development.”
“Yeah. Yeah. Sure. No problem.”
As soon as you reach her office she opens the door and leads you in. Sitting on the chair is Baek Jiheon, your favorite member, your bais, and your dream girl. She stands up and shakes your hand. You notice her cheeks also blush when she looks at you.
Your boss looks at both of you. “Okay now you have met, do you want to show Jiheon around?”
You wake up after staring at Jiheon’s beauty, her smile, her wonderful aura that she emits when she is around. “Yeah. I mean sure!”
“I’m in your care, Sunbaenim.” Jiheon bows at you.
You get nervous and jittery as Jiheon treats you with respect. The head teacher boots both you of out of her office for you to start her training.
“Okay… Ummmm….. Jiheon… I mean Jiheon-ssi? Wher— how do you….? Let’s start.”
“Sunbae? How do you want me to address you? Do you want to be more casual?”
“Okay sure that’s fine. I guess you can call me oppa instead-but when other people are around call me sunbae, okay?”
“Sure!”
You start walking around the campus, showing off the canteen, library, computer room, and classrooms.
“Jiheon, I just want to tell you a disclaimer.”
“Mhmm?”
“I’m your—”
“Fan?”
“What!!!”
Jiheon laughs for a second. “Oppa, I always remember you in our fan signings. I always see you when we have our comebacks. To be honest, I always look forward to seeing you there. But when we disbanded, I was very sad that I won't be able to see you but now we’re here. You’re going to be my sunbae.”
“Really?”
Jiheon nods.
You sign in relief as all of the pressure from seeing your favorite idol has been released. “So that’s our tour. I’ll show you where you’ll be working.” You bring her up to the faculty room and bring Jiheon to her desk. “If you need anything. I’m just going to be over there.”
~~
Throughout the week. You and Jiheon have been working alone in the faculty room. The itch in you for wanting to go out on vacation has been removed by your new co-worker, Baek Jiheon. Both of you smile when you take a glance at each other. Each small moment brightens up your day.
Even if you are a fan and a co-worker, you don’t know how but you are falling for her like you did when you first started following Fromis_9. Having her around makes you feel like the first time you saw her when you are in high school then you went to college you always wasted all of your money on albums in the hope of winning the raffle for the fan sign.
Every time you see her eyes smile across the room, you can sense something from Jiheon. Something special between the two of you. You can’t put it on it yet. Since you are co-workers you have to hide your feelings for her. Even more, a person wanting a former idol to date him? Bad for you, Worse for her.
~~
It’s the last day of the week, the last day of Jiheon’s training. She has to catch everything she has to do. Since she will be working with younger kids. She will be preparing lesson plans for the pre-schoolers.
You sit down on your desk, playing minesweeper, waiting for an email so you can start your day.
As Jiheon enters the faculty room.
“Good morning, Opp— Aaah.” Jiheon falls.
You rush to her and see her on the ground with her ankle swelling. You quickly grab the medical kit from the shelf and open it to get the compression and wrap it around her ankle.
When you wrap it around her ankle. Something hard grows down on your pants. It doesn’t help that Jiheon is pulling up her short pencil skirt. Her smooth skin wrapped around by her pantyhose arouses you.
Jiheon chuckles after seeing your growing cock. You get flustered by Jiheon’s reaction to your embarrassment. As soon as you finish, you help her stand up and lead her to her chair. You let her sit down on her chair.
“You going to be okay, Jiheon?”
“Yeah, thanks to you.” She looks at you.
But crouch to her head level. Your eyes close to each other, face to face.
“Happy that I can help.”
Jiheon puts her hand on your cheek. “Thanks.”
“Ummm, should I go?” You hesitate for a second.
Jiheon looks into your eyes. You can tell she is asking for something. “Ugh fine. If you aren’t going to do it then I will.” She gets slightly impatient. Soon, she leans in and kisses you on the lips.
You won't resist but instead, lean in forward and kiss her deeper. But then you remember, you pull out and run to your desk.
“Jiheon.”
“Yes, Oppa?”
“I’m your sunbae, right?”
“Oh…okay sunbae? Is everything alright?”
“Just don’t talk about it, okay? It never happened.”
“Yes, Opp—”
“I’m your sunbae, okay?!”
“Yes, sunbae…”
You wipe your lips for a second and swiftly get back to work, ignoring just what happened. You know it is going to be very unprofessional to be with Jiheon and yet you just kissed.
As the day passes by, you focus on your work. But when you look and Jiheon and she looks back, you quickly glance at something else, trying to get rid of that kiss of your mind. Even if it is only the two of you in the room. The tension gets higher, the room gets hotter you can feel sweat coming down your neck.
Then the bell rings, and you have never been out of the door as fast as you can. You wouldn’t have waited for a second longer for you to leave the room.
On the train ride, you look at your wallpaper again.
Jiheon…Jiheon.
~~
One Week Later
~~
You sir back down in your chair. Everyone is back from their vacation. Jiheon however just came back from her sooner than expected leave due to her sprained ankle. But you just go back to typing on your computer waiting for you to be able to talk to Jiheon about what happened last week. You prepared a speech and everything on how you shouldn’t be dating and why it is a bad idea both in terms of professionalism and you as a fan.
There was a knock on the door. “Okay since everyone is here. I think I’m going to treat everyone to dinner tonight!” Your boss says.
As everyone cheers, you look at Jiheon. She smiles there with her hands clapping. Things slow down. Her beauty is unbelievable. The one thing you don’t want to happen is those eyes to stop smiling. You want them to stay like that forever, bringing Jiheon all the happiness she deserves.
But there is the other thought that you cannot be with her and all you can do is just be her co-worker and at most a friend.
~~
Later tonight
~~
There you are still sober. Almost half of the faculty is already drunk from soju. You get enough of this atmosphere and decide to go out and get some fresh air. Outside is just a couple of tables with chairs. You take one and sit on it, looking out and appreciating the view. Unbeknownst to you, someone follows you outside.
“Can I join you?”
You get surprised. It’s Jiheon.
“Ummm…..I’ll go back inside.”
“No, please. Let’s talk. We need to talk.”
“Jiheon. I can’t.”
She looks at you. Her eyes calling for you. You sit down as she holds your hand. “Look, Oppa. I like you. You said you also like me.”
“Jiheon, are you drunk?”
“Drunk enough to talk to you but sober enough to know this is what I want.”
“Jiheon… You know why I can’t do this.”
She grabs your hands and pulls you closer to her. “Tell me that you don’t like me.”
You look at her with a hint of vexation. “You know we shouldn’t do this.”. You stand up and as she pulls your arm but you push her away and walk back to the restaurant.
“Oppa! I know you like me. That kiss wasn’t a mistake.”
You stop in your tracks with a fist forming and with your teeth grinning. “Jiheon, don’t make this harder for you and me.”
She slowly walks towards you and grabs your hand. Her scent is impeccable, so sweet and so alluring. Her fingers touch your cheek and turn you around. “It’s not going to be harder if you just listen.”
Your lips collide. All the anger is gone. All the thoughts of you not being together are wiped away. You want to satisfy Jiheon’s desires and that desire is you. You don’t fight, being with the idol of your dream is a goal that you never thought you would obtain.
Jiheon releases you from her lips. “Tell me, does that hurt? Is it that hard?”
You lean your foreheads to each other. “I guess not. Tell me. Is that kiss all?”
“Never in the slightest.”
~~
You push yourself inside Jiheon’s apartment still with lips locked onto each other. As you enter, clothes start flying everywhere. First Jiheon’s shirt then your polo. You kick your shoes away leaving only you with your socks.
With your faces up against each, you chuckle for a bit. You lean back a bit and see her half naked where she sees you too.
“You have been working out.” Jiheon compliments you.
“Nothing much. But you look good too.”
“I haven’t been exercising recently. But thanks.” Her hand rests on your chest as she humbles herself.
You both laugh for a second then you return to kissing each other. As you reach her bedroom, you slam her to the wall and extend her arms above her head. Her luscious lips taste irresistible. Her breast tissue already shows from her extended arms.
From experience, you swiftly undo her bra. But before it drops. Jiheon covers her breasts.
“Sorry, I’m not really confident about them. They’re just…”
“They’re just perfect.”
Your eyes stare at each other as you slowly drop her bra to the floor. “You’re beautiful just the way you are. Trust me. That’s why I have fallen for you.”
She kisses you again. Her arms wrap around your neck. She pushes you back to her bed, making you fall in it.
“If I trust you then you have to trust me. I’m going to give you a good time.” Jiheon breaks the kiss and traces herself down to your pants. Her hand already runs you fully grown length then she kneels in front of you.
She stares at your pants and slowly but swiftly she removes them. Now the only barrier between Jiheon and your cock is your underwear. Your cock twitches as Jiheon stares at it. Her eyes are in amazement at its size.
She peels off the covering and reveals the long hard girthy cock inside your underwear. Her cold hand grasps the warm length. She curiously pumps it, slowly stroking it. Her tongue gives a little lick on the tip.
“Please, tell me. Do you trust me?”
You just nod in either fear or excitement. You can’t tell what kind of emotions Jiheon knows what to bestow upon you but you’re looking forward to more.
She licks from the base to the tip. The rough surface drags a line of exhilaration. A wave of emotions that starts from the base. Her tongue wraps around it then for the lip a nice lick. A quick yet pleasurable nibble.
Her hand begins pumping. Slow strokes turn faster. Fast strokes run in tandem with her sucking. Jiheon’s plump lips suck and surround your stimulated shaft. It runs for more and more. All of the stimuli run throughout your legs.
Jiheon releases her hold of you. “Like that?”
You pull her up and make her lie down on top of you while you lay on the bed. She kisses you on the lips, the soft luscious taste. While this happens your finger lingers underneath and into her pants. Inside you can feel her shaven slit. You play with it for a second before you remove your hand and undo her pants.
Jiheon moans. Her eyes smile. Her expression turns from someone who wants to please you into someone who is being pleasured. Your hand pulls down her panties and her pants. Now both of you are laying there naked on the bed. Your finger invites itself inside the walls of Jiheon.
“Argh,” Jiheon whispers to your ear. “Please…. Don’t stop. It’s…. so good.”
You finger her more, finger her faster. Soon she loses herself. The urge and surge of euphoria are entering her. Your finger has clearly done more to her than her mouth has done to you. Yet you have enjoyed her oral stimulation.
After reaching her third orgasm, she grabs your wrist as it was about to enter her one more time.
“Come on. I shouldn’t have all the fun.” Jiheon reminds you. “Please let me let you enjoy this moment.”
She gets on top of you and with her butt resting right above your crotch. All of her perfect body can be seen. Her milky white midriff, her perfect perky breasts, and the bright expression in her smiling eyes.
She lifts herself and aligns herself to your protruding cock. She fits the tip on the entrance of her slit. At first, the head enters. You can see Jiheon’s eyes show pleasure. Soon it goes halfway, her face shows a hint of pain. But as she fully impales herself with your cock. All of that pain goes away and the sensual experience begins.
She moves up and down your shaft. You hold on to her waist while she grabs your shoulders. You can feel the tightness of her walls. While she can feel the girth of your length. You grunt while she moans. You guide her pace, moving steadily not too fast yet enough for you to enjoy the moment.
You pull her down to you while she still rides your cock. But instead of moving forward, you turn her around where you are in control. Now you are on top of her, either hand on each side of her chest while your cock is still inserted inside her.
“Like that?” You ask.
She nods while laughing, amused with the situation.
“Now tell me, are you going to enjoy this?” You ask for a second time.
This time you thrust inside her, getting in harder than she was riding. You push your cock in deeper and deeper after each step. Jiheon raises her voice after each round of pleasure. It grows louder and louder after every second.
Soon sweat starts to drip down from your nose and it falls to Jiheon’s breasts. She doesn’t notice so you just continue and push in deeper. After a while, you look at her happy face and kiss it. First on the cheek then on the neck, it moves to her lips. This silences her. She pulls you in closer for the kiss. A strong and passionate make-out session occurs while you still get in on her in the classic missionary style.
“Fuck, Jiheon. I’m going to cum.” You can feel your legs grow weak and your orgasm is about to come.
“Wait. Please not inside.”
You quickly pull out your cock and as soon as it comes out. It spews all of your seed all over her abs. Your breath starts to slowly go down. Each exhale comes out of your nostrils as you lay next to her.
“So, sunbae? What’s next?”
You turn to the side. “Oppa. You can call me oppa again.” You say as you kiss her on the lips.
“So what are we going to tell our co-workers?” Jiheon jokingly remarks.
“What are we going to tell your fans?”
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Theres a tumblr blog on here who has seen the entirety of s2 before release and they said this:
“If David and Michael didn't have wives I would have assumed they'd fucked at some point during filming because their chemistry is seriously unreal
the amount of sexual tension is fucking insane, y'all have no idea what you're in for”
I immediately thought of you cos wooooow
Oh, my, Anon. Well, I do think I know the blog you're referring to, though I won't link to it/the post lest people run across any spoilers they are not looking for. But that statement doesn't surprise me one bit, though it is absolutely delicious to have that confirmation of what so many of us already suspected.
On a few points, I will note that they actually don't both have wives, as Anna is Michael's girlfriend, but they are not married. It seems to be a common assumption, however, but it is interesting that after four years and two kids, there doesn't appear to be any sign of a ring. I don't particularly think that that would stop Michael anyway, given his past predilections and the number of times we know he's dated/hooked up with/fallen in love with co-stars (Rachel McAdams, Kate Beckinsale, lots of rumors about Lizzy Caplan, even though I'm not certain that was ever confirmed).
The chemistry and sexual tension between Michael and David has been evident and incredibly powerful since the first season of GO, so I would not be at all surprised if they have fucked--likely multiple times, and likely long before now. This also ties into what I just discussed in my response to another Anon, about the possibility of a polyamorous arrangement between Michael, David, and Georgia. (I do not believe AL has ever been part of this arrangement, however, and I still do not think she is, for numerous reasons that I've cited previously on my blog.)
I wanted to end my reply here with a gif or picture of one of the countless moments of Michael and David giving "just had sex" energy, but I find myself going back to one particular moment from four years ago. One moment that probably most people wrote off as a joke, but that now seems to have been a forerunner to all that we've gotten since from Michael, David, and Georgia in the form of truth disguised as a joke:
How does that old saying go? "When someone tells you who they are, believe them the first time." And I absolutely believe that if Michael and David are lovers (and have been for a while), that is exactly what we'll see play out with their dynamic on screen in GO season 2. I truly can't wait to see it...
#anonymous#reply post#michael sheen#welsh seduction machine#david tennant#soft scottish hipster gigolo#high profile friendship#low profile lovers#very very married#tell me again that they're not a couple#the way they've been shamelessly flirting with each other for four years is a pretty damn big hint#can't wait to watch#ineffable lovers#discourse
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Congrats on your new journal article! Can you talk a little about your research? What’s your area of focus, what research plans do you have coming up? I have an insatiable interest in other peoples’ research!
I am a medievalist by training, though my focus has also expanded into early modernism and modernism, and one of my main research interests is how medievalism or medievally-themed ideas (for better and often uh, very much worse) operate in modern politics, culture, and media. My latest journal article is examining the premodern history and the culture of crusading in the current Russia-Ukraine war; the one that came out earlier in the year was premodern queer history and the crusades. I generally work on premodern (broadly defined) gender/queerness, law and society, war, crusades, religion, and politics, based in but by no means confined to Western Europe, with ancillary interests in the Mediterranean and Eastern Europe. As noted, I also have a strong comparative-historiography interest in demonstrating how medieval history is used to inform modern society and why this is often very misleading.
My current research focuses on premodern queer history, which has been the theme and/or co-theme of most of my more recent stuff. I am developing a mini-book project based on my UK conference paper from this summer focused on reconsidering queer legal, textual, narrative, and physical space within the premodern/medieval context. The general disclaimer is often that this material is marginalized, individualized, ignored, irrelevant, or existing unremarked on the fringes of medieval society, far from the centers of power, which frankly I don't think is correct. If you look at the places in which the theme and substance of "queerness" (in the modern definition; this is not the same at all in the medieval world) exists, it in fact directly informs and creates some of the most central institutions (and anxieties) of European-medieval society, including the king, the church, the literature, and other areas of traditionally-defined "power." So while the study of queer silence, gaps, omissions, and other places where the heteronormative record has prevailed is useful in some amount of retrieving unsignified queer experience, this also gives rise to the notion that premodern queerness is only ever silent or subtextual, and places where it very explicitly appears or speaks have to be argued over or discredited or somehow created to say something other than what they say. So yes.
Because my current university role is primarily administrative rather than teaching-focused, I don't have nearly as much time for actual research as I would like. I am in the process of developing the written prospectus for the above project; it will go to the editorial board at a medieval and renaissance studies center and university press when I am done. We don't know when that will be, but we certainly hope something like a timely fashion (I also have another full-length research project/monograph on premodern queer history that will probably have to wait for a faculty post with dedicated research time, assuming I ever get one. We will see.)
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Ohoho baby, you shouldn't have opened this.
You're about to get sick of me
I haven't read the minsung post yet because I'm about to go to work in a few and I really want to read it calmly and enjoy it.
In the meantime:
Minsung smut and maybe some angst (I mean jealousy or what comes to your mind) based on my post about Teacher!Minho and Boss! Jisung. I want these two to use their authority over me to do as they please..or I simply want to seduce them until they snap. Your choice
Can't wait to see what you do🙈
Okayyyy here I go 😭😈♥️
Life Got Complicated
Being a freshly young adult over winter break was supposed to be fun. But, when you came back to senior year to find your AP teacher retired suddenly and that your old babysitter crush was your new teacher, that presented its own problems.
Word from me: @lyramundana I have written so much and I want to continue but I also want to give you something for now. I changed the place she works at to a bakery… for reasons. Lol 😘
You didn’t know his teaching style and how you were supposed to even pay attention when he grew into such an immaculate man.
On your first day, you went to your normal seat as you just stared at the man. He really had become so beautiful. And it was making all your lady bits squirm. He dressed as if he was walking into the million dollar company he ran and it wasn’t fair. You were literally in your casual jeans and an old sweater.
He set all his things down and proceeded to take attendance. He came to your name and said it like it was a question. You raised your hand and he smirked, realizing you were who he thought you were and you sunk further into your chair in embarrassment.
Class was not going to be fun. You were mortified.
It was a hard class, but Minho was trying to act casual around you, when he really wanted to mess with you. At the end of the first class, Mr. Lee requested you stay after. You rolled your eyes, immediately knowing what was happening.
“Y/n, it’s been a while. How are you?”
“I’m great. Balancing work, school, and a couple college credits is a breeze.” You rolled your eyes again, not knowing why he was going for the casual banter when he was your teacher now.
“Well, if you ever need any help with anything let me know. I know an AP class on top of that can be tough.” He said genuinely while watching your face warp into one of horror.
“I think I’ll be fine. But thank you, Minho.”
“It’s Mr. Lee for you now, miss. Don’t forget that.” Thank god this was your last class because your hormones were kicking all your emotions into high gear and you really wanted to flirt. But instead, opted for annoyed.
“Fine.” You Left quickly l, not looking back at him because thinking about calling him anything other than Minho was weird. And especially him having this superior complex about him.
Time for work.
You had started training by watching a shit ton of videos going over safety in a bakery and cleanliness. But today was your first day getting to do actual work.
You entered the bakery with your work uniform in tow, heading straight to the bathroom in back to change before even approaching your boss. You'd only met the one so far, but you knew today would be with the other man that owned the place.
After getting redressed, you headed to the office to find the co-owner that was training you. When you knocked, you heard "Come in" and walked in to find a handsome man facing his computer. You just saw his back, but bitch, you knew that if his back looked this good in their polo his face must be beautiful.
You weren't wrong, but also, you were shocked. "Han Jisung?!" You exclaimed. This was the same kid that used to help out his dad when you were younger. He was making money as a teacher's aid to his own dad, which always seemed sketchy, but he worked so hard to help in every way he could in his father's chemistry class.
He squinted suspiciously at you, trying to figure out where he knew you from, "Wait, y/n?". You don't know if you should be excited or scared that he recognizes you. That was back in the braces day. Ugh.
The training with him went as well as it could. It was nice to have some background on each other and previous encounters; it made the conversations flow.
--- A couple weeks later ---
Balancing school and work was getting harder. The classes were getting more intense and you were finally on your own at work. The few hours you spent at the bakery were making it hard for you to keep up with homework. But the pay was sooo nice.
You sighed heavily without realizing during Minho's lecture and he noticed, but didn't mention it in front of class to save you the embarrassment.
"Miss y/n, please stay after."
The eye roll returned without a second thought. It couldn't be helped since your teacher likes to treat you like a literal child. Constantly being extra careful around you and making fun of you with a small smirk that embarrasses you.
"What's up, Minho?"
He removed any resemblance of a smile from his face, "Mr. Lee."
"Okay, well...?"
"You were sighing and yawning a lot. I just wanted to make sure everything was going okay at home?"
"Oh." You were surprised by the attention he had paid, blushing slightly. "I've just been learning and working a lot. I should probably ask for less hours."
"Make sure you manage your time correctly. If you need tutoring, my offer still stands. You're smart, but you aren't paying attention."
"Aye aye."
--- After School ---
"Are you comfortable closing with me tonight?" Han questioned while you were getting washed up to start making tomorrow's bread.
"Yeah, I assumed that why I was scheduled so late, but it's fine." You and Han had gotten a lot closer in your hours working together. He was the normal closer for their bakery, so it was most evenings with him.
The night went pretty regularly. Except for Jisung allowed you to pick the Spotify playlist for the evening. It made the shift so much more fun as you sang along and helped customers' with their orders.
The vibe was a great change from the stress of school. Gave you a chance to enjoy being around a gorgeous man and make money.
You weren’t sure if you were imagining it, but you felt like Jisung had really loosened up to you. It made learning easy, but also the crush you were developing grow faster.
He was prepping some of the loaves for the next day already, since it was almost closing time. Separating and getting them ready to rise one last time. You were watching him working deftly with his hands to create the perfect shapes and he noticed your curious stares.
“Would you like to learn some of the shaping?” You were so focused on his work that you jumped when he spoke up.
“Sorry- uhm yeah. I’d like that.”
You moved to his side and stood shoulder to shoulder with him as you watched him slice off another piece of dough, weigh it, and then cover it with flour to shape it.
He cut off a piece and handed it to you as a trial piece. You tried your best to replicate, but it was obvious you needed more help.
Han was a good boss, so he did what anyone would do in his circumstance, right? No.
Han came up from behind you and stood directly against you. You were so shocked that you forget how to breath for a second. He grabbed your flour covered hands so that he could maneuver them and demonstrate the motions from your view.
The man’s crotch was directly against your lower back and you could not swipe that thought from your mind as he rested his head on your shoulder. Focusing on his lesson was nearly impossible. You were aware he was still attempting a lesson on shaping, but all you saw was his veiny arms and fingers contracting and manipulating the soft pliable material.
But all your brain could think of was how well he could use those fingers to manipulate something else. “Are you even listening, y/n?”
You replied with a dumb “Uhm yeah of course.”
“Try this then.” He let you give it a go and his hands held himself up against the table top as he watched. He still made no movement to get away from you and you felt your heart race at the proximity and his breath in your ear. “That’s better…”
The bell at the front counter rang and you were both taken out of the lesson to look at the guest there. Unfortunately, the bakery has no separation from the front table to the main bakery, but neither of you had expected to have any other visitors.
Jisung moved so far away so quickly, as if he was caught doing something he should be, while you were just so surprised you froze in place.
He went up to talk to the person while you refused to make eye contact from embarrassment of being so in your perverted thoughts. But how couldn’t you be? He was literally standing against your back. Perfect position for ramming into from behind-
“Y/n?” You were taken it if your dirty thoughts by your name being called by the familiar voice.
You looked up and realized that the customer stood at the counter was none other than your new teacher, and old babysitter, Lee Minho. “Minho?! What are you doing here?”
“I wanted to try this bakery for my breakfast tomorrow. I mean, I didn’t know this is where you worked.” He was stuttering and you weren’t sure why. If you could guess, he was just as caught of guard as you. All professionalism left his body as soon as he had gotten out of the suit and tie at school.
His slacks and half open button down accentuated his gorgeous figure in a way you did not need, but would definitely remember for later. “Oh. Yeah this is my after school job. This is Jisung.”
He glared at the man. Seemingly jealous of the man that you had just been standing near. But why? “That didn’t seem like very professional training, Jisung.”
“Sir, it’s Han for you, and I don’t think you can judge my teaching methods. I’ve heard you’re her teacher from previous chats. And you’re allowing her to call your name so casually? That’s also not very appropriate.”
“We know each other from previous. And I am not her teacher right now.”
Han rolled his eyes at his response. “Well we also know each other from before. Maybe you should mind your business?”
Minho looked over to you, and you returned his inquisitive look. “Is y/n your girlfriend?” You we’re shocked at all the words coming from the men.
“Why does it matter to you?” Han asked him before he could say anything else. You really wanted to say something but you were dumbfounded at the current situation you found yourself in.
Minho was still staring at you. His look seemingly amused as you made an attempt to utter anything. The man walked back to the exit and flipped the open sign over to ‘closed’ and locked the door. The scene was getting more tense and the two of you behind the counter shared a pensive look. Han pointed lowly at the panic button under the counter just in case you guys needed it.
As Minho walked back to the counter he walked around to the back and towards you. He never looked at Han the entire time and you were frozen by his intense glare. He stopped a foot away from you and finally looked behind your head at the other man, “I asked, because I’ve been thinking about giving her lessons of my own. But I won’t if she is your student already.” He cocked his head like it was a question.
Han stood his ground behind you at the strange man. “What are you helping her with?”
Lee Minho, the man, the legend, smiled at Han as he easily spoke, “everything. I want to teach her everything.”
At that moment Lee Minho closed the gap. He put one hand behind your head and asked, “May I?”
You nodded your head and he closed the gap as he let his lips caress your own.
My boos: @2chopsticks2eyes @sweetracha @moonlightndaydreams
#stray kids#skz#han jisung#i love him#loml#lee know#hannie#lee minho#stray kids smut#straykids#jyp stray kids#stray kids lee know#lee know x you#lee know x reader x han jisung#lee know x oc#lee know imagines#lee know drabbles#han jisung x you#han jisung smut#han jisung x reader#han jisung imagines
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Wait so I'm confused here so bear with me; That post about the tmra thing, what is your stance on trans men talking about the issues affecting them specifically? I'm genuinely asking, cos it doesn't seem clear where you stand on this or how you view folks talking about trans man/masc issues specifically.
I know that seems weird to ask but I'm now so cautious in online trans space cos I apparently "don't have it as bad as a trans women" whenever I talk about my experience in the health sector dehumanising me and with queer spaces demonising me as a trans man or overall men or attractions to them, which just hurts because we have our unique issues. I'm just trying to understand what you feel.
You're welcome to ignore this if you want. /gen
this got soooo long im so sorry, but i wanted to give you a genuine answer so here we go!
so the person i was vauging about is a proud mra, like. 2014 men's right's activist opinions. obv im not gonna post his URL bc im not about that kind of life, but it's Bad. like, i 'explicitly hate women and im blaming them for the patriarchy hurting me, esp trans women' bad. the dude is a total douche.
now, as for us talking about our issues-- disclaimer here, i'm a white, gay, relatively gnc trans man who lives in the southern USA and passes well and im using that as my jumping-off point. I've been reading into some theory lately (whipping girl is great so far), but this is mostly my own experiences, not theory, based. I've mentioned it before, but i don't believe in misandery, and in that vein, i think that makes the concept of 'transmisndry/androphobia' misguided. in my interpretation of my transness, as someone who's lived as a woman for 19 years and a man for 5, I'm not facing discrimination for gaining manhood, but instead for losing womanhood. I'vd talked about that here and here, in reference to this quote but here are the highlights that are related to my opinion on being punished for leaving womanhood
trans men, on the other hand, are reaching for that 'ideal'[malehood]. we are trying to leave behind the despised and weak [womanhood], and that's so silly, so pathetic, you stupid little girl, you really think you can be the top in society? that's why radfems and similar 'feminists' say we are betraying our sex; they see it as leaving behind safety (women) for the enemy (men). to them, we are leaving them to rot in alone womanhood while we try to become the privileged ones stepping on their necks. this is also why the narrative surrounding trans women is predatory and sexual-- women only have power through sex, so a man would only want to leave manhood for sexual gratification-- while the narrative for us is that we are pathetic and tricked. women are stupid and delusional if they believe they could ever leave behind our oppression for privilege
and
that's why i don't see me being discriminated against as a trans man as something uniquely tied to anti-maleness / misandery/ androphobia / etc, but instead, just a facet of transphobia and misogyny (as well as ableism and such for me personally, but im talking bigger picture). I'm seen as a ruined woman because i betrayed gender roles. to them, im not transitioning because i am, ya know, actually a man, instead, i'm purposefully clawing my way out of the pit and hightailing it to the top, which is threatening. society doesn't like when women (trans men) are suddenly trying to be a class that is protected and privileged. im not transitioning to get access to privilege, but that's what it looks like to a transphobe, be them conservative man or radfem. im scary because im rocking the boat, not because im masculine, and they hate me because im showing their binary and hierarchy are false, not because im masculine. im stupid and delusional and a failure and a silly little girl and a bamboozled idiot tricked by trans women as well as a ruined woman and a rotten woman because of misogynistic binary power structures, not because im a dude. ya know?
anyways, what holds me back is the gender binarist, cissexist, transphobic, and misogynistic stew that affects all trans people, just differently on a systemic and individual level
but i dont want people to think that we don't face our own issues. for example-- despite being on t for like 5 fucking years, I've had my period come back multiple times after switching back to gel. i panicked and went to a doc the 1st time, worried i was idk, dying, and she blew me off as not knowing my body and being hysterical. now do i think this was because i was trans? yes. do i think it was because i was a trans man? yes. but not because of the man part, but because of the 'was a woman' part. this doc was not seeing emil, the man, she was seeing emil, the stupid little girl who is playing pretend, and as such she treated me with the same disrespect she would a cis woman, just with different pronouns. I've found that most discrimination i have faced has more to do with people still seeing me as a woman and treating me as such, even when i pass and am very clearly a man.
now, do i think masculinity in the queer community is seen as bad? to an extent, yes, but i think that comes from gender essentialism more than any kind of misandry. butch women are abandoning 'the right kind' of womanhood, so they're bad. masc nb people, gnc people, and masc men are leaving behind the 'palatable' version of queerness that is, for lack of a better word, tied to femininity from a binarist and essenalist viewpoint. this femininity is an insult, wrong, so it is expected of queer people. this femininity is fake, easily dominated, flimsy, and docile in the eyes of a binarist and essentialist society. so queer people, who must be fake, easily dominated, flimsy, and docile to be safe for cishet society, must not be masculine. and like i said, even then it has to be the right kind of femininity. just ask any femme lesbian or trans woman or gnc trans man, like i am. we are punished for being feminine 'wrong' -- i could talk about this for hours, but i won't take up too much of your time haha. basically, i think that masculinity is punished in the queer community not bc of misandry/androphobia but because in the queer community, masculinity is being practiced in a way that breaks the norms we have internalized. it alllll comes back to the binary, gender essentialism, and misogyny.
obviously, my opinion is not the end all be all, and i welcome other takes and thoughts, (esp on this ask haha), but when it comes to other trans men, the insistence that a) misandry/androphobia/male oppression is real b) trans women are the cause of the problem or bad for calling us out when we say something gross and c) we don't need to do any soul searching on our own binarist, essentialist, or (trans)misogynistic thoughts, are when i have a problem. not when trans men want to talk about the oppression they face. i should be able to talk about that doctor's appointment, and you should be able to talk about your life experiences! just be sure not to fall into any internalized bigotry unintentionally in the process.
does that help? pls let me know if it does or doesn't, if it doesn't id love to dm and chat more
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hey!
what au's do you like writing? if you don't mind could you do roommate headcanons for any fandom of your choice?
OOOOOHHH THANK YOU VERY MUCH ANON! My favourite AU's are actually college AU's because college/university is literally the craziest point of someone's (e.g me) life. Roommates AU is my second favourite. I enjoy it so much.
I take requests in my ask box!
Roomies: Multifandom Roommate Headcanons (afab! reader)
Multi fandom: Tokyo Revengers, Jujutsu Kaisen, Attack on Titan.
Characters: Manjiro 'Mikey' Sano, Haruchiyo Sanzu, Yuuji Itadori, Fushiguro Megumi, Sasha Blouse, Armin Arlet.
Warnings: fluff, suggestive, no pronouns for reader, afab!reader, charcters, all characters are aged up 18+ This might be fluff but I don't want minors interracting with my posts.
monica©2022 do not copy, translate or steal my works. don't promote my works on any other place like tiktok or ff.net. reblogs, comments and requests are HEAVILY appreciated (please request)
Join my Taglist: @happygoluckyalexis @mastermindenoshimaalicia @suguju @suyacho @yuujispinkhair @obitohno
Manjiro "Mikey" Sano:
He's the literal personification of chaotic.
Will invite friends unannouced and makes you hang out with him and his friends desipte your tight schedule.
He definitely eats the food you keep in the fridge and hotly denies it, even when you two are the only ones that live in the apartment
You intentionally hide the step ladder from him just so he can ask you for help to reach stuff. (He's smol 🥺)
Will ask you for a favour, won't wait for your answer and just says "You're the best (name)" and disappears to god knows where.
"Hey (name), can you please return Draken's keys to him. I accidentally took it." "But I have w-" "thanks (name), you're the best!" *door slam*
Your room is full of unnecessary plushies that he won for you at different carnivals. The moment he sees you looking at a plushie with longing, he's definitely winning it for you.
Will beat up anyone else that offends you deeply.
Mikey is messy. Doesn't know how to pick up after himself until you use the reward learnig system to teach him how to do so.
The reward in question being Dorayaki.
Over all an okay roommate, if you forget that he once beat up your coworker for looking at you wrong.
Akashi Haruchiyo Sanzu:
Is surprisingly neat. It's you that is the problem.
He kept to himself when y'all first moved in. Sometimes the house would be so quiet you don't remember you're living with someone.
Hence you thinking it was a good idea to run to the living room topless because you left the stove on for so long. (I'm guilty of this), only for you to reveal your naked chest to Haruchiyo who was coming out of the almost burning kitchen.
"Nice view" "CLOSE YOUR DAMN EYES!"
Doesn't shut up after that day and is really sarcastic with you.
"You didn't eat my chocolates, did you?" "Nooooo, the empty wrappers in the trash appeared from thin air." "..." "Of course I ate them, who else lives here?"
Is extremely clingy when sad or lonely. He will follow you around and even sleeps next to you. Likes pressing his head on your stomach since it's squishy.
Gives the weirdest gifts. He gifted you a co-worker's hair after the person made a rude comment about your new hairdo. He didn't understand why you were yelling at him for it.
Has a huge, obssessive crush on you. Also has pictures of you sleeping in different positions.
Talks your ears off when he's high and you just listen because you don't want him to remember you accidentally trashed his barbie girl bike.
Sanzu is sweet in his own way, loving to you (and Mikey). The rest of the world can fuck off.
Yuuji Itadori:
Has Jennifer Lawrence posters all over his room.
Is literally the sweetest person you'll ever meet. He cooks, he cleans and he prepares warm baths for you. You don't know how you won the jackpot of roommates.
He does stare at your ass though. A lot. It's not his fault you have a nice ass.
Will always ask to have friends over and makes you hang out with them. His friends are cool so no problem.
Is a dumbass though. Not that he can't think for himself, but you have to stop him from doing the dumbest shit.
"I heard that if you spray hairspray and light a match, it'll catch fire." "PUT MY HAIRSPRAY DOWN YOU IDIOT-"
Tries to get you to work out with him. Ends in a disaster. You're sweaty, aching and probably half conscious, Yuuji has to drag you back to the bed.
Movie nights are lit. You two relax after a stressful week with popcorn and root beer, watching the most outragous movie you've seen.
You two have kissed while being drunk once, but Yuuji was too far gone to remember. You on the other hand.
He broke your favourite cup once. Apologized in the midst of snot and tears so you couldn't stay mad at him.
Best roommate ever, but you constantly have to fight him not to put JLaw posters in your living room.
Fushiguro Megumi:
A clean freak. Will yell at you if you shift the rug 0.0001mm away from the original spot.
Cannot cook to save his life, but won't want to leave you alone so he just stands at the counter and watches you intently.
You're not necessarily a roommate from hell, but you drive him crazy. You're loud and you chew with your mouth open intentionally. You leave the doors open and you hate doing any other chore apart from cooking.
You're clingy too. No concept of personal space, you just throw yourself on him and then the next thing he knows, you're asleep on his lap. He's not complaining about that though.
Has to teach you how to do chores with the reward learning system, the reward being coffee jelly or letting you hug him.
You attempted doing the laundry once and put his dark blue jeans with his white shirts. He came home to you having a mental break down on the floor with his stained shirts in your hands. You're not allowed near the washing machine again.
He got into a fight with someone that called you a dumb bitch. You had to drag Megumi out of there before he kills somebody.
"You just got your pretty face banged up for something stupid!" "You should see the other guy." "MEGUMI!"
You're his friend now (unfortunately) of course he's going to defend you. Not like he's developed a crush on you or something haha liar
Very considerate roommate, when he is not complaining about you putting the peanut butter the wrong way.
Sasha Blouse:
You have Sasha??? As your roommate?? I pray for your wallet.
Steals your food 24/7, won't deny it when you catch her redhanded. You find her in the room, passed out with mouth stuffed with food from your fridge everytime. Luckily for you, you have a secret stash of food for yourself.
Is an honest roommate though. Will always tell you the truth even if it isn't necessary.
"That dress is ugly." "I know." "Then why did you buy it?" "Because I can. Get out of my room."
Most fun roommate ever. You two go to numerous places whenever you're free. Clubs, Kareokee, amusement parks etc etc.
You both are menaces to society, blasting Cupcakke on loud speaker and singing in the most atrocious voices ever known to man.
"I SAVE DICK BY GIVING IT CPR"
Has a cute face whenever she did something wrong and doesn't want you to be mad at her.
Her friends are... quite the bunch. But you fit in because you are as crazy as they are. Ymir is on to you though. She knows you like Sasha 💀
You two only clean up the moment you see a rat staring at y'all from the couch. That's how bad it has to get for you people to actually clean your house. Jesus.
10/10 best roommate ever. Just, clean your house before it ends up on a bad reality TV show.
Armin Arlet:
Sweet boy on the outside, yet so subtly sarcastic. You won't even know when he does it.
Has scary friends. Mikasa had threatened you that she would break your bones if you break his heart, which is odd because you aren't even dating him.
Can cook and clean. Well balanced living arrangement and you people actually have a system that works. Your house is always so neat: it scares me.
Has gaslit you one too many times into thinking you were the one that left the backdoor open, when in fact, Armin is the culprit.
"Armin, you left the door open!" "Are you sure it wasn't you?" "What do you mean by-" "Didn't you take the trash out last night? You were the last person to leave." "But I- hmm. I was the last person to go out though..."
You once walked in on him whilst he was showering to pee. After the initial shock, you just went ahead to pee and left the bathroom to his horror. Armin locks the bathroom door when he showers now.
Will always defend you. Is super protective and likes holding your hand when you are outside to avoid "stalkers" in reality he just likes your palms. Won't admit it though.
Is also considerate of your needs. Sometimes, he adds stuff you need to his personal grocery list and doesn't take your payment.
"Oh Armin, this is so sweet, you shouldn't have." "It's no problem." "Oh no no no, let me pay-" "just accept the gift already."
Armin is a tease, but doesn't like it when you do it back to him. Gets all shy and antsy when you bat your lashes at him. Hypocrite.
Overall, he's a good roommate, just don't let him wriggle his way out of that door issue.
#tokyo revengers fanfic#tokyo revengers x reader#mikey x reader#manjiro sano x reader#mikey x reader fluff#haruchiyo sanzu#sanzu x reader#sanzu x reader fluff#haruchiyo akashi fluff#jujutsu kaisen fanfic#jujutsu kaisen x reader#yuuji x reader#yuuji x reader fluff#itadori yuuji x reader fluff#itadori yuuji fluff#fushiguro megumi#fushiguro megumi x reader#megumi x reader#megumi fushiguro fluff#attack on titan fanfic#attack on titan x reader#sasha blouse#sasha blouse x reader#sasha x reader#sasha blouse fluff#armin arlert#armin arlert x reader#fluff#roommate au#gn reader
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Twenty Questions for Fic Writers
Thank you @yoellglia, @kingfisherprince and @shambolicchaos for tagging me even though I haven't done one of these in months, I appreciate it <3 And look at this, I am actually doing a tag game.
1. How many works do you have on AO3?
57. How did that happen.
2. What’s your total AO3 word count?
418,066. Some of those 57 are pretty long ;-)
3. What fandoms do you write for?
Well I won't list them all, we'll be here tomorrow. The published ones are mainly: Tatort, Good Omens, Potter, Tennis RPF, Skating RPF and a few Music RPFs. There's an awful lot of WiPs from Sherlock Holmes to Poirot to Star Trek to Oasis to Austen to various Panel Shows to Les Miz to The Hobbit and back again though. Plus WiPs for all the published fandoms. Sigh.
4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?
Alright this is going to be a trip down memory lane, seeing as I'm mostly active in very niche fandoms these days. Also, this statistic is perhaps skewed by the fact that lots of my fics are in German (a few nearly made it onto the list though!) and my RPF is locked (for registered users only).
Days in the Sun: Tops the list by a very long way. Harry Potter. A Snape/Hermione post war fic published in 2018. I'm a different writer these days but I still like lots of things about it.
To Trust in One Another: Good Omens. Aziraphale/Crowley post Season 1. I remember the response to this overwhelming me at the time, I had never gotten so many comments so quickly after posting and haven't since. This fandom is so lovely (and filled with writers!).
To those who wait, eventually: Harry Potter. Snape/McGonagall. I love this pairing and this story. And while I am very surprised that both the Potter Fics I actually published are het, I am not surprised they both feature Severus Snape.
Almost Too Kind, or: Prometo: Figure Skating RPF. Yuzu/Javi. I still like the Yuzu POV, although I think I've perhaps written more interesting skating stories, but this was obviously the most popular parinig at the time. Hence the amount of kudos I guess.
Language Barrier Sidestepped: Figure Skating RPF. Yuzu/Javi. This one surprised me because it's just a silly fluffy oneshot. But with some language nerdship in the title and the story (that part is less surprising, if you know me)
5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?
Always, and sometimes too verbosely :D I like a good comment discussion and I have made friends that way.
6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?
Angsty endings? Me? I would if I could. Maybe some day. I guess the angstiest one is this unrequited love drabble in the Tatort Münster Fandom.
7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?
Well, most of them have pretty happy endings, I think.
8. Do you get hate on fics?
Not so far. Most of the comments I get are really nice. I can remember only a handful slightly weird ones over the years.
9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?
No one is more surprised than me, but yes. In my case, it's usually part of a story and has a function in the story. But it can be pretty graphic because it's weird to me to treat sex as something to gloss over. That being said, sometimes a story decides on a fade to black. On the other end of the spectrum, I've also come pretty close to writing PwP, depending on your definition of it.
10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?
Never written one, very rarely read them.
11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?
Not that I'm aware of.
12. Have you ever had a fic translated?
People have asked for permission several times and I always grant it (of course I do) but I don't think I've ever gotten a link to a finished translation (which I always ask for). I get it though, some of my stories are pretty long and I know all about the difficulties of translation :-)
13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?
It's not finished but I hope we can get back to it @kingfisherprince! I might not always be the easiest person to work with, but I thoroughly enjoyed it so far.
14. What’s your all time favourite ship?
I don't have one, I write whatever pairing is interesting to me. And would love to write more gen fic if inspiration strikes. The concept of an OTP used to make no senses to me either, though I guess I've come close with Novandy in the Tennis fandom. I still write lots of other stuff in that fandom though.
15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?
I have trouble going back to the Potter stuff for various reasons. Would love to finish a Snarry which is already at almost 30k but doubt I will. I also have a Poirot/Hastings case fic I really want to finish but (see writing weaknesses)
16. What are your writing strengths?
I'm not sure. I hope Í write realistic relationships that make sense in the story. I try to write clear prose that's not too cluttered (I don't always succeed). Sometimes with my longer fics I've managed to slightly miraculously tie things together, which is amazing to me when it happens but I can't control that at all.
17. What are your writing weaknesses?
I sometimes overexplain. I tend to forget about 'setting the scene' descriptions now and then. And the big one: I can't plot for the life of me, I write as I go along, which isn't always a problem but definitely is when you try to write a murder mystery (I've got an unfinished Poirot one and an unfinished Tatort Münster one which I would love to continue).
18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?
I like it, though I tend to use it relatively sparingly and either add translations or try to make it clear in other ways in the text what was being said (a translation degree comes in handy for this).
19. First fandom you wrote for?
Well the first time I tried writing fic it was Kirk/Spock but the first thing I finished and published was Tatort Münster.
20. Favourite fic you’ve written?
Don't do this to me. The answer will be different every day, I think, and for lots of reasons. This is not me being pretentious (I hope), because I would have just as much trouble choosing my favourite song or book etc. Let's pick Two and Two Together for today because I never would have thought I'd write a 42k poly fic, but here we are. I think we've established I sometimes surprise myself.
Tagging: I think most of the writers on my dash have been tagged... but maybe @bonos-grindcore-sideproject and @advantage-sinner and @savageandwise and @all-my-worlds-a-stage if you want to do it?
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20 Questions for Fic Writers
Tagged by @hiddenxplaces-blog
1. How many works do you have on ao3?
52
2. What's your total ao3 word count?
1,098,853
3. What fandoms do you write for?
Marvel. Specifically TFATWS at the moment.
4. Top five fics by kudos:
Time-Lost (IronStrange)
Fathomless (IronStrange)
Scribbles On Our Souls (DrPepperony)
Heart of Gold (IronStrangeFrost)
Persistence (IronStrange)
5. Do you respond to comments?
Almost every time. Sometimes I get a bit caught up or delayed, but typically I respond to comments pretty regularly. I love chatting with readers!
6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?
I don't think I've actively posted the fic with the truly angsty ending, yet, so I think the closest is probably a bittersweet ending with Still Here. (IronStrange / Stephen & Peter)
7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?
Well this one took a sec. Keeper (IronStrange), probably?
8. Do you get hate on fics?
Oh not typically to my face, no.
9. Do you write smut?
Yep.
10. Craziest crossover:
I don't really do crossovers, so really the only crossover I can think of plainly is the DRoP/IronStrange fic we did, Heart of Gold.
11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?
Not that I've seen so far.
12. Have you ever had a fic translated?
Yes! A fair few of them. 💓
13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?
Yep. A few!
14. All time favorite ship?
"All-time"? Time hasn't ended, I could hardly say. 😏
15. What's a wip you want to finish but doubt you ever will?
At this point? Embraced. And I'm so sorry to everyone who was waiting for more.
16. What are your writing strengths?
Wait you want me to say nice things about myself? Goddamnit. I used to think dialogue was a weakness of mine, but I think I've improved a lot over the last couple of years since writing scripts necessitated writing solid dialogue, so I'm pretty confident in that, now.
I'm also fairly strong where creating lore and histories are concerned; you want me to explain the magic in a universe? I've got you. You want to know the history of a region? I've got that down, too. World-building in general is my bread and butter.
17. What are your writing weaknesses?
Does "actually finishing a story" count? The reality is, I lose motivation really easily. I function best when I have someone to consistently bat ideas and things back and forth with, otherwise I get severely in my head about things to the detriment of whatever I'm writing. I also rely more heavily on degree modifiers than I should, and while I'm aware of it I still suck at minimizing it.
18. Thoughts on dialogue in another language?
I find it highly dependent on whose PoV the story is in. If the PoV character doesn't speak the language, I love being just as confused as them by not knowing the language.
If the PoV character does speak the language I can be a little more picky about it, unless it's simply a singular word of endearment or something, because those can be difficult to translate even if you know both of the languages. But I have a love of and fascination with languages.
19. First fandom you wrote in?
Uh.... Yu-Gi-Oh!, I think?
20. Favorite fic you've written?
What an excellent question. I'm actually really proud of (Loss Of) Control (WinterBaron).
I set out with some really specific goals for what I wanted to accomplish with it, and I mostly succeeded. There's definitely a section that's weaker than the others, but I pushed myself outside of my comfort zone and made an effort to tackle a trope I'd never written in fic, and to tackle an element of that trope that I felt like I wanted to see handled more in depth. And I'm proud of the result.
Tagging -> @descaladumidera @atypical-snowman @amethyst-noir @jeromesankaraao3
@the-elle-kat @kiki-shortsnout @turtleoftheabyss
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Stuff From 2023!
List of things of note I experienced in 2023! A few things didn't technically release in 2023, I'm sure, but yea. Will contain my 'Top 10 Games I Played in 2023' as well.
Firstly, something I played a lot of this year in bursts but doesn't quite crack my Top 10 is Vampire Survivors. Very addicting, did some very fun goofy shit that had me laughing and engaged in a lizard brain way. Appreciated the many Castlevania references and jokes, too.
A couple of games I played every weekend for a few hours across many weeks this year were Project Zomboid and Roots of Pacha, both in a group 4. We had lots of fun with those two, and I think they're both great co-op time-sink games. Zomboid is a zombie survival sim that has way more attention to detail than its graphics may imply. It's still in early access but the depth to its is honestly pretty dang impressive. Pacha iterates on the Stardew Valley formula in a ton of small but deliberate, thoughtful ways that make for a nice twist on that Harvest Moon style game.
REMAKES
There were so many great remakes this year, on top of just amazing games in general, I can't fit them all into my Top 10. So here's a segment dedicated to most of the remakes I loved this year.
The remake of Super Mario RPG was such a surprise, and turned out very damn well. That game, turns out, is very near and dear to my heart and I did not fully appreciate that until this remake was revealed. It comes just shy of cracking my Top 10 list and that's honestly only because I finished Mother 3 finally right at the tail end of the year. This game manages to still feel weirdly fresh even today just due to how fucking strange it is, and the remake speeds up the pacing a bit while also adding in some new mechanics and a chunk of new post-game content. Everything was handled so well. This is like the new gold standard of complete one-to-one remakes of sprite-based games imo. I will admit the artstyle is a bit 'off' in some ways but I think it's very clean looking and captures that 90's CGI spirit really well, all things considered. And the music, OOF, so damn good.
The remake of Dead Space I don't have much to talk about, but it's very well produced. It's remade so well, in fact, that it felt like my memories of the original, even though I know it's not an exact recreation. Very well done and still holds up as a great horror action game with these improvements.
The remaster of Metroid Prime is so impressive it feels like a remake, even if the game is identical to the original aside from presentation and some control changes. It's an iconic classic, and yet I have no patience to do the Chozo Artifact stuff, so I actually did not roll credits on this version BUT still thoroughly enjoyed reliving the game with a very nice new coat of paint. It makes me excited to see what Prime 4 will look like on, I expect, more powerful hardware.
SHOWS/MOVIES
The year started strong with a TV adaptation of The Last of Us. While I've come to have conflicted feelings with the franchise at large, mainly due to its leading boss man, I thoroughly enjoyed the first season of this series. Very well done adaptation that picked and chose what to keep and what to change and honestly makes for a better story as a whole if you ask me, while not really replacing the game's tactile interactive tensions. Cannot wait to see what they do with Part 2 tbqh. I loved that game more than the original but also felt it was worse as an overall game/experience/narrative. But a fresh take on that same plot could potentially address a lot of the issues I had with Part 2, while simultaneously not really 'replacing' it, either.
The Bear. If you haven't seen it, it's just. Very good television. Two seasons in and it's sitting up there chasing Mr. Robot and Better Call Saul as one of the best live action series I've ever seen. Season 2 did such a great job of giving us deeper dives on the various characters and building toward an organic and rewarding conclusion that still leaves room for another season to theoretically wrap things up. Nothing too crazy with this show, it's super down to earth, and it owns that very well with editing and pacing that varies per episode, kind of in line with the different character perspectives.
Super Mario Bros.: The Movie had me worried for a while, mainly due to the animation studio and casting. And while I'm still not 100% sold on this celebrity casting, I will admit it didn't weight the experience down -- even if it's still the second weakest element by far. The weakest element is the writing. It's not, like, offense -- it's loyal to the source material and works, it functions. But it's not doing anything beyond pushing us from set piece to set piece. If anything, the movie is a bit too short for all of the stuff it's cramming in. But on the upside, there is a lot of amazingly rendered visuals and music to take in. A real treat for fans of the franchise, and the most loyal gaming adaptation in movie form, I would say.
Across the Spiderverse is in essence the first half of a two part film. That makes it kind of difficult to talk about, especially when it's also a sequel, and the production sounds like it was marred with bad management and crunch. But the results they came up with actually met my hopes and expectations for a sequel, and that is saying something, as I had very high expectations. I completely adore this film's stupendous sense of style, editing, framing, writing, and the way it's making meta-commentary on multiple levels on top of just being an effective narrative on its own. This is animated storytelling running at full capacity in my opinion, and in general just film doing all of the kinds of things film can do. So it's no wonder that there's still a rub -- this is the first half of the story they planned. The editing, animation, framing, effects, acting, action sequences, music, writing, theming, just Farore's sake, this is SUCH a damn banger of a film and one of the best movies I've ever seen, which, again, is kind of insane given the circumstances. I can only hope they don't fuck up the conclusion.
Scott Pilgrim Takes Off was quite the surprise announcement, and as it turns out, quite the surprise adaptation. I won't spoil much but I will say that by the end of the first episode, it becomes very apparent that this series is no mere by-the-books adaptation, and does something unique and edifying, even if it still maintains a certain surface-level depth I wish the franchise would push beyond. Either way, I enjoyed it way more than I expected to going in, and I think it makes for a great companion to the rest of the series. The animation style was super fun, as well, with some great action sequences.
But Blue Eye Samurai sucker-punched me, having released before I'd even known about it. This show is something else, something unlike any other animated show I've seen besides Arcane. And it's not like it's mimicking Arcane, it's just the closest I can think to compare it to: a quality, thoughtfully framed, thoughtfully written, made-for-adults animated series. It tows the line between fantasy and realism in a refreshing way, its protagonist is great, its cast is compelling, its plot goes to some neat places, and things just feel very well thought-out and well-executed. Slap this in second place behind Arcane as the TV series I am the most excited to see more of in the future, just ahead of The Bear.
Something I did near the end of the year was watch The Hunger Games movies, back to back over the course of like, a week. Have not read the books but man, watching these sure made me interested in doing so at some point. I totally get why people were so enamored with this franchise, and honestly, I think its themes and messages are more relevant now than they were when this franchise was at the peak of its popularity. The films certainly have glaring issues for my tastes but yea, I managed to really enjoy them as a whole despite my lack of mainstream sensibilities. Looking forward to reading the books eventually.
Another thing my wife shared with me was 花ざかりの君たちへ (often called 'Hana-Kimi' for short). Specifically, the 2007 version, as, uh, apparently there are multiple adaptations of this. It was a live action Japanese drama about a high schooler who was born female but transfers into an all-boys school, identifying as a boy while she is there. There's more to it than that, and I won't say it handles everything the best (it's from the mid 2000's) or concludes things in quite the way I'd have preferred. Not to mention it's kind of weird seeing many tropes I'm used to seeing in anime rendered by physical, real actors. BUT it was overall a really sweet, adorable, funny, heartfelt, and reached for pro-queer expression in a time and place when that wasn't mainstream yet (and honestly kinda still isn't depending on who you ask).
Good Omens Season 3 also dropped this year. I actually don't have much to say partly because I think a big element of it is just not knowing what to expect going into it! But it was also very good, very fun, pretty damn gay, I really enjoyed it and am crossing my fingers hard they get to wrap it up the way they want.
All right! Onto my personal top 10 GOTYs.
TOP 11 GAMES
(I played and finished in 2023)
11) Mother 3
The one entry on this list that did not actually come out this year -- in fact, it's never technically released outside of Japan. Originally release in 2007 on the Game Boy Advance, this quirky RPG has developed quite the reputation. I started playing the fan translation back in like 2020, and only got around to finally finishing it this year. While that likely did tarnish the experience a bit for me, so does the final third or so -- it kind of drags on a bit, and any old school format RPG that requires grinding to progress can become a bit of a chore.
Thankfully, Mother 3 did earn its hallowed reputation in my eyes now that I have experienced it. I totally get the passion for this game now, and I am a convert. It makes me want to finally finish Mother 2, aka Earthbound. But here's the biggest thing about Mother 3 I weirdly did not expect going in, yet smashed my face in like a hammer by the time I finished it:
without Mother 3, there is no way Undertale/deltarune would exist.
The DNA for Toby Fox's works is achingly obvious in its relation to this game, specifically. I won't spoil anything and I won't go into my long list of evidence like an Ace Attorney case, but trust me, there is ample evidence to make this claim.
And that also means that Mother 3 stands on its own merits as doing things that RPGs just plain were not doing in 2007, and in some ways still aren't today. Aside from some pacing issues further in, the characters in your party aren't as developed as much as I'd like. BUT the overall narrative it tells, especially in those opening chapters, have a rare kind of earnest, human magic to them that most games just don't let themselves fall into. And it concludes in ways I did not expect and yet offered clarity as to why it is so beloved, and how Toby Fox was so inspired to put his own mark on the gaming landscape.
I owe a great deal to Undertale, personally, and as such, I also owe a great deal to Mother 3. You don't need to have played others in the series to enjoy it, you'll just be missing some referential stuff here and there. It's quite playable and unique by today's standards and I strongly recommend it if you want an RPG that is heartfelt, funny, fun mechanically, and has some simple but hard-hitting things to say about the world we live in, and what we are doing to ourselves and that world.
10) Super Mario Bros. Wonder
What can be said that hasn't been said already? Nintendo knocked it out the park with this one. This was everything I've wanted in a 2D Mario for like 15 years. The only thing 'missing' from it is playable Rosalina, but hey, we finally got Daisy in a mainline Mario game, so I'll take it. After a decade or so of dragging their feet with low-effort but enjoyable 2D games, Super Mario Wonder finally, at long last, captures what makes Nintendo games great and with their best foot forward. They haven't done 2D Mario this well since World on the SNES in 1991. And they have never put this level of production into a 2D game since... ever?
This is one of the all-time best 2D platformers out there, and for once it finally feels like 2D Mario is running on all cylinders as a big budget passion project kind of game. You love to see it.
9) Scarlet Hollow
This game isn't technically finished yet, as it is episodic, and its developers wanted to release Slay the Princess in the interim, but that doesn't stop its quality from being good enough to make my list. This game is doing the kinds of things visual novels should be doing, the kinds of things I wish to do in a sense with my own visual novel development.
It's a horror themed experience but balances the high tension with actual real stakes very well against mostly down-to-earth conversations, with lots of great tricks and touches of presentation you don't typically see in indie visual novels, along with a fantastic art style, charming characters (my favorite character has turned out to be the one I immediately disliked at first, and that's rare for me), and meaningful choices.
I can't wait to see how this one wraps up but even as it stands it's one of the best things I experienced in 2023.
8) Xenoblade Chronicles: Future Redeemed
I will admit I skipped Xenoblade Chronicles 2 after giving it an honest go in like, 2019 or so. A few hours in and i couldn't stomach it, the tonal whiplash from Xenoblade 1 (one of the best RPGs I've ever played) was too much for me. But then Xenoblade 3 came out last year, and is also one of the best RPGs I've ever played, even better than the original for my tastes.
But I wasn't prepared for the DLC to drop a whole ass side-game on us, a self-contained prequel to 3 that serves as narrative cohesion to tie the whole trilogy together with a bow on top, complete with perfectly tuned fanservice (and not the sexy kind, although grown-up Rex and Shulk, well, yes) that really respects its fanbase for investing hundreds of hours in this franchise.
Matthew is easily one of my all-time fav RPG main characters, probably the favorite RPG main character when I think of it (as main characters specifically go, anyway), and his game is a fraction of the length of many RPGs out there. But as usual, the entire cast had their charms, the story was nicely paced, the gameplay and overall length was just about damn perfect for what I could want from the genre.
As an expansion to a pre-existing game, this is one of the top 3 best expansions/DLCs I've ever played. When taken as a side story to an overarching trilogy, I'm not even 100% in on the lore and I still enjoyed the hell out of it, it's just the kind of thing that hits a tone of 'damn, video games are a fucking unique medium that we can do specific narrative things with across years of telling a story.'
I don't know where Monolith Soft is going next, though the ending certainly offers some intriguing teasing, but I suspect I will be there day one to see it, and am looking forward to it.
7) Pikmin 4
Given the long wait (10 years!) one might understand fan concern over the state of Pikmin 4. Turns out, that extra time was spent making this game fucking good. It's not the largest, most impressive, most complex, most inspiring, most 'anything' game I played this year, and yet I can't help saying that this is a damned good video game. It really nailed what it set out to do as a sequel, incorporating just the right ideas to spice up the formula while bringing things back to how Pikmin 2 was, and improving on the series in basically every way -- including stuff to do!
This is easily the most Pikmin game... in a Pikmin game. I still haven't 100%'d it. Without giving away any details, I'll just say that when a game rolls credits and you're only like, halfway through its content, and it just keeps going, that's just kind of wild. It would've felt like a great game even then, but the breadth and depth it ends up going to in order to keep giving you ways to engage with its wonderfully detailed world and addictive mechanics, I love it.
I just want more of it. Give me DLC with more Dandori content, the formula and feel just works so well at this point.
6) Sea of Stars
How the hell I forgot to include this one on my list initially is boggling. Easily one of the best indie games I've ever experienced. The writing is nothing to, well, write home about, but it's not bad. And in fact the story has a lot of great things going on, from an interesting world to a very potent arc with the leading support character (who, let's face it, is kind of more the main character than your two main characters).
The game's art and music are phenomenal, capturing the essence of 90's era RPGs but clearly doing things not capable back then. Made even sweeter, the game is a prequel to the studio's prior work, The Messenger, which I also played and adored in tandem, kind of going back and forth between the two once I was partway into Sea of Stars. The way this RPG repurposes songs from Messenger as well as all kinds of seemingly superfluous elements but makes it feel cohesive is pretty great.
The game also trims a lot of the fat you'd find in older RPGs, as well as lets you customize your experience in a modern way using collectibles you can toggle on and off to grant all kinds of effects, like increasing or decreasing the difficulty in various ways.
The homage paid to classics like Chrono Trigger and Super Mario RPG is clear but it's not at all copy-cat-ing, instead wearing those inspirations proudly on its sleeves and forging its own path with its own ideas. A fantastic collection of party members, a wonderful world, amazing presentation, and environments and pacing that help it stand apart from the genre that inspired it. I wish we got to know the leads better, there is a lack of character growth in many ways, but that's me grasping at straws to critique, it's just a fantastic experience and the studio should be very proud of what they've accomplished.
5) Hi-Fi Rush
This is gonna be a running trend from here on out, but on any other year, Hi-Fi Rush would've been my GOTY, easy. From this point on, we're talking measures of inches rather than miles in terms of my love for these games.
Hi-Fi Rush finally delivered on something I have waited like 20 years for: a rhythm action adventure where playing the game in sync with the music felt fucking cool and gave me emotional resonance in a way only this medium can. The humor was charmng. The visual aesthetic is almost peak 'my taste.' The music was groovy with a few tracks I did not see coming but loved seeing how they were incorporated. The story was surprisingly fun! The characters were fantastic, I loved the entire main crew in a way I rarely ever do and would jump at the chance to spend more time with (and hey, there's a whole bunch of post-game I have yet to do, so I intend to in 2024).
The only real thing I could reasonably ask for from this game is a way to play as those other party members in post-game content or new-game plus or something. And who knows, maybe we get that some day. Even if we don't, what they came up with here is the next best thing besides. And what we got is one the most video-gamey video games I have ever played, a real classic and one I think will go down as one of my all-time favs. A passion project given meaningful time, budget, and creatives to bring it to life.
Had this game offered multiple playable characters, a bit more development in its story, and maybe a stronger climax, it'd be higher. I still love it to death and want more games like it regardless.
Hi-Fi Rush is exactly what kind of game we could have gotten more of if the Internet hadn't pushed gaming into a 'live service' direction. It is literally the spirit of a PS2/GameCube game given modern form. And either way, we did get it, at least, in that form, and it fucking rocks.
4) Resident Evil 4 (Remake)
This year was big for remakes and remasters, but one stands tall above the rest, if you ask me. The original RE4 has stood as my fav in the franchise, the one that got me into the franchise, the one that got me into M-rated games in the first place. Lots of nostalgia, but it's held up surprisingly well over the years despite some limitations of the time (mainly the controls) and some older-fashioned sensibilities ("with ballistics, too~").
But Capcom fucking nailed it with this reimagining. Like Final Fantasy VII: Remake, this game is not a remaster, or a one-to-one recreation. It is a brand new game, built from the ground up, reimagining the original entirely, complete with new mechanics and story. But unlike with FF7, this is also shockingly authentic and loyal to the original at the same time. It remixes elements from the original game, maintains most of the original's map design, adds in new stuff, removes some of the more goofy shit -- and even 90% of what feels 'removed' is revealed to be repurposed for the Ada side story DLC.
It looks great, it sounds great, the adjustments to characters and story are improvements across the board, (except for Hunnigan, RIP) the gameplay is improved in intensity and feel and action and replayability. And yet despite all of this, it balances that campy tone of the original just enough to still evoke what I loved about the original's tone. And it doesn't outright replace the original game, either. The two are now like different recipes of the same sandwich or something. There's reasons to revisit the original, though for me this has now replaced the remake of RE2 as my fav in the franchise.
I really don't know where they go from here but I will look forward to it, and regardless, they fucking nailed this one.
3) Street Fighter 6
Two Capcom games, back-to-back? They had a fucking good year in my eyes. The interesting thing about this particular entry is that unlike the others on this list, I will be continuing to play this one for hours and hours into 2024, especially with more fighters still planned. And in another year, this would've easily been my GOTY.
After all, Street Fighter 6 is the single-best traditional fighting game I think I've ever played. And while fighting games are my overall personal favorite genre, I'm more of a Smash player who also loves the hell out of Street Fighter and then dabbles in Tekken and whatever else releases. Street Fighter has always been one of my go-to top multiplayer games since I got into the franchise with SF4 in 2010. While I did enjoy SF5 well enough, it just didn't keep me hungry to come back for more like 4 did. SF6 has fixed that problem by way of a multitude of changes.
It has easily the most fun single player mode I've seen any fighting game have. Like, yea, The Subspace Emmisary (and even then, I don't love that mode like other folks do, I kinda think it's... fine?) but tbqh World Tour is just better in most every way. You get to build your own fighter, earn and mix and match different costumes and individual character special moves with each fighter's fight style. You get to just hang out with the SF characters, get to know them as people, their hobbies, their fears, their insecurities, their passions besides just beating the shit out of each other. On top of this, the realistic art style shift (a by-product of the RE Engine) seals the deal on what Street Fighter 6 is aiming to do: humanize its cast.
Is it still wacky as fuck? Is it still comical and weird and goofy? Hell yes, it is. Is the story mode deep in its narrative? Not in the slightest. But it's still stepping confidently in a direction fighting games should be trying to, not being too self-serious, but also being earnest.
And I haven't even touched on the mechanics! The Drive System alone is a brilliant addition that adds a sort of 'stamina' system that works so well to add an extra layer of decision making and tension. The game's not perfectly balance imo but for how much is here it is surprisingly damn well balanced, especially given they have insisted on not pushing out a single balance patch since it launched in June. For most any other competitive game, that would be like suicide for the scene, but the game seems to be thriving and selling extremely well for the franchise. And it's earned it.
I will absolutely be continuing my warrior's journey into 2024 and I can't wait to see what else Capcom has in store for this game.
2) Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Out of every game I played in 2023, Tears of the Kingdom is easily the most technically impressive. From a design standpoint, from a 'how in the hell is the Switch doing all of this without exploding' standpoint. From a 'holy hell how is there this much stuff in a single player game' standpoint. From a 'oh my goddesses that stupid batshit idea I had 100% worked because it actually did make sense' standpoint.
Where Breath of the Wild opened our minds as to what an open world game could be -- fully designed like one giant interconnected 'level' -- Tears of the Kingdom replied in much the way I expected: it pulled a Super Mario Galaxy 2. What I mean by that is that this is a direct sequel, building directly off the foundation of the original. You know. Like video game sequels almost always used to. And which many very successful ones still absolutely do.
But Tears of the Kingdom somehow managed to wow me all over again by adding to that open world's verticality in insane ways -- the Depths alone are probably my favorite 'mechanic' from any Zelda game ever besides the time loop of Majora's Mask (and what that did for the story and gameplay). But beyond the scale of the world basically doubling and then some (floating islands and caves on top of Depths), I was curious how this game could stand tall after Elden Ring, which is easily in my top 10 favorite games of all time at this point. Elden Ring was Fromsoft's reply to BOTW. And yet Tears of the Kingdom still managed to have something new to say in spite of that very strong reply.
Tears of the Kingdom opened the door to let players essentially create their own mechanics. By removing the abilities Link had to engage with the world before, and replacing them with a brand new toolset that includes abilities you just... don't see games give you, because they'd be 'overpowered,' TOTK designs its massive world in ways that invite you to use those 'overpowered' abilities however you see fit.
Being able to interact with the world and objects in this way, being able to fuse them together to create all kinds of effects, or new methods of transportation, even interacting with things not just spacially but in respect to time, it's nuts and fun and I've already poured like 130 hours with still so much I haven't done. And that's the thing: this game wasn't designed to be 100%'d. It was designed to just... be experienced, as much or as little as you want. And games on this level of scale/budget just do not have the guts to let so, so much 'content' be missed out on. And this game does.
It's a technical achievement and while I had my doubts with how strangely little Nintendo had to show, I am very glad that the experience itself manages to breathe new life into one of my all-time favorite games while improving on it in so many ways. It won't convert you if you didn't love the original -- this is a Super Mario Galaxy 2 style sequel, after all. But it's essentially replaced the original in ways I didn't think would be possible.
The story? Oof. Uh, not so much the story, let's ignore that part. That's what Nintendo wants you to usually do, anyway. But everything else, just. Din-damn.
It expands upon the first game's already fairly open-ended nature in an exponential way that I suspect developers will spend years to come trying to pin down, much like how they've spend the past 6 or 7 years trying to replicate BOTW's open world design.
For much of this year, I thought this was personal GOTY. And for many it will be, because it's just an extremely impressive video game.
Number 1...?
Going into this list, I kept telling myself, 'man, on any other year, this would be my GOTY. And if you know me personally you likely have already figured out what my GOTY is by omission. But the more I've thought about it, the more I've realized just how close these top 5 games are, it really is like centimeters instead of inches, and they each -- well, every game I've mentioned here, beyond the Top 10, as well -- offered something edifying that I was very satisfied with.
And no, it's not Baldur's Gate 3. While I have spent hours playing it in co-op and a little bit solo, that game's just not really for me, exactly. Like, I can enjoy it, and I have massive respect for the dev team and what they accomplished with it. But I don't much care for D&D, and the game just didn't do very much for me personally, I lack the motivation to finish it. Remove Karlach from the game and I have next to nothing to really attach myself to, personally. I definitely get why it's many people's favorite game of 2023, though, and I do think it's a bit of a wakeup call for what can be accomplished by just making a GAME instead of struggling to contort it into a service etc.
Street Fighter 6 is fucking fantastic but it could still use some more actual fighters and incentives to keep playing besides monetizing its players in weird ways. I love it, and it will be the game from 2023 I end up playing the most (it already is, I think). But if it ended as it is, I would be very satisfied.
Hi-Fi Rush is oozing with originality and style and I adore it to death, and when I finished it, I was very satisfied.
Resident Evil 4 kept me addicted for over 100 hours, had an amazing DLC expansion, oozes replaybility in the specific ways I like for a single player action game (rogue-likes besides). I am extremely satisfied by it.
Tears of the Kingdom is so massive and fun to just explore that I know I will continue to play more in the months to come. Will I ever revisit it entirely? I'm actually not sure! That massive length does lend some repetition, even if it's the kind I find therapeutic and satisfying.
And that's what made me realize something. My personal GOTY did not just satisfy me. It made me hungry. It filled me up in a way I didn't think was possible and yet I still hunger for more, because I enjoyed it that fucking much. I played through it twice and still hunger for more. I know I will play it a third time eventually, but mainly I just have not been to remove from my brain the particular ways it made me feel, ways that only a video game can. Nothing about it felt like it needed to be overlooked.
SF6 and RE4 had dubious monetization, TOTK had a story I found to be like 90% boring and it still maintains many of the flaws of the original. And Hi-Fi Rush, while amazing, just didn't scratch the particular itch this game did for me.
1) Lies of P
If you told me that Lies of P was a game developed by some sub-division of FromSoft, I'd believe you. Which is to say I would also believe that it was made by people who wanted to break free from some of the shackles of the now infamous 'soulslike' genre.
A narrative that actually makes sense by the end? Opening up options for the player without requiring specific stat levels? Encounters and boss fights that feel ravenously challenging without just feeling like cheap bullshit? Music that crosses borders beyond 'angry chorus, angrier orchestra'?
Lies of P doesn't quite eclipse Elden Ring, but that's an absolutely unfair comparison given the utter scope and scale and variety that game packs. But Lies of P improves at the FromSoft formula in specific ways, while making concessions in others, and as a result it's just an experience that seeped into my brain like no other game this year, not even Tears of the Kingdom, despite that I put half the hours into this one.
I love all of the games I have mentioned here, you could honestly swap around the order of this top 5 and I could mentally meander a way to justify why, no, actually, this one was my favorite game of 2023. In a year so awful for the people who make games, yet so amazing for games themselves, Lies of P is exactly the kind of game I needed. I needed someone to show me that you can make something directly inspired by someone else's work, yet fine tune it in all the right ways to make it stand just as tall in terms of quality and design. Lies of P made me feel things in ways only a handful of games ever do -- and I would actually count Hi-Fi Rush among those in a regard.
But Lies of P also told a story I found compelling. It had mystery, tension, buildup, it started off seeming like it would do the vague FromSoft schtick only to 100% come together, make sense, be rewarding, and offer a 'true ending' that I got on the first playthrough, organically, without looking things up, because it just... felt right. Not only is the game adapting FromSoft's formula into something its own, it's also doing that with the story of Pinocchio. The gameplay and the story congeal together not in the 'perfect' way that it does with games like Celeste or Undertale, but rather in a more... messy way, like a puppet aching to become a real boy.
The game is full of loss, in its world and for you as the player, who will die many times. But unlike much of FromSoft's catalogue, I never once felt like I died because of bullshit. Was I trolled? Sure, the game definitely 'trolls' you in classic FromSoft fashion, lulling you into a sense of security only to sweep you off your feet. But unlike how FromSoft does it, these circumstances can always be avoided if you're cautious. And if you're not? Hey, 'We got you! We gooottt youuu, haha' and you lose a couple minutes of progress, rather than like fifteen minutes and also an entire level's worth of souls because oh right, this section you just got through is kind of bullshit cheap.
Don't get me wrong, I love Dark Souls. But the thing is, Lies of P takes the parts I love about Dark Souls, admits it can't pull off quite the intricate web of level design, but then throws away everything I do not like about Dark Souls, improves on the things I already liked, and then pushes me to meet it on its level.
The satisfaction of being a boss you spend an hour, two hours on, cannot be understated. It's a feeling unlike any other, and one only this medium can provide. And Lies of P kept me motivated, like Sekiro before it, to keep improving, keep growing, keep trying. And unlike Sekiro, it gave me so many more tools to play with, to learn, to balance in an arsenal with intent. Enemies have elemental weaknesses if I so choose to exploit them, the moveset of one weapon's handle can be applied to a completely different blade, my robotic arm can leverage things in a pinch, or be the backbone to dealing with a boss. Mastery is rewarded with practice. A vicious boss that annihilates you in five seconds can be defeated without a single scratch if you practice enough. Mastery, creativity, quick thinking, and reacting are all rewarded here.
I am more than the hands pulling the strings, I am more than a puppet, I am human. And games like this can only be made by humans, who get that specific itch that only video games that challenge us can scratch. It's not an itch everyone has, but that's why it's my GOTY and not yours, innit?
With its unique setting, its wonderful music, its cozy hub area, its narrative that offers just enough to make me care, but not so much that I am bored or feel misled, its amazing boss designs, and its wonderfully tactile and engaging combat, Lies of P is a game I just can't stop feeling something about whenever I am reminded of it.
It epitomizes so much -- not all, but much -- of what I love about what video games can do, what adaptations can do, and much like how Toby Fox was inspired by Mother 3, what people can do when they are inspired by someone else's work.
As far as I can tell, this is developer Round8's debut game, and just. Holy hell, what a way to come out swinging. I haven't seen a debut game hit this hard since, I don't know, Bastion.
Close your eyes.
Come to me.
Feel all right.
I did, and I do, and given what you teased at the end of this game, I have extremely high hopes of what you come up with next. And in a landscape where things feel more difficult to get excited for with each passing year, much less new IP, it's so damn refreshing to have both Hi-Fi Rush and this game standing out as signals that, hey, some folks are still willing to invest bigger budgets into new games, new ideas.
Again, a battle of centimeters here and at this point I should wrap this up and go to bed.
But yea, Lies of P reminded me of what makes me, specifically, human, in a very particular way that only it has. And I honestly think out of all of single player games of 2023, I think it will actively stand out in my heart the most in the years to come.
#GOTY 2023#goty#video games#gaming#Mother 3#scarlet hollow#super mario wonder#future redeemed#Pikmin 4#Hi-Fi Rush#re4 remake#TOTK#LOZ TOTK#Tears of the Kingdom#Lies of P#long post#Sea of Stars
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Good Omens Fanfic Recs
I decided to write up and sort my fanfic recommendations and thoughts, mostly for my own benefit, as an organized list of my favorites for reference. But also, here it is in case anyone's interested.
Heads up, no post-season 2 fix-it fics on this list if that's what you're looking for. Personally I'm content to wait and see on that front.
Also, I'm a sucker for pining, but also headcanon these guys (gn) as demisexual virgins, so nearly all are ace-friendly except the long AUs.
Canon Compliant - short
In general I favor canon compliance and keeping in character. Part of what got me hooked on Good Omens fanfic was the immense breadth of history available to explore with these characters. Let's list in approximate chronological order!
A Letter from “Crawly” to Azirapil (<1k) - Fanfic in Cuneiform. Amazing.
see, how the most dangerous thing is to love (6.8k) - Crawly and Aziraphale meet during the Trojan War as Achilles mourns Patroclus. Super well-researched and thought out with the Iliad!
Temporary Tattoo (9.8k) - Okay, this one's arguable on the canon compliance, it's kinda a crack-fic (and feels way more 19th century than 11th) but I loved it. Crowley's snake tattoo wanders, and he can feel what it feels. (The sequel is also really sweet, though definitely canon divergent.)
that old common arbitrator, time (1.1k) - 1602. An epilogue of sorts for the Trojan War one, Crowley and Aziraphale critique Shakespeare's Troilus and Cressida. Lots of fun references.
the stars are the same as ever (4.4k) - Vignettes about Crowley hanging out with astronomers in the 17th century.
Mean It (2k) - The origin of the Apology Dance. 1650, 1793, and 1941 all featured. Short and sweet, very believable. Just as flirty as I imagined.
well-versed in etiquette, extraordinarily nice (3k) - Jane Austen, mastermind of the 1810 Clerkenwell Diamond Robbery, brandy-smuggler, master spy, and wrote books too. Well-researched, with Austen-esque prose, and perfectly fills in the background for how Crowley remembers her.
Crossing Paths (3k) - Edinburgh, 1827. Showing how Crowley and Aziraphale crossed paths there, and dropping us off where the Resurrectionists minisode begins. Delightful.
I stretch out the time (and now I know why) (6k) - 1960's ineffable wives and what happened to make Aziraphale say Crowley goes too fast.
Orchids and Tea (3k) - A shameless plug for my own fic. Meet the old lady downstairs who Crowley gives his "bad" plants to.
What You've Lost But Never Had (3k) - A sweet outsider POV with Maggie's closeted grandfather.
So You Need To Get Into A.Z. Fell & Co.; Now What? (A Guide For Unfortunate Bookworms) (1.8k) - Handy guide for interpreting the store hours, etc.
The Disposables (7.5k) - Arguably canon divergent. Surprisingly heartwarming. Eric the Disposable Demon is buds with the Usher.
When You're Through With Life and All Hope is Lost (Friends Will Be Friends) (<1k) - COVID-era ficlet post-Lockdown minisode.
The Last Four Years (11.7k) - Perfectly fills in the gap between the seasons with all the feelings and poor communication that brought us here, from the Ritz to Aziraphale's phone call.
Pointless (1.5k) - An exploration of Crowley as he is at the beginning of season 2, anxious and depressed about the pointlessness of it all.
Been Together Long? (1.2k) - It's so common for fics to depict Crowley as knowingly in love but hiding his feelings for 6000 years. But I don't think he's self-aware enough for that, and I really do believe that was an Oh moment with Nina on the street. This fic is an excellent insight into what he was thinking there.
The Afternoon Lecture (<1k) - A cute little outsider POV fic, set sometime in the Happily Ever After probably.
The Slings and Arrows of Angelic Archery (<1k) - Guess which historical/legendary figure Crowley was! Sadly just a little modern-day conversation about it rather than the actual thing.
A Narrow Escape to the Country (10.7k) - This one is so fun! Crowley and Aziraphale are guests on a house-hunting TV show. (Established relationship with innuendo, but all sexy times are off-camera.)
My Roommate from Hell (5.7k) - Warlock ends up college roommates with Adam, and yeah, Warlock's upbringing made him kinda weird.
Canon Divergent - long
Divergent in that these were written before season 2 came out, so branch off from after season 1.
Demonology and the Tri-Phasic Model of Trauma: An Integrative Approach (99k) - This one is recommended a lot I know, but deservedly so. This was the first GO fanfic I read, as I idly looked to see what had the most kudos. And then I couldn't put it down.
Instructions Not Included (68k) - Plot heavy but excellent. I loved the writing style of this one; it's so evocative with its metaphors, but without being flowery. Sadly left a few unanswered questions since the sequel was abandoned, but it's still well worth reading. Very realistic progression of feelings between Crowley and Aziraphale (intimacy without sexuality).
The Sandford Flower Show (E) (46k) - This was a bit of a painful read with flashbacks to ancient Egypt, but it's very good. Many feels. (Higher sex-drive than I generally prefer for canonverse, so note that E rating.)
Canon Divergent - short
Slow (9.3k) - Adam assumed Crowley and Aziraphale were married and restored the bookshop with a marriage certificate on the wall. Miscommunication and sweetness ensues.
Human AUs - long (modern day)
It took me a while to warm up to the idea of reading AUs, since the immortal natures and powers of Crowley and Aziraphale are so integral to their characters (also I personally don't seek out fanfics for the smut and the highly rec'd ones are nearly always Explicit). But after seeing Slow Show in particular recommended so often, I finally gave it a go. Yes, the human versions of the characters are always different in varying ways, but I've found it really fascinating to see the different ways characters, scenes, and lines get reinterpreted in AUs and have now read way more of them than I expected to.
Slow Show (E) (95k) - I have never in my life read anything (fanfic or otherwise) as emotionally intense as Slow Show. This fic is all lust and angst and I physically felt the agony of it for days while I read. While other fics are also explicit, this is the most mature and "adult" feeling with its themes. Yes this fic is recommended a lot, but its reputation is well earned. However, that said, I wouldn't say it's my favorite.
Old Vines (E) (189k) - Excellent slow burn. This one really captures the aspect of them both being anxious/frustrated under contractual obligations, wishing they could be freer to do their own thing. Truly gratuitous descriptions of all aspects of wine, from growth, production, tasting, and quantity consumed. I learned a lot. Was also actually really inspired by Aziraphale's journey in this.
Or Be Nice (E) (151k) - I wasn't sure I'd like this one at first, but I'm glad I went for it. It's more a character study than a drama. Well done progression from enemies to lovers, and some of the very best conversational dynamics (if a bit of ngk overuse). This one highlights the petty/mischievous sides of Crowley and Aziraphale that are rarely found in fanfics, and the execution is delightful. Loved Anathema in this also.
stalwart sun, wily moon (370k) - (What, a non-explicit long AU??) This fic is amazing. Yes, long, it could use some editing to cut back a tad tbh, but still, amazing. Heist AU with an intriguing plot and life or death stakes. Characters and side characters all really well done, incorporates everything from the botched baby swap to the Great Plan and more. Amazing. Really. Only fic I've bought a physical printing of.
Talk about the weather (81k) - (Technically not explicit but yeah no they have sex.) Weatherman/stormchaser AU. They have an Arrangement. The premise of this one was weird for me because I headcanon Crowley as disliking the rain, but it's good. Not the typical characterizations you see in fics, which was really refreshing. Finally! Someone who remembers Aziraphale is kind of a bastard who doesn't say what he means, and someone who lets Crowley be happy and confident instead of a nervous wreck!
on the same page (E) (117k) - They're both writers. A very good execution of your classic fake marriage. Some lush metaphorical prose. Excellent characterizations on our pair, and the setup preceded by 6 years of intense yearning was just perfect. I do wish the side characters had gotten more fleshed out.
Married at First Sight (146k) - This premise is so silly (though then again the TV show does really exist), but it's actually really well done. The feels nearly made me cry.
Human AUs - long (historical)
On Espionage and Prophecy (E) (133k) - Take the first season 1941 flashback and make it a novel-length human AU. Aziraphale's a bookseller and Crowley's a spy working with him to double-cross the double-crossing Nazis. I will say the plot contrivance sometimes requires a bit of suspension of disbelief, but that's okay, it's fun and has some great pining.
Half Agony, Half Hope (E) (31k) - Regency era AU, but it's not all Jane Austen fantasy-land. We've got some real history lessons here, highlighting the political struggles of the time. This one's on the short side, but doesn't really feel like it; time passes behind the scenes, so the relationship doesn't feel rushed. Overall it's excellent and really deserves more love.
Human AUs - short
On the Ethics of Asking Your Professor on a Date (7.4k) - I kinda wish this one was a bit better with the showing vs. telling in places, but I still found it really charming.
Postcards From Paris (12k) - Crowley starts receiving postcards from an A.Z.F. meant for the previous tenant, and after awhile gets a chance to write back. Very sweet.
Miscellaneous AUs - short
air conditioned, love unconditional (8.8k) - AU where Aziraphale is a ceiling fan and Crowley is an air conditioning unit. Look, it's adorable, okay? (though the ending is kinda silly)
Speaking in Code (8.9k) - Cute queer Outsider POV. Aziraphale and Crowley become college professors in their retirement. Arguably canon compliant, but I'm calling it an AU since I don't really see it happening. A+ for the accurate gender treatment on Aziraphale.
Lit (12.7k) - Technically canon-divergent from the book? Crowley takes a university course on literature and surprise! The book they’re discussing is Good Omens. Crack treated seriously. It works really well actually!
#this list subject to edits as I encounter more#will take more recs if you like these vibes#good omens#good omens fanfiction#good omens fanfic rec#ineffable husbands
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ooh if you're alright to write some more Hearsteel things, how do you think tickle fights with the boys go? like, who usually starts them, who taps out first, who gets ganged up on, who ends up winning? (you don't have to answer all or any of those, just some prompts/ideas!)
OUGH YES PLS thank you for giving me a chance to blab wahgsh
hmmm kayn seems like a type to start it every time when he's fighting ez over something dumb. or fighting k'sante over the car keys. kayn and ez both try to fight that man over the car keys actually. based on that video riot games posted on twitter it was like "he's a 10 but never lets anyone else drive" or something.
kayn is willing to fight at the drop of a hat and sometimes ez wants to drive and then looks at kayn to start the fight for him he's like 😢🥺 and kayn is like perfect. time to induce civil unrest within the band. he swears he doesn't get swayed by ez's puppy dog eyes but that may be part of it!!
sett also likes to start them, even though he does NOT perform well. he be poking phel or yone just to LOSE smh. phel because he doesn't laugh too often and yone when he's doing better in a video game. yone is canonly better than him and he's a lil bastard and is like what i'm not doing anything i would never stoop so low ((gaslighting)) and i bet if they're playing co-op with people online they get called out for throwing LMFAO they get in trouble with other gamers for fooling around. while k'sante usually calls for yone, yone calls for k'sante the same and sett is like ok now this is no longer fair (it is fair he just says anyone going after him is cheating and unwarranted). yone can finally game in peace.
as for who taps out first mayhaps phel! oughgh it'd be so cute if he signs when he's had enough and needs a breather but i can guarantee he's back in the game pretty fast. like he needs a moment but then a bit later he's RIGHT BACK to acting like a dick lol he taps out but decides his ler meter isn't done yet and he's back in that fight asap!
kayn takes too long to tap out for someone who "hates it" it's so obvious but it might embarrass him too much if someone mentions it so they don't wah it's cute.. they're afraid he might decide to prove them wrong by starving himself of attention and decide he doesn't wanna play. also side note here i'm not always aware of how rhaast works in their universe but just imagine it is still the situation of having another entity cause imagine him calling it childish and kayn being like cool. bet. and leaving rhaast to front and rhaast is like WHOAA HOLD ON WAIT WAIT AAAA I TAKE IT BACK HOLD ON
for who gets teamed up on probably yone. because the team loves bothering him when he's doing work or bullying him for acting like he's above it! tapping away at his laptop focusing on nothing else and being snippy when anyone bothers him.. walk your fingers across his back and shoulders and suddenly he's keysmashing by accident. they politely wait for him to periodically save his work. then they grab him. he's very fun to tickle out of an attitude. you can see the crease between his eyebrows smooth out to accompany his new smile!
and for winning. no one ever wins this is a group-wide loss. LOL immeasurable casualties on all fronts. absolutely everyone is wasted by the end. dare i say ez would CLAIM that he's sure he won and everyone becomes hellbent on making sure he knows that he DIDN'T. the competitive spirit they all have is something for sure.
AA TY.. i could talk forever!! wonderful prompts thanky u ✌✌✌✨✨
#heartsteel#my post#ask#TYYYYYY#feel free to send prompts all u want uwu#i can do character n ship specific just lmk owo
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