hi!! considering it’s such a huge topic in chapter 12 and in the bonus chapter, what would have happened if minseok had been successful at forcefully claiming her?

hi!! great question and i'd love to get into it - all about claims/bonds and answers to those answers under the cut!

okay so i'm not sure how much a/b/o you've read personally, but i'm going to talk about claims/bonds/etc. all in all, so if you already know a lot of this please forgive me. i know i have a lot of readers who have never read a/b/o before, so this is also geared towards them.

the idea of claims and bonds vary from a/b/o fic to fic, so there aren't any hard rules here, but my personal interpretation is included below. if you disagree or like it written a different way that's totally fine, there's a million ways to write a/b/o and only some general principles that carry through them all.

for me, a claim is when an alpha "enacts a claim" / bites the mating gland of an omega. all of the scenting and sensuality around the neck and the glands is kind of a lead up to what nature and their designations are pushing them towards, an actual bite. Also, just to be clear, playful biting or marking is not a claim (like what Mingi did during heat) - a claim is actually breaking the skin, drawing blood, and physically marking/scarring the gland, along with the alphas INTENT to claim. it's a truly primal moment (usually done during a heat, and you may see in some fics that it's only possible to claim during heat.... but this makes no biological sense to me so i throw that away lol)... but the point is to essentially take that omega as theirs into the pack.

as an aside, alphas can claim betas, other alphas, etc, the pack members can claim each other, it can be a free for all (depending on the author) - and in some really set up pack dynamics fics you would have a head alpha that claims other alphas "under" them. this is all getting too in the weeds, but essentially, people be biting each other and getting married.

in a scenario in which you want that, or it's a positive match between alpha/omega etc., it feels good. it's a culmination of this big need and want, and omegas gain the safety and security of an alpha, and it's also just a sign of love and commitment. think of it like a marriage but x1000 because you can't really get rid of a claim. it's more of a soulmate situation.

in some fics, certainly in mine, the omega needs to claim the alpha back, creating a bond. in a fulfilled bond where two partners (or more) are bonded together, everything is intensified. not only does the whole world know you're off the market so to speak, within the bond there are shared emotions, physical sensations, and while i don't subscribe to shared thoughts... some fics will have that.

now with all that in mind.... the idea of a forced claim should seem pretty awful. the reason why our boys reacted the way they did to minseok's claim attempt and the reason why it's so traumatic for reader is that.... there's no going back. forcing a claim isn't just illegal, it's immoral, unethical, and cruel.

when the person being claimed doesn't want to accept it, but it's forced on them, they just have to live being tethered to this person. you can think of it like an abusive relationship that's hard to leave. and while it alone doesn't make you a brainless slave, if an alpha is willing to force a claim and use their tone to force submission like minseok did, you can bet they're the type of alpha who would use that power at any time. it becomes a "do as i say" relationship that would whittle away the omega's ability to be their own person. while i don't like writing something quite that painful, you can imagine all the trauma that would come with that, physically and emotionally.

i'll get into the legality of this a little later in the fic, but just so we're all on the same page.... what minseok did is deeply illegal. in my more modern universe, omegas are no longer second class citizens, but they definitely used to be years ago, and there are some old-school types who think things should go back to the way they were. for me as a writer, it's a much more engaging way to talk about women's rights issues while still being a fun fantasy setting.

the last thing to note is that when an omega is unbonded / unclaimed.... they're not as safe as they should be in the world, because shitty alphas exist. alphas respect the claim of another alpha, and that's been referenced throughout the fic. minseok really waited it out before he moved in on reader, but that's largely because for quite some time she was carrying the scent of yunho, mingi, or seonghwa.... he was being lowkey respectful to those alphas because he thought maybe there was some level of dating here / intent to claim by another alpha. but when that eventually wears off and when he sees that reader isn't in fact someone else's, he does what he does, completely disregarding reader's agency to say no.

i hope that helps clarify a little bit more about why emotions are so high with everyone and really what the stakes are here.... i'll definitely be bringing up some more about this later in the fic, but hopefully this makes sense.

feel free to ask any other questions you have! i love talking about this stuff :)

Kiddo Grian "borrowing" [stealing] Xelqua's purple cape/cloak and Xelqua is just so happy because Grian is such a cute little one. Xelqua actually coos when Grian mumbles how he wanted to match with Xelqua.

awwwwhawhuadghadjk can't even see his hands the coats too long....

Suns, have you taught your messenger sign language yet?

SRS: They're quite vocal for a creature with no mouth!

okk love your blog, so I rlly wanted to send an ask even if its nothing too especific ;-;

soo, since u like tntduo (like me :]) whats your favorite hc for their relationship? I love hearing about hc's, and since your art its so cute, u probs have some cool hc's

Thank youuuuu I appreciate it so much, and by all means flood me with asks! Asks are great, I love asks, be it random thoughts, art ideas, opinions, etc etc, asks are always welcome (unless they're from the 🥝 anon 🙄🙄🙄 /j/loving)

And a favourite headcanon? Hm, i don't know, hard to say. I have multiple headcanons, idk if I favour any in particular

There's one where after revival Wilbur's body is kinda fucked up in the nerves and blood vessels department, so he has some trouble with kinda controlling it, which particularly expresses itself in his hands being unsteady. They're so unsteady, that the first time he picks up a guitar again he can't play right. He blows up over it and has a breakdown, and vows to never play again. He still ends up trying a couple times, but each time he just immediately gets pissed off and upset, and tosses it away. It really breaks him. At some point he's at Quackity's place, and he sees a guitar. He looks at it for a while, but doesn't say anything, of which Quackity makes note. Next time they meet up Wilbur shits on Quackity for not having touched it recently, so Quackity takes it as a challenge. Once the music starts, Wil goes quiet. He's sitting to the side of Q, slightly behind him, and after a while for just a moment he leans against his upper back, and closes his eyes, simply l taking the moment in. This situation repeats, a couple times, and each time Wilbur lets himself relax a bit longer. He starts playing with Quackity's hair as he listens, and one time he l begins trying to braid it. His hands are shaking, he's struggling to divide the thick hair into even parts, he's having trouble keeping the braid even, but what's crucial is that he does it. Next time it repeats. And next time too. And the next, and eventually the braids start to look actually pretty decent. Time passes, they meet up more often, and eventually comes a day when Wilbur takes the guitar. No words are exchanged. No ridicule, but no praise either - no verbal acknowledgement. Instead Quackity just sits slightly behind him, and begins gently braiding his hair. The notes are wonky and don't always sound quite right, and the rhythm is messy, and strumming only goes well sometimes, but he's playing...

Quackity kisses Wilbur's head, right above the new braid. He leans in, partially hugging him, as the other's playing. It's been a bit over a year since he started playing again, and the difference is big. Neither knows if he'll ever fully regain the control and steadiness of his hands, but he manages to keep the rhythm, and the notes now ring out clear a big majority of the time. He plays quicker songs too, now; sometimes they both sing, and laugh when they mix something up. Quackity smiles, closing his eyes as Wilbur once again butchers a random song by changing up the words completely to make it as on the nose as humanly possible. He begins to wonder what they should eat tomorrow for their anniversary breakfast.

iroh doodles part 1 gajillion. can we kill this geriatric jerkoff already

LETS FUCKING GOOOOOOOOOO

i'm watching the trading post as the fucking price PLUMMETS. 3mil, 2mil, 1.5mil for 2, 650k, 500k. lets fucking go. thank you for the chaos, tnt. this rules.

they should turn keepinventory off again. i miss the drama of watching people explode into items. the mad scramble from spawn if you die at night, trying to get to your stuff before a mob kills you. having to hide your valuables and make backup sets of gear.

So true!! I get why they turned it on to avoid lost time and maximize y'know the fun parts that aren't just grinding- but the scramble and the drama and the chaos was also fun, y'know?

It took several seconds of me scrolling through your MLB au tag to realize that it was not, in fact, a Major League Baseball au

i can make your dreams come true

Kit Marlowe every frame challenge (11/?)

Btw tntblr I loved each second with you. Every single artist, writer, shitposter and reblogger I love you, I am kissing you on your forehead. We made ourselves. Thank you for three wonderful years.

hey chai!! tysm for the 4 updates I loved it so much,, I hope everything is going well for you because I'm sure your writing is helping a lot of us <33 anyways I'm curious about your thoughts about everyone scents including woosanhwa I don't know if you've stated it and I just missed it but yea I hope you have a great day as always and remember to drink water!! <33

oh thank you so much!!! all of their scents are subtly included, but some are more obvious than others for sure. here's a little break down of all our main characters and their scent notes, but as a note.... scents change a bit depending on who's breathing it in and scents change with emotions or biological shifts. i include some thoughts about that below too! --

reader: chamomile tea, willow sap, & honey; when reader is in heat or aroused, the honey scent is much stronger, and when she's feeling really upbeat, joyful, there's hints of clean lemon zest. the willow is subtle, but a little sharp in it's medicinal almost wintergreen scent, it's one of those smells that you either love or you hate, but mingi and yunho both love.* when she's afraid, her scent turns bitter like over-steeped tea. if reader were to be pregnant, her scent would turn a little milkier, like tea with sweet cream and honey. yunho: rain / wet earth, cedar, & clarysage; when yunho is trying to comfort reader or draw her in with his scent, it's much more of a true petrichor / wet earth scent. when he's aroused or in a rut the cedar is stronger and more masculine, but underneath both of those tones is a bit of a sweeter/herbal tone with the sage. to reader, his scent really pulls like a comforting childhood memory that makes her feel safe and secure. mingi: dark chocolate, cinnamon & pink peppercorn; when mingi is angry, aroused, or in a heightened emotional state the cinnamon really shines for him, but when he's in a calmer or comforting state it's more chocolate and cocoa. the pink peppercorn is something that is only really caught when you're close, something undefinable that enhances the sweetness and the spice, but is undeniably mingi. seonghwa: freshly brewed coffee, jasmine, & pear; seonghwa to me lives in a beautiful space between masculine and feminine energy and his alpha scent is reflective of that. warm and strong coffee is ever present, but jasmine really comes forwards with those he's comfortable with or aroused by. pear is sweeter and more decadent and comes to the front when he's with san especially. san: jasmine, sandalwood, & oakmoss; san and seonghwa's scents are intentionally complimentary, but san's scent undertones are more masculine and 'alpha' like compared to his jasmine top note. he's floral and fresh, bright and energizing, but a scent that deepens in masculine complexity the closer you are to him. when he's comfortable and relaxed, the warmth and natural notes of oakmoss are more present. wooyoung: linen, salt, & green apple; wooyoung's scent is fresh and bright, evoking something clean and summery. when he's in heat, the apple scent turns a bit caramelized and sweet, but normally his scent is more even and calming with the linen and salt being forward in tone. to reader, his scent also calls to mind a memory more than distinct scents, and she and others often associate his unique blend with the last days of summer sun in august.

*note on reader's scent: admittedly, my inspiration for reader's scent was directly taken from one of my favorite books, a discovery of witches by deborah harkness. the full quote is below because i think it's so lovely and this line often gets stuck in my head:

"You smell of willow sap. And chamomile that has been crushed underfoot. There's honeysuckle and fallen oak leaves, too, along with witch hazel blooming and the first narcissus of spring. And ancient things - horehound, frankincense, lady's mantle. Scents I thought I'd forgotten."

The fuck of it all is that it seems like Taylor spent years feeling left out, worried about the future of her relationship and about her partner’s commitment, yearning for someone to just want her company, and now she’s joined at the hip to a forever bestie who wants to hang out with her all the time and whose sole mission in life seems to be to make her laugh. It’s wild and I’m sure it must throw her for a loop sometimes because whew that would be quite the pendulum swing iykwim.

what's the strangest situation everyone's favorite crackhead (sigs) has gotten himself into?

BSM: Oh, yeah, I remember that. NSH: Yeah!

NSH: Suns had to pry my hand off of his back. NSH: ... I could feel it trying to eat my hand. It felt like shit. NSH: I've never done that again. FP: The first time you've ever actually learnt your lesson about doing dumb shit. Congrats.

Opinions on transfem/Trans woman c!Wilbur? If you havent already, since its a slightly popular Hc w c!W

honestly I'm mostly indifferent ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

it's not for me, but like I've got no particularly strong feelings either way. I can absolutely see a lot of reasons for that reading - it all does fit, so it's not a matter of there being no justification, but more so just personally I just don't hold that headcanon

the thing with either of them being trans is that like, I am for some reason oddly attached to Quackity being specifically and strictly a man who's into men, or at the very least masc individuals - maybe it's cause I just started off with that "hc" (I mean it is kinda pretty heavily canon - I don't recall him ever flirting with a woman). Wil being mtf would obviously make all of that very complicated - each time I start to think about it I can't help but think if 1. is there any way for Q to still be into Wil without that invalidating Wil's gender identity 2. is there any way for Q - a gay man - to have feelings for a woman that doesn't invalidate his sexual identity Like, exceptions happen, but mm idk It's obvioulsy completely different if you hc Q as pan/bi/homoflexible/whatever else, but yeah personally I'm just really attached to the idea of Q being strictly homosexual

When it comes to the nonbinary umbrella it's kinda similar (with both being amab) - with Wil it works i'd say, there isn't as much of a conflict with Quackity's sexuality, but again, I'm mostly indifferent and you do you; with Q it just kinda doesn't quite fit for me - idk he just has relatively binary man vibes imo

in regards to other combinations of one/both of them being trans: > Wil's ftm - yeah sure I'm down with that, good for him, I don't actively hc that but like yeah no conflict there, plus I guess it'd explain how he had Fundy - though fantasy mpreg makes it so much funnier > Q's mtf - idk i just don't feel it in the slightest. He doesn't really give me any of those vibes. Especially considering things like the fact that he's short, has longer hair, is/used to be a sex worker (with presumably male clients), is heavily (and at the very least primarily, if not exclusively) into men, canonically has a big ass, etc, so it just really doesn't sit right with me to then have him be mtf - I just want some more representation of those characteristics in men, y'know? > Q's ftm - ok so, it fits. And I really really hate that it fits. It would make so much sense but holy fuck guys I cannot handle that ok - I'm ftm, and if he's cis then I can like at least partially remove myself from all of that... but if he's ftm then holy fucking shit everything just hits so much harder like guys I'm not strong enough to handle the pain of seeing this much of myself in him ok I will simply collapse, like him being seen as an object and sexualised and put down and belittled and pressured to be all submissive and shit just hits so completely different if you see it through the lenses of him being ftm and let me fucking tell you I am NOT ready for the breakdown thinking about it and how similar and in some cases identical to my own experiences it all is would cause m > ANYWAY with them both being trans it's just a combination of my previous thoughts ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

hope that answers your question UwU anyway ha ha bye--/lh

What are your pronouns?

Minato/Arisato