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tayytayy12 · 2 days

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Daisy | AA23 x Reader x Lily Muni He

Feels like series part two | Part one | Series Link

Series Summary - Lily and reader are childhood best friends, they’ve always been there for each other no matter what. So when reader has a bad brake up Lily and her boyfriend Alex step up and help reader get back on her feet, the last thing they all expect was them all mistakenly catch feelings for each other along the way.

Part Summary - Lily comes to get you after your rough fight with George.

Warnings - Breakup mentioned, swearing

Type - Written work

(Daisy is Lily’s nickname for reader!)

Not been proofread

“Oh, Daisy.” Lily muttered as she pulled her car to a stop where you was waiting for her on the pavement down the road from yours and George’s shared apartment, your best friend quickly jumping out of the vehicle to pull you into a warm high which you instantly returned of course. You couldn’t help the small smile that crept up onto your lips at the use of the nickname she had given you when the two of you were kids.

Lily had been your person for as long as you could remember, you couldn’t really remember a time when she wasn’t your best friend.

You had first met the girl when the two of you were in third-grade, you was new to the area, you and your parents having just moved, and you had joined halfway through the school year when everyone had already had established all of their friend groups, even in third grade people weren’t very open to opening their friend groups to new girls from halfway across the country such as yourself.

So, at lunch you was sitting by yourself in the corner, picking at the food your mum had packed you when you saw a person sit down in front of you, you looked up as saw a young Lily, her warm eyes looking welcoming as she had a smile on her face that could light up an entire town, you still remember the first interaction you two had to this day.

She introduced herself, her wide grin never once faltering as she asked for your name, but, you being a shy eight year old in a brand new place didn’t answer, but that didn’t make Lily give up, not at all. Instead, she looked at your lunchbox, the object having daisies printed all over the fabric, so she just said, “It’s okay, I get nervous sometimes too, for now I’m going to call you Daisy.” Eventually you told her your name of course, after a day of her wearing you down, but the nickname never dropped, so still to this day, you was her Daisy.

“Hey Lil.” You whispered into her shoulder as you tightened the hug, feeling good to finally be able to relax now that you were with her.

She pulled away slowly and tucked your hair behind your ears as she wiped a stray tear away that had managed to escape your eye, “I hate him Daisy,” she whispered slowly, “I really fucking hate him. I don’t care if he’s Alex’s friend okay, he can’t keep doing shit like this to you.” She said sternly, you knew she wasn’t angry at you. Jts just every time you and George had an argument she was always the one you would go to, to try and find some sort of comfort, that she always provided, but seeing you so upset this time really made her hate him.

“I know,” you said as you wiped another tear, “I know Lil. That’s why I ended it with him, for good.”

“Oh, Y/n.” She said as she pulled you to come sit in the car as she jogged back round to the drivers side, “I know this must hurt, Daisy, I know it will for a while. But you have me, and I will be your shoulder to cry in for however long you need me too, okay?”

“Are you sure Alex doesn’t mind me staying with you? I just dumped his best friend.” You said with a small laugh as you pulled your knees to your chest.

“Trust me baby, Alex would never be seen with anyone who treats a woman like that bastard treated you, he respects people too much,” she looked over at you from her spot in the drivers seat, “and for what it’s worth, Alex really likes you.”

You smiled and laughed lightly at her words, you had always gotten along well with Lily’s boyfriend Alex, you met George through him and Lily, he was your favourite boyfriend that your best friend had ever had.

“I like him too,” you said with a small laugh as Lily looked over at you once again, but the small smile she had in her face disappeared when she saw the dried blood from the small scratch on your hand, you had completely forgotten about it.

“What the hell did he do?” She asked as she gently grabbed your hand as she stopped at a red light, “my god I’m going to fucking murder him.”

“Lil it’s okay.”

“No it’s not fucking okay, Daisy. That asshole hurt you,” she said softer this time as she sighed, “god I should’ve convinced you to leave him sooner.”

“Hey,” you said as you gently pulled your hand away, “he dropped a glass and swim if it hit me,” you said, not including the part where he smashed the glass onto the ground, “nothing related to our argument, okay? Don’t blame yourself for anything at all because it’s not your fault.”

She nodded as she sighed, “I’m glad you finally left that bastard.”

“Me too, Lil. Me too.”

@marshmummy @nikfigueiredo @nichmeddar @thedudeusimpfor @iloveyou3000morgan @woozarts @samantha-chicago @revrse @jexxy04 @biancathecool @leilanixx @tellybearryyyy

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fefern · 2 days

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✧˖° their ways of showing affection. | aalto, calcharo, lingyang headcanons.

⋆ ˚☁️ ⁀➴ synopsis: you're in love and happily with these wonderful men! but just how do they show their affection for you?

⋆ ˚☁️ ⁀➴ characters involved (separate): aalto, calcharo, lingyang and a gender neutral reader.

⋆ ˚☁️ ⁀➴ warnings: none!

⋆ ˚☁️ ⁀➴ notes: another one! i love thinking about the little ways people show love , it makes me so happy ;v;! enjoy these little blurbs about how they'd love you! also, requests are currently open, so send them my way! also, i could not find a calcharo chibi drawing... ;;

ᡣ𐭩 •｡ꪆৎ ˚⋅ aalto ᡣ𐭩 •｡ꪆৎ ˚⋅

knowledge is power! the more he knows about you, the more he utilizes it in showing his affection for you.

a big, BIG sweet talker. loves to flirt!

also big on compliments, find it cute when you don’t know what to say back.

a big spender in my opinion. oh, you liked that necklace but thought it was too expensive? surprise, it’s on the counter for you when you wake up the next day! you tried to win that plushie at the fair but it just didn’t work out? now you have 20 on the couch!

adores kisses, especially when you pepper them all over his face. (bonus points if you’re wearing lipstick, man is enamored to look at himself and see visually everywhere you smooched him.)

follows the sidewalk rule all the time. does not matter if it’s a safe area, he always is a bit protective in that way.

learns more about your hobbies and likes and begins to learn more about them in his free time. that way, when he sees you again, he’ll be able to engage in conversation with you about it.

loves the way that your eyes light up when you talk about something you’re passionate about, and stares at you a lot as a result.

likes to playfully scare you. he seems to have the ability to disappear and reappear as he pleases due to the mist, so he uses it sometimes to suddenly appear behind you and wrap his arms around your waist.

ᡣ𐭩 •｡ꪆৎ ˚⋅ calcharo ᡣ𐭩 •｡ꪆৎ ˚⋅

not much of a talker, and kind of new to showing affection entirely due to his past, so be patient.

will wake up early and remind you to bring a jacket if it’s cold.

the type of person to also remind you that you forgot something, but by the time you turn around, he has the missing item in his hand.

will protect you if you’re scared of something. loud thunder? his hands are around your ears. scary part of a show? he’s using his arm to pull you closer to his chest to hide in.

will quietly work in the same room as you, enjoying your presence entirely as you and him work.

will sometimes ask those he knows around him for some advice about love, which is sort of strange considering who it’s coming from, but he wants to improve himself to be a better partner for you.

tries to apply the advice after, it’s a hit or miss sometimes, but always coming from a good place.

iffy on physical touch, but he will slowly come to enjoy the feeling of holding your hand.

he also does the thumb thing where you rub the back of a person’s hand with your thumb while holding hands. his favorite.

will let you play with his hair sometimes in the morning if he’s in the mood for it. even if you do something goofy like braid his hair or put it into a random hairdo, he’ll enjoy the feeling of your hands in his hair as he slowly stirs awake.

ruthless and cold in many other aspects of his life, he’s a gentle giant when it comes to you, and it’s endearing to see him try.

ᡣ𐭩 •｡ꪆৎ ˚⋅ lingyang ᡣ𐭩 •｡ꪆৎ ˚⋅

will always love to eat with you, whether it’s going out or cooking with you.

^ always lets you have the last bite of the meal.

immediately looks for your reaction after he tells a joke with you, wanting to make sure that you enjoy his playfulness.

during the summer heatwaves, will use his glacio powers to help keep the both of you cool.

will sit in your lap and let you play with his ears as he rambles about his day.

loves yapping, and yapping in your presence as the two of you either bounce back and forth or you just listen, he likes both options.

loves hugs, hugs tight and for a long time, will not let go of you until you let go of him first.

will compliment your scent and comment on it if you change something up like your shampoo or perfume, usually the first to notice those small changes.

shares a blanket with you on cold days and cuddles with you for warmth.

will sometimes, after waking up, just admire your features because wow he got lucky because you’re his.

even if you wake up and your eyes are looking back at him, he does it without shame.

whenever someone talks about you, if they say something wrong, he’ll immediately interject. (ex. “they like strawberries the most.” “no no, they like peaches more!”)

does practice runs of new tricks and dance moves he learns for his lion dances, asking you about your opinion on them because it means the world to him to know you like the dance he’s so passionate about.

gets matching lucky charms with you and carries his around everywhere. “maybe we’ll win the lottery with this!” he tells you.

(he already did. after all, you’re his partner.)

#wuthering waves #wuthering waves x reader #wuthering waves headcanons #wuwa #wuwa aalto #wuwa calcharo #wuwa lingyang #wuthering waves lingyang x reader #wuthering waves calcharo x reader #wuthering waves aalto x reader #wuthering waves calcharo #wuthering waves aalto #wuthering waves lingyang #qi writes #calcharo x reader #wuwa x reader #lingyang x reader #aalto x reader

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jarvesque · 2 days

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I just finished watching Ally's Screenrant interview and as my last Junior Year related post I just want to praise them and their character.

I have seen people saying that they think Kristen has not had any real development this season and that she did'nt earn anything she got .

I politely but firmly disagree

Kristen,who at the start of the season was tired after a summer spent adventuring and could not focus on being a good cleric for her goddess , has grown into the perfect prophet of doubt and new beginning and has absolutely earned the title of "most remarkable cleric this world has ever seen".

She realized how much Cassandra mattered to her only after losing her and she dedicated herself to fixing the mess she caused.

She applied herself accademically for the first time and thrived. She stopped avoiding her parents and had a real conversation with them. She offered Bobby Dawn her hand in a moment of desperation (after he lost Buddy) and tried to build a bridge beetwen the two creed.

And, most importantly, when put in front of her confused little brother she showed him the way.She was calm,patient and wise and made him realize the importance of doubt and of making your own decision and following your own path.

In that moment Kristen really became the Prophet that Cassandra deserved and that the world of Spyre needed.

And the thing that I love most is that she is still a fucking mess.

She is handling her breakup poorly,she is super petty, she still says unhinged shit sometimes; she is still her

And I think that's what good character development is: a character should still mantain some of their flaws and characteristics. They shouldn't become a blank slate filled with good intention and unproblematic traits at the end of their arc

#dimension 20 #fantasy high junior year #ally beardsley #kristen applebees #bucky applebees #brennan lee mulligan #fantasy high #fantasy high spoilers

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honeytonedhottie · 1 day

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maintaining/creating a social life⋆.ೃ࿔*:･🧁

ok so i used to have HORRIBLE social anxiety and i think that the contrast between me with social anxiety and me now is INSANE. in a good way ofc. so im not going to talk about how i overcame social anxiety, instead im going to talk about how i created a social life ✨

MAKING FRIENDS ;

the science of making friends is simple and im about to explain it. so go to where there are ppl that u can relate to/want to relate to. example being school, clubs, etc.

next, observe who u want to befriend and make sure to start with a compliment. starting off by introducing urself just makes for an awkward conversation but starting with a compliment puts u and the other party at ease.

something thats rly important is ur CHARISMA and ur magnetic energy so be CHARMING ✨ if u find that the other party is not reciprocating its either they're uncomfy, uninterested, or just a weirdo. and in all cases, you should stop.

MAKING FRIENDS THRU FRIENDS ;

make friends with your friends friends -> make friends with their friends -> and so on and so forth. this is how you network and create a friendly status with lots of people.

if ur in a school setting like i am, make friends with people in ur own grade or in a higher up grade, i dont usually make friends with ppl in lower grades but ofc there are always exceptions.

making friends through friends is how u get invited to parties, have more opportunities be available to you, and ofc network for more connections. guys connections are literally EVERYTHING.

MAKE TIME FOR UR FRIENDS ;

make sure to learn who u call friends. when is their birthday? do they have specific preferences? what kind of music do they listen to? knowing ur friends makes them feel special and thats how u learn to be a good friend. i can make a whole POST about being a good friend cuz i've learned and grown so much with that.

THE POWER OF A COMPLIMENT ;

make it ur mission to give a compliment everyday cuz first off, being nice is HOT so pls be nice and second of all, if ur trying to talk to someone and u start with a compliment i promise that it'll go so much better.

if ur thinking "thats so awkward how will i do that" then the category dont be shy is one that u gotta read cuz girl 💀. if u need an example i'll provide one from my own experience so u can see the power of a compliment.

there was this girl in my spanish class and i always thought that she was so pretty and she seemed so nice. one day we bump into each other in the bathroom and i compliment her hair and makeup, she responds well. we continue to have friendly interactions throughout the rest of the school year and now we are good friends on and off campus.

DONT BE SHY ;

when u make friends please please PLEASE work on ur confidence first. you need to be SURE of yourself. if not, when ur being friendly it could come off as desperation and ppl will humiliate, make fun of and take advantage of u. and thats NOT hot.

be CONFIDENT, you literally have nothing to lose. when u shed ur shyness (thru things like exposure therapy etc) a whole new world is opened up for u bcuz sometimes the only thing holding u back is urself and ur limiting beliefs about urself.

MAKE UR PERSONALITY SHINE ;

make sure that know ur own personality and from knowing that u can find ways in which u can make it shine. no matter what ur personality is though, something that i cannot stress enough is BE NICE.

be friendly and amicable with everyone and stay out of drama and if drama comes to you then stay unbothered 😭. dont try and uproot ur own personality to copy someone else's.

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drdemonprince · 1 day

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i was on NPR talking about Autism shit two weeks ago, and i have the book sales figures from that week and that national media appearance had.... absolutely zero relationship to sales. on the typical week these days, 1,400 to 1,500 copies of Unmasking Autism will sell. The week that I was on NPR there was a slight dip; only about 1,300 books were sold.

i have done a lot of press for my books. For Laziness Does Not Exist I did easily a 100 damn podcasts and radio shows and newspapers and excerpts in magazines. none of it corresponded to a noticeable bump in sales. the biggest "get" my publicist found for my latest book was the Glennon Doyle show, a booking she and her team celebrated and then spent months clamboring excitedly for... it, too, had no obvious relationship to sales.

Unmasking Autism became a bestseller because some other guy made a tiktok about it, and then a bunch of tiktokkers made videos about it too. all on their own. without any prodding from me, or any relationship to me. it was completely organic, passionate, and sincere, and rooted in the book's true merits and usefulness to other people, and that's why it inspired lots of sales. and continues to more than a year and a half later. all the press I did for Unmasking Autism prior to the release of that tiktok did relatively far less. NPR, Goop, the LA Times, Lit Hub, Jacobin, Huffpo, the New York Times, the Financial Times, MSNBC, Business Insider. Didn't matter. at least not much. so why do i bother?

publishers really ride your ass trying to make you give lots of interviews and show up for lots of events but it's all based on the worship of traditional media and magical thinking that it will somehow convert listeners into buyers. and that's just not how it works. the truth is 95% of books never sell more than 5,000 copies, and most people don't buy books or read them. i love reading but i dont think this is itself some terrible loss, as most books are padded-out commodities made for sale more than a work of true artistic passion or scholarly merit, and sometimes listening to a 90 minute interview with an author tells you the bulk of what you need to know.

it's freeing to know that the effort i put into getting my books out into the world have almost zero relationship to the books' success. marketing just does not work. it's a relief. unmasking autism did fabulously because it's actually both good and useful. laziness has had a long life span because it speaks to real problems in people's lives and gives them a message they are desperate to hear. but no amount of thirsty ass online shilling will make somebody realize that and it's maddening to try. you just gotta focus on doing good work, work that you enjoy making or need to make and that you feel good about, let things flop if theyre gonna flop, and keep on living your life.

which is all good news because i really do hate a lot of these fucking interviews. how can i stomach being on npr or in the atlantic or whatever these days given how complicit nearly all major media outlets are in justifying this genocide. like who fuckin cares about them, who wants their approval. who needs it. it's of no value

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fishnapple · 2 days

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CRYSTAL READING : Getting in touch with your inner child

This is a general reading meant for multiple people. Take only what resonates and leave out the rest.

Book a personal reading for you.

Reading for each group below:

1. Moss agate

An active child radiating warm energy everywhere they go.

There is something oddly vulnerable yet brave about your inner child.

A balanced yin and yang energy.

Every passing emotion and need is shown truthfully, no hiding.

I see a red apple under the sun, so full and warm.

The way your inner child sees the world is very unique and magical. If you speak from the inner wisdom of your inner child's honestly, without filters, you would see the profound impacts those words have on everyone.

This child is very creative and always on the move, ready to have fun with their friends. I see that your inner child doesn't really like solitude very much. They need to be free, mingling with people and nature. They care very much about other's well-being.

Life should be an endless adventure with new discovery every moment. To honestly be open to life and see the beauty of it. That is your inner child's belief. Their message for you would be "drink plenty, eat healthy, getting your daily dose of sunshine and play with me often."

🪆How to get more in touch with your inner child :

Make your emotions more transparent

Sharing the little things with people

Be open-minded , speak with candour and honesty without judgement

Go on adventures, travel

Move your body around, dancing, sports

Try out foreign culture's foods

2. Citrine

A doer rather than a talker.

There is a dualistic energy to your inner child.

Soft, gentle, but assertive and bold

Elusive and intense

Quiet but deeply philosophical, is both the teacher and the student

Discipline yet messy

Your inner child is very independent and solid. They don't really need other people's validation or praise to know their worth. Quite stubborn also. Sometimes, they would find it hard to accept help or advice from others.

There is a fascination with hidden things, mysteries, but also a reluctance to delve into them.

Your inner child likes routine and structure. They would feel threatened and nervous if your life is lacking those.

Their deepest need is to have faith and hope in life, that is also their biggest fear, to lose faith and hope. They are very brave, but everything needs to have meaning for them to understand and navigate the world.

Their ideal about the world is deep and compassionate. If you live your life in a directionless and superficial way, your inner child will be very lost and sad. Their message for you would be "always look for the light."

🪆How to get more in touch with your inner child :

Have some routine and build more structure in your daily life

Getting to know your inner fears, shadow work

Speak with intention and when necessary only, avoid frivolities

Finding faith, what you truly believe in

Be more assertive and brave, but with a gentle touch

3. Moonstone

I see an image of a child making a snow angel.

Life is a celebration for your inner child.

Nothing sets your inner child in a high mood than sudden outings and adventure. I think your inner child could get along very well with the first group's inner child 🤭, they are so similar.

I'm also seeing building blocks and castles. Your inner child enjoys building things.

Their deepest need is to be protected and guided through the dark. They could have a fear of the darkness, ghosts, and unknown entity.

Even though they are brave and open, they seem to have endured some deep pains that make them fearful. Lacking an authoritative figure to guide them, having domineering and demanding care takers.

They would love to talk to you constantly, to connect with you, and always be a companion for you. Their message for you right now would be "no matter how things change, we will build our castle tall and strong to weather them all, just be sure to keep the light on"

🪆How to get more in touch with your inner child :

Journaling your thoughts, whimsical inspiration

Active imagination, imagine having a dialogue with your inner child

Lying down, facing the sky above

Making something that feels magical

A kaleidoscope

Going for a swim, taking a run

Discover some new hobbies

Love.

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olderthannetfic · 2 days

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As a 50K person, I get how it sounds, but honestly, it is exhausting because a lot of it is rereading and hating the flow and having to add more to make it feel better as a piece and never feeling finished.

It's a difference in style and the way people write sometimes, I think.

I always appreciate short pieces and the authors ability to put together a story with a small amount, and it hit like a punch or just linger on my mind for years. A lot of them are genuinely beautiful or very funny or very hot and have very good pieces that get to the heart of things engagingly. But that is a skill to be able to do.

I can't do brevity, and it's genuinely not fun all the time. I've tried to write something smaller, and it just felt unfinished to me no matter how much I tried to force myself to not add more and made me so unhappy with it that I just left it. I can't do a story without it being more involved and full of details, which always expands. Otherwise, it feels barebones and not done.

Mor tangential the length of fiction doesn't reflect anything on quality or investment into the project either. Shorter pieces aren't any lesser for a smaller amount of words (and certainly aren't easier to write) and longer works aren't necessarily well-written just because there's a lot of words. And sometimes people lean into one or the other as easier to write for them.

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pomefioredove · 2 days

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angelum

summary: morally insecure reader type of post: fic characters: rollo additional info: romantic, reader is gender neutral, reader is yuu, yuu is at nbc now, hurt/comfort, a little fluffy, extremely self indulgent, rollo is ptsd coded as per usual

Perhaps he didn't know you as well as he thought.

But then again, perhaps he didn't want to.

Rollo had become accustomed to the comfortable home you had made yourself within his mind, warm and comforting and far, far away from the dark crevices he worked so hard to stave off.

It mirrored reality, in a sense; he saw it as his duty to keep you safe and away from all the evils of the world, the magic and sin and those who would lead you astray... some days, he felt that he could shrug the rest of his life off his shoulders and solely devote himself to your keeping. Others, he was bothered by nasty thoughts of doubt, those that told him he was only doing to you now what he couldn't have done all those years ago.

Rollo kept himself occupied enough to avoid thinking about it too much.

He did not see a reason to tell you of his mission, of course. You- pure, perfect, untainted by the sins of this world- wouldn't understand. No one would. But you never questioned it, either. Most days, you were simply happy to be treated well (the implications of which he did not want to dwell on; Rollo had made himself a promise not to pry too much about your experience at Night Raven College).

Always so grateful. So kind. Too kind, sometimes, that it caught him off guard. Rollo had not had a friend since...

...Never mind, that.

So perfect. So pure. Everything he could ever aspire to be, but never would, all captured in one person. An angel sent for him, and him alone.

But just as there were things you wouldn't understand about him, there was a sea of mysteries about you.

He can't imagine how you could cause yourself such grief.

Delicately holding your face between his hands, palms gently pressed to each wet, salty cheek, as if you were made of porcelain. He wipes away your tears with his thumbs, not bothering to pull away to retrieve his handkerchief. He can't even think of that right now. Seeing you in such pain is tearing him into halves.

"I'm a bad person,"

"No," he says, almost immediately. His voice sounds more desperate than he would have liked. He can't help it.

"I am,"

He had already spent thousands of nights wishing for some miracle that could heal unseen wounds, but that desire had become stronger than ever now. He would have gladly torn his heart out of his chest and given it to you if it would help.

He hates it. He hates that you make him feel this way. He hates himself for caring so deeply.

Yet, he still can't hate you.

Never you.

"You're not," he insists. "Tell me what's happened. I will make it better."

You don't respond, and it kills him. However you managed to get such an awful idea about yourself, he can't say. Perhaps it came from Night Raven College. Perhaps it's even older than that.

It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter, because it is not true.

It's not true.

After all, if you are a bad person, then what does that make him?

You avoid his eyes. "You can't," there's long pause to take a shaky breath. "You can't make it better. I've tried... I've been trying... it doesn't go away. It's like... I've been shattered into a million pieces, and I can't be put back together again."

Rollo winces, though he doesn't show it on his face.

There are these things you do, these brief moments, soft exchanges of words, certain looks on your face, that remind him all too much of himself.

He pities you. He pities himself.

"Stop it," is all he can think to say. "Do not say such things about yourself. You are not broken. You are not evil. Do you think I would dirty myself by associating with such people?"

You're quiet for a long moment. He does not like the silence, so he keeps talking.

"I cannot address what you won't tell me, thought you should know that no matter what you were told at Night Raven College or elsewhere, here, you are valued. You are wanted. You are the most..."

Rollo hesitates for a moment, taking but a second to compose himself and rephrase whatever it was he was about to say.

"...the most exceptional student I have ever met. Your humility is honorable, but I will not allow you to drown in it. Let yourself feel this, recover, but know that here, at Noble Bell, you are nothing less than an angel."

Failing to find anything else to say, another long silence is cast over the room, though this one significantly less tense than the last. The only noise between the two of you is of crackling fire, though it sounds miles away when he looks at you like this.

Eventually, you speak. "...Thank you,"

"My pleasure," he mumbles, finally releasing the hold he's had on your face for the past several minutes and leaning back to get a better look at you. "...Let me help."

He sits a little closer, bringing your head to rest on his shoulder as he's done a thousand times before within the private confines of his room. Though, this time feels...

The purple and gold of his handkerchief cloud your vision as he gently dabs at your tears until he's satisfied, which he marks with a soft hum.

"Don't get up yet," he says after, allowing you to lean against his body for much longer than he has before. "The fire is still warm."

#twst x reader #twisted wonderland x reader #queued #rollo flamme x reader

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livingindabisribcage · 2 days

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Sebastian Michaelis HC

Both relationship and NSFW so be warned

Let's be honest this 'relationship' only started bc Ciel needed something from you that was important enough for them to have to thoroughly gain your trust

which ciel of course leaves to sebastian to figure out

and he tries his whole fuckboy tactic of fucking it out of you, but you don't even let him try. as pretty as he is, you're not gonna sleep with some dude you barely know

basically, over months of having to get to know you, and you not being annoying to sebastian, you become friends. like he considers you on the same level as agni, a genuine friend

probably because he deems you not like most other humans, and if he wasn't bound to ciel he believes you would have an almost just as delicious soul as ciels

he even decides that if you're still alive by the time he eats ciels soul, he would convince you to make a pact with him

sebastian would never be 'in love' with you, but he would reach a point of caring about your well being. you would work your way up to being given the same spoiled treatment as ciel, just without the pact

he probably really likes how you don't just care about his looks, it's not like he really cares about people who only think he's pretty, he chose to look like this for a reason, but it's interesting to see a human be interested in him for his personality, no matter how fake it may be at times

it's part of his persona to treat you with the most respect he can muster, it would genuinely seem like he is the best 'boyfriend' you could ever ask for

he never asks you out, but at some point you do ask him if you two are anything serious and he is kind enough to think about it for you. because again, no, he does not love you. but he knows that he cares about you as much as he can care about a human, and it's obvious that you are enamored with him

but, he says no, both because it would interfere with his work because first and foremost he is a phantomhive butler, and therefore he cannot give you the relationship you deserve. so he won't make you feel like you are tied down to him when he can never reciprocate it

you understand, somewhat, and you ask if you can just pretend then. if you can be 'together' but just when you're alone. he doesn't have to worry about you when he's working, but when he can spare some time for you, then he's yours. you know it's a silly request, but you really like him, and even if you were to grow apart or find someone else, you know he would understand

he agrees to this, it almost shocks himself doing so, but why not. it's nice to have a distraction from all the annoyances that ciel makes him deal with. he has no responsibilities with you, and it's nice

most of the time he is available for you is the middle of the night, once ciel is asleep. there are times when he has to literally teleport away because ciel woke up from a nightmare or there was an emergency, but most nights are yours

most of the time it's spent talking about whatever you can think of, sebastian is very knowledgeable, and he does have some interesting stories he can tell

occasionally, he'll take you on a walk around town at night, or some place pretty out in the nature, because you expressed wishing you two could go out and do things sometimes

physical affection has to be initiated, verbally or physically, by you. because he is somewhat confused on what to do with you since you don't only want sex from him, he's not the most caring affectionate guy. but you say you want a hug, he gives you a hug. same with a kiss, and anything else. he won't ever push you away from something physical either unless he has to.

he does learn your patterns and little quirks though, he can tell the way you look when you want a kiss, or how you fidget when you want him to hold you. he learns your body language and it gets to a point where you don't even need to ask anymore, he just knows

he generally calls you by your name, occasionally darling, but 99% of the time it's your name

he knows ALL your favorite things, he brings you little presents all the time. like desserts or clothes or random trinkets that you like

at some point, ciel even let's you come over to be with sebastian at his manor. ciel doesn't mind you either, you're smart and are willing to play games with him, and you can be helpful around the house if need be, so you are welcome anytime

sebastian does not like pda, unless you two are in a private area where he can sense no one, he won't let you do anything too touchy. when around people, you can hold onto his arm in a way that looks more so like he's just being a gentleman

sebastian does still use his fuckboy tactics when needed, he does try to resort to it as little as possible out of respect for you, but sometimes it's just easier. he does always see you in the back of his mind while he does it though, and he never tells you, but he can't help but spoil you a little in some way next time he sees you

if you ever told him you loved him, he'd probably be a little stunned and not know what to say. he'd most likely settle on 'thank you' or something similar. he won't lie to you, you'd be able to tell

this relationship can never really end nicely however. unless ciels pact is fulfilled before you die, and you agree to make a pact with sebastian, you will most likely end up with someone else or die

even if you do make a pact with sebastian, in the end all you'll be is food to him

you only find out he's a demon a few years into this relationship because he starts to feel like he is holding you down, he's seen others flirt with you and whatnot, but you always refuse their advances because you have sebastian. so he tells you, he is going to live forever, you will inevitably die. he can't even promise to remember you for much longer after you're dead. you could be happy with someone else

you would stay regardless though, for any span of time. whether you eventually decide to move on, or die loving him, is up to you

you wait a good bit before letting him fuck you, think of the times - it's a very 'wait till marriage' society. but, it's not like anyone will know, and even if you did end up with someone else later, you can just pretend you're still a virgin

you want to do it with someone you genuinely love, and that is sebastian, and he is willing to fulfill this for you

sebastian can enjoy sex, just usually it's very whatever to him. he usually just does it with people because he has to. but it is different with you, he finds it odd to enjoy being this close with someone but he does

plus, you make such cute faces and noises while he fucks you, he enjoys it even if it's not the most pleasurable thing in the world

he is entirely focused on what you want during sex, what makes you feel the best, moan the loudest, cum the hardest. sex is almost entirely just for you, and he thinks you don't notice but you do

you tell him you don't want to do it if he isn't enjoying it, you don't want him to feel obligated to fuck you, and it's hard to enjoy it fully when you know he isn't

he's a demon, he's fucked probably thousands of people, he needs lots of varying stimuli to make him cum. he probably hasn't even tried masturbating, so it's probably been way too long since he's actually came

so he explains that he isn't entirely sure what types of things he'd enjoy from you, but overall - he'd like it if you gave him some resistance. or hurt him. Just you try and be dominant, not that he'll let you, but you need to try. he can't promise anything, but that's the best option

you're kinda embarrassed to do so at first, but he's thoroughly surprised when you smack his face during sex, fairly hard even. it felt good. and the way you seemed scared of what he'd do next, he actually felt himself becoming genuinely horny.

over time, with however comfortable you are, sex would be rough. he wants you to hurt him, and he wants to hurt you. and I mean genuinely hurt, like bleeding and crying. he's a demon, he can't help but get off to a bit of human suffering, and it's fun when you fight back

just trust, that no matter how much he hurts you, he will always make you feel 10 times as good. and he will always take care of you and fix you right up afterwards

he is big on punishing you when you're 'bad'. he does expect you to listen to him in most areas, and if you disobey, you will find yourself over his lap with a red ass. it's not even always a sexual thing either

he's pretty quiet during sex, but you tell him that it's a little off putting and he chooses to talk you through it instead of making noises. he'll guide you through whatever you're doing, tell you if you're doing a good job or not, or order you around. he's mainly just praise and dirty talk

you saw that one episode with the nun, he fucks hard and rough, and he goes until you tap out. you can always expect to be a little wobbly for a couple hours after

one time you asked him to fuck you until he was satisfied, you passed out before he could even get there

when he tells you he's a demon this is one of the reasons why you don't even question it

his dick can technically change size, but he did make this body to be conventionally attractive so his dick is nice and long as well. probably not super thick though. but, he'd probably subtly and slowly change it in various ways to see what you enjoy the best - he basically makes it custom just for you

#sebastian michaelis #sebastian michaelis headcanons #sebastian michaelis x reader #sebastian #sebastian imagine #sebastian headcanons #sebastian x reader #black butler #kuroshitsuji

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melonteee · 1 day

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I've seen many people complain that Oda in Post Time skip One Piece spends a lot of time worldbuilding and making up side characters on every island that distract from the main ones and the plot. While I can see where some people are coming from, as someone who reads comics from Marvel, I WISH the wordbuilding and side characters were that developed because most of the time, unless it's about space or magic or directly related to the plot, the world feels genuinely dead. Even the main setting of a story sometimes feels so dead, like for comparison

Around 2 years ago, they had an event where, at some point, an inhabited island got pretty much nuked. We spent 3 real life years on that island and the writers really couldn't make any readers care less about all the civilians (men, women, children and babies) dying as they wrote them as a single minded entity who didn't mind that fate if their government told them to do it so they used two of the "main characters" (the most selfish pricks imaginable who never even cared about the island and the people there as they are long-established villains + due to plot, were made part of the people who rule over the place and get the most privilege and best life there compared to everyone else), to pull the heartstrings of fans on how terrible it is for them to die this way and how tragic that these two had to die in this event... All because the plot hyperfocused on the island's government (not even interesting to read and full of what felt like highschool drama) instead of the people the government looks after and who would be the greatest casualty here. All of this didn't matter either because everyone on that island was brought back to life (that plot device was present even before the event so caring about anything was going to be hard from the get go) including the "main characters" that died.. Guess who got to come back to life first while many others were on a waiting list years down the line still ?

Now compare this to Oda and what he did with Lulusia. All things related to this island were mostly cover stories, many cuts back and forth in a "meanwhile in...", ... But once Chapter 1060 hits, we feel the tragedy and horror, we are at awe at how much destruction was unleashed on these people. That scene was made even more horrifying and sad when it was animated in Episode 1089...and then we learn the reason the island was obliterated had nothing to do with Sabo being there. Any island we knew who partook in a revolution could have been a target. We find out that even that was an excuse because the main goal was to test a weapon and nothing more. Oda is using a tool here called "less is more" for this island and it was sincerely enough for me to care A WHOLE LOT about Lulusia even if the main characters never set a single foot there and it wasn't part of the main plot. There wasn't even a main character who "died" there either to pull on our heart strings. We just saw these people triumphantly come out of a political crisis and enjoy their first hours of freedom after lord knows how long and then

They were all gone. Erased. And even if they didn't all see what was about to happen to them, they felt it. They died in fear

Oda is very very good at his world building, because he makes sure these islands are LIVED in, not just that they EXIST. It's all well and good to wipe out an island to show the political and immoral powers that be, but we don't feel the impact unless we SEE the people and culture existing on the island.

It's why now, with Vegapunk explaining the state of the world, we are getting reactions from EVERY corner of the globe. We are being reminded how big this world is, how lived in this world is, and how many people are suffering under the world gov. We CARE about this world, we care about the PEOPLE in this world, and Oda's spent years building his world up for THIS moment. It's really spectacular.

#ask #melonask #egghead spoilers #op spoilers

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yuurei20 · 1 day

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Hello!! Sorry if this is a little something out of your wheelhouse but I keep seeing people say Yana said in a tweet that the Twst’s story will continue after the current main story arc. Do you know if she actually said it or have a link to that tweet? It feels like an urban legend and idk if I can believe it without seeing it for myself. Thanks if you get around to answering this and if not then have a good night/afternoon/morning!

Hello hello! Thank you for this question!

There has been no explicit statement released by Yana, Aniplex or anyone on the direction of the main story (that I have been able to find), which makes sense!

According to the interviews we have, plans/ideas/characters are changing all the time behind the scenes (sometimes long after development has begun), so someone saying "these are our plans for the future!" at any time would be very unwise. It is a volatile industry!

Proving that something has happened is much easier than proving something has not (which is likely why a lot of these rumors get so popular), but I can certainly share the things that we know have been said! ^^

I reviewed the two official interviews that Yana has given on Twst, one published in the Magical Archives game guide in 2020 and one posted to the Apple Store in 2023, and here are all the comments that might be meant to relate to future endeavors!

・"I wrote this story with the intention of developing mutual understandings through such clashes. So no matter where this story goes, it will never be about forgiveness or saving someone."

・"I would like to have raid battles where players fight together. The theme of the game is 'making problem children cooperate with each other,' so I feel that such an addition to the gameplay would allow us to better feel the growth of the characters."

・"I would also like to collaborate with other Disney productions. The characters in 'Twisted Wonderland' are also Disney characters, so I don't know if collaboration is the right word."

・"I would also like to continue to dress the characters up in gorgeous outfits. I have so many ideas for what kind of fashion I want them to wear, what kind of makeup I want them to try…there are so many things I want to do."

・"As long as villains are the basis for these characters, I think it is important that they never become overly good people."

・"However, I am sure that more and more events are going to be held in the future, so I am wondering if parallel and ‘if’ worlds are going to start appearing."

・"The text of the first book is 35,000 Japanese characters long but book 6 has over 250,000. Up until about book 3 users are still getting to know the characters, so we prioritized helping people come to understand the world of Twst and keeping things compact. After the game was released, however, it felt like people were reading much more deeply into the story than we had anticipated. So now I include much more information than was provided during those setup chapters."

・Going forward things are going to be on a much larger scale, incorporating not only the vertical and horizontal axes of the story but also expanding upon elements such as a present, past and future. Look forward to Book 7 (currently on chapter 2)!

・"We will continue to develop this game that emphasizes the spirit of villains that cannot be discouraged, and we hope that our users will continue to enjoy it.”

・"Thank you so much for playing Twisted Wonderland. We will continue to do our best to make this game into something that can add a little more fun and color to your daily lives."

I have seen fan-rumors before of maybe an RSA arc, or perhaps the 4th years being introduced, or even the current class graduating to welcome a new wave of 1st-year students, but they are all unproven theories ^^ Very fun to think about, but unofficial!

#twstask #twisted wonderland #twstyana

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literary-motif · 2 days

Text

May Your Heart Be Free

Isaac Rhoades x Reader

Inspired by this post and all the heartbreaking lovely replies. Special thanks to @xzhdjsj, @kieran-rhoades and @c-t-r-l14 as well as the lovely @jasminepicksflowers for the heartbreak ideas. (I hope you don't mind the tag!)

Isaac drowns in work and sorrow after you leave him to become a singer. You meet again.

The house was empty without you in it. He could feel the loneliness weighing him down, stealing the air from his lungs as he walked the desolate hallways. You had taken every ray of light when you went, leaving him in the tense darkness of his dangerous life.

Isaac sighed, burying his face in his hands as your lovely voice sounded over the speakers in his study. He tried not to indulge, refraining from checking up on you too often — maybe once or twice during the day, going through your social media, keeping track of the people frequenting your neighborhood and assuring you would never come to harm — but at night, sometimes the longing in his heart was too much to bear.

Your singing did not ease the burden on his heart, but at least it turned the suffocating feeling of having lost you into a sharp ache instead. He could hear in your voice that you were happy. The enthusiasm it carried as the vinyl spun circles made him smile fondly despite the tears in his eyes. You were happy. That was all that mattered.

He downed his whiskey, rubbing at his bloodshot eyes. God, he missed you terribly. The alcohol did not soothe him as it used to now that he knew what it felt like to be held when his heart broke apart. The stinging in his eyes as his vision blurred, the cramp in his right hand, the pain in his head — all the signs of overwork he had prided himself on pushing through to continue his work until the early hours of the morning, satisfy his client and close the case, now threatened to bury him under their weight.

When had he become so soft? When had shutting off his heart and putting his head down to drown in the pages before him, stopped being enough to save him from the rising tide of his sorrow?

The ring he had gifted you lay in front of him on the desk. The note under it was almost mocking — ‘Thank you for everything. Take care.’ — as if everything between you could be reduced to a simple ‘thank you.’ As if his overwhelming love for you, the thorn in his side and the reason he still breathed warranted the meager reciprocation of ‘take care.’

He took the ring, clutching it in his shaking fist, and pushed the note away from him, careful not to stain it with the tears trailing down his face. It hurt. Having you gone hurt; hearing the echo of you in these walls, feeling the memory of your love for him — it tore him apart over and over and over again.

It made him feel like a boy again, terrified of the darkness lurking at the end of the hall. Isaac had always prided himself on being self-sufficient, but now he felt almost petrified at the thought of being alone.

Asirel, kind and indebted to him as he was, had tried helping in his own way, knowing Isaac long enough to be familiar with his coping mechanism. He had given him case after case, making him lose himself in work until there was little time to think about anything else. He had taken every case, hoping they would fill the aching hole inside him.

Isaac downed another glass of whiskey, grimacing at the tear stains he felt on his face. Nothing could make him forget about you, and as the needle lifted off the vinyl, stopping your melodic singing and replacing it instead with the empty sound of the platter turning, he stored both the ring and the note away in the top drawer of the desk, telling himself that tomorrow would be a little easier.

It never was. Your absence still burned as much as on the day he had said goodbye.

With all the work he did, Isaac rose further in his client’s esteem. They all saw him as an efficient, professional, and hard-working young man, praising him for the thorough and quick handling of their cases. His reputation began to precede him, carrying the word of Isaac Rhoades as the man who could retrieve information about questions other people hadn’t even thought about. Asirel was proud of him, of course, and many clients wanted to have him as a more permanent ally as well.

“Monsieur Rhoades, so glad you could make it!” the little man with the mustache said, shaking Isaac’s hand energetically. Normally, he would have never accepted the invitation for a soireé, but this particular client had insisted, constantly bothering him about the expensive appetizers he had imported straight from la belle France and the breathtaking music he had arranged to be played at his lavish mansion.

“Thank you for having me,” Isaac replied, presenting the old wine he had brought as a gift. Truthfully, he had grabbed the first bottle he had found, knowing that every one of them was appropriate to keep up appearances and otherwise not caring in the least bit about the evening’s festivities.

The host took the red wine, staring at the bottle with wide eyes. “Ah, Oui,” he said, sounding shaken, “excellent taste, I see. Excuse-moi.” He walked towards his assistant, Isaac presumed, handing him the bottle carefully and muttering some hurried French, probably instructions on how to store it properly.

It made Isaac wonder which one he had grabbed, but the thought quickly left his mind as he took a glass of champagne and began sipping it. He yearned for his whiskey instead as the evening dragged on.

He had handed out most of his business cards when the host approached him again, swapping his half-empty glass of champagne for a full one. “I have the most lovely performance prepared for my guests tonight,” he said, slinging an arm around Isaac’s shoulder amicably and beginning to walk him towards the faint melody he had picked up sometime during the evening from the adjoining music room.

The musician was singing, accompanied by a piano, but he had drowned out the faint echoing of their voice as he conversed with the other guests, strengthening old ties and developing new ones.

“Very lovely indeed,” Isaac said, downing his glass of champagne and glancing at his watch. He wondered if half past twelve was an appropriate time to leave already. There was a sudden stutter in his heart, and Isaac frowned discreetly, his brain needing a moment to catch up to reality. The melody sounded familiar. The tone of voice, no—!

“What a pleasure to know you like them too,” the host said with a smile, leaving him alone in the doorway to catch one of his other acquaintances.

Isaac sucked in a breath, watching you play.

You had not noticed him yet, too caught up in your own world of music to pay much attention to the room around you as your fingers danced across the keys.

He felt so stupid. How long had you been playing already? How much time had he wasted mingling with potential clients while you were here as well, pouring your heart out as you sang the songs he listened to daily right in front of him?

The happiness you radiated with as you played was unmistakable. You were shining with it. Isaac could hear it in every note you played. He could see it in every sway of your upper body as you became one with the music, letting it overtake you as you put your all into expressing how you felt.

He was so happy for you. Seeing you like this, hearing the joy and brightness in your voice melted his heart and no matter how much it tore him apart that you were no longer by his side, he was glad to have let you go and have the privilege of watching you live your dream.

Trying to blink away the tears in his eyes, he applauded like everyone else as you looked up from the piano, your song fading into the noise of the people around you. There were many, leaning against the walls or talking near the open windows as they enjoyed your soothing playing and the magical sound of your voice.

You inhaled shakily, swearing you felt your heart stop when your eyes met. Isaac’s face was ashen as he stood in the doorway. You could see the emotion in his eyes as he smiled faintly at you. Having him here, cheering you on and gazing at you with a look of such pride brought tears to your eyes, you longed to get up and engulf him in a hug, thanking him over and over and over again for everything he did and still does for you.

Instead, you kept up appearances, inclining your head and smiling gratefully at the applause of the other guests. It would not do to cause a scandal here, neither for you nor for Isaac.

Placing your fingers on the keys again, you began to play with a slight adjustment to the night’s setlist. The song was new, to the public at least. You had written it during melancholic nights, your mind filled with thoughts of Isaac, longing to see how he was, but knowing it would only hurt so much more to reach out to him.

You had never planned on releasing it, but having Isaac here, so close but so far out of reach, made you want to show him just how much he meant to you. You wanted to show him how much you missed him.

“Is the world enough to save

For your stoic’s life of purpose?

Did you rummage through the haze?

Have you caught off all the surplus?”

You closed your eyes, having played the melody more times than you could count. You could not bear looking at Isaac as you sang to him, worried of what you might find in his gaze — worried of your voice cracking as the emotions for him overwhelmed you.

“Is your life so full of shadows

You no longer see the light?

Are you standing in the ashes

Of the bridge I left behind?”

Deep down, you feared he hated you or harbored resentment towards you after abandoning him. You knew you had hurt him.

It was obvious, from the desperation he had tried to hide in his eyes the day you told him about your decision to the tight embrace he had given you at the door, as the car waited outside to take you away. You had almost expected him to plead, beg you not to go and leave him behind in the claws of his past, but Isaac had never allowed himself to be selfish. He had let you go with well wishes and the request to look after yourself.

“Did you drown yourself in whiskey

When you saw me walk away? — Or

Did you freeze up your heart

To keep yourself from missing me?”

Your words made him flinch. He clenched his fists, digging his nails into his palms to anchor himself to the present and remember in what company he was in. It would sully his name if people saw him break down over a song — a seemingly random one, to their eyes. He kept looking at you, watching how the light breeze ruffled your hair as you sang with your eyes closed.

You were beautiful, and Isaac could not help the surge of affection taking hold of his heart. He was soft, but only for you. Something about you brought out the side of him that he had thought buried long ago, and no matter if you were no longer with him, seeing your passion for music, the love for what you did — as much as it pained him to admit it was for the best, he was happy he let you go.

“Is the world enough to save —

My knight of shadow?”

The tempo slowed, and you opened your eyes again, finding Isaac already looking back. You needed to tell him. You needed to make sure he knew you were genuine as you confessed to him the truth that had been eating away at you — hoping he had it in himself to forgive you.

“I dream through every day,

Wishing I’d stayed beside you.”

Isaac’s eyes widened in shock as the last verse hit him. It felt as if someone had just punched him in the gut. All the air seemed to be sucked out of the room. The softness in his heart not a moment ago turned into drowning sorrow. The only thought on his mind, as he heard the crowd cheer, was that he needed to get out. He needed to collect himself.

“Lovely, aren’t they, Monsieur Rhoades?” the host said, nodding towards you. He did not see the anguish on your face nor the longing in your gaze as you continued playing, unable to get to Isaac as all the eyes were on you. “Don’t you love a display of talent like this? Je l’aime!”

“Excuse me,” Isaac choked, keeping his head down to hide the tears threatening to fall and making his way through the crowd quickly, ignoring various calls of his name. Yours was not among them, so he continued hastily, needing to get out, get away, only stopping when he was safely inside his car, hidden in the darkness again where nobody could see him lose his composure.

Only in the darkness, he allowed his tears to fall unseen.

#sakuverse #zsakuva #isaac rhoades x reader #isaac rhoades

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caligvlasaqvarivm · 3 days

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How do you analyze so good I'm really impressed and honestly wonder if I can learn from you

It's a skill, so the good news is, you can practice and get better at it!

Read A Lot/Gain Context

Analysis often means making comparisons or drawing from external context - one of the best things you can do if you want to be better at analysis is to try to cram your head with as much knowledge as possible. The time period, culture of origin, and where the author slots into those are usually major influences on a work (in Homestuck's case, much of it is a direct commentary on the internet culture it emerged from, and missing that part of it can drastically influence how the story reads).

Also important are the works the author themselves are inspired by. You've likely heard some variation of "nothing is original." We're actually really lucky with Homestuck in that regard, as the work is highly referential, and you can glean a lot by looking at what it references (for example, if you watch Serendipity, one of Karkat's favorite movies, which is titledropped during the troll romance explanation, you will understand Karkat so much better). This applies to things like mythological allusions - you'll hardly know why it matters that Karkat is a Christ figure if you don't know what the general outline of the Christ story is, nor will you pick up on the Rapture elements of Gamzee's religion or the fact that Doc Scratch is The Devil, etc. The key to picking up a lot of symbolism is being aware that the symbols exist.

And last, it helps to read a lot of media and media analysis so you can get a better understanding of how media "works" - how tropes are used, what effect language has, what other entries into the genre/works with similar themes/etc. have already done to explore the same things as the piece being analyzed is doing - and what other people have already gleaned and interpreted. I've mentioned before that many people seem to find Homestuck's storytelling bizarre and unique when it's actually quite standard for postmodernism, the genre it belongs to. But you're not going to know that if you've never read anything postmodern, y'know? I also often prepare for long character essays by reading other peoples' character essays - sometimes people pick up on things I miss, and sometimes people have interpretations I vehemently disagree with; both of these help me to refine my take on the matter.

Try to Discard Biases/Meet the Work Where It Is

Many will carry into reading media an expectation of what they want to get out of it. For example, one generally goes into a standard hetero romance book expecting a female lead, a male love interest, romance (of course), and a happy ending for the happy couple. If the book fails to deliver these things, a reader will often walk away thinking it was a bad book, even if the story told instead is objectively good and interesting. We actually see this a lot with Wuthering Heights, which receives very polarizing reviews because people go into it expecting a gothic romance, when it's really more like a gossip Youtube video spilling the tea on some shitty rich people (and it's really good at being that).

There's nothing necessarily wrong with this when reading for pleasure and personal enjoyment, but it presents a problem when attempting to analyze something. There's a concept called the "Procrustean bed," named after a mythological bandit who used to stretch people or cut off their limbs to fit them to a bed, that describes "an arbitrary standard to which exact conformity is forced." Going into a media reading with expectations and biases often results in a very Procrustean reading - I'm sure we've all seen posts complaining about how fanfic often forces canon characters to fit certain archetypes while discarding their actual character traits, etc.

Therefore, when reading for analysis, it's generally a good idea to try and discard as much bias and expectation as possible (obviously, we are never fully free of bias, but the effort counts) - or, perhaps even better, to compartmentalize those biases for comparison while reading. For example, Hussie talks at length about what they INTENDED Homestuck to be, and, while reading, I like to keep Hussie's words to the side while I try to experience the comic fresh, seeing what choices were made in accordance with Hussie's intentions, or where I think Hussie may have fumbled the messaging. At the same time, I try to let the work stand on its own, set in its proper context.

I'd say this is the number-one problem in fandom analysis. For example, people hear from the fandom that Eridan is an incel or a nice guy, so they interpret everything he says and does to fit that belief, or ignore any contradictory evidence. Or they fall for the character's façade that's meant to be dismantled by the viewer. Some works are fairly shallow and accessible, wearing all their meaning on their sleeve (or are Not That Deep, if you prefer meme-talk), and problems arise when a work is, in fact, That Deep, because someone biased towards the former will discard evidence that a work is the latter. This isn't exclusive to HS - it's happened in basically all of my fandoms - which is a statement to how easy it is to fall into this way of thinking.

Even without knowing that Hussie had coming-of-age themes in mind, for example, characters will talk about being kids and growing up. Knowing that Hussie has explicitly said that that's one of HS's themes serves as extra evidence for that interpretation, but the work itself tells you what it's about - if you're willing to listen to it.

Even If the Curtains are Just Blue, That Still Means Something

This is the next biggest fandom stumbling block - thr insinuation that when things in a work are put into the work without more explicit symbolism, that that means they're a discardable detail. This one is more about making a mindset shift - details aren't discardable, even if they don't appear to have been made with the explicit intention to mean something. Everything kind of means something.

First of all, whether or not the curtains are Just Blue is often highly dependent on the work. For example, in something made in large quantities with little time, staff, and budget - say, for example, one of the entries into the MCU's TV shows - there likely isn't too much meaning behind a choice of blue curtains in a shot (although you'd be surprised how often choices in these constrained environments are still very deliberately made). In a work like Homestuck, however, so terribly dense with symbolism and allegory, chances are, the blue curtains DO hold some special meaning, even if it's not readily apparent.

However, even in cases where a choice is made arbitrarily, it still usually ends up revealing something about the work's creative process. Going back to our MCU example, perhaps the blue curtains were chosen because the shot is cool-toned and they fit the color grading. Perhaps they were chosen because the director really likes blue. Perhaps the shot was filmed at an actual location and the blue curtains were already there. Or, even, perhaps the blue curtains were just what they had on hand, and the show was made too quickly and cheaply to bother sourcing something that would fit the tone or lend extra meaning. These all, to varying degrees, say something about the work - maybe not anything so significant that it would come up in an analysis, but they still contribute to a greater understanding of what the work is, what it's trying to say, and how successful it is at saying it.

And this applies to things with much higher stakes. For example, Hussie being a white US citizen likely had an effect on the B1 kids being mostly US citizens, and there was discourse surrounding how, even though they were ostensibly aracial, references were made to Dave's pale skin. Do I think these were deliberate choices made to push some sort of US superiority; no, obviously not. But they still end up revealing things about the creation of the work - that Hussie had certain biases as a result of being who they were.

Your Brain is Designed to Recognize Patterns, So Put That to Use

So with "establish context" and "discard expectations" out of the way, we can start getting into the nitty-gritty of what should be jumping out at you when attempting to understand a work. One of the most prominent things that you should be looking for is PATTERNS.

Writing is a highly conscious effort, which draws from highly unconscious places. Naturally, whether these patterns are intentional or unintentional is dependent on the author (see again why reading up on a work's context is so important), but you can generally bet that anything that IS a pattern is something that holds significance.

For example, Karkat consistently shows that he's very distraught when any of his friends get hurt, that he misses his friends, even the murderous assholes, that he's willing to sit them down and intervene on their behalf, despite all his grandstanding to the contrary. We are supposed to notice that Karkat actually loves his friends, and that he's lying when he says he doesn't care about them.

Homestuck is very carefully and deliberately crafted; if something comes up more than once, it's a safe bet to assume that you're supposed to notice, or at least feel, it. Don't take my word for it:

Basically, [reusing elements is] about building an extremely dense interior vocabulary to tell a story with, and continue to build and expand that vocabulary by revisiting its components often, combining them, extending them and so on. A vocabulary can be (and usually is) simple, consisting of single words, but in this case it extends to entire sentences and paragraph structures and visual forms and even entire scenes like the one linked above. Sometimes the purpose for reiteration is clear, and sometimes there really is no purpose other than to hit a familiar note, and for me that's all that needs to happen for it to be worthwhile. Triggering recognition is a powerful tool for a storyteller to use. Recognition is a powerful experience for a reader. It promotes alertness, at the very least. And in a lot of cases here, I think it promotes levity (humor! this is mostly a work of comedy, remember.) Controlling a reader's recognition faculty is one way to manipulate the reader's reactions as desired to advance the creative agenda.

But this applies to less deliberately-crafted work, too; for example, if an author consistently writes women as shallow, cruel, and manipulative, then we can glean that the author probably has some sort of issue with women. Villains often being queer-coded suggests that the culture they come from has problems with the gays. Etc. etc.

This is how I reached my conclusion that Pale EriKar is heavily foreshadowed - the two are CONSTANTLY kind to each other, sharing secrets, providing emotional support, etc. etc. It's why that part of my Eridan essay is structured the way that it is - by showing you first how consistently the two interact in suspiciously pale-coded ways, the fact that a crab is shown in both Eridan's first appearance AND his appearance on the moirallegiance "hatched for each other" page becomes the cincher of a PATTERN of the two being set up to shoosh-pap each other.

A work will tell you about itself if you listen. If it tells you something over and over, then it's basically begging you to pay attention.

Contrast is Important, Too

Patterns are also significant when they're broken. For example, say a villain is constantly beating up the protagonist. Here's our pattern: the hero is physically weaker than the villain. In a straight fight, the hero will always lose.

And then, at the mid-season two-parter, the hero WINS. Since we've set up this long pattern of the hero always losing to this villain, the fact that this pattern was disrupted means that this moment is extremely important for the work. Let's say the hero wins using guile - in this case, we walk away with the message that the work is saying that insurmountable obstacles may have workarounds, and adaptability and flexibility are good, heroic traits. Now let's say the hero won using physical strength, after a whole season of training and practicing - in this case, we say that the work says hard work and effort are heroic, and will pay off in the end.

In Homestuck, as an example, we set up a long pattern of Vriska being an awful, manipulative bitch, and a fairly remorseless killer. And then, after killing Tavros, she talks to John and admits that she's freaking out because she feels really bad about it. This vulnerability is hinted at by some of her earlier actions/dialogue, which is itself a pattern to notice, but it's not really explicit until it's set up to be in direct contrast to the ultimate spider8itch move of killing Tavros. This contrast is intended to draw our attention, to point out something significant - hey, Vriska feels bad! She's a product of her terrible society and awful lusus! While it's shitty that she killed Tavros, she's also meant to be tragic and sympathetic herself!

Hussie even talks about how patterns and surprises are used in tandem:

Prior to Eridan's entrance into the room, and even during, the deaths were completely unguessable. After Feferi's death, Kanaya's becomes considerably more so, but still quite uncertain. After her death, all bets are off. Not only do all deaths thereafter become guessable, but in some cases, "predictable". That's because it was the line between a series of shocking events, and the establishment of an actual story pattern. The new pattern serves a purpose, as a sort of announcement that the story is shifting gears, that we're drifting into these mock-survival horror, mock-crime drama segments, driven by suspense more than usual. The suspense has more authority because of all the collateral of unpredictability built up over time, as well as all the typical stuff that helps like long term characterization. But now that the pattern is out in the open, following through with more deaths no longer qualifies as unpredictability. Just the opposite, it would now be playing into expectations, which as I said, can be important too. This gear we've switched to is the new normal, and any unpredictability to arise thereafter will necessarily be a departure from whatever current patterns would indicate.

Patterns are important because they tell you what baselines the work is setting - what's normal, what's standard, what this or that generally "means." Contrast is important because it means something has changed, or some significant point is being made. They work in tandem to provide the reader with points of focus in the story, things to keep in mind as they read, consciously or unconsciously.

Theme

I'm talking about this stuff in pretty broad and open terms because stories are so malleable, and so myriad, and can say so many things. There are stories where horrible cruelties are painted as good things - propoganda is the big one, but consider all the discourse around romance books that paint abusive/toxic relationships as ideal. There are stories where the protagonist is actually the villain, and their actions are not aspirational, and works where everyone sucks and nobody is aspirational, and works where everybody is essentially a good person, if sometimes misguided.

This is, again, why outside context is so important, and biases need to be left at the door. For example, generally speaking, one can assume that the protagonist of a children's cartoon is going to be an aspirational hero, or at least a conflicted character who must learn to do the right thing. However, there are even exceptions to this! Invader Zim, for example, features an outright villain protagonist - a proud servant of a fascist empire - and for a lower-stakes example, the Eds of Ed, Edd, n' Eddy are the neighborhood scammers, constantly causing problems for the other characters with their schemes.

Thus, how do we determine what any particular narrative's stance on a given topic is? It's a difficult question to answer because every narrative is different. If I say something like, "the things that bring the protagonists success in their goals are what the narrative says are good," then we run into the issue of villain/gray morality protagonists. To use moral terms like "hero" and "villain" instead runs into the problem of defining morality within a narrative in the first place. But you have to draw the line somewhere.

So that brings us to themes.

Now, as with a lot of artistic terms, "theme" isn't necessarily well-defined (this isn't helped by the way the word is used colloquially to mean things like aesthetic, moral of the story, or symbolism). Wikipedia says: "In contemporary literary studies, a theme is a central topic, subject, or message within a narrative," but this is still very broad and hard to work with, so I'll give it a shot.

A theme is what a work says, beyond the literal series of events. Sometimes a theme is obvious - the theme of Boy Who Cried Wolf is that if you become famous for lying, you won't be believed when you tell the truth. Sometimes a theme is one of many - for example, Disney's Cinderalla says that kindness and virtue will eventually be recognized and rewarded, and that cruelty is interlinked with ugliness. Sometimes a theme is unintentional - for example, how Disney's body of work tends to villainize queer-coded characters. Sometimes context and the passage of time changes the theme - for example, Snow White originally held a message of hope for wartime families that domestic normalcy would one day return, but is now seen as anti-feminist as it appears to insinuate that a woman's place is in the kitchen, and her happiness is in marriage to a man. And sometimes a theme is not something you agree with.

In any case, a theme is a meaning to be gleaned from the text, more broad and universally applicable than the text itself. After all, we humans have traditionally always used story to impart meaning; our oldest epic, The Epic of Gilgamesh, contains within it several themes, most famously that of accepting one's mortality. It's startling, really, how applicable the story is to this day, even if specific details have become obtuse or unsavory to a modern reader.

This is, again, why it's so important to engage with a text on its own terms, in its own context, with as little bias as possible. A story's themes are not necessarily apparent, and commonly implied rather than stated outright, and approaching the story with expectations can easily lead to a Procrustean twisting of the facts to fit those expectations. A theme should emerge to the analyzer out of the reading, not the other way around.

Identifying theme gets easier with practice, and largely comes down to identifying patterns within the narrative (alongside looking at context and symbolism, of course). What does the narrative consistently touch base on? Are there any references; is there any symbolism? What does the story deem "normal," "good," or "bad"? How are ideas developed, and why? Why did these events happen, and are those motivations echoed anywhere else?

Homestuck is very complex and tackles many topics at once, and explaining why it's a coming-of-age would basically require a whole second essay, so I'll use a simpler and more popular example (like I've been trying to do) - let's say, Shrek.

The most obvious theme of Shrek is that beauty does not equate goodness, that one mustn't judge a book by its cover. The opening sequence is LITERALLY Shrek ripping out pages of a fairy tale book to use as toilet paper, and the movie ends with Fiona finding that her happiest, truest self IS as an ugly ogre. Shrek's main character conflict is that people immediately judge him as cruel and evil because he's ugly, and the characters' lowest points occur because Fiona is similarly insecure about her ogre half, considering it unlovable.

But there's other stuff in there, too. For example, if you know that Dreamworks and Shrek were founded after a falling out with Disney, then the beautiful, sanitized city of Dulac, with its switchback queue and singing animatronics add to this theme of a direct refutation of traditional Disney fairytale values, mocking them as manufactured, inhuman, and even cruel in the way that they marginalize those who don't fit an ideal of beauty. Again we see the opening sequence - defacing a fairytale - as support for this, but also the way that Dulac is displacing fairytale creatures. There's a moment where Gepetto literally sells Pinocchio, which can easily be read as a commentary on the crass commercialization and exploitation of fairy tales Disney likes to do.

And then, of course, there are lesser, supplementary themes. Love being a powerful positive force is one - Donkey is able to rally Shrek after he truly reciprocates Dragon's love for him (which echoes the theme of not equating goodness with beauty, as Dragon is still big and scary), and it's true love's kiss that grants Fiona her happy ending.

And then there's stuff that's unintentional. There's all this work done about how beauty =/= goodness, but then they made the villain incredibly short, which is a traditionally unattractive physical feature. So, does that mean that ugly things can be beautiful unless that ugliness is specifically height?

Sometimes, authorial intent does not match up with result - but in those instances, I think the most is revealed about the author. Modern Disney products tend to be very cowardly about going anti-corporation and pro-weirdness, despite their usual feel-good tones and uplifting themes - and that says a lot about Disney, doesn't it. That's why I think it's still important to keep authorial intent in mind, if possible, even if they fumble what they say they've set out to do.

Obviously, Lord Fuckwad being short doesn't REALLY detract from the overall message - but it's still a weird hitch in the themes, which I think is interesting to talk about, so you can see where personal judgement and biases DO have to be applied. There are two options here, more or less - either one believes that Shrek is making an exception for short people, who are of the Devil, or one believes that the filmmakers did a bit of an oopsie. Barring an outright statement from the filmmakers, there's no way to know for sure.

We can say a work has very complex themes when it intentionally explores multiple ideas very deeply. We can say a work has shallow themes when it doesn't have much intentional meaning, and/or that meaning is explored very lightly. The labyrinthine storytelling of Homestuck, with its forays into mortality, morality, and growing up, chock full of symbolism and pastiche and allusions, is a work with complex themes - especially as compared to the average newspaper comic strip, although they ostensibly share a genre.

We can say a work has very unified themes when these themes serve to compliment each other - the refutation of Disney-esque values, and love as a positive driving force, compliment the main theme in Shrek of not judging books by their covers, of beauty not equating to goodness. Ugly things are worthy of love, and those who push standards of beauty are evil and suck.

Similarly, we can say a work has unfocused or messy themes when the themes it includes - intentionally or not - contradict, distract, and/or detract from each other. Beauty has no correlation to goodness... unless you're short, in which case, you are closer to Hell and therefore of evil blood. To get a little controversial, this is actually why I didn't like Last Wish very much - there are approximately three separate storylines, with three separate thematic arcs, going on in the same movie, none of which particularly compliment each other - so the experience was very messy to me, story-wise, even though it was pretty and the wolf was hot. This is why we feel weird about Disney pushing anti-corporate messages, when they're a big corporate machine, or why it's easy to assume Homestuck was written poorly if you don't like Hussie - we want themes to be coherent, we want context to be unified with output.

Tone

Tone is somehow even harder to define than theme. It's like, the "vibe" of a work. For example, you generally don't expect something lighthearted to deal with the realistic, brutal tragedies of war. Maybe it'll touch on them in light, optimistic ways, but it isn't about to go All Quiet on the Western Front on the reader. By the same token, you don't expect fully happy endings out of the melodrama of opera, or frivolous slice of life from something grimdark.

Tone, too, is something people often wind up Procrusteanizing, which makes discussion difficult if two people disagree. If I read Homestuck as unwaveringly optimistic, with its downer ending the result of an author fumble, I'm pretty much going to irreconcileably disagree with somebody who reads Homestuck as though it's always been a kind of tragedy where things don't work out for the characters. Since it's even more difficult to define than theme, I'm not even really going to bother; I just felt like I had to bring it up because, despite its nebulosity, it's vital to how one reads and interprets a text. Sometimes I don't have a better answer for why I dislike a certain interpretation other than that it doesn't suit the work's tone. I generally try to avoid saying that, though, because it winds up smacking of subjective preference.

In summary... analysis is about keeping everything in mind all the time! But i swear, it gets easier the more you do it. Happy reading!

#homestuck #literary analysis #critical thinking

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eldritch-spouse · 2 days

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This is a bit of a loaded question, however curiosity is a stronger beast than lust is

Do any of your characters have, specifically, a rape kink? Or get turned on by the idea of rape?

Gomen I know this isn't a very nice question :(

[Anon, the rape warning is in the blog for a reason, there's no need to apologize because you have crossed no boundaries. However, unlike you, these guys-]

TW: NONCON; Death; Mild dehumanization.

Kalymir. Listen. He just loves to dominate. It's his whole thing. Seeing you fight for your dignity, your body- Tossing everything and anything you can to try and slow this hulking beast, but deep down, he knows you know it's already over. He knows he's going to get his way and your running, screaming, kicking and punching only gets him more excited. Because, to Kalymir, sex is hunting. And you're exceptional prey. Crying, begging for mercy, slumping under him in utter defeat- Growing to worship him in time, all things Kalymir loves. Granted he wouldn't be as brutal to you as he was to past lays who meant nothing to him, the people who ended up shattered and lifeless from the brutality of his desire and the sadism that fuels him. If there wasn't a splatter of blood every single time Kalymir pistoned, then something was wrong.

Vesper. Such a sweetheart he is, so generous in his offerings- Until you recall that Vesper is the Icon of Lust, and lust is sometimes quite ugly. Vesper's violation of your will is subtle, peppered in perfumed pheromones and arousing lilts, suggestions of consent, illusions of desire. You will not deny him, because you cannot, he demands your carnality. Is Vesper capable of outright rape? Yes, that's how he fights, that's how he fulfills the fantasies of rotten people who strike deals with him, and Vesper does get aroused from his own vile actions. Does he prefer to trick you into thinking you want things? Yes, a lot more.

Morell. Another one who loves the hunt. But more than that, Morell is just a little too used to treating humans like a commodity rather than a person. All piggies kind of flail and whine about it, all of you make faces and get temperamental. What does it matter anyway? Play nice and let him make you squeal one last time before you end up on a platter... Although Morell will rape you in a non-lethal manner, he's infantilizing throughout it, trying to soothe you and shushing you, treating it like a dumb animal's tantrum. The damage is fixed with a few kisses and a nice meal, in his eyes.

Vinnel. Oh the sneering sadist. He wants you broken and crying beneath him, trying to hide your face and curl in on yourself, shaking like a leaf. He wants you covered in cuts and begging him to stop. What a pretty, pretty image you'd make, especially if put on display this way. But he's willing to be nice, oh very very nice, you just have to not get on his nerves. Very simple. His attention will still generally happen regardless of you wanting it or not, what changes is the degree to which he'll be relentlessly cruel in his assault. The more you suffer, the more he quakes in pleasure.

Nebul. Your will is secondary and you know this. Consent? No, you're a pet, he determines your consent, the same way he determines your entire routine. Punishments during his training oftentimes involve sexual assault, because it's brilliantly effective in drilling powerlessness into the minds of his victims, and your powerlessness is a drug that makes him feel oh so alive. Nebul likes that no matter how much you try, you're nothing but a puppet to his desires, and you will one day share them in a complementary fashion.

Patches. He feels very guilty about it, not that it makes it any better. It's not very often that it happens, but sometimes his own inability to take initiative or suceed in courting will have Patches erroneously casting his frustrations onto you and fantasies of rape flourish- Arousing him because of how cathartic they feel. Would he act on them? Only as an opportunist. Would Stitches outright rape? Oh yes, you're fucked with that one. Curiously, Patches also has vivid daydreams of you assaulting him, and the more degrading you are in his mind, the more he longs for it in real life.

Santi has enjoyed rape before. He's taken the sexual dignity of others before to make himself feel powerful, and it's something he won't do again. But sometimes, the thought rears its ugly head. Remnants of who he was, paired with a more sinister side of his nature.

Roch. A bit like Patches, he more so fetishizes the possibility of being taken advantage of while he sleeps. Roch enjoys the idea of being touched inappropriately or outright used by someone who stumbles upon him and simply decides to have the soft little imp all to themself. He doesn't tell you outright that you have permission to fuck him in most states, simply hopes that you'll be rotten enough to discard his consent entirely.

Ludwig. Like most wrath demons, rape is at the very least a semi-frequent fantasy. You're very lucky Ludwig happens to have more control over himself than most of his kin, but oh, that doesn't mean you're safe. While he will only harm you further if he has to, Lud does morbidly get off on intimidating you into performing sexual acts for him. Sometimes he doesn't even want penetration, he just wants to see the fear in your eyes while you bare yourself to him, touch yourself, suck him off, or just present and wait for a load on your ass.

Nick. She likes abusing her physical might. Ideally, she won't have to, but if it comes to that, Nicele gets a pretty big kick out of seeing you crumble to her commands. If she barks at you to ride her fingers, then you better. If she pushes your shoulders down and starts grinding her cunt on your face, then you better stay still and take it. Wouldn't want anything to break now, would we? Fear is a beautiful look on you.

Sybastian. Listen, it's a bit genetic in this case. Sybastian's used to snatching people. Careful not to trigger that instinct when he's trying to get frisky with you. It doesn't help that part of mimic sexual foreplay involves surprising their partner with sexual attention, so your initial flailing will only make him more enthusiastic because it signifies he succeeded in shocking you. He finds it fun and stimulating to overwhelm you, which makes gouging consent borderline impossible at times, and there are instances where he simply refuses to let go, therefore assaulting you.

(A lot of other characters are capable of rape but don't necessarily particularly get off on it.)

(Monsters who enjoy rape should not be confused with opportunists, which there are many here. These opportunists would not outright assault someone until the victim is vulnerable enough for the act to be performed, but they would take advantage of situations where they either know that you can't verbalize consent or lack thereof, situations where you may not recognize them, etc...)

Notable opportunists are: Breg; Lacai; Shags; Zizz; Livius; Flints; Jayde; Rinx; Nena; Obie; Belo; Vorago; Glauk; Colmei; Gallon; Fank-e.

#Kalymir oc #Vesper oc #Santi oc #Patches oc #Nebul oc #Stitches oc #demon girlfriendss #Ludwig oc #Roch oc #Sybastian oc #Vinnel oc

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